ktm jeff

oz893 , at 6'4" you must be sitting IN the top-box !

The Benelli 600 is about the same price as a Honda 500 twin but with 75% more power , for those trips out ,smoother 4 cylinder engine , fantastic Italian styling , and better build quality .Consider a scooter for BK such as a Honda PCX /SH or better still , a Sym 300i.

Husky looks like it has drawn inspiration from MV. Really beautiful.

Oil goes dark after its been through a few "heat cycles"- so in as little as 100 KM it will be dark treacle/syrup color.Will be back in about 300 Km.People see this and think the shop hasnt changed the oil , but it doesnt help if they dont wait long enough (10 mins) for "all"the oil to drain - about 100 ML will still stick to the internals and collect in oil pockets. Dont leave it to drain more than 30 mins as the oil pump can "leak dry".May not "prime up" after start-up. Buick engines(as fitted into Rovers) , 3.5 liters , were prone to this!

I think you will find the larger tank very useful. 125 seems the way to go!.Fuel consumption great on both , but 125 engine less stressed .Lifan has carb engine giving 65 KM per liter , and has alloy wheels with good wide tyres as standard.

Nouvos are about the best fully auto bikes out there - Fino if you prefer the looks.Both fully electric start.Yamaha SPARK (my favorite)is "semi-auto".I can see peoples concerns regarding riding when pregnant , a small accident could cause problems - but so could tripping on a broken sidewalk/pavement.Helmet please , and be very careful. Cigars on you soon LOL!

sup3r1or - 700 ml low on an engine of total capacity of 2700-3200 ml is low but not empty. Oil will still have been picked up by oil pump.Oil burning may be due to poor build quality /and or/ a common engine fault(other people have similar problems)or some damage may have happened if , during the accident , the bike ran for a short while on its side and the oil pump wasnt able to pick up an oil during these few seconds.Compression test (a dry one and then a wet one (with oil on the bores)) is now needed. Wantan , i believe Honda claims an oil consumption amount of up to 1000 ml ( 1 Litre) per 1000 miles (1600 km) is "in their opinion" acceptable!. Mania , KTM were making bikes that were very similar to Husabergs - same owners - and felt they needed to produce a wider difference between the two makes.Now the Huskys are very different (still using top notch components though).KTM,s are very well built and so therefore are expensive. I hope they dont try to make them more affordable as they will cheapen the brand (look at Honda).Maybe they will do a "standard" range of bikes and then a "deluxe/premium" range using the KTM and Husky names?.

I believe the KTM,s you are refering to are the little "Dukes" (200 cc)? not the proper enduro / motorcross bikes that have won about every race they have entered - including lots of DAKAR races. Same as Honda making their few remaining sports/proper bikes outside of Thailand with Chinese/Thai parts.The rest of the poor range is Thai assembled ,not the Thai workers fault for such poor quality - im not knocking them - they can only put together the bikes with the crap they are given.

Edit. The price of a new Lifan 110cc is 29,000 baht.Even better value.

Seems even i have over-valued the Honda! Still prefer the Lifan - IMO.

Got to love the build/engineering quality of these modern Hondas! More re-calls than a boomerang.

Unless the 110 is priced right(under 40,000 baht)then buy a far more capable bike for less strain on longer runs or up-hills.Even better would be to buy a far better built bike such as a Lifan 110cc (less than 40,000 baht brand new)or better still , a Yamaha Nouvo.

No idea what they will produce (animal/vegetable/fruit )but they look nice. Leave them growing - see what you get, if there drugs - about 5 years LOL!

Hope she is found soon and well , keep us informed.

I'll put you down as not interested ! Just wet myself laughing.

I would take my custom - and money, elsewhere , on principal.

I think it is always best (and "more" legal) to have the bike in your name.

Annoying - but a line of revenue.50/50.

RE : the wife/boss wont know you have a new/another bike , if you buy the next one the same colour/color as the ZX 1400, HA HA.Now i have more of an idea what you will be using the bike for , how about a naked bike - proper wheelie machines and great fun at lower speeds (and girls love wheelies - real knicker melters)!(Joke , i know your married).If this appeals , i would also look at Triumph and Ducati (and now im thinking Benelli - buts thats just me , and theres no hope). Would sit well next to the ZX.

RSD - bike so much better than your skills! I think that may apply to most people with a bike over 600cc LOL. Heres an idea - if you fancy track riding (and with good instruction/guidance) theres no better way to improve your skills - not that their lacking - why not get a track bike (a 600 will be fine depending on the track - Buriam?), just for racing , not road legal , and spend a year or two pushing the/your limits in relative safety (you will be amazed what you can do on a track)- no traffic/potholes/u-turning trucks etc , then the bikes your interested in will have proved themselves and there will be more people familiar with DDC suspension and with a better stock of spares. You wont hold back as much on a track bike as they are meant to be raced/crashed and are not your pride and joy road bike.May be a far safer option than pushing too much on the road seeing the driving standards of others. PS - disclaimer : dont blame me if you become hooked on track riding. It can get expensive. VERY.

I dont think there will be any reliability issues with the BMW , but you need to be confident there is a 100% suitable mechanic available for any work you cant do yourself(without invalidating the warranty).I didnt know the ZX 10 wasnt officially available yet - are Kawasaki planning on bringing it over?.

RSD i think the HP4 will be reliable , and a terrific machine. Dont understand why it faired so badly in the reliability /satisfaction report!.Havent heard of any significant problems. Personally , i take these reports with a large pinch of salt , other-wise id have never bought my first Italian bike!.If you think the DDC suspension may give problems on track and you prefer Japanese , then have a look at the new Kawasaki ZX 10 R super bike.By all accounts an absolute stunning machine(proberly the best 1000cc superbike out there)with ,184 BHP but a very advanced traction/anti-wheelie control system that is very tune-able and does not mess with the riding experience that some systems do.As your already a big K fan , its worth a look/test-ride , yes?.

Yes RSD the Panigale 899 (IMO) would be an even better choice than a Benelli TNT.You make a valid point about reliability , noises or even recall issues , but ive found my Italian bikes to be just as good as my Japanese ones , although im well on top of the servicing. Some people still perceive Italian as problematic (just as some dislike "Chinese" products -without factoring in the price).I can only give my experience of my bikes , and the reasons i bought them.I do accept some finer details on my "almost hand-built , race bikes for the road" needs improving. Some people think all Japanese bikes are reliable , which they arent (RE: Honda). BTW when i said your Kawasaki was more common than any Benelli , i meant common , as in more sold/popular - not common , as in cheap/common!. I assume/hope no offence was taken.

Will boost power by 30-40% and be used on mid size bikes (650-800 cc)giving good fuel consumption when off boost and added pep when wound up.Thought to be brought in as manufacturers must make more numbers of fuel efficient bikes.

RSD , i wouldnt have thought they were pre-production units - but even so - you point out problems that shouldnt be there on a bike of this price. Benelli needs to make better first impressions. Their engineering is great but final inspection leaves something to be desired.It can , and does , put some people off.Lets blame Italian passion.I dont have a TNT but a very limited version of their Tornado 900 TRE RS (in "flip/pearl" yellow)- rare standard colour , thats on display in my living room at a home in England! The earlier version of this bike wasnt without some small issues - addressed on the later models. Ducati Panigale is a superb bike - i looked at one in Pattaya at 1,650,000 baht - but i didnt buy. Have had 999,s (good) and 749,s (even better) but now ride Aprilia RSV Factory. This is my touring bike! - up to 10,000 KM per year , no problems ,although your 1400 would be more "suitable" HA HA.Yes , your bike isnt mainstream ,but even though there are (may be)more "suitable" bikes you could have boughr - you went with a bike that EXCITES you. That is the right decision! Im inclined to work around the problem of comfort and luggage ,or lack of!