Richard-BKK

22 minutes ago, CLW said:

Sure about that 175cc rule?
You got any official statement?

You can do a Google search for "175-cc-motor-size-restriction-in-vietnam.770" GT-Rider forum has a whole tread about the 175cc restriction rules. If you not trust GT-Rider you can search for Vietnam 175cc motorcycle rules and you get a lot more websites that tell basically tell you the same thing.... Hope that is official enough...

As I said I not say it's correct or not, I only say that it was  the way I was told....

57 minutes ago, pbas400 said:

Are you sure they went to Vietnam, because it s difficult (like impossible) with "No Vietnamese" plate

 

you can ask a permit, but need time and too much money for a short trip, limit is 30 days

Vietnam has two rules for foreign two-wheelers one is for below 175cc and basically any motorcycle / scooter from neighboring countries can enter the country. The second rules is for two-wheeled motorcycles with engines larger than 175cc, with this it’s indeed much more difficult to enter the country. Another thing is that it’s a few years ago that I met that couple...

p.s. this is how it was explained to me... I normally not question people I meet who have pictures and great stories...

I agree with Familyonthemove, you not need a big engine to have a good time touring the country. I one time met a couple who where touring Thailand on two Honda Wave bikes. They even went to Vietnam through Cambodia and back via Laos… Yes people two Honda Waves I’m not even sure it were 125cc could have been 110cc’s

The Kawasaki Versys-X 300 is not the only small-capacity adventure bike available in Thailand, you can also buy the Zongshen RX3 which looks very similar to the Kawasaki. Of course the Kawasaki has the better specs, but also cost a good amount more.

Picture the Zongshen RX3

8 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Given the different weights l can do pretty good near job manually, us old bikers know this.  

For small-capacity-bike or scoot I have to say I sometimes do it also myself. But when something can reach around 200km/h I prefer that some professional takes a look at it... For the cost I would not have it any other way... wheel balancing is cheap in Thailand...

Not everybody lives in Phitsanulok, and therefore it's maybe better to visit the HQ website of K-Speed in Bangkok and from there find the nearest location.... http://www.k-speed.net/

Also keep in mind that K-Speed is not a Michelin or so far as I know motorcycle tire dealer of any brand, and balancing the wheels after a tire change needs some specialized equipment... Most motorcycle tire dealers have much more experience when it comes to tires.

Please take notice that I only hear good things about K-Speed (Bangkok) and they have a huge amount of other items I would recommend them blindly... but for tires ... better more experienced people are out there....

56 minutes ago, ben2talk said:

Question - what are the current stock tyres on the CBR? I ask, because after selling my GSX-R I picked up a PCX... I was really interested to change to City Grips, then I got a bad puncture... I find that the Dunlops for my PCX are really okay for the bike and deviation to Michelin (City Grip) would be a huge price hike. 'okay' being a relative term - compared to a real size bike scooters are bumpy and harsh... but fine up to 110 and handle tidily enough up to 90 (like an '80's bike maybe).

 

I loved Pirelli on my GSX-R, but at 12000 for a pair of boots I'm really enjoying the cheaper tyres for a lower performance machine... Stock are pretty good.

 

Worried about performance in the wet? 95% of that is being cool and gentle/progressive and make sure you touch the footbrake whilst you squeeze on the front.

 

Keep looking, and post back if you find a good spot... but my experience is that shopping outside the box is a tough experience. They think you should be buying Thai tyres... 

 

If you're interested in some Pirelli Diablo's, I can hook you up (Bangna) with my trusted mechanic of 8 years - and there's a Pirelli dealer near here (he could at least give you directions).

 

Som's bike shop is under the bridge here - 13°40'39.5"N 100°38'48.1"E

13.677625, 100.646696

 

If he doesn't know, forget it. He also manages fairly fluent English... and never overcharges or rips people off.

The stock tires on a CBR? CBR150R, CBR250R, CBR300R are IRC Road Winner...Not a popular tire. The stock tire for the CBR500R and CBR650 is the Dunlop D222 if I'm correct....

A good alternative to the Dunlop D222 or expensive Chinese brand is the Mitas Sport Force+ it's a tire developed for sport-touring and offers excellent performance to price ratio for the Honda 500 and 650 series....

7 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

What do click for English i'm 64210. 

Sadly, Michelin Thailand has no English website. But with the help of copy and paste, Google translate and looking at the map you can easily identify the Michelin dealer in your area.

It’s possible that in some cases your browser would ask if you want to share location information with the michelin.co.th website… if asked agree to it as it would help to pinpoint your location and the nearest dealers… with the mouse scroll you can zoom in to find more details...

Open the Thai Michelin website, enter your ZIP code and you have the nearest Motorcycle Tire Dealer ... http://dealer-locator.moto.michelin.co.th/geolocation

17 hours ago, mark131v said:

Why does even getting a new model and putting a level 3 kit not make sense?

 

I have posted a shed load of information of which there is an absolute abundance stating that the uprated cbx is an excellent bike and arguably better than the opposition in this class

 

I have also shown by a quick search of the classifieds that good 2nd hand cbx's are available and make for a very cheap option to own a very capable go anywhere bike

 

Seems a bit pointless conversing on the subject as it seems you have a closed mind and are unwilling to accept that the point you initially posted is completely false:

 

'The Honda CB500X in an off-road situation is completely hilarious, sure you can do some hard surface off-road… maybe a few centimeters deep sand...'

The point of "The Honda CB500X in an off-road situation is completely hilarious" is based on a unmodified version of the CB500X. I would give an example, you doing a downhill and you need to block the rear tires to safely change direction to avoid a tree... Steering so much on a downhill like this will get you off the bike in a painful manner. On the Honda CB500X ABS cannot be switched off, it has no off-road modes...

Sure some people have found options to switch off the ABS, a switch between the ABS fuse will do the trick... but Honda mechanics will complain that it would compromise Honda warranty....

How about the Heidenau K60 tires, now-a-days the Mitas E07 is my favorite adventure bike tire... it's to my experience very similar to the K60, but cost less and is more widely available...

2 hours ago, CLW said:

Guys, relax!
You are talking about rally modifications.
Let's be honest, who needs that in Thailand and probably most parts of SEA.
You don't have the chance to drive cross-country neither you want to break a new speed record.
Or would you attempt to drive around Chiang Mai in a Mitsubishi Evo?
Absolutely over the top. Same with luxury cars or even pick up trucks though the latter might make sense because of higher clearance and you can transport something at the back.
Just look at the locals at the countryside, Honda wave with rough tires can take you anywhere...

Dear CLW,

To be honest I can think of some fun things to do with a Mitsubishi Evo in hills or mountains of North Thailand...

10 hours ago, mark131v said:

Well most people reckon the KTM 690 is pretty special off road and this bloke with both reckons the Rally Raid 500x is able to go anywhere it can and is actually a better choice for most scenario's

 

 

Nice 2nd hand model in classifieds:

http://classifieds.thaivisa.com/ad/6D3JBK5F/2014-honda-cb500x

 

So if your numbers are right 140,000 for bike 110,000  for Rally raid level 3 kit seems pretty affordable to me and is a really good option 

 

Don't want to get into a pissing contest with you but personally I think you are wrong, the cb500x can be very, very good off road and in the grand scheme it is not that expensive

 

You can also take off the level 3 kit when you sell it and return the bike to stock and sell both on there own, I really don't reckon you would have too many problems getting most of your money back if that was your intention

 

Maybe if you can find a Honda CB500X in prime condition for a soft price it would make sense to get a Rally-Raid Level 3 Adventure Kit.

But for a new Honda CB500X the numbers just not make sense to me...

Honda CB500X               220,000 THB

Rally-Raid Level 3 Kit   138,000 THB

                                                 -------------------

                            total         358,000 THB

This while a new Suzuki V-Strom 650XT cost 369,000 THB ...

In Thailand you have enough roads in the East and North and between to have hours of adventure riding fun. In the upper North of Thailand and the Eastern provinces they have enough unpaved roads that connect villages and temples… some of this roads are almost impossible to travel after some rain….

Adventure bike not for Thailand, tell me one sort of terrain we not have? Honestly an adventure bike is arguably the best bike for Thailand...

4 minutes ago, mark131v said:

No argument here Richard there are lots of good options out there but the question of if the 500x can be good off road is well and truly laid to rest.....

 

Marry a 2nd hand bike with a level 3 kit and you will have a really good value for money go anywhere bike that the Vstrom and versys will not be able to live with off road or at least that appears to be the consensus from people far more knowledgeable than me

With enough money and will you can make any motorcycle do what it was not made for, I have seen Harley's on dirt tracks and pretty good even... but the cost to do that is enormous... By the way the Suzuki V-Strom 650XT is the special version that is more off-road orientated, and even with the Rally-Raid Level 3 kit I doubt that a Honda CB500X would be similar in capabilities....

If a bearing start making any noise, it is already too late… after noticing any noise a mechanic can only do damage control… the longer you wait the more expensive and the more parts need to be replaced...

The Rally Raid CB500X Level 3 Adventure Kit cost around 2500 English Pound, which is in Thai THB probably aroad 106,000 THB... (without import duty) No need to say that this is a lot of money for a motorcycle that cost 220,000 THB new...  With the overall cost of getting a Honda CB500X to be a real adventure bike, maybe people should look at the Suzuki V-Strom 650XT (which everybody seems to love as adventure bike) which cost out of the showroom only 369,000 THB and is MADE in JAPAN....

I like this tread, I only have one question does anybody here know what makes a good adventure bike? Reading all the CB500X comments I doubt it, the Honda CB500X looks like an adventure bike but is as far from it as it could possible be…

More performance make a better adventure bike? That’s something you would think if you read this forum tread, while off-road on dirt roads you can find the bigger adventure bikes in deep trouble… With the exception of a few BMW and KTM bikes Thai dirt roads request a good amount from a adventure rider… The Kawasaki Versys 650 and 1000 (with some modifications) are often good enough for an adventure rider…

The Honda CB500X in an off-road situation is completely hilarious, sure you can do some hard surface off-road… maybe a few centimeters deep sand… but anything more the Kawasaki Versys-X 300 will dance around the CB500X if it was in its natural habitat...

I have a friend who bought a Honda CB500X for doing some adventure riding, off-road he was not capable to keep up with anybody on real adventure bikes or dual-sport bikes… So he started to modify his CB500X, he now spend more than if he would have bough a real adventure bike...

On 4/28/2017 at 2:09 PM, Pepper9187 said:

Nah, they won't do anything on bikes they didn't sell except oil and fluids change = nothing.

 

Even if you bought a bike in the bigwing network i would be curious to see their face if you ask them to change a camshaft or some broken valves, when you do so please take a picture and post it here

 

 

We can assume that they often split the Honda 300cc engine, it would be impossible to fix the recall of the crankshaft bearing.... Or do I have that wrong... Not sure how many CB300F and CBR300R where sold, but the 300's where pretty popular....

2 hours ago, jeab1980 said:

Thanks forvrwplies talking to him yesterday. Doesnt in any way want a scooter (his word you taking the p***) both products if the rocker revelution in the UK. So Motorbike @Richard-BKK you keep saying we in your reply im presuming youbare in the teade so to speak if yes can you pm me your website if you have one. Forgot ro mention he lives in KK. He said betwwen 110 and 150cc but willing to look at slightly higher cc not up into the high end cc as he said he only wants it for quick trips not planning on becoming a biker again a bit long in the tooth for that now.

I'm indeed active in the automotive and motorcycle industry, but we do not sell motorcycles.

If the motorcycle is only to go from A to B, the Suzuki GD110HU is an excellent commuter bike. I has a hint of retro design and will keep you smiling even after you paid the sales person (not cost much).

Bike as in motorbike aka motorcycle or a scooter? I would look as suggested by Papa Al for an enduro style motorcycle, in Thailand we have them in all price classes, the cheapest "road-legal" would probably be the Lifan LF200GY-5 Xcross 200 which is about 47,000 THB new, Keeway has also a nice 200cc enduro machine called the TX200 which is more modern but also more expensive... and in the premium prices we have the Honda CRF250L and the Kawasaki KLX250....

16 minutes ago, GARYZX6R said:

It was roadtested by MCN last week at its launch and was slated in most departments. Also comments on excess weight 40kg more than the Honda 500x. Looks like one to avoid shame as the benelli 300 I have is a excellent bike.

The Benelli TRK502 also has 10% more horsepower than the Honda CB500X, plus the front and rear suspension (forks and shock) are adjustable on the Benelli.

The Suzuki Hayate 125 is an excellent scooter, and when it had it’s regular maintenance appointments the engine could last forever.

I’m still puzzled about the amazing price of the bearing replacement, 1000 THB is a lot of money. This can mean two things, the scooter needs more than just a bearing replacement. Or second idea is that the owner never ever did service on the scoot and now noticed some free-play on an axle… and for that the engine needs to be rebuild and that would maybe justify the high service price.

But if the bearing on an axle is so far gone that you can feel or notice free-play. The engine probably needs more that just a replacement bearing… And in that case the 1000 THB was likely a quotation by a “Suzuki” mechanic as an expected repair cost, which likely will be higher as in cases with maintenance neglect one failure (a bearing) will have consequences for other engine parts…

Maybe swingarm pivot bearing... But 1,000 THB for a bearing replacement is very high....