I'm doing some looking for a friend and wondering if anyone has some real world experience with them. I've heard second hand reports that they aren't too bad, they just don't have the fit and finish of the Japanese bikes. Do that handle freeway speeds fairly well? Any breakdowns to report maybe?
http://www.americanlifan.com/lifan3/products.html
Your second hand reports are pretty spot on. Expect to have to tweak a few things out of the crate, but very few problems if any with the engines. The Lifan, i believe, the 200 anyway, uses the OHV motor, but it's a good motor. I've sold a few of the 150s. Expect to put a decent chain on it, maybe a smaller rear sprocket, new tubes (the chinese use poor quality rubber in the tubes they use), and minor things otherwise. I'm in my 4th year with my Diamo and it's running fantastic. It's getting kinda beat up cause I show it absolutely NO love....
....but it's still doing the job I bought it for above expectations. Ty wrap that stupid plastic battery holder, too, to better secure it. That's a weak point if you use it rough like I do.
For much more info to any of your questions, go sign on to
http://chinariders.net/ . There's all sorts of info there on maintenance, care, weak points of the bikes, cross over parts from Honda or Yamaha, etc. Lots of stuff crosses from old Honda parts. That's where my rear sprocket came from, ebayed, CL175 I think it was, early 70s. It's 10 teeth smaller than what came with the bike. The bikes ain't up to Japanese detail, but they're very reliable engines and replacement parts and even complete engines are dirt cheap. Maintenance is simple and an XR manual will work at least for the OHC models like mine. The OHV is a bit different.
Oh, drill and safety wire the exhaust mount bolt on the frame. It WILL get loose otherwise.
There are little things like that. It's not really a moron's motorcycle. I look at it as something like an improved Indian Enfield. Stronger, better designed motor, but something that isn't quite turn key, but is easily user servicable. More reliable than Enfields from what I've read, though, LOL. For the money, they're great! If you have political reasons not to buy China, well, that's your problem. They're available at great prices and they're well worth it unless you're planning an adventure tour of Big Bend or something. They are, after all, just 200ccs. There are 250s out now and I've seen pix of 350cc bikes, but the 200 is what I wanted for the rack that comes on it. Hauls a lot of corn to my feeders.
It was my Toyota 4x4 replacement when I sold the Toyota.
Less chance of getting stuck with it, though. That's a plus. And, I've hauled stands and feeders down there and even drug my hog trap in with it, saved me a lot of sweat. Around town, it gets near 80 mpg and that's a good thing, though mileage actually drops to 60-70 out on the highway depending on wind direction. All that WFO, ya know. It runs along at about 60, but gets there eventually.