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Grand Master

Owyhee

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Do you know if the lifan will accept honda upgrades? Like pistons, cams, is the stud spacing the same, and how are the transmissions?

Lifan makes a dozen or two different motors. I bet that one of them would accept piston/barrel/cam swaps with a CRF150F.

That being said, I don't think I would trust a hot-rodded Lifan to hold up for very long.

The CRF150/230 is a very stout motor and the Lifan is a close copy of the motors, but it's not a very good copy.

Try www.chinariders.net to learn more.

"O"

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duckdawg

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There is a dude out west running a Lifan in his race bike, I think he has had good luck with it. Something to keep in mind is that these bikes are made in Brazil, and there are other named varients that come off the same assembly lines. Don't know about the Lifan, think it is Chinese? But some research on your part could possibly lead you in some direction. It would be interesting to know more...

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Grand Master

Mike38

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I bought a SX150 (China bike that looks like a KTM) with an engine made by Loncin. Not Lifan, but Loncin. As far as I'm concerned, this engine is every bit as good as the Honda 150 engine. The frame is not as good as Honda, but the engine is. See about getting one of these Loncin engines. It will bolt right into a CRF150F frame. Now before you start bashing me, I do own a CRF150F, and like it. I bought the China bike just for the fun of it, and to save my Honda for more serious rides. I only paid $305 for the Loncin. That's not a typo, I paid $305 for it on ebay. The seller had a starting bid of $0.99 on it, and I got lucky and got the bike cheap. For that kind of money, you could buy this entire bike, pull the engine and drop it into your Honda, and sell the rolling chassis. This seller now has them for a starting bid of $999, so getting a deal like I got may not happen again. Anyhow, do a search on Loncin engines. You may be able to buy an engine only for just a couple hundred bucks.

Watch the Lifan engines closely so you don't get the push rod type. You want an over head cam type. I bought a Lifan 200cc engine off ebay a year ago and it's a push rod engine. It's in an old XL175 frame. As long as the RPM's stay low, I'm sure it will last many years.

The problems with these China bikes are the frames. The engines seem to be very good. Matter of fact, the Loncin SX150 I have may be better then I think. I took it to a MX track near me for a practice day. My nephew and I rode this bike, and rode it damn hard for 3 hours almost non-stop and I brought it home in one piece, and still running. It's too early to tell if this Loncin will "make the cut" but for $305 if it lasts one season of joy ride / practice / trail rides, I can't complain.

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little_twin

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I'm not to worried about reliability. I am building a lifan for my crf50 now, and there are some things that I will do to make it last longer (all up shift drum and harden the transmission gears). What I worry about with this Lifan 150 motor is that the stud spacing, cam, and piston are different. I could source a piston once I took it apart, but it would suck if all I could do for cams was regrinds.

Also is the bore and stroke on these Lifan 150's the same as the honda 150?

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Grand Master

Owyhee

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I'm not to worried about reliability. I am building a lifan for my crf50 now, and there are some things that I will do to make it last longer (all up shift drum and harden the transmission gears). What I worry about with this Lifan 150 motor is that the stud spacing, cam, and piston are different. I could source a piston once I took it apart, but it would suck if all I could do for cams was regrinds.

Also is the bore and stroke on these Lifan 150's the same as the honda 150?

Good post, Mike38 (I don't know how to multi-quote).

Many of the Chinese 125-230cc engines are loosely based on a Honda product (maybe not the pushrod ones) so there will be some interchangability but what will interchange is probably a crap shoot as the engines are not 100% the same.

Rumor has it that the engines are built to ISO9001 standards. I've seen some of the Lifan engines up close and they seemed pretty solid. Motors go for a few hundred bucks on eBay.

That being said, I got a running 1980 XR200 motor for $150 on eBay a while ago. I have more faith in the 27-year-old Honda motor than a new China engine only because I know and trust Honda products, not because I have personal experience against anything Chinese.

As for your question about whether engine parts will mix and match, try contacting one of these importers:

hooper imports 150cc motor

150cc Engine Specifications:

Engine Model: Lifan 162FMJ

Type: 4-Stroke single-cylinder Over Head Cam air cooled

Bore & Stroke: 62.0 x 49.5mm

Compression ratio: 9.0 : 1

Displacement: 149.4cc

Max. HP: 13.5 HP @ 9,500 rpm

Max. Torque: 8.25 ftlbs @ 7,500 rpm

Idle: 1,500 RPM

Starter: Kick Start & Electric Start

Spark plug: NGK D8EA

Plug Gap: 28 or 0.6-0.8mm

Ignition system: CDI (Capacitive Discharge Ignition)

Lubrication: Pressure / Splash

Oil capacity: 8L (10w-30)

Measurements: 14" x 13" x 17.25"

Weight 63 Pounds

"O"

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mcdrz

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The 200 (actual 198cc) Lifan engines have a longer stroke than the CRF150 motor, but share the same piston size (63.5 mm). A stock or hi-comp 63.5mm piston could be dropped in. What I haven't been able to figure out is how much overbore room there is (whether you can go to the 66 or 66.5 mm piston without resleeving).

Also it appears that the CRF150 performance cams will drop in, as will the HD spring kits. Here is a link of interest:

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=186554&highlight=200cc

The one thing that was found later is that you have to buy the wiring harness and ECU for the Lifan motor as they will not interchange with the CRF as the number of pins are different.

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Grand Master

Mike38

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As for the Loncin 150 engine, I know that from the cyl base gasket up, it's identical to the Honda 150. The side cases on the Loncin look the same as a Honda NX125, so there may be interchangability there.

The 02-05 Honda's are 156cc. The new Honda's are (I think) 149cc. This Loncin is 144cc. So I don't know what's been changed, the bore or the stroke. I happen to have a new 11.5 to 1 piston for a CRF150F. If / when the Loncin needs bored, I may give this piston a try. With the larger bore of the Honda, it could be interesting what I'd come up with using this piston in a Loncin.

When the CRF150F came out with e-start, 2006 I think, I took a very close look at one in a shop. It's remarkable how it looks exactly like a Lifan 150cc over head cam engine. I didn't have the nerve to ask the dealer if Honda is buying China engines and re-badging them, but he probably wouldn't have told me, even if he knew.

I heard from a Lifan dealer near me that the Lifan V-twin 250cc street bike is the exact same engine as the little Yamaha 250cc street bikes. Yamaha buys the engines from Lifan. I have no idea if that's true, but they sure look the same.

So if these China engines are good enough for Honda and Yamaha, they are good enough for me.

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little_twin

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Hmmm.....well I guess I'll build up one of these lifan's and see what happens. After doing some research it turns out that these motor are used in street bikes in other countries, so they must at least be somewhat reliable. The money I save on the engine can go to performance parts for it, and if it grenades whatever is salvageable can just be put onto a real honda engine. It sounds like I just can't loose. What size pin does the crf150 have? Thanks for all of your help guys.

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Grand Master

Owyhee

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Hmmm.....well I guess I'll build up one of these lifan's and see what happens. After doing some research it turns out that these motor are used in street bikes in other countries, so they must at least be somewhat reliable. The money I save on the engine can go to performance parts for it, and if it grenades whatever is salvageable can just be put onto a real honda engine. It sounds like I just can't loose. What size pin does the crf150 have? Thanks for all of your help guys.

Used XR200 motors are out there. A guy on the XR80-200 forum just scored a 2001 XR200 motor for $175.

Honestly, for the price of a new Lifan/clone you can get a complete XL185 that runs for about $450, sell off the rest of the bike on eBay for $75, and have a genuine Honda motor for under $400.

"O"

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