eeeya

I bought a real helmet because i was on a bit of a budget to get all the gear (jacket, boots, gloves and helmet) for under 20K baht. Bravo performance model.. $2500Bt. internal visor. got a free balalalaclalava with it which i wear. I tried wearing the helmet with and without the balalaclava and it is surprisingly better with it!

Real halmets also do a modular model called the cosmo. Website has a photo of the helmet but not with it flipped up.

Im starting to think my next helmet will be modular cause im sick of taking my helmet off every time i get pulled by the police (a lot). But one thing i have noticed with the modualar is not many have airvents. Maybe they expect you to flip the helmet for ventilation.

shark do a model called the evoline hakka modular helmet (review available on revzilla) around 12k baht

BUMP.. a 1 yr old thread, rather than start a new one..

So I got a Revit Airwave Jacket for riding around Bangkok. As this is my first jacket, i've got nothing to compare it to for airflow ability .. But some others have said it doesn't flow air that great.

I'm looking for a second jacket so i can rotate my wardrobe a bit... I'm looking for textile with elbow and shoulder armor.

I wear gear all the time. Full face, jacket, kevlar jeans. boots, gloves.. So im thinking the second jacket i might go one step lower in protection / quality for the sake of more airflow.

This is solely for slow speed riding in traffic.

Dirt shop in BKK has Acerbis jacket thats pretty light weight and about 3000 baht odd

Real helmets also make cheap jackets under the name of BACUDA.. for about $3500 baht.

http://www.real-helmets.com/2014/product.php?p=5#main

anyone suggest some models?

Les get back on topic with some photos! (from CB650F page on FB)

But the cooling system is to prevent the engine from overheating, something which it wont do if its switched off.. though for turbo its another story.

but for me personally, If i was thrashing an engine I probably wouldn't turn it off in an instant but for normal use its just contributing to wear and tear.

It's my understanding that for a turbo'd engine it's not for the engine, but to cool the turbo down to a point that the oil won't 'coke' up in it.

Yes thats correct, I think its something to do with high heat and bearings in the turbo with lack of oil cooling..But the whole system is a lot hotter that an engine

I dont understand why you would leave the fan running with the engine off.. there is no circulation of coolant. your just cooling the radiator

Assuming you're addressing me, my 500X has the fan on the rear (as most bikes do) of the radiator. Thus it sucks air through the radiator and blows over the cylinders.

Not sure if that will help much... Won't hurt anything either.

Maybe not. But my rationale is that since the electrical thermostat is in the cylinder head, and Honda programmed the fan to run at greater than X* C, letting the fan run until temperature drops below that won't hurt anything....

But the cooling system is to prevent the engine from overheating, something which it wont do if its switched off.. though for turbo its another story.

but for me personally, If i was thrashing an engine I probably wouldn't turn it off in an instant but for normal use its just contributing to wear and tear.

I dont understand why you would leave the fan running with the engine off.. there is no circulation of coolant. your just cooling the radiator

looking at a z1000 on the street the other day.. hows the massive fuel tank hump. Beast

bummer, offshore until the 22nd March

Awesome, thanks for that

What's a service cost on a CB650? Oil / filter. Tension chain etc

What's the pick between a Monster 796, ER6N and a CB650F?

Is there much performance difference between the three? There certainly is a price difference.

I'm amazed at the efficiency and cheap cost of AP Hondas service on my cb300f. I'm hoping that bigwing keeps the same

For me personally between CB650F and Z800 it would be the Honda. Z800 got more oomph (noticeable) but it's heavier, and for me the killer no ABS. The CB650F is plenty comfy (I did 800km in one go on it). I prefer the styling of the Z800 as it's aggressive but the CB is not ugly either.

If you ride a lot and for a bit longer or if you value ABS, there is a pretty clear winner. If you do short rides and want to be more of a hooligan, get the Z800.

If you have a bit more cash be sure to check out the Street Triple or MT-09 but their dealer networks are lacking.

Regarding the Monster: end of the year Ducati will bring the current Monster 821 to Thailand which is a big upgrade from the 796. But now you are in 450-500k THB territory.

At about the same price as the Z800 you can also get the new Scrambler if you like this kind of styling. Or are you set on a inline 4 engine?

What's your budget and what's your intended riding?

Well on the financial site the Z800 at about 375 K would be my limit and I guess I would use the bike 80% commuter wise and 20% longer distance trips. Other members also stated that the Honda is far more comfy to ride on longer distances and no I don't want to be the local biker hooligan. The CB 650 F has, as already mentioned, advantages over the Z800: considerable lower price and weight, ABS and more comfortable to ride on day or even week trips. If the Z800 only did'nt have that 100+ HP and class leading torque at relatively low revs. I'm not interested in topspeed and Thai road and traffic conditions make this obsolete anyway, but I admit I like a 0-60 sprint.....

with the low down torque of 650 honda, i am sure you never miss z800.

plus add a full system exhaust, an aftermarket air filer and a dynojet pc5 suddenly you have a 100 hp bike.

with 100 k you save, you can get these for 40 k, a set of pirellis and ohlins shock for 30 k and still you have money left for service for 50 k kmh and you have a bike better than z800 dynamically and nearly closer in performance.

Genuine question here.. is 100hp attainable with those mods?

This thread is right up my alley as i'm in the dreaming stage for my next bike in around 10 - 12 months time.

I bought a Honda CB300F a few months ago for BKK commuting. As it was my first manual bike I found it a bit tiring using the clutch and gears all day.

But now I love it. I can carve up the traffic easily and have fun doing it. The bike is narrow and I can squeeze through 90% of the places a scooter can.

Power is good, gets about 270km per tank before I fill it up (still leaving a litre or two in the reserve)

Lots of threads about discussing this model.

Gets a thumbs up for me.

Anyone recommend a magnetic tank bag. Alpine stars has a model which turns into a back pack but lugging 4 magnets around might be heavy ( or pull em out and stick them on the tank

Thanks Dave , i presume i will be arrested soon for throwing stones at the ducks !. I understand that bit , but - sorry to be a pain - when a + wave fron the engine , hits a - wave returning , what type is the "bounced" wave going back to the engine , + or - , or are they always - , as i sussect . I will shortly be on the phone to Honda F1 with some advice for them .

Ever seen a Newton's cradle? I've included a picture.

I assume you have; as you remember from watching it, the pulses/waves don't change, they are merely redirected. On the cradle, when they reach the end of the arc (analogous to hitting the cylinder) they head back.

And contacting Honda's F1 team would be pointless. They have a deeper understanding than I and use CFD amongst other tools to do study it in real time whilst adjusting various parameters rather than theorise and do out the math long hand.

I think this video is a good example of newtons cradle applied to motorcycling

Impressionable 21yr old doing the dirty work

^

but it is a whale.

vespa is at least thin.

never consider forza for bankgkok traffic. and 350 k fo a 300 cc vespa? c'mon!

hope honda brings this:

Here's a question..still in the context of Bkk commuting.

If every motorcycle cost 50,000 regardless of size, brand, capacity. What would be the most popular? Would it stay the same?

A lot depends on the kind of commuting and more importantly, which roads.

My commuting is from Suk / Asoke junction down to Asoke / Petchaburi junction. Completely senseless for me to take either my Versys or Ninja - my PCX would have pretty much completed the journey by the time I get my other bikes down to street level from my parking lot.

For dinner, I usually eat around Huay Kwang / Thong Lor / Ekkamai - I take my PCX because traffic is still very heavy around this time and also because my gf can ride the PCX back if I imbibe a bit more whisky than I intended to

I go often to a bar in Ramkamhaeng - on weekends, I will usually take the Versys or Ninja as the roads are clearer and there are some stretches where I can open up. On weekdays, the PCX, again for obvious reasons.

My advise to the OP is to sell the 300 (you will get bored of it after a while, especially when going on longer rides), buy a scooter for around Bkk and a 650 for weekend and touring rides.

Good advices but keep the 300 for now, OP is a newbie and a 300cc is perfect to learn on.

Perhaps 6-12 month down the road get a bigger bike.

I can recommend the new Versys 650 if you are a tall guy, I am just over a week into my new pride and joy and I know already now that I made the right decision buying one.

My PCX 150 is quick up to app. 80 km/h and it's good downtown, smooth and comfortable and fairly big storage under the seat. I owned Waves before but got feed up with all the gear changing downtown, twist and go is the way to go for extensive city riding in my opinion. Almost 40km/l average on gasohol 91 isn't bad either (app. 85% city riding).

One poster also mentioned wear and tear which is a very good valid point, much cheaper to run the scooters and we all know how Thais park bikes, very very close. I once parked my ex HD downtown which cost me 5000 baht of repainting of the panniers, so never again. I don't care much about scratches on my PCX, it's a tool for me but I might treat it with new plastics when it turns 5 years old in +2 years time.

+1

Very valid points. I didn't notice at first that the OP is a relatively new rider but then again, he might be an experienced motorist (cars, trucks, buses etc). I initially bought a PCX after not having ridden a bike for about 30 years. A month later, I bought the Versys. I can't tell you how apprehensive I was when I picked up my bike. Crikey, it's high. Crikey, it's heavy. Crikey, I've never ridden anything bigger than a 250 cc before (more than 30 years ago).

Having a powerful bike does not necessarily mean that one has to go fast. This is where motoring experience comes into play. I ride my big bikes no different from my PCX (just faster that's all). I am still constantly watching out for potential hazards, slowing down where necessary, keeping safe distances etc etc. I'm also never first off at the lights even on my Ninja. Just imagine the thrill that some Thai guys on Honda Waves / Click etc get when they feel that they have outdragged my Ninja 1000 from the lights, lol.

Good point also about maintenance, especially tyres. Riding Pirelli's in city traffic hurts (in the pocket). Bht 7,000+ for the rear, 3,000+ for the front and they get squared off in no time, compared to scooter tyres

Yes, road train driver back in OZ. 3 trailer jobbies hauling dangerous goods. That was my previous career.

I'm listening to the comments regarding lower quality components in scooters ie poor breaks, wimpy motor etc. So I did a bit of research. Other than pcx which is reasonable money, the other bigger scooters are ridiculous prices.

300gts vespa 350,000 baht. Omg

Well, for now the 300 is serving its purpose as a commuter \ practice bike. Its too early to go on a spending spree with only a mouth odd under my belt. Ha! But if there was a genie in a bottle I'd wish for the scooter for town and the weekend play machine.

I went for a blat 100km out of Bkk today to stretch the legs.. The 300 makes a good job of it. I don't regret my choice at all.

I married into a motorbike family, I've never really been interested until up to now since hanging around the workshop with bikes pulled to bits and engines getting rebuilt on workbenches (all big bikes I might add).

Its kind of ironic that the most often used bike is the worn out piece of ..... Honda scooter.

I haven't seen many Thai guys on big bikes in the peak hr rush. Well, I did see an ER6N today, and a Hayabusa yesterday. But mostly I'm under the impression the big bikes are for the weekend Starbucks hangout.

As you don't ride big bikes, your impressions are mostly wrong. There are of course a few Starbucks posers around Thonglor but the majority hit Khao Yai, Kanchanaburi etc at the weekends. Probably best not to comment until you know what you're talking about, hmm?

Seems everyone has to decide for his own. At least if you are not such a crack like ll2 who rides the biggest bikes like an artist in the circus and jumps over all traffic jams with dozens shopping bags hanging from the mirrors ..

Yes, yes, yes. we know you hate big bikes and love taking digs at their riders. Nothing new here.

As to the OP. A 300 isn't a big bike but yes, riding a big bike through Bangkok traffic is a pain. On the plus side, it's excellent training in low-speed throttle control, clutch-feathering and brake control. Also, great practice in concentration and focus.

---EDITED BY draftvader---

Removing a quote of a deleted post.

Cheers for your input mate. Think you got my post all wrong. But anyway up to you

I think they're targeting the thaivisa whiners