Zongshen/Lifan/Qingqi .. or Yamaha

Hello everyone,
I just got my driving license today:deal::clap::clap: so i can finally buy a motorcycle this weekend. I will be riding most of the week on good roads, but i surely I will use the bike in rough terrain over the weekends, getting lost in Yunnan. I am 176cm/~92 Kg. Budget is ~10,000 RMB. Also, maybe sometimes i will carry a lucky passenger with me :lol8:
Whatever i buy, i will rip off the headlight if its square transformer style, and replace with a round headlight... this could be tricky. But i hate anything but the round headlight.
I think i narrowed down my choices to the following::

• Zongshen ZS200GY:: great value for 9000 RMB, but
  
  • Comfortable cruising speed? I have seen some people say that the engine does not feel quiet like a 200cc, is that true ?
• Lifan LF200GY:: i still did not see this bike for real, but Lifan is one of the best manufacturers. I will call the dealer tomorrow
  • how much in RMB?
  • I am surprised it is not very popular here. LF200GY-6 is the latest model ?
• The QM200GY motard version::
  
  • over my budget, but i would pay an extra 3K if i understand why this is more expensive :confused1:
  • At the dealer's, the bike felt a little too cramped for me. And then a typical Chinese answer ... mayo, mayo .. no bigger .. mayo mayo. Is it true?
  • I was not very impressed with the bike, i have a strange feeling its not what i see on the forum here. Could someone post more photos of the real machine? especially the speedo/rpm display area. Or maybe point me to a detail review somewhere.
• Yamaha YBR125G:: (the Dual sport model):: only a 125cc, but it is fuel injected. Its the best looking bike compared to others. Also best bike in terms of build and finish quality, simple and clean. No plastics, and a good paint job. No bolts will come loose, and nothing will break and almost kill you. And for 9500 RMB its not too expensive.
  • Will this work as good as the other 200cc bikes ? I don't want to race with anything, but can i carry passenger comfortably?
  • Cruising speed?

I will be very happy on the YBR125G, if i know the 125cc engine and the skinny tubes are not a big issue. But i really don't have an idea about bikes this size, i don't know whats the difference between a 125 and 200cc engines. And they wont let me test drive any.. so i really rely on your feedback.:thumbsup:

Howdy Slavo,

Congrats on the drivers license :thumbsup:

Is this the Yamaha YBR125G you saw? I was looking at this one a couple weeks ago, price was 9K but it's not fuel injected.

http://www.contactdi.com/2009/MCM0001.jpg

Now the YBR250... that was really nice and definately was fuel injected.

http://www.contactdi.com/2009/MCM0002.jpg

But the price tag :eek2:

http://www.contactdi.com/2009/MCM0003.jpg

One of our members (tokyokid) went from Shanghai to Berlin on a YBR125 with his wife on the back, so I guess you could say they're pretty reliable :icon10:

I think the Zongshen ZS200GY is a pretty decent bike for the price and you could probably change sprockets to improve the cruising speed. There are some guys in Hubei that have the Sierras, looks like their having a good time on them.

I don't know much about the Lifan, never seen one at any of the dealerships here in Guangdong.

The QingQi is a favorite of many people here on the site, and my personal favorite as well. You mentioned it was 3K more than the others, does that mean your dealer is asking 13K ? Could you take a picture of the bike so I can tell you exactly which one it is?

I would lean towards the 200cc bikes as they do have a bit more torque, which is handy when you're riding two up or fully loaded.

Yunnan :bowdown: you are sooo lucky.

Cheers!
ChinaV

I largely agree with China V.

Slabo, not sure if you are muscular or maybe have a little extra around the middle, if you are 93KG. A 125cc bike especially with a passenger if have a strained hard life especially up the hills, although it does depend on how slender your passenger is! :lol8: The YBR125G is certainly likely to require the lowest maintenance and give you the best reliability, and all the bolts will be properly torqued, which means it will be the safest and most user friendly option, as the bike was tested and designed in Japan but made here, and will likely stay looking and running sweet in the long term, which means resale may also be better too.

The other choices are more of a gamble, but you get more power for your money, and will potentially give you more fun, on the other hand will probably deteriorate more quickly and need more loving care from you and local mechanics. Also with Chinese manufacturers be careful, as the rate of improvement and development is so fast that a 2009 bike will be much superior to an 08 or 07 bike, so make sure the bike has really been manufactured recently.

I'd get the Yamaha, best built, best designed, safest, probably will still get to 110K/mh, which is pretty fast on roads in China, also with lightweight design and good suspension and brakes you can effectively avoid the other road users, especially if you do not have much experience on Chinese roads. I'd be tempted to get a loan and buy the YBR250! I'd also be tempted by the Qingqi.

Thanks for the advice.

ChinaV, you are correct, the 125 is not fuel injected, at least according to YBR-G and YBR125 But i remember i read it on the rear of the bike, on the battery cover or just under the seat. Not that it would make a big difference on a 125cc engine.. but i thought i saw it there. I will take a camera with me next time.
I can see this couple that went to Berlin used a YBR125, not the YBR-G (Dual sport version). I was also thinking not to get the YBR-G since the regular YBR with slick road tires will offer a much smoother ride on my daily commute to work and better traction on water. But i never had a Dual Sport!! I see many people go cross continental on road bikes, and i wonder if the regular YBR125 can do this, when would you really need a Dual sport?

I read it here on the forum by CrazyCarl that the Motard version of the Qingqi QM200GY cost ~13000 rmb, and the Enduro version cost ~9000 rmb. The Qingqi i saw was a little too low, and needed alot of tweaking before i can ride it. The transformer/action man style headlight, the useless mirrors, narrow seat ...
Now compare that to the Yamaha.. flawless to the smallest detail.
If only i knew what a 125cc would feel like, i would take the Yamaha 100% ..

Quote:

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Slabo, not sure if you are muscular or maybe have a little extra around the middle, if you are 93KG. A 125cc bike especially with a passenger if have a strained hard life especially up the hills, although it does depend on how slender your passenger is! The YBR125G is certainly likely to require the lowest maintenance and give you the best reliability, and all the bolts will be properly torqued, which means it will be the safest and most user friendly option, as the bike was tested and designed in Japan but made here, and will likely stay looking and running sweet in the long term, which means resale may also be better too.

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ZMC, My girlfriend is 52kg. And no, the 93kg is not muscle, but for my height, i dont think i am that fat..
What do you mean the bike will have a strained life with 150 kg uphill? will we tread along at 20 km/h and go sideways ? the specs say::
Maximum power 7.1kw/7000－8000rpm
Maximum torque 8.0Nm/5500－6500rpm

Can anyone make sense of these numbers ? I don't really know what they translate to on a motorcycle.

According to the Body Mass Index 176cm and 93KG is borderline overweight and almost obese. Of course check your weight on accurate scales without clothes in the morning after you have 'evacuated' to get an accurate idea of your weight! :lol8: You probably weigh less than 93KG.

What I meant by strained is that a little 125cc engine will obviously start decelerating and you'll end up unable to hold your speed on steep inclines especially with you, your girlfriend and and other equipment on the bike, but it depends on how hot the bike is getting and the gradient. Also the bike will accelerate slowly on the flat when it starts to deal with wind pressure after 60k/mh or so.

Around 15KW usually enough power to keep a constant acceleration going steeply uphill, which is why 250cc bikes are a good choice and very popular. I realize this as I have a 9KW bike myself and have ridden many 125cc 7KW bikes as well as many 250cc 13KW upwards bikes in the past. I personally regard a 400cc bike with 30KW or more as the ideal minimum, but in China you have to go with what is available, affordable and legal.