Lifan LYCAN
 

Look what Lifan will have available around March. Engine is a clone of the Yamaha Virago 250 and Route 66. I owned a 1989 Route 66 and loved it. Bike was smooth and fast enough for the interstate. Could peg the needle at 85mph. It didn't feel like a small bike. Most people thought it was a 500 to 650 cc bike. I hated having to sell it but made money on it. I paid right at $2,200 new and sold it 5 years later for $2,500 to one of the mechanics at the shop I bought it from. I've been waiting for Lifan to come out with something like this. It already has EPA approval and will be called LYCAN. My Route 66 was a carbureted version. This one will be fuel injected. No word on cost yet.
http://www.lifanmotos.net/product/tz...-03-23/42.html
http://www.lifanmotos.net/d/file/pro...04659ac582.jpg

Route 66
 

The old Route 66.

Yes, They where imported and sold by Roketa.
http://www.roketa.com/product/produc...=0&proID=52454

The older red one looks like a Sportster clone, the newer Black one, like a scaled down Fatbob. both are nice looking bikes i'd be proud to ride, let's hope they get the pricing in the ballpark . I have a "real " Sportster but tbh i'm getting old and the weight is beginning to become an issue ,maybe a 250 would be more manageable for longer.

Looks like it has hit the dealers. around $3800 delivered. Pretty close to the same price as the V-Star 250 but looks much better IMO. Also the Lifan is fuel injected.
https://www.turbopowersports.com/pro...eed-motorcycle

These bikes have received CARB approval for California. The SSR Buccaneer uses the same engine.

I think they should send me one so I can test and review. lol I'd like to compare the Route 66 to the Lycan. I bet the Lycan would be much better with the fuel injection. It definitely looks like an upgrade. :tup:

And they can send me one to get some real life "Top Speed" numbers :hehe: ... you know I will see if it can actually go 120+ kmh... at 6,000+/- feet... against the 50 mph winds :lmao:

The Lycan does really look like a middle weight bike in the pics.

I stopped by the local Yamaha dealer on the way home yesterday just to take a look at the V star 250. All I can say is Wow! The bike has been in existence for 31 years. All that has changed from my 89 Route 66 is the color, graphics, handle bars and of course the added EPA stuff. You would think they could modernize the bike a little. Still has the drum rear brake and carb. :ohno: In comparison to the Lifan Lycan the V star 250 is way out dated. The Lycan has larger front disk brake and rear disk. As I already mention it is also fuel injected. Lots of chrome, LED lights, floor boards, Aluminum Cast wheels, Tubeless tires, Digital display and a tach. Sticker price on the V star is $4,349 +TTL It's a no brainer. I would take the Lycan any day over the V star 250. Don't get me wrong I loved the old Route 66 and the way it drove. But Yamaha needs to updated these bikes if they want to sell them.

I would be torn between the 'real' Yamaha and the Lifan. The Lifan's engine already has real world testing via the SSR Buccaneer, and my gut feeling is Lifan is already along the lines of 'mainstream' brand vs. a ragtag importer. Their putting their KPR 200 through the racing circuit is but one example. They had a v-twin cruiser in the US over 10 years ago. They aren't new to v-twin cruisers.

I have to agree. Lifan is a top notch manufacture right up there with the big boys. The V twin 250 has been a proven and reliable engine. That's why Yamaha hasn't changed it in 31 years. The Lifan is almost an exact copy of the engine. Even the oil filter is the same. I was chatting with someone last night with American Lifan about the Lycan. The nearest dealer to me is in Memphis, TN . About 380 miles from me. No one in Louisiana. I gave him contacts to some local dealers to see about selling Lifan brands. I really want to see and test ride one in person. Just in my area we have 4 big motorcycle dealerships. Hopefully one of them will take them in.

I think the Lifan motor is an exact copy of the Yamaha, between the engine covers on the two sides and the intake and exhaust ports. But I don't know for sure.

One thing I would add is that the Lifan, at 18.1 claimed hp, may be less powerful than the Yamaha XV250 Virago/Star, which is said to make about 21 hp. (I don't know if Yamaha ever made a specific claim.) Peak power is a trade-off with torque lower in the rpm range, and I think Lifan is targeting less-developed countries where torque would be more important, given the expected utilitarian usage.

I believe that the new Lifan will be lucky to do about 75 mph, except downhill or with a tailwind. That's what my Buccaneer does, as far as I can tell, and it's what its owner manual claims. With the same motor, same announced hp, and greater bulk, the Lycan will be unlikely to go any faster. I plan to do a two-way speed test on my Buccaneer to cancel the effects of wind, etc., and plan to report my results when I do.

In any event, I think the fuel-injected Lifan v-twin is a great motor and I would have no qualms at all about recommending a Lycan, based on my experience of it!

Buccaneer

All the engine specs are identical. I'm sure more HP can be gained from good free flowing exhaust and ECU tuning.

Here's another observation about the motor. I finally got my wife to ride on the back yesterday and the day before. We weigh about 375 lbs together (don't tell her I said so!). I intentionally rode up some short hills on the way home, and was really impressed by how easily the bike went up them. I could shift into 2nd and even 3rd just about as well with her on the back as when I ride solo.

A real tractor.