New to me 2006 Lifan GY2

[Kurt Franz]

After fooling around with the 06 Lifan GY2 I recently obtained in a trade, I have some observations that I offer up. Additionally, I also own the following bikes; 04 Kawasaki KDX200, 08 Kawasaki , KLR650, and a 79 Yamaha DT175, so I have some machinies for comparison purposes as well.

For some time I have been wanting a 4 stroke 200-250cc dualsport bike and was close to picking up a Kawasaki KLX250s, however I could not really justify the expense and never pulled the trigger. When I saw the Lifan on CL and was able to make a straight up trade I bit the bullet, and hence the reason for my appearance on this discussion group.

Since it is obvious that the design of this bike is circa 1980 I compared the suspension and frame to my DT175 which is of the same era. Both of these bikes are street legal dual sport machines - with the DT being a two stroke. The frame on the DT has a cradle for the engine which I believe is a better design than the Lifan which utilizes the engine for rigidity and all it has is that skidplate underneath. However, the Lifan has a better swing arm design as it is more robust than the tubular design on the DT which is actually the same as the rest of the frame. Would have been nice if the Lifan had the cradle, both for support and it would help with using a motorcycle jack for lifting the bike. I have a woods behind my house that I use for keeping my skills sharp and for some light trail riding. It is a loop of approximately 3/4 mile which is relatively flat and mellow with a few rocks, bumps, etc.. Took the Lifan back there for a spin - during which the broken battery box fell off - and immediately came to the conclusion that the DT175 was a better ride in the woods. Everything just seemed "more solid". However, the DT is a 2 stroke 175 and has more oomph than the very mellow Lifan with the highway rear sprocket and worn out street tires. My gut feeling is that the Lifan could be a decent trail bike with a bigger rear sprocket, good knobbies, and the removal of the crappy brittle plastic that is prevalent on the bike. Also that battery box has got to go and the battery relocated to secure location - what were those Chinese designers thinking? I think the engine and the frame are up to the task if there are no serious jumps and air involved - then I believe the frame could break up near the front. However, the DT is not meant for that abuse either.

On the street it is my opinion the lifan would be preferred over the DT as the 4 stroke is more adept to riding at a stable speed. The only real issue I have with the Lifan is that it has nasty vibration at 4-5K. Now I realize that a single cylinder engine is going to vibrate regardless of what is done to it, however, this vibration was not normal - and I know what normal is. It was a real sharp vibration that shook things up pretty good. So, the first thing that came to mind were the fasteners holding the suspended engine to the frame. I tightened those up as best as I could and I did notice that there is a large bolt near the upper back that went thru the frame in a hole that was way bigger than the shaft of the bolt. Looked like poor machining. I addes a washer in there and cranked it as tight as I could. Also tightened up the fasteners holding the gas tank and everything else that could conceivably rattle. After doing this the vibrations s were reduced a bit. If it were not for the vibration I would say that the Lifan offered a pleasant street ride and could be used for some lightweight touring/camping purposes that I intend to do with the bike eventually.

Finally, the only other real problem I encountered was the rear disc brake locking up after riding about 10 minutes or so. Took me a while to figure out what was really occurring but the outcome of that was while riding in the woods i was no longer able to lug my way around as the bike kept stalling. At first I thought it was the transmission or something - but it was the rear disc. It was heated and locked tight as a drum until it cooled off. I was also wondering if this was contributing to the nasty vibration that I previously mentioned - as it would make sense if the engine was having to work harder to maintain speed and there would be a shudder from the severly dragging brake. I am hoping that this issue is resolved with a brake fluid flush and making certain that the master cylinder is not overfilled (thanks guys you know who you are).

Regarding the inferior plastic covers around the fuel tank - I removed that immediately and put it in a box to keep in case I ever sell the bike or restore it some day to its original glory when the value if these bikes skyrockets due to their rarity that will eventually be the case in about 20 years. The bike looks better with the naked fuel tank with no loss of anything of value and there is less rattling. I relocated the horn to a spot on the frame.

The front fairing is a complete failure on these bikes. The plastic is too brittle and the ears that fasten to the frame would be lucky to last a few trail rides. The ones on my bike were "repaired" in four different places and will certainly crack sometime soon. Therefore I need to replace the entire front fairing/headlight assembly. I would not be opposed to hearing any recommendations on this as I am certain that there are decent aftermarket assembiles available along with front fenders as well as I need one of those too.

I was surprised that there is no chain tensioner mechanism on this bike - or if there is one mine is gone - as these are most useful and seemed to be prevalent on bikes of this type. The rear sprocket on the Lifan has a lot of "float" to it if you know what I mean. The fasters were all very tight but ehre is a lot of lateral movement - more than would be expected. I am assuming that there are rubber cush inserts in there but have not taken the rear wheel off yet to inspect. Regardless, new CS and rear sprockets are going on with a new O-Ring chain as well. I was wondering if this could also contribute to the nasty vibration that I mentioned previously?

The engine is a ticky little bugger, but I am not overly concerned as I would rather hear the annoying ticks than silence. I intend to adjust the valves in due time, but I am not overly concerned at this time as the bike runs strong and starts easily. I do not think that anyone messed with the carb on this bike - luckily. Also, I have no intentions of trying to perform any "performance" mods on this bike as is with my KLR650 it would be an exercise in futility as the ROI would be nil. These engines are what they are in my opinion. YMMV however and I am not in any way knocking anyone who has performed mods and hence proved me wrong. Wont be the first time.

All in all I think there is great potential for turning this bike into a nice off highway touring machine that could get me to Alleghany National Forest and back to do some camping - with no issues - once all of the inferior parts are replaced and or upgraded. The nice thing about this project is that I am starting out with a bike that cost me $200 - as this was what I paid for the bike I traded - and for an additional $500-$600 bucks I can theoretically have a poor mans version of the KLX250s that I was really wanting. Also it keeps an old bastard like me off the streets and out of the taverns!

You all take care and be certain to reply to this with all of your thoughts and sage advice regarding parts and upgrades. And if you do respond please be as specific as possible with regards to part numbers, vendors, specs etc...

Oh - if anyone has a rear rack for sale or donation or trade please let me know.

Much Obliged!
KF