ktm jeff

Semi synthetic only has to be 20% synthetic , the rest can be mineral , for it to be classed as semi . If fully , or better still , 100% , synthetic oil is available cheap enough , it could be considered a good up-grade. PTT and Petronas oils seem to be making some good stuff. I mainly use Motul. As Thailand is hot , and oil is cheap , its not a bad idea to use  fully or 100% synthetic.

Only time to consider your seals are if running alcohol fuels , or castor oils , such as Castrol R30. I just got misty eyed about my Karting days. Scooter - First oil change 500 - 1000 MK. Second  2000 - 2500 KM. Semi , or Fully synthetic if you plan long term ownership. Every year or 4000 - 5000 KM after that.

UPDATE. Just noticed that he has moved.See the topic - Motorcycle seat recover , on this forum. There is also a map. He is 5 KM East of Narawat bridge , over super highway and the next intersection , and opposite 7-11 Louts express. Hope this helps .

I think he has been there some time. More than 5 years. I highly recommend him. 

I had a seat done at this place , 4 years ago , still perfect. As you cross Iron Bridge away from the city , turn right South , and head down "Big tree road". 50 meters on your left is a 7/11. Go past. Another 50 meters is Rimping. Go past. 100/120 meters on your left is a row of about 10 ? shops. His shop is one of the last. No sign outside , you have to look INSIDE each shop. If his shutter is down , there is a phone number on it. 

Dont Big C / Home Pro or Macro do something useable. You would need to bolt/weight it down to stop it blowing away

You wont go wrong with either the Yamaha , MT or R3 , or a Kawasaki Ninja or Z 300. The Kawasaki 400 could be priced around 200-220K. A bargain , but maybe above what you want to spend. Have you considered the Benelli TNT 300 for a bit of Italian style. All the above bikes have twin cylinder engines and are fun rides. The single cylinder Honda is best avoided.

It may be an older 250 that was registered "new" when it was a year or two old.  By 2015 the 250 engine was dropped due to issues , and a re-hash of it was called a 300.  Really closer to a 275 , this engine had problems too. .The Kawasaki is twice the bike. Go for that one , unless your desperate. 

Nice one Lammy. Thats going to be a quick 400 scoot. Is the new 125 based on the older 125 unit from last year ?.

Is there no step between 15Y / 110cc and 18Y / 125cc. So the youngest one can ride a 125cc is 18 Years. A farang with an IDP could be 17 Years old. Some strange laws here. Yes , i know - TIT.

10 hours ago, Issanman said:

There was no sign of the 400 Scomadi at the motor show.

Production was delayed for all models as it was moved from China ( on-going legal case ) to Thailand. Wouldnt expect anything before late 2019 , if they still plan to use the Suzuki engine. Its an old design.

9 minutes ago, Moo du said:

Ok Lucas dude.How about you go and Lucas yourself.This is a MOTORCYCLE THREAD.

You,ve never owned a bike with Lucas electrics , have you .

Kawasaki KLX 250 is only 160 K , and with its adjustable suspension and lighter weight , much better than the 200 K Honda. I would love a KLX 400 / 450. With a green book , 40 BHP , good torque , decent suspension and cooling system. Or a Yamaha WR 400 , or a modernised DRZ 400. 

Those Scomadi scooters are said to be very  well designed and built. The 200 uses an Aprilia engine and to 400 a Suzuki Burgman engine , due this year. Would a 400 be called a "super scoot" ?.

Im in England for a few months and ive just returned from the Red Marley scramble and hill climb. Many of the bikes competing looked like those in this film , however the motorhomes in the pits were very different .

True ABS brakes , as fitted on some Yamahas etc , offer more braking control on loose surfaces than standard brakes. Good ( tarmac ) track or motocross/dirt riders feel they can better modulate the brakes without it. The non-abs brake system of Hondas "CBS" could have you off mid corner , as the front brake is applied when you apply the rear brake , whether you want it or not. Not what you need , mid corner. The Honda system is not true ABS however.

Its either a bad design from Honda  or somebody has routed the cable wrong , at the factory or repair shop. Can you see the routing in the manual , or photograph a showroom bike.

Good of you to post the follow-up solution , many cant be bothered. Its a shame the "fitters" at Honda cant do a decent job.

Oil breaks down over time once its been refined. Sitting in a vented engine , it will be subjected to condensation and contamination , regardless of outside air temperature . Similar to brake fluid. O P had ridden the bike over 300 KM 2 weeks ago. Oil needs changing as soon as possible. Any fully / full / 100% oil will be more than good enough to cope with the temperatures and dusty conditions of Thailand. 400 Baht per liter is cheaper than premature wear or engine failure.

Ignoring the base stock oil gradings  and the POA,s , oil comes in 4 main types. The best is 1 - Full synthetic , or Fully synthetic ( this is the same as 100% synthetic ) . 2 - Molecular , or hydro cracked . 3 Semi , or part synthetic . 4 - Mineral , or dino oil. Motul also do a factory 300 V oil that is full ( 100 % ) synthetic with  double ester . Twice the added amount of long chain molecules that resist the shearing forces found in gearboxs. This is the one i use in many of my bikes. Available in Thailand at about 1,250 Baht / liter. Shell , Castrol , Elf fully synthetic is good enough for most bikes.

If you require it road legal , i would suggest the Kawasaki KLX 125 , or even the 140 / 150 model. The 125 has fuel injection. Good second hand ones go for 40,000 Baht plus.There are no Honda 125,s . Another option would be a Thai / Chinese Lifan 200. Brand new they are less than 50K

Yes , the Honda should perform better than the Lifan that costs four times less. Even an engine in a CBR state of tune , ie one more suitable for highway revs. But Allans bike is " ugly below 4,500 RPM ". Thats a bad bike with an engine fault , not just a bad design.

The CBR 250 engine that is fitted in the CRF would  benefit hugely from being tuned for torque .If Honda fitted a milder camshaft and a smaller throttle inlet tract , maybe smaller valves , the engine would be useable at much lower revs , at the expense of 5 BHP at 10,000 Revs. A 250 is never going to pull like a tractor but the Lifan , and my Platinum , which revs out in top gear at 10,000 revs , will pull from just over idle - 1400 revs. The advantage of a 2 valve , low BHP engine de-tuned engine , i guess. Allan , I still think your CRF engine should be closer in performance to the Kawasaki KLX engine. That also pulls from low down. Have you tried another CRF to compare it to yours ?

David , good luck with your custom build. 4 years ago i bought a Platinum PX 250. A dual sport bike similar to a Honda XR 250 , but with the benefit of electric and kick start , upside-down forks,LED lights,rev counter and a gear display ( 5 speed ).Its been used off-road since then around OBI KHAN national park and the mountains / rivers of Chiang Mai. Finding information on servicing specs and spare parts proved difficult until i discovered Platinum , and i guess Tiger etc , use Honda parts. Never needed much other than service parts. I have an original owners hand-book for the PX 175 and PX 250 models.I have a wiring diagram of these bikes if you require it , but it is the 253 FML engine of bore 69 mm and stroke 62.2 mm. This gives 232.58 cc.The engine is an OHC 2 valve electric / kick start design with a PZ 30 carb and a HJTX 7 L battery and a MX 1205 CDI. All standard. Richard BKK may be able to help you if my information doesnt apply to your engine / bike. He has been very helpful in the past , with advice and information on Tiger / Lifan /Platinum. Hope this helps somewhat.