not Hatin, just tellin my story

iparks81 · 05-07-2017, 12:00 AM

call it what you will, this is my expieriance with my Serpento Yara 200 (same thing as most others with the honda knock offs)

Im living in honduras, and there's limited options for motorcycles, any real bike is Very expensive, and the chinese bikes rule the market due to the affordable price. I bought a 2016 Serpento that has the 163FML engine (honda CG125 knockoff) its a dual sport style motorcycle The engine has been the best part about this bike. I have had 12,000 miles with no issues...the rest of the bike and the transmission are another story. itz junnnk..Granted the terrain and the area is harsh and demanding for any type motorcycle, but using this as my daily driver, I'm constantly working on this thing to keep it roadworthy.
its one year old and the complete rear taillight/licence plate/mudflap section has broken off bit by bit, I now have my licence plate mounted to my swing arm and I have found other means of mounting my tail light to the underside of the subframe, all the plastics around the chain and chain-guard on the swingarm have cracked and broken off. steering bearings are shot after one year. and very obscure size, very hard bearing to find. (I didn't even find a direct replacement I found a set of taper roller bearings that have the same dimensions. The transmission on occasion will refuse to shift to second gear unless I first shift back down to 1st and try again, and if i get caught in a breaking situation and don't have time to progressively downshift to come to a stop its a nightmare getting it back down to neutral. I have replaced the front brake master cylinder numerous times (piston starts to stick in cylinder). went to drain the sediment bowl on the petcock only to have the chinesium metal literally crumble to pieces when I put a wrench on it to remove. parts corrode faster than I can keep up with. I I have painted various parts of the bike 2-3-4 times. go through chains and sprockets in about 2.5 months (granted they are chinesium parts). Have worn out 3 rear breaks, and the rubber shock absorber between the rear wheel and the sprocket...sheese, that lasts about 2 weeks before theres significant play.
the funny thing that I found is when I pulled out the air cleaner to wash The area that is supposed to be "filtered air" was completely caked with mud....my engine has been running for who knows how long with no filtration, becuase...get this, there is a drain on the bottom, for water to escape...but for dirty air to come in..mind Effin BLOWN

Definitely not a rant, But i ride these bikes because I have to, not necessarily by choice. sharing some of the issues I have had.
if anyone has had the same issues and found ways around it it would be nice to hear about

In the time that I am waiting to get my new steering bearings I have taken the bike down done a good cleaning, adjusted valves, cleaned carb, and made many improvements to the wiring harness...i found that where they wanted to join grounds, they literally stripped back 1.5" of insulation mid run on a ground wire, and twisted other grounds to this stripped section. then without shielding/heat shrink or anything they wrap it in crummy black tape right along hot wires as part of the harness (buddies bike caught fire from this)....pull back the tape/conduit on your bikes, right next to the steering head, I bet you will find the same thing.

thanks for listenin tell me bout your stories.
can I swap out a tranny from a CG125 directly to this engine? thats my biggest peev...I can deal with a lot but a lame transmission is past anoyance

dpl096 · 05-07-2017, 12:28 AM

Terribly sorry to read about your issues... Like anything else we buy some items are lemons - plain and simple and it sounds like you certainly got yourself one. I'm curious how much research you did into the performance and dependability of the bike b4 you made your purchase.

pete · 05-07-2017, 02:33 AM

the Chinese can build the same product in diffrent levels from pure crap to very good..
The importer has this choice of build level...
this is the reason almost no one here will touch a chinese bike... the importers
bought in crap... buy cheap / sell cheap = fast buck... but it has biten them in
the ass now as they can't sell them at any prise anymore...so now there are very few chinese motorbikes for sale here.... only the scooters..

Know what you say about the plastic...
I build trucks for a living.... 2 years ago a guy bought 3 new chinese trucks we built
the decks & put cranes on them.. within 18 months he was back with 3 new Isuzu trucks for us to lift the decks/canes of the chinese one & put them on the Isuzu's... ALL the plastic on the chinese trucks had
fullen to bits including the adblue tanks so they no longer could pass cert for imissions..
none of the plastic was UV stable...

iparks81 · 05-07-2017, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pete

the Chinese can build the same product in diffrent levels from pure crap to very good..
The importer has this choice of build level...
this is the reason almost no one here will touch a chinese bike... the importers
bought in crap... buy cheap / sell cheap = fast buck... but it has biten them in
the ass now as they can't sell them at any prise anymore...so now there are very few chinese motorbikes for sale here.... only the scooters..

Know what you say about the plastic...
I build trucks for a living.... 2 years ago a guy bought 3 new chinese trucks we built
the decks & put cranes on them.. within 18 months he was back with 3 new Isuzu trucks for us to lift the decks/canes of the chinese one & put them on the Isuzu's... ALL the plastic on the chinese trucks had
fullen to bits including the adblue tanks so they no longer could pass cert for imissions..
none of the plastic was UV stable...

Yes, I think you are exactly right, The plastic has no UV inhibitors or protection. in time it just breaks down. its like it goes stale just like a bag of chips you leave out for to long..,(weird analogy I know)

as far as research goes...there's little information at all on-line about these bikes, besides the company's website.(serpento). I don't think i got a lemon at all, I just know I'm using a chinese bike.

Its funny, because the Serpento badged bikes actually had some features and things that the other brands, with the same style did not. Its hard to find any of these bikes that are over a year old in decent condition. (here in Roatan Honduras)
I think these are pretty spot on with the HAWK bikes minus the 250cc engine, I only have a 200cc (anyone want to sell me a jug and piston!)

Here's a picture of the airbox...this astonished me in a couple ways....WOW i didn't have any running issues at all with all this going on inside my airbox...and damn this thing for acutally having a hole (1/8") in the bottom to allow this to happen.

iparks81 · 05-07-2017, 09:41 PM

Today, I bought some new turn signals, Hondurans think its real cool to have lights on bikes and cars thats not standard colors...so I got home to find out the front turn signals are blue rather than amber

got them installed and then since the front end was off I decided to change out the fork oil. I removed the cap and found that the fork was under pressure, It was just like opening a soda bottle...the only thing I can think of is that it was much colder where the bike was manufactured (I'm at sea level so altitude couldn't be the cause). I was hit with a funky oil smell and carefully pulled out the spring and poured the oil into a clear plastic cup. it was FULL of metal...not really surprised, such is life, but heres a nice photo....change your fork oil before hitting 12k ....Knowing what I know now, I would change it as frequently as I change the motor oil, or at least get a good quality oil in there right off the bat. I replaced the oil with ATF knowing the bushings in my forks are toast, and the "feel" of the travel when compressing and extending the forks by hand leads me to believe that they are toast (or at least need complete rebuild), such is life with my Honduran Moto, I still love rippin around the island on this thing, and when the seals blow and I feel more motivated I will give her the complete rework...for now its just a fluid change.

timcosby · 05-07-2017, 09:42 PM

should of been a cap on the drain location. look he has the crankcase vent cover that our come without!

iparks81 · 05-07-2017, 09:50 PM

the cap was on the crank vent, the holl that I mentioned is on the Left hand side of the bottom of the air box, not really visible in the pic, but its an 1/8th in hole

Megadan · 05-07-2017, 10:01 PM

A good practice with fork oil is to change it every year if the bike is ridden often, and no more than every 2 years in most cases. Probably the most neglected fluid on bikes from my own experience with the bikes i have bought over the years

iparks81 · 05-07-2017, 10:02 PM

Heres the bike as it sits right now...yes, its dirty. new stearing bearings ariving tomorrow! cant wait!!

timcosby · 05-08-2017, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iparks81

the cap was on the crank vent, the holl that I mentioned is on the Left hand side of the bottom of the air box, not really visible in the pic, but its an 1/8th in hole

the 1/8"hole thing should of had a small tit hanging down that gets a cap. maybe it just fell off.

timcosby · 05-08-2017, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iparks81

Heres the bike as it sits right now...yes, its dirty. new stearing bearings ariving tomorrow! cant wait!!

exactly the same bike as our hawks looks like

pcspecialist · 05-08-2017, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timcosby

exactly the same bike as our hawks looks like

Head pipe is different

timcosby · 05-08-2017, 03:25 PM

yea hes a 200cc i think he said but rest looks the same

iparks81 · 05-08-2017, 05:16 PM

Do the HAWKS have a disk rear break? ( i think from the pics Ive seen that they do) would definitely be interested in doing a swingarm swap and getting a new rear wheel for the advantages of disk breaks in the rear....the drum is adequate, but...I dont have to work to hard to get it to fade.

iparks81 · 05-08-2017, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pcspecialist

Head pipe is different

What do you mean head pipe? exhaust from the head of the engine?
steering stock head?

05-07-2017, 12:00 AM	#1
iparks81 Join Date: Apr 2017 Posts: 23	not Hatin, just tellin my story call it what you will, this is my expieriance with my Serpento Yara 200 (same thing as most others with the honda knock offs) Im living in honduras, and there's limited options for motorcycles, any real bike is Very expensive, and the chinese bikes rule the market due to the affordable price. I bought a 2016 Serpento that has the 163FML engine (honda CG125 knockoff) its a dual sport style motorcycle The engine has been the best part about this bike. I have had 12,000 miles with no issues...the rest of the bike and the transmission are another story. itz junnnk..Granted the terrain and the area is harsh and demanding for any type motorcycle, but using this as my daily driver, I'm constantly working on this thing to keep it roadworthy. its one year old and the complete rear taillight/licence plate/mudflap section has broken off bit by bit, I now have my licence plate mounted to my swing arm and I have found other means of mounting my tail light to the underside of the subframe, all the plastics around the chain and chain-guard on the swingarm have cracked and broken off. steering bearings are shot after one year. and very obscure size, very hard bearing to find. (I didn't even find a direct replacement I found a set of taper roller bearings that have the same dimensions. The transmission on occasion will refuse to shift to second gear unless I first shift back down to 1st and try again, and if i get caught in a breaking situation and don't have time to progressively downshift to come to a stop its a nightmare getting it back down to neutral. I have replaced the front brake master cylinder numerous times (piston starts to stick in cylinder). went to drain the sediment bowl on the petcock only to have the chinesium metal literally crumble to pieces when I put a wrench on it to remove. parts corrode faster than I can keep up with. I I have painted various parts of the bike 2-3-4 times. go through chains and sprockets in about 2.5 months (granted they are chinesium parts). Have worn out 3 rear breaks, and the rubber shock absorber between the rear wheel and the sprocket...sheese, that lasts about 2 weeks before theres significant play. the funny thing that I found is when I pulled out the air cleaner to wash The area that is supposed to be "filtered air" was completely caked with mud....my engine has been running for who knows how long with no filtration, becuase...get this, there is a drain on the bottom, for water to escape...but for dirty air to come in..mind Effin BLOWN Definitely not a rant, But i ride these bikes because I have to, not necessarily by choice. sharing some of the issues I have had. if anyone has had the same issues and found ways around it it would be nice to hear about In the time that I am waiting to get my new steering bearings I have taken the bike down done a good cleaning, adjusted valves, cleaned carb, and made many improvements to the wiring harness...i found that where they wanted to join grounds, they literally stripped back 1.5" of insulation mid run on a ground wire, and twisted other grounds to this stripped section. then without shielding/heat shrink or anything they wrap it in crummy black tape right along hot wires as part of the harness (buddies bike caught fire from this)....pull back the tape/conduit on your bikes, right next to the steering head, I bet you will find the same thing. thanks for listenin tell me bout your stories. can I swap out a tranny from a CG125 directly to this engine? thats my biggest peev...I can deal with a lot but a lame transmission is past anoyance
	0

05-07-2017, 12:28 AM	#2
dpl096 Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: East Central Hellinois Posts: 1,344	Terribly sorry to read about your issues... Like anything else we buy some items are lemons - plain and simple and it sounds like you certainly got yourself one. I'm curious how much research you did into the performance and dependability of the bike b4 you made your purchase. __________________ ************************************************ * " Time you enjoy wasting, is not wasted." - John Lennon “I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” ― Thomas Jefferson "If you don't know where you're going any road will take you there" ....George Harrison song
	0

05-07-2017, 02:33 AM	#3
pete Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: ChCh , NZ Posts: 2,261	the Chinese can build the same product in diffrent levels from pure crap to very good.. The importer has this choice of build level... this is the reason almost no one here will touch a chinese bike... the importers bought in crap... buy cheap / sell cheap = fast buck... but it has biten them in the ass now as they can't sell them at any prise anymore...so now there are very few chinese motorbikes for sale here.... only the scooters.. Know what you say about the plastic... I build trucks for a living.... 2 years ago a guy bought 3 new chinese trucks we built the decks & put cranes on them.. within 18 months he was back with 3 new Isuzu trucks for us to lift the decks/canes of the chinese one & put them on the Isuzu's... ALL the plastic on the chinese trucks had fullen to bits including the adblue tanks so they no longer could pass cert for imissions.. none of the plastic was UV stable... __________________ 09 XT660R ... 06 TTR250 ... 80 Montesa H6 125 Enduro... 77 Montesa Cota 348 MRR "Malcom Rathnell Replica"... Current resto projects.. 81 Honda CT110... 80 Kawasaki KL250A1... 11 Husaburg TE125 enduro... "sold" along with another 31... Lifan 125 Pitbike.. "stolen" ... KIWI BIKER FORUM...... http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/content.php All the best offroad rides in NZ... http://www.remotemoto.com/ E-mail... xtpete1@gmail.com
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05-07-2017, 09:42 PM	#6
timcosby Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: robertsdale alabama usa Posts: 1,007	should of been a cap on the drain location. look he has the crankcase vent cover that our come without! __________________ 1991 harley heritage softail classic 2016 hawk kaw h1 400 tripple 13' long chopper in progress 2009 johnny pag bar hog 2004 hd electra glide ultra classic shriner edition 1997 harley davidson 1200 sportster 1972 harley davidson amf sx250
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05-08-2017, 03:25 PM	#13
timcosby Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: robertsdale alabama usa Posts: 1,007	yea hes a 200cc i think he said but rest looks the same __________________ 1991 harley heritage softail classic 2016 hawk kaw h1 400 tripple 13' long chopper in progress 2009 johnny pag bar hog 2004 hd electra glide ultra classic shriner edition 1997 harley davidson 1200 sportster 1972 harley davidson amf sx250
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05-07-2017, 09:50 PM	#7
iparks81 Join Date: Apr 2017 Posts: 23	the cap was on the crank vent, the holl that I mentioned is on the Left hand side of the bottom of the air box, not really visible in the pic, but its an 1/8th in hole
	0

05-07-2017, 10:01 PM	#8
Megadan Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 8,031	A good practice with fork oil is to change it every year if the bike is ridden often, and no more than every 2 years in most cases. Probably the most neglected fluid on bikes from my own experience with the bikes i have bought over the years
	1

05-08-2017, 05:16 PM	#14
iparks81 Join Date: Apr 2017 Posts: 23	Do the HAWKS have a disk rear break? ( i think from the pics Ive seen that they do) would definitely be interested in doing a swingarm swap and getting a new rear wheel for the advantages of disk breaks in the rear....the drum is adequate, but...I dont have to work to hard to get it to fade.
	0