One Bike to do Everything - Suggestions and Advice Please

[Kinnock]

I want to simplify my bike habit by moving to a single motorcycle.  My current bikes are a few years old - so I have to do the testing before taxing and insurance, and even though the long-haired one does most of the admin, it's still a nuisance for her.

 

I had a 'big bike, (Triumph) but it was heavy for use in Thailand as all my trips start in Bangkok, and as we can't use the Expressway I thought it was wasted here - so that went a while ago.

 

- For fun trips to Bangsaen etc I've been using my Honda CRF250M - a great little bike, and to be honest it seems to have enough power for Thai roads, but I'd now like something with ABS

 

- For the 7-11 runs there's my Supercub

 

- And I also have a restored classic Honda CL90 Scrambler for tinkering and the DGR ride

 

My aim is to just have one bike to do everything.  And this is where my problem starts.

 

My ideal bike would be:

 

1. A standard motorcycle - or a not too extreme cruiser or adventure bike - for comfort
2. Light weight - so easy to park in shopping malls and crowded 7-11 forecourts
3. ABS - just in case I need it
4. Able to do some longer trips
5. Dealer network in Thailand
6. Large enough for a 6' tall rider to not look like a circus bear on a unicycle

 

I've found the Honda CRF to be reliable and well made, plus there's so many dealers - but Honda don't seem to have anything to suit my needs.  The CB300R is designed for midgets, the Rebel is better but my knees end up in my ears and the CRF 300 L and Rally (disgracefully) have no ABS in Thailand.  The CB500X is a possibility - though a bit excessive for the 7-11 duties, and to me it's just a bit 'white goods' - like buying a washing machine or a fridge, but it's a good bike, so still on the list.

 

The new BS6 BMW 310 looked ideal, especially with it's fancy new LED lights, and they seem to have sorted the problems of the older model (cracked frames, snapping side stand, rough motor) - but the BMW dealer told me they "are not going to offer the new 310 models in Thailand" .... <deleted>?

 

Same with the Royal Enfield Himalayan - you need to pre-order and wait 2 month to get the old model.

 

I don't get it - when Honda, Kawasaki or Triumph launch a new model - it's a global launch, and the older models will have been discounted for months to sell all the old stock - but in Thailand BMW and Enfield continue to offer the old model at full price .... plus a 2 month wait.

 

The Enfield Meteor looks nice - but a bit slow.

 

So I looked at Kawasaki - Versys x300 is a possibility - but it really needs the 400 motor - what are Kawasaki waiting for?

 

Z400 - a bit Bear on a Unicycle and looks like a transformer - but maybe OK

 

W175 - hilariously small, W250 - hilariously over-priced

 

The 650 twin gang - bit too heavy for the shopping trips, though the Vulcan looks good and the Versys is a good, big all-rounder.

 

Maybe I need to think out of the box - a 350cc scooter?

 

Or maybe some bike I've not though of?

 

But if you had to choose one bike to cover all needs - what would it be?

[OneMoreFarang]

You know already it is impossible to have the perfect bike for all you want.

I have a KTM Duke 390 and I am very happy with that bike. Maybe have a look.

KTM changed the supplier to a new one last year. I don't know how the Thailand wide network is.

The most up to date information are on their facebook page.

[piston broke]

 

Honda ADV150 ....

 

Rides like an auto dirtbike, light and nimble through the traffic like a hot knife through butter, plenty of underseat storage for the 7/11 trip...... f/r disc brakes, ABS and longer front forks / gas rear shocks help to iron out the bumps....

 

Out of town, great round the back road twisties, but obviously not suitable for high speed dual carriage way riding (but tbh, with the state of the roads, sensible speeds rule...) ...

.

[Agusts]

Xmax 300 or the new Forza 350 , you don't need anything else..., if have money to burn Xadv 750 (used ones nowadays go for 250k baht .... ! ).

 

[Kinnock]

23 minutes ago, Agusts said:

Xmax 300 or the new Forza 350 , you don't need anything else..., if have money to burn Xadv 750 (used ones nowadays go for 250k baht .... ! ).

 

I heard there was an Adv 350 on the way - that could be ideal?

[soi3eddie]

4 hours ago, piston broke said:

 

Honda ADV150 ....

 

Rides like an auto dirtbike, light and nimble through the traffic like a hot knife through butter, plenty of underseat storage for the 7/11 trip...... f/r disc brakes, ABS and longer front forks / gas rear shocks help to iron out the bumps....

 

Out of town, great round the back road twisties, but obviously not suitable for high speed dual carriage way riding (but tbh, with the state of the roads, sensible speeds rule...) ...

.

 

I'm glad you suggested this and not me. Surprised you haven't been shot down in flames yet. I have an ADV150 and love it but if doing long highway stints then some will find it too slow (117KMH max).

For the OP it is hard to find one bike to do it all. Something in the 300-400cc range seems to be best as often highway cruising speed is needed but a bike that is still easy to ride and not too big. Maybe a Forza 350? Expect this thread to run and run.

 

[jackdd]

There is no one bike to do everything, simple as that.

A scooter in the 300-400cc range probably covers somehow the biggest range.

If you want a "real" bike, maybe the Honda NC750X, auto gearbox is good for the city, has some storage space, touring obviously no problem. Size wise it's of course too big for trips to 7/11 or the city.

[canthai55]

City traffic - CVT scooter

Hiway - take your pick.

Trying to get one bike to do both these jobs is impossible. Either too big or too small for one or the other.

[bkk6060]

The Honda ADV150 has small training wheels/tires.  I actually did not feel safe on it.

Yamaha Aerox 155 much better fit I think.

[guzzi850m2]

The Yamaha Tenere 700 might fit the bill?

 

Fairly light, enough power for Thailand, can do mild off-road.

 

Tall so commanding view in heavy traffic and has become a best seller WW, the MT07 engine is very robust.  

 

Okay +400K so not cheap.

 

I am thinking about getting one at some stage but will keep my pcx and my current big bike.

 

Did a 1 hour test ride on one here in Pattaya and I really liked it, it's great fun.

 

I hate riding my pcx on the highways, not enough power but perfect for city.

 

I will advice OP to have a small Thai scooter together with a big bike, those small scooters are really cheap to maintain and don't use much fuel.

 

[papa al]

Maybe Yama5  

 MT-15 or MT-3.

or

CB150 or 300?

papa very likes CB150.

It's capable of running well over 

the legal speed limit.

[130+]?

Especially with Dynabeads and Amsoil.

????

Edited June 14, 2021 by papa al

[VocalNeal]

1 hour ago, canthai55 said:

City traffic - CVT scooter

Hiway - take your pick.

Trying to get one bike to do both these jobs is impossible. Either too big or too small for one or the other.

 

Versys 300 for 300km meet up with Canthai and friends.

New addition Zoomer X for running around town. ( Already had a new variator lurking around????) Parts and add-ons are cheap.  

[Agusts]

7 hours ago, Kinnock said:

I heard there was an Adv 350 on the way - that could be ideal?

 

Yes, I heard it too, if that comes a bit lighter than Forza it could be a really nice option... (more nimble and some off-road or rough road capability), but I think Honda knows that, so they are hesitating introducing it - also they are very clever with keeping quiet and suddenly release a new model, this way people don't stop buying old / current models... !

[OneMoreFarang]

13 hours ago, Kinnock said:

I had a 'big bike, (Triumph) but it was heavy for use in Thailand as all my trips start in Bangkok, and as we can't use the Expressway I thought it was wasted here - so that went a while ago.

 

- For fun trips to Bangsaen etc I've been using my Honda CRF250M - a great little bike, and to be honest it seems to have enough power for Thai roads, but I'd now like something with ABS

 

- For the 7-11 runs there's my Supercub

 

- And I also have a restored classic Honda CL90 Scrambler for tinkering and the DGR ride

 

My aim is to just have one bike to do everything.  And this is where my problem starts.

Maybe think about the things which you absolutely need and the areas where you can't compromise.

I.e. if you want to make trips like to Bangsaen then I think you should have a bike which can easily accelerate to at least 120 or 130km/h. Not top speed, easily accelerate that means the bike must have a top speed of at least maybe 20km/h more.

If you want to ride between the cars in the city you don't want anything wide like a Forza or anything like that (at least that is my opinion).

When you go shopping are you willing to take a backpack with you or have a bag dangling from your arm? If not then you need storage space. And lots of bikes don't have any of that. And if they have storage space they are physically big and often wife bikes - no fun inside town.

Good luck with your quest. 

[Kinnock]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Maybe think about the things which you absolutely need and the areas where you can't compromise.

I.e. if you want to make trips like to Bangsaen then I think you should have a bike which can easily accelerate to at least 120 or 130km/h. Not top speed, easily accelerate that means the bike must have a top speed of at least maybe 20km/h more.

If you want to ride between the cars in the city you don't want anything wide like a Forza or anything like that (at least that is my opinion).

When you go shopping are you willing to take a backpack with you or have a bag dangling from your arm? If not then you need storage space. And lots of bikes don't have any of that. And if they have storage space they are physically big and often wife bikes - no fun inside town.

Good luck with your quest. 

All good points - it's a challenge.

 

-  I think the ideal bike would be a Kawasaki Versys x400.  Fast enough for the longer trips, light enough to haul around in mall car parks, narrow enough for heavy traffic, has a rack for shopping duties, ABS and a comfortable upright seating position.

 

Shame it doesn't exist. ????

 

[OneMoreFarang]

27 minutes ago, Kinnock said:

All good points - it's a challenge.

 

-  I think the ideal bike would be a Kawasaki Versys x400.  Fast enough for the longer trips, light enough to haul around in mall car parks, narrow enough for heavy traffic, has a rack for shopping duties, ABS and a comfortable upright seating position.

 

Shame it doesn't exist. ????

 

I just looked up that thing and this was one of the first pictures. Definitely now too big. ???? 

 

 

 

[Kinnock]

8 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I just looked up that thing and this was one of the first pictures. Definitely now too big. ???? 

 

 

 

The Versys X300 is close to my spec, but cruising at 10'000 RPM is not ideal.  If Kawasaki put the new 400 motor in it, then it could pull taller gearing - but no sign of an X400 ..... just a Z400 naked and Ninja 400 Sports ..... both a bit small for full sized riders 

 

May just wait to see if Honda does the decent thing and adds switchable ABS to the 300 Rally (as in other markets) or if RE or BMW decide to offer their latest models here.

 

Or go the 350 scooter route.

[Agusts]

Versys 650 is not too bad either, very tall bike, but amazingly it has a very short wheelbase, it's shorter wheelbase than some naked bikes....!

 

If you can manage the height, 6+ foot (makes me dizzy just sitting on it, but I might get one eventually), and take off all the boxes and huge engine bars and other stuff people attach to them, I think it maybe quite nimble and manouverable , though still very heavy...

 

I see what you mean about 400 version, I always wondered why they went for 300, but I guess they wanted to offer a light and cheap man 650 version...! lol ????

 

Ideal combo could be a Versys 650 + a Click....

 

[jvs]

34 minutes ago, Kinnock said:

The Versys X300 is close to my spec, but cruising at 10'000 RPM is not ideal.

If you like the bike you can try different sprockets,can make a huge difference.

[Kinnock]

10 minutes ago, jvs said:

If you like the bike you can try different sprockets,can make a huge difference.

Good suggestion ..... dropping 2 teeth on the rear sprocket seems to be a common mod on the Versys forum - but I wasn't sure if this effects the speedometer or engine management?

[Kinnock]

23 minutes ago, Agusts said:

Versys 650 is not too bad either, very tall bike, but amazingly it has a very short wheelbase, it's shorter wheelbase than some naked bikes....!

 

If you can manage the height, 6+ foot (makes me dizzy just sitting on it, but I might get one eventually), and take off all the boxes and huge engine bars and other stuff people attach to them, I think it maybe quite nimble and manouverable , though still very heavy...

 

I see what you mean about 400 version, I always wondered why they went for 300, but I guess they wanted to offer a light and cheap man 650 version...! lol ????

 

Ideal combo could be a Versys 650 + a Click....

 

I looked at a good, used Versys 650 - seems ideal for the longer runs, but a bit heavy for the city/shopping duties?

 

The Vulcan S also looked interesting.

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

7 hours ago, Kinnock said:

Good suggestion ..... dropping 2 teeth on the rear sprocket seems to be a common mod on the Versys forum - but I wasn't sure if this effects the speedometer or engine management?

It won't effect the speedometer and engine management.

All bikes with ABS have sensors on the wheels with which they sense exactly how fast they rotate.

[OneMoreFarang]

8 hours ago, Kinnock said:

May just wait to see if Honda does the decent thing and adds switchable ABS

Sometime I think ABS is overrated.

Yes, my KTM Duke 390 also has ABS and I like(d) that idea.

But in reality, how often do we need/use ABS? I have my bike now since 3 years and I never used/needed ABS.

I ride bikes since a long time and it seems I habe a pretty good feeling in my fingers and foot when more pressure on the levers would be a bad idea. I am pretty sure most riders who rode on non-ABS bikes for years have this feeling.

Obviously it's nice to know a bike has ABS. But even now, after owning a bike with ABS, I guess I would still buy a bike without ABS if I really that bike.

[canthai55]

From the OP - "The Versys X300 is close to my spec, but cruising at 10'000 RPM is not ideal."

 

How fast you cruising ?

[papa al]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

I ride bikes since a long time and it seems I habe a pretty good feeling in my fingers and foot when more pressure on the levers would be a bad idea. I am pretty sure most riders who rode on non-ABS bikes for years have this feeling.

Until the day the dog or idjit charges into your path

 and a little sand is about.

[Henryford]

A guy in my condo just got a new Forza 350. Looks great and i think one of the best compromises between touring/in town use.

[NCC1701A]

10 hours ago, Agusts said:

Ideal combo could be a Versys 650 + a Click....

those are the bikes I have. every time I get back on the Click after riding the Versys 650 I feel like Pee Wee Herman. 

[guzzi850m2]

Versys 650 is a real good bike, I had one for a few years but sold it on.

 

It's a bit heavy at app 220kg but very comfortable for riders with long legs.

 

You can buy them cheap 2nd hand.

 

But yes, keep a scooter for short trips to the supermarket and you have a good set-up.

 

I would never buy a big bike without ABS, never, saved my ass a couple of times.

 

Honda Forza 300/350 is okay for some, it all depends what you want/expect. I know a few guys that swear by them and go all over the place on them. Forza have all kinds of nice gadgets, windscreen can go up down with a push of a bottom, a little light in the under seat compartment that comes on when you open the seat. Okay I personally don't like this set-up with the windscreen, it just adds weight and complicate matters (more that can go wrong). When I get old I might be interested.  

[OneMoreFarang]

21 minutes ago, papa al said:

Until the day the dog or idjit charges into your path

 and a little sand is about.

Sure. But then millions of motorcycle riders were perfectly fine without ABS for decades.

Is it nice to have ABS? Yes. Is it necessary? No.

[guzzi850m2]

22 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Sure. But then millions of motorcycle riders were perfectly fine without ABS for decades.

Is it nice to have ABS? Yes. Is it necessary? No.

Its necessary on a big bike in my opinion but not so much on a scooter. Yes it was not there before but things have moved on, we also drove cars without airbags before but I will never buy one without them in 2021.

 

Same as traction control on my big bike, the power is so brutal it kicks in many times when I ride it hard, a life saver on Thailand often not so clean road surfaces.