New member, 05 Thumpstar Pro Elite

[204mudslinger]

Sup everyone,

I picked up an 05 thumpstar pro elite for dirt cheap about a month ago, I knew absolutely zero about bikes before I bought it I just wanted a cheap bike for my wife and I to learn on. It was treated rough as it needed allot of parts to get it in half decent shape, it still needs more work but I am riding it as is until winter when I'll tear it down.

After doing allot of online reading since I picked up the bike, I'm glad that the model I got was the pro elite as it has better parts and a much better frame than the usual thumpstars, the frame is completely aluminum which is a nice touch since most china bikes are made very cheaply.

 

[204mudslinger]

Things I've done:

-NGK iridium plug
-spark plug wire and coil
-genuine yimatzu air filter with shield
-made a gasket with fel pro gasket sheet
-royal purple oil
-added chain roller
-sea foamed the motor
-adjusted the valves
-added a skid plate
-changed the brake lever with a sunline arc billet lever
-new grips
-added carb spacer

The bike runs much better now than when I first got it, the iridium plug and the wire and coil helped idling and revving so much I was really surprised. Also adjusting the valves made it run so much quieter and smoother. The air filter made a difference with respect to throttle response, and the bike ready felt good today on the trails, all the improvements combined have really increased the performance and feel of the bike, I couldn't believe how noisy the tappets were, and after adjusting them it sounded like a completely different bike.

I'm waiting for a fox racing spark plug wire, coil and cdi as well as a magnetic drain plug. I realize the drain plug isn't that necessary as there is a screen that the oil goes through but I put them on all my vehicles. I cleaned the screen and the one in the fuel tank the first day I got it.

It really needs a new rear tire and a front wheel but I'm going to take care of that during the winter as I want to ride it as much as I can before it snows. I plan on changing the plastics for the taller longer seat, tail and tank so I'm not sitting on the tail anymore when I ride it lol.

This bike is my learning bike, so I've enjoyed taking out apart and fixing things on it as well as riding it, my wife loves the bike too and we are both planning on getting serious about this hobby.

 

[my67xr]

Looks good pretty good condition for a 9 year old bike !

I didn't know Royal Purple made motorcycle oil ?

 

[204mudslinger]

It's 10w30 oil, the previous owner said that's what it took. I found the .PDF for this bike online and the manual calls for 10w30 also. It's a lifan 125cc.

And thanks!! I'm really enjoying learning about bikes as it's so new to me. I went as far as I want to go with cars abs I've never given bikes much thought other than looking at some crotch rockets, but they scare me too much lol. Dirt/pit bikes is a totally different thing and I am loving it so far.

Pic of the oil, I run it in my integra type r also, my truck gets it too!

 

[204mudslinger]

Hey guys I have a question, I know this might seem stupid lol but why is the rear tire on my bike smaller than the front? What are the pros/con's to this? I want to get a larger rear tire to match the front but I went to a local shop and mentioned to the guy I wanted to get a bigger rear tire and he said "then u have to get a bigger front tire or else it will look goofy if they are the same size"

I think it looks goofy with the smaller tire on the rear, but keep in mind I don't know jack **** about bikes lol.

So is this do-able or leave it the way it is?

 

[my67xr]

the rear tyre needs to be smaller/higher profile to absorb more of the bumps to make a smoother ride and keep traction.
the front is skinnier to make steering easier, and taller to smooth out the bigger bumps

 

[204mudslinger]

the rear tyre needs to be smaller/higher profile to absorb more of the bumps to make a smoother ride and keep traction.
the front is skinnier to make steering easier, and taller to smooth out the bigger bumps

Thanks for the info! I realize this bike isn't much compared to the name brand Japanese bikes but I love the way it rides, of course I have nothing to compare it to because it's the first bike I've ever ridden, but from what I've read regarding thumpstars is that the very first gen of pro elite bikes are the best thumpstars ever produced, and the only one with an aluminum frame, I can tell by the condition it was in when I bought it that it was definitely put through its paces and has held up pretty good, the rear tire is chewed up bad, and theres a huge dent in the front wheel, there was no chain roller left on it whatsover, just 4 bearings on a really bent bolt lol. the chain was hanging loose and the chain wore through a spot on the motor really good but it still ran OK, so as far as reliability it's dam good. I've read online that allot of China bikes can and do break stuff on their very first outing or that there's always something to fix after riding it. Since I've done my initial overhaul I've just put gas in it and loaded it up and go riding, for 450$ CDN I couldn't ask for more.

 

[204mudslinger]

Paid 6$ CDN including shipping for this, I'm sure I'll use it for 2 mins and put the stock unit back in but I bought it mostly for ****s n giggs lol. In going to throw it on after supper and see how badly the motor runs with it lol.

 

[my67xr]

It's 10w30 oil, the previous owner said that's what it took. I found the .PDF for this bike online and the manual calls for 10w30 also. It's a lifan 125cc.

And thanks!! I'm really enjoying learning about bikes as it's so new to me. I went as far as I want to go with cars abs I've never given bikes much thought other than looking at some crotch rockets, but they scare me too much lol. Dirt/pit bikes is a totally different thing and I am loving it so far.

Motorcycle engine oil has a lot of extra additives in it due to the same oil being used in the gearbox/clutch as well as the engine.
the oil runs a lot hotter, with all the extra friction.
and some motor oils are synthetic/semi synthetic, so might cause your clutch to start slipping as well.


And good luck with that CDI,
make sure you have the original in your pocket too when you take it out !
the timing curve in them is suited for 2 stroke bikes more than 4 stroke.


Also, after a better look at your engine, i'm pretty sure it's a Jialing 125, GPX125 not a Lifan
See how it has a rear clutch ?
The clutch actuator lever is on the rear top of the engine, not on the front of the clutch cover

 

[204mudslinger]

Motorcycle engine oil has a lot of extra additives in it due to the same oil being used in the gearbox/clutch as well as the engine.
the oil runs a lot hotter, with all the extra friction.
and some motor oils are synthetic/semi synthetic, so might cause your clutch to start slipping as well.


And good luck with that CDI,
make sure you have the original in your pocket too when you take it out !
the timing curve in them is suited for 2 stroke bikes more than 4 stroke.


Also, after a better look at your engine, i'm pretty sure it's a Jialing 125, GPX125 not a Lifan
See how it has a rear clutch ?
The clutch actuator lever is on the rear top of the engine, not on the front of the clutch cover

Thanks for the info! The manual I found was for my exact bike, I just assumed it was a lifan since most of the ones I've seen online have lifans. But it called for 10w30, should I be using something else?

And I know that the cdi is junk, I just bought it for the hell of it lol. Come to think of it of it if it might hurt the motor maybe I shouldn't even try it on.

 

[zwebx]

Thanks for the info! The manual I found was for my exact bike, I just assumed it was a lifan since most of the ones I've seen online have lifans. But it called for 10w30, should I be using something else?

And I know that the cdi is junk, I just bought it for the hell of it lol. Come to think of it of it if it might hurt the motor maybe I shouldn't even try it on.

It all Depends on you conditions.. the temps etc..

I run here in australia 10w-50w It just means it has similar characteristics and works the same performance/film over a wide weight/thickness range.
There is also a lot more to a oil than just weight.. read the back of your bottle to see yourself.
Be sure to always run motorcycle oil and not car oil.

 

[204mudslinger]

It all Depends on you conditions.. the temps etc..

I run here in australia 10w-50w It just means it has similar characteristics and works the same performance/film over a wide weight/thickness range.
There is also a lot more to a oil than just weight.. read the back of your bottle to see yourself.
Be sure to always run motorcycle oil and not car oil.

Awesome thank u for the info, Im ashamed to say I haven't ever seen motorcycle specific oil in my life, I've worked on cars my whole life and I didn't even know how bikes shifted gears until about 3 weeks ago. But the fact that everything is so new is very refreshing, 18 years of working on nothing but Honda cars got very redundant.

 

[zwebx]

you need a oil without friction modifiers because your clutch is operated under oil (crazy i know)
So if there is friction modifiers the plates cant grip eachother.

 

[my67xr]

Here's a link to some genuine Honda oil for your bike, the GN4 10W40
Honda Motorcycle

You can use semi and full synthetic oils in your bike if you want, just make sure it is Motorcycle specific.
And that it mentions in it's spec's that it's suitable for wet clutches.

 

[204mudslinger]

Hey guys, I picked up some stuff for the bike, I'll take more pics later today when I have time to throw everything on.

 

[204mudslinger]

I had a spare few mins so I quickly threw on the NGK wire, I added the Lil attachment to the spark plug so it would be compatible with the type of NGK iridium plug I have, I took it off of an old NGK plug I had laying around. Everything went together nicely the wire attached to the stock coil with no issues and the bike fired up with Lil effort on its first kick and it idles even better than it did after the tune up I performed recently.

I took it for a small ride around the block and it rode really nice, I am hoping to go for one last ride tomorrow and I'll see how everything holds up, but I'm not too worried I'm sure it will be good, I've never been let down by NGK

 

[204mudslinger]

I went for a quick 10 minute ride down my street, the bike runs so smooth and half a kick with Lil force will start the bike now so I'm very happy.

 

[204mudslinger]

What do u guys recommend for a aftermarket cdi and ignition coil? I've searched on this forum and I've noticed allot of ppl have went with the takegawa coil and cdi with either a splitfire spark plug wire or NGK racing cable with a NGK iridium plug.

I have the NGK iridium plug and racing cable, but I'm using a stock ignition coil, it's brand new but I'd like to get an aftermarket one that is better quality, and I still have the "racing cdi" on at the moment, I am aware that I'm most likely losing power because of it, I will be putting the stick cdi back tonight but if anyone can point me to a good online supplier of those parts u would really appreciate it, or if anyone has any other suggestions I'm open to them.


Thanks guys!

 

[gottagetacheaperhobby]

Cant go wrong with either tbh, both ngk and taki are better than stock, just depends on the cash your willing to spend I guess. I put the taki coil on my bike, but bought the ngk coil for my sons bike as it was 20 bucks cheaper. You wont get more power, but the bike will be so much easier to start. The tb cdi could be worth a look, being tb it should be good gear...

 

[204mudslinger]

Thanks for the info! I also did some research regarding the "racing cdi" I bought and apparently there are racing cdis for 2 or 4 stroke bikes with different engine sizes but the outside appearance of the cdis are the same, I made sure to buy a4 stroke specific cdi and the bike runs great with it so I'm assuming it is the right cdi.

Would the bike even run if I put a 2 stroke cdi on? I'm not going to I'm just wondering...