Newbie on this forum...
 

Hi there,
have spent a good dozen hours reading various threads on this forum, re 200cc dual sports bikes. Seems very friendly and informative, with very little trolling. Just the way i like it. I've been into motorcycles all my life, still own my 1979 Triumph Bonneville i bought new in 1979 (highly modified and very non std), and have owned a very non std 1989 Moto Guzzi Cali III for over 15 years. Not ridden dirt bikes since i rode a mate's DT 175 when i was 16/17. Been hankering after some trail or dual/sport bike as they are now called for a few months now. Looked at the Honda CRF250, the Kawasaki KLX 250, but i'm a bit of a Luddite, i've never liked FI, liquid cooling, electronics, digital dashes etc. Looked at the KLX150L which is full size, carb'd and air cooled, but then i found my local Chinese bike dealer here in NE Thailand. The Lifan 200 Cross. Wow, all for approx $1500, registered and on the road. Think i'm gonna buy it next week.
My question is;
the engine is a 163FML-2mp, bore and stroke 63.5 x 62.2mm. The blurb says it is counter balanced, but i'm not sure to believe the Chinglish. Can anyone tell me if this is OHV or SOHC? I'd prefer it if it was OHV, but i've got a feeling it's SOHC, not a deal breaker either way.
Thanx and regards,
Mike,
NE Thailand.
ps, the bike has normal tele forks, single rear shock, disc brakes front and rear, and looks like a Honda XL185 from 20 odd years ago, bar the modern plastics.

Welcome; we are glad you joined us. :hi:

I'm unfamiliar with this motorcycle. Can you post photos or provide a link for more information on this bike?

If this video shows the correct bike, it appears to have a counterbalanced engine with overhead valves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPwP0wZZTBg

Here is another video of the motorcycle. It appears to be a very nice bike. :tup:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3xjPBEIQyM

That's a very good looking bike! Wonder if that will make our shores?

Cheers!

Welcome, Thaiguzzi! I'd love to see pics of your Bonnie and your Guzzi.

The 200 Cross looks like a really sharp bike. It looks like it might have a counterbalance, but the camera pans by too quickly. Can you show us a pic?

Luddites unite!

Weld, the guy talking Spanish in the video mentioned that the bike has a counterbalance.

Thanx guys for your warm welcome and info. That bike in the vids is the latest 2015 model here. The previous 2014 and earlier model is the same bar different plastics around the headlamp, graphics, and has a dual speedo and tacho. The latest model has only a speedo, but a nicer dash surround.
Nice to have a Spanish interpreter on board, yeah i'm pretty sure its ohv too. Although most Chinglish blurb here says sohc.
To view the 2014 model, google Lifan Thailand, google translate will get you into m/c products and the 200 Cross. I'm sorry i can't link to pics, i'm just not that clever with a computer. Ditto with pics of my bikes, although my avatar shows my Guzzi.
Regards,
Mike.

Perhaps this will help: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=14422

Very sharp bike. It looks like there is a counterbalance lump in the front of the motor, and that would also be the reason for the cradle frame.

http://www.lifanthailand.com/compone...0e6e2adc88.jpg

BTW, if you were to strip off the side plastics, you might find the original mounting points for twin shocks, which makes it identical to the early XR/XL 185/200. Lifan welded in a bridge to mount the monoshock and added a suspension link to the swingarm.

Thats the kiddie! By the look of the plastics around the headlight and front mudguard that's the 2015 model. So the general consencus here is that it is an ohv engine. Excellent.

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Weldandgrind.
Thanx for your info re uploading pics. Simples. As you requested, a couple of pics of both my bikes.
Triumph is 830cc, bored and stroked, Guzzi is stock engine 950cc.