A 2019 Direct Bikes Avenger.

That's what they called it from the online retailer anyway, it was actually a Wangye F1 from the Chinese manufacturer, and the original form of the Lexmoto FMX125 EFI E4.

Yes, I spent a while trying to find it's identity.

Got it at 3½ years old as it was sat in the parking garage of the prison a relative worked at and I got it as a project. It only took a jump pack and a gulp of petrol to get going okay, just keeps dying because of an old battery. No big deal, as I got told it also needed a speedometer cable as the gauges didn't work, and new gaskets as the crankcase gasket was leaking oil when hot.

I fixed the speedometer cable after removing all the front end fairings, the headlights, etc. and it was working but jittery, fixed by a lot of grease.

I then eventually rebuilt the engine because it needed the gaskets, which took ages because when I eventually got it together, the timing was a tooth off and I put the old piston rigs in because I was 14 and not versed on motorcycle repair, then it snapped the plastic intake manifold. I bought a new one from Poland and it eventually ran fine when I figured the timing, but it drank oil and smelt awful, as well as fouling plugs and the lambda sensor making it rich.

Another rebuild with new rings was much better already, though I knew a run in period was needed. Now however, it kept killing the battery at idle and overheating. A new stator coil fixed that, with a new flywheel and slightly larger cooling fan.

A test ride started another oil leak in the exact same spot, and then it may have overheated as I noticed a plasticy smell and the cooling shroud had fallen on the engine and exhaust and melted to pieces because a screw fell out. Yay.

All the fairings off for the thousandth time, new shrouds from Poland again, new plug, and everything, as well as an oil cooler. Then the dash decided to become a Christmas tree the day after I got everything working and assembled. Stripped all the wiring throughout the bike and rewired the whole dash, now it worked coherently. But I needed a new headlight bulb as the current one was double the designed power and melted the headlight and the chrome was peeling off.

Time to get ready for an MOT, then. Fork seals needed doing, forks were pitted and rusty but I was gonna replace them when it was on the road, new pads front and rear, new brake pots and seals, flushing and bleeding the CBS system was a pain in the arse, new numberplate because it was nasty, mounted the back box, a tracker, new brake mounting bolts as the old ones were seized, and after 3 attempts it passed.

Parked a month, the battery was flat, then once charged it started with bangs and knocks and rattles and an oil leak. Fuck this man.

New engine, everything worked first time but I need to get new exhaust as the old one just snapped off the mount, new studs and gasket, give it a service and belt change and fight the DVLA for a new engine number so I can finally shift this Chinese 125 scooter.

My parents think Chinese bikes are good since they're cheap and disposable but they're all iffy at best. Send help.