ktm jeff

You wont go far wrong buying a Yamaha. That road / hill isnt rough enough to require a dual sport bike. Battery technology is moving forward , but theres still some years to go , as youve just found out.

I was interested to follow this electric bike tale. Until they become more powerful , with a quicker re-charge time , and with price and quality similar to regular bikes , they wont suit many people. Give it 5 years , and maybe battery technology will have improved to such an extent they become viable. Same with electric cars. Have you considered a cheap dual sport bike , such as a Lifan X-Cross or the X-Plore 200. They are well within your budget , at about 48,000 Baht.Both would cope with the hills and road surfaces , and servicing will be cheap.

Only problem with stainless , may be difficulty getting it re-welded / repaired , if needed , in a small village.Steel may be better option. KISS !.

I also tried a Honda CRF from POPS , sadly he died recently , but it lacked the adjustable suspension and toughness of the Kawasaki KLX , which i then went out and bought. The Honda was also a lot  heavier too.Vibration is one thing , but lack of power and roughness !. Something not right there. Sure , these 250 singles vibrate but the KLX isnt bad , and the Platinum ( The cheap Chinese / Thai type of  bikes you refer ) has a balancer shaft. 1200 rpm up to 10,000 rpm in top gear , no problem.Nearly 6 years old , used off-road all around Chiang Mai. Battery went last year !. Yes , i changed the seat.

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

What 'stuff' and 'conversion' have Chevy done on the Trailblazer that mandates a specific make/model of battery?

 

What's special about the battery versus any other of equivalent Ah and/or CCA?

 

Is it a physical thing like those bloody awful side-mounted battery terminals they had on some Chevy's like the S10  pickup on the US market?

 

Not questioning your research or the need for it... just intrigued.

It may be down to the car having an "Intelligent" charging system , as on my M-sport BMW . The vehicles charging system / ECU  has to be informed when the vehicle has a new battery fitted , so it can customise its charging cycles to cater for a new battery , that has different charging requirements to an old battery . No BS. This is how many vehicles work now. The battery may also be a special type , such as calcium/platinum/lithium.

That scooter is a Scomadi , designed by 2 English engineers , 1 an expert in engine / exhaust tuning , the other an expert on brakes / suspension .That 125 air cooled carb model was introduced to "get the ball rolling" while they develop the 200cc version that uses an Aprilia liquid cooled injected engine. High class scooters , like Vespa , but most will go for a 90% similar Yamaha Grand Filano.

The bike should pull from 1500 rpm , and strongly at 3000. Shouldnt be any rough spots. ( Your not talking about vibration i guess ). Is there some sort of restrictor in place , air filter in correctly , or old/bad fuel ?. Cant be valve clearances unless wrongly set at the factory. Most of the running in is done in the first 500 KM , but it will get smoother still.

Well , this project could end up looking like a dogs dinner , but you "never know , if not try". It wont be expensive to try. I use a "dry bag" or a "tank bag" on the rear portion of the seat , and 1 either side , that wouldnt interfere with a pillion. Post some photos of your filter too . It may give others some ideas. Boxes and frames are very heavy.

macknife , i agree. When banked in a corner , ANY front brake needs careful application. I dont want ANY front brake to suddenly come on , if i decide i want a little rear brake. Its as if Honda decided its customers are too stupid to learn that the front brake lever operates the front brake , and the rear brake lever/pedal operates the rear brake. I find that a bit of an insult. Maybe they have a point. Plenty of other bikes out there now.

15 hours ago, papa al said:

Sell the ducks.

Sell the wife  ?. 

Stunning bike. Ive had a few Ducati,s , ( 999 and 749 ). Seats look comfy. Bar end mirrors add some width to bike , but at least they work !.  Does it run hot in traffic ?. Try not to drop this one please.

On 22/09/2017 at 5:54 PM, Damrongsak said:

I think my younger brother used Blendzall castor in his 125cc Montesa motocross bike.  Smelled good. 

 

Dont know if we had that in England , but i used Castrol R30 / R40. OK , back "on topic". What comfort modifications do people make to their bikes. Me , higher bars and rotate levers downwards a bit ( for when standing ) , on off road bikes , , and flatter seats , to remove pillion hump.

1 hour ago, Ahnsahn said:

Sadly, the current PCX model doesn't have ABS - hopefully Honda will correct this - but doesn't Honda's CBS (Combined Braking System) also help to reduce the likelihood of wheel lockups? 

Only Honda seems to use this silly CBS system , on some of its lower level scooters. Its more likely to induce a front wheel lock-up or a low-side crash , as the front brake comes on when you apply/drag the rear brake , going into a corner. Not what is needed. ABS , true ABS , is a good feature. As per Yamaha  etc.

Interesting. Harley seems uneasy and "at odds" with itself at the moment. Hero , which recently stopped making many bikes for Honda , and had links with Eric Buell , could be a good choice. $ 1.5 billion needs a lot of bikes to be made.

1 hour ago, VocalNeal said:

From memory he is/was a Hot Rod guy? Escorts? We used to race F2 on the southern tracks, got to red roof. Then I discovered Karting in Luxembourg so used to race home counties tracks. Then went to Canada and used to race in Minnesota.                                                    

Escorts , yes. He also raced touring cars , autograss , which i was also involved with , and trucks - with Steve Parish. Hes still a show off , 555. He was multiple World champ , so he has the right to show off.

6 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Geez is that place still going. Sadly I'm old enough to be a Super Stu fan. 

Im often back in England , November , when i go to Hendesford for the Nov 5th race / fireworks. Heres a name for you , Barry Lee. I was driving with him just a few weeks ago at a high performance car demonstration day.

I trust you know R is castor based , and needs to be totally removed from engine and tank if you switch to synthetic oil , which has its advantages. Castrol 747 is a good one. BRISCA - stock car ?. I go to Hendesford Hills raceway .

5 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

They were never called that, at least not by the guys that raced them!

 

BTW one can still buy it in small bottles from local "hole -in-the-wall" mocy parts places.

Smells good , dont it. When i raced a Norton Villiers kart , at 10 to 16 years old  i thought we called them go-karts , in England.. Long time ago , so maybe im wrong. Ive raced them since , and call them karts.  No Castrol R 30 though.

The smell of Castrol R takes me back to my school days. Speedway and Karting , when they were called go-karts. Im only 52. Tis sometimes better to be thought  an idiot , whilst remaining quiet , than to comment , and remove all doubt.

I confess i havent ridden a 113 cc GD  , nor checked its fuel consumption. I wont ride a wave. I once checked the KM/L on a Lifan 200cc x-cross dual-sport under normal road cruising conditions. 42 MK per L. Thats 118 MPG. Interesting , but has little effect on my wealth or buying decision. I mentioned the Stallion as id be tempted to go for this. The modified red flat-tracker / bobber / board racer style looks great. IMO.

1 minute ago, wow64 said:

Would be good if they disclosed the engine type

Good point. The 3.2 is getting a bit old and may not take too kindly to having to run on this new Euro 4/6 ? diesel. The 2.2 is good but , for some , a little weak.  A new engine design must be close.

17 minutes ago, leonidpattayski said:

From my personal experience all my friends come to Thailand and lived here for few years have at least one motorcycle or scooter accident. I think there is a big room in improving safety of scooters and motorcycles. 

 

In case of panic braking for example on motorcycle without ABS and no combined braking  there is a high chance driver react or start braking too late or lock wheels due to overbraking and falls. You need press clutch first and right after press both brakes one by foot and one by hand. You also need to consider the fact hand reaction is faster than foot, especially if you ride in motorcycle boots and yout foot is somewhere on foot peg.

 

If you drive motorcycle with automatic  transmission, combined braking system and ABS, you only need to press one brake by hand with full force. This give you and advantage for about 1 second, and zero chance to lock wheel.

You say ALL your friends have had at least 1 motorbike accident in Thailand. Read this over and over to yourself a few times.  NOW , i dont know you or your friends , but , did they come to Thailand with FULL motorbike licences.  If not , the cause of all these accidents may not lie in in the fact that their motorbikes / scooters didnt have adjustable    seats. Im not trying to be a smart arse , but consider some good rider training and advanced defensive riding courses , for your sake , and ours.

1 hour ago, anto said:

3 hours ago, AllanB said:

Yes all very well....bla bla bla..... so how does it compare with the Wave, we were getting 204-206 mpg when we tested ours when new. We paid 34k baht for that......

 

Different tank that's all....

Power , speed and fuel consumption seem about equal.. Just a matter of which style you  prefer , a step-through , smaller wheeled scooter , or a more traditional looking motorbike. Seems the OP will soon be a Suzuki owner. A well built bike that lends itself to future enhancements.

Hybrids may be the best alternative for the next few years , but the electric source for everyone needs to be cleaner.  Solar seems to come with less enviromental  problems than both ( bird strikes ) wind or hydro (land flooding / fish re-location ). A 20K electric scooter wont last long. The decent ones from Zero are 800K to 950K. Even the cheaper ones i see at Big C are 55-60 K and i wouldnt expect them to have a service life anywhere near that of a petrol scooter , say a Yamaha Filano , that costs 52 K and can do 60 KM/PL , thats 170 MPG. Not exactly causing much impact , is it.

If the Stallion went for 31K that is still cheap , what are they new , 59K ?. Depends on age and KM,s .