Lifan Xpect 200 Issue.

[Anshan]

I wasnt sure where to post this at, so sorry in advance if it's in the wrong place.

I got a brand new Lifan Xpect this year and I have been loving the bike so far, but I had a drop off pavement and broke the gearshift lever, on the ride back home I noticed the seat was getting really hot right where the battery is located at, I fixed the gearshift lever but the battery issue remains. The battery area was dusty so I wiped all the dust off but the issue still remains. It's one of those Lithium Ion batteries and I've been told they just run hot. I didn't notice this up until that drop, so maybe I'm being overly cautious but I'd love to make sure. Today I uninstalled the battery and tried to cross reference it with an AGM battery which worked out, but the AGM one only has 50cca and I was concerned that would damage the bike in the long run. The lithium ion battery has 180cca. I was just wondering if maybe anyone else on the forum had a similar issue with the bike or if it's just a normal part of it. I checked all the connections and made sure everything was secure, it didn't seem like anything was moving at all. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Cheers!

PS the battery is HJTX4L-FPZ

[Boatguy]

My lithium battery in the xpect has never heated up. It really shouldn’t be in use at all if the bike is running, so if it was heating like that..... good move on getting rid of it. It may have been damaged and shorted internally or something like that. A dangerous situation, since those batteries sometimes go up in flames on failure.

The huge drop in battery capacity to 50 cca might cause some issues with the starter circuit over time. You should really try to get at least the cca that you had to start with. This might mean lithium is needed to get all those cca’s in that small battery box. Was there no lithium replacement available?

[Anshan]

Originally Posted by Boatguy

My lithium battery in the xpect has never heated up. It really shouldn’t be in use at all if the bike is running, so if it was heating like that..... good move on getting rid of it. It may have been damaged and shorted internally or something like that. A dangerous situation, since those batteries sometimes go up in flames on failure.

The huge drop in battery capacity to 50 cca might cause some issues with the starter circuit over time. You should really try to get at least the cca that you had to start with. This might mean lithium is needed to get all those cca’s in that small battery box. Was there no lithium replacement available?

I've been struggling to find a replacement battery, I heard that lithium ions just ran hot and thats why it was, but I think like you said it was just damaged. The exact lithium ion battery is hard to find but ill see if I can find one comparable to it, I really appreciate your reply, I was going to just re-connect the old battery and ride around to see if it's still doing it, but after your response I decided not to. Would you have any recommendations on a replacement lithium ion battery?

[SuperNoob]

Originally Posted by Anshan

I noticed the seat was getting really hot right where the battery is located at

I haven't had any issues with mine, but the LIon battery has been a source of stress for me. When those things go they can go in spectacular fashion and I do not like its location if it decided to go poof while I was out on a ride.

[Anshan]

Originally Posted by SuperNoob

I haven't had any issues with mine, but the LIon battery has been a source of stress for me. When those things go they can go in spectacular fashion and I do not like its location if it decided to go poof while I was out on a ride.

Yeah that's my concern right now with mine overheating. I really want to ride but I have to get this sorted out first. I'll try to find a replacement lithium ion battery for it, because maybe this one just got damaged in the drop somehow? The stress is absolutely understandable though. I am in a similar boat lol.

[mototech77]

Might be a good idea to do a current draw test. Battery should not get hot as there is very little draw on it when not cranking. Maybe I’m off here, but seems wise to rule it out anyhow.

[Anshan]

Originally Posted by mototech77

Might be a good idea to do a current draw test. Battery should not get hot as there is very little draw on it when not cranking. Maybe I’m off here, but seems wise to rule it out anyhow.

Yeah thats what I thought. It shouldn't be getting hot when it's not cranking so it's strange. I don't have a multimeter unfortunately so I don't have any way of testing it, and I'd have to reinstall that battery which I don't really know if I should do given the issue. Thank you very much for your reply though!

[Anshan]

A quick update for anyone that's been following this, the 50cca battery works wonders. I rode around today with no overheating issue whatsoever, tomorrow I am going to re-install the lithium battery to absolutely confirm that was the cause. It's just good to be back on the bike again after being off of it for so long. Cheers!

[Boatguy]

Originally Posted by Anshan

A quick update for anyone that's been following this, the 50cca battery works wonders. I rode around today with no overheating issue whatsoever, tomorrow I am going to re-install the lithium battery to absolutely confirm that was the cause. It's just good to be back on the bike again after being off of it for so long. Cheers!

Just remember it’s stressing your starting system (and the fuel injection system at startup) by being low in cranking amps. Don’t get complacent and leave it there forever.

[culcune]

I have heard different reports on how useful American Lifan is for issues, but I would still contact them either by phone and/or email regarding your battery. It could be a defective battery, and might be under warranty.

[mototech77]

Originally Posted by Anshan

A quick update for anyone that's been following this, the 50cca battery works wonders. I rode around today with no overheating issue whatsoever, tomorrow I am going to re-install the lithium battery to absolutely confirm that was the cause. It's just good to be back on the bike again after being off of it for so long. Cheers!

Always good to be back out there.

[mototech77]

Originally Posted by culcune

I have heard different reports on how useful American Lifan is for issues, but I would still contact them either by phone and/or email regarding your battery. It could be a defective battery, and might be under warranty.

I’ve had good luck so far though the dealer I purchased the bike from. Definitely worth a shot, as I believe these batteries are fairly expensive.

[Anshan]

Originally Posted by Boatguy

Just remember it’s stressing your starting system (and the fuel injection system at startup) by being low in cranking amps. Don’t get complacent and leave it there forever.

Will do, I'll have to replace it with another lithium battery. Since im fortunate enough to have dealer support I am probably just going to take the bike up there with the lithium battery installed so they can test it as well, but I reinstalled the lithium battery today and I rode around for about ten minutes and I had to turn around and come back home, could feel the heat coming through the seat right where the battery was located. Either way thank you for the knowledge on that and your help, I really appreciate it. This issue was racking my brain for awhile.

[Anshan]

Originally Posted by mototech77

I’ve had good luck so far though the dealer I purchased the bike from. Definitely worth a shot, as I believe these batteries are fairly expensive.

The dealer unfortunately would want me to pay for a new battery, and yes they are quite pricey! I'll eat the cost for now if a replacement won't heat it up, but I am going to bring the bike up there with the current lithium battery installed so they can see for themselves. Because maybe there is an underlying issue causing it that I am just not aware of, Thanks for the replies though, I really appreciate it!