andrewrooney

Definitely no need to ship them over

Replacements are cheap too, I paid 3500 baht for a pair, including labor.

Michelin Street Pilots are good tires. Way better than the IRC tires you get stock on Honda or Kawa. I've got a pair on my CBR. Good grip and great in the rain too.

You have to do what's best for your health, man.

Don't do it. You want to pay cash for a bike and then have it repo'ed by the finance company? Go get a first hand one, they're only about 120,000 baht brand new.

For me its a much more stable bike than the CBR ,due to the extra weight and better suspension,front and back. Same poor tyres as the Honda but have yet to get round and change them.The Indian model is now fitted with the larger Pirellis Angels 120/160 which by all accounts are superb,so much as they are not offering the smaller tyres fitted on the Thai models anymore. The difference for me is I want to get on and ride the Benelli where as the CBR I didnt. I did soften the rear suspension damping by a couple of clicks which I prefer,again something you cant do on a Kawasaki or Honda.

I guess time may change some peoples view towards Benellis ,good thing is now you have a choice.

Good to hear you're enjoying it.

I agree those IRC's are terrible, do something nice for your bike and change them! Michelin Pilot Street are only about 3500 for the pair, or if you want to spend a little more get some Pirellis.

Keep updating us on the bike, honestly it's good to get reports from someone who's actually riding one.

^Of course, it's your money and you certainly don't need to buy one to have an opinion. Just responding to your point that "nobody regrets buying one"; it's very difficult for someone to regret buying one when only one person has purchased one.

I don't think I'm going to talk about Honda vs. Benelli any more in this thread, as it's only serving to derail it. I can talk about service, price point, power/weight ratio, ABS brakes etc. until I'm blue in the face, but at the end of the day if people find the looks of this Benelli exciting, well, fine. Maybe eventually some people will test ride/rent/or maybe even buy one. I'll watch with interest.

Frankly, when you purchase ANY bike you are taking some chance. If you go searching the internet, you can find stories of people having problems with Kawasakis, Ducatis, BMW's, and Honda is certainly not exempt. However by and large Japanese bikes are recognized as being the most reliable for a reason. Also, as we are in Thailand you can save yourself a lot of hassle in the event something goes wrong by going with a brand that has a good service network. So, yes, I will definitely consider buying another Honda for my next bike, or possibly a Kawasaki as they are also very reliable and have good service. What happens when something goes wrong with a Benelli? Where do you go to have it serviced? It's certainly something to consider. If someone wants to take that chance, it's their choice, but it certainly seems the riskier choice.

>This thread is full of tire-kickers...

Yep, and more and more trolls coming to join them. Tire kickers and trolls. Same as it ever was

I'm certainly not trolling, unless you take the extremely loose definition of a troll being "anyone I disagree with."

Sorry if you take offense at my "tire-kicker" comment, but it wasn't directed at you specifically, and you have to admit it's kind of odd to see a thread for a bike go for 10 pages and only one person was willing to take a chance and buy one.

Disagree with you, Jeff, about Honda's alleged quality issues once again. I'm coming from the perspective of a happy CBR300 owner with 16,000 on the clock and not a single problem with quality or service. Most other Honda owners I knwo feel the same way. Yes there will always be one or two defects but out of the large number sold that has to be expected. However I do agree that more choice is always good. Some people seem to like the look of this Benelli, and who knows, maybe some people will buy them and be happy with them. Time will tell.

Been following this thread for a while now, waiting for someone who regrets buying one, so far nothing at that has to be good. Pretty sure I would be bored by now on a CB300, even if it hadn't fallen apart.

The longer this goes the better the Benelli sounds.

Correct me if I'm wrong but there is a lot of talking going on here about how good this bike is but I can only find 1 person in this thread that has bought one.

Exactly. How can anybody regret buying a Benelli if nobody ever bought one in the first place?

This thread is full of tire-kickers talking about how amazing the Benelli looks and how awful and boring Honda is, but at the end of the day people that actually, you know, buy bikes and ride them overwhelmingly go for established brands like Honda, Kawa, Yamaha, or Ducati.

Funny, that.

But Allan, if you want to buy one to have something different and unique by all means buy it. That way everyone could finally hear some reliable first-hand experiences about this bike.

Since I started this thread, I think I should follow up with the latest news--Honda has informed all their dealers to contact customers of the affected models to bring their bikes in to check the starter relay. Here's an extract of the notice attached. Engine numbers below the number should be checked. Or is it above this number shown? Anyway, see your dealer.

Also attached is the full Englishunnamed.jpgRCRIT-15V439-3871.pdf language recall notice, which Honda has translated into Thai and sent to dealers.

Good info. Thanks.

I think its a case of "Wake up , and smell the coffee" . Honda has had more than its fair share of recalls lalely The quality they once had , is slowly slipping . The various companys , in various countries , that make Hondas , are "making to a price" , same as everyone . Might as well chose something exciting , stylish , powerfull and cheaper . At least nowadays theres a choice .

Is the tnt300 cheaper then then cb300f? Didnt know that.

Sent from my c64

It's not. TNT 300 is 139,000 baht. CB300F is 130,000.

Regarding power, the Benelli does put out a little bit more horsepower. However, its wet weight is almost 40kg heavier than the CB, so the CB has better power/weight ratio.

Looks are completely subjective, so I'll leave that one alone

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Last week my bike crankshaft bearing went out on me. Around 15,500km. It's kinda sucked because they let me borrow a click for a week and it had some problems.

I was riding on Rama 5 on my way home about to get to rachapruk and the power of the engine was slipping, so I thought maybe the clutch wasn't engaging so I stopped at the honda center. I told them that I the clutch is <deleted> and it needs to be fixed. They manager told one of the mechanics to test ride the bike and sure enough he came back say the same it's slipping. He told another mechanic something in thai and he already knew what it was. He opened up the case and all the copper metal was dripping out of the side a small metal filter. I asked the manager if it would be under warranty and she say bring my the service book and you should me okay. I was a little nervous about it because it's only been 15,000km and the engine new a big service I asked how much would the service cost and he said maybe like 6k.

They told me they gave me a new crankshaft. New piston with rod. New cylinder. So basically an all new bottom. That made me happy but then if it happens again then I don't want the bike. Before the service I told the manager I want a 650 because I travel far to work and if the 300 can't cut it I want to just switch up. This new bottom end better last longer than 15,000km or I'm not going to want it any more. Btw the bike isn't even a year old.

They serviced the bike for me for free and took care of me. Now I'm n the break in period again and I don't trust the bike any more. Now I just hope the bike will be okay.

Honda quality.

Imagine if this happened to a 'Chinese' Benelli.

There would be 3 pages of posts about how crud they are compared to the reliable and amazing quality of Super Honda.

I don't think any brand of bike can boast 100% reliability of every single bike they produce. Granted there will be a few Hondas that have problems, just like any other brand. However, if you think the long term reliability of Chinese bikes are better than Honda on average, well, I guess I want to try some of whatever coffee you're sipping there.

Next time, don't pull in all the way.

Instead, park behind someone else!

Versys is a good suggestion, also take a look at the CB500X if you want something a little smaller/cheaper.

Without the keys, can you still get around by pedaling it?

I confess Andrew , i cant tell the difference between the 250/300 - LOL , but they are not my type of bike style in this engine size . Prefer enduro / supermoto . I am supprised the Kawasaki Ninja SL is cheaper than the Honda , when the KLX ( although a much better bike ) is more than the CRF . If the parts are suitable , it makes economic sense to share components such as cranks , bore sizes , pistons . Hence the "strange" engine displacements we are seeing . There is also a window of bore / stroke ratios that are suitable for certain applications . Wonder why Yamaha went for 321cc . Thats cheating . Of course it going to give more power and torque than the little Honda , even if the Honda wis a twin cylinder . Its 12% bigger .

I think since Yamaha came a little late to the party with the R3, they made a conscious decision to go with a bigger engine to try to compete with the Ninja 300. That's just speculation on my part though.

I understand the confusion with the engine sizes verses the model numbers . Yamaha should be calling the R3 a 325 , but even if the Honda was a real 300cc , the single cylinder isnt even close in performance , to the Yamaha . A far better single would surely be the Kawasaki Ninja or the SL . KTM should call their RC a 375 . KTM also do a 500 enduro that is over 510 cc . The single cylinder Hondas are low on power , but are fine to use for certain rides / riders . And if they are 10,000 cheaper than the Kawasaki singles , that makes a difference to some . Im not sure if these "strange" engine sizes arent a result of using piston / crank sizes from previous models , or some magic bore / stroke formula .

Man most people aren't that confused, it's actually pretty easy to tell the difference

Re: price I was referring to the CBR300 being 50,000 baht cheaper than the Ninja 300 and the R3. With that kind of price difference (and the fact that it's a single) it's no surprise it's a bit less powerful at the top end.

The Ninja 250 SL is actually about 10,000 baht cheaper than the CBR300, and is a bit less powerful. Still a nice looking bike, and a great deal too. The main downside (for me) is the small size and riding position; it really feels like it's designed for a shorter rider.

On your last point, yes, the 286cc engine size of the CBR300 is due to it being the same bore size as the 250, just with longer stroke. At the end of the day, the CBR300 is basically nothing more than an updated version of the 250... but I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

Van Van is a cool looking bike but it sure is expensive for a 125cc.

I always find it amusing how annoyed some people on here seem to get about Honda rounding off 286 to 300.

Ninja 300: 296cc is ok.

KTM RC 390: 373cc no worries!

But Honda makes a 286cc bike and calls it CBR300, and they are evil and deceiving people

Obviously anybody who buys the bike will have done enough basic research to know the actual cc. Usually people who buy a bike in this range (myself included obviously) do so because

a) They don't have a lot of money

They aren't very experienced or

c) They mostly ride in the city.

The CBR300 ticks all those boxes, being 50,000 baht cheaper than the competition and also lighter for easy handling in traffic.

Buy whatever suits you, but the serial butthurt against Honda just seems silly.

The advertisement in question may well be stupid and hilarious, I haven't seen it

The 150 version is really popular in my area. Classic styling + low price point, they really seem to have hit the nail on the head for this market. If the 400 is cheaply priced I imagine it will sell pretty well too. Can't speak to long term reliability though. Obviously Yamaha would have better build quality, but, as others have said, the SR400 is way overpriced.

A newspaper report states Thailand leading the way in banning alcohol sales.

piffle! The bars and clubs will simply relocate ! (if their businesses suffer!)

Been around any provincial campus sites where there are hundreds of small apartment blocks designed for students ? These are well "off-campus" and the nightlife is vibrant !

Students will just find the nearest legal (or illegal) place to drink ................. get real people!

The students, as well as most others in Thailand, get their alcohol from 7-Eleven and other convenience stores. I doubt that there are many countries in the world where access to alcohol is as easy as here.

In most of Europe, alchohol is available everywhere......corner stores, supermarkets etc

Thailand has around 15,000 convenience stores that are open 24 hours per day selling alcohol with few restrictions, some of it (cheap whisky) at absurdly low prices. I know of no European country that has anything similar. In addition, there's a culture around alcohol in Europe. Although many drink to get drunk, most drink for the enjoyment of a good drink. In Thailand, with very few exceptions, people drink to get drunk. Period.

I'm astonished by how many Thais who frequently publish photos of themselves on FB with a bottle of whisky, as if the fact that they are drinking somehow increases their status in society.

In many states in the US alcohol is available everywhere as well. In California, for example, there are convenience stores everywhere, and you can buy alcohol between 6AM and 2AM. Prices are comparable to or cheaper than those in Thailand, unless you're drinking Lao Kao.

There's really nothing special about the availability of alcohol in Thailand, unless you're coming from a country with Sharia law or something similar

^Bangkok doesn't do red plates for motorbikes, but some other provinces do. I know Nakhon Pathom does them.

Oh really, what plate do they put on a new bike in Bangkok these days?

No plate at all. You just ride around plateless until the white plate comes in. Not sure why they stopped doing red plates, but it's been like this for at least a couple years now.

I have a $350aud helmet that i usually just leave resting on the bike, hasnt been stolen yet

Where do you park it?

My understanding is that this model was designed for the European market. As such, the ergonomics may be a bit better for a full-sized farang than, say, a Click or other similar scooter.

Probably the main reason they didn't do well here was the price difference between it and the PCX, not to mention the limited dealership availability (I don't think I've ever actually seen one in person).