Buying my first big bike - ninja kawasaki 250/300

[alx123]

Used Forza 300 can be had for around 60k baht right now, that's another good option. Most people say it's ugly &b like a bathtub though, but beauty is subjective so WGAS right? ???? Okay for filtering, Plenty of storage and with enough power for occassional out of town. What,s not to like? 

 

I would also suggest Duke 390 as theyr'e cheaper used too but ONEMOREFARANG seems to disagree so maybe forget about it. ????

[andy72]

42 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

And do you think your comment will be helpful to anyone here? Do you think anybody will "listen". Or is that just the preparation for: "I told you so."?

was any of that aimed a you?

i told you so at what 
or is that you need a good  belabouring too

get in line wait your turn

 

apparently its in the pronunciation 

[OneeyedJohn]

There are a lot of good looking 'scooters' on the market.

The Yamaha Aerox looks good, has plenty of power, do you really want to go beyond 135 Kmh.

 

I have a 2 year old Honda CB150 that is more than enough. Just put good tyres on it.

[ivenius]

Lots of good answers here, thanks a lot! 

 

@OneMoreFarang Good point, that's what I have in mind - be able to put  stuff into the sacks, take my girlfriend with me occasionally. Someone mentioned that Z300 has a more upright position, unlike CB300R, it's also 2 cylinder. I've read a lot of reviews and apparently it's ok for long trips, etc.

 

Many people also suggested buying a bike which is not older than 2-3 years and doesn't have more than 10-20k mileage.

[OneMoreFarang]

4 hours ago, alx123 said:

Used Forza 300 can be had for around 60k baht right now, that's another good option. Most people say it's ugly &b like a bathtub though, but beauty is subjective so WGAS right? ???? Okay for filtering, Plenty of storage and with enough power for occassional out of town. What,s not to like? 

 

I would also suggest Duke 390 as theyr'e cheaper used too but ONEMOREFARANG seems to disagree so maybe forget about it. ????

Personally I would never want to be seen on a bathtub so just for that reason alone I would take the KTM Duke.

I love my Duke, it's a lot of fun. But I use it only in the city. My longest trip was about 160km and my hands were still vibrating after I stopped the bike. Bssssssssssss - for a few minutes. And the Duke's storage space has enough space that just about a mobile phone will fit in - but I am not sure about the big phones.

 

I think there are lots of options between the automictic super-size bathtub and the Duke. I am not familiar which bikes are available, I never looked at that class of bike.

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, OneeyedJohn said:

The Yamaha Aerox looks good, has plenty of power, do you really want to go beyond 135 Kmh.

How long does it take to get up to 130? Or even 120?

I have also a Raider 150 (about 16HP). It accelerates up to 100km/h fast. But then it takes a long time to accelerate from there - at least with my weight. 

[WalkingOrders]

I had a Ninja 250 in the USA a few years before coming to Thailand. Very fast for a small cc bike. On the smooth Highways of Georgia Cruising at 100 mph was like a human bullet flying through clouds. They are made to really run great on a high RPM. I think I had a 2011 bike? And very fast off the mark. Especially after its hot and you have that oil heated up nice! I road once from Atlanta to Miami and was on freeway the whole way at 90 mph. easy

[OneMoreFarang]

10 minutes ago, ivenius said:

Lots of good answers here, thanks a lot! 

 

@OneMoreFarang Good point, that's what I have in mind - be able to put  stuff into the sacks, take my girlfriend with me occasionally. Someone mentioned that Z300 has a more upright position, unlike CB300R, it's also 2 cylinder. I've read a lot of reviews and apparently it's ok for long trips, etc.

 

Many people also suggested buying a bike which is not older than 2-3 years and doesn't have more than 10-20k mileage.

Maybe consider a bigger bike. Something "normal", not a sports bike.

In Thailand the (minimum required) insurance of medium or big bikes is not more expensive than small bikes. So you could have i.e. a 600cc bike. Obviously you should take it easy and not try to race it (at least for the beginning).

Maybe have a look at a ER650 or something similar. I don't know the prices but I know those bikes are not tuned to the max. The engine has power but not crazy high-rev power. Good for weekend trips.

 

[OneMoreFarang]

17 minutes ago, ivenius said:

Many people also suggested buying a bike which is not older than 2-3 years and doesn't have more than 10-20k mileage.

I think it's no problem if you have a bike which is older. BUT make sure it's a common bike and it's easy to get spare parts. And obviously you need someone who takes care of it. I had once a VFR400 which was more than 10 years old and when I bought it it was in great condition. But later, maybe when it was over 15 years old, it was impossible to get spare parts. So old and well maintained is ok, but not very old.

[ivenius]

Thanks. Ok, I think I still won't be getting anything bigger for now since it's my first "big" bike, I will get that Z300 and replace with something else later on. Especially if I can put the bags on the back of it, it should hopefully be fine.

 

If older bikes are ok, I'll try to get something in 70k range, maybe from 2015-2016, put the rest of the money into a helmet etc.

 

Insurance, I was thinking about 1st class since it's Thailand after all, I was reading it's less than 20k a year anyway.

[papa al]

1 hour ago, ivenius said:

Especially if I can put the bags on the back of it, it should hopefully be fine.

 

Luggage racks/ equipage  are expensive.

papa's KISS :

1. One big duffle, bungie lashed crosswise*, aft 

around fender.

2. Daypack.

3. A wallet or something.

Can rest backpack on duffle when riding

to take weight off of shoulders.

Anything bigger than your 300

is superfluous. [solo]

A 150 CBR 150 MSlaz, & such

can cruise at 120 easy enough.

World class riding up north.

Enjoy.

[papa al]

*Duffle protect bike in a fall.

Best odds are buying from falang.

But don't rule out Thai rider or dealership.

Get someone knowledgeable to check it out if practicable,

but otherwise maybe Youtube the subject.

It's a buyer's market.

Maybe advertise in the BahtBold , Craigs, TV, 

BIKE WANTED...

it's free.

Be super-duper careful on wet roads.

 

[papa al]

Very nice;

Manly.

 

[brokenbone]

im with richard about verifying ability to transfer at dlt.

i was screwed by a big dealer here.

as for which bike, its in the eyes of the beholder almost altogether,

almost, but a universal law is avoid pipes that can burn your leg/foot,

see to it that it cant happen or look for some other bike.

there has also been some bad stuff bikes over the years,

bikes that at the face of it is just riddled with fails,

some blog reading / reputation should be applied first

[papa al]

????Ask for Covid discount.

 

" tight"

[alx123]

Go for the Z300 OP!

 

Seems like that's the bike you have your eyes on.  

 

The 250-300 cc's are great bike to start with. I bought a kawa 250 last year as a stepping stone bike because I'm planning to get a 650 or above later. Don't want to jump into a bigger and heavier bike immediately so for me that's the most logical thing to do.

 

Im still enjoying the 250 now and might not upgrade to a bigger bike yet, not until I felt like I have reached the 250's potential. It's not shockingly fast but it feels fast enough esp if you came from smaller cc. Heck, I can't even bring myself to push it into it's topspeed, I just don't have the heart to do it  LOL

 

Buy it,  enjoy, learn, upgrade after a year or two. cheers

[n00dle]

On 5/11/2020 at 4:49 PM, Nanaplaza666 said:

Why not buy a yamaha X-max 300cc automatic and easy to drive big enough for two people and small enough for bkk traffic . Their are loads of them driving around looks great and goes quit fast if you want to do longer trip . I myself drive a honda Xadv just bought 3 months ago really great bike automatic fast as .... but it's a bit out of your price range  

Because the point of the upgrade is to buy a motorcycle not a scooter.

 

If you have actually ridden an actual bike rather than a scooter you would understand

[n00dle]

19 hours ago, alx123 said:

Used Forza 300 can be had for around 60k baht right now, that's another good option. Most people say it's ugly &b like a bathtub though, but beauty is subjective so WGAS right? ???? Okay for filtering, Plenty of storage and with enough power for occassional out of town. What,s not to like? 

 

I would also suggest Duke 390 as theyr'e cheaper used too but ONEMOREFARANG seems to disagree so maybe forget about it. ????

The duke 390 is a very fun bike to ride.

[n00dle]

14 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I think it's no problem if you have a bike which is older. BUT make sure it's a common bike and it's easy to get spare parts. And obviously you need someone who takes care of it. I had once a VFR400 which was more than 10 years old and when I bought it it was in great condition. But later, maybe when it was over 15 years old, it was impossible to get spare parts. So old and well maintained is ok, but not very old.

My nc 30 was a dream and easy to maintain, but I also had an nsr 250 rr (two stroke) because one of them was always in the shop.

 

Trick with the vfrs is to buy from someone who specializes in them.

 

I had both my vfr and nsr for 10 years, and they were both purchased back by the guy who maintained them for 20k less than I paid for em. Sold them because fatherhood was impending and bought a car.

 

I miss that inline 4: cam chain whine and massive engine braking.

 

Was like sitting on an oven though, had to shave my bits to avoid heat rash.

[OneMoreFarang]

About luggage, racks, etc.

I never had anything like that on any of my bike - and I never made a long tour.

But I am pretty sure (a lot of) extra weight at the back will influence the center of gravity of the "bike" and the handling.

Maybe a question to others out there who rode like that: Does it make a big difference to ride with extra weight? Is the difference more noticeable on smaller (lighter) bikes?

 

[OneMoreFarang]

I think this is a great video about buying a used bike:

 

[ivenius]

I drove through half of Vietnam with 15kg backpack tied to the back of the 110cc scooter, hehe. I hope extra weight on the back would affect bigger bikes less.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, ivenius said:

I drove through half of Vietnam with 15kg backpack tied to the back of the 110cc scooter, hehe. I hope extra weight on the back would affect bigger bikes less.

I think the big question is how much in the back the weight is. It definitely won't improve handling in corners.

 

[VocalNeal]

3 hours ago, n00dle said:

I miss that inline 4: cam chain whine and massive engine braking.

Which bike. Both of yours if true had V engines. NSR V-twin and NC30 V4 with gear driven cams. ????

 

 

[ivenius]

Looks like Im stuck anyway for a while because DLT is closed.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, VocalNeal said:

Which bike. Both of yours if true had V engines. NSR V-twin and NC30 V4 with gear driven cams. ????

Correct. I loved that sound. ????

 

 

[VocalNeal]

Or even this sound? 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Or even this sound? 

 

Red line at 12k. Looks boring. ????

What I loved most with the VFR was when the bike was already screaming at 10k and then accelerating to 14.5k. 100km/h in 1st gear (with a 400cc bike). Yeah!

[alacrity]

Hope you get pleasure from whatever you get. Within my time here, it's noteworthy to mention that locals have little appreciation for the speeds you may be achieving at any given time. There's other ignorant folks also.

 

Ride safe.

 

 

 

[VocalNeal]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Red line at 12k. Looks boring. ????

What I loved most with the VFR was when the bike was already screaming at 10k and then accelerating to 14.5k. 100km/h in 1st gear (with a 400cc bike). Yeah!

Comes on the pipe at about 8 to 8.5 and then goes 9, 12, 9, 12 etc. 

VFR looks to have about the same characteristics as a Ninja 300/ Versys 300 Power at 12,500 and torque at 10,000. 

No torque characteristics for mine.