My Lifan's been Coast to Coast and will be featured on the No U-Turns Show!

oldcargeek · 07-02-2013, 08:40 PM

My name is Jason Stone. I'm stoked that this Chinariders website has been created! I am a thrift-meister, and all about the best fuel-economy possible, and cheap living... every one of my personal vehicles exemplify this lifestyle in some way... particularly my 2007 Chinese motorcycle purchased slightly used in 2011 for just $450.00; with only 950 miles on it at the time! In June/July of 2012, I was priviliged to be invited to join the No U-Turns Show for a trek across the United States on the T.A.T. (Trans America Trail)! ...That is Coast to Coast almost exclusively on dirt roads, trails, dried up riverbeds, off road, etc! What's more... a couple of us had cheap Chinese bikes & motors to provide our propulsion! The whole name of the game was to do this thing as cheaply as possible. These guys had taken other entertaining shoestring-budget road trips in the past before I came along (you can check those out at www.nouturns.tv), but this time they added another character to the show (me). Now you'll see that these guys are skinny (one of them, Wheatie, is from England, Jarron is from New Zealand, Noah is from Hawaii, and I'm the rather "big-boned" corn-fed guy from Iowa at around 290 pounds), so I went along as "Token Fat Guy"... made all the more hillarious by the fact that I was riding a 200cc Lifan Rakitak GY-200. You can see a few pics of the trip, and my bike as it was at the time by pasting the following URL into your web-browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/1158339...eat=directlink ...I also have a YouTube Channel under OLDCARGEEK with numbered videos in chronological order from the time I purchased my Lifan, through its various modifications, and eventually some videos of the trip as it was unfolding. ...it gets better though. We decided to film this whole adventure primarily on 3-D cameras for eventual editing & release on the Internet, and even possibly Network 3-D TV Channels! Here's our preview, or "trailer" for the future show:
I'm interested to hear what people think! Unfortunately, I only made it about half-way across the U.S. before having a nasty crash which broke my ribs and totalled my bike. A couple of the other guys made it all the way Coast to Coast, but I had to turn "right" and go home from Arkansas. ...650 miles with freshly broken ribs, mind you! I did that on smooth freeway though and with a lot of Ibuprofen on board. Not to be un-done... I got some parts from other junked bikes, straightened out the things that were bent up, and resurrected the Lifan to perhaps greater than her former glory! (It's a girl... I call her Lifanda). I'll add some more current photos and description of my rebuilding of the Chinese bike to my Picasa web-album soon. I ride it daily, and have since taken it out to California, so it's now officially been Coast-to-Coast! I may be the only person to have ever done this with a Chinese Bike! I even contacted the Guiness Book of World Records, but they weren't interested in the feat. I am hoping that there will be others to follow my lead, and get the word out that you don't have to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a BMW Dual-Sport touring bike to go where your heart desires! I brought extra brake pads, bolts, tools, clutches, sprockets, chains, tires, tubes, food and gear with me. The Lifan never left me stranded (despite being crashed a number of times and beaten on the rough terrain), and still to this day has proven to be a reliable form of daily transportation! It suffered a lot of damage, but I've fixed it up even cooler than it was before. I get constant looks and compliments everywhere I go with it. Thanks for taking the time to read my post! People may laugh at us for riding inexpensive Chinese bikes, but we're the REAL enthusiests! Anyone can grow their hair out, wear the expensive jacket with the matching (insert name brand logo here) sunglasses and ride a late model high-end bike around town, but it takes authentic moxy to do what we do! I have become really attached to my bike, and honestly don't even WANT a nicer, more expensive one. I have made it just the way I want it, and it serves my needs for reliable, utilitarian, economical transportation just perfectly. Ride on my friends!

katoranger · 07-02-2013, 10:42 PM

I think you may be the first to report riding a good portion of the TAT.

Thanks for the post and welcome to Chinariders.

MICRider · 07-02-2013, 11:28 PM

Awesome write up! Loved the vid, were you the poor fellow laying on the shoulder of the road with the EMT's looking you over? Did trash the bike pretty good on that one!

Welcome to the forum, it's where all the cool people hang out!

SpudRider · 07-03-2013, 02:02 AM

Welcome; we are glad you joined us!

It sounds as if you are a kindred soul.

Trailbikeryder · 07-03-2013, 09:38 AM

Welcome

This is the kind of story that I like! Anyone can get a expensiv bike and go on long trips and show off all what they own. I don't care about that... I have NEVER been on a long trip with my Japanese bike. Since I own a China Bike though, I have decided to do a long trip from Germany to Italy through the Alps. The point is that it's a REAL adventure to what you did on a China Bike. Congratulations and applaus to you.

Weldangrind · 07-03-2013, 10:55 AM

Lifanda! Classic!

Welcome to our shop! You'll certainly find like minds around here.

SpudRider · 07-03-2013, 12:38 PM

Lifanda.

culcune · 07-03-2013, 07:42 PM

I am impressed with the trip. Sad to see you laid out, though.

Weldangrind · 07-03-2013, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpudRider

Lifanda.

One of the funniest movies ever.

SpudRider · 07-04-2013, 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

One of the funniest movies ever.

Napolean Dynamite was filmed nearby, in Preston, Idaho.

nyvdub89 · 07-04-2013, 02:41 AM

Welcome aboard and amazing ride man!

moresnow · 07-07-2013, 08:11 PM

Wow. I bought my GY2 in Mason City. I am a hour away. Small world. Great story. Heading for Colorado at the end of August on the bikes.

07-02-2013, 08:40 PM	#1
oldcargeek Join Date: May 2013 Location: Mason City, Iowa Posts: 1	My Lifan's been Coast to Coast and will be featured on the No U-Turns Show! My name is Jason Stone. I'm stoked that this Chinariders website has been created! I am a thrift-meister, and all about the best fuel-economy possible, and cheap living... every one of my personal vehicles exemplify this lifestyle in some way... particularly my 2007 Chinese motorcycle purchased slightly used in 2011 for just $450.00; with only 950 miles on it at the time! In June/July of 2012, I was priviliged to be invited to join the No U-Turns Show for a trek across the United States on the T.A.T. (Trans America Trail)! ...That is Coast to Coast almost exclusively on dirt roads, trails, dried up riverbeds, off road, etc! What's more... a couple of us had cheap Chinese bikes & motors to provide our propulsion! The whole name of the game was to do this thing as cheaply as possible. These guys had taken other entertaining shoestring-budget road trips in the past before I came along (you can check those out at www.nouturns.tv), but this time they added another character to the show (me). Now you'll see that these guys are skinny (one of them, Wheatie, is from England, Jarron is from New Zealand, Noah is from Hawaii, and I'm the rather "big-boned" corn-fed guy from Iowa at around 290 pounds), so I went along as "Token Fat Guy"... made all the more hillarious by the fact that I was riding a 200cc Lifan Rakitak GY-200. You can see a few pics of the trip, and my bike as it was at the time by pasting the following URL into your web-browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/1158339...eat=directlink ...I also have a YouTube Channel under OLDCARGEEK with numbered videos in chronological order from the time I purchased my Lifan, through its various modifications, and eventually some videos of the trip as it was unfolding. ...it gets better though. We decided to film this whole adventure primarily on 3-D cameras for eventual editing & release on the Internet, and even possibly Network 3-D TV Channels! Here's our preview, or "trailer" for the future show: I'm interested to hear what people think! Unfortunately, I only made it about half-way across the U.S. before having a nasty crash which broke my ribs and totalled my bike. A couple of the other guys made it all the way Coast to Coast, but I had to turn "right" and go home from Arkansas. ...650 miles with freshly broken ribs, mind you! I did that on smooth freeway though and with a lot of Ibuprofen on board. Not to be un-done... I got some parts from other junked bikes, straightened out the things that were bent up, and resurrected the Lifan to perhaps greater than her former glory! (It's a girl... I call her Lifanda). I'll add some more current photos and description of my rebuilding of the Chinese bike to my Picasa web-album soon. I ride it daily, and have since taken it out to California, so it's now officially been Coast-to-Coast! I may be the only person to have ever done this with a Chinese Bike! I even contacted the Guiness Book of World Records, but they weren't interested in the feat. I am hoping that there will be others to follow my lead, and get the word out that you don't have to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a BMW Dual-Sport touring bike to go where your heart desires! I brought extra brake pads, bolts, tools, clutches, sprockets, chains, tires, tubes, food and gear with me. The Lifan never left me stranded (despite being crashed a number of times and beaten on the rough terrain), and still to this day has proven to be a reliable form of daily transportation! It suffered a lot of damage, but I've fixed it up even cooler than it was before. I get constant looks and compliments everywhere I go with it. Thanks for taking the time to read my post! People may laugh at us for riding inexpensive Chinese bikes, but we're the REAL enthusiests! Anyone can grow their hair out, wear the expensive jacket with the matching (insert name brand logo here) sunglasses and ride a late model high-end bike around town, but it takes authentic moxy to do what we do! I have become really attached to my bike, and honestly don't even WANT a nicer, more expensive one. I have made it just the way I want it, and it serves my needs for reliable, utilitarian, economical transportation just perfectly. Ride on my friends!
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07-02-2013, 10:42 PM	#2
katoranger Join Date: May 2007 Location: Altamont, Kansas Posts: 15,103	I think you may be the first to report riding a good portion of the TAT. Thanks for the post and welcome to Chinariders. __________________ You meet the nicest people on a Honda Clone.
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07-03-2013, 02:02 AM	#4
SpudRider Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Idaho Posts: 25,054	Welcome; we are glad you joined us! It sounds as if you are a kindred soul. __________________ Spud "Never argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level, and beat you with experience." Mark Twain 2015 Zongshen ZS250GY-3 (RX3) 2006 Zongshen ZS200GY-2 (Sierra 200) 2005 Honda XR650L 2004 Honda CRF250X 1998 Kawasaki KDX220 Mods made to my Zongshen ZS200GY-2: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=6894
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07-03-2013, 09:38 AM	#5
Trailbikeryder Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Germany Posts: 231	Welcome This is the kind of story that I like! Anyone can get a expensiv bike and go on long trips and show off all what they own. I don't care about that... I have NEVER been on a long trip with my Japanese bike. Since I own a China Bike though, I have decided to do a long trip from Germany to Italy through the Alps. The point is that it's a REAL adventure to what you did on a China Bike. Congratulations and applaus to you. __________________ My CB : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbZ8q-grmOQ 2012 Skyteam V-Raptor 250 2011 Yamaha Tenere XT 660Z abs 1996 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic 1989 Kawasaki GPZ 500
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07-03-2013, 10:55 AM	#6
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	Lifanda! Classic! Welcome to our shop! You'll certainly find like minds around here. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
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07-02-2013, 11:28 PM	#3
MICRider Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 3,274	Awesome write up! Loved the vid, were you the poor fellow laying on the shoulder of the road with the EMT's looking you over? Did trash the bike pretty good on that one! Welcome to the forum, it's where all the cool people hang out!
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07-03-2013, 12:38 PM	#7
SpudRider Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Idaho Posts: 25,054	Lifanda. __________________ Spud "Never argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level, and beat you with experience." Mark Twain 2015 Zongshen ZS250GY-3 (RX3) 2006 Zongshen ZS200GY-2 (Sierra 200) 2005 Honda XR650L 2004 Honda CRF250X 1998 Kawasaki KDX220 Mods made to my Zongshen ZS200GY-2: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=6894
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07-03-2013, 07:42 PM	#8
culcune Join Date: May 2006 Location: Yuma, Arizona Posts: 9,035	I am impressed with the trip. Sad to see you laid out, though. __________________ "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
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07-04-2013, 02:41 AM	#11
nyvdub89 Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Hudson Valley NY Posts: 98	Welcome aboard and amazing ride man! __________________ my gy5 restore thread
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07-07-2013, 08:11 PM	#12
moresnow Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Iowa Posts: 76	Wow. I bought my GY2 in Mason City. I am a hour away. Small world. Great story. Heading for Colorado at the end of August on the bikes.
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