DB30 w/ 125cc Lifan pitbike engine

#1
A friend of mine built this thing probably 10 years ago or so and I finally got him to sell it to me. It's a DB30 with a 125cc Lifan pitbike engine in it. It's kickstart only and has a 5-speed with a clutch. It's a ton of fun to ride. He pulled it out every couple of years to clean the carb and give it a short ride. Right now it starts on the first kick.

I will be taking it apart to clean up welds and paint it. It currently needs tires as well. I also want to find a new clutch lever for it since the one on it now is way too long. It needs a short one. I'm not a fan of the tank under the seat or it being right above the exhaust either.



 
#3
I bet it's a blast to ride with that engine. It's it on the stock engine plate mounting plate?
Partially, it has extra supports. My friend's welding skills weren't that great when he built this thing. The welds are rough and a lot don't penetrate well. It's held up though. Luckily a co-worker of mine is damn good at welding and is willing to basically re-do all of it for me. Not only in the name of safety, but just so things look better.

I'm going to have him tackle this once I finish my current Coleman CT200U project I'm working on. He's going to be welding up some mounts for the brake and tank on that one this weekend.
 

gbabins1

Active Member
#4
Gotcha, my welding is sub par as well. Anything I have that needs to be perfect or visible / I take to my brother to weld up for me. He welds for a living and has made many parts and repairs for me over the years. Exhausts, foot pegs,cool gas tanks, custom chain / clutch guards~ you name it he's made it. I've always thought it would be cool to put one of the Lifan 125's on a mini, although we have a few bikes that will smoke his SSR 125 on the street ( a couple with TAV's and one with a clutch) but hell, they're all fun in their own way.

Did you start a thread for your CT200?
 
#5
Did you start a thread for your CT200?
I've posted a few pics of it on here. I should probably just make a thread with the progress on it so far.

This is how it pretty much looks right now. After the welding is done this weekend I could make it a rider if I wanted. I'm going to wait until I do the engine mods though.



I should also be picking up another DB this weekend. Aside from needing tires and putting a 22mm Chinese Mikuni on it I'd probably leave it alone. It already has a Predator swap, header, air filter and TAV (not a knock-off from looking at pics) on it. I'll post pics if I end up with it. Supposed to be meeting up with the person Sunday AM.
 

gbabins1

Active Member
#6
Looks like it's coming along nicely! What size are your street tires on there? Funny they look very similar to the old style DB \ frame wise. Is it as roomy as the DB?

I was considering making our DB more street worthy. I had it set up for mostly of road riding... From the tires to the gearing. Recently we have been riding more on some paved bicycle trails and the DB just sits parked in the garage. What better way to give it a new life then to give it a makeover? I like the front forks on your CT also...Looks cool!
 
#7
I'm running a 5" on the front and a 6.5" on the rear.

This frame is only a little larger than the DB frame. The big difference is the rear wheel is mounted on the inside of the frame on the DB vs. outside like on this one. The actual frame is about the same size between the two. The Coleman is maybe an inch longer. FWIW, the Coleman CT100U is the same as the old DB30.

Had the tank mounts and rear brake mount fabbed up by a buddy today. I think he went a bit overkill on the caliper mount with the extra gusset piece. It'll be strong though. I did lose the rear wheel adjustment since the caliper mount is on the frame. I should have enough in the engine plate that it won't be a big deal when the chain stretches. They'll look factory once everything is painted.

The tank is from these guys on Ebay: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335845805&icep_item=303067627112





 

gbabins1

Active Member
#8
I'm running a 5" on the front and a 6.5" on the rear.

This frame is only a little larger than the DB frame. The big difference is the rear wheel is mounted on the inside of the frame on the DB vs. outside like on this one. The actual frame is about the same size between the two. The Coleman is maybe an inch longer. FWIW, the Coleman CT100U is the same as the old DB30.

Had the tank mounts and rear brake mount fabbed up by a buddy today. I think he went a bit overkill on the caliper mount with the extra gusset piece. It'll be strong though. I did lose the rear wheel adjustment since the caliper mount is on the frame. I should have enough in the engine plate that it won't be a big deal when the chain stretches. They'll look factory once everything is painted.

The tank is from these guys on Ebay: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335845805&icep_item=303067627112





Looks like the rear tire is 13x6.50 -6 is that correct? I re geared our DB yesterday and procrastinated on the last front fork on Amazon... now - she gone. I'll look into swapping the tires out until they get more in stock. The tank is nicely made as well. I had similar one made for our Trail Blazer, holds a good amount of fuel for those longer rides.
Are you keeping the stock seat on or doing something different?
 
#10
Looks like the rear tire is 13x6.50 -6 is that correct? I re geared our DB yesterday and procrastinated on the last front fork on Amazon... now - she gone. I'll look into swapping the tires out until they get more in stock. The tank is nicely made as well. I had similar one made for our Trail Blazer, holds a good amount of fuel for those longer rides.
Are you keeping the stock seat on or doing something different?
Yeah, the rear is a 13x6.5-6. I'm going to keep the stock seat on it. It's comfortable enough and I don't see any reason to replace it. I kind of like having one, stock piece left of the original bike too.

Have you tried ordering the forks directly from Mega Moto? They're a bit more expensive since you have to pay shipping. I added them to my cart and didn't get any message or anything stating they were out of stock.

https://megamotousa.com/products/front-suspension-kit
 

gbabins1

Active Member
#11
Yeah I hear ya on the seat... Even the DB seats are petty comfy. If I replace mine it'll be the last thing to go. I built it a few years ago for my daughter but now it mostly sits an I have an itch to give it another makeover. Your CT has inspired me.
I didn't try Mega Moto's website but I'll check it out in the morning, that'll probably be a better option than waiting for Amazon to get more in stock. I'll do some searching tomorrow for those tires too. I believe they'll fit the stock Db30 rim, shouldn't have to worry about it rubbing the brake caliper since I'll be going with a clutch brake. I'll just have to fab something up to work with the jackshaft setup. I have 2 Bonanza's with clutch brakes and they're hard to beat for stopping power.
 
#12
I'll do some searching tomorrow for those tires too. I believe they'll fit the stock Db30 rim, shouldn't have to worry about it rubbing the brake caliper since I'll be going with a clutch brake.

I'm running stock DB wheels, so they work.

Here's the rear tire that I bought. Ignore the 1 star review from the idiot that didn't know what they're doing.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DTI0GY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Got the front tire from AliExpress. Never had an issue when ordering from there.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/13x...506.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.31db4c4drfapsJ

FWIW, mounting those tires did take 2-3 of us and the tire machine at my work. Those short sidewalls aren't fun to deal with.
 

gbabins1

Active Member
#13
I'm running stock DB wheels, so they work.

Here's the rear tire that I bought. Ignore the 1 star review from the idiot that didn't know what they're doing.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DTI0GY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Got the front tire from AliExpress. Never had an issue when ordering from there.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/13x...506.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.31db4c4drfapsJ

FWIW, mounting those tires did take 2-3 of us and the tire machine at my work. Those short sidewalls aren't fun to deal with.



I guess I waited too long to order the front forks and it appears they are sold out everywhere I have looked. I had a death in the family and was out of sync for a bit. Thanks for the tire links, I should have those coming soon!
 

Harquebus

Well-Known Member
#14
It's a DB30 with a 125cc Lifan pitbike engine in it. It's kickstart only and has a 5-speed with a clutch. It's a ton of fun to ride.
Horribly late here but the bike looked absolutely ideal with that engine on it, filling up the available space and morphing it into mini motorcycle category as they did back in the 60-70s (Bonanza BC1300 for example). I did not expect the thread to show a change to a regular plain jane stationary industrial engine. Whoops.

Maybe it complicates the simplicity of the classic minibike and running up and down through the gears might be a chore with the cramped seating position?
 
#15
The 125cc engines have a 4-speed transmission and multi-plate wet clutch, there are various models. One Lifan 125 is a square engine with a 54mm bore and 54mm stroke, it is rated 11.4 HP at 9,500 rpm. That model sells for around $400. There are oversquare models (longer stroke, smaller bore) that make 8.7 HP at 7,500 rpm that sell for $200-300. These engines are bargains, IMO. There are larger engines of this type in 140, 155, 190 and 212cc variants. The large ones have 5-speed transmissions and make up to 18 HP at 9,500 rpm, IIRC. Zongshen makes a 212, and there are other brands making 190s, Daytona, Piranha... Some 190s have a 4-valve head. As you may imagine, these larger engines aren't exactly cheap, in the $1,000-1,500 range. I've often thought about buying the square Lifan 125 but I'm getting really bad at finishing projects in my old age (great at buying parts/accessories and starting projects, though... :rolleyes:). The 11.4 HP Lifan would be plenty for me, with a 9,500 rpm peak and a 4-speed transmission, it should be pretty quick/fast. I'd just have to remember there's only 4 gears after many years of 6-speed motorcycles, wouldn't want damage the transmission trying to bang 5th gear...
 
Top