I am disappointed with KTM service in Thailand. I knew that I can't expect the same amount of dealers and service centers like Japanes bikes, but I expected that there would be at least a few good dealers. Until now I didn't fine one...

 

So I think about selling my KTM and buying another "big" bike. I think about roughly 400cc to 700cc, 4 cylinders. A sports bike, not a super sport bike.

But which brand? Are all Japanese manufacturers similar in their presence and quality in Thailand? Or is i.e. Honda preferable to Yamaha and Suzuki? Or the other way around?

For me only Bangkok matters. 99% of the time I will be within Bangkok so I don't have to worry about service centers up country.

What do you think?

What experience do you have with different brands in Thailand?

 

Just now, Celsius said:

[some Harley]

I never understood the attraction of those bikes, especially in Thailand.

They are way too big to get between the cars. So, what's the point?

I want a bike to be able to get fast and with some fun from A to B. And not something big to wait between all those cars in the traffic.

Honda - whatever model suits you.  Parts and Service everywhere - huge dealer network. Unlike KTM or Harley, they are not a 'niche' product - Honda is the biggest in Thailand by a long way and you will have more luck finding a decent dealer/service place. 

Triumph is a decent option nowadays; chuck a Trident around in Thai traffic no end. They're put together here, What is others' experience with servicing. Would go naked bike where possible.

 

OMF, glad you put Big in quotes when talking 4-700cc 😉

19 minutes ago, Celsius said:

What a stunning female! Are we allowed to say that nowadays without asking?

I used to have good experience with Kawasaki, but looks like the Kawasaki Thailand company is stopping service from their headquarter, making customers go to dealers instead, you used to be able to go to the headquarter on Rama 9 rd, and get whatever parts from the parts department, then they moved their office to Petchburi Rd, still have showroom and service dept, but now they've closed the service department, I'd wait and see how committed they are to continuing business in Thailand before recommending  Maybe the dealers aren't happy that corporate is taking their customers but in my experience, dealers own service tech aren't as good as corporate trained ones unless they're kept on a tight leash. Good techs open their own garages.  

 

Honda Big Wings are mostly run by dealers too, only the Raminthra one is Honda corporate, haven't bought anything from Honda recently but I have got better deals from other BigWing like Rama 3 than the corporate run one on Raminthra, you can buy from other dealer and go to the corporate one for service of course, but being where you bought your bike from helps in getting appointment and smooth things over with warranty claims somewhat 

Have a look at Kawasaki.

I have had two big bikes, A Z900 And a H2SX, I found service and parts readily available and the shops i have used, pm and i will send details, to be very professional in there service.

I actually received better service in Hua Hin than I do in Australia.

as for the bike choice, if it must be 4-cylinder

4 cylinder Honda 650 is pretty good value, considering what you got compared to the 750 twin 'replacement' although the reputation for the thai Honda 650 rider is a bit yobbish with availability of custom parts and farkled to match- somewhat mitigated if you buy the naked CB650 instead of the faired CBR650 

 

the Kawasaki 250 and 400 4 cylinder probably considered a supersport the bigger 650 are all twin

There's also the naked Z900 that's 4 cylinder 

44 minutes ago, digbeth said:

as for the bike choice, if it must be 4-cylinder

4 cylinder Honda 650 is pretty good value, considering what you got compared to the 750 twin 'replacement' although the reputation for the thai Honda 650 rider is a bit yobbish with availability of custom parts and farkled to match- somewhat mitigated if you buy the naked CB650 instead of the faired CBR650 

 

the Kawasaki 250 and 400 4 cylinder probably considered a supersport the bigger 650 are all twin

There's also the naked Z900 that's 4 cylinder 

It might not be the best reason, but I like 4 cylinder sound. I had a VFR400 NC30 years ago and that was a great sound, especially near the 14,500 RPM red line.

I thought about the Kawasaki 400 4 cylinder, but as far as I see that bike is made for racing. And probably service and spare parts reflect that.

Currently a Honda CB650R (naked) is on my mind. 4 cylinders with enough power, but not tuned for extreme power like the CBR600RR, which is more expensive in every way.

 

But I don't really know until now. My 2nd bike, the small 150cc Suzuki Raider works just fine to ride to the coffee shop and market. Let's see.

Honda as you can get service virtually anywhere in Thailand.

I don't know why anyone would buy anything other than a Honda.....absolute quality product, service and plenty of dealerships. Other Japanese brands great too....European? Nah.....Ducati, the Ferrari of bikes, always in the shop being worked on, no thanks. 

When it comes to service, availability of parts etc throughout Thailand then Honda is by very big margin the #1. Forget Suzuki, they are few and far between. Yamaha you might be able to find some but service is hit and miss. They got nothing that would fit your 4 cylinder screemer sound anyways. I'm pretty sure if you want quality, peace of mind and 4 pot, not too expensive and not too sporty then the CB650R and Kawa Z900 are the only game in town pretty much.

 

 

Kawaski.  I run an ER6N, I've had it for 5 years and I find it a lot of fun.  I've had bikes all my life and my last bike in the UK was a ZX9.  It took me a while to get used to the difference in power between my old ZX and the ER but I'm fine with it now.  I wouldn't want to run a ZX9 in Thailand anyway, I'd be dead by now.  I find the ER very well suited to Thai roads - especially with the wider Versys bars which provide a more comfortable riding position and more leverage when the unexpected pothole happens.

 

Never had a problem getting spares but do my own servicing + the ER was made in Thailand.

 

If you want a new bike, the ER was replaced by the Z650.  They are however, both twins so don't run/sound as smooth as 4 cylinder bikes - hasn't bothered me.  Love the bike to bits and wouldn't part with it.

 

 

Edited October 24, 20232 yr by MangoKorat

On 10/22/2023 at 7:36 AM, connda said:

Honda as you can get service virtually anywhere in Thailand.

True but when you get out in the boonies, very few shops for any brand have much experience of the bigger models.

Truimp

I did the research a couple of years ago and the winner was Kawasaki zx6r. But you don’t want super sport. The Honda 650 range is almost unbeatable for price, power, sound, looks, and service. 

May depend where you are.

For me living in Chiang Mai, Suzuki seemingly pulling out of the whole province is an appalling reflection on a company that makes rather good bikes so if you intend to be up here, cant recommend Suzuki

One of the CB650 variants would be the obvious choice. I don't know why but they have a great sound even compared to other 4 cylinder bikes. A bit heavy though... 

 

If you like the looks the new XSR900 has had brilliant reviews. I know it's a triple but I have the MT09 (same engine) and you still get that lovely howl from the top end with the added benefit of loads of torque down low. I know it's above your ideal cc but it's lighter than the Honda 650 range and has rider modes so there is really no drawback to the larger engine. It also has the up/down quickshifter. Yamaha Kaset Nawamin (Riders club) have been good to me in terms of servicing. Even when I threw it down the road there was no issues with spares and it was back to me within a few days. If they finally release an R9 with sensible ergonomics (i.e. sporty-ish but not supersporty) then I'll seriously consider one to replace my 899. I think that 120-140hp is really the sweet spot for the road.

 

You could also consider a Triumph Trident if you're prepared to consider a triple. They are quite physically small though... If you can wait a few months a fully faired version is coming and it looks pretty relaxed ergonomically. Kind of like an upright, chilled Daytona.

 

https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-news/triumph-daytona-660-spy-shots/

 

I also considered the ZX4R but I couldn't really think where I'd use it. 

 

In my opinion Ducati, Honda, Triumph, Yamaha and Kawasaki are the best in terms of dealerships in Thailand (especially if you are in Bangkok) although Ducati obviously don't make an inline 4 and the V4's are quite spendy. 

On 10/22/2023 at 12:51 PM, daveAustin said:

Triumph is a decent option nowadays

Talking to a shop that rents big bikes in CM… they were going to buy a few as part of their fleet for rentals …..thinking now Triumph is assembled the import tax would make them more affordable…. he said the tax was changed to luxury tax…no real savings..

Yamaha Fino. Good reliable bike but dreadful fuel consumption. Will always stick to Honda, have had 8 year old Forza since new, very reliable bike.

14 hours ago, NoshowJones said:

Yamaha Fino. Good reliable bike but dreadful fuel consumption. Will always stick to Honda, have had 8 year old Forza since new, very reliable bike.

 

My old model Forza hasn't been reliable one bit, many things gone wrong with it and had to be fixed...! 

 

Also Honda small shops treat Forza like a big bike when it comes to spares and service charges, real rip off ..., it's just a slightly bigger PCX, serviced by incompetent scooter mechanics...! 🙄

 

I have no experience with Honda Big Wing, but I read they are more professional and reliable than small wing... 

 

I rented their new CB650R naked once, it was a riot, that thing can fly, and fly you as well with it to the other side...!!!? 😜 Be careful..., a lot of morons on the road at those speeds... 

Edited October 25, 20232 yr by Agusts

I have had Harleys in Thailand easy for spares and service   everywhere but last 15 years I have  had a Ducati S4   I never use the crappy dealers lucky i can do it all myself ,,  Dont fancy hondas  all bland  so I chose  a new 2022 Kawasaki Z900   good dealers all over   but depends on individual staff ,, But I know what I am doing ,,,

 

Triumph are not bad  either

 

So for  a degree of Peace of mind

 

HONDA

KAWASAKI

Triumph

HD

Yamaha

 

The rest  are very patchy ,, and even with the good  companies I listed you are at the mercy of the individuals involved ,, Unless you can DIY

Edited October 25, 20232 yr by liddelljohn

Aren't Honda bringing out a 400/4 next year? Should be great, reminds of the 400/4 from the 1970s.

I'm sure the Bangkok terror wheelie tourist cited in a previous article would have some good expertise on the issue ?

On 10/25/2023 at 5:01 AM, MangoKorat said:

Kawaski.  I run an ER6N, I've had it for 5 years and I find it a lot of fun.  I've had bikes all my life and my last bike in the UK was a ZX9.  It took me a while to get used to the difference in power between my old ZX and the ER but I'm fine with it now.  I wouldn't want to run a ZX9 in Thailand anyway, I'd be dead by now.  I find the ER very well suited to Thai roads - especially with the wider Versys bars which provide a more comfortable riding position and more leverage when the unexpected pothole happens.

 

Never had a problem getting spares but do my own servicing + the ER was made in Thailand.

 

If you want a new bike, the ER was replaced by the Z650.  They are however, both twins so don't run/sound as smooth as 4 cylinder bikes - hasn't bothered me.  Love the bike to bits and wouldn't part with it.

 

 

I have the Z650, great bike, suits me perfectly, I'm in Chiang Mai. 

4 hours ago, Agusts said:

Also Honda small shops treat Forza like a big bike when it comes to spares and service charges, real rip off

Why do people buy these big plastic boxes with small engines? For me it seems they want to look like they have a big bike but can't afford or are not able to ride a real big bike. They should pay extra. 😉 

5 hours ago, Agusts said:

 

My old model Forza hasn't been reliable one bit, many things gone wrong with it and had to be fixed...! 

 

Also Honda small shops treat Forza like a big bike when it comes to spares and service charges, real rip off ..., it's just a slightly bigger PCX, serviced by incompetent scooter mechanics...! 🙄

 

I have no experience with Honda Big Wing, but I read they are more professional and reliable than small wing... 

 

I rented their new CB650R naked once, it was a riot, that thing can fly, and fly you as well with it to the other side...!!!? 😜 Be careful..., a lot of morons on the road at those speeds... 

I agree with you about Honda small shops, I also had one PCX and one Wave 125, both very reliable bikes.

One more thing, there are a lot of morons on motorbikes on the road at any speed. I very rarely go more than 60 kph.

Although I haven't ridden one (yet) I'll second the Triumph Trident and also the slightly larger and sportier Street Triple.  I'm looking to get a second, smaller bike to add to my large Versys 1k which I typically tour on and the Trident is at the top of the list.  Before I moved to Thailand I had a Triumph Sprint GT and the fit/finish/build quality was superior to every other Japanese bike that I've had. 

 

And to  me the sound of a piped triple is absolutely intoxicating -