New TANK 200 owner

mrhyak · 07-17-2007, 01:06 PM

I had been thinking of getting a Lifan 200 DS over the past year then yesterday stumbled across an ebay auction I just couldn't pass up. Now I'm the owner of a 2005 TANK Trail 200 with less then 100 miles, and purchased it for $500 buy-it-now. I'll be picking it up this afternoon so hopefully all will go well.
I just couldn't pass up this deal! This should go well with my Russian bike I've been riding the past 10 years.

katoranger · 07-17-2007, 01:09 PM

Welcome. Congrats on the bike. Sounds like you got a good deal. The Tank brand doesn't have the best reputation, but it is mostly the companies practices and not the bike.

Allen

pumpkin · 07-17-2007, 05:22 PM

welcome and congats on the bike, and the good deal.

goldshadow · 07-17-2007, 05:53 PM

Grats and Welcome!

edcole · 07-17-2007, 09:15 PM

Welcome to the forum!

mrhyak · 07-18-2007, 01:10 AM

Thanks for the welcome! Well, I picked up the bike today and found the thing only has 2.9 miles on the odometer. I asked the owner the story and he said he found the bikes online, ordered them and had them delivered in a crate (these were first bikes for both of them). He hired someone to assemble them to get them running (for him and his girlfriend, both around 50yrs old). The bike I bought was the girlfriends bike and she rode it around his property and was too scared to ride so the bike was parked in the garage. He ended up putting around 50 miles on his bike and he said the bike was not for him. He is in the process of moving and is selling off the stuff he does not want to move with him.

The bike looks new, has a dead battery but I was able to kick start it even with 2 year old gas in the tank and it ran ok and sounded good. I'll clean out the old gas, change the oil and get a new battery in the next week or so (as time allows) and let you all know how things go. I don't have an owners manual (I assume it came with one) which is a drag.

The bike says "TK 200GY 4A" on the side plate, anyone know what all of that stands for? It also says RL on the side of the gas tank.

Jack

AZ200cc · 07-18-2007, 01:17 AM

Welcome

You should post a pic...I am curious what that bike looks like.

mrhyak · 07-18-2007, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZ200cc

Welcome

You should post a pic...I am curious what that bike looks like.

Took this today with my phone so its not the best quality.

AZ200cc · 07-18-2007, 01:29 AM

Not bad for 500 bucks

...Same price I paid for my Maxfine.

ejcycles · 07-18-2007, 03:53 AM

Hi mrhyak

Welcome to ChinaRiders!!
Congrats on the bike you got it for excellent price.
There will only be one problem, Tank Sports is really bad on parts and just looking through the parts dealer side of Tank Sports/Redcat Motors this bike isn't listed. There are a couple guys here that own Tank products and can't get parts from Tank.
I'm sorry to give you this bad news, but on the other side there are a lot of parts that are interchangeable with the other bikes!

Quote:

The Tank brand doesn't have the best reputation, but it is mostly the companies practices and not the bike. Allen

katoranger · 07-18-2007, 10:51 AM

Looks like standard issue china bike. Can't beat a new bike for $500 even if it it is difficult to get parts.

Great buy.

Allen

molypod · 07-18-2007, 12:57 PM

Welcome to the site,

The tank looks alot like the 200 gy with different stickers

mrhyak · 07-18-2007, 02:10 PM

Hopefully I won't need any serious parts or that could be a pain. Next week I hope to have the bike running so I can start putting some miles on this thing and break-in the engine. I don't have any owners manual so I'll just have to figure stuff out on my own I guess.
Does anyone know if my engine is OHV or OHC? I tried looking on it but besides the sideplates that say TANK there is not much else on it. Also, the gas tank has a very 'cheap' feel to it. I sure hope I don't knock the bike over or I could see the gas tank cracking =(.

Any other TANK 200 owners out there?

liverchip · 07-18-2007, 03:56 PM

Welcome and gratz! All of these bikes are OHV. What you're probably referring to is the cam configuration. More than likely, judging by the bike's age and your photo, it is a pushrod bike which means that the cam is in the lower engine case rather than running in the head via a chain. There is a minor difference in HP and the valve train tends to be a bit noisier with a pushrod bike.

katoranger · 07-19-2007, 11:12 AM

Pushrod motor, judging by age and the picture. I think most of the engine parts interchange and alot the bike looks like others on here. Parts shouldn't be too bad.

I have just ran my hard since new. No issues at all. I believe in the break it in like you ride theory. Most important thing is to make sure you are not running lean and to change the oil.

Allen

07-17-2007, 01:06 PM	#1
mrhyak Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyak, WA Posts: 448	New TANK 200 owner I had been thinking of getting a Lifan 200 DS over the past year then yesterday stumbled across an ebay auction I just couldn't pass up. Now I'm the owner of a 2005 TANK Trail 200 with less then 100 miles, and purchased it for $500 buy-it-now. I'll be picking it up this afternoon so hopefully all will go well. I just couldn't pass up this deal! This should go well with my Russian bike I've been riding the past 10 years.
	0

07-17-2007, 01:09 PM	#2
katoranger Join Date: May 2007 Location: Altamont, Kansas Posts: 15,103	Welcome. Congrats on the bike. Sounds like you got a good deal. The Tank brand doesn't have the best reputation, but it is mostly the companies practices and not the bike. Allen __________________ You meet the nicest people on a Honda Clone.
	0

07-17-2007, 05:22 PM	#3
pumpkin Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Westover wv Posts: 443	welcome and congats on the bike, and the good deal. __________________ 06 american lifan 200 gy-5
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07-17-2007, 05:53 PM	#4
goldshadow Join Date: May 2007 Location: Central Nebraska Posts: 80	Grats and Welcome! __________________ 1975 Honda Goldwing GL1000 <br />2007 American Lifan GY-5 Licensed in NE
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07-17-2007, 09:15 PM	#5
edcole Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangor, Maine Posts: 46	Welcome to the forum! __________________ 2006 Honda vt750 Aero 2007 Lifan 200gy-5 2006 Lifan 100gy-b
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07-18-2007, 01:10 AM	#6
mrhyak Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyak, WA Posts: 448	Thanks for the welcome! Well, I picked up the bike today and found the thing only has 2.9 miles on the odometer. I asked the owner the story and he said he found the bikes online, ordered them and had them delivered in a crate (these were first bikes for both of them). He hired someone to assemble them to get them running (for him and his girlfriend, both around 50yrs old). The bike I bought was the girlfriends bike and she rode it around his property and was too scared to ride so the bike was parked in the garage. He ended up putting around 50 miles on his bike and he said the bike was not for him. He is in the process of moving and is selling off the stuff he does not want to move with him. The bike looks new, has a dead battery but I was able to kick start it even with 2 year old gas in the tank and it ran ok and sounded good. I'll clean out the old gas, change the oil and get a new battery in the next week or so (as time allows) and let you all know how things go. I don't have an owners manual (I assume it came with one) which is a drag. The bike says "TK 200GY 4A" on the side plate, anyone know what all of that stands for? It also says RL on the side of the gas tank. Jack __________________ 1985 Kawasaki Tecate-3 1997 Ural Sportsman 2WD 1980 Yamaha XS1100 2005 TANK Trail 200 2009 Lifan LY110GY-3 (2)
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07-18-2007, 01:17 AM	#7
AZ200cc Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Show Low Arizona Posts: 2,889	Welcome You should post a pic...I am curious what that bike looks like. __________________ <br />2001 Suzuki DR200SE<br />1997 Suzuki RM250 YIKES<br />1995 Yamaha Breeze 125 daughters<br />1991 Honda XR80r Restored<br />maybe a 2003 Yamaha TTR90
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07-18-2007, 01:29 AM	#9
AZ200cc Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Show Low Arizona Posts: 2,889	Not bad for 500 bucks ...Same price I paid for my Maxfine. __________________ <br />2001 Suzuki DR200SE<br />1997 Suzuki RM250 YIKES<br />1995 Yamaha Breeze 125 daughters<br />1991 Honda XR80r Restored<br />maybe a 2003 Yamaha TTR90
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07-18-2007, 10:51 AM	#11
katoranger Join Date: May 2007 Location: Altamont, Kansas Posts: 15,103	Looks like standard issue china bike. Can't beat a new bike for $500 even if it it is difficult to get parts. Great buy. Allen __________________ You meet the nicest people on a Honda Clone.
	0

07-18-2007, 12:57 PM	#12
molypod Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: British Columbia, Canada Posts: 223	Welcome to the site, The tank looks alot like the 200 gy with different stickers
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07-18-2007, 02:10 PM	#13
mrhyak Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyak, WA Posts: 448	Hopefully I won't need any serious parts or that could be a pain. Next week I hope to have the bike running so I can start putting some miles on this thing and break-in the engine. I don't have any owners manual so I'll just have to figure stuff out on my own I guess. Does anyone know if my engine is OHV or OHC? I tried looking on it but besides the sideplates that say TANK there is not much else on it. Also, the gas tank has a very 'cheap' feel to it. I sure hope I don't knock the bike over or I could see the gas tank cracking =(. Any other TANK 200 owners out there? __________________ 1985 Kawasaki Tecate-3 1997 Ural Sportsman 2WD 1980 Yamaha XS1100 2005 TANK Trail 200 2009 Lifan LY110GY-3 (2)
	0

07-18-2007, 03:56 PM	#14
liverchip Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mystery Spot Posts: 1,223	Welcome and gratz! All of these bikes are OHV. What you're probably referring to is the cam configuration. More than likely, judging by the bike's age and your photo, it is a pushrod bike which means that the cam is in the lower engine case rather than running in the head via a chain. There is a minor difference in HP and the valve train tends to be a bit noisier with a pushrod bike. __________________ 2009 XR650L Big Red Pig Tusk bar risers 2007 X-Moto(Jetmoto) GY250 --mods--- 15/40 sprockets UNI Pod Filter 2007 Shineray TMS 200XYi--Betsy Betsy Mods:______________________ Acerbis DHH headlight FMF Powercore pipe Uni Pod Filter
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07-19-2007, 11:12 AM	#15
katoranger Join Date: May 2007 Location: Altamont, Kansas Posts: 15,103	Pushrod motor, judging by age and the picture. I think most of the engine parts interchange and alot the bike looks like others on here. Parts shouldn't be too bad. I have just ran my hard since new. No issues at all. I believe in the break it in like you ride theory. Most important thing is to make sure you are not running lean and to change the oil. Allen __________________ You meet the nicest people on a Honda Clone.
	0