Somewhat of an update

     It had been a long time since I posted about my Lifan motorcycle. I still own it but seldom get to ride. I am now retired traveling in as rv full time and have no place to carry it.

     We come back every summer and I fire it up and put just a few miles on it but I didn't get around to doing that last year. I will try to clean it this summer and ride it a little more. It has been sitting under a small roof with no sides and a blowing rain still hits it and the sun hits it most days. It really looks like a "barn find".

7500KM Update

The weather (among other things) has made for very few miles on the bike this riding season.

I am still very impressed with the little enduro. The more miles it gets, the more it likes rpm's. I regularly do a very short sprint on the interstate on the way home from work. It handles the 60MPH in-town interstate with ease.

Just add gas and go. What more could you ask of a motorcycle?

I'm a wuss

I admit it. I had planned on riding "Lizzie" well into cold weather but yesterday was the first time I have ridden it since Thanksgiving. It started on the second or third kick.

I started it a couple of times over the winter and rode it around the block once but other wise it has been sitting all winter.

"Santa" delivered a nice motorcycle cover that protected it from the rain and snow. The cover fits a cruiser and did an job on the bike. It would have fit it a lot better had I removed the trunk.

I need to replace the crappy stock battery that was junk when I bought the bike. It would take a charge but not hold it for any length of time. I didn't try to save it over the winter as I knew it needed replaced.

Weather is turning cold and rainy for a week or so and the bike is back under the cover until the weather improves.

5000 km update

I just passed the 5000 km (3100miles) mark on my bike. I lost a screw on one of the exhaust shields.

My bike sits outside with no cover and a nice little cool spell has sent the temps to near freezing at night. It still starts right up in the morning after the c-clip mod.

I rode in the 40's but one morning it was 34 degrees when I left for work. My leather jacket, some sub-zero gloves from work, and my open-face helmet with a full length face shield made my 15 mile commute doable.

I am still knocking around the idea of adding a windshield. A universal windshield at the local bike shop is about $75.

The carb mod has really dropped my mpg. It has gone from 75mpg to 65mpg and I am thinking I will move the clip up one notch in the spring and see if it will work that way into next winter.

Gas prices are nearly a dollar a gallon cheaper than when I bought the bike so my ROI in pure gas saving will take a little long than anticipated. As it stands right now, I have saved about 30% of the purchased price on the gas savings.

I also need to adjust the chain for a second time. I use a spray-on chain lube that I bought at WallyWorld and apply it about every other week, seems to be doing a good job on the cheap chain that came on the bike.

I plan to use the original equipment parts on the bike until they need replacing and then I will upgrade to parts that I think will be more cost effective.

Carb c-clip mod

My American Lifan 200GY-5 started fine in the summer but as the weather turned a little cooler I knew I needed to move the C-clip in the carb. Before the mod even in hot weather I could not apply any throttle after starting the engine. I would have to start it several times before it would stay running.

This is an easy mod with the only tools needed;
Phillips screwdriver
8mm wrench
needle nose pliers

I chose to make the carb mod without taking the carb off the bike. After removing the seat you will see the strap that holds the rear of the tank.












Remove the three screw on the plastic trim on each side of the gas tank and remove them.












Make sure your pitcock is in the off position and then remove the gas line.












The front of the tank is held with a bolt on each side.












After the tank is removed you will be looking at the top of the carb. The two black circles are rubber pads that the tank rides on.












Unscrew the top of the carb and pull out the slide.















By compressing the spring , the throttle cable will come out the bottom and you will see how it will travel up the slot and out the round hole at the top of the slot.












Look down in the carb and notice the "knobs" sticking out from inside. The slide has notches in it that will fit over them.













When you look down the top of the slide you will see the retainer clip that holds the needle and c-clip.

Remove that retainer clip and pull the needle out. My c-clip was in the middle groove and I moved it to the bottom (toward the taper of the needle).

Just reverse the tear down order and put everything back together. The slide will easily slip back down the carb throat. Make sure the grooves line up. After you screw the top of the carb back on, reach up and twist the throttle to make sure it is smooth (the throttle should feel just the same as before you started). Sit the tank in place, replace the fuel line and replace one of the two screws on the tank just tight enough to hold the tank and you can start the bike and make sure everything is right before finishing the job.

This is a great mod and now as soon as the engines fires up I can apply some throttle to keep it running. The engine is smoother running and pulls harder in mid-throttle.

I love this mod!

Four Months

I didn't ride my bike as much in the last month as I needed to take my truck to work a few days and of course we have had lots of rain lately.

Nothing new to report about the bike except I opened the two holes I drilled in the exhaust to larger holes and it made the bike a little louder but it really seemed to help the bike breathe better.

I now have about 3800km (about 2360 miles) on the bike and it seems to get stronger and smoother with each mile.

The bike stays outside all the time and the red on the seat is fading.

Three Months

It has been three months since I purchased my American Lifan GY-5 and no issues has arisen.

I have ridden it to work every day (except for three days that I took my S-10 pickup) and it has averaged 75+ miles per gallon. I always convert the kms to miles.

The bike now has over 3000kms or about 1900 miles. I have decided to change the oil every 1500kms instead of the 2000kms I originally thought about, 1500kms or there abouts keep the miles around 1000 miles per oil change. The oil does double duty (engine oil and transmission oil) and the bike holds just over a quart and I feel 1000 mile oil changes are prudent.