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05-18-2022, 08:40 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 28
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Lifan X Pect owners?
So I've been wanting a dual sport for 20 yrs. Ended up with a cruiser (86 VS700) that's served me well for 12 years.
Last night, I was introduced to the Lifan X Pect and I'm thoroughly impressed except for a few concerns. For those that own them, especially in the northern half of the US/Canada (I'm in eastern PA), please share your experience with the following issues.... 1. Winterizing- What's the process of getting the bike ready for storage in the colder months? With my carburated Intruder I had to shut off the pet cock and let the gas run out. Then just change the oil in the Spring each year. 2. How do warranty claims work- There's not another Lifan dealer for 50 miles and I just found out there's a mechanic willing to work on them if I bring them the parts about 25 miles away. How/what does Lifan support and cover costs? 3. Care/Maintenance- Other than changing the oil/filter and air filter....what care and maintenance do these require? 4. Finding parts- The mechanic 25 miles away said parts can be very difficult to come by for these (China bikes) because they are made for a couple years then they change the models/builds. I'm not worried about upgrades but what if a crucial part within the motor/controls breaks?? How easy is it to find all core components IN STOCK? 5. Upgrades- Thinking about adding saddle bags. Maybe a folding shift lever. What else do people upgrade on these and why? 6. Problems- In watching a lot of vids the valve adjustments, which just requires a socket and feeler gauge, what are known issues with these bikes....whether it's upon delivery or two years down the road? I've also...quite frequently read about cross threading and stripped nuts....what's the fix?? 7. Anything else- Please feel free to share anything else I didn't think to ask about. THANKS!!!!! |
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05-18-2022, 09:55 AM | #2 | |||||||
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Northeast
Posts: 934
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kpclubusa.com The entire bike is there in parts. You just select whatever part you want, fill up your cart, and they ship it out in like 24 hours. It’s here in the United States. All the parts are right here in the United States. They get to you in a couple days. I’ve had nothing but great experiences with these people. They even sent me a free Lifan hat because I’m probably a shill online for them and I don’t even realize it. Lol. Not associated with them in any way. I have just broke enough stuff on my bike and ordered enough stuff like that from them that maybe they noticed me. Quote:
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More about the bike itself. It’s really reliable. You can forget about that stuff. If you weigh a lot, it might feel a little slow. The seat height is also a little bit low. At least for my taste. It’s flat foot with knees slightly bent. I would prefer a couple inches higher. I wear 30 inch pant legs. But I guess the good part is anyone can just get on this thing and ride. The stock gearing will keep you at about 55 mph on the street at 7000RPM. Too slow for the highway. Secondary road and off road bike. Keeping that gearing makes it nice off-road. It’s perfect off road. It’s a bit underpowered if you are used to really spinning that back wheel. But it has enough power to get you around and go up whatever hills with all of your gear. It’s a little challenging finding neutral with all of these Chinese bikes. Better to go from second into neutral than from first. It seems to find it easier. A lot of people on the Forum gear them up a little bit with bigger front sprockets. I didn’t do it because I like the low end stuff off road. If you ride just about all road, you should probably change the gearing a little bit. I don’t think there’s much else to it. Just go riding. That’s what I do. PS: I’m currently on the NY/NJ border now in case you want to see an xpect in person be do you order it. Not promising a test drive, but, you can take a look if you like.
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2020 Lifan x-pect Last edited by Boatguy; 05-18-2022 at 04:13 PM. Reason: Bad website address. |
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05-18-2022, 10:57 AM | #3 | |
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 28
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Thanks for the info. See the bolded replies above. |
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05-18-2022, 03:37 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 99
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As noted, this website is owned by Lifan and sells parts. When you're ordering from here, you're ordering directly from Lifan. When I placed my order, the company emails actually came from an American Lifan email account.
https://kpclubusa.com/ Free shipping, as well. |
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05-18-2022, 03:39 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 28
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Much appreciated. This website might be my saving grace and what gives me the ability to feel confident in ordering the bike. However, I don't see motor parts listed at all. I can understand the frame not being there because it's serialized. By why no motor components? Thanks |
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05-18-2022, 03:47 PM | #6 | |
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 99
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The engine is a Honda CG clone, so parts are not hard to find. Also, I think you can contact them to get parts not listed on the website. |
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05-18-2022, 03:39 PM | #7 | |
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 99
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Go through your dealer and get the parts mailed directly to you. That's what happened with my X-Pect that had a front rotor damaged in shipping. I contacted my dealer, Venom Motorsports, and had a new rotor in my mailbox three days later. I think the warranty only covers parts, not labor, but I never read all the fine print. |
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05-18-2022, 03:42 PM | #8 | |
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 99
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Other than adjusting valves and other normal maintenance, the only significant issue I remember seeing is the wire loom rubbing through and causing electrical problems. I think it happens where the wiring harness rubs on the head tube. It's constantly moving when you turn and that cuts through the insulation on the wires. Maybe a good idea to wrap that area in some further protection. Also, my factory chain was wearing quickly, so I replaced it with a 128 link JT sealed chain. The replacement chain was better quality than the factory one. |
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05-18-2022, 04:14 PM | #9 | |
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Northeast
Posts: 934
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Felt all smart telling them what they needed to fix on their bike and it was already done. Ha ha Tires: rather than looking through all the options which was giving me a headache, and considering the stock tires worked great for 5000 miles, I just bought the stock tires again. $85 each. Valves: It seems some places actually do adjust them before you get them. I haven’t opened mine to look at them yet. 5000 miles. But they are due. They are overdue.
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2020 Lifan x-pect |
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05-18-2022, 04:25 PM | #10 | |
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 99
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Huh. Your comment made me look at my 2021 model and there is plastic conduit on the wiring harness near the head tube. It's wrapped in electrical tape, so when I looked at the wiring before I didn't notice it. |
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05-18-2022, 05:08 PM | #11 | |
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Northeast
Posts: 934
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Yep. That’s the part that was missing on mine. They just had bare wires kind of taped together half assed with one maybe two layers of electrical tape. It wore through very quickly. When I went to go to show somebody I know how to fix that on their 2021, it was already done. Which really surprised me.
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2020 Lifan x-pect |
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05-18-2022, 03:45 PM | #12 |
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 99
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One issue that no one here has mentioned is that the tires/wheels are an uncommon size, which really limits your replacement tire options.
There are some options out there, though. I ended up replacing them with Bridgestone AX41 tires. 90/100-19 front and 4.60-17 rear. These aren't cheap, but perform well both on and off road. |
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05-18-2022, 03:52 PM | #13 | |
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 28
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Thanks |
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05-18-2022, 03:57 PM | #14 | |
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 99
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I paid right about $200 for the set from Chap Moto. Bridgestone had a $50 rebate at the time, so after that I paid $150. I installed them myself. There are some cheaper options. I haven't looked in a while, but based on my past research these tires should all have sizes appropriate for the X-Pect: Kenda K761 IRC GP-1 Shinko 244 Bridgestone AX41 I think there are continental tires that will fit, but I don't remember. |
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05-18-2022, 04:02 PM | #15 | |
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 28
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Ok, that's not bad. If you had come back and said to be prepared for $500 I'd be holding off on the purchase. Thanks! |
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