+1
a prime example is crap coming from China flooding Ebay, my main concearn is "trust" I don't trust China.
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Thoughts on The Misfit by Cleveland Cyclewerks
- Thread starter sunnyss
- Start date
+1
a prime example is crap coming from China flooding Ebay, my main concearn is "trust" I don't trust China.
You will be hard pressed to find products without Chinese parts (like 99% of your computer). Buy Canadian? two words: Ford Windstar
bobjohnson
Well-known member
So, considering no one in this thread actually owns one, let me tell you about this bike:
1) The build quality is OK. It is not as well built in some areas as the CBR125, or the various small CC cruiser style bikes from yamaha/Kawi. The engine paint is is really thin, some of the electrical is only just long enough to reach, the frame is clearly not galvanized because it starts to surface rust as soon as the paint is scratched off. It does have some things that no other bikes at this pricepoint have though. Stainless steel brake lines. Dual piston calipers. Reservoir shocks. Weighs 240 pounds wet. This is a weight class they said you cant get into without titanium and magnesium parts. 80mpg rated (Gets better than this in the city, I put maybe 50 dollars of fuel in mine last summer over 12k km, so about 115mpg). A fuel gauge (which is pretty weak but still rare at the 4k price point). Its a trade off in quality here because some parts are worse, some parts are better.
2) Its reliable. The engine is an overbored CM125 pushrod engine. Its made by Lifan, who despite being chinese, actually make some quality engines (and some bad ones, like anything sub 100cc). Lifan actually made CM125 engines for years for domestic china market before they bought the schematics from Honda. Either way, a pushrod engine could be put together by a monkey and it would still be reliable as ****.
3) This is an OLD bike. If you buy one and are expecting it to perform the same as a CBR250, Ninja 250 or even a CBR125, you're gonna be sad. This bike is built with technology that was start of the art 45 years ago. It might not start on the first try every time. It might not run well if you try to ride it cold. You WILL have to **** with the carbs within a few months of owning it. Is this bad? Depends on what you wanted. Personally I wanted a brand new factory bike that was similar to my vintage bikes, and I got it. If you wanted a brand new bike because you dont know **** about bikes, well, youre gonna have a bad time.
4) Like the above, its unforgiving. Sloppy shift? You will feel it. Bad throttle control? You will feel it. Push the brakes too hard? Wheels will lock up. Bike tips over? It will run until the engine seizes. Theres nothing between you and the controls, no EFI, no computer, no sensors. Is this a bad thing? Not for me, but maybe for you.
Ive had this bike down to the frame, and honestly, its not much different than any of my vintage honda bikes as far as welds, design decisions, build quality, etc. I dont regret buying it at all, and treated properly and maintained like you would maintain a bike in 1970, it will give you endless amounts of fun. But if you want a brand new bike that feels like a bike made in 2014, dont buy it. If you dont like wrenching on your bikes, dont buy it. As your only bike? eeeehhh id probably not choose this one as the one to keep, if we want to be perfectly honest. Some of my other bikes are more fun. But as a quick little around-town bike or a bike thats fun to go out riding at night on open roads like a hooligan? Its really good.
And again, just because its made in china doesnt mean ****. In the 50s, 60s, and 70s, tons of people would line up to tell you that everything made in japan is garbage. People are people across the world, and a quality product could be made in my ****ing closet by the right person.
1) The build quality is OK. It is not as well built in some areas as the CBR125, or the various small CC cruiser style bikes from yamaha/Kawi. The engine paint is is really thin, some of the electrical is only just long enough to reach, the frame is clearly not galvanized because it starts to surface rust as soon as the paint is scratched off. It does have some things that no other bikes at this pricepoint have though. Stainless steel brake lines. Dual piston calipers. Reservoir shocks. Weighs 240 pounds wet. This is a weight class they said you cant get into without titanium and magnesium parts. 80mpg rated (Gets better than this in the city, I put maybe 50 dollars of fuel in mine last summer over 12k km, so about 115mpg). A fuel gauge (which is pretty weak but still rare at the 4k price point). Its a trade off in quality here because some parts are worse, some parts are better.
2) Its reliable. The engine is an overbored CM125 pushrod engine. Its made by Lifan, who despite being chinese, actually make some quality engines (and some bad ones, like anything sub 100cc). Lifan actually made CM125 engines for years for domestic china market before they bought the schematics from Honda. Either way, a pushrod engine could be put together by a monkey and it would still be reliable as ****.
3) This is an OLD bike. If you buy one and are expecting it to perform the same as a CBR250, Ninja 250 or even a CBR125, you're gonna be sad. This bike is built with technology that was start of the art 45 years ago. It might not start on the first try every time. It might not run well if you try to ride it cold. You WILL have to **** with the carbs within a few months of owning it. Is this bad? Depends on what you wanted. Personally I wanted a brand new factory bike that was similar to my vintage bikes, and I got it. If you wanted a brand new bike because you dont know **** about bikes, well, youre gonna have a bad time.
4) Like the above, its unforgiving. Sloppy shift? You will feel it. Bad throttle control? You will feel it. Push the brakes too hard? Wheels will lock up. Bike tips over? It will run until the engine seizes. Theres nothing between you and the controls, no EFI, no computer, no sensors. Is this a bad thing? Not for me, but maybe for you.
Ive had this bike down to the frame, and honestly, its not much different than any of my vintage honda bikes as far as welds, design decisions, build quality, etc. I dont regret buying it at all, and treated properly and maintained like you would maintain a bike in 1970, it will give you endless amounts of fun. But if you want a brand new bike that feels like a bike made in 2014, dont buy it. If you dont like wrenching on your bikes, dont buy it. As your only bike? eeeehhh id probably not choose this one as the one to keep, if we want to be perfectly honest. Some of my other bikes are more fun. But as a quick little around-town bike or a bike thats fun to go out riding at night on open roads like a hooligan? Its really good.
And again, just because its made in china doesnt mean ****. In the 50s, 60s, and 70s, tons of people would line up to tell you that everything made in japan is garbage. People are people across the world, and a quality product could be made in my ****ing closet by the right person.
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Great write-up Mr. bobjohnson. Makes me want one now. I love to tinker.
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