Lifan KPM150 Cafe Racer Launched Abroad, Cheaper Than Yamaha R15 V3

The Chinese motorcycle is perfect for those who want a neo-retro cafe racer with BMW R nineT Racer’s looks at a fraction of the cost

• The Lifan KPM150 Cafe comes with clip-on handlebars, cafe racer-style cowl, and aggressive ergonomics.
• Its 149cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine is claimed to offer a mileage of 40kmpl.
• Starts from an equivalent of Rs 1.39 lakh.

Chinese manufacturer Lifan Technology (Group) has launched the new Lifan KPM150 Cafe in its home market. A quick glance at this pint-sized cafe racer makes you realise it’s got the BMW R nineT Racer-inspired looks. That said, the bike comes at a fraction of the price of the German neo-retro, at just CNY 11,980 or approximately Rs 1.39 lakh for the non-ABS variant and CNY 13,180 or about Rs 1.53 lakh (both prices excluding taxes and duties). That's less than the Yamaha R15 V3.0!

True to its cafe racer genes, Lifan has equipped the motorcycle with a proper cafe racer-style half fairing, clip-on handlebars, rear-set footpegs, and a single ribbed seat with a pillion cowl. It even gets bar-end mirrors, chequered flag livery on the bodywork, and leather straps on the fuel tank for added authenticity. There’s a cool-looking tank-mounted full-LCD instrument cluster, and a USB charging port as well. The bike comes with a circular LED headlight, LED tail lamp and uniquely shaped arrow-like LED indicators. Rounding off the design is an upswept stainless steel exhaust system. 

The motorcycle is powered by a 149cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled counterbalanced engine churning out 17.67PS at 9500rpm and 14.5Nm at 7500rpm, pretty healthy figures for a bike of its class. To top it all off, the motorcycle comes with a claimed mileage of 40kmpl, again a decent figure for a performance-oriented 150cc bike. This, coupled with the 13-litre fuel tank, should offer a theoretical range of over 500km if ridden with a sensitive wrist. The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox, and Lifan claims the bike can achieve a top-speed of over 95kmph.

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The engine acts as a stressed member to the single-downtube frame linked to an inverted front fork and a rear monoshock. Lifan has equipped the motorcycle with alloy wheels, which may not look as old-school as spoke ones. But they’re wrapped with tubeless tyres, so it’s not all that bad afterall. Moreover, it also gets a decent 180mm ground clearance. However, the seat is a bit on the taller side, at 800mm. 

All in all, Lifan has built a great looking motorcycle with decent specs, that too at a cut-throat price. We hope Yamaha India is inspired by this and gives us the XSR155 neo-retro bike, which we reckon would be a lot more exciting to ride than the Yamaha FZ-X. It will also give customers the freedom to modify it to a cafe racer like the Lifan KPM150 Cafe.