I used to have Hondas and Suzukis in the past, and paid a lot of money for them because I always bought new. I still have a Suzuki, but wanted a smaller dual sport bike and ended up buying the Trailmaster T5 which is a 223cc street legal dual sport. Very similar to the old CRF230F or the Suzuki DR200S. But the price for the Trailmaster was only 1699, plus 150 for assembly. I'm in Dallas and there are several china bikes shops here so I just went to one of them and bought the bike already assembled. Tax title and license tags amounted to 80 bucks. So out the door it was CHEAP! Anyway it's a great bike for the price. I haven't had any trouble with it yet. It's electric start plus kick, came with a rear rack, skid plate, digital instruments, disk brakes front and rear, rim locks for off-road riding, USD forks, alloy rims, LED lighting all around, and a good sized fuel tank. The Zongshen engine runs much stronger than expected, very snappy and strong torque. So, no complaints I really enjoy it and it looks great too.
I Hear ya. I agree the China bikes are a quality bike for a great price. you bought a nice bike that I’m sure you will enjoy for some time. Thanks for watching.ELS
Scott, have you seen the new XPro Paladin 300? It's EFI, 6 speed, 300cc, liquid cooled, all street legal components, and a claimed 33.5 HP for right under $3K. It's so difficult to justify purchasing any of the Big 4 bikes when Chinese bikes just keep getting better and better and are affordable with sufficient quality out of the box.
Amen. I will be looking into the paladin sounds inviting. and yes the big 4 bikes are just to much money, helps to keep me looking into the China bikes.thanks for the info and for watching. ELS
If your going to be in the dirt most of the time I would recommend the M as 5 spd is enough gears and it has a kick start back up. if more road use the 6spd would be a benefit. Thanks for watching.ELS
Stock the bike indicates 73mph, however the speedo reads a couple mph high. After changing out the front sprocket from 13t to 14t bike indicates 75 mph. Additionally, the 14t gives a little more space between the first 3 gears. Thanks for watching.ELS
First let me correct the top speed as I have given you the Lifan KPX speeds. Sorry. Top speed on the Templar with a 44t rear sprocket is right at 60 with the 5 speed. The six speed would be better if you spend more time on the road. I stay mostly off road with mine and five is good and I do like having a kick start back up. I hope this helps.ELS
@@Scott-sk7en ok thanks, definitely agree about the Kickstarter thing, any dirt bike should come with a kick start. its like a standard for dirtbikes. thats part of the reason i dont want to get the x, and want to get the m, because it has a backup kickstart. and cost slightly less too so thats a plus.
My concern after owning several china brand tools, is that they are cheap but generally not durable. The more sophisticated the tool, the bigger the discrepancy. I have milwaukie and makita power tools that are 40 years old and still work like new. Many are better quality than new tools today. The Harbor Freight tools are not close to the quality. The cords harden and crack, the gear boxes get sloppy and loud, screws shear off or just fall out. They work, but lack quality. Honda bikes, especially the XR and XL lines are some of the most durable and reliable and bulletproof bikes ever made. My bro's early 90's XR can sit for years, and as long as it has good gas, it starts in 1 or 2 kicks. It doesn't leak anywhere. I know China can make quality items when they want to, or are spec'd to. How is the quality of the electronics (stator, cdi box), the rubber parts and seals and the shocks on the Templar? Are the plastics going to fade, get hard and crack? Are these bikes full rubber parts that will get hard, crack and leak, springs that will sag, loose tolerances in the motors and bad metallurgy that could kill you if the wrong metal component fails? Or, have they closed the gap, and are really trying to make a durable reliable product?
I hear you and I agree the Honda is a quality bike that will last. The China bikes have come a long way and are affordable alternative at a reasonable price. Any bike can last if the rider services the bike as recommended. thanks for watching.ELS
I used to have Hondas and Suzukis in the past, and paid a lot of money for them because I always bought new. I still have a Suzuki, but wanted a smaller dual sport bike and ended up buying the Trailmaster T5 which is a 223cc street legal dual sport. Very similar to the old CRF230F or the Suzuki DR200S. But the price for the Trailmaster was only 1699, plus 150 for assembly. I'm in Dallas and there are several china bikes shops here so I just went to one of them and bought the bike already assembled. Tax title and license tags amounted to 80 bucks. So out the door it was CHEAP!
Anyway it's a great bike for the price. I haven't had any trouble with it yet. It's electric start plus kick, came with a rear rack, skid plate, digital instruments, disk brakes front and rear, rim locks for off-road riding, USD forks, alloy rims, LED lighting all around, and a good sized fuel tank. The Zongshen engine runs much stronger than expected, very snappy and strong torque. So, no complaints I really enjoy it and it looks great too.
I Hear ya. I agree the China bikes are a quality bike for a great price. you bought a nice bike that I’m sure you will enjoy for some time. Thanks for watching.ELS
Scott, have you seen the new XPro Paladin 300? It's EFI, 6 speed, 300cc, liquid cooled, all street legal components, and a claimed 33.5 HP for right under $3K. It's so difficult to justify purchasing any of the Big 4 bikes when Chinese bikes just keep getting better and better and are affordable with sufficient quality out of the box.
Amen. I will be looking into the paladin sounds inviting. and yes the big 4 bikes are just to much money, helps to keep me looking into the China bikes.thanks for the info and for watching. ELS
Yeah i think I'm going to get a Templar im trying to decide what middle though to get. So you recommend the m over the x?
If your going to be in the dirt most of the time I would recommend the M as 5 spd is enough gears and it has a kick start back up. if more road use the 6spd would be a benefit. Thanks for watching.ELS
how fast will it go stock? also is five gears enough? or would 6 be better
Stock the bike indicates 73mph, however the speedo reads a couple mph high. After changing out the front sprocket from 13t to 14t bike indicates 75 mph. Additionally, the 14t gives a little more space between the first 3 gears. Thanks for watching.ELS
@@Scott-sk7en thx, but still, would it be better to get the 6 speed version, or is the five fine?
First let me correct the top speed as I have given you the Lifan KPX speeds. Sorry. Top speed on the Templar with a 44t rear sprocket is right at 60 with the 5 speed. The six speed would be better if you spend more time on the road. I stay mostly off road with mine and five is good and I do like having a kick start back up. I hope this helps.ELS
@@Scott-sk7en ok thanks, definitely agree about the Kickstarter thing, any dirt bike should come with a kick start. its like a standard for dirtbikes. thats part of the reason i dont want to get the x, and want to get the m, because it has a backup kickstart. and cost slightly less too so thats a plus.
@@isaiahlea856 sounds like a good choice,enjoy.
My concern after owning several china brand tools, is that they are cheap but generally not durable. The more sophisticated the tool, the bigger the discrepancy. I have milwaukie and makita power tools that are 40 years old and still work like new. Many are better quality than new tools today. The Harbor Freight tools are not close to the quality. The cords harden and crack, the gear boxes get sloppy and loud, screws shear off or just fall out. They work, but lack quality.
Honda bikes, especially the XR and XL lines are some of the most durable and reliable and bulletproof bikes ever made. My bro's early 90's XR can sit for years, and as long as it has good gas, it starts in 1 or 2 kicks. It doesn't leak anywhere. I know China can make quality items when they want to, or are spec'd to. How is the quality of the electronics (stator, cdi box), the rubber parts and seals and the shocks on the Templar? Are the plastics going to fade, get hard and crack? Are these bikes full rubber parts that will get hard, crack and leak, springs that will sag, loose tolerances in the motors and bad metallurgy that could kill you if the wrong metal component fails? Or, have they closed the gap, and are really trying to make a durable reliable product?
I hear you and I agree the Honda is a quality bike that will last. The China bikes have come a long way and are affordable alternative at a reasonable price. Any bike can last if the rider services the bike as recommended. thanks for watching.ELS