lifan or hi bird?

[NewEnglandTrails]

Whatever you decide, are you planning to get it plated and street legal?

If so you may have another level that would need to go into your decision, depending on what state you live in. Just because a drop shipper says its street legal in 50 states.. Does not mean it will be.

Caviat Emptor Buyer Beware.

P.S. I have a Hi-Bird Atv no problems, and Vbike is reputable. Once my ATV arrived I just called him and he had the mso in the mail in a few days.

NET

[Death85e]

My wife and i got our bill of sale and MSO 1 week after the bikes arrivedwe took them to the DMV 20 minutes and $420.00 later we had our tags with no hassles of anykind. HI-BIRD USA ( AKA ) ANAM CYCLES has been great to work with they have responded to all questions and concerns of ours with a very proffessional and prompt attitude. I have over 500 miles on my Bird now and have had no problems whatsoever.
I believe the quality of the HI-BIRDS to be very good...even bordering on that of the Japanese models....in part i am not nice to my Bird but i also keep the maintanence up very thoroughly.
I followed the sticky on here about the initial setup and breakin on my wifes and my Birds and have been extremely pleased as to the entire experience of these bikes. As far as the extra 50cc's i am glad i have them i tip the scales at just over 230 lbs and this bike hauls me my 14 yr old son both very easily at 60-65 mph with plenty of throttle left. It also has plenty of torque to pull hills on and offroad as well.
I have noticed that as these bikes continue to break in they do gain some extra power....accidently did a wheelie in 2nd gear yesterday! 8O .
Have also caught 6-8 foot of airtime a few times without any trouble ...would not suggest that this be a habitual thing but they will withstand some abuse....BTW i have no mods on my bike whatsoever ( except different paint ) but i cannot stress my pleasure with these bikes enough and would recommend them to anyone who wants to buy a cheap yet well built bike for trails and occassional hiway use.
I apologize if i got ff topic a little. 8O
Just realized i have a huge avatar 8O :( :?

[shakembakem]

so it sounds like the engine on the hi bird is pretty bullet proof? do you know who makes the engines? or are they there own make? 420.00 dollars is kinda steep for the dmv isnt it? lol.

[Ream]

I was seriously considering an AL gy5,but the way AL has been acting lately,I don`t think I want to support a company like that.Every time I go on their site & request a dealer,it takes days for a reply.The two dealers they sent to me were just a joke!! (With dealers like that,Lifan will be in the toilet very soon!!)The HI-bird looks like thats the way I`m going to go. Good price,decent looks,250cc. Still,I like the Q-Link XP 200.But @ $2000 it`s too much $$,another $6-800 might as well just get the DRZ 200 & find parts in town.

[Hancadam]

Not sure why everyone is so upset with the way American Lifan is "acting". All they are doing is trying to cover their own butts, and become a reputable business. There website states that clearly. From the way it sounds the non AL bikes are not up to par with the AL bikes. Maybe they pick the best Lifans to ship here. Or maybe just more quality control for the AL bikes.

[iMoose]

Originally Posted by Hancadam

Not sure why everyone is so upset with the way American Lifan is "acting". All they are doing is trying to cover their own butts, and become a reputable business. There website states that clearly. From the way it sounds the non AL bikes are not up to par with the AL bikes. Maybe they pick the best Lifans to ship here. Or maybe just more quality control for the AL bikes.

What? Are we reading the same website? A dealer said he was waiting for parts for months, unable to reach anybody at AL, then dropped by them as a dealer. Then re-instated a couple days later. Then guy FROM AL posted that parts for non-AL bikes won't be available until THEY(AL) can control the flow of all Lifans into the US. When exactly will that happen? Still see "Lifans" for sale online. China Lifan makes bikes for anybody with the money. And ALL the Lifans are virtualy identical. Maxfine and Skygo are good examples of identical to AL's Lifans where the ONLY difference was the stickers! And $600. Better be some cool-ass stickers for $600!

Better parts go on AL's bikes? Huh?
Yes, I'm sure they shut-down the factory, re-tool, then make better bikes JUST for AL. Please. Some of the independant sellers could actually have the better equipped bikes AND be selling them for less than AL.

I think it's important to let this guy know about this stuff BESIDES what nice things AL says on their website. I sure hope he's considering WHO he's getting his Lifan from carefully. Just because the bike says Lifan right on it, doesn't guarantee AL will recognize it and cover it under a warranty. BE CAREFUL! It's still a Lifan, just not the "right" kind of Lifan.

[Hancadam]

Dude, chill out. It would not be unheard of if the AL gets more attention at the factory. Like I stated, possibly more quality control. Also, it would not be unheard of for there to more than one factory making the same bike. Lifan wants to make sure there bikes are sold through reputable dealers. Some of the so called dealers selling China bikes is one of the main causes for the bad reputation these bikes have. It makes sense to me what Lifan is doing. I have been reading this site for nearly a year. At one point I have skimmed through the whole enduro forum. I would only buy the Lifan from http://motoxtreme.net/. I know they are a AL dealer. I know Lifans quality first hand. I have built 3 200x's from the ground up using their engines. Keep your smart remarks to yourself. Don't assume your talking to someone who knows nothing.

[warrior91]

The Non A.L Grey market bikes have a American Lifan sticker on them and lots of old stock was sold to independants right from A.L....so How does that make these bikes lesser quality???

[Hancadam]

Notice how it says maybe. I was just suggesting that. None of use know for sure. It was just an idea. They may be the exact same bikes. Lifan is just trying to build a reputable business. Not sure why that makes them bad.

[Hancadam]

Originally Posted by Hancadam

Notice how it says maybe. I was just suggesting that. None of use know for sure. It was just an idea. They may be the exact same bikes. Lifan is just trying to build a reputable business. Not sure why that makes them bad.

I was just thinking along the lines of my SKS's. I collect them. They are the exact same guns, but made in several different factories in China. The only way to tell is by the symbols stamped on the top of the guns. The lifans could be the same way. Like I said, it was just a hunch. You guys jump all over it like I said it was fact. Also, I read the letter on Lifans site reqaurding this issue. It says some are selling second rate bikes with defective parts.
http://www.lifan.com/en/corpnews_lis...5&parentid=358

[TheBrainII]

I would have to say A.L. also. Only because thats what I have (O7 gy5). I have had ZERO trouble with it. Only had to the move the c-clip down when I got really cold out. I put 5k miles on it in less then a year. I got it from motoxtreme. Brian was a big help and he answered all my questions very quickly.
I will say which ever you pick you can be sure of one thing. You will be tweeking things here and there i.e. loose nuts, chain slack, c-clip. Just ask here before you go messing with something. Somebody will help you out and save you a few busted knuckles.

[alonzo]

why dont we just start a petetion get everyone to sign it that wished to have better access to parts for their bikes, and submit it to some of the japanese aftermarket parts dealers and various other parts warehouses just so they really know there is a market for parts and service for these bikes, Who knows, maby we can get one of them to listen and give us the parts and service to keep our plinkers running healthy.

I know my thought is a little off topic sorry for that, but reading the info I see here is hinting toward such an idea. maby one day we can pick up the LATEST JC WHITNEY catalog and order a full bike!!!! lol

[GY_Racing]

yea the grey bikes are the same exact thing as AL bikes the difference being the AL bikes the profit goes to AL and the grey bikes goes to the importer you buy from, remember that. :wink:

I am in a battle with a grey bike right now. AL makes sure if you don't buy from them you wont get it registered and to add insult to injury they wont sell you any parts for it as punishment for not spending your money with them. They are also very rude over the phone and don't want anything to do with you UNLESS you buy from them as if the consumer has any idea where the bike came from. Instead of taking care of the customer they take it out on us like we have any idea what's going on or if our dealer is authorized or not. Basically they are just an importer like the other dealers except they are trying to make a monopoly out of it and become the only importer so they can make all the money. They are going to end up loosing more customers by going after us instead of the dealer. They had the nerve to tell me I could not even legally sell my grey bike unless I sold it for parts only.

I had no idea it was gray when I bought it; it looked blue to me; they are the only ones that call it gray. I am now doing future business else where as I am buying a Komoto. No reg issues, no issues getting parts, no monopoly.

>>> If you want a Lifan you need to call AL and ask if the dealer you buy from is authorized by AL. They told me very few are and they also told me that there are zero internet dealers that sell AL bikes except motox. According to them EVERY bike that is sold ONLINE is gray except motox. There may be others but that is what they told me. I am very disappointed in both AL and my dealer F.I. I more or less dumped 1,400 down the toilet except I get to ride it to my mailbox and back as they suggested I could. <<<

[katoranger]

This is going to far off topic. Bring it back to lifan or hibird.

Allen

[shakembakem]

i made my decision. even though i was dead set on the lifan i changed my mind and bought the komoto since everyone on here who owns one doesnt seem to have much bad to say about it. 1300 shipped to my door to .i hope its a good bike thanks guys! and just on a side note do you guys have a pretty easy time getting replacement parts for them?