Secrets out - Pitster LXT 400

[daddy469]

...but there will be photos comming soon!
Daddy 8)

Edit cuz it is no longer a secret

[Cal25]

400? 650?

[daddy469]

Safe to say I'll be selling the Lifan shortly....
Daddy 8)

[SpudRider]

We eagerly await your photos.

Spud

[Cal25]

No photo= didn't happen

[MICRider]

He must be out riding his new bike or something...

[mizke]

cant wait to see it dude, you gotta give us some clue's.. is it name brand, off brand, what color is it, most importantly how big is the motor ?

[daddy469]

Originally Posted by MICRider

He must be out riding his new bike or something...

Ohhhhhhh helllllllz ya!
I have pictures, but my blackberry's battery is dead so the picts will have to wait for morning. I went with a pitster LXT 400 instead of a japaused bike. The japaused bikes for 3K had the same kinds of issues - laid over/rode hard put away wet. In order to get a decent one I would have needed to lay out 4.5K at least.

Anyway, out of the box I was impressed with the quality of the thing. The only obvious thing that told me it was a chinabike was the wires going into sockets uncovered. That is it. Other than that all the welds and I mean ALL the welds where finished and sealed properely. There are no sharp edges that I have found yet. None. All the plastic pieces match up with each other. All the bolts that are 'key' where labeled and marked. Of course I verified torque and they where all spot on. Once everything was assembled I did an electrical check. Everything works. Not a blown out bulb or unexplained weirdness. It is like the Pitster folks read the 'Bike Prep Thread' and applied it to the motorcycle in the crate. None of the bolts or parts are 'soft'.

After I get some liquid electrical tape on the connections and some dielectric grease on the cannon plugs I'll be set. I broke it in a bit this evening. WoW. It reminds me of like an old skool 2 stroke it has so many balls. My daughter (who routinely brings out the devil in me) suggested we 'catch sick air' 2 up style. Who am I to disappoint? So we launched with ease and landed softy style in the sand. This 400 feels sooooo much like a Maico 490 I rode waaaaaaaaay back in the day. Nice and stiff, but you can tell it will soften up some over time. Punched from a slow roll the front tire will come off the ground. Caught child #2 off guard.

Now the gripes (sorta)
No gear indicator other than N - I'll get used to it, but you don't miss it until you don't have it.
No Tach - meh.
No kickstarter - you'll never miss it until you need it.
No trip meter. This is just plain going to get set up. I need to have one so I know when to put gas in it.
Worst owner's manual EVER. Might as well not even have one. It isn't that it is hard to understand it is just - well hard to explain. Almost like you could grab the manual for a Toro lawnmower and apply it to a motorcycle.

Everything else that is annoying is just so because I'm not used to it. The power is incredible and a far FAR cry from the Lifan (I'll never knock the Lifan - it is a very forgiving starter bike and I love it!)

So there you have it. I'm impressed I really am. For 3K delivered to my door I didn't expect this quality. I'll post some pictures tomorrow for sure to issustrate what I mean quality wise. I'd buy another one EZ if I could afford it. Tee hee he. As soon as I get my MSO, Bill of Sale, and Odometer document I'll let ya'all know how the DMV goes. Until then, happy trails and ride safely!

Daddy 8)

[mizke]

nice cant wait for the pictures

if you want a cheap tach/hour meter, check out my hour/tach thread in the review area

[MICRider]

Ok, now you've really got our attention! I've been waiting for quite a while to hear real world observations on these bikes... Please feel free to post a few hundred pictures and a detailed review at your lesiure . Oh! Forgot to tell you, we also like video . Enjoy the ride, sounds awesome!

Cheers,
Stew

[TurboT]

Yay! A 400 cc Chinabike review and picture en route!

Sounds fun! Can't wait to hear and see more.

Congrats!

[SpudRider]

Congratulations! We eagerly await your photos, and continued updates!

Spud

[daddy469]

UGH! Bad news, all the pictures I took yesterday except for 1 are unreadable! I will do my best to re-create them tomorrow in the day. BUT, enjoy the one I saved for now



Daddy 8)

[SpudRider]

The bike looks great! We eagerly await more photos, and updates.

Spud

[mizke]

that thing look bad ass, makes me want one..

can you post up where you ordered it from, or are you in canada ? if your in canada im screwed as getting bikes and quads across the border is a no go..