JonnyF

There was a thread on this a while ago, called the "Value for Money" thread or something like that. Have a read through that.

I've ridden both and own the Ninja 250R. The gist of the previous thread is that there is quite a performance difference between the two but for people who think that because they are spending twice the money that they will get twice the performance, they will be disappointed and would be better off with a CBR150. I really like the 250R and think the extra money was well worth it.

The top speed of the stock Ninja is closer to 165-170, not 150. I think one forum member did a few cheap (ish) mods and got a verified speed (GPS) of over 180.

yeah the pricing is pretty disappointing, I was really surprised when the girl at the motor show said 650k.

given that the Ninja 250R and the ER6N/F are fairly close to US/UK prices I was hoping for something around or just below the 500k mark. That way they could still make over 100,000 baht import duty per bike and at that price they'd sell quite a few of them. At 650k I'm guessing not too many will buy (especially with that butt-ugly exhaust )

I've done about 6500 kms on my Ninja, about a third of that has been with my girlfriend on the back. The range is good, about 300kms on a tank and it cruises nicely between 120 and 140 km/h which is fine for me given the state of the roads and the standard of driving. 160-170 (indicated) is the maximum speed but I wouldn't do that speed for too long because the RPM's are too high to keep it there for hours.

The longest stint I've done was 750 kms in one day from Samui to Bangkok and that was pretty painful but I guess it would be on most bikes, certainly on a naked bike like the ER6N I wouldn't imagine it would be that much more comfy (possibly less so). For touring I'd say the ER6N has a few drawbacks, obviously the lack of a fairing and I've heard the range is only 200kms per tank which would annoy me a bit if that was true. Obviously the extra power would be nice and the seat looks more comfy on the ER6N, especially for the pillion.

I'll be thinking about buying the ER6F if it arrives in the 250k baht range but an extra 55k for ABS and a fairing would put me off given it's 225k for the ER6N and an estimated 280k for the ER6F - too much of a jump.

If you went for the D-Tracker I think you'd have to change the gearing as by all accounts the top end is quite low in stock form.

Great! Rendezvous Point #2 - 0615. - Intersection of Sukhumvit Road and On-Nut (Suk 77).

As you proceed through the light to turn right from On-Nut onto Sukhumvit go straight directly into a little soi opposite On-Nut. I will meet you there.

Click this link for a map:

Rendezvous Point #2 - 0615

[edit to fix link]

Hey Jim- nice new avatar there buddy

Ok- no problem- that's the same alley we took last time when we came back from Udon Thani, right? Piece of cake. See you there about ~0615

Happy Trails!

Tony

That suits me better as well to be honest, I'm coming down Ekkamai (Suk 63) so I'll take a short detour up to the soi opposite 77 and meet you there.

I'm pretty much a dead cert now, see you in that soi about 0615.

Page 18 seems to be page 16 on mine. It's the first page after all the spare pages left for all the new owners as the bike is bought/sold.

My Ninja 250R bought from Rama 9 has a single line on this page with a stamp from DMV and a signature, stating a fee of 100 baht (if that's of any use to anyone!)

I don't read Thai but the GF tells me it is the tax paid on the initial registration. Never thought to check it before this thread so I can see how someone could get caught out by this type of thing...

It looks like I can make this one, work commitments have stopped me from joining the last few but this one looks good.

Kanchaburi looks like a good choice for the evening but the choice of meetup is difficult for me because I don't know that area of town and searching for it at 7am could slow the group down. If you could let me know the route you'll be leaving Bangkok then I can meet you on the way out. Are you gonna be leaving Bangkok via Sathon/Rama 4? I'll be leaving from the Ladprao/Ramkhamhaeng area. Anyone passing that way?

Yep the Ninja 250R is great in traffic, the only problem is the turning circle in real tight traffic when squeezing between the front and rear bumpers of 2 stationary cars, a couple of times I've had to rock it back and forth to get through whereas a Wave/Nouvo would get through on the first turn.

I love riding the KSR through Bangkok traffic, just replace the lollipop style wing mirrors with something with a shorter "stem" and you can get through the tightest gaps. It turns on a sixpence and soaks up the cracks in the roads. It's got a bigger tank than the scooters as well, added to the really good fuel consumption means you never seem to need to fill up. Really practical bike in my opinion, bullet proof as well.

Yeah that blue ER6f is a good looking bike, the ER6n had one too many drawbacks for me, the major one being the lack of fairing which meant that my one and only problem with the Ninjette (high speed cruising) wouldn't be fully addressed.

3 problems with the ER6f at first glance, but fairly minor...

1. The bars are freakishly high - easily addressed

2. The windshield looks too steep in most pics, although strangely not in the blue pic, again this should be easily fixed with an aftermarket shield

3. I don't like the "all in one" seat, it would look much better with a 250R/ZX6R style seat in my opinion. Maybe not so easily fixed but not so important and just a styling issue really.

I can't see how they can justify more than a 10,000 baht increase for the faired version so hopefully around the 235k mark. A real bargain by Thai standards... Will this be at the motor show next month?

Thanks Bard, I didn't realise a manual came with it, I'll check it out when I pick it up tomorrow morning...

Yeah this thread was pretty useful regarding the sensor - I double checked with them that they were sending the one with the lambda sensor (AreaP refer to it as the O2 sensor) for the EFI model, hopefully it just a case of unbolting the old one and bolting the new one on but best to check - especially as I'm not great with this type of thing.

My Area P quiet core (full system) is ready to be picked up from the post office tomorrow, It's gonna cost me 4600 baht in import tax which is a bit more than I was expecting but it should be worth it.

Does anyone who has already changed their exhaust have any tips for the installation? Mistakes they made that I could avoid, that type of thing? Or is it pretty straightforward?

Also, any news of the orders that were placed for the tyres and the brake lines (Dave Boo and Bard)?

I came close to buying this card as I am in the target market. However after spending a few months in Thailand I quickly realized nothing here is as it seems and never believe what exists today will be there tomorrow. I realized this through my interaction with all manner of Thai people from fruit sellers to doctors who simply lack clarity and competence to deal with anything that isn't written down for them to recite. I have met some very bright and compassionate Thai people but this is not the norm so I just can't take this country seriously nor invest any money whatsoever here. Some troubling aspects of this was the fact it was not really government supported and the payments went to Singapore. Also the lack of critical mass indicated the program would not see a long life. I definitely am not laughing at anyone who chose to buy the card. Had I not spent time in Thailand I would have had my preexisting faith in contracts and the government's word and maybe been out of 1.5 million Baht. I hope they get some type of compensation but unfortunately the one with cash is king and as soon as that cash is out of your hands in this country you can't expect to ever see it again. It will be interesting to watch the posturing and excuses as to why the money can't be returned. It also is shocking they managed to lose so much money, those kind of loses almost takes skill. You can't expect 1st world results in a 3rd world country.

I couldn't agree more, I wish every newcomer to Thailand was aware of this. I was offered one of these cards for a million baht in Jan 2007 and even though this was a considerable amount of money for me, if I'd have believed that I would receive what was promised to me then I would have parted with the money.

Unfortunately for the seller, I'd been here long enough to see through this type of scam. In Thailand you pay for things when they are in your hand and not before - to part with hard cash based on the promise that you will receive benefits in the future is way too risky here. I love to gamble but not at those odds

I hope the guys that bought these cards get the compensation they deserve.

That's what I was thinking - that's gotta be the cheapest way of owning a legal bike.

Why bother with all the paperwork, fees and hassle? Just take your imported/stolen/custom bike to the local transport department and wait until they refuse to register it. 10 minutes later you walk out the door with a fully legal bike. Couldn't be easier!

This attitude is what sucks about Thai visa, it happens in every thread. If you have nothing useful to say why bother?

I was pointing out that the theory was a load of rubbish, which is very useful information - especially to someone who read this thread and was naive enough to think that they were riding a legal bike just because someone in the transport department refused to register it.

That's what I was thinking - that's gotta be the cheapest way of owning a legal bike.

Why bother with all the paperwork, fees and hassle? Just take your imported/stolen/custom bike to the local transport department and wait until they refuse to register it. 10 minutes later you walk out the door with a fully legal bike. Couldn't be easier!

Hope there's a big public backlash against this.

I mean people refusing to pay and challenging them in courts.

The system works as long as everyone agrees on the rules, and here the police clearly is playing dirty even by their own standards.

Yeah, bound to happen, because Thai's LOVE challenging those "above" them

Just rode back to work from Immigration and passed Rama 9 so I popped in to have a look - they've got an Orange one sat just behind the doors to the workshop and they let me have a look around it. It's a really nice bike in the flesh, unusual but quite appealing. It felt pretty compact, I wouldn't have thought it would be that comfy for the bigger guys but it's nicely styled and looks really good in the flesh.

The salesman had a genuine massive grin on his face when he told me it was "very cheap, only 225" and having seen what you get for the money I'd have to agree with him. The 250 Ninja was good value at 139k but 225k for this beauty is even better. I wish they'd release the ZX6R in the same price bracket but I think I'm dreaming...

There's no doubt that this is fantastic value, I still can't believe it's 225k.

I just can't decide whether I actually like it or not. I'm gonna have to take a trip to Rama 9 and see it in the flesh before I make my mind up - it's kind of growing on me which is a bit of a worry as I've only just topped 3500kms on the baby Ninja. Barely run in.

What colours are available at the moment?

I went in here last Saturday afternoon. It's a nice looking place with loads of potential, but I agree with the comments about the staff. When I was in there they had a screeching 2 year old kid running around the tables being chased by 2 or 3 screaming bargirls.

I went in with the intention of trying the food, reading the paper and having a few beers but I ended up swigging down my beer and leaving ASAP. Apart from me and the girlfriend there was only one other guy in there and he also necked his beer and left before me. I hope they get it right because apart from that it seemed like a decent place to relax and watch the sport.

Just watched your video on Youtube Bard, that Area P sounds really good - the best I've heard on the 250 Ninja. I think I'll wait and see how BBB's custom conversion goes and then decide which way to go.

I just had a Christmas card from Kawasaki land on my desk. Nice touch!

For some people that come from countries that employ "positive discrimination" I can understand that this might be a little bit annoying.

They apply for certain jobs in their home country and they're less likely to get it due to their race (the quota of non-whites MUST be filled). They move abroad, and they're less likely to get it due to their race (no need to explain this one to any non-Asian who has lived in Asia, especially a "farang" in Thailand).

No bitterness on my part by the way, I've been quite lucky on the job front so far in Thailand and I've never been rejected in the UK for being caucasian. However, I do find it interesting the way some farang accept and in some cases revel in non-white discrimination against whites, and at the same time abhore any form of white discrimination against non-whites. Just an observation, maybe some of the previous posters can explain?

Bangkok Bank are one of the safer bets for sure.

Very conservative capital ratio, limited sub-prime exposure, backed by (and backing) some VERY wealthy people - I don't think a few farang taking out 12 months worth of spending money is going to hurt them too much. Which bank is unbreakable at the moment anyway?

I'm riding my motorbike down from Bangkok next week for a few days in Samui and I need some advice on the ferry situation for me and the bike.

I gather from previous posts that I need to go to Donsak pier, but google maps shows 2 piers at Donsak, which one do I need?

Also, could someone recommend which ferry service is the best and whether I need to pre-book with them or is it better to just show up. It sounds like they can get busy, is there any danger that I won't be able to get on one of them? Have they reduced services lately due to the lack of tourists?

I'm leaving Bangkok about 6 in the morning so I reckon I'll be at the pier no later than 4pm.

I realize some of these questions have been raised before but as you know things can change in Thailand from one month to the next and I'm really looking for current information.

Thanks a lot…

I have a KSR, but if it was going to be my main bike then I'd choose the CBR150 even though I don't like the look of them. The KSR will be great for downtown Bangkok but it's a real pain on the longer journeys as it maxes out at around 90 kmh in stock form. The CBR would be much better for longer journeys.

The KSR is a lot of fun and even though I hardly ever ride mine I cannot bring myself to sell it. If your wife has something more practical then you could get away with it as a second bike but I would really forget it for touring due to the lack of speed. I used mine for commuting to work in Bangkok and before that it was used for discovering the dirt tracks in Phuket. They handle great in both situations and are bullet proof as they are based on the kids dirt bike - the KLX110. Loads of modding options if that's what you're into, mine is still stock mainly due to a lack of time searching out the parts.

I think your decision depends on how often you intend to do long distances.

Yep, if Honda update the CBR250RR, put it into production and sell it in Thailand then I’ll probably be at the front of the queue (assuming the 600's don't arrive at realistic price levels first). The older models were great bikes and if they weren’t 10-15 years old and on dodgy green books then I’d probably have one as a fun bike. Even though the NSR150SP is the better budget option and I’m a closet 2 stroke junkie, I do like those screaming 4 cylinders.

I really hope Honda go ahead with the new 250RR. If it ever materializes my baby Ninja will be at least 3 years old so it could be perfect timing.

My personal experience/opinion of Honda bikes is that they are generally bullet-proof but un-inspiring when compared to the other bikes in their class. Having said that, the VTR250 looks quite nice for fans of un-faired bikes. Like most things in Thailand though, I’ll believe it when I see it.

I'm on my 5th rental place now, most were as good as gold but one in Phuket Town did try to rip me off. I'd seen it coming and told them I wouldn't pay the last months rent, but I'd paid 2 months deposit so they still owed me a month and they tried to keep that.

I went to see them and threatened legal action, at which point they offered half of what they owed me. I refused to take the cash out of her hand and told her that I'd sue for the full amount. I calmly pointed out that I would do this even if it cost me more to sue her than she owed me. At this point (to my surprise!) she gave the full amount back.

If I was you I wouldn't let it lie, it will annoy you too much. It won't cost much to get a decent lawyer to write them a threatening letter and I'd be surpised if you didn't get the money back at this stage. If you still don't get it back then you can decide whether to proceed. Personally I would go all the way through the courts and I'd expect to win. Don't believe you will automatically lose because you are farang this just isn't the case and if you do lose at least you can say you didn't roll over.

Best of luck, I hate rip-off landlords but they'll rip off Thai just as quick as they'll rip off farang so don't get all bitter and paranoid!