Lifan rear shock - Page 2

deputygene · 05-15-2007, 08:44 PM

Ok, good news and bad...
The good is that I got Red's shock and got it installed. Went by the shop where my bike is at, the mechanic is off, but I talked the owner into letting me work on the bike there at the shop. Suprisingly, the Rocketta shock is not an exact fit. Side by side, the Rocketta shock is about 1/2" shorter in overall lenght. Decided to try it anyway since Red said it was pretty stiff. Must be the linkages, as the Rocketta shock is lighter feeling than the stock shock. Also the top mounting bolt is bigger than stock, couldn't just exchange bushings either. Had to make a bushing out of sheet aluminum (Can you say pepsi can?) I'm going to take it back and have the pre-load adjusted stiffer.
While there I took the part about the brakes and read that to the owner.

Quote:

to fix this you need to pull apart the linkage and remove the jam nut between the two pieces which allows the rod assembly from the pedal to become shorter and allow more free play to release the master cylinder fully.

Mine doesn't have the two pieces like the others that have been pictured, it does have the jam nut and we adjusted that and another external adjustment nut till there was no brake actuation at bottom of pedal movement, then brought it back till it was getting some brake at the bottom of the pedal movement.
Then I asked the owner about adjusting the clip, till now my bike has run pretty well, but I always thought it was a little lean. Have been hesitant to tackle the clip job myself as my last experience working on a carb didn't go so well. Between me and the owner ( how's that for customer service) we dropped the clip to the bottom position. This was not easy on the Tank. You can't just unbolt the gas tank and bring the top of the carb out. No... they put a nice little cross-member right on top of the carb, so the carb had to come out. Got the clip re-seated on the bottom notch (2 notches down) and reinstalled.
We both took the bike for a ride around town. It now seemed to have more top end and seemed to zip around in traffic pretty good. No speed comparison's though as the speedo cable has been broken and on order for a while.

Well at least I have my bike back now, I don't think I will stay with the Rocketta shock, it lets the back end sag down even more than the stock shock. Got to talk to the owner some on the price of one of the stolen/recovered Redcat 50cc bikes he has, may have to add one of those to the stable.

EJCYCLES, if you get a Lifan shock in, can you tell me the total lenght bolt to bolt?
Otherride, If you still want that shock, you can have it for for the same price I paid.
Best news, had enough time to go home and take a trail ride with my son. I am going to try the clip trick on his Lifan 100 next.

red2003 · 05-15-2007, 08:52 PM

Well that really stinks about the shock. I can't believe it's too soft. Can you take a pic of the Lifan linkage? I know for a fact that shock is not bad, so there's gotta be something up with your bike if it acts like the one you removed. You can crank up the preload and see if it helps any. I'd really like to see what's different about the Lifan linkage.

deputygene · 05-15-2007, 09:44 PM

My bike is a Tank, not a Lifan,
we, the dealer and I , decided to try a Lifan shock as we heard that the Lifan adjustable shock was higher quality than the Tank shock. Of course I could have ordered a replacement Tank shock under warranty, but I am still waiting for the speedo cable, so we figured we would try something different. Just goes to show that these bikes, although they appear the same, and even break the same, have subtle differences that may or may not let others parts work. I know the shock you sent was good, it just won't work all that well on my bike. It was a 1/2" shorter than the stock shock, and I guess that translates to a lot of rear tire movement. Here is my bike.

deputygene · 05-15-2007, 09:50 PM

Oh, btw, I did find out that my 33 year old Suzuki TS 50 mirrors work great on the Tank! They adjust and stay adjusted. Big suprise was finding those mirrors at my mom's house. The old bike is long gone. Also, I lost my kickstand spring on the trailride today. Anyone got one of those extra?

katoranger · 05-15-2007, 10:02 PM

Try a local Ace hardware or similar for a spring. They often have different springs in stock in the nuts and bolts area.

Allen

TheOtherRide · 05-15-2007, 10:46 PM

Sure, I'll take it. I'll PM you.

EDIT: I just measured my shock, and it's 11 3/4". The Roketa one is only 11", right?

red2003 · 05-16-2007, 07:56 AM

The Roketa shock is 11.5 in.

deputygene · 05-16-2007, 07:19 PM

It was about 1/2" shorter than the Tank shock. The Tank shock looked to have had an extension welded, somewhat crudely, to the top between the bolt hole and the shock.

TheOtherRide · 05-16-2007, 11:30 PM

deputygene, sorry to back out on you, but either a) it's the exact shock I have (and I don't have many miles on it yet), or b) it's a little short.

Maybe someone else here can use it?

05-15-2007, 08:52 PM	#17
red2003 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Northern Vermont, USA Posts: 1,271	Well that really stinks about the shock. I can't believe it's too soft. Can you take a pic of the Lifan linkage? I know for a fact that shock is not bad, so there's gotta be something up with your bike if it acts like the one you removed. You can crank up the preload and see if it helps any. I'd really like to see what's different about the Lifan linkage. __________________ First Chinabike: 2006 Roketa RSX200E Current Chinabikes: 2023 Titan DLX & 2022 Lifan KP Mini w/ 210cc BRT kit, 22 RWHP!
	0

05-15-2007, 10:46 PM	#21
TheOtherRide Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Montana Posts: 403	Sure, I'll take it. I'll PM you. EDIT: I just measured my shock, and it's 11 3/4". The Roketa one is only 11", right? __________________ ~Pauli~ Former 2006 Viva VX200SX owner
	0

05-16-2007, 07:56 AM	#22
red2003 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Northern Vermont, USA Posts: 1,271	The Roketa shock is 11.5 in. __________________ First Chinabike: 2006 Roketa RSX200E Current Chinabikes: 2023 Titan DLX & 2022 Lifan KP Mini w/ 210cc BRT kit, 22 RWHP!
	0

05-16-2007, 11:30 PM	#24
TheOtherRide Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Montana Posts: 403	deputygene, sorry to back out on you, but either a) it's the exact shock I have (and I don't have many miles on it yet), or b) it's a little short. Maybe someone else here can use it? __________________ ~Pauli~ Former 2006 Viva VX200SX owner
	0

05-15-2007, 09:44 PM	#18
deputygene Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 254	My bike is a Tank, not a Lifan, we, the dealer and I , decided to try a Lifan shock as we heard that the Lifan adjustable shock was higher quality than the Tank shock. Of course I could have ordered a replacement Tank shock under warranty, but I am still waiting for the speedo cable, so we figured we would try something different. Just goes to show that these bikes, although they appear the same, and even break the same, have subtle differences that may or may not let others parts work. I know the shock you sent was good, it just won't work all that well on my bike. It was a 1/2" shorter than the stock shock, and I guess that translates to a lot of rear tire movement. Here is my bike.
	0

05-15-2007, 09:50 PM	#19
deputygene Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 254	Oh, btw, I did find out that my 33 year old Suzuki TS 50 mirrors work great on the Tank! They adjust and stay adjusted. Big suprise was finding those mirrors at my mom's house. The old bike is long gone. Also, I lost my kickstand spring on the trailride today. Anyone got one of those extra?
	0

05-15-2007, 10:02 PM	#20
katoranger Join Date: May 2007 Location: Altamont, Kansas Posts: 15,103	Try a local Ace hardware or similar for a spring. They often have different springs in stock in the nuts and bolts area. Allen
	0

05-16-2007, 07:19 PM	#23
deputygene Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 254	It was about 1/2" shorter than the Tank shock. The Tank shock looked to have had an extension welded, somewhat crudely, to the top between the bolt hole and the shock.
	0