I'm going back and forth. On the one hand, logically I know that my Xpect is really all I need for my simple purposes. On the other hand, the KPX seems to be a game-changer upgrade over the Xpect. I even like the fact that it's slightly heavier, for hwy stability. The only (small) downside is the expected loss in fuel mileage, but hey. They did make the tank 0.4 gallons bigger, to help compensate on the range per tank.

I really don't think there will be much difference in fuel mileage. If anything with the extra 6th gear you might get better on the highway.

True, there's that. And you can play with different sprockets. My Xpect is set up with 17/42 sprockets, and probably gets about 120 mpg in steady cruising at 60 mph.

One thing we will need to check on is what sprockets to get. IIRC the KPX has a beefier chain, so you can't use the Xpect-spec sprockets.

Jerry, magnificent! Thanks for the vid!

I see similarities in the tbr7, such as same tread on tires, rear fender/brake light, same seat perhaps? Maybe even gas tank?
Obviously they all share parts or at least design thoughts.

This is definitely a lot more bike that the standard Hawks, Brozz250 and TBR7. Aluminum rims, actual oil filter, 6 speed and EFI. Just the overall quality of the KPX is impressive.
https://youtu.be/xYgKCvZ8rf8

Congratulations! Nice bike! So much of it reminds me of the X-pect and follows much the same design. Even sounds like it. Seat looks great. Love those aluminum rims. Gotta have some more suspension travel with that height and it may settle some with use. The X-Pect was pretty tight initially. As mentioned, those sprockets might be a direct X-Pect bolt on for upgrade. Big question is that rear shock adjustable for preload and what would be the upgrade. Time will will answer all. Gotta love that Lifan quality when you see it!

I like that they went to the trouble of including a folding shift lever. Those little details show that they are trying; they didn't have to do that. It is nice to have an oil sight glass, but I could live without it, all else considered. Maybe that was a design consideration they had to sacrifice to get the oil filter in there. I think the white and green color scheme is nicely done too.

Hey Jerry, what are the wheel widths and tire sizes?

wheel widths are probably the same as the standard Hawk and TT250 18x2.15 rear and 21x1.6 front. Tires are listed in the material on the venom site. 90/90-21 front and 120/90-18 rear.

What do you think of those tires in general? These are the ones that I bought again. The stock tires. They did great on road and they did fine off-road for me. I went through some deep mud and sand with them and did not get stuck once.

The front end seems to wash out a bit, but that’s just rider error. That’s not the tire’s fault.

Great video Jerry. I am jealous. If my Hawk wasn’t such a good and dependable ride for me, I’d definitely be looking to upgrade to the Lifan. Very impressive for the money. I’m anxious to hear some more about the suspension and highway manners when you get it tagged and insured.

I know what you mean about the Hawk. I think we bought ours at the same time. My Hawk is damn near bulletproof. But this KPX is a huge improvement over our Hawks.

I have no street time on them to really rate them. Once I get it registered and tagged I'll give some feedback.

Rims Rear is 18x2.50 and front are 21x1.85. Tires 90/90-21 front and 120/90-18 rear.

Is it registered, yet??? Huh, huh?

Inquiring minds wanna know!

Hahahahha!

Not till Monday. But it won't matter. The weather man predicts rain for the whole week. I'm so ready to get it out on the road.

Thanks Jerry. Useful info for matching up what size tires fit. Was interested because the Xpect comes with unusually narrow tires, that are hard to find the exact size. That's why I bought Boatguy's stock Xpect tires.

Here's some good tire info. Scroll down to find the size chart.
https://www.denniskirk.com/learn/tire-sizes-explained

You got had, my friend.

I just dumped those into the dumpster a week ago. Mostly worn out and squared off after somewhere around 6000 miles on them. My old sprockets and chain are in there too if you want to really find some sweet deals.

:lmao:

(You’re mixing me up with whoever you really got the new stock tires from). Lol

Stupid alzheimer's. Yeah it was KSSK, who was gonna give 'em away with 100 miles on them, who I bought them off of.

Sorry I didn't post pictures earlier. Life got in the way and had other obligations to take care of. Good news is they were money making obligations, so that means more mod money. :hehe: So lets start the photo bombs.

More...
I'm 5'10" with a 32" inseam for size reference. I'm on my tip toes with both feet down.

More....

Rims are aluminum but swingarm is not. But definitely heavy duty. I also re-routed the brake hose to the inside of fork after taking the picture. So now it is on the correct side.

Even more... Tank decals were removed after taking picture.

More pics...
Note the nice fuse box VS the single cheap fuse holder that came on the Hawk. Rear shock has adjustable pre-load. It took me a while to figure how to get the seat off. I had to undo the two bolts that hold the rear rack on to remove the seat.

I remember that some of the old-school Japanese bikes had seats with hinges on the right side, and a locking latch on the left. There was a helmet hook available to hang the helmet by its D-rings when the seat was open, then you close and lock the seat to secure the helmet.

I wish they had this design today. On the X-pect I have to remove the side plastic to remove the seat to remove the rear tank bolt to adjust the valves. Ridiculous. The tank plastic I just leave off, because that too would have to come off to adjust the valves. Old school bikes never had all this complication, and I greatly prefer it that way.

The difference in height from the xpect really looks like the difference in wheel diameter plus the difference in engine size (height).

On the xpect, we have to remove the size plastic where it says 250 on yours to get the seat off.

I miss my old Honda ATCs. Pull a lever and the seat just popped off.

It's good that you have to remove the bolts. Otherwise someone could just pop the seat off and disconnect the alarm system or possibly just screw things up for you.

Is the plug under the seat for an OBD2 scanner? If so, what data can you look at?

I haven't located the OBD2 port yet. I'll be looking into that as soon as i find what plug-in connector is needed.

Nice bike! Shame they don't sell them in Canada. Though if they did they would probably be $5K.
Enjoy, looks like a blast :)

That is a shame because it is an awesome bike.
Well I'm insured, registered and tagged but the rain just won't go away.

Ahhhh. People suck. You’re right!

out of curiosity how much of a balance shaft housing protrusion is there over a non balance shaft engine...Seeing as you've had/have both types now.

No chance of this coming to Australia with our new mandatory ABS requirements. No more new DR650s and never got the KLX300.

I doubt Lifan Australia will be bringing them either they haven't updated the Australian home page for years now.

At least they engineered it so you don't have to remove the side plastic to get the seat off. But IIRC all the old bikes that had flip-up seats had locks on the latch.

I'd say it sticks out maybe 1 1/5 farther than a non- counterbalanced engine.

Nice bike. Clean lines and great specs. It is good to see that 6sp version of the ZS172FMM "2P" in there. I have the "3A" 5 speed version in the Templar X, and I love it. Amazing what an extra 5hp can do for a bike this size!

It looks like you have the oiled foam dome air filter like I do on the 3A. I like the serviceability of that design.

Oh... It is in fact more difficult to get to the valves compared to the 14hp CG engine. They are deeper inside there through round caps. But that is a small inconvenience well worth the enhanced performance :tup:

That's good to know about the air filter. I haven't pulled the air box cover off yet but sure hope it is a reusable oiled filter. Does the A3 have an oil filter? I haven't verified yet but I think it uses the same oil filter as the KPR and KPM 200.

The weather is really messing up my ride time and looks like the rain will be hanging around for a while. I need to put some miles on her and get her broke in.

I am guessing that there is a foam dome filter based on the positioning of the airfilter housing. It looks really similar to this viewed from filter side under the seat (Templar X):

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...56fee6496f.jpg

And here is the filter. I think this type of dome-style filter is a high flow design. It came pre-oiled:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e6ea5586dd.jpg

The engine side of the filter housing is visible here. It skirts the rear shock, as it also must on your frame. The inside of the box is silky smooth, and I am sure it is good for airflow. I hear air induction when it's running upon throttle twist. You can see the valve adjustment access caps here, barely. I suspect that the top end of the 2P and 3A are identical or almost identical. But look how close to the frame that rear cap is. :wtf:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3400bc1541.jpg

Do you see those TWO nipples on the petcock? Those are fed by each side of the gas tank. There are three positions: "dot", "R", and "R". Dot is closed, and...I haven't tested this theory, but I think this means either side of the tank can serve as a reserve.

Check post 15 The head is different on the KPX. The valve adjustment ports are larger. Also the KPX doesn't have a petcock. It EFI and has a fuel pump.

So I'm thinking the thought process in the Lifan design center went something like this:
"Big-fingered Amelicans no likee small valve access ports. We makee bigger. Amelicans happy, we makee much yuan."