Lifan 200cc off-road bike

Jun 15, 2011
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.....when the laughter has died down, a serious question. Does anyone up there own or had any experience with the Lifan LF200GY-5A off-road bike ? A friend of mine bought one over a year ago ( and yes, I laughed ) but he has nothing but praise for it. I happened upon a shop in Buriram the other day and they had a few of them there. seems like a reasonable bike, but you don't have to look far to see it's not Honda or Kawasaki quality. But when you consider the purchase price of 44,500 baht, what conclusion do you arrive at ? I'm not sure if that price included registration or not. It also comes with a 5 year engine warranty, not sure about the rest of the bike. So, over to the off-road experts up there -- what are your thoughts please.....
 
Sep 4, 2007
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Some may consider value for money, but two of my friends, one off road oriented and the other nearly all on road, both started with positive thoughts, but after a few months both sold, one bought a new KLK and the other the new Honda 250. Constant niggling problems, no dealer service competence or inclination to solve those problems, but mainly just a bit difficult to have real ownership pride with the way they are constructed and finished. However they are undoubtedly very cheap and so as a runaround, if that all the budget will stand, then they have a place.
If you can afford the Kawasaki or Honda, you may also consider that the resale value of these bikes is very good, so the total running and ownership costs per year are probably similar to the Lifan. Parts and service costs for Honda and Kawasaki are very low cf all the imported bikes. So apart from the initial purchase cost, which one can largely recoup on sale, one could say that the H and K are better running value. They are certainly more capable in almost all riding aspects.
 
May 30, 2012
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I have heard that the engines are good, rest of the bike is crap. But... that isn't first hand experience. I have only seen 1 Lifan cross on the road, it was black and from a distance it looked ok to me.

There is a lot of info out there about them if you browse the Chinese bike forums (UK based).
 
Jun 15, 2011
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John, thank you for your valued comments -- I was hoping you would reply based on your comments that I have read and from the standard of the bikes you have kept. You echo my thoughts, especially regarding resale values etc. For once, I am taking ages in buying an off-road bike. Normally if I see a bike I buy it -- I really should have bought your Kawasaki D-Tracker but the distance involved deterred me. If you take into account also the number of Honda dealers who are now offering the CR250L for sale, I think this bike is the best bet. Thanks once again.
 
Jun 15, 2011
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Decisions decisions... Well, last weekend saw me in Pattaya with a pocket full of the folding stuff. I'd been to a Honda dealer and they were offering me a discount for cash on the CRF250L and I had almost decided that this would be my next aquisition. Trouble is, I went into one of the superstores and the misses ( bless her ) said " have you seen those bikes over there ? ". My eyes panned round and settled on 4 bikes, all very orange, black and white. The local Honda dealer ( ha ha ) had a display of KTM's, and amongst them was the new KTM 200 Duke. I fell in love with it instantly. Comfortable, very comfortable. Light. Good looking. Not quite my semi off road desire but having just got off a CRF250L, oh so comfortable. How much I asked ? 220,000 baht came the reply. Hmm, expensive but I was told that was due to import duty ( thankyou Thai government ). I couldn't drag myself away from it -- until the salesman quite rightly pointed out that for another 15000 baht, I could have a Kawasaki ER6N ( or whatever they are ). This was taking me even further away from what I thought I needed. Damn clever these designers and sales people. So now, I'm as far away as I was a couple of months ago from buying my new steed. Has anyone experienced a KTM 200 Duke at first hand ?
 

KZ25

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Nov 19, 2011
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The little Duke is a looker, it's exotic and you won't see a lot of them on the road. If you want a small, agressive and luxurious street bike go for it. But as the sales man pointed out, it's almost as expensive as a 650 Kawasaki! I also read that it needs to be revved to get all its horses working, so you probably be wringing the little engine out most of the time, and off-road is more or less out of the question.
The CRF has less power but a few more cc and is probably better around town. If you have the money, get the CRF and turn it into a supermoto - get 17" wheels with top street rubber, an aftermarket exhaust (Akrapovic or Yoshimura) and you still have money left. Get the white version and give it a yellow, light green or blue paint job to make it your personal bike!
And you still have money left over.
Oh, and stay away from those Chinese! A 200cc bike for under 50,000? It can't be good! Of course they look good on the sales floor when new, it's hard to believe that a nice bike like that will be close to junk in a short time.
 
Jun 15, 2011
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Well readers and fellow motorcyclists you'll all be ( very ) pleased to know I've put a deposit on a new Honda CRF250L -- that was on wednesday of this week. I've got to pay the rest of the cash on monday and the bike will be ready for collection on wednesday of next week -- except the number plate of course. What I would like to mention is that it has been worth taking my time and shopping around for the best price. By paying cash, I've got a 10,000 baht discount plus a whopping 36% discount on the extra bits like the rack etc. Well, it seemed like a good deal to me so I've jumped in with both feet. The old Honda GB400TT was shipped off to it's new owner yesterday. Sad to see it go really.
 

KZ25

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Congrats! I'm sure you won't regret that decisison.
Seems like the CRF is readily available, no waiting. Did you get a red one? I wonder why Honda came out with a whire one, they could have been a bit more creative there. But better white than the teal/purple or blue/green/yellow candy colors of the 90s...
Discount sounds good - how much was the damage exactly, if I may ask? Several buyers posted different prices so I wonder what's the lowest. 135K seems to be the average.
 
Jun 15, 2011
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The cash price for the bike with everything included -- registration, road tax and government insurance was 130,000 baht. They started out at 135,000 baht which was already 5,000 baht lower than any of my local dealers. Extras on the bike were back rack, sump guard, hand guards ( bit flimsy though ), centre handlebar padding and extra exhaust cover. These retailed at 7,780 baht but they discounted those 5 items to 5,000 baht ( approximately 36% ). Sorry to say, but I have actually bought a white one knowing that everyone else will have red but I think white is a better base from which to change/add a different colour.
 
Jun 15, 2011
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KZ25;282588 wrote: Exactly my thinking!

How about KTM orange?
We are on the same wave length ! Harley-davidson or KTM -- Orange, black and white is the colour scheme I'll be using.
 

KZ25

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Nov 19, 2011
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Something like that:

282599=12351-ktm.450.orange.jpg


The panel over the muffler has to be black!
 
Jun 15, 2011
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The new bike is safely tucked up in the garage, but not without several soakings on the journey home. Luckily for me, I was inside the pick-up. And to answer the next question, I bought the bike from a dealer about 300kms from where I live -- I just happen to pass it on journeys to and from Pattaya. The dealer slightly jiggled the price around on the invoice. The bike, including registration road tax and government insurance came out as 129,000 baht, and the extras at 6,000 baht so still a grand total of 135,000 baht. They even threw in a free helmet and Honda jacket ( which is about 15 sizes too small for me ). They also told me if I knew anyone who wanted a similar deal, they would hold this price for another 2 or 3 days. All one would need to do is give them a holding deposit of 5,000 baht to secure. I don't know if I can ' advertise ' their name on the forum so if anyone is interested, they can send me a message or e-mail and I'll pass on the details. If it is OK show their details on the forum, perhaps someone more knowledgable than me will let me know.
 

DavidFL

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finnomick;282704 wrote: I don't know if I can ' advertise ' their name on the forum so if anyone is interested, they can send me a message or e-mail and I'll pass on the details. If it is OK show their details on the forum, perhaps someone more knowledgable than me will let me know.
Finnomick
No trouble, hit us with the dealers details.
 
Jun 15, 2011
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Davidfl;282707 wrote: Finnomick
No trouble, hit us with the dealers details.
Thanks David, here is the dealers name, address and phone numbers:-

Asia City Motor Co. Ltd.,
271/1 Moo 6
Bowin
Sriracha
Chonburi
20230

Tel: 038345732 and 038346150

E-mail: [email protected]

They are situated at the crossroads in the centre of Bowin which is on road number 331. The 331 runs north/south between Sattahip and Phanom Sarakham, and Bowin is approximately 20km east of Sriracha ( sometimes spelt Sri Racha and famour for it's tiger zoo). Bowin is the town at the centre of the automotive industry ( other than Bangkok ) called Eastern Seaboard. It's easily the busiest Honda dealer I've been in. They are open 7 days a week, but they cannot sell bikes on sunday. You can look or make payments. The woman we dealt with was called Mon BUT, and here's the only snag I've found, none of the staff speak much English. I hope this is of use.
 
Jun 15, 2011
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Mon from Asia City Motor Co. Ltd., rang today -- they have extended the o.t.r. price of 129,000 baht until the end of the month. A holding deposit of 5,000 baht secures. What happens after the 30th is anyone's guess -- as long as they don't lower the price some more which I think is highly unlikely. I couldn't find a CRF250L for less than 139,000 baht anywhere in the north-east.