LED Dashboard Gear Indicator

Some people may say "this is not necessary". I say "your an idiot". OK, maybe not an idiot just a dummy! This LED dashboard gear indicator is one of my favorite features on the Qlink XF200. In this photo the "N" indicates the transmission is in neutral.

I use it CONSTANTLY. I use it to tell me when I am in neutral at stop lights so I can be sure I can let out my clutch without bucking the machine and stalling out, I use it when I am coming out of a turn onto another street to be sure I am not in too high of a gear, I use it when "splitting lanes" on the highway or in heavy city traffic to feel more secure in maintaining control (splitting lanes only legal in California FYI).

It comes in handy at all times when riding and saves a lot of avoidable abuse and wear and tear on the power train. Not to mention, this is a major benefit to beginners for obvious reasons. The xf200 is my first street motorcycle. This feature was/is so beneficial to me I felt it was long overdue for a mention in the XF200 Blog.

Rebuild Status

Well JP hooked it up. The new top end, which is basicly a new engine runs better than ever. It is as simple as that.

I have to tell you all that I freaked out and I mean I am embarrassed about how I acted when I found out the motor was being rebuilt instead of replaced. It is a long story but I was not understanding a lot of the procedures involved including making an appointment with the CHP to get the new engine registered . To make a long story short, my dealer JP motorsports was absolutely amazing. They actually had the bike ready so fast I could not get down to the shop fast enough. They saved me a lot of time and they built one hell of a motor.

New Top End

The result of my engine failure was a broken valve. It snapped off and destroyed the head and the top of the piston. So the plans changed. I did not get a new motor. Qlink shipped the the needed parts and my dealer rebuilt my top end. That saved me waiting for the new engine. I have to say the rebuilt the engine seems tighter than the one from the factory.

I will brake in the engine a little bit and make sure nothing comes loose and then resume using it to commute.

Qlink Free Roadside Assistance

Qlink offers free roadside assistance for the first year. I am looking into getting the phone number so I am not stranded on the side of the highway again.

Here is the link http://www.qlinkmotor.com/owners/owners.php announcing the program.

UPDATE: Qlink roadside assistance phone number 1-866-602-6881

I Blew Up The Engine.

Well I was going down the highway at approximately 65-70 mph when the engine blew up. I was stuck on the side of the highway looking for a way to get it to the dealership. It would have been nice if my dealer provided me with the free roadside assistance phone number (http://www.qlinkmotor.com/riders.php) Qlink offers for the first year but that never happened. Not the end of the world as I understand this is a newer company and I am sort of a guinea pig.

Now for the good news. The dealer took the bike, contacted Qlink, pulled the engine, looked at it and sent them the pictures of the damage. Qlink is now sending a new engine. I should have the bike back in 10 days.

I still have 18 months left on the warranty. The best warranty available today (that I have found) from any manufacturer. Now we know Qlink is fulfilling their obligations of the warranty. The dealer is doing the work without a fuss. So once again I am happy with them. They have updated me with the communications from Qlink and assured me the engine would be installed the day it is received. I did sign an invoice with an hourly labor fee on it but I should not have to pay labor on warranty work. The order was created before the problem was officially determined.

I have roughly 6,500 km on the odometer which converts to 4,039 miles. I have heard from a few sources that this engine has an expected lifespan of roughly 20,000 miles and even though I was pushing it pretty hard I was keeping up on the maintenance with regular oil changes and a valve clearance adjustment so it appears the engine may have been defective. I only redlined it once (I think as I did not get a chance to look at the tachometer) when I missed second gear and shifted into neutral.

So we will see if the rest of this ordeal plays out hassle free as planned and I will surely update. I know that most of you will be most interested in the results of this warranty issue as the warranty issue has always been a top concern of anyone considering a purchase of this machine or any other china bike for good reason. So far Qlink the North American importer of Quigqi machines has separated itself from other Chinese importers/manufacturers.

Sputtering

My sputtering and lurching at highway speed took 3 trips to the dealer and 4 mechanics to resolve. Turns out it was just a vacuum lock in the gas tank. Now my machine is blazing down the highway.

Damn I am glad it is fixed. I did not talk about it much because I was still riding it everyday to work and having fun since it was only happening at top speeds. I was having troubles getting to 70 miles per hour but now back to 80 if I want it.

I did go down on the jet while diagnosing the problem and it only made things worse until the vacuum problem was fixed. My dealer thought I was full of it. I had to race out of there to get to work and did not have time to talk about the resolution and jet size when I was there.

If you have not been following the story I went from a 122.5 jet to a 135 jet. it ran fine but I was wasting fuel. I knew that the problem was not the jet because it ran fine for months before the stuttering problem began. So I got the valves adjusted and put a better suited jet in. I am not too upset as those things are were necessary and now they are out of the way.

It is just a little frustrating having someone look at you like your nuts and you can tell they just want you to get the hell out of their store. In their defense they did one more pow wow and came up with the vacuum lock scenario and thank goodness because now like I said before, it is fixed and running better than ever. I can appreciate all the modifications now.

44 Tooth Rear Sprocket Installed

Wow. I just had the 44 tooth rear sprocket installed. That is 4 teeth down from stock. I was worried about loosing power but it has werked out great. no notable power loss.

I really like it. I now have a long 4th gear. That is great for around town. I actually sometimes do not realize I am still in 4th gear and anyone who has ridden this machine knows that you are in fifth gear before you can say "God bless America"!

The new custom 44 tooth XF200 rear sprocket brought the rpms at 75 mph down a full 500 rpms to 7,000. not bad for $29.95!!!

I got the valves adjusted and it was needed bad. The high speed stuttering is gone. The mechanics eliminated a fuel issue as the cause and quickly determined the valves needed adjusting. I am definetly going to go back down on the jet as I am dumping too much gas on the plug. It was really black.

I noticed that I am having more fun on the XF200 with the new sprocket. It acts a lot different. Some of the characteristics take a little while to realize. I have had it on for about a week now.

Get one for yourself from JP Motorsports. They have them in stock now!!!

4000 km update

That’s right 4000 km update. I have now discovered that this odometer is reading in kilometers and not miles!!! It only took me 3,999 kilometers to figure this out!!! So at this point 4,000 kilometers = 2,485.48477 miles. So now that we have that straight the bike needs some maintenance.

I am experience pretty significant sputtering when 65 mph or above on the highway. I noticed the hose from the emissions unit going into the air box was disconnected from the air box so I reattached it and it amplified the problem. So I am going to take it in and have the regular scheduled maintenance done.

The problem has started to present itself about 1 month ago. It is getting worse so I have no choice. I have determined that a valve adjustment will be in order.

I am getting some light popping at speed as well from the exhaust. Nothing too severe at all. So I may need to re-jet the carb back down. I went too big when I went from a 122.5 to a 135 jet. Also there is no fuel filter so that will be added as well.

Even with the issues I am still riding it everyday to and from werk. 40 miles = 64.37376 kilometers!! I trust the bike enough to get me there and back.

Free Shipping on the JP/FMF Pipe.

Fantastic news for anyone with a Qlink XF200 or even a Suzuki DR200SE (I think) in the continental United States. Free shipping in the continental U.S. JP Motorsports will ship it out free. So $199.00 plus tax ships it to you free.

The pipe adds a lot of power in my opinion. Of course this is just the "seat of my pants" dyno but its fairly fool proof, just no LCD display! If you have this bike you need this pipe. I am sure you have been looking for one anyways.

I talk more about it below. Just wanted to update the shipping news.

Chapter 9: XF200 JP/FMF Custom Pipe

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XF200 custom JP/FMF muffler! This XF200 JP/FMF muffler is specially fabricated by JP Motorsports with permission from FMF! The only place this XF200 JP/FMF slip on exhaust can be purchased is from JP Motorsports. The original Turbine Core 2
pipe that is welded to the the muffler does not mirror up to the stock header pipe. The JP/FMF Turbine Core 2 is two different pipes/mufflers fabricated into one. The XF200 JP/FMF muffler is now available for $199.00.

This specially fabricated XF200 JP/FMF Turbine Core 2 muffler adds a nice power increase! It is a DOT approved silencer with spark arrester. Although not the newest muffler FMF makes, it just so happens it's exactly what a XF200 200cc powerplant needs. In addition to help keep the price down.

Here are the main talking points for the muffler / silencer;

Maintains peak power while retaining spark arrester capabilities

TDS (Turbine Dampening Separator) is a unique baffle design that eliminates the exhaust restriction associated with conventional spark arresters

Originally used by Team Suzuki Off-Road and Team KTM

U.S. Forest Service approved

The only thing you will have to do to get this JP/FMF Turbine Core 2 installed on your XF200 (aside from removing your existing stock muffler) is drill a hole in the provided bracket used to bolt up to your XF200. Then bolt it on. A perfect fit.

Right now, there is no link on the JP Motorsports website to order. You will have to manually pick up the phone and speak to a real live person at 619-564-4935 or toll free at 800-720-1829! You could also email them @ Sales@JPMotorSports.net. I am sure Online ordering will be available as soon as the webmaster for the website can design the webpage!

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More XF200 Qlinks In Stock.

The XF200 demand was surpassed in the United States. Now US Qlink dealers have been restocked with the XF200. The shortage lasted only 2 weeks. I was at my dealership this weekend and they had 10 XF200 Qlinks ready to go in all three colors; orange, silver and flat black on the showroom floor and lined up outside on display. Again there were plenty around the world but the demand was surpassed for the American market. So as anticipated this shortage was short lived. Go get yourself one now!

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Chapter 8: XF200 Performance Modifications Revised

I have to correct some information previously written about here in the Qlink XF200 blog. I was at the dealer getting my 1000 mile service and was given a lot of good information. First off the 135 jet was too much. The spark plug was grey and if not resolved will burn up the engine. So I will be swapping that out for a smaller size. I did take off the air box lid to get the carb more air but I was told that hurts engine performance as the back pressure is reduced too much. I was advised to put it back on and drill some holes in it instead so that is what I did. Drilled 2 holes in the cover. Will advise if more are needed in the future.

Now for some really, really good news. My dealership, JP Motorsports is working with me to get the Qlink XF200 tuned to optimal performance. They have ordered some pipes to test on the Qlink XF200. That was last week. I am hoping to have a new pipe and correct jetting on the motorcycle next week. Luckily Smitty (the salesman), rides his everyday to work and we are both very interested in the Qlink XF200 being tuned for the highway.

I have swapped out the front sprocket to a 428 16 tooth sprocket. It requires some machining as there are no known 16 tooth front sprockets that will just slip on. Evidently there is a lip on the DRZ200 16 tooth front sprocket that needs to be removed for it to fit on the Qlink XF200 spindle. But there you have it. A front sprocket that werks.

I now can cruise at 80 mph with just that modification alone! The rpms are at 8000 now at 80 mph so at 70 mph are down to about 7300 or so. It did take me a little while to figure out how to ride it after the sprocket swap as It did loose power. I was having trouble getting up to 70 mph until I modified my riding style by just winding up the engine a little more before shifting gears. I was going to go to a 17 tooth sprocket but it won’t fit in the area around the spindle unfortunately. As it turns out I believe any further sprocket mods would be too much power loss although I am considering going to a 45/44 tooth rear. Don't need to right this moment though.

Now it should be pointed out that 80 mph is not achieved sitting straight up. I have to crouch down to reduce wind resistance. I have ridden in some windy conditions and the XF200 is very stable. I know that some people were concerned about that with it being so light and all. I believe the tires have a lot to do with that as enduro tires are thinner among other things.

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Chapter 7: Qlink XF200 Demand Surpassed

Well it is anticipated to be short lived, about 2 weeks roughly, but dealers stateside are running out of the Qlink XF200. The demand for this awesome, priced right, extra fun (that is what the XF in XF200 stands for) 200cc supermoto has exceeded expectations. Although there is no official posting of the shortage here is the official Qlink website.

Quite honestly they really don't have there act together as far as accessibility and updating the website. They have a section for news but it has not been updated in the 6 months I have been following it. They don't even mention the XF200 in that section. To me that is surprising. Although they did add a new dual sport model, the XP200 and updated the prices in that timeframe. I am not sure if they understand the importance of the website. I have contacted them about aftermarket parts via email. It took them about a week to respond in broken English and very abruptly said do not call them call the dealer. I got the same response when I called them. A secretary who also spoke broken English and referred me to my dealer. I believe I called Texas as that is where one of the 2 main warehouse are in the United States.I don't have anything against broken English, just passing on my experiences. The lady seemed quite surprised when she asked me If I was a dealer when I replied no. Like they have not had any calls from individuals.

Now when a piece of body plastic broke when it fell over in the truck when being delivered to my house it only took a few days to get it replaced. My dealership JP Motorsports has been great.They are very interested I feel in a strong commitment to the XF200 and some other Qlink products. Don't get me wrong they sell all the Japanese stuff too!

So anyways, this shortage should just be a little blip in the new budding North American expansion For Qlink.

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Chapter 6: Reflective Black Numbers

What do you guys think of the new look? I could not wait any longer to get those stock graphics off the motorcycle. I would have left them if they were the same as the Qingqi or the Sundown (they have the same graphic kit). Something about the graphics on them I really like. I added some black reflect white numbers from Reflectively Yours. I worked out an arrangement with the owner for everyone who mentions me, volksjagger, and my blog Qlink XF200 Supermoto Blog'd will get a free extra bonus gift with your order. I love mine. They are made from high quaility 3M materials.



I also want to point anyone interested to this thread at supermotojunkie. The thread has a lot of different posts about the XF200. There are plenty of haters there. Those of use interested in the bike just ignore them. People seem to be a little more rude Online. None of them have riden the Qlink. SuperMotoJunkie. Hope you enjoy it.

While I am posting links to different websites, I want to include the site to the my dealership where I bought my Qlink XF200. It is JP Motorsports. Be sure to see Smitty and tell him volksjagger sent you!

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Chapter 5: Qlink XF200 Exhaust Upgrades and Modifications

Someone has showcased this muffler on a Sundown in Brazil. The Qlink is known as a Sundown STX in Brazil. I have searched with Portuguese translations and even posted on the You Tube site as "flybywifi" where the posting was made with no luck finding where to by that "Storm" exhaust. If you look really close in the video the logo says "Storm".

If any Brazilians out there could shed some light on this it would be much appreciated. I look forward to it.



I do know of an exhaust that has been used on the XF200 successfully. It is the Pro Circuit 496 slip on muffler. It goes for around $400. I will go that route if need be, but that Storm exhaust has to have a better price! I guess we will all have wait and see.

I also know of 2 different people modifying the stock exhaust. One guy tytnpwr just took a long drill bit and stuck it into the exhaust port and drilled into the end of the muffler all the way to the pipe. He claims it made a big difference in the sound and performance. I might have him do it to mine before buying an aftermarket. The second modification is a bit more elaborate and requires more tools than the average joe would have handy. Here is what gdavis2265 did in his own words, "Ditched the airbox and installed a K&N, cut the back end of the pipe off, gutted two baffles and pop riveted the stainless end cap back on.". After asking him to elaborate on this here is what he said "You have to slice the end of the can (angle grinder with a cutoff wheel, my fav tool) - that's the easy part. Then you have to work a screw driver around the edges of the baffle, prying the edge away from the inside of the pipe. Then use a chisel to cut the welds. Lots of work. Might be worth buying a slip on. I just like to make life hard for myself."!

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Chapter 4: New 135 Jet

I now have my carb re-jetted. My buddy tytnpwr put in my new 135 jet from a stock 122.5 jet. He made some other adjustments to the float and also to a pin in the carburetor. I will consider this post a rough draft until I talk to him to get the details.

Instead of drilling holes in or removing the airbox, I took off the airbox cover. That has made the bike sound really aggressive. It is much, much louder and compliments the new jet perfectly. The supermoto has changed it's tune!

We attempted to swap out the front sprocket but it was not possible. I was given some bad information by the dealer. They claimed the front sprocket was a 13 tooth, which they upgraded to a 14 tooth on the salesman's XF200 to give it better top end. Come to find out there is already a 15 tooth sprocket stock! So I will have to return the 14 tooth sprocket I ordered to get a 16 tooth front sprocket. So needless to say, disregard the sprocket part number previously mentioned in an earlier post.

I now have over 725 miles on the Qlink XF200 supermoto. To get the work done today I rode 60 miles round trip. All but 3 or 4 miles were highway. 70 mph at 8000 rpms all the way. One really, really big hill and several other hills at highway speed and it was not a problem. Someone (a very well traveled 200cc rider in China) mentioned to me that some big hills may be an issue with this 200cc powerplant. Glad to see they were wrong (in his defense, in China, motorcycles are prohibited on most of the highways).

I still want to get that front sprocket done. This is one of the downsides of a new bike. Things are trial and error. More research is in order. I am eventually going to do the rear sprocket as well but that will need to be special ordered. Tytnpwr has already done his but it was more of an ordeal than I originally understood. I will be tackling that in the next month or two. Tytnpwr rode my bike today and said that with the new 135 jet my bike was faster than his with stock sprockets! I bought 2 135 jets so he will be putting one in his next week. Although it is unclear whether top end is better since he just took it down the street and back.

Chapter 3: 500 Mile Evaluation of the Qlink XF200

I now have 530 miles on the motorcycle. Hit the reserve tank for the second time tonight. The big 2.8 gallon tank means after 530 miles I will only be filling up for the 3rd time. Probably could get another 30-40 miles before need to fill up but we all know a fill up will be the first thing I do next time I fire up the XF200.

The Qlink XF200 is still bone stock. No modifications at all yet. I have ordered and received my 135 jet to replace the 122 OEM jet and a 14 tooth front sprocket to replace the 13 tooth OEM front sprocket. I ordered them from Dennis Kirk. They will be installed as soon as I can get it done.

My overall impression of the motorcycle is, it is exactly what I expected and hoped for. The most affordable street supermoto available anywhere, from any manufacturer, period. The little 200cc thumper chugs right along. In stock form I can feel the bike is being held back by the conservative sprocket gearing, jetting and exhaust. As anticipated somewhat lacking in top end it will do 70 mph with the tachometer just below the redline at 8000 rpms in 5th gear. The Qlinks bulletproof Suzuki technology powerplant does not miss a beat along with the Mikuni carburetor. The clutch, front disc and rear drum break all work flawlessly.

The seat on the XF200 is rock hard. Am considering finding someone to redo the seat altogether. After about 40 miles or less I need to take a break, but then after a few minute break I can enjoy riding again. I really do not like the OEM graphics and stickers at all. I will be removing those OEM graphics and stickers and replacing them with new graphics and stickers.

I am slightly concerned about the tires. They are 17" Kingstone OEM tires. Now they are working fine up to this point but I am having trouble finding a speed rating on them. At this point I am going to get some use out of them but I will be changing them out for a better quality higher speed rated tire.

I will try to document the partnership between Quinqui and Suzuki in a later post. Believe me when I say this is not some fly by night, eBay mail order, pep boys sidewalk sale pit bike crap. The bike is Chinese, however it is not my job or my place to defend crappy Chinese bikes, prove anything or convince anyone of anything. More on this interesting topic later.

Chapter 2: Qlink XF200 Picture Slideshow

black 2008 qlink xf200 supermoto

A few fuzzy, a few blurry, a few sun spotted pictures of my Qlink XF200. The pictures were taken with a two year old Rite Aid disposable camera that was laying around unused so it was put to work. I will be sure to have better in the future.

Some of the pictures are at Sunset Cliffs. Others are are at Fiesta Island.

The first few nights I had the bike I did not have a cover so I shrink wrapped it until my motorcycle cover came from JC Whitney. They had the best price around, $25. It fits the motorcycle perfectly. I am curious about how long it lasts. So far so good. I will update that as well down the line for people who are interested.

The XF200 looks much cooler in person than the pictures show and am always being asked about it.

Chapter 1: The Qlink XF200 Break In Period

I have had my Qlink XF200 for 3 weeks now. I am following the recommended break in procedure very closely. Qlink recommends keeping the revs low but not consistently low and not to max out the speed for 500 miles.

I now have 441 miles on it and today got it up to 70 mph. A little early but it was only for a short while. It is bone stock with no modifications. I was pleased that the Qlink's 200cc engine was able to attain that speed as my goal is to make this motorcycle cruise at 65 mph comfortably for a 38 mile round trip commute. So far the XF200 runs like a top.

Introduction: My New 2008 200cc Qlink XF200 Supermoto

I just purchased this new Qlink XF200 Supemoto. I already have 280 miles on it and am trying to pay close attention to the recommended break in procedure.

This motorcycle is a joint venture between the Chinese motorcycle company Qinqui and the Japanese motorcycle company Suzuki who we all know. Their partnership began in 1994.

For those of you that have never heard of a supermoto, the best way to describe them is they are motocross motorcycles with road racing tires. Supermoto is a form of racing that was started in the 1970 and is now becoming very popular in Europe Australia and the USA. The tracks are very unique since they have motocross style dirt jumps with high speed paved turns.

Now the Qlink XF200 is not a "race ready", "built for the track" motorcycle. It has a smaller displacement 200cc engine. There are bigger, badder sumo's available for people interested in "track days". I will be using my Qlink XF200 for commuting and occasional off road trail riding.