Not sex on wheels but good cheap fun & practicality

“Not sex on wheels but good cheap fun and practicality”

Written on: 13/06/2012 by Lillypinkjenny (2 reviews written)

I passed my test a few years ago but never had my own bike and with my relationship gone bang I needed cheap transport and was going to get myself a little Honda to get around as everybody told me not to touch chinese bikes with a barge pole LOL

After looking at a few in my price range with a kind and patient friend we both reckoned I could not afford what I wanted for the price. I went to look at a new Lexmoto Arrow because in the free ads paper they were under £1000 brand new and on the road.

OK even I could see that it was not a Honda and where it was cheap but it was brand new and had some warranty but the dealer threw in some waterproofs as I had the rest of my gear and after sorting some cheap insurance which was half what I would have paid on a Honda I was on the road.

I was advised to coat the bike in ACF50 but that stuff is so expensive and I was suffering a bit of post purchase penny pinching and bought some £1 cans of 151 damp start from the pound shop thinking they were a cheap wd40 substitute. My friend and I painted the exposed metal bits of the bike in this stuff and used paintbrushes to get it into all the little hidden cavities.

The first service came up ridiculously quickly and I think they just changed the oil and told me to bring it back in something like 1000 km. That was the last time it went back to the shop I bought it from. The service intervals to keep the warranty were really small so I just decided not to bother because it all seemed fine and my friend offered to teach me how to do the stuff that needed doing on it.

I bought a can of chain lube but it was so expensive I googled some alternatives and decided to use Automatic transmission fluid on a rag to do the chain and I made sure I did it every couple of days as opinion seemed to be that the chains on chinese bikes are made of soft metal and need adjusting regularly. Mine has only been adjusted about 10times in the last year though it is now needing adjustment for the second time in a week so it may need replacing now.

Mostly I just rode it cleaned it with soapy water and polished it with furniture polish. I did redo the 151 spray every few months and every month over Winter. I'm now pretty good at changing my own oil and I do that every 1000 km without fail even though it is not that black when it comes out. I bought an oil can on advice and oil the cables and tighten up bolts and nuts regularly with my tool kit donated by my Dad.

I did not renew my bus pass even for the Winter because the Arrow always started and never let me down. Riding in the cold and wet has been horrible at times but I do think I ride safer for doing it and the bike has made it easier because it is very light and easy to move around and ride. It kind of does about 80 mpg when I do measure it which is good.

Someone with the same bike came up to me in Worthing and said I might need my valves clearances adjusting but my friend says it is not noisy so leave it alone so I have.

This is not a brilliant review I know because all I have basically done is ridden the bike for a year but I have just clicked over 16000 km which is nearly 10 thousand miles in one year and some people told me the bike would not last that long.

Oh it had a new back tyre I can't remember when but it was split and may have been vandalised.

It is not as sexy as the Hornet of my boyfriend's that I used to ride nor is it as fast and it is not a Honda but my lovely little Lexmoto Arrow has never failed me despite my lack of experience and its cheap running costs have been welcome.

I cleaned it up properly in the last hot spell and it looked a bit less mint than when I bought it but not much. I did end up doing the 151 spray again and getting it filthy again soon after so it was short lived.

I am going to ride it another year and maybe even more miles this year as I want to do some proper bike rallies (eek!) but I will probably treat it to a proper service and a look over by a proper garage soon and get tat chain changed. I may even have a go at doing that myself.

Lilly x