Is a Chinabike (Dual-Sport) right for me? Which one?

[MPK2K]

I spent a year or so wrenching on a beater dirtbike, so I'm not afraid to get my hands a little dirty.
But, my free time is more limited now, so I don't want to spend every weekend keeping a bike on the road. That also means I won't be riding that much, so I'm hesitant to drop $5k on a Japanese dual sport. So, I'm considering a Chinabike as a calculated risk.

• Typically, how much labor goes into keeping a Chinabike going beyond the initial setup (assembly, oilchange, threadlocker, etc.)? Is it a "few hours every weekend" sort of deal where small things regularly go wrong? Or is it a "one weekend every few months" type of deal where you don't have to worry about it?
  
• If something's wrong with the bike, will dealers honor their "parts" warranties?
  
• How common is it to get a lemon that requires a lot of extra labor or needs to be junked?
  
• Is there a major difference in reliability/quality between the lower-end bikes (Magician, TBR7, Hawk) and the higher-end ones (Hawk DLX, Brozz, TT250)?

Given these concerns, is a chinabike right for me? If so, which one?

[TominMO]

Can't answer all your questions, but for the price difference I would definitely go with the higher-quality brands/models. More enjoyment and less headaches, esp. if wrenching time is a consideration.

My money would be to wait until the Lifan KPX250 gets here. Or get a Brozz. I have a Lifan X-pect, fine bike, but the 250 has very significant upgrades to tires and suspension, plus power and a 6-speed!

[ExMxer]

Originally Posted by TominMO

Can't answer all your questions, but for the price difference I would definitely go with the higher-quality brands/models. More enjoyment and less headaches, esp. if wrenching time is a consideration.

My money would be to wait until the Lifan KPX250 gets here. Or get a Brozz. I have a Lifan X-pect, fine bike, but the 250 has very significant upgrades to tires and suspension, plus power and a 6-speed!

I'm in on that note Tom, as in my deposit on the 250 is a done deal. Love the 200 to death, as it is just as reliable as all the Fords I own. Turn the key, hit the button, go.... The 250 is supposed to hit my dealer in late April, early May, and it looks like a game changer for Lifan. Add in the 2 year warranty, excellent build quality (As in Jap territory), it's a no brainer.

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by ExMxer

I'm in on that note Tom, as in my deposit on the 250 is a done deal. Love the 200 to death, as it is just as reliable as all the Fords I own. Turn the key, hit the button, go.... The 250 is supposed to hit my dealer in late April, early May, and it looks like a game changer for Lifan. Add in the 2 year warranty, excellent build quality (As in Jap territory), it's a no brainer.

Agreed.

[wheelbender6]

On the dual sport question;
I'd get a dual sport if you have a good place to ride. A good place does not have to be a grueling trail or motocross track. Forestry roads, fire roads, mining roads, etc are plenty of fun and they will take you to the wilderness.
-If you don't have a good place to ride a dual sport, I would get a street bike for the lower seat height. (I'm only 5'9"). Just my 2 cents.

[Boatguy]

Originally Posted by MPK2K

I spent a year or so wrenching on a beater dirtbike, so I'm not afraid to get my hands a little dirty.
But, my free time is more limited now, so I don't want to spend every weekend keeping a bike on the road. That also means I won't be riding that much, so I'm hesitant to drop $5k on a Japanese dual sport. So, I'm considering a Chinabike as a calculated risk.

• Typically, how much labor goes into keeping a Chinabike going beyond the initial setup (assembly, oilchange, threadlocker, etc.)? Is it a "few hours every weekend" sort of deal where small things regularly go wrong? Or is it a "one weekend every few months" type of deal where you don't have to worry about it?
  
• If something's wrong with the bike, will dealers honor their "parts" warranties?
  
• How common is it to get a lemon that requires a lot of extra labor or needs to be junked?
  
• Is there a major difference in reliability/quality between the lower-end bikes (Magician, TBR7, Hawk) and the higher-end ones (Hawk DLX, Brozz, TT250)?

Given these concerns, is a chinabike right for me? If so, which one?

I can only answer the wrenching part. Lifan xpect here.

No assembly other than handlebars, no thread lock goo, no maintenance at all. Instead of a “backroad development “ approach (see that thread), I took the back road riding approach. I did nothing at all. Just rode it.

I had one big electrical snafu at 2500 miles which was solved by this forum and took a total of probably 4 hours of time. That is the ONLY thing I’ve had to do to the bike. They have fixed this issue on 2021 and newer models.

I now have 4000 miles on it, half on dirt.

I did NOTHING to this bike except tighten the chain and change the oil. Absolutely nothing.

I was in the exact same situation you are. I wasn’t going to ride too much and figured gamble on a Chinese piece of crap, hoping I wouldn’t have to spend time every other week fixing it. I got it as a diversion. A toy.

As it turns out, it is one of the most reliable things I’ve ever owned. Operates like a Japanese car. Press the button and go. I would not hesitate to ride the TAT on this thing.

Next up in about 1000 miles? It’s almost time for some new tires.

I agree about the new 250 Lifan. Wow that’s a nice bike.

Very direct answer? My labor schedule is 15 minutes every few months. Tighten chain, change oil. Then keep riding.

[MPK2K]

Originally Posted by Boatguy

I can only answer the wrenching part. Lifan xpect here.

No assembly other than handlebars, no thread lock goo, no maintenance at all. Instead of a “backroad development “ approach (see that thread), I took the back road riding approach. I did nothing at all. Just rode it.

I had one big electrical snafu at 2500 miles which was solved by this forum and took a total of probably 4 hours of time. That is the ONLY thing I’ve had to do to the bike. They have fixed this issue on 2021 and newer models.

What kind of snafu was it? I'm a little hesitant to go with EFI because of the added complexity.

Originally Posted by TominMO

Can't answer all your questions, but for the price difference I would definitely go with the higher-quality brands/models. More enjoyment and less headaches, esp. if wrenching time is a consideration.

My money would be to wait until the Lifan KPX250 gets here. Or get a Brozz. I have a Lifan X-pect, fine bike, but the 250 has very significant upgrades to tires and suspension, plus power and a 6-speed!

Noted.

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by MPK2K

What kind of snafu was it? I'm a little hesitant to go with EFI because of the added complexity.

The 2020 Xpects had an issue with the wiring loom rubbing, which has been fixed in the 2021 model year.

[Boatguy]

Originally Posted by TominMO

The 2020 Xpects had an issue with the wiring loom rubbing, which has been fixed in the 2021 model year.

I can verify this is very much correct. I have a friend that has the 2021 and it was properly wrapped and shielded from the factory. Mine, the 2020, was not. I had to wrap it myself.

[buzz]

Hello no efi bikes for me,can you fix an efi problem?. TBR7 and not one problem,have to rejet carburetor,these bike run very lean from factory.A little bit of maintance you'll be fine,they are easy to work on. Don't think you can even find parts for efi systems.Lifan,hawk dlx are fuel injected bikes. not for me,just my thought.Good luck with whatever you buy. I have 1400 miles on my TBR7 and love it,and just now adjusted the engine valves,they were tight. Upgrades are easy,but it will run fine stock. Carburetor rejet is a must do.

[ExMxer]

Originally Posted by MPK2K

I spent a year or so wrenching on a beater dirtbike, so I'm not afraid to get my hands a little dirty.
But, my free time is more limited now, so I don't want to spend every weekend keeping a bike on the road. That also means I won't be riding that much, so I'm hesitant to drop $5k on a Japanese dual sport. So, I'm considering a Chinabike as a calculated risk.

• Typically, how much labor goes into keeping a Chinabike going beyond the initial setup (assembly, oilchange, threadlocker, etc.)? Is it a "few hours every weekend" sort of deal where small things regularly go wrong? Or is it a "one weekend every few months" type of deal where you don't have to worry about it?
  
• If something's wrong with the bike, will dealers honor their "parts" warranties?
  
• How common is it to get a lemon that requires a lot of extra labor or needs to be junked?
  
• Is there a major difference in reliability/quality between the lower-end bikes (Magician, TBR7, Hawk) and the higher-end ones (Hawk DLX, Brozz, TT250)?

Given these concerns, is a chinabike right for me? If so, which one?

Take a long hard look at Lifan. Their warranty is incredible at 2 years, most any other brand you get has a claimed warranty, but is useless. Most of these bike are just like getting a wife, once you get it, its all yours. And that includes the problems........

[Boatguy]

You will find a really big disagreement here about EFI versus carburetors. I have no idea why anyone would ever get a carburetor. All that means you have to work on your bike more. I don’t want to start the argument here, but, if you get an EFI bike you won’t have to do anything. Even if you leave it sitting with the fuel in it for months. You just start it up and go. It acts just like a Japanese car.

So I would not shy away from the EFI bikes at all. Rather, I would try to seek them out and get them. They just run and run. No worries about working on them. Same with EFI outboards, EFI generators, they just keep on going.

EFI is why I wouldn’t hesitate to take my xpect across the country on the TAT. You just press the button and go.

[tknj99]

I was in the same boat as the OP a few years back before buying a DBX1 for my son and then the Brozz 250 for myself and lastly the Titan DLX for myself again now that my son moved to the Brozz.. some factors that you are thinking of:
- Price: cannot be beat.. 2k or less for a bike that will be fun and do almost everything that the 3x more expensive bike can do, and get you to the same places..
- Version: sorry to add fuel to the fire, but part of the fun is tinkering and adding much needed power to these 250s.. so carb it is, pick your cheap aftermarket carb $25 and some $10 jets, get it dialed in, and forget about it.. that is, until you gut the exhaust and possibly replace the intake then dial it in again if needed.. no worries about fuel pump, ecu, wiring or tuning issues
- Power: a couple added horsepower and maybe a gearing change go a long way in making the bike better but you'll never stand a chance with a similar Jap or other known brand bike, so just accept that and move on.. 20 hp is prob the most you can wring out of these bikes
- Maintenance: simple... valve adjustments and oil changes are all you need to keep on top of.. ofcourse, like any bike, keep an eye on spokes, check for loose nuts, etc, locktite and grease what you can
- Value: cannot be beat. most every part can be found on Amazon or Ebay and for cheap.. so, break a clutch, no prob.. find on Amazon for $10.. new card, $25, brakes.. cheap.. etc..
- Warranty and Support: some are better than others.. CSC is great. Peace is great as well!. TXPower: so so PowerSportsMax: ok. All will help if you know what the issue is and can identify the needed part that they should send you and you will need to work on it yourself.. So having a cheap bike but then paying a dealer to work on it negates the value gained from a cheap bike, so get an easy to work on version and learn to work on it yourself, a wealth of knowledge on this forum and YouTube

Hope that helps

[KSSK]

Do you want to be able to modify the bike by swapping intake/exhaust? Then get a carbureted model and be ready to tinker with the carb to get it running properly.

Do you want a bike that just works so you can ride and modify other things that aren't part of the engine? Then get one of the higher-quality EFI models like those offered by Lifan.

I have rebuilt and tinkered with many carbs in my day. For this bike, I wanted to try something fuel injected so I went with the Lifan X-Pect. It's been flawless and it just works.

I also have a Suzuki DR200. I have rebuilt the carb and adjusted it. The Lifan is easier to ride because you just fire it up, let it run briefly and go. No messing with a choke and having a bike that doesn't run well until it's fully warm like most carb'd bikes.

[Magician16]

I've got 2 different China Bikes. The Bashan Storm is way better build quality than the Magician. I bought the Storm used from a guy that knew nothing about it, and it had problems that should have been fixed when it was new. After an oil change to synthetic, replaced the starter relay, eliminated the remote starter/alarm, new chain, larger main jet, and a new battery runs great. Since I basically resurrected it, I've had to do no maintenance other than another oil change in over 4 months.


The Magician is a similar story; however, I put it together. I will put heavy duty tubes in it soon. It vibrates a bit.