Honda XR150L

[Bill Hilly]

I know the Chinese bikes copied Honda, but I think Honda is wanting a piece of the cheap dual sport pie.

[Boatguy]

isn’t it funny? When I saw these a few weeks back, I couldn’t help but to think now Honda is copying China.

even right down to the styling.

[Zapkin]

The price sure is right. 3 grand for a Honda seems like a decent deal.

[Wild Dog]

Honda is not copying the Chinese, the XR150l is a chinese motorcycle, Lifan.

The chinese been making the XR150 for Honda for a long time, even the Honda Bross 125 was mfg by the chinese with some parts made in latam.

It seems that Honda now wants to seel the XR150 in the US and Canada due good sales from the chinese clones.

[XLsior]

Is it a decent deal though? Ok lets say the quality fit and finish is a bit better than current China dualsports...you get roll out the door dealer access and Honda decals.

But 150cc in a world of 200-300 cc bikes with arguably better suspension.

This Bike is clearly trying to claw back market share in the low end which the china bikes are obviously making a dent...

It'll sell to those it suits in the low seat low cc no assembly required customer, but we're talking KPX250 money.

[Zapkin]

Originally Posted by XLsior

Is it a decent deal though? Ok lets say the quality fit and finish is a bit better than current China dualsports...you get roll out the door dealer access and Honda decals.

But 150cc in a world of 200-300 cc bikes with arguably better suspension.

This Bike is clearly trying to claw back market share in the low end which the china bikes are obviously making a dent...

It'll sell to those it suits in the low seat low cc no assembly required customer, but we're talking KPX250 money.

Yes, but you see people bringing Hondas back to life after dozens of years because the materials they were made with were of quality and lasted. Do you think anyone will be bringing back our beloved Chinabikes 30 or 40 years from now when all the cheap plastic and rubber parts have decayed and the Chinesium is rotten? I don't, but I could be wrong. Also, it might be KPX money, but I guarantee it will hold its value far better than a Lifan, at least in this market. I am not being mean, just stating what I think is true. If I am wrong, so be it.

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by Zapkin

Yes, but you see people bringing Hondas back to life after dozens of years because the materials they were made with were of quality and lasted. Do you think anyone will be bringing back our beloved Chinabikes 30 or 40 years from now when all the cheap plastic and rubber parts have decayed and the Chinesium is rotten? I don't, but I could be wrong. Also, it might be KPX money, but I guarantee it will hold its value far better than a Lifan, at least in this market. I am not being mean, just stating what I think is true. If I am wrong, so be it.

You are correct. It depends on the agenda of the buyer. Some people care about reputation and resale value, some don't, depending on their planned use for the bike. IE, how good do you need? For how long? Gonna resell it or hand it down? Do you want regular dealer maintenance or are you a DIY guy?

[XLsior]

Originally Posted by Zapkin

Yes, but you see people bringing Hondas back to life after dozens of years because the materials they were made with were of quality and lasted. Do you think anyone will be bringing back our beloved Chinabikes 30 or 40 years from now when all the cheap plastic and rubber parts have decayed and the Chinesium is rotten? I don't, but I could be wrong. Also, it might be KPX money, but I guarantee it will hold its value far better than a Lifan, at least in this market. I am not being mean, just stating what I think is true. If I am wrong, so be it.

Yeah I'm one of those guys that brought back a 30 year old honda XL185..

majority of rubber and plastics were trash...

Guess what it was a rusty POS that would more than likely pass as scrap, The only thing that brought it back was "Chinesium" Parts...

at $3000 holding resale value is a moot point as the market below that is full of new China bikes...So the XL150 used will need to be priced under that...

[buzz]

So how much is a honda 250 going for? A 150 won't get it for me.

[TominMO]

The Lifan X-pect is a much better deal. It arguably has Honda quality or near enough that it doesn't matter. Bear in mind that very many bikes are not ridden even 10K miles before being sold off. Only reasons I sold mine is that I wanted better highway capability, and a flat seat to move around better.

And both bikes have 19"/17" tires, so as someone has said, maybe more tires in those sizes will now become more available.

Honda is understandably trading on its well-deserved reputation. For all I know, these bikes are made in China, in whole or in part.

[N7sithis]

Hell yeah, I'm slapping a Honda sticker on my Hawk 250, literally looks exactly the frikkin same and has almost the exact same performance after an air intake, gears and exhaust for the hawk.

[zero_dgz]

Echoing the sentiment above, we've been discussing this particular bike to death over on the other side for the last few weeks. Consensus is: At an alleged $2971 MSRP (before freight, destination, and dealership margin enhancement bullshit) it doesn't seem too exciting. Yes, I guess it's cheaper than the current KLX300 or CRF300. Our South American and Southeast Asian brothers report that this same bike, or something very nearly identical, has been on sale outside of the US for quite some time. If this is the same bike as the SA/SEA models its build quality is reportedly of distinctly Chinese character, i.e. not as nice or well built as we've become used to from Honda models meant for Western consumption. (Apparently this is also the case with the Navi, which was originally a model made for sale in India.) If this thing is actually produced by Lifan, I'd believe it.


It appears to have the usual CRF derived overhead cam engine in it, and sports a clearly visible carburetor in its product glamor shots. Even the Hawk is fuel injected these days! Let alone the KPX, current RXB's, etc.



Pros: You can take it to the dealer if something goes horribly wrong.



Cons: You're going to pay the Honda Tax, plus get raked over the coals by your dealer, since this bike will be exclusively distributed via the usual $tealership channels.

[Wild Dog]

Originally Posted by zero_dgz

Our South American and Southeast Asian brothers report that this same bike, or something very nearly identical, has been on sale outside of the US for quite some time. If this is the same bike as the SA/SEA models its build quality is reportedly of distinctly Chinese character, i.e. not as nice or well built as we've become used to from Honda models meant for Western consumption. (Apparently this is also the case with the Navi, which was originally a model made for sale in India.) If this thing is actually produced by Lifan, I'd believe it.


It appears to have the usual CRF derived overhead cam engine in it, and sports a clearly visible carburetor in its product glamor shots. Even the Hawk is fuel injected these days! Let alone the KPX, current RXB's, etc.



Pros: You can take it to the dealer if something goes horribly wrong.



Cons: You're going to pay the Honda Tax, plus get raked over the coals by your dealer, since this bike will be exclusively distributed via the usual $tealership channels.

The more info i'm looking at the XR150l being sold in Canada, the more i can say it's the same model being sold here.

To be fair with the Xr150l, it's quite more reliable than a chinese lifan and less prone to rust.



This girl being riding around the south of south american and she while she cares for the xr150l she is not gentle with it. Overloading it, riding over 1000 km in less than a day which for an air cooled engine is quite a number.


In that video the bigger brother of the xr150l can be seen the Xr250 Tornado, which is also a lifan made with many parts being made in south america. From my point of view that XR250 was a better choice to sell in Canada it's a dohc engine that outputs 25 hp.. But i guess it would be in a price range that would compete with better motorcycles sold by honda.

[TommyD]

As far as restoring old china bikes, I have restored a 2006 Jialing 200cc dual sport which is going on 18 years old. Granted I had to leave off the plastics but as far as parts I've had no issues finding suitable replacements (so far).


As far as old Honda motorcycles, I just purchased a 30 year old CB250 for $1500 that was garage kept so looks fantastic but will also need some TLC.


The nice thing about the older China bikes is if your engine blows up you can order a replacement on Amazon or Ebay for less than 600.



The need for a dealership and the service they provide is mostly preferred by someone who can't turn a wrench or watch a YouTube instruction video. I get it, some may not have the time or desire while some, like many on this forum, look forward to tinkering with their project.

[J4Fun]

Just thinking I’ll keep the made in12-20 Hawk DLX. A 250 efi with inverted forks and disk brake on rear plus at least a grand plus cheaper. My thoughts are they, my bike and the Honda almost look exactly the same, including the swing arm. It’s kinda funny how close that bike looks like mine does. 🤫