“Hey Guys, we’ve got a lekker new to market scrambler, do you want to take it for a few weeks and put it through its paces a bit?”. Well, who would ever say no to an offer like that? “We’re on our way to collect it now!” and that was exactly what we did.
The Lifan 250 X-Trail is an attractive and robust looking bit of equipment. It looks like a proper scrambler should, rugged, modern lines with a nod to the long heritage of scramblers in general.
Pics and feature mostly by Black Rock Studio
It has “rightside up” forks with a leading front axle and retro style fork boots to protect the stanchions and fork seals. Bolted to the bottom of that is a 21 inch spoked rim and fairly aggressive bit of Pirelli rubber, with a modern single wavy brake disc and twin pot calliper. A quick swing around and out back is an 18 inch spoked rim with matching Pirelli rubber, wavy disc and single pot calliper. This is all bolted to a simple and fairly hardy looking monoshock swingarm.
The chain and sprocket are protected by both an upper and lower guard.
The stance of the Lifan 250 X-Trail is very much that of a reasonably serious trail bike – with excellent ground clearance, under engine protection, high sweeping mudguards and high foot rests for tackling logs, rocks, deep water and mud puddles as well as general banging around the bush or on the farm. The handle bars are high and wide, the stepped seat is designed for comfort. The LCD display is practical, easy to read in most light conditions, with all the information you need in a sturdy casing mounted behind a little bikini headlight fairing.
The 11.5 litre fuel tank and the steel frame are clad in modern off road styled plastics with bold graphics, with the high upswept exhaust on the right hand side. Passenger fold away footrests are mounted to the subframe as is the nifty little carry rack. The headlight features a daytime running light and discreet LED indicators on all four corners, that should survive a tumble if need be.
Lifan claims around 35 km’s plus per litre from the 223cc, four stroke, air cooled single mill.
Those specs read as follows: 12.5 kW at 7,500rpm and 16.5 nm of torque of 6,500rpm through the 6 speed gearbox with a top speed of 110 kmh. We can attest to those figures.
We stuck our Stefan onboard the Lifan 250 X-Trail and pointed at the nearest bit of dirt. He confirms that the bike can definitely reach 110 kmh with a fair amount of ease, but is happier somewhere between 90 and 100 kmh.
Here are some of of his thoughts:
This bike is perfect for those who need something just to get the job done. Something to cruise around town and explore the trails, without any fancy gizmos and gadgets.
The motorcycle is basic, with the only tech being the LCD clocks. No traction control, no ABS, no rider modes, no injector, it’s an old school carbureted dual sport runaround that fits perfectly on a plot, a farm or in the hands of a young enthusiast that needs their own transport and something to play with over the weekend.
Some entry level bikes feel a bit weird and awkward as soon as you get on, with weird seating positions, funky handlebars and questionable buttons. However, this feels exactly as it should, well-tailored for an average-sized person to ride comfortably and upright with all six (yes, only six) buttons doing what they should.
The only small gripe I might have is that the handlebars could be a bit wider, but all in all comfortable.
This Lifan has excellent road manners, and handles great with the 21-inch front. The Pirelli tyres are fantastic and roll well when cornering, providing you with enough grip to keep you confident. You won’t be beating anyone in a street race anytime soon but you still have ample power to get you ahead of traffic and keep you out of trouble around town. Theres no real need to to stress about speeding tickets because you can’t go much faster than 90 km\h without working really hard for it. The top speed of 110 was achieved on a downhill with the wind in my favour.
Take it off the road and wander into the fields to go say hi to the cattle or have a picnic at your favourite spot and you’ll find out just where this bike really belongs. Hopping along on single tracks or old farm roads at around 40-60 and you’ll smile all the way. The suspension gently soaks up all the bumps and the engine relaxingly plows along the countryside and there is even enough room to pop a friend on the back. When the going gets tough or you need to pick up some pace, you can stand up comfortably to get a better view of the terrain and a good handle on the bike through the bumpy stuff. You could explore your local tracks all day long with this and get yourself to and from the fields on the tar with ease.
It has a lot of low down grunt, great for riding trails or checking on your livestock out in the fields. It’s light enough, nimble and handles easily. We rode through some deep water and I was sure I was in for a swim or a stall, but the 250 X-Trail powered through.
The Pirelli tyres grip very well and the suspension soaked up all the impacts from the submerged rocks without jarring me off the bike. The bike also didn’t drown in the deep water.
It feels like this is a great little machine, no frills, no fuss, just a basic runaround with an itch for some exploring.
Seriously, I might just get myself one for when I have to do on location photographic shoots at off road events.
And there you have it, a great little all-rounder, go anywhere, do anything, bike with loads of torque that sips fuel and a strong national dealer network – all for R26,995.00.
For more information or to find your nearest dealer check out Lifan SA’s website.
