Loncin 650

[Lao Jia Hou]

Pictures?

Sorry, not much to see ...







Tiny video of me heading down the street ...



I only went through 3 gears, but it was immediately apparent that the bike does not have much low end torque. Did a U-turn over sand/gravel, and the bike seemed predictable and stable. The short trip was enough to convince me to keep looking for the elusive "perfect bike."

By the way, there is no "BMW" marking on the engine (that will probably disappoint some potential buyers).

[Steve_Halt]

Yes, the bike is finally on sale. 43000 RMB price in Nanjing - way too expensive, IMHO.
If anyone here enjoys the torture of reading through Chinese BBS, below is the link to the guy's thread, where he describes his experience with the first LX650 in Nanjing.

http://www.motorfans.com.cn/bbs/t_17657220_1.htm

The dude says QianJiang-Benelli BJ 600 felt too large and CFMoto NK 650 felt too aggressive compared to Loncin LX 650. Interesting...

[Kennon]

if it was that price in England would find a few buyers but doubt the price would be the same plus Loncin can't sell a bike with the BMW engine outside of China what a shame looks like a good easy bike for touring.

Kennon

[ZMC888]

I doubt they'll sell many of these, Benelli and CFMoto offerings are far more exciting for much less money. This bike looks like their 125cc that draws inspiration from the BJ600. The pegs are directly down beneath the rider like a Honda CB125 so this why it would suit a 'skills challenged' un/poorly trained Chinese rider. Front fender looks poorly fitting and miles from the tire and the exhaust is another Kawasaki ER6/NK job, but in cheaper powdercoat. I'm thinking mediocre brakes, wet battery, hard Kenda tires and in-house non-adjustable too soft suspension, plus untried and untested.

To sum up: A massive unexciting gamble, but you know 100% the motor will be reliable but pretty boring. I'd rather have a Haojue/Suzuki GW250 and guarantee a decent resale value, or go with the more exciting competition and save money.

[euphonius]

That engine is the same thumper used in the BMW G650GS, right (as opposed to the F650GS with the retarded 800cc twin)?

ZMC888, why would you call that engine boring? Because it's a thumper? (I'm aware of your predilection for multiple cylinders...) Or because it's better suited to a dual sport? I'm thinking that engine has great torque. Definitely in the wrong body style. Agree it's a kind of dopey concept, aiming for same "around town" demographic as the 650NK and QJ600 but falling short of those already compromised rides.

I won't be trading in my JH600.

cheers
euphonius

[ZMC888]

Exactly right, a big single, particularly an air or oil-cooled one is a light torquey engine ideal for a dual sport bike, but puts out maybe a third less hp on average than many multi-cylinder designs. So on the street/mountain twisties is going to be much less fun, but you've got to pay 10K or so more for that less fun. If the price was 35,000 it could be a contender after a few years of consistently good reports, but not for more. Also with the glitches worked out of the JH600 if they made a dual sport with that engine (that surely they'd want even more for) I doubt there would be many takers.

Basically it seems like 'let's make a street 125 but use that BMW engine, then we can ask a load of money cos the BMW engine is like really reliable and well known.' Greedy and unimaginative?

[MJH]

Its like the Yamaha MT-03, but with an even less practical design comparing it to the Yamaha, basically the same concept though. Loncin may have a non-compete agreement with BMW for the dual sport segment, that would explain why they went so far into street and made it without off road attributes. I doubt that BMW would have agreed to Loncin making a similar model to the G650GS.

If they do not have a non compete agreement in the domestic Chinese market, rumor is that they have rights to the engine but cannot export it, Loncin could look at where the Yamaha 660 is utilized in the industry for some inspiration. But without a license to export any ROI would be problematic. They could if allowed develop a 650cc single line of bikes, if made in volume and exported globally they would be theoretically affordable in most market s that would likely receive them reasonable well as lower costing alternatives.


I do not think that the Loncin BMW JV is that fruitful….

[Steve_Halt]

I doubt they'll sell many of these, Benelli and CFMoto offerings are far more exciting for much less money. This bike looks like their 125cc that draws inspiration from the BJ600. The pegs are directly down beneath the rider like a Honda CB125 so this why it would suit a 'skills challenged' un/poorly trained Chinese rider. Front fender looks poorly fitting and miles from the tire and the exhaust is another Kawasaki ER6/NK job, but in cheaper powdercoat. I'm thinking mediocre brakes, wet battery, hard Kenda tires and in-house non-adjustable too soft suspension, plus untried and untested.

To sum up: A massive unexciting gamble, but you know 100% the motor will be reliable but pretty boring. I'd rather have a Haojue/Suzuki GW250 and guarantee a decent resale value, or go with the more exciting competition and save money.

I saw the bike in flesh (yellow colour) at Nanjing 飚马 Shop (they seem to have been given exclusive retail rights here) and I have a good feel about the quality of the bike. Yes, the front fender is way too short and I believe all the road slime will wind up on the radiator (fender extension, anyone?) Exhaust is super short and I like it the way it centers the bike mass. Can say nothing about brakes, except for they implement that system, where brakes are linked and, when using front brake, a certain percentage of pressure is applied to the rear brake and vice versa. No ABS option, though.
Haven't asked about the battery - can't say anything here.
Pirelli tires (don't remember which Pirellis exactly).
Fully adjustable suspension front/rear. Front - inverted fork. No idea who the suspension manufacturer is. Could be in-house, could be otherwise.
I haven't ridden the bike, just sat on it. Very-very nice feeling, hard to describe. Wide handlebars (but not so wide that you feel stretched), low seat. Kind of you sit "in the bike", not on the bike feeling. Lightweight. I like it.
But I'm not trading my CFMoto for it.

[Rewi Alley]

Loncin had three LX650s on show at CIMAMotor 2013. But some sources claim these are the only three made (prototypes) and a recent tour of the factory saaw none in sight anywhere.

Anyone have more hard information ? There seems to be so much smoke and mirrors around this bike - or is this merely symptomatic of the Chinese motorcycle industry as a whole?