LF125-3A Lifan Hongda ???

NEW BIKER IN NEED OF ADVICE!

I am looking at purchasing my first bike soon and wonder if any of you
could offer me some advice! I have found a Lifan LF125-3A Commuter
bike, which I have been assured is basically a "rebadged Honda" made
under licence. The bike is only £1,495 inc VAT, on the road with 12
month warranty. It's a OHC 4 stroke, 125cc single Cylinder, air
cooled, electric start and includes Carrier, crash bars, CDI Ignition,
handlebar fairing (whatever all that is!).

Basically, all I would like to know is: is this a good bike? I
appreciate second-hand value may not be good. Alternatively I am also
considering the Aprilia RS125 (lovely, but expensive and I am told not
that reliable) or the Honda 125 Valadero (which is a bit big). Would I
be best looking elsewhere or should I stick with the Lifan - I am open
to any suggestions!

Also, the only other issue is speed/performance. Whilst I appreciate a
125cc bike is not going to beat much on the road, I don't want to get
laughed at. Are any of these bikes slow? The Lifan is 7.5kW/9500r/min
with 7.6N.m/7500r/min torque.

Thanks for your help
Jason.

 

there seems to be a lot of these "re-badged" little bikes from all manner of
companies, some seem to look OK, others seem to be a bit crap looking with
shoddy workmanship. What sort of warranty do you get with one of these
things?, what sort of after sales service are they offering, you are less
likely to be able to sell it for anything like you paid for it in 12 months
time than say if you'd bought a secondhand Honda CG125 (which will always
sell).
The aprillia RS125 is a different beast altogether it's 2 stroke for a start
and extremely fast for what it is,(especially if de-restricted), insurance
is high for a 125, but as long as you don't thrash it, will fetch good money
when you sell it.
My advice would be.... If you MUST have a 125cc machine, look for a good
secondhand honda CG125, you should pick one up for well under a grand.

Dave

 

Jason Gates was seen penning the following ode to ... whatever:

Save a lot of cash and buy a used CG125 instead. That's AFAIK the
model it's based on, it'll be cheaper to buy and have some residual
value, whereas the Lifan has one that's similar to a chocolate teapot
in the Sahara.

It's a highly strung two stroke, it'll go bang. Either buy one that's
still under warranty, or be prepared to learn a lot more about
rebuilding engines than you ever wanted to know. The main advantage of
it is that once you passed your test, you can get the powervalve servo
fitted and end up with a bike that has 30bhp. Not the most
learner-friendly bike though.

or the Honda 125 Valadero (which is a bit big). Would I

Read my lips: Buy a CG125, pass you test on it then flog it. DO NO BUY
A NEW 125 unless you like flushing money down the toilet.

 

Turn around and run like ****.

If you want a 125 due to age, finances or just plain thats all you require,
for four strokes, buy a CG125 (msohpr) or GS125.

If you tried to sell that bike after a week, it'll be worth less than a
grand. No dealer will touch it as a trade in unless they wanted to fleece
you big style, and after a year, it'll be worthless. You can always sell a
CG or GS.

For a 2smoker, the RS125 is not really a learner bike, its a small, highly
strung rev machine that just happens to be gorgeous. If you want a 2smoke
for commuting, can I direct you to MZ.

Ah, the 125 Varadero. You could buy a good 2nd hand 600cc for that money!

There are a plethora of 'brand name' 125cc bikes out there. All will resell
later on, unlike the rebadged bikes. You will lose less on a Honda than a
Hongda and be able to flog it later.

 

Don't shout or is that a cry for help?

As Timo suggested, go for a 2nd hand CG125.

The RS125 is a fine bike but not for the faint hearted or faint moneyed.
It has superb handling and is very trick. However, to get the best out
of it you must be able to ride [1]. You must use expensive 2 stroke oil
and get it serviced regularly and be prepared to replace the piston and
barrel every 10K miles. I rode one through a winter many years ago and
it lasted well but it wasn't cheap to maintain.

[1] Ride as opposed to sitting on it and pootering around.

 

No, No and thrice No. You want to buy the RS125. Thrash it to within an
inch of its life, crash it trying to wheelie it in a futile attempt to get
a blowjob from the bird with big tits.
Fix it, bodge it and tune it all with a collection of lump hammers and a
cold chisel.
Wear its scars with pride. Get your knee down and be the envy of your CG125
riding mates.

For this is the way of true motorcycle enlightenment

 

<snip>

Buy a CG125,

Ahem!

<stern gaze>

 

Timo Geusch wrote

Wise words from one noted for a lack of them.

 

WorkTOG was seen penning the following ode to ... whatever:

Atheist, me.