10-04-2016, 11:58 PM | #1 |
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Yuma, Arizona
Posts: 9,055
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Lifan USA
A friend of mine went to visit a friend of his at the Lifan USA headquarters in the So. Cal. area. He told me they are bringing several new bikes to the US, but will be dropping the Pony 100 which I thought had much promise, especially since it appears the CT70 clones are not coming to the US anytime soon.
They are planning to bring their own version in the Grom sector, the KP150 Mini. My friend mentioned they want an MSRP of $2k for it, which I thought was too high, until I balanced my opinion with the fact the bike is a 150cc vs. the 125's in the Grom, the Kawasaki, and the various clones, such as Maxipad's Vader. Also, more interesting, is the fact that the 150 is NOT a horizontal engine but a vertical 150, meaning the bike is similar in spirit to the CSC mini bikes they used to manufacture that were replicas of the old Mustang motorcycles from the 60's (before they became Zongshen's distributor). http://americanlifan.com/kpmini-track-day/ I guess they are banking on their KP200 and their KPR200 which are kind of bland looking but interesting in that they will have fuel-injection vs. carb http://americanlifan.com/kp200/ http://americanlifan.com/kpr-200/ I think they are planning to keep their long stand-in air cooled cruiser http://americanlifan.com/royal-250/ Apparently they are NOT planning to pursue this long-awaited bike, for the US market, which is a shame, I feel. http://americanlifan.com/fm-250v/ I think some of the other bikes will be scooters. There are some interesting reads on the site, including a blog on a long ride through Asia on the KPMini 150 as well as some articles and videos on the KP/KPR bikes, but in 150 form. http://americanlifan.com/
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"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard |
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10-05-2016, 10:42 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Volcano, Ca
Posts: 7,112
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Great stuff, culcune, thanks!
I'm at a loss as to why they don't list a GY (dual sport) bike....unless I missed it. They sold a ton of them back when the Lifan GY5 was top-o-duh-heap in the GY China Bike class. That fm250 looks awesome..............
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"Light a fire for a man, and you heat him for a day. Light a man on fire, and you heat him for the rest of his life." 2007 Suzuki DRZ400S (SM convert) 2009 Q Link XP 200 1967 BSA B25 250cc Starfire 2022 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 2023 Royal Enfield Scram 411 1948 Royal Enfield Model G 350 |
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10-05-2016, 01:16 PM | #4 |
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Yuma, Arizona
Posts: 9,055
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They definitely need to improve their website experience, Tortoise! It is painful to search through it. On the bikes which aren't 'coming soon' it looks like they left out the specs, but you have to click on the tiny '+' and the specs show up.
2LZ--I remember seeing the FM250 a few years ago in photos on mychinamoto when it was introduced in China at their big motorcycle show. My friend told me they are NOT planning to bring it, which is a disappointment, but my guess it wouldn't have made sense financially. We as China bike fans like the idea of low-cost bikes, and my guess with liquid-cooling and fuel injection, it would put that bike in the same price point as the small name-brand sport bikes like the CBR300, Ninja 300, etc., or at least the CB300 (which is a more direct competitor due to the naked design, anyway). I know I would be picking up a CB300 if I had the choice and at the same cost. I forgot to ask my friend if they will resurrect an enduro here. Duh! That bike was dominating the dual-sport thread for a few years. I even think they could slip one in as an off-road bike, like the Hawk/Magician, which would relegate it to off-road or a loophole for several states, but it would be a nice compromise. However, their last enduro bike was EPA/DOT certified, which did make it a unique bike to us in the US. Enough of me talking; we will find out exactly (or close to) what they have planned on October 14-17 or whenever the Miami motorcycle show is--it is prominently listed on their 'home' on their site, so I hope one of us goes and takes photos, or they post photos on their site! If their mini can cruise at 60, I might consider it, although one of the forms of their KP200 they show among the rotating photos shows it with a rear rack, and a kind of 'adventure' bike crash bar. I kind of like the delicate look of the bike, and I do like the standard style...
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"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard |
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10-05-2016, 07:44 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Yuma, Arizona
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Quote:
http://www.lifanmexico.com/deals_xp200.html
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"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard Last edited by culcune; 10-05-2016 at 07:47 PM. Reason: Adding photo |
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10-13-2016, 08:56 PM | #6 |
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Yuma, Arizona
Posts: 9,055
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Some tease shots before the Florida show...
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"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard |
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10-13-2016, 08:58 PM | #7 |
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Yuma, Arizona
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More shots...
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"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard |
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10-13-2016, 09:02 PM | #8 |
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Yuma, Arizona
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Even more...
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"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard |
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10-13-2016, 09:06 PM | #9 |
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Yuma, Arizona
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No details, just photos, and some repeats (Sorry), but the show is this weekend, so we should probably hear something by next week on American Lifan's site as far as specs and such. Their flagship is the KPR200/KP200 lineup which feature a FUEL-INJECTED 200cc vertical single, which, assuming it works well, should be interesting for the Chinese motorcycle class. I believe their KPMini 150 (which is unique in this class due to having a 150cc vertical single) will also be fuel-injected. We should keep an eye on Lifan, as well as encourage them to bring one of their enduros which are supposed to come but are absent from these photos :(
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"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard |
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10-13-2016, 10:38 PM | #10 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: George West, Texas
Posts: 4,097
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Good copy culcune. Thanks
I love my lifan 230cc engine, that fuel injection would really wake it up
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***************************************** 2015 Bashan"Blaze" BS250GY-31 (DB-07K-250) GONE 2017 Suzuki V Strom 650 XT "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." ~Benjamin Franklin~
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10-13-2016, 11:29 PM | #11 | |
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Location: connecticut
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Quote:
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10-14-2016, 12:00 AM | #12 | |
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: George West, Texas
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Quote:
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***************************************** 2015 Bashan"Blaze" BS250GY-31 (DB-07K-250) GONE 2017 Suzuki V Strom 650 XT "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." ~Benjamin Franklin~
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10-14-2016, 12:59 AM | #13 |
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Yuma, Arizona
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OK, if you look at the photo with the larger 4 wheel vehicle, behind it, you can make out the back of an enduro; just not directly photographed. We should all check out their website which will not only hopefully improve, but will hopefully show their complete U.S. lineup.
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"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard |
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10-14-2016, 09:28 AM | #14 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: George West, Texas
Posts: 4,097
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Looks like pure dirt no headlight. Looking at "21" bike in pic
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***************************************** 2015 Bashan"Blaze" BS250GY-31 (DB-07K-250) GONE 2017 Suzuki V Strom 650 XT "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." ~Benjamin Franklin~
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10-14-2016, 11:47 AM | #15 |
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Volcano, Ca
Posts: 7,112
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That's cool. I had a 163FML in my black bike like yours. I didn't know they came with the 169FMM!
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"Light a fire for a man, and you heat him for a day. Light a man on fire, and you heat him for the rest of his life." 2007 Suzuki DRZ400S (SM convert) 2009 Q Link XP 200 1967 BSA B25 250cc Starfire 2022 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 2023 Royal Enfield Scram 411 1948 Royal Enfield Model G 350 |
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