Opinions. CF Moto CF125 or Lifan LF100-c

Hello all

I am a new member here, posting my first thread.
I currently live in Shanghai, been here 3 years and now its time to buy my self a new bike.
I currently have a Chang Jiang Sidecar, apart from all the problems it has I love it.

But I am interested in getting either a CF Moto CF125 or a Lifan LF100-c for running around the city.
I plan on stripping it right back, repainting it and making myself a little custom run about.

Any opinions or suggestions or which one I should buy?

Thanks all. And happy to be member of this great site.

Nathan.

Dear Nathan,

Welcome to MCM, and hope you'll join our Shanghai cell for and occasional ride or (No-)Bike Night event.

As for your question about which bike to get, you've kind of opened a can of worms. First thing to think about is your plate. You may be a rich guy who can splash out 58,000 rmb for a 沪A plate for a little runabout, but, if not, you're already facing compromises. With a legal 沪C plate, which costs maybe only 8000 rmb, you risk a 200 rmb fine if you ride inside the inner ring (Zhongshan Road). But equally importantly, the modifications you are proposing, if I understand you correctly, would possibly make your bike unregistrable in Shanghai. The Vehicle Management Bureau expects bikes to be in factory condition when registered, and is known to have rejected customized bikes. So what you mean by "stripping it right back" is important. I hope you are not dreaming of making a slick little murdered out Lifan cafe racer. Ain't gonna happen, not legally anyway.

Which leads to another consideration -- whether you intend to plate the bike at all, or perhaps use out-of-town 鄂 Hubei or 苏 Jiangsu plates or even fake plates. Your mention of owning a CJ750 suggests that you already are comfortable with quasi-legal riding, as Shanghai has not plated a CJ for years and the only ones with "legal" plates generally get them in Hubei. The 鄂-plated CJ seems often to get a pass in Shanghai, especially with a laowai at the helm (and, often as not, a local gal in the bucket). But enforcement is much stricter for two-wheelers, and traffic police seem to relish slapping the 200 rmb fine on 鄂-plated motorcycles, especially inside Zhongshan Lu. I've seen it many times, especially recently, and foreign riders have been among the victims.

OK, the occasional 200 rmb fine isn't the end of the world, but you also get 3 points against your drivers license, and a with three or four of those you risk losing your legal right to ride in China. If you spend much time in MCM, you'll see there's a strong and growing mood of intolerance of riders who ride illegally, either without a legal motorcycle license or with dodgy or fake plates or no plates at all.

All of which is to say, for better or worse, the choice of bike is almost an afterthought for those of us who ride in Shanghai, and pretty much any major city in China.

cheers!

Thanks for your help.

I understand the issues I am going to have with plates. I am almost in two minds.
Do I just go for it, buy the bike and a set of copy plates and just hope for the best. I currently have a CJ with Shaanxi plates and seem to talk my way around it with police. Or do I buy a set of legal plates and put them on my bike and treat them as an investment for later to sell.

As for modifying it, I think as long as I keep it the same color, and do minor mods I think it will be hard to find someone that knows what has been done. I mean you always see the scooters running around with there owns mods.

But I would still like to know if any one has an opinion on which is the better bike CF Moto CF125cc or Lifan LF100-c.
I understand the basics, Lifan has mono shock and rear disc, CF Moto has bigger engine. I ammore talking about build quality and longevity.

Cheers.

Nathan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nathans909

Thanks for your help.

I understand the issues I am going to have with plates. I am almost in two minds.
Do I just go for it, buy the bike and a set of copy plates and just hope for the best. I currently have a CJ with Shaanxi plates and seem to talk my way around it with police. Or do I buy a set of legal plates and put them on my bike and treat them as an investment for later to sell.

As for modifying it, I think as long as I keep it the same color, and do minor mods I think it will be hard to find someone that knows what has been done. I mean you always see the scooters running around with there owns mods.

But I would still like to know if any one has an opinion on which is the better bike CF Moto CF125cc or Lifan LF100-c.
I understand the basics, Lifan has mono shock and rear disc, CF Moto has bigger engine. I ammore talking about build quality and longevity.

Cheers.

Nathan

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Dear Nathan,

Please do not be so foolish as to take those scooters as some sort of evidence that modifications are allowed or tolerated. Those bikes eventually all end up in the impound yard (I can show you if you like), which is why their riders are willing to take extreme measures to avoid being stopped by police.

Not sure if I've told this tale in MCM, but I was behind Jing'an Temple recently and watched a traffic cop motion an illegal scooter to halt. The scooter instead accelerated and deliberately ran down the cop, right in the midday hubbub. While 1,000 people watched, the cop grabbed the bike. The rider kicked the cop, picked up the bike and sped away. I, on my bicycle, gave chase and ran through scenarios of what I'd do if I caught him: approach from behind when he's stuck in traffic, and cold clock him before he sees it coming; it's got to be all or nothing. In the event, I was unable to catch him.

I hate the nanny state, and all of grandma's cameras watching our every move, but in this instance I'm hopeful the police were able to use those traffic videos to follow that guy through town and track him down. Vehicular assault on a peace officer should carry an extremely severe sentence.

You sure you want to be lumped in with this class of scofflaw citizen?

Have a look at Slabo's thread on his accident in Kunming. That's what can happen to a totally legal rider. If you are even slightly illegal -- no motorcycle licence, no plate, fake plate, expired registration, no insurance -- and get into an accident, even if it's totally the other guy's fault, the law says that you automatically are 100% at fault, and you'll be criminally liable too. Are you really willing to take that chance to save a feel bucks, and maybe feel like you've got one over on the authorities?

Sorry to be a prick, but get legal plates and ride legal; it's the price of the privilege of riding in China.

/lecture

cheers!

No no all good.

Please understand I know about how illegal a lot of the bikes are you see riding around Shanghai. I am just wondering how enforced these rules are.
China is very good and creating rules, just terrible at enforcing them.

Beleive me I would much prefer to ride legally.
So my next question is, if purchased are the legal Blue or Legal Yellow Shanghai plates a good investment. If I buy one and put it on my bike is it sellable again quite easy?
I am just worried I put out all this money for a plate and next month Shanghai changes the rules.

Nathan

Both plates are limited in number and hence in tight supply, which is what's driving the price up even higher than the price of car plates. Shanghaifingers recently posted about a conversation he had with some big ganbu in the Vehicle Management Bureau, who said the status quo will continue for some time -- no new plates into the supply, and a level of official comfort with the high secondary market price of plates. It's crazy to spend more on a plate than on the bike itself, but the system is mature and transparent and no one I know has had any problems with transfer of plates, either on an existing bike or stripped off a bike that's being scrapped after its 11-year legal lifespan. No investment is without risk, but with the current policies it's hard to imagine a plate dropping in value. Remember, a bike plate can be transferred to a car, thus reducing the overall supply of bikes and boosting demand and price, while a car plate cannot be transferred to a bike. It's hard to see the downside of buying a legal plate, other than the deep, deep hole in your pocket.

Of course that is not investment advice, and your mileage may vary!!!

cheers!