Market Choices: What is best for needs?

[wanglong]

Hey all,

I have been through here asking questions before regarding bikes to purchase, but I am back again! What I know from before:

The Lifan's and Regal Raptors are a forum favorite for quality and reliability. That is cool. I also got that the lower end japanese brands (Yamaha/ Suzuki) are manufactured and distributed locally giving them wider availability in China, but also less quality that what we would expect in the states.

So here is the predicament that I am in. I want to get a new bike cuz a new job has a greater commute & I want to tour as well.

Limitations: Max, 14,000 RMB budget
Size: around 150-250 CC
(want something that is not too slow for the highways as that can be dangerous)

What I have seen thus far:
All the dealers I have talked to thus far have said they don't have any Lifan's higher than 150 CC, but even those are hard to find. Nothing that I have seen so far is water cooled either... all air cooled... but that may not matter as much at this low a size. The sport model Lifan seemed to be desirable as it had the large gas tank. The suzuki's had much bigger engines, but the take was sooo small at 10 L while the Lifan with the smaller engine had 12 L.

The Yamaha's I haven't looked at yet much b/c they seemed so expensive/above the budget, but now that I think about it, I may wan to for some extra reliability. The other issue is that it should also be comfortable for a passenger riding behind as well...

I am still shopping around at other dealers but this is where I am at so far. Am I leaving out something that I should consider? How about other options for bikes that I may have missed?

Thanks for any ideas!

[Nuhaus]

I'm assuming your having trouble finding 250 RR bikes in Beijing?
I'd do a Taobao search on the bike you want, keeping the search specifically to Beijing. This should turn up a few dealers with the right bike for you.

[td_ref]

250cc water cool, balance shaft, street bike Yingang250 / 银钢250?

[wanglong]

250cc water cool, balance shaft, street bike Yingang250 / 银钢250?

Is this a suggestion or a question of whether or not I have looked at that particular bike? Infact, I have not heard of that brand...

[td_ref]

Is this a suggestion or a question of whether or not I have looked at that particular bike? Infact, I have not heard of that brand...

Your budget suggests me to introduce the bike. A taiwanese businessman have got one of these (link) also he likes it. Here is a review by chinamotoworld.com.

[euphonius]

Your budget suggests me to introduce the bike. A taiwanese businessman have got one of these (link) also he likes it. Here is a review by chinamotoworld.com.

TD, very nice find, this Yingang YG250NF. Have you seen this bike in the wild? Does the Taiwanese bloke you mentioned ride it in Shenzhen? Has he let you ride it? The "review" you've posted is a good start, but reads like it was written by the Yingang marketing department!

Actually, I looked up the Yingang marketing department, and see this bike is not yet mentioned on their website. There is, however, another new Yingang 250 called the YG3R with a full fairing and a liquid-cooled DOHC engine that has specs identical to the YG250NF.



Here's how they describe that bike in a press release.

A different 250 from China

It is a great pleasure to introduce the new Yingang YG3R model to the user around the world.

The Engine
For a start Yingang YG3R is the first Chinese sports bike with 250cc DOHC liquid cooled engine YG170MM.

Effectively combining angular body panels and purpose designed vents to direct air flow and an ultra-light weight aluminum radiator and pump to distribute coolant throughout the jacket that surrounds the engine, the fun will turn on automatically when the coolant reaches 60 centidegrees Yingang has managed to offer a thoroughbred system that lets the 250cc mill keep its cool.

What this translates to is stable and smooth, consistent performance even during demanding situations like long distance riding, quick acceleration spurts and hill climbing conditions. Since it is liquid-cooled, the engine doesn’t need deep heat dissipation fins like traditional two-wheeler engines and the refinement level has also got a big boost. Furthermore, double over head cams drive 4 valves on top of the combustion chamber, which is not only supply faster air flow in and out the engine but also reduces the valve driven vibration. The internal balance shaft pays great effort to reduce the camshaft impulse vibration. At last but not the least, the refined lubrication system enables the engine to use more advanced slide bearing to reduce noise and wearing.

YG170MM uses a 4-valve combustion chamber – two intake and exhaust valves each. The spark plug is centrally mounted on top of the chamber and therefore the flame front’s reach is even and combustion more complete compared to engine’s with side mounted plugs. 70mm diameter piston gives 65mm stroke with 11:1 compression ratio. It generates 19 KW top power and 22 NM torque. Moreover, the massive torque starts from middle engine revolution and enough power to run on it 6th Gear.

In conclusion, liquid cools the engine to maximize stability and performance. Similar to the contemporary super sports bikes, Yingang has adopted a six speed transmission for the new 250cc YG3R. Optimized ratios will help you to keep the motor singing in the high-rpm range throughout all the gears. The engine is extremely refined for its class and offers linear power delivery at smooth, unhurried acceleration conditions. Yet, under hard acceleration, the engine does not loose its composure and offers big dollops of power that needs relatively decent levels of expertise to handle.

The bike
For the most strength of the bike, Yingang still choose steel as the main material for the bike. It is strong enough in a reasonable 146 KG dry weight. The dimension is 2060×790×1170, it is a medium sized compact bike, and the wheel base is 1410. The bike gives an ergonomic machine suitable for both short and long journey.

YG3R features F 80/100 -17 inches tyres in the front and 140/70-17 inches tyres in the rear. Both the tires are tubeless. Front and rear alloy wheels, front 2 pistons double disk break rear single twin-piston disk break, up-side-down front fork, and central rear fork.

The instruments are simple and clear, main control consol gives all necessary information, such as speedo meter, tacho meter, gear display, light status, turning signal.
The rear turning comes from the same suppler for Aprilia RS125

The Ride
A natural riding position and comfortable ergonomics combined with its lightweight handling, easy controllability and improved throttle response make the YG3R a pleasure to ride on city streets. Also the 17-inch wheels that offer great handling and improved stability. The double disk 4 piston really gives great force to stop the bike smoothly with a responsive feel at the lever. The best riding is on 3r, 4th and 5th gear. In 1st and 2nd gear is offer too much torque and a small throttle twist will give too big maneuver. When it kicks into 40 KPH on 3rd gear, it can rise to 90KPH instantly without gear change. This gives a big advantage on country lane over taking. The feeling is amazing, feels like a 600cc bike rather a 250. On the spec sheet, it claims 130 KPH, you can easily go over this speed on 6th gear, and there is still space for the further throttle. In the corner the bike is pin sharp, agile and neat. The tubeless tires give great support for lower the bike in the corner.

In conclusion, YG3R is an affordable nice sports bike. The simple formula of providing easy-handling agility, quick responsiveness, and low ownership costs make the YG3R a force to be reckoned with in the entry-level sport bike category.

cheers

[chinabiker]

I am not riding a Chinese bike myself, but I have a bunch of buddies who do.

All I learned from them was:

- stay away from the Lifans, these are crap
- the Zhogshen 200 dirtbike is a very fiine bike.
- the Qingqi 200 dirtbike / motard series is a tick better than the Zhongshen

Moto Lee in Beijing, where a buddy just got a 200cc Qingqi for about 15000 with B plates.
Lee's phone number: 133 91789000
Coordinates (Google Maps): +39° 58' 27.49", +116° 32' 27.73"
Coordinates (Google Earth): 39.972970°, 116.535093°
Note: Coordinates in GE are real while GM coordinates are falsified.

Have fun

[wanglong]

Thanks Andy & td_ref! Lots of good info here. I am worried that I won't be able to find the yan gang...it is hard enough to find the lifans! Does the manufacturer list dealers?

The good news is that Andy's suggestion of the qingqi would be readily available. I think the yang gang would meet my needs/desires better if I can find it!

[wanglong]

Moto Lee in Beijing, where a buddy just got a 200cc Qingqi for about 15000 with B plates.

What kind of qingqi did he buy? Or accessories!? Or Plates?

I was just at another dealer and they were offering a 200cc qingqi for something like 10-12k RMB...

[wanglong]

I'm assuming your having trouble finding 250 RR bikes in Beijing?
I'd do a Taobao search on the bike you want, keeping the search specifically to Beijing. This should turn up a few dealers with the right bike for you.

Yeah that's the trouble.i will give that a try and see what I can find...from the sound of things though it seems like the lifan's are becoming more rare.this economic situation I know has manufacturers cutting back on production so maybe that is what I'm running into...