Picked up the Lifan Xpect

TominMO · 09-09-2021, 10:24 PM

Went to the dealer today and got the Xpect. I had actually purchased it two days ago, but for logistical reasons (friend's day off) had to wait until today. That gave me time to get insurance and plates for it.

The mechanic at the small Chinabike-only dealership said a couple of things that I wanted to bounce off you guys:
1. use the center drain plug under the motor, not the left-side one with the screen
2. plug gap should be about .020" - 025" (manual says .8 - .9mm, which is .031" - .035" and makes more sense to me)
3. use premium gas (manual says 87 octane).

I set the plug gap at about .035", and it ran perfectly for the 34-mile trip to my house. Used premium gas. Changing the oil tomorrow. I will also check the valve clearances.

I found the seat to not fit me well. It was quite uncomfortable. I am 5'11" and have a normal arm length for my size. I wanted to sit farther back, but the step up in the seat made that not work well. I plan to mod the seat real soon.

I will try to add the obligatory pic......file taken by phone too big. Hmmmm.....anyway, it's a green one. You know what they look like. It does have the green stripe on the wheels.

franque · 09-09-2021, 10:39 PM

I'd ignore 1-3... While the bottom drain plug is convenient, either one is fine. 87 is also fine, these aren't high performance machines, they won't ping on the cheap stuff. As for the plug, just use whatever plug it calls for, gapping it closer won't do a single thing for you.

TominMO · 09-09-2021, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by franque

I'd ignore 1-3... While the bottom drain plug is convenient, either one is fine. 87 is also fine, these aren't high performance machines, they won't ping on the cheap stuff. As for the plug, just use whatever plug it calls for, gapping it closer won't do a single thing for you.

Thanks franque, I suspected that everything you said is true.

His reason for recommending the bottom drain plug is for noobs, who might crossthread the left plug because it is under spring tension. Makes sense actually (for noobs).

I suspected 87 octane would be fine, simply because these OHV motors are designed for third-world use and whatever godawful gas they often have there. I see that the compression ratio is 9:1, pretty low. Specifically the manual calls for "RQ-87" octane. Never heard of that RQ designation before. When I use up this full tank of 93 octane, I will half-fill it with 87 and see how it runs. What I fill it with after that (87, 89 or 93) will depend on how it likes the 87.

The Royal Enfield Himalayan has a CR of 9.5:1, and obviously works great in third-world environments.

Gapping a plug too close will have negative effects, as the spark will be too small for efficient combustion. I am used to cars with plug gaps similar to what I went with, so I ignored him on this. The measured plug gap before I altered it was really narrow, about .020".

He had some pretty unkind things to say about Chinabike forums, and the manual itself. But I agree with the manual on the gas and plug gap.

Starting to wonder if this mechanic is the Barney Fife of mechanics--i.e. he got the job because he is the cousin of the owner.

Boatguy · 09-10-2021, 01:59 AM

I use the bottom drain plug usually.

Never looked at my spark plug. 1500 miles. It’s the stock one

Never looked at my valves. 1500 miles. (Maybe it’s time)

I use higher octane because it’s less “stally” on the higher octane stuff.

I’m also the exact same height as you. I never considered riding way back there. For better control, I’m used to being near the tank on all bikes unless going down steep dirt. So I grip that tank with my legs and go. I’ve never bumped into that ridge behind the primary rider’s area. Maybe down steep dirt I have.

But I do feel the foot pegs are too close to the seat for me. I’d have preferred a bike just a bit taller.

Green is good!!

And best of luck with the bike! Enjoy! Not much to fix on the Xpect. Just keeps going and going. Changing oil and tightening the stock chain is all I’ve done in 1500 miles. I had the front wheel trued because I bent it in a carrier rack. But that’s not the bike’s fault

franque · 09-10-2021, 02:34 AM

I'm actually a (non generic brand) motorcycle mechanic, I've worked diagnostics on basically every major brand, though mostly Hondas and Harleys.

In my mind, a mechanic working at a Chinese bike dealership is about a half step up from an oil change 'technician' in both skill and pay; based on what I've seen some places do and charge for their assembly services, I'm confident that anyone with half a brain, and enough attention to detail to mop a floor, who is willing to do work on their bike slowly and ask questions, will do 5x the job of someone paid to work on/assemble Chinese bikes.

Unfortunately in the US, for a long time, most Chinese bikes have been sold with a 'taillight' warranty, that is to say the warranty's up when the taillights are no longer visible. That explains a bit of the cheapness, ignorance, and lack of professionalism that you see with a lot of dealers.

TominMO · 09-10-2021, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boatguy

I’m also the exact same height as you. I never considered riding way back there. For better control, I’m used to being near the tank on all bikes unless going down steep dirt. So I grip that tank with my legs and go. I’ve never bumped into that ridge behind the primary rider’s area. Maybe down steep dirt I have.

I am willing to entertain the idea that it is my inexperience with a dirt-oriented seating setup that is the real problem here. Never been an offroad guy. I'll ride it some more and see if I can adapt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by franque

In my mind, a mechanic working at a Chinese bike dealership is about a half step up from an oil change 'technician' in both skill and pay.....

Your observations do not surprise me, after seeing this guy.

Boatguy · 09-10-2021, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TominMO

I am willing to entertain the idea that it is my inexperience with a dirt-oriented seating setup that is the real problem here. Never been an offroad guy. I'll ride it some more and see if I can adapt.

.

Could be me too.

I started off road on 3 wheelers where you live at the tank to keep control.

Then it was Ninja Zx-7, CBR 900rr. I was on the tank non stop to keep the front wheel on the ground.

All these machines I’ve rode my whole life were ones where you sit way up front by the tank. Maybe I’m doing it weird. Just sharing since we have identical setup, bike AND body. Ha ha.

TominMO · 09-10-2021, 10:55 AM

I may be 71, but I have the body of a 68-year-old.....

Davidmk123 · 09-10-2021, 10:57 AM

I prefer non-ethanol gas. No carb worries but fuel lines can be damaged.IMHO

Magician16 · 09-10-2021, 11:44 AM

87 octane is fine. I usually buy premium because that's the only gas I can find around here that has no ethanol. I can only ride 6 months out of the year, so there is no way I'd let ethanol gas sit in my machine for 6 months.

TominMO · 09-10-2021, 08:31 PM

Did a bunch of maintenance and checking stuff today.

Adjusted valves to .005" intake and .007" exhaust. If that proves to be too clacky when I go for a drive tomorrow, I will tighten the adjustment up a little. When I initially checked the clearance, both were much tighter than .005". I had misplaced my better set of feeler gauges and fell back on my older set, which had .005" as its smallest gauge. I since found the other set--right where I had put it, of course. On Youtube there is a guy who did the adjustment on an Xpect, and advised removing the gas tank and motor mount. I merely removed the rear gas tank bolt and propped the tank up on a small piece of 2x4 for clearance. Getting the valve cover out was pretty easy.

I used a short 1/4" drive 10mm socket with this very useful Harbor Freight ratchet:
https://www.harborfreight.com/14-in-...het-67994.html
It's great for tight spaces.

I cut four square holes in the top of the airbox intake horn, which is soft rubber. This more than doubles the amount of air the airbox can access. I expect the EFI will compensate for it. I do something similar on every vehicle I own, to improve breathing at higher RPMs. Sometimes the improvement is quite obvious. No effect at lower RPMs, or on gas mileage when driving normally.

Removed the canister between the airbox and the battery (carbon canister?). Connected the hose going to it with the one going back to the motor. This is an experiment. If it goes OK, I have a little extra space under the seat for tools etc.

Checked all fasteners for tightness. A few were a little loose. One screw missing, which I replaced from my stash of automotive screws. Used blue Lok-tite here and there.

For pulling the plastic trim pieces, I have a 5mm hex-head socket to use with a ratchet. Speeds the process up a lot! I wish they had designed it so you could remove the seat without removing the side plastic, but not a big deal I guess.

Started it up to check out how the canister removal might affect things. No obvious change, but we'll see when I ride it. Warmed up the oil and changed it, using the bottom plug. After 34 miles it was an opaque green/yellow color; not reassuring. Replaced it with 10W40 Valvoline dino motorcycle oil. Will replace again at 300 and 700 with the same oil. At 1000 I will go full synthetic. Only about 800+ml came out, and I just put in a quart, not the extra 2 ounces you supposedly need. The level looked good.

Tomorrow I will just do city riding, for break-in purposes. It got a bit late to do it today; I would have been in rush-hour traffic. Yesterday, my ride home from the dealership was great--all back roads and two-lane highways, and a good portion twisty. A great re-introduction to motorcycling after 25 years!

China Rider 27 · 09-10-2021, 10:28 PM

How about a picture (or two) so we can see it in all its glory!

TominMO · 09-10-2021, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by China Rider 27

How about a picture (or two) so we can see it in all its glory!

Tried that. Haven't figured out how to reduce the pic size from my phone. Never used Photoshop or programs like it. Anyway, it looks like every other green Lifan Xpect. I haven't added any farkles (yet).

SuperNoob · 09-10-2021, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TominMO

Tried that. Haven't figured out how to reduce the pic size from my phone. Never used Photoshop or programs like it. Anyway, it looks like every other green Lifan Xpect. I haven't added any farkles (yet).

Easiest thing i've found for most forums like this one with really tight limits on images is to just upload them to imgur and then post a link here from the imgur post.

https://imgur.com/

TominMO · 09-11-2021, 12:35 PM

Went for a ride around town this morning, to check out any differences in how the motor responded to deleting the carbon canister, opening up the airbox intake horn, and the valve adjustment. Plus is fun!

Valves are not clacky, so .005" and .007" work well.
Pronounced intake roar when twisting the throttle at lower RPMs, as is to be expected. Feels very peppy as the revs build. Still kept the revs down, since it's only got 50 miles on it right now.
No change at all due to the canister delete.

The motor feels quite healthy, and I got some practice in on low-speed maneuvering/balancing in a large parking lot. Still working on finding neutral consistently, but I think it's more me and not the bike. Gonna go with a 17T front sprocket, since I can pull away pretty easily in 2nd. Be nice to have more top end, and make 1st a little more useful. I don't plan on going offroad until next year. except maybe for some light fire road riding.

09-09-2021, 10:24 PM	#1
TominMO Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: De Soto, MO Posts: 1,977	Picked up the Lifan Xpect Went to the dealer today and got the Xpect. I had actually purchased it two days ago, but for logistical reasons (friend's day off) had to wait until today. That gave me time to get insurance and plates for it. The mechanic at the small Chinabike-only dealership said a couple of things that I wanted to bounce off you guys: 1. use the center drain plug under the motor, not the left-side one with the screen 2. plug gap should be about .020" - 025" (manual says .8 - .9mm, which is .031" - .035" and makes more sense to me) 3. use premium gas (manual says 87 octane). I set the plug gap at about .035", and it ran perfectly for the 34-mile trip to my house. Used premium gas. Changing the oil tomorrow. I will also check the valve clearances. I found the seat to not fit me well. It was quite uncomfortable. I am 5'11" and have a normal arm length for my size. I wanted to sit farther back, but the step up in the seat made that not work well. I plan to mod the seat real soon. I will try to add the obligatory pic......file taken by phone too big. Hmmmm.....anyway, it's a green one. You know what they look like. It does have the green stripe on the wheels. Last edited by TominMO; 09-10-2021 at 12:15 AM.
	3

09-10-2021, 01:59 AM	#4
Boatguy Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Northeast Posts: 934	I use the bottom drain plug usually. Never looked at my spark plug. 1500 miles. It’s the stock one Never looked at my valves. 1500 miles. (Maybe it’s time) I use higher octane because it’s less “stally” on the higher octane stuff. I’m also the exact same height as you. I never considered riding way back there. For better control, I’m used to being near the tank on all bikes unless going down steep dirt. So I grip that tank with my legs and go. I’ve never bumped into that ridge behind the primary rider’s area. Maybe down steep dirt I have. But I do feel the foot pegs are too close to the seat for me. I’d have preferred a bike just a bit taller. Green is good!! And best of luck with the bike! Enjoy! Not much to fix on the Xpect. Just keeps going and going. Changing oil and tightening the stock chain is all I’ve done in 1500 miles. I had the front wheel trued because I bent it in a carrier rack. But that’s not the bike’s fault __________________ 2020 Lifan x-pect
	0

09-09-2021, 10:39 PM	#2
franque Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: Marseille, France -> Conakry, Guinea Posts: 1,481	I'd ignore 1-3... While the bottom drain plug is convenient, either one is fine. 87 is also fine, these aren't high performance machines, they won't ping on the cheap stuff. As for the plug, just use whatever plug it calls for, gapping it closer won't do a single thing for you.
	1

09-10-2021, 02:34 AM	#5
franque Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: Marseille, France -> Conakry, Guinea Posts: 1,481	I'm actually a (non generic brand) motorcycle mechanic, I've worked diagnostics on basically every major brand, though mostly Hondas and Harleys. In my mind, a mechanic working at a Chinese bike dealership is about a half step up from an oil change 'technician' in both skill and pay; based on what I've seen some places do and charge for their assembly services, I'm confident that anyone with half a brain, and enough attention to detail to mop a floor, who is willing to do work on their bike slowly and ask questions, will do 5x the job of someone paid to work on/assemble Chinese bikes. Unfortunately in the US, for a long time, most Chinese bikes have been sold with a 'taillight' warranty, that is to say the warranty's up when the taillights are no longer visible. That explains a bit of the cheapness, ignorance, and lack of professionalism that you see with a lot of dealers.
	1

09-10-2021, 10:55 AM	#8
TominMO Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: De Soto, MO Posts: 1,977	I may be 71, but I have the body of a 68-year-old.....
	6

09-10-2021, 10:57 AM	#9
Davidmk123 Join Date: Jan 2021 Location: Tampa FL Posts: 18	I prefer non-ethanol gas. No carb worries but fuel lines can be damaged.IMHO
	0

09-10-2021, 11:44 AM	#10
Magician16 Join Date: Aug 2019 Posts: 472	87 octane is fine. I usually buy premium because that's the only gas I can find around here that has no ethanol. I can only ride 6 months out of the year, so there is no way I'd let ethanol gas sit in my machine for 6 months.
	0

09-10-2021, 08:31 PM	#11
TominMO Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: De Soto, MO Posts: 1,977	Did a bunch of maintenance and checking stuff today. Adjusted valves to .005" intake and .007" exhaust. If that proves to be too clacky when I go for a drive tomorrow, I will tighten the adjustment up a little. When I initially checked the clearance, both were much tighter than .005". I had misplaced my better set of feeler gauges and fell back on my older set, which had .005" as its smallest gauge. I since found the other set--right where I had put it, of course. On Youtube there is a guy who did the adjustment on an Xpect, and advised removing the gas tank and motor mount. I merely removed the rear gas tank bolt and propped the tank up on a small piece of 2x4 for clearance. Getting the valve cover out was pretty easy. I used a short 1/4" drive 10mm socket with this very useful Harbor Freight ratchet: https://www.harborfreight.com/14-in-...het-67994.html It's great for tight spaces. I cut four square holes in the top of the airbox intake horn, which is soft rubber. This more than doubles the amount of air the airbox can access. I expect the EFI will compensate for it. I do something similar on every vehicle I own, to improve breathing at higher RPMs. Sometimes the improvement is quite obvious. No effect at lower RPMs, or on gas mileage when driving normally. Removed the canister between the airbox and the battery (carbon canister?). Connected the hose going to it with the one going back to the motor. This is an experiment. If it goes OK, I have a little extra space under the seat for tools etc. Checked all fasteners for tightness. A few were a little loose. One screw missing, which I replaced from my stash of automotive screws. Used blue Lok-tite here and there. For pulling the plastic trim pieces, I have a 5mm hex-head socket to use with a ratchet. Speeds the process up a lot! I wish they had designed it so you could remove the seat without removing the side plastic, but not a big deal I guess. Started it up to check out how the canister removal might affect things. No obvious change, but we'll see when I ride it. Warmed up the oil and changed it, using the bottom plug. After 34 miles it was an opaque green/yellow color; not reassuring. Replaced it with 10W40 Valvoline dino motorcycle oil. Will replace again at 300 and 700 with the same oil. At 1000 I will go full synthetic. Only about 800+ml came out, and I just put in a quart, not the extra 2 ounces you supposedly need. The level looked good. Tomorrow I will just do city riding, for break-in purposes. It got a bit late to do it today; I would have been in rush-hour traffic. Yesterday, my ride home from the dealership was great--all back roads and two-lane highways, and a good portion twisty. A great re-introduction to motorcycling after 25 years!
	2

09-10-2021, 10:28 PM	#12
China Rider 27 Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: PNW Posts: 984	How about a picture (or two) so we can see it in all its glory!
	1

09-11-2021, 12:35 PM	#15
TominMO Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: De Soto, MO Posts: 1,977	Went for a ride around town this morning, to check out any differences in how the motor responded to deleting the carbon canister, opening up the airbox intake horn, and the valve adjustment. Plus is fun! Valves are not clacky, so .005" and .007" work well. Pronounced intake roar when twisting the throttle at lower RPMs, as is to be expected. Feels very peppy as the revs build. Still kept the revs down, since it's only got 50 miles on it right now. No change at all due to the canister delete. The motor feels quite healthy, and I got some practice in on low-speed maneuvering/balancing in a large parking lot. Still working on finding neutral consistently, but I think it's more me and not the bike. Gonna go with a 17T front sprocket, since I can pull away pretty easily in 2nd. Be nice to have more top end, and make 1st a little more useful. I don't plan on going offroad until next year. except maybe for some light fire road riding.
	3