Thread: Newbie here!
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#1 Newbie here!
- Join Date
- Jul 2008
- Location
- Long Island, New York
- Posts
- 8
07-25-2008, 07:15 PMHello to all! I'm new to the world of Chinese motorcycles, but not to motorcycles in general. Although it's been about 11 years since the last I rode. My past bikes were a Suzuki DR125, DR250, Kawasaki KLR250 and a Honda XR350. I got rid of my bike after a serious car accident that required surgery on my knees and left me unable to ride for an extended period of time....Fast forward 11 years and my wife has been begging me to teach her to ride and begging me for a motorcycle, dirt bike or whatever (she didn't know me when I had my bikes, but her brother rides). This brings me here. After some research into the legality of the bikes in New York State, I pulled the trigger and bought 2 Lifeng SL200-2's from Rabbit Scooters ( I'll post pics when I get my camera working). I just finished the minor assembly required and I must say I'm pleased with the product for the money! Of course there are some minor flaws that I more or less expected through my research and just the fact of what the bikes cost. I'm eagerly awaiting my MSO's so I can register them and hit the road! I hope to gain some knowledge and respect for these bikes through my purchase and talking with people on this site and others. Speaking of which, are there any other forums out there that are worth checking out? Thanks in advance for what I'm sure will be a great ride here on the site.
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- Join Date
- Jun 2008
- Location
- Gijon, Asturias, Northern Spain
- Posts
- 580
07-26-2008, 05:36 AMWelcome.
Thought I do a search for your bike to see what it looks like and can find no reference to a "LIFENG". Searching using the SL200-2 bit shows its a SUNL.
Does it look like this?:
If it is a SUNL, don't under any circumstances google something like "Sunl sucks", or "Sunl crap" you'll be upset by the search results. I don't mean to worry you, but Sunl's reputation has even reached us here in Spain.Jincheng Monkey JC50Q-7
Skyteam Dax replica ST110-6
Zongshen ZS125-43
Qingqi QM200GY-BA Super Motard
Qingqi QM110GY
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07-26-2008, 08:09 AM
Fast,
Welcome to the forum! The SunL's are not quite yet "proven" but almost none of them are and the main thing is to be careful about regular maintenance. Really, many of the Chinese motorcycles are still in their first few generations and have quite a few bugs to work out but we slowly see things getting better every year so keep in mind that you, and everyone here, is on the early part of a learning curve and much of what we know doesn't come from the factory but from individuals all over the world (like this crazy Forchetto dude ) contributing what they've learned from hard work and experience.
You could contribute with lots of pics and maybe even a review/comments on things you've noticed about every aspect of riding and woning the bike from registration to performance to reliability. Every little bit you put in will help other's down the line.
Another decent site to check out is chinarider.net. It's a different vibe and you'll sitll find some good folks over there so smell around and see what suits you best!
Looking forward to hearing and seeing more about your bike. I have a questions though...
Why did you get two?
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#4 Welcome !
- Join Date
- May 2008
- Location
- Rainier Washington
- Posts
- 277
07-26-2008, 03:02 PMWelcome aboard !!!!!
I wouldn't concern yourself too much with SUNL's older reputation . Here in the States my experience with them has been wonderful and so has my experience with ATVDiscounter in Texas . I ride my SUNL125XT Pit-Bike a bunch and it has given me hours and hours and hours of fun with no breakage or any hick-ups whatsoever . I was actually so impressed with it I bought my Fiance' one too .
MSO and C.O.O stuff was with the bike , and then I asked them for a signed copy from the dealer, dealer sent me Stamped from the State of Texas
' SEAL " Certificates of Origin signed by them and the State of Texas DMV . This was for a dirt bike no less. Now that's service ! Oh, and it was all free and to me within two weeks !!!!!!!
Hope you have as good of luck as we have with your bike .
Cheers and welcome again , Snortin Noron
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- Join Date
- Jul 2008
- Location
- Long Island, New York
- Posts
- 8
07-26-2008, 05:13 PMThanks for the warm welcome! Yes, the picture shown is what the bike looks like, but all of the paper work I have so far states "Lifeng". I did a search and found that Lifeng does manufacture bikes, in fact it seems that's what the "Johnny Pag" bikes start life as. Also, it seems they're using the 163FML engine that I've seen in other bikes. It also seems that this bike is replacing the Longbo at many dealers. As far as reading bad commentary on these bikes, I'm not too worried. Maybe they're not up to speed with some of the Japanese brands, but I do believe maintenance is the key. Remember Hyundai? If you read a review on those a few years ago you'd turn and run, but I've never seen one that's died with less than 100,000 miles on it. These are econmical, beginner bikes to have some fun on without breaking the bank and allowing my wife to get comfortable riding (that's why I got 2). Down the road...who knows, but all in all I'm happy with my purchase so far. I will be sure to get some pics up and relay everything I learn to keep the community informed and growing!
Last edited by fast01; 07-26-2008 at 06:27 PM.
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- Join Date
- Jul 2008
- Location
- Long Island, New York
- Posts
- 8
07-26-2008, 05:24 PMHere's a few pics I found on eBay. This is the exact bike I have, but in different colors. I have a blue and a red. Here are the specs as well.
Engine: Single-cylinder.4-Stroke.air-cooled
Displacement: 198ml
Starting System: Electric / Kick starting
Max. Speed: 75MPH+
Max. Loading: 374 lbs
Dry weight: 308 lbs
Ground clearance: 6 inches
Tire Size (Front/Rear): Front 100/90-16 Rear 130/90-15
Wheelbase: 53
Bore x Stoke: 63 x 63.5
Consuming Oil: 2.2L/100km
Fuel Tank Capacity: 17L
Max. Power: 9.5Kw/7000r/min
Max. Torque: 10.1N.m/5500r/min
Compression: 9.2:1
Brake: Disk (Front).Drum (Rear)
Dimensions: L80 X W30 X H44
Brake operation type: Manual (Front).Foot brake (Rear)
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- Join Date
- Jul 2008
- Location
- Long Island, New York
- Posts
- 8
07-26-2008, 05:44 PMI also noticed a difference between the pic posted above and some pics that came up when I searches Sunl. The front brakes on my bikes have a small cylinder between the banjo fitting and the caliper that is labled "Hydraulic Motorcycle Anti-lock Brake System". Here's a pic of that as well.
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- Join Date
- Jun 2008
- Location
- Gijon, Asturias, Northern Spain
- Posts
- 580
07-26-2008, 06:45 PMFast01. Have found LIFENG at last!. It's the group that makes the Regal Raptors and Johnny Pag cruisers, etc and have a decent reputation. However I am unable to see your bike in their line up: http://www.regal-raptor.com/english/index.asp
The bad reputation I was talking about concerns SUNL itself and their service and not the manufacturer.
The device you have on your brake calliper is touted by many importers as "ABS" but is nothing of the sort. It is a pressure-limiting device that under heavy braking by-passes 50% of your braking effort to prevent locking the front wheel. A similar device was marketed in the UK in the 70's as a "safe-T-braker" and worked well at damping brake fluid "pressure spikes", but was expensive and was soon discontinued.
Experienced riders prefer to be able to control the pressure applied to the front brake themselves, but beginners might benefit from this device as a front wheel lock-up through panic braking almost certainly means a fall. A locked front wheel removes all stability and steering from a two wheeler.
You can read a bit about these "ABS" systems on this page: http://2strokebuzz.com/index.php?p=4144Last edited by forchetto; 07-26-2008 at 07:11 PM.
Jincheng Monkey JC50Q-7
Skyteam Dax replica ST110-6
Zongshen ZS125-43
Qingqi QM200GY-BA Super Motard
Qingqi QM110GY
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- Join Date
- Jul 2008
- Location
- Long Island, New York
- Posts
- 8
07-26-2008, 07:18 PMThanks for the info! I couldn't find my particular bike under Lifeng either. I'm going to go under the assumption that it's a rebadged Sunl as they seem to be the only manufacturer that offers this particular bike. Like I said before though, I'm not that worried. They're not registered yet, but with just a quick spin through the paking lot Everything seems ok. I'm going to make a few adjustments and double check everything before the big road test anyway. I believe the engine is a Lifan, at least that's what I come up with under the 163FML part number stamped into the case of the engine. If this is the case I can probably use all the info out there in relation to the Lifan's.
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- Join Date
- Jul 2008
- Location
- Long Island, New York
- Posts
- 8
08-01-2008, 04:55 AMAlright, both bikes are now registered and insured and my wife is starting the learning curve! I hope it's not too difficult to get a clutch. LOL! I rode both bikes around a little bit today and will go over all of the nuts and bolts tomorrow. All in all, I'm pretty happy. The only issues I have are that the fuel gague on 1 bike won't read over 1/4 tank and the high beam indicator doesn't work. Other than that they kept right up with traffic and were able to cruise at 65 - 70 mph with my 200 lb. butt in the saddle! The only thing I have to get used to is if you're not real precise with the 1-2 shift, neutral rears its ugly head. I'll get some pics up tomorrow night.
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