Who says these bikes dont do dual-sport!

pullin-gs · 10-18-2006, 08:21 PM

This 200cc Lifan-powered GY200 completed the AMA-organized Shennandoah 500 dual-sport ride last weekend. I beat the sh=t out of it, no other way to describe it. I made the ride with about 200 other riders, all of them on Japanese and Euro bikes. Not a single other china bike. All I had to do was ride it within it's limitations (about half of the suspension travel as most other bikes there) and keep it slow on the rocks. No problems at all in the gravel, mud, and trails....kept up good with the other bikes there. Just those damn rocks is where I kept it slow (2nd gear mostly, sometimes 3rd, sometimes 1st).

NOT ONE THING BROKE, bent, cracked, fell off, or quit working on the bike the entire weekend. Nothing. All I had to do was tighten my chain between Sat/Sun runs, and one other time mid-ride when the chain flipped off at the end of one of the stream crossings.
Bike has about 2000 miles on it now.

http://members.verizon.net/~vze3sdb7/s5001a.jpg
http://members.verizon.net/~vze3sdb7/s5002a.jpg
http://members.verizon.net/~vze3sdb7/s5003a.jpg
http://members.verizon.net/~vze3sdb7/s5004a.jpg
http://members.verizon.net/~vze3sdb7/s5005a.jpg

http://www.nvtr.org/index.php?option...g2_itemId=4378
http://www.nvtr.org/index.php?option...g2_itemId=4219
http://www.nvtr.org/index.php?option...g2_itemId=4757

sonofSunl · 10-18-2006, 08:27 PM

GOOD JOB !!!!!

frostbite · 10-18-2006, 08:31 PM

Quote:

All I had to do was tighten my chain between Sat/Sun runs, and one other time mid-ride when the chain flipped off at the end of one of the stream crossings.

Same thing happened to me on this ride right after a water crossing. The 428 chains are just too flimsy for a bike this size.

ob1 · 10-18-2006, 10:33 PM

How about that "Danger - Danger - Danger" followed by Accelerate Hard.....onto I-40!!!

I know some folks who made that ride, judging by their reports, that your China bike made it is really impressive, especially Day 1.

Congrats!!

blimpman · 10-19-2006, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pullin-gs

This 200cc Lifan-powered GY200 completed the AMA-organized Shennandoah 500 dual-sport ride last weekend. I beat the sh=t out of it, no other way to describe it. I made the ride with about 200 other riders, all of them on Japanese and Euro bikes. Not a single other china bike. All I had to do was ride it within it's limitations (about half of the suspension travel as most other bikes there) and keep it slow on the rocks. No problems at all in the gravel, mud, and trails....kept up good with the other bikes there. Just those damn rocks is where I kept it slow (2nd gear mostly, sometimes 3rd, sometimes 1st).

NOT ONE THING BROKE, bent, cracked, fell off, or quit working on the bike the entire weekend. Nothing. All I had to do was tighten my chain between Sat/Sun runs, and one other time mid-ride when the chain flipped off at the end of one of the stream crossings.
Bike has about 2000 miles on it now.

Way to go!! This is how I am going to ride the Lifan that is soon to be in my garage. Working on the bike is 1/2 the fun! I have ridden those kind of Dual Sport events on a KLR650 and it just worked me to death. Sure alot of fun tho!

amc31b · 10-19-2006, 05:49 PM

I just got out of an experienced rider course with my roketa DB-05. We practiced snap turns, stop and goes, figure 8's, and the like. Even though I was one of the more experineced in the class, I ran circles around all the other riders, even though they had more expensive bikes :twisted: . There were several GSXR's, a few R6's, a harley and a massive goldwing. I was able to complete the manuevers faster and easy than all of them. I had people asking all day what kind of bike it was and where It came from. And to think that they paid all that money for "superior handling" 8)

dlunt · 10-19-2006, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amc31b

There were several GSXR's, a few R6's, a harley and a massive goldwing. I was able to complete the manuevers faster and easy than all of them. I had people asking all day what kind of bike it was and where It came from. And to think that they paid all that money for "superior handling" 8)

Personally I wouldn't mind a GSXR or R6 (or a few dozen other bikes) in my garage right next to my GY-5.

The high speed handling would run circles around my Lifan...oops did I just mention high speed and Lifan in the same sentence? :twisted:

deputygene · 10-20-2006, 02:08 AM

Great job Pullin G's! Those river crossings looked kinda deep. Did you do anything in particular to prep your bike for this event? I have never rode in an organized enduro event, what is the entry fee to one of those?

blimpman · 10-20-2006, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deputygene

Great job Pullin G's! Those river crossings looked kinda deep. Did you do anything in particular to prep your bike for this event? I have never rode in an organized enduro event, what is the entry fee to one of those?

Enduro's can be REAL tough...... If you want to start on organised AMA events I'd suggest a Dual Sport Ride. Generally they are two day events with the first day usually being the tougher ride. The second day is usually easier and in my opinion much more fun! The DS events I have been to in Ohio tend to be attended by alot of ex-enduro & harescrambler riders riding 450cc or less MX & offroad bikes that are barely street legal. Many ride very hard even though it is not a race of any kind. A 200cc Enduro bike like the Roketa or Lifan would make all the ride sections with no problem though. For a new rider they always have the tougher sections as optional with go-around routes clearly labeled. Entry fees for both days at a Dual Sport Event have averaged 75-80 bucks and a single day is 50-70.

Prep for your bike... Locktite... Blue Locktite. Always carry tools with you and always have water with ya... for the rider of course. Good DS tires or Street Legal knobbies ( like the Dunlop 606) would really be helpful. Practice beforehand if you can and have some fun!

These are very fun events and I would reccommend them to anyone. I am gonna ride 4 or 5 next year.

Brian

pullin-gs · 10-20-2006, 10:40 AM

My prep:

Riding gear.....most important upgrade you can make. Get some MX boots, nice gloves, riding jacket, a chest-protector, eye protection, and riding pants. I cant stress this enough. The S500 had several broken bones (not mine), two involving collisions or near-collisions with other vehicles.

Built the bike right (locktite all fasteners) when I got it new 18 months ago.
Before race I went over it again....found a few nuts that needed to be torqued. Changed oil, and adjusted valves and chain.

I also had to get an after-market pipe. The rules of the ride stipulated that the exaust MUST have a USFS (US Forrest Service) approved spark arrestor. The Lifan does not have a USFS approved arrestor (it would be stamped on it if it was).

I also upgraded my chain.

I ran fast gearing (17T x 43T).

Everything else is stock.

Very important that bike is locktighted everywhere.

Also important to respect the bike for what it is. If you try to keep up with the other riders (most are riding dirt conversions and heavy DS bikes) on the rocky sections or the jumps you will break the bike. Everywhere else (most of the miles) on the gravel and smooth trails it goes as fast as your skills will allow. On several sections I had it over 60MPH. Day one took 7 hours. Day 2 took 7 hours also.

Great experience....I will do it again, with this bike.

Cheers!

Pullin'

tzrider · 10-22-2006, 11:14 AM

Found this like that shows some of what the little China bike had to go through. I think I'd be siliconing electrics before this ride, LOL.

http://www.familyriders.org/S500_2006.wmv

John22j · 10-28-2006, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pullin-gs

Also important to respect the bike for what it is. If you try to keep up with the other riders (most are riding dirt conversions and heavy DS bikes) on the rocky sections or the jumps you will break the bike.

A statement like that has me concerned about buying a China bike -- I'm looking at a full dirt one to just ride on trails. I'm an experienced rider (with woods and MX background), so what level of abuse is too much for a China bike? Are they just not built right? shotty supsension? The trails I ride on entail much of what are shown in the pics/video of this DS ride -- rocks, fallen trees that you ride over, water crossings... maybe a little rougher in some sections... and jumps - are you saying you can't jump these bikes? (I don't mean 10'+ MX style, but going off a 3' drop off is like a jump)

should I just buy an older Jap bike instead? I figured for the same money why not try one of these. Obviously I know the Honda's run forever, but a 5 year old one is in the same price range as the new Hensim I've been looking at.

I was planning on ordering a Hensim DB150-2 Monday -- now I'm not sure.

ob1 · 10-29-2006, 07:55 AM

I cant speak for the bike themselves, at least from personal experience. From what I've seen, heard and read, I would not call them THE bike for full-on aggressive dirt riding.

But, for the money, the engines ARE pretty sweet. I dropped one into an XR200 chassis for my daughter to race enduros with. She presently holds 2nd place in the series standings. The motor has been absolutely flawless.

blimpman · 10-29-2006, 08:20 AM

[quote="John22j The trails I ride on entail much of what are shown in the pics/video of this DS ride -- rocks, fallen trees that you ride over, water crossings... maybe a little rougher in some sections... and jumps - are you saying you can't jump these bikes? (I don't mean 10'+ MX style, but going off a 3' drop off is like a jump)

should I just buy an older Jap bike instead? I figured for the same money why not try one of these. Obviously I know the Honda's run forever, but a 5 year old one is in the same price range as the new Hensim I've been looking at.

I was planning on ordering a Hensim DB150-2 Monday -- now I'm not sure.[/quote]

Get the DB150...
I would say 3' jumps would not be a problem. Riding these bike like a MX bike would not be a great idea because they are NOT a true MX bike. Used as a trail bike for most DS, mild adventure and family type rides, you would be fine. You have to keep up on the maintenance a little more ( check bolts, fasteners, etc..) but knowing that on the frontside will help make every ride a pleasure. The more feedback the Chinese manuf get on how their bikes are used and perform will help in making them better. ( my opinion). The last few years the bikes coming out of PRC have gotten much better. Look at what the Japenese bikes were like when they first got to the States. The Chinese will catch up very fast....

One more thing... get some thick skin because you'll hear the jokes about Chinese bikes from your riding buddies.... ( make sure to laugh at them when you pass them on the trail though... :twisted: )

NewEnglandTrails · 10-29-2006, 08:59 AM

John and ob1,

Okay, I might betray my age here. But the same things your saying about Chinese bikes are the same things they said about Japanese bikes and products when I was growing up. There was a point when Japanese products were so cheap, and inexpensive that "Made In Japan" was a detriment to the product. Obviously that is not the case in the year 2006.

Considering that the Japanese manufacturers of bikes are outsourcing to China might mean that even if you buy a suzuki, honda or kawasaki you may end up with a China bike anyway, probably built in one of the plants that you would end up buying a china bike from.

Capitalism is taking hold in China... as well.. Which means that there are incentives now in place for quality.. supply and demand. The workers in a Chinese factory from Research and Development down to the assembly line worker are all now evaluated on performance and pride in craftmanship. The better they do the more the more Yens they bring home.

I have two china bikes so far, Im far from an expert, but I can say that for the price I paid. The product I recieved was well worth the bucks I spent. If I spent 4 times the money on a Japanese branded bike I would probably pay as close attention as I do to loctiting bolts. changing oil and have fun pushing it to the limits..

If you are worried about parts and service, these bikes are so inexpensive you can buy two and still pay less than one japanese branded bike for spare parts. As well there are a growing number of dealers supporting the product.. See RPM, ejcycles and Mule3010 who are active members here. There are many more to mention and will edit this post later.

Hang tuff keep riding,...... New England Trails

10-18-2006, 08:21 PM	#1
pullin-gs Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19	Who says these bikes dont do dual-sport! This 200cc Lifan-powered GY200 completed the AMA-organized Shennandoah 500 dual-sport ride last weekend. I beat the sh=t out of it, no other way to describe it. I made the ride with about 200 other riders, all of them on Japanese and Euro bikes. Not a single other china bike. All I had to do was ride it within it's limitations (about half of the suspension travel as most other bikes there) and keep it slow on the rocks. No problems at all in the gravel, mud, and trails....kept up good with the other bikes there. Just those damn rocks is where I kept it slow (2nd gear mostly, sometimes 3rd, sometimes 1st). NOT ONE THING BROKE, bent, cracked, fell off, or quit working on the bike the entire weekend. Nothing. All I had to do was tighten my chain between Sat/Sun runs, and one other time mid-ride when the chain flipped off at the end of one of the stream crossings. Bike has about 2000 miles on it now. http://members.verizon.net/~vze3sdb7/s5001a.jpg http://members.verizon.net/~vze3sdb7/s5002a.jpg http://members.verizon.net/~vze3sdb7/s5003a.jpg http://members.verizon.net/~vze3sdb7/s5004a.jpg http://members.verizon.net/~vze3sdb7/s5005a.jpg http://www.nvtr.org/index.php?option...g2_itemId=4378 http://www.nvtr.org/index.php?option...g2_itemId=4219 http://www.nvtr.org/index.php?option...g2_itemId=4757
	0

10-19-2006, 05:49 PM	#6
amc31b Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Ft Bragg, NC Posts: 37	I just got out of an experienced rider course with my roketa DB-05. We practiced snap turns, stop and goes, figure 8's, and the like. Even though I was one of the more experineced in the class, I ran circles around all the other riders, even though they had more expensive bikes :twisted: . There were several GSXR's, a few R6's, a harley and a massive goldwing. I was able to complete the manuevers faster and easy than all of them. I had people asking all day what kind of bike it was and where It came from. And to think that they paid all that money for "superior handling" 8) __________________ <div>Roketa RKM-E5</div>
	0

10-29-2006, 08:20 AM	#14
blimpman Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Posts: 267	[quote="John22j The trails I ride on entail much of what are shown in the pics/video of this DS ride -- rocks, fallen trees that you ride over, water crossings... maybe a little rougher in some sections... and jumps - are you saying you can't jump these bikes? (I don't mean 10'+ MX style, but going off a 3' drop off is like a jump) should I just buy an older Jap bike instead? I figured for the same money why not try one of these. Obviously I know the Honda's run forever, but a 5 year old one is in the same price range as the new Hensim I've been looking at. I was planning on ordering a Hensim DB150-2 Monday -- now I'm not sure.[/quote] Get the DB150... I would say 3' jumps would not be a problem. Riding these bike like a MX bike would not be a great idea because they are NOT a true MX bike. Used as a trail bike for most DS, mild adventure and family type rides, you would be fine. You have to keep up on the maintenance a little more ( check bolts, fasteners, etc..) but knowing that on the frontside will help make every ride a pleasure. The more feedback the Chinese manuf get on how their bikes are used and perform will help in making them better. ( my opinion). The last few years the bikes coming out of PRC have gotten much better. Look at what the Japenese bikes were like when they first got to the States. The Chinese will catch up very fast.... One more thing... get some thick skin because you'll hear the jokes about Chinese bikes from your riding buddies.... ( make sure to laugh at them when you pass them on the trail though... :twisted: ) __________________ The destination is merely a by-product of the journey. '06 KLR650 '06 XT225 '92 XT225 Serow ( MBD.... Multiple Bike Disease...)
	0

10-29-2006, 08:59 AM	#15
NewEnglandTrails Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: The Quiet Corner of CT. Posts: 387	Deja vu John and ob1, Okay, I might betray my age here. But the same things your saying about Chinese bikes are the same things they said about Japanese bikes and products when I was growing up. There was a point when Japanese products were so cheap, and inexpensive that "Made In Japan" was a detriment to the product. Obviously that is not the case in the year 2006. Considering that the Japanese manufacturers of bikes are outsourcing to China might mean that even if you buy a suzuki, honda or kawasaki you may end up with a China bike anyway, probably built in one of the plants that you would end up buying a china bike from. Capitalism is taking hold in China... as well.. Which means that there are incentives now in place for quality.. supply and demand. The workers in a Chinese factory from Research and Development down to the assembly line worker are all now evaluated on performance and pride in craftmanship. The better they do the more the more Yens they bring home. I have two china bikes so far, Im far from an expert, but I can say that for the price I paid. The product I recieved was well worth the bucks I spent. If I spent 4 times the money on a Japanese branded bike I would probably pay as close attention as I do to loctiting bolts. changing oil and have fun pushing it to the limits.. If you are worried about parts and service, these bikes are so inexpensive you can buy two and still pay less than one japanese branded bike for spare parts. As well there are a growing number of dealers supporting the product.. See RPM, ejcycles and Mule3010 who are active members here. There are many more to mention and will edit this post later. Hang tuff keep riding,...... New England Trails
	0

10-18-2006, 08:27 PM	#2
sonofSunl Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Michigan U.S.A. Looks like a mitten Posts: 48	GOOD JOB !!!!!
	0

10-18-2006, 10:33 PM	#4
ob1 Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 499	How about that "Danger - Danger - Danger" followed by Accelerate Hard.....onto I-40!!! I know some folks who made that ride, judging by their reports, that your China bike made it is really impressive, especially Day 1. Congrats!!
	0

10-20-2006, 02:08 AM	#8
deputygene Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 254	Great job Pullin G's! Those river crossings looked kinda deep. Did you do anything in particular to prep your bike for this event? I have never rode in an organized enduro event, what is the entry fee to one of those?
	0

10-20-2006, 10:40 AM	#10
pullin-gs Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19	My prep: Riding gear.....most important upgrade you can make. Get some MX boots, nice gloves, riding jacket, a chest-protector, eye protection, and riding pants. I cant stress this enough. The S500 had several broken bones (not mine), two involving collisions or near-collisions with other vehicles. Built the bike right (locktite all fasteners) when I got it new 18 months ago. Before race I went over it again....found a few nuts that needed to be torqued. Changed oil, and adjusted valves and chain. I also had to get an after-market pipe. The rules of the ride stipulated that the exaust MUST have a USFS (US Forrest Service) approved spark arrestor. The Lifan does not have a USFS approved arrestor (it would be stamped on it if it was). I also upgraded my chain. I ran fast gearing (17T x 43T). Everything else is stock. Very important that bike is locktighted everywhere. Also important to respect the bike for what it is. If you try to keep up with the other riders (most are riding dirt conversions and heavy DS bikes) on the rocky sections or the jumps you will break the bike. Everywhere else (most of the miles) on the gravel and smooth trails it goes as fast as your skills will allow. On several sections I had it over 60MPH. Day one took 7 hours. Day 2 took 7 hours also. Great experience....I will do it again, with this bike. Cheers! Pullin'
	0

10-22-2006, 11:14 AM	#11
tzrider Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Texas by gawd! Posts: 407	Found this like that shows some of what the little China bike had to go through. I think I'd be siliconing electrics before this ride, LOL. http://www.familyriders.org/S500_2006.wmv
	0

10-29-2006, 07:55 AM	#13
ob1 Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 499	I cant speak for the bike themselves, at least from personal experience. From what I've seen, heard and read, I would not call them THE bike for full-on aggressive dirt riding. But, for the money, the engines ARE pretty sweet. I dropped one into an XR200 chassis for my daughter to race enduros with. She presently holds 2nd place in the series standings. The motor has been absolutely flawless.
	0