Just Ordered My Lifan KPX250

TheBeardedVagabond · 03-11-2023, 01:16 PM

Long time lurker (learner) and first time poster. I have been reading these forms for months leading up to my first bike purchase. So I want to start by saying thank you for all the information you all provide here. It helped me to decide on my first bike, which as you can tell by the title was the Lifan KPX250. I was really looking at the X-pect but decided to spend the little extra for the new model. Only issue I foresee is the height, which hopefully I will be able to lower it a little (I'm only 5'10"). I have a friend who works on cars and bikes so think he can help me out with that.

Against many peoples recommendations on here I did end up ordering from txpowersports. I know there is a lot of negative talk about them (mainly their customer service). But their price was the best and I opted to not get it assembled by them since I saw that as a common issue also. So wish me luck and hopefully I will be back here in a couple weeks with some good news on the delivery.

A brief preview of why I am getting a bike, for those interested. I love to travel and over the years travel motovloggers have become some of my favorite. I love the freedom a bike gives over a car, and the gas mileage helps too. I started my own travel vlog on YouTube (The Bearded Vagabond) about a year ago and just got monetized. I have a heavy focus on archeological sites. So my plan is to slowly weave my way around the US while learning the bike and repairs. Then eventually I want to cross the border and work my way through central and south America with a heavy focus on ancient ruins. I don't plan to hit the road full time til towards the end of the year to give me a good 6 months or so to get used to riding on familiar roads.

Again thanks everyone for the help and I will update here when I get my bike and start doing my own customizations to it.

IdahoRider · 03-11-2023, 10:40 PM

Welcome! I'll be hitting 3000 miles on the odometer this weekend and today I did a 126 mile ride including paved roads, dirt roads, gravel roads, some double track and some mud so I think you made a good choice! Doing the assembly and prep yourself is the way to go, especially since you're going to be traveling extensively. There really isn't much maintenance once you figure out the easiest way to adjust the valves, change the oil, and adjust the chain. I'm just under 5' 10" and I'm not able to flat foot it, but its not so much of a reach that I feel like I need to lower the bike. Give it at least a few hundred if not a thousand miles before you make changes.

Looking forward to seeing your KPX travels on your YouTube channel!

TheBeardedVagabond · 03-12-2023, 10:51 AM

Thank you. That is all good to here. Yeah I figured that doing the assembly myself would be the best way to learn some basic maintenance for it. Any issues pop up yet for you in your first few thousand miles? Did you need to do much or any chain adjustment? I figured I'd ride it at least a few thousand miles before I did any lowering. Especially since I am a bit heavier of a guy, especially with all the gear on.

TominMO · 03-12-2023, 11:51 AM

The Chinese chain will stretch quickly. I ordered a Japanese chain on Amazon, and am going to replace the stock one soon. I will keep the Chinese one as a backup.

IdahoRider · 03-12-2023, 02:35 PM

I put on this O ring chain when I got the bike and have only had to adjust twice in 3000 miles and not very much.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007A8OOK2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you're a "heavier guy" and going to be carrying gear you most likely won't need or want to lower the bike. I haven't really had an issues other than a dead turn signal that Lifan replaced but I ended up replacing them with much smaller signals that don't stick out and bounce around like the factory "winkers". The stock tires should last a long time. At 3000 miles I can hardly detect any wear and I think I'll be able to get 9000 miles or more out of the back and well over 10,000 out of the front. There are probably better tires out there but I figure if I can learn to handle the bike well with the stock tires, better tires will make handling that much easier.

As discussed for many bikes on this forum, change the oil right away and a couple of times in the first 1000 miles. I've been using these filters and change the filter each time since they are so cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B094445BS5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm about to change my oil again after about 1300 miles and it still looks pretty good, but most of those miles have been when the weather has been in the low to mid 40's. I checked the valves at 165 miles, then at 600 miles, then at 1600 miles and I'll be doing it again at 3200 miles.

I've got a travel/camping system almost put together and will share that setup when I've got it all figured out. I'll probably add some bar risers and a skid plate this spring/summer, but other than that, I don't think I'll need to make another mods.

culcune · 03-13-2023, 02:26 PM

Congrats on the purchase and I will have to watch your videos now! I am only 5'7" (and maybe shorter now, lol) but learned on a '90 DR250s when I was in my 20s. I learned to balance and all that and never did drop the bike. And thinking back, that was with regular shoes vs. boots.

You at 5'10" should have far less issues than I did, and if you wear proper footwear (boots) should have even less issues. The last Chinese bikes I rode, a Hawk 250 owned by member Emerikol, on one of our Phoenix area Chinese bike meetups was tall for me, but not outrageous, and those are rated at around the same seat height.

TheBeardedVagabond · 03-13-2023, 03:40 PM

Thanks that is good to hear. I got the chain mentioned above and will probably install when I put the bike together and keep the OG as a back-up. But might wait a little cause I am considering changing the sprockets so may wait a few hundred miles or so to see. Also got 5 qts of break in oil for the first few changes. What oil weight oil are you running in it? 10w40, 15w40, 15w50 or something else?

Also good to hear about he control and dropping it. As this is my first bike and anytime I get into anything I learn everything I can about it. I am actually taking a motorcycle class so hopefully that helps me out a bit. Just wish I didn't need to sit through a full day class and could do just the riding portion.

IdahoRider · 03-13-2023, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBeardedVagabond

Thanks that is good to hear. I got the chain mentioned above and will probably install when I put the bike together and keep the OG as a back-up. But might wait a little cause I am considering changing the sprockets so may wait a few hundred miles or so to see. Also got 5 qts of break in oil for the first few changes. What oil weight oil are you running in it? 10w40, 15w40, 15w50 or something else?

Also good to hear about he control and dropping it. As this is my first bike and anytime I get into anything I learn everything I can about it. I am actually taking a motorcycle class so hopefully that helps me out a bit. Just wish I didn't need to sit through a full day class and could do just the riding portion.

I've thought about a sprocket change but I think the gearing is good the way it is for my riding. With the stock gearing you still have to do a fair amount of feathering the clutch under 7 mph on trails and 45 to 50 mph feels plenty fast for me on this bike. Any faster and it doesn't feel very stable and not something I'd want to do hours on end, especially if you've got the bike loaded up.

I think you'll find the class very helpful and continue to practice, it does make a difference. Being able to stop fast, swerve, and cornering are the most important.

I've been using Shell Rotella T4 15w-40. I've seen a lot of rider recommend/endorse it and it also has benefit of being cheap and readily available. $17/gallon good for three oil changes.

buzz · 03-13-2023, 04:18 PM

15w40

TheBeardedVagabond · 03-14-2023, 01:29 PM

Just got my first bit of bad news from txmotorsports. They didn't have green and I was pretty set on green. Told them to go ahead and ship out the red (shipping today) as I will probably reskin it at some point. I really dislike the stock decals regardless of color.

IdahoRider · 03-14-2023, 03:10 PM

I took all the decals off of mine at 600 miles. Will probably paint the plastics at some point when I see the right color.

TheBeardedVagabond · 03-15-2023, 02:26 PM

I don't know why I didn't even think about spray painting the plastic. That would be a hell of a lot easier than putting a skin on. That's probably the way I will end up going.

**JerryHawk250** · 03-15-2023, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBeardedVagabond

I don't know why I didn't even think about spray painting the plastic. That would be a hell of a lot easier than putting a skin on. That's probably the way I will end up going.

You could also do a vinyl wrap.

TheBeardedVagabond · 03-15-2023, 05:46 PM

That was my original plan, but I have never wrapped anything before. So painting seems more safe. But idk yet. I will decided once I see it which I want to do. I like the green "carbon fiber" looking wrap. Already ordered a couple accessories in green as I was expecting to get the green model. And green is my favorite color so sticking with that in some form.

IdahoRider · 03-15-2023, 09:16 PM

I thought about wrap but wasn't sure it would hold up well. I think a good primer and paint job would be better and I was thinking about something like the camo KLX.

03-11-2023, 01:16 PM	#1
TheBeardedVagabond Join Date: Mar 2023 Location: Akron, OH Posts: 33	Just Ordered My Lifan KPX250 Long time lurker (learner) and first time poster. I have been reading these forms for months leading up to my first bike purchase. So I want to start by saying thank you for all the information you all provide here. It helped me to decide on my first bike, which as you can tell by the title was the Lifan KPX250. I was really looking at the X-pect but decided to spend the little extra for the new model. Only issue I foresee is the height, which hopefully I will be able to lower it a little (I'm only 5'10"). I have a friend who works on cars and bikes so think he can help me out with that. Against many peoples recommendations on here I did end up ordering from txpowersports. I know there is a lot of negative talk about them (mainly their customer service). But their price was the best and I opted to not get it assembled by them since I saw that as a common issue also. So wish me luck and hopefully I will be back here in a couple weeks with some good news on the delivery. A brief preview of why I am getting a bike, for those interested. I love to travel and over the years travel motovloggers have become some of my favorite. I love the freedom a bike gives over a car, and the gas mileage helps too. I started my own travel vlog on YouTube (The Bearded Vagabond) about a year ago and just got monetized. I have a heavy focus on archeological sites. So my plan is to slowly weave my way around the US while learning the bike and repairs. Then eventually I want to cross the border and work my way through central and south America with a heavy focus on ancient ruins. I don't plan to hit the road full time til towards the end of the year to give me a good 6 months or so to get used to riding on familiar roads. Again thanks everyone for the help and I will update here when I get my bike and start doing my own customizations to it.
	6

03-11-2023, 10:40 PM	#2
IdahoRider Join Date: Aug 2022 Posts: 175	Welcome! I'll be hitting 3000 miles on the odometer this weekend and today I did a 126 mile ride including paved roads, dirt roads, gravel roads, some double track and some mud so I think you made a good choice! Doing the assembly and prep yourself is the way to go, especially since you're going to be traveling extensively. There really isn't much maintenance once you figure out the easiest way to adjust the valves, change the oil, and adjust the chain. I'm just under 5' 10" and I'm not able to flat foot it, but its not so much of a reach that I feel like I need to lower the bike. Give it at least a few hundred if not a thousand miles before you make changes. Looking forward to seeing your KPX travels on your YouTube channel! __________________ 2022 Lifan KPX 250
	1

03-12-2023, 11:51 AM	#4
TominMO Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: De Soto, MO Posts: 1,884	The Chinese chain will stretch quickly. I ordered a Japanese chain on Amazon, and am going to replace the stock one soon. I will keep the Chinese one as a backup. __________________ 2021 Lifan Xpect--sold 2022 Lifan KPX 1972 Honda CT90--The Carrot 1969 Honda CT90--The Tomahto Cheesy is the WDK (workplace drama king). Now retired. Nope, back in the saddle. Climate: The Movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A24fWmNA6lM How our government really works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjadCd0VRBw Question all authority.....think for yourself
	1

03-12-2023, 02:35 PM	#5
IdahoRider Join Date: Aug 2022 Posts: 175	I put on this O ring chain when I got the bike and have only had to adjust twice in 3000 miles and not very much. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007A8OOK2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 If you're a "heavier guy" and going to be carrying gear you most likely won't need or want to lower the bike. I haven't really had an issues other than a dead turn signal that Lifan replaced but I ended up replacing them with much smaller signals that don't stick out and bounce around like the factory "winkers". The stock tires should last a long time. At 3000 miles I can hardly detect any wear and I think I'll be able to get 9000 miles or more out of the back and well over 10,000 out of the front. There are probably better tires out there but I figure if I can learn to handle the bike well with the stock tires, better tires will make handling that much easier. As discussed for many bikes on this forum, change the oil right away and a couple of times in the first 1000 miles. I've been using these filters and change the filter each time since they are so cheap. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B094445BS5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I'm about to change my oil again after about 1300 miles and it still looks pretty good, but most of those miles have been when the weather has been in the low to mid 40's. I checked the valves at 165 miles, then at 600 miles, then at 1600 miles and I'll be doing it again at 3200 miles. I've got a travel/camping system almost put together and will share that setup when I've got it all figured out. I'll probably add some bar risers and a skid plate this spring/summer, but other than that, I don't think I'll need to make another mods. __________________ 2022 Lifan KPX 250
	1

03-13-2023, 02:26 PM	#6
culcune Join Date: May 2006 Location: Yuma, Arizona Posts: 9,035	Congrats on the purchase and I will have to watch your videos now! I am only 5'7" (and maybe shorter now, lol) but learned on a '90 DR250s when I was in my 20s. I learned to balance and all that and never did drop the bike. And thinking back, that was with regular shoes vs. boots. You at 5'10" should have far less issues than I did, and if you wear proper footwear (boots) should have even less issues. The last Chinese bikes I rode, a Hawk 250 owned by member Emerikol, on one of our Phoenix area Chinese bike meetups was tall for me, but not outrageous, and those are rated at around the same seat height. __________________ "They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard
	1

03-12-2023, 10:51 AM	#3
TheBeardedVagabond Join Date: Mar 2023 Location: Akron, OH Posts: 33	Thank you. That is all good to here. Yeah I figured that doing the assembly myself would be the best way to learn some basic maintenance for it. Any issues pop up yet for you in your first few thousand miles? Did you need to do much or any chain adjustment? I figured I'd ride it at least a few thousand miles before I did any lowering. Especially since I am a bit heavier of a guy, especially with all the gear on.
	0

03-13-2023, 03:40 PM	#7
TheBeardedVagabond Join Date: Mar 2023 Location: Akron, OH Posts: 33	Thanks that is good to hear. I got the chain mentioned above and will probably install when I put the bike together and keep the OG as a back-up. But might wait a little cause I am considering changing the sprockets so may wait a few hundred miles or so to see. Also got 5 qts of break in oil for the first few changes. What oil weight oil are you running in it? 10w40, 15w40, 15w50 or something else? Also good to hear about he control and dropping it. As this is my first bike and anytime I get into anything I learn everything I can about it. I am actually taking a motorcycle class so hopefully that helps me out a bit. Just wish I didn't need to sit through a full day class and could do just the riding portion.
	0

03-13-2023, 04:18 PM	#9
buzz Join Date: Dec 2020 Location: Dayton Pa. Posts: 877	15w40
	1

03-14-2023, 01:29 PM	#10
TheBeardedVagabond Join Date: Mar 2023 Location: Akron, OH Posts: 33	Just got my first bit of bad news from txmotorsports. They didn't have green and I was pretty set on green. Told them to go ahead and ship out the red (shipping today) as I will probably reskin it at some point. I really dislike the stock decals regardless of color.
	0

03-14-2023, 03:10 PM	#11
IdahoRider Join Date: Aug 2022 Posts: 175	I took all the decals off of mine at 600 miles. Will probably paint the plastics at some point when I see the right color. __________________ 2022 Lifan KPX 250
	1

03-15-2023, 02:26 PM	#12
TheBeardedVagabond Join Date: Mar 2023 Location: Akron, OH Posts: 33	I don't know why I didn't even think about spray painting the plastic. That would be a hell of a lot easier than putting a skin on. That's probably the way I will end up going.
	0

03-15-2023, 05:46 PM	#14
TheBeardedVagabond Join Date: Mar 2023 Location: Akron, OH Posts: 33	That was my original plan, but I have never wrapped anything before. So painting seems more safe. But idk yet. I will decided once I see it which I want to do. I like the green "carbon fiber" looking wrap. Already ordered a couple accessories in green as I was expecting to get the green model. And green is my favorite color so sticking with that in some form.
	1

03-15-2023, 09:16 PM	#15
IdahoRider Join Date: Aug 2022 Posts: 175	I thought about wrap but wasn't sure it would hold up well. I think a good primer and paint job would be better and I was thinking about something like the camo KLX. __________________ 2022 Lifan KPX 250
	0