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- Hongdou GY125
- Overview
Have a picture of Hongdou GY125?, please send it to us.
Picture courtesy of lee solan.
| Build quality | 3.5/10   |
|---|---|
| Reliability | 5.5/10 |
| Value for Money | 6.4/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 4.9/10 |
| Overall Rating | 5/10 |
Full review by
cs1990
on 30th Jul 2008
User Rating : 4
Respect :
0
Good Points: cheap . looks alright. decent power.
Bad Points: Thin plastics. Brake squeels constently. Made mega cheaply.
General comments: Have had an off road version of this bike for 3 weeks.
First night out on it the rear panel and tank panel fell off and the battery ' s dead. Charged battery tightened everything up. The battery had no electrolyte whatsoever in it.
second night literally within 2 second the back tyre inner tube burst and caused the tyre to bounce off the rim losing all control over the bike luckily I wasn ' t going fast.
Week later tyres fixed 2 days later the rear sprockets needing adjusted already.
Then at the start off this week when over in the field it was failing to start. Unable to even bump start it and when it does run it will run for about 10 yards then die. It some time doesn ' t even rev. been told that it ' s possible the cheaply made spark plug has melted. If this is true apparently it can cause huge damage 2 the engine and therefore the engine may need replaced.
cs1990's review and ratings | 174 words
Review by
daimorgan
on 4th May 2008
User Rating : 4
Respect :
0
When I first bought my Hongdou GY125 thought I was chocolate but soon realized the bike is made from milk bottle top metal tyres last a month the bolts rust in 3 weeks the cables snap after 3 months the engine I've found is good for reliability not for speed, after all its only a 125 parts are available at online but can be pricey. If I had the money again I would probably save a bit extra and buy a dt 125 xt 125 or the new Peugeot xps 125 any questions then add a comment.
daimorgan's full review | 124 words
Review by
Guest.
on 25th Jan 2008
User Rating : 8
Respect :
0
I've had this bike for 3 years now i think.
When i first got it, when it arrived in the crate, it looked weird. But me and my dad got straight on it, built it up, struggled a bit with the rear, getting the big bolt in for rear suspension, but got it in the end!
Instructions were not a great help at all, got confused bout the fuel switch, but now its fine.
I couldn't wait to get her out and blasting about the roads, so what did I do!
First ride out on it, my mate on his honda dylan 125 scooter an ...
Guest.'s full review | 260 words
Review by
mattp
on 10th Nov 2007
User Rating : 1
Respect :
0
Bike was delivered two weeks ago, instructions might as well have been in Chinese for all the good they were - these bikes, even though somehow road-legal in the UK, are very poorly built off-road bikes with extra electrics tacked on for road use.
The components are incredibly fragile and I've spent 5 hours going over the bike to ensure everything is tightened.
Parts that need to be fitted when delivered "in the crate"
Front wheel and axle
Front Caliper
Speedo sensor
Digital dash
Ha ...
mattp's full review | 203 words
Review by
kinroader
on 15th Oct 2007
User Rating : 8
Respect :
0
Well this bike is 2 and a half years old and it has never let me down rain or shine! Starts 1st time every time and always gets me from A to B. What more would you want from a cheap bike. I think these bikes are absolutely fantastic for the money, if you look after it well it shouldn't cause you any problems, but bare in mind it's not a Japanese bike, it didn't cost £3000 so it's not going to take a bashing like a Jap bike. It's good to have a tiny bit of mechanical knowledge when dealing ...
kinroader's full review | 344 words
Review by
griffon62
on 4th Sep 2007
User Rating : 8
Respect :
+1
If you want to learn to ride a proper bike for your test with all the gears and braking then for £700 (eBay) you cant go far wrong with the Hongdou GY125. Have had mine for a year and done 6000 miles. A few teething problems to start with but nothing serious, and even if you stack it you wont be as much out of pocket than if you had bought a 125 from the big four. Parts are cheap and the cg125 based engine is bulletproof and will give you 55-60 mph and about 100mpg. Overall I would recomme ...
griffon62's full review | 128 words
Review by
randyandy2
on 19th May 2007
User Rating : 7
Respect :
0
Hi everyone, I have the Sumoto GY125 version of this bike and can't find insurance anywhere for it if you also own this make and have the insurance in the UK for it could you let me know who your insurer is?
randyandy2's full review | 50 words | 1 comment added.
Review by
simonbainbridge17
on 10th May 2007
User Rating : 0
Respect :
0
Had the Hongdou GY125 for 6 month now endless trouble with this bike just recently had it brake down when I have checked it the piston has disintegrated the exhaust valve had disintegrated and cylinder head was covered in metal fragments and smashed, frame rusts very easily spokes snap off wheels when driving electrics are very poor quality, plastics are very poor if you spill petrol on them they will crack paint flakes off engine, exhaust rusts also if you try to remove bolts they will snap ver ...
simonbainbridge17's full review | 222 words
Review by
jimbles177
expert review 
on 1st May 2007
User Rating : 5
Respect :
+1
Well here is what I suggest you do if you have just bought a Hongdou/Lifan or whatever other name it is.
I know its tempting to jump straight on your new bike and test it out. DON'T!! - you need to realize the person who has just built your bike has no clue or care who you are, and probably has no clue how to assemble a bike to a road safe standard.
Before you ride the bike you should...
Take into consideration that no thread-lock has been used while assembling these bikes, and the bear ...
jimbles177's full review | 422 words | 3 comments added.
Review by
lucanhandley
on 22nd Dec 2006
User Rating : 7
Respect :
0
This is a first impession review - although I have had my urban dz 125 for a month I have not yet ridden it as I do not get my licence until mid Jan - I've assembled it, started it up and even rode it up the gardern (about 10 feet). I have never had a bike or even rode one until this one and at the moment I love it - It sounds powerful, looks great and I got it brand new registered with tax, delivery and a smaller sprocket fitted for less than a grand. TPO insurance only £90 per year too - ...
lucanhandley's full review | 103 words | 1 comment added.
Review by
richu
on 28th Nov 2006
User Rating : 1
Respect :
0
In the six months i had the bike it was in the shop 11 times, the build quality was very poor.
richu's full review | 43 words
Review by
difflock
on 19th Nov 2006
User Rating : 9
Respect :
0
These bikes are getting better every year!
Mine is a Sumoto branded one, and it is superb.....I havent had any problems with it at all...
For a 4 stroke 125cc bike they accelerate better than expected!
Mine will out accelerate a 2006 Honda XR125, and is 3mph faster top speed!
Only thing I have changed is the rear sprocket. Put on a 50 tooth sprocket!
Takes the top speed from about 53mph to 65-67mph!
I use mine for road riding mainly, and the smaller sprocket gives you a much more u ...
difflock's full review | 268 words
Review by
BANKSIE
on 14th Nov 2006
User Rating : 1
Respect :
0
Bought myself a GY125 at a snippy £399 - wow I thought - good price for a 54 plate but ever since its been tweak this bolt, tweak that, change that bulb, fix that spring - if you're a tinkerer you'll get on with it!
Also, don't take it off road - it's even worse and rideability is rubbish unless you can put up with all the vibration between your legs.
BANKSIE's full review | 89 words
Review by
themechanic
on 29th Oct 2006
User Rating : 5
Respect :
0
Well, I've had my Hongdou GY125 now for around 3 months....
Firstly, run it in properly. I didn't and resulted in a bent valve - £80 for a new cylinder head. This was my own fault really as it only had 200 miles on it when I started really pushing it hard every day. Mine is now on 900 miles and no more probs yet but as I mentioned, it really vibrates, especially between 30-40mph but after or below that it's OK. The fact that most of our roads have 30mph speed limits gets really annoying. ...
themechanic's full review | 172 words | 2 comments added.
Review by
stevewilsonlp
on 21st Aug 2006
User Rating : 7
Respect :
0
I had this bike for 7 days and in that 7 days the horn whent dodgy, kept blowing the main fuse in bike when i pressed it so had to fix it myself. The indicator switch came loose inside and I had to fix it myself. The right indicator bulb blew and the battery mounted on the back was scraping on my back tyre every time i was going over speed bumps so had to fix it myself. These are only little things but they all could have been avoided from the day it left the warehouse, in my eyes the bike wasnt ...
stevewilsonlp's full review | 177 words
Review by
rich28861
on 18th Aug 2006
User Rating : 6
Respect :
0
If you are happy fiddling around in your shed with your bike and you don't get bothered by the techi stuff then go for it. I have had mine now for one year and I ride it all over the place (now over 4K miles), yes it has had some niggles, loose bolts, a snapped exhaust bracket, vibration, poor seat, some poor quality electrical connections, corrosion etc. However, if you prepare the bike well then you should get good value out of it.
Tips: cover all the electrics in WD 40 regularly, Spray ru ...
rich28861's full review | 192 words
Review by
04nicholsonv
on 8th Jun 2006
User Rating : 7
Respect :
0
The Hongdou GY125 is a farmers bike dont buy it if you want some fun.Everything about it is bad. The seat makes the groin extremely uncomfortabe. The bars are at an alright height but they could be higher. This bike is for a farmer not an Enduro rider.
04nicholsonv's full review | 66 words
Review by
ihatehongduos
on 7th Jun 2006
User Rating : 0
Respect :
0
I bought the hongdou for £500 and I got riped off, my CR80 was stolen so I bought the hongduo and that was the worse decision i have ever made. My 9 year old brother has a KTM SX65 and he thrashed me round the local track, I'm 15 and my mates mocked me for getting beat by my little brother, you can get no traction with the bike I recommend anyone to not get this bike, you will end up shooting your self in anger, I was crying for days.
ihatehongduos's full review | 171 words
Review by
karting51
on 7th Jun 2006
User Rating : 3
Respect :
0
Not for every day use, it takes too long to check for loose bolts every time you have used it.
karting51's full review | 56 words
Review by
deadhongdou
on 24th May 2006
User Rating : 0
Respect :
0
The general idea of this Hongdou GY125 is very good however the general quality of the metal actually used is very poor thus it will rust very quickly if used off road. The engine is made of rough cast alloy not half as strong as an equivalent Honda xl engine. Generally avoid at all costs.
deadhongdou's full review | 72 words
