RubberSideDown

Like the idea of the boots, but must be selective.. should I buy the jacket first...a bit more expensive..

Cheers Up to Panda Riders in a month to check it out.

I'd get the jacket first. You are much more likely to injure your arms/elbows or shoulders in an accident, as they are normally the first parts to hit the ground.

Actually, the feet and legs are the most commonly injured areas in motorcycle accidents- according to the Hurt Report:

Half of the injuries to the somatic regions were to the ankle-foot, lower leg, knee, and thigh-upper leg.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_findings_in_the_Hurt_Report

That sucks- glad you made out as well as you did. Hitting that kind of a rut can be (obviously) a real disaster- the effect is instantaneous and you have very little chance to escape it once you find yourself in it. What was it- quick monster head-shake and then down?

Is this the restricted 40hp A2 license version? If so, I can't see buying it- it's made to appeal to a particular market niche where choices are limited through government regulations- you can get a lot more bike for the money, imho.

Price aside, I agree it looks like a nice bike- I saw one in the parking lot of a KTM dealership (I didn't sit on it) and quite like it from an appearance perspective.

You need to take unladen and laden (rider off/rider on) measurements to check sag and properly adjust it- it's a bit of an involved process, but you won't need to do it everyday. You can go by feel, but you may as well do it right. This video is pretty informative, but there are loads of others re: setting up your suspension.

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Both versions have the slide control system as part of the traction control package, I believe- I listed what I think are the main differences between the R1 and R1M.

Kawasaki Thailand doesn't sell the ZX-10R, and there's no Japan-spec restricted version of it- it sounds likes you got the horsepower rating for the Z1000 (the sales guys at Kawi screw up like that all the time)- Honda Big Wing only imports the restricted Japan-spec version of the CBR1000RR and its 116hp.

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The only restricted Japanese bike available here is the CBR1000RR- the ZX-10R at Red Baron is full US-spec, but it's down about 10hp to the Euro version for emissions reasons- it's easily changed with an ECU flash.

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That's assuming the Yamaha Thailand dealer will be getting the R1 this year- it's not a guarantee, and there's been no announcement yet- we might hear something later this month. Also, importers are generally a bit cheaper than the dealerships on equivalent models (there would be no advantage to buying a bike from them otherwise), but you're also not getting a factory warranty and support from anywhere but the importers network, and if you live out of Bangkok, Zeus likely would need you to bring them the bike for service.

Semi-active Ohlins suspension, carbon fiber bodywork, and advanced data-logging with GPS.

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939K for the R1 and 1.549m for the R1M.

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Yes, as they have exactly the same brakes... Brakes aren't power-dependent, they're speed-dependent- both bikes would need to effectively stop from any given speed, regardless of how fast they might have attained that speed. While the non-restricted version can approach the 300kph limit, the restricted version would still be capable of ~250kph and would require the same quality brakes.

Besides the restriction hardware and slight transmission ratio differences, both versions are identical.

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Touratech makes a locking cradle as well, but I just stick the main unit in my pocket if I'm going to be away from the bike.

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It's high for your home country, but not bad for LOS- that's the point- if you wanted to bring in your bike valued at 250K, it would cost you at least that much in taxes, tariffs, shipping, miscellaneous bs, etc, and that's if you could manage to get the proper paperwork to begin with (likely not), making the bike that costs 450K the better deal (and WAY WAY WAY less of a hassle). I paid about double for my bike over what it would have cost in the US, but there wasn't a cheaper option to have one that was fully legal and regsitered.

A new Z1000 is 600K here, not quite double, but certainly more than it costs in many other countries.

For example, Red Baron has a 2014 CBR1000RR for nearly 1 million Baht: http://www.redbaronbkk.com/products/item.php?id=150110-0000757

Can't you buy a new 2015 CBR1000RR from Big Wing for 650,000 Baht with a Honda dealer warranty and then get an ECU from the USA and have the same bike that way but for less money, brand new, and with dealer warranty?

RB is selling a limited edition SP model, not a standard model- it has Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes, a blueprinted engine, etc- a standard full-power model would likely run ~750K-800K. As mentioned, there's more to upgraded a restricted model than simply changing the ECU.

I get the horsepower thing (I've got a ZX-14R), but on a track like Bira a literbike will be overkill. You should probably do a couple of rental track days to get a feel for it- I wouldn't risk a brand-new S1000RR on it. While Pattaya and Bangkok mostly suck for riding, there are nearby roads that make a fast streetbike worthwhile- if I were you, I'd buy the newest/latest/fastest for the street, and get something smaller to flog on the track. We're about the same size- a 600cc is small but workable for your frame (though I wouldn't want to do a 1000km day on one).

Someone asked which tracks you plan on riding- other than the new circuit in Buriram, there really aren't any where you can exploit the power of a literbike- if you plan to pull double-duty and ride on the street as well a 1000cc would be a good choice, but for a dedicated track bike you can find some decent 600cc bikes where you won't shed too many tears if they hit the deck. Motorcycles at ~1mil baht are kind of pricey (and oftentimes unnecessary) to risk on the track, even if your pockets are pretty deep- there are some good bikes on the used market that are ideal for the track.

I believe TV member yankee99 is looking to sell his CBR600RR.

Not all models are sold here- you can get a 200hp ZX-14R (not what you want for the track) through Kawasaki Thailand, but they don't sell the ZX-10R and it's only available through an importer. Honda Thailand only sells restricted CBR1000RR models. You can get a full-power GSXR1000R through Suzuki Thailand or (older model) R1 through Yamaha (no word when or if they'll carry the new model)- you already know about BMW, and Ducati Thailand is still selling the 1199 Panigale and has no immediate plan to sell the new 1299 (they told me maybe next year). A KTM RC8 would be an interesting option, as would an MV Agusta, but they're pricey and I wouldn't want to deal with the hassle of repairing a track get-off due to the limited dealer network.

Depending on the model you want, an importer might be your only option as the literbike market is pretty thin in LOS, and there's really no way to bring a bike in yourself.

All the bikes at Red Baron are imports from the US and are full power.

Try Red Baron. They've got a CBR1000RR SP that would be an awesome track bike.

http://www.redbaronbkk.com/products/?cat=10

The thing with using an phone is that it's really a somewhat lesser substitute in comparison to a standalone camera, a standalone tablet, and a standalone GPS- yes, it will do the job that's required, but not as well as a device dedicated to the single purpose. I have a smartphone like everybody else, but I find that the motorcycle-specific Garmin unit is superior to the point where it was a worthwhile purchase, and if I lost it I'd buy another one before using my phone for navigation. I stick it in the permanently-mounted handlebar cradle just about everyime I take a ride, and i don't find it inconvenient having another gadget, at least not in comparison to what I see as the benefit.

I completely see why you would go with your phone for GPS use and I'm sure it works well, but there are certainly advantages to a GPS-specific unit.

The charging cradle:

Clicked in and ready to go:

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I've got the 350 as well- I love that thing. I've still got to sit down with the Basecamp software and really work it out as far as route planning goes, but I think a motorcycle-specific GPS unit will always be the best choice in every category except price- it's weather-proof, shock-proof, glare-resistant, works with gloves, etc.

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I did a quick search on removing stickers from matte paint, and the procedure looks to be the same- heat, fingernail picking up an edge and slowly peeling it off, and then cleaning up th residue with WD-40 or the equivalent (do NOT wax for your bike's matte paint). If you really want to be extra careful, soak the stickers in WD-40 overnight before attempting removal.

Either way, I'd find out all I could on Google first just to be sure- I didn't really research it, but just gave it a cursory glance.

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Well, the weight removal has quite a beneficial effect- I figure it equates to adding 8hp minimum.

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Yeah, but going up a grade is way more common than going down, and generally won't cause an issue. I do know for a fact that they wouldn't fill my diesel truck up with gas when my wife asked for E91 (which was of course my fault for letting her use my vehicle...)

That said, you're probably right.

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I'm hoping they understand what the '95' means- whether they understand Thai hopefully won't be an issue.