Purchased in Haiti- Lifan 200 GY-5A

**alexanderrx** · 05-06-2012, 11:29 PM

Originally Posted by humanbeing

You may already know it's powered by bigger bros of CG125 (Different bore / SAME stroke) which ARE bulletproof . Service manual are easy to find in "net".
The carb is 26 or 27? Adjust carb IS depends the spark plug condition.
Tires -Which is the stock brand? Taiwanese brand are OKish

I'm pretty sure it's a cg125, though haojin has been copying yamahas, so it might be a Yamaha engine clone. It's obviously a different bore rather than a completely new engine. I'm assuming the bore will give me just a little more power, though maybe not a higher top speed.

**Interstate** · 05-07-2012, 03:40 AM

Everything should hold up just about as good as it will get. The only thing to know about Haiti bikes is that 99% of them are Chinese, the parts are super cheap, rain is bad, and you can ALWAYS find someone to repair it on the side of the road.

Just keep the tires you have from the factory, I think they are tubed from the factory. If not, you can get the tire repaired on the side of the road for about 100 Gds. The 11B is a great bike and should hold up well. If you need more low end power, change the rear sprocket to a bigger size.

Always wear pants and shoes when riding. If you ever go down, it will at least allow you keep your legs in one piece. Helmet is optional, but for a 17 day trip I would suggest one. I have never adjusted anything on my current bike and have been happy with it for almost 2 years now.

These bikes will last forever if you just keep the maintenance up on them. And the maintenance is super cheap.

**humanbeing** · 05-07-2012, 05:45 AM

The chinese advertisement said the 11B's stock is Cheng Shin tire/ Keihin carb
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In '06 a guy rode to harsh places http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lop_Nur in Xinjiang with that model. http://www.mtuo.com/news/html/200609...1810445331.htm

**benjamin550** · 05-07-2012, 01:32 PM

This is awesome to find 2 more haiti moto riders. I feel a trip coming on soon...

Here is my advice:

Yes, absolutely change the innertubes that are in your current tires. I had 5 flat tires in my first 4 weeks of riding here in PAP. After I changed to a "heavy duty" innertube, I have not had one flat in the last few months. It is true that they are easy to have repaired, and although I always end up chatting with the repairman and having a beer or two, it is still a pain in the ass. And if it happens at night where there aren't any repairman out, it could be a huge problem. So, I would go ahead and change the innertubes, but changing the tires are optional. I bought my innertubes from Mototech in Petionville. They are about the only place that has a selection of upgraded or aftermarket parts. They aren't cheap though, I paid 15 bucks a piece for mine, but there were a good brand from the US and they are super thick.

How does your bike run now? If it starts up quickly and runs smoothly, then I would not mess with your carb. I adjusted mine because it was taking around 10 minutes in the mornings just to get it to idle. But if yours starts up with a little choke, and runs well then id leave it be. There are aftermarket carbs that a lot of ppl put on these bikes to get a little more HP, but thats more of an upgrade than a fix.

I dont know if anyone has explained to you about what you need to have on you at all times in case a cop stops you, which here in PAP happens all the time, but in Leogone probably is not nearly as frequent.

You need your license (with a motorcycle endorsement). I still have my US license, but I just point out the "M" for motorcycle and they are cool with it. You also need a copy of your insurance, and the papers that prove you own the bike. If you come into PAP, i would absolutely have these. If not, they can seize your bike.

For the 1000.00 dollar budget, you are pretty much looking at the 125-150cc range although I have seen some of the offroad 200cc's for sale for close to that amount. Personally, If i were going on a long trip I would want something with a bit more power. I paid 1400 for my Lifan 200 GY-5A, but I saw them for sale for 1200 somewhere else in PAP. Also, there is a model of Kayak 200, that I know you can get for 1200 bucks or possibly less. If you can add another 200 bucks to your bike, then Id say its worth it to step up to a bigger one, but if not then i would try to buy the same of what you already have.

For your long trip, I would definitely take extra inner tubes. Twice I have has the valve stem shear off of my tubes, and it was unrepairable.

So, I have to ask, what is this 17 day trip all about? Where are you going, what are you seeing?

Also, what is your NGO called?

Kohl

**alexanderrx** · 05-07-2012, 10:05 PM

Great! Thanks.

No motorcycle endorsement. I try to do most things correctly here, but sometimes it is nice to be an expat, as officials are usually more lenient. Purchase papers are in my name, registration papers are not until I have my permit sejour. I think this will be OK though.

I'm headed on a 15ish day trip around Haiti and the DR. Thanks for the advice on the Lifan. Where do you think I can find one in the 1200 range? Is that new?

Do you know about heading to the DR on a bike? I know to come to Haiti with one, you need a permit. I want to know if I need the same, and if it will be extraordinarily difficult to get and whether the enforcement will even exist. I've heard from people on the DR1 forum not to worry too much if we're coming in from less trafficked port of entries.

The advice is fantastic. Thanks! My NGO is the Children's Nutrition Program of Haiti. It's a small one and been here for about 14 years or so.

**benjamin550** · 05-07-2012, 11:34 PM

I bought mine in P-Ville at Mototech. He also had the Kayak 200 for 1200, although it has sold. He usually has something in the 200cc range though, be it a Lifan or Sukida or Kayak. I saw the Lifan for 1200 at the dealership that sells (or sold) Porsche and Jeep. If you are going down Delmas towards the road to the airport, you will take a left at that intersection (away from airport) and go up the hill. On your right you will see a dealership that says Porsche. THey had several a month or so ago, and they were asking 1200. And yes, that is new.

your trip sounds awesome. I have a friend from the US who is flying here in September and we are doing a 10 day trip around Haiti. We are buying a bike for him, and then selling it after the 10 day trip. I know to enter the DR by car, you have to have an official letter from the Government. My girlfriend and I just crossed a few weeks ago in her car, and her NGO gave her a letter. I dont know about motorcycles though. I would guess its the same, but I dont know. A word of advice, dont cross the border on a market day, its chaos. out of curiosity, why do you want to go to the DR, why not just tour Haiti? I only ask because I had the same thought, but didn't feel like 10 days was enough for both. And I can speak decent Creole, burt no Spanish.

I work at AlterPresse (alterpresse.com) which is a haitian news agency. Ill ask around there and see if they think you'll need papers to cross. Most of my colleagues have plenty of experience going back and forth from Haiti and the DR.

Kohl

**Interstate** · 05-08-2012, 02:35 AM

Mototech is a great place. You have to argue a bit to get him down on price and his place is a bit expensive. There are a few moto dealers on Route De Aeroport, most of them share buildings with the car dealerships. Yamaha is one exception, if you keep your eye out you can find it.

Almost all of the Chinese brands are identical. It boils down to what you like the best and what size motor you want. 125cc is enough to do just about anything in Haiti, even with a passenger.

Last year I took myself and a passenger on an 80 km trip through the mountains, from Petionville to Jacmel via the 101. We returned via the "easy" way. Highest elevation was 6250ft. I was able to make it on a Haojin 125 4A. I had to have the passenger get off and help push the bike up the mountain a few times, but we made it in 8 hours. The bike was a year old then and it had zero problems the entire trip. It all depends on how much maintenance you do. If you take care of it, it will work great.
Photos from the triphttps://picasaweb.google.com/1121641...eat=directlink

A Haojin 125cc can be had for $925 including papers, 2 helmets, knee & elbow pads. Anything bigger will only go up in price.

Let me know how your trip goes, I want to do the same on my next visit.

**alexanderrx** · 05-08-2012, 02:44 PM

RE: INTERSTATE

Thanks for the info. The Haojin 11b is a bit different than other haojins. It's a dual sport, with completely different wheels, forks, exhaust, etc, though the electronics, engine, and other basic design elements are the same.

You took a bike through 101? I didn't even know that was possible! I've hiked it before, and I thought that it would be pretty much impossible for a motorcycle. I mean, there are parts where it is pure stairs. I've taken mountain bikes down worse, but a motorcycle? wow.

RE: benjamin550

Not just touring Haiti because, well, because what we're doing is a bit novel. No one has really written about circling hispaniola on a motorcycle before, at least not in one single trip.

Also, we had originally planned on going to Cuba, but the costs and logistics of it put up barriers that made it really not worth going, so a trip to the DR was put up as an option. I speak French and some Creole, and a tiny bit of spanish. A lot of the rural folk in the DR speak Creole (there are a million haitians living in the DR, and a couple million more of Haitian decent), so hopefully I'll get around ok!

We won't be taking 102 out (past the lakes). It's a massive headache there, a lot of traffic and totally flooded border control facilities.

Anse-a-pitre, our port of entry to the DR, should be a bit less crazy, even on market day...

This forum here discusses the trip :
http://www.dr1.com/forums/travel-que...-republic.html

**benjamin550** · 05-08-2012, 05:24 PM

Interstate- Thanks for sharing the photos.

Alexanderxx-

Damn, now your making me all jealous. I think it is a great idea, doing all of Hispanola. Are you writing about it?

My friend coming from the states is a Photojournalist, as am I, and we will be shooting lots of video/photos/ audio on our trip to try and put together a video. Nothing to fancy, just something entertaining to show that motorcycling in Haiti can be done. Plus he will try and do a feature story for the Houston Chronicle where he works.

I agree about the cost factor. There are almost no affordable places to stay in Haiti. I have a few friends scattered throughout the country, so we will take advantage of that to offset the costs of hotels.

Kohl

**alexanderrx** · 05-08-2012, 05:56 PM

Yeah. DR is a lot more affordable, but we'll be camping or staying in random huts for part of the trip. My NGO works in the very remote regions of leogane, so while it's not something I do every day, I know what it's like to rough it in Haiti.

We'll have a GoPro and a fujifilm x100 on us. I won't be bringing my dslr (d200) as it has seen better days and is a bit too bulky for the trip. Might go for one of those point-and-shoot nikon coolpix. The AW100 is a tough camera with GPS built in, which might be nice in matching up with our route map. Photographers seem to make fun of the cameras with built-in GPS though... The PS7100 looks beautiful, with a fast lens and all the controls I need, but I don't know if it is worth buying.

In the parts of Haiti with natcom access, I might be able to live-blog some of it. It's crazy how remote you can be and still have internet these days!