Information On Platinum Motorcycles

[Rhys]

Aloha Wheelie Poppers... Does anyone have any experience with this brand from China.. I am thinking of purchasing the 125 or the 175 cc Enduro Model.. Thanks Cheers

[Badbanker]

Aloha Wheelie Poppers... Does anyone have any experience with this brand from China.. I am thinking of purchasing the 125 or the 175 cc Enduro Model.. Thanks Cheers

Have a look at this thread for all the info good, bad and ugly!

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=121757

I think the new ones (past 6-12 months) are good but the older ones are questionable!   It also depends where you are buying them!

BB

[H2oDunc]

IN A WORD DONT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spend a little bit more and get a Honda or Yamaha even if its a few years old. It will save you the extra money you spend on the bike in the long run. There was a long thread before with tales of woe from buyers. Enjoy what you buy

[chavy]

IN A WORD DONT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spend a little bit more and get a Honda or Yamaha even if its a few years old. It will save you the extra money you spend on the bike in the long run. There was a long thread before with tales of woe from buyers. Enjoy what you buy

Totally agree H2o,

Remember you get what you pay for......but enjoy what ever you end up with

[JimmyTheMook]

Saw a guy pushing one yesterday to the dealer on 3rd road, man was he working up a good sweat.

AVOID

[Beardog]

Saw a guy pushing one yesterday to the dealer on 3rd road, man was he working up a good sweat.

AVOID

Probably the person that has been trying trying to sell the 175 Platinum dirt bike at the Carfourre(bulletin board) in Pattaya for the last 3 months

:D:D

[Rhys]

OK.... In Thailand : the South of Thailand.. Are the Enduro models available... Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki? It would be nice to have a BUTACO

Edited July 22, 2007 by Rhys

[thaidiver]

Unless your really a cheapskate, I would avoid any off-brand scooter like the plague, especially platinum. Thai people don't even ride them. Consider a used Nouvo or Airblade, you won't regret it.

[Richard-BKK]

Platinum bikes are tested and some (mostly larger bikes) found from a acceptable quality by the Bangkok City Administration. So far as I know are two models approved for the police and city clerks, both are 2 cylinder 250cc models.

[jackcorbett]

Just one mile from where I used to live in the U.S., there's a large Illinois State Police Station. Next door to it is an extensive service center dedicated to maintaining all the vehicles used by the police and this included a service manager. May I suggest that with respect to the Bangkok police they can easily do the same and if it has a service department that is even remotely comparable to what the Illinois police has such a service center can devote itself to completely rebuilding Platinum motorcyles if necessary.

Edited December 24, 2007 by jackcorbett

[moo9]

To me the only interesting is the Enduro. Never tested it. Maybe I'll do some day. It is a pity that Yamaha, Honda etc. do not offer Enduros here. However, looking at the price tag, I doubt that one get the same quality....reading all comments on Platinum....hmmm

[Richard-BKK]

What about KTM Thailand (http://www.ktm.co.th) they offer the full range of bikes in Thailand (some models 30 days to 40 days delivery time) but who cares about that. BMW also has some nice bikes, but are somewhat of the higher priced. For the cheapest option I will say go for the Kawasaki KLX300R (300cc) cost 230,000 Bht brand new direct from Kawasaki Thailand including factory warranty and services

[dutchrdam]

Richard-BKK ..” Platinum bikes are tested and some (mostly larger bikes) found from a acceptable quality by the Bangkok City Administration. So far as I know are two models approved for the police and city clerks, both are 2 cylinder 250cc models.”

Very true, after a long testing period the Monaco 250 cc is special build for the BCA. There are some minor changes in the basic. Extra metal for driver protection and a bigger, 4 T, back chain wheel. This because the bikes used for mostly duo driving.

JackCorbet. Be careful to hang a reputation an 1 observation. On 27 dec you could see a Platinium pulling a BMW in Bkk. I where the Platinium driver. BMW did have a broken engine and the owner would not leave his bike in a back area of Bkk.

Moo9. Don’t compare Honda, Yamaha or whatever with a Platinium. Compare motorbikes in the same price class. I have a Platinium Monaco 150 and still smile after 2500 km. I use it for daily house/work trips. See my comments about Platinium somewhere else in this forum

Regards

[chavy]

Richard-BKK .." Platinum bikes are tested and some (mostly larger bikes) found from a acceptable quality by the Bangkok City Administration. So far as I know are two models approved for the police and city clerks, both are 2 cylinder 250cc models."

Very true, after a long testing period the Monaco 250 cc is special build for the BCA. There are some minor changes in the basic. Extra metal for driver protection and a bigger, 4 T, back chain wheel. This because the bikes used for mostly duo driving.

JackCorbet. Be careful to hang a reputation an 1 observation. On 27 dec you could see a Platinium pulling a BMW in Bkk. I where the Platinium driver. BMW did have a broken engine and the owner would not leave his bike in a back area of Bkk.

Moo9. Don't compare Honda, Yamaha or whatever with a Platinium. Compare motorbikes in the same price class. I have a Platinium Monaco 150 and still smile after 2500 km. I use it for daily house/work trips. See my comments about Platinium somewhere else in this forum

Regards

You should have taken a picture of the Platinum towing the BM Dutchrdam

Glad to hear your bike still performing for you mate.

[stingray]

I bought one a year ago. Only the 125 Enduro. It's not the fastest bike, but i din't have troubles with it at all. The only problem: The chain was allways noisy. So i had to adjust it and after 3 days noisy again. so my mecanik installed a automatic adjustor, simular like japanese bikes have. Since that time i never had any troubles again.

And for all who recomment Honda: Platinum is a Enduro Bike, not a chopper like a Phantom. There is the problem Honda doesnt make any Enduro Bike in Thailand. Someone likes the Enduro Style, doenst want a Chopper. Kawasaki builds a Mini Enduro in this price range, but only one person can sit on it. To Small. Therefore is Platinum the only Choice.

[dutchrdam]

And for all who recomment Honda: Platinum is a Enduro Bike, not a chopper like a Phantom. There is the problem Honda doesnt make any Enduro Bike in Thailand. Someone likes the Enduro Style, doenst want a Chopper. Kawasaki builds a Mini Enduro in this price range, but only one person can sit on it. To Small. Therefore is Platinum the only Choice.

First of all PLATINUM is a motobike brand.

second they make Enduro and Chopper models

Regards

[jinglor]

they make Enduro and Chopper models

Regards

'Enduro' is an alarmingly ambitious class of motorcycling for Platinum to enter because the purported

'Enduro' model simply falls apart. It could hardly be classed as enduring. I can't opine about the Chopper model as I have no experience with 'The Monaco'.

I have a Platinum 175 Enduro sitting in my garage right now which I bought nearly two years ago. Everything from the brakes to the back wheel have fallen off at one stage or another over the past two years. Each time I have replaced whichever bit it was with a Japanese name brand part. The clocks are wholly unrealistic in their readings (when they work) but I have long since learned to never bother with that knowledge. The seat is badly fastened at the tank with a very soft alloy that can be bent back into shape with your fingers. The battery, when it works, does not charge while running ( I am yet to understand this). The headlight is nothing short of pathetic if you are negotiating one of the many multi level, high speed, rural priority roads in Thailand but the electrical system will not cope with any larger light system. To effect this kind of change would mean installing an entirely new loom. In short the bike is weak as a whole. Very weak but for the engine. The engine in my machine is original and still thumps with torque as it did on the first day I bought it. I understand that the engine is an exact copy of an early Honda motor.

Anyway, my Platinum 'Enduro' is still on the road but only because I have replaced all the Chinese bits with Japanese bits. The possible cost of replacement bits would be around 30,000 baht (it's a guess). Add that to the 43,000 baht I paid for the machine new and theoretically it was not a bad deal until you take into account all the inconvenience that comes when essential bits, like brakes, just fall off in the middle of nowhere. Though I have to say that I did meet some awfully nice people on almost every occasion that I broke down on my Platinum Endoro, I would rather have just waved as I went past on a Honda.

The problem with Platinum bikes, in my opinion, is not only in the poor quality of parts but moreover the assembly and delivery. None of the running gear on my bike were fastened to torque spec. Brakes (front and back) are simply not supposed to fall off within weeks of purchase.

Tomorrow, after much research, I am buying a Honda Phantom 200 because it gets a tick on all my requirements except for low end torque.

If anybody wants to buy a hybrid Chinese/Japanese dirt bike that actually goes quite well now (....in the daytime anyway) just PM me. Maybe part exchange for a carton of cigarettes with baht difference.

[Richard-BKK]

Who says Honda has no Enduro bikes, I ride a Honda CRF450X (as rural commuter, my regular bike doesn't like gravel roads). One of the main problems is that people, who buy a Platinum Enduro bike, have no idea what the difference is between off-road and dirt bike. A real dirt bike is build for enormous beating and is basically not a pleasure to ride on the road.

Off-road bikes are a sort of in-between, which means mostly you, can ride to a motocross and ride you off the road to park your motorcycle closer to the fence. It means by no meaning that you can actual can get into the dirt.

Even the Honda CRF450 I have for some up-country fun has it limits, and it is maybe shocking but after a day of kidney ‘stone’ breaking, rice field jumping and gravel road racing I can say that stuff is also falling of a Honda. The last time I saw a Platinum Enduro rider I first was thinking he had a real dirt bike as he was clearly pushing the bike hard.

Lets face it, the Platinum Enduro 175 is a bike more suitable for roads then for off-road. Something like a SUV, the off-road looks are more for the fun that it is actual capable of doing off-road stuff, and lets not talk about dirt digging....

[jinglor]

Lets face it, the Platinum Enduro 175 is a bike more suitable for roads then for off-road.

I am afraid that I disagree. With a top speed of 70 something (almost impossible to test) and a comfortable cruising speed of around 60kph this bike just cannot compete on the road. More than that, this bike is extremely dangerous with its poor lighting/visibilty by night. The Platinum 175 Enduro *coughs* can not fairly be compared with any serious motorcycle, 450 or otherwise.

[Richard-BKK]

If we consider the cheapest alternative to the Platinum Enduro 175 costs 3 times more, and has also very poor lightning. The KTM 125E/XC, which cost around 150,000 Baht, is a real dirt bike. My g/f had one some time back, she nearly killed herself with it, so we decided to let it go.

Buying a secondhand off-road or dirt bikes is a technique on its own, as 99.9% of all secondhand off-road bikes in Thailand have some sort of problem, probably the main reason why they are for sell.

If you look for an alternative to your Platinum, I can recommend the CRF450X but better start with the CRF250, which is much better choice for riding in Thai mud. The CRF450X is only good for the dry season, with a 250cc you have all year round fun. The 450cc digs itself so easily into the mud that it is no fun to ride.

[Phil Conners]

I though the CRF250 was a touring bike, not an enduro...

[Richard-BKK]

I though the CRF250 was a touring bike, not an enduro...

CRF-250 is an Enduro bike, the CBF-250 is the touring/road bike

Picture is the CRF250

[Phil Conners]

OIC, thanks for clearing that up

[cali4995]

Platinum has some kind of ad that seems to run every day on that pattayacitynews

channel. I know the Chinese are infamous for reverse-engineering stuff but much of

it as Jinglor says, is assembly problems in Thailand which doesn't build confidence.

At a minimum, it looks like you'd need to go through and re-torque/check everything.

[TheAceFace]

Hi Guy's

I am currently looking at the KTM SX/SXF models, does anybody have the prices for the Honda CRF 250 model in Thailand (or is this imported?).

Has anybody ever heard of Orion (from China) or should they be avoided?

Cheers

Guys

[Richard-BKK]

For 2009 AP-Honda is planing not to sell any bikes with a engine displacement of higher then 110cc. The latest development is a Honda Motard CZ which has a 110cc engine similar to the Honda Airblade.

All Honda off-roads are imported by 3th parties. If you want a factory bike you can look at Kawasaki they have the KLX300R and KLX110 available in Thailand.

Edited May 3, 2008 by Richard-BKK

[TheAceFace]

For 2009 AP-Honda is planing not to sell any bikes with a engine displacement of higher then 110cc. The latest development is a Honda Motard CZ which has a 110cc engine similar to the Honda Airblade.

All Honda off-roads are imported by 3th parties. If you want a factory bike you can look at Kawasaki they have the KLX300R and KLX110 available in Thailand.

Hi %Richard

Do you have any 3rd party contacts for dirt bikes 125 to 250cc? Tried KTM Thailand but no response.

Ace

[HDRIDER]

HI

A few days ago i called Kawa BKK and asked about the KLX 300, the lady said not hab, i asked about price if it comes to Thailand, she said not hab, not come???? have you seen it in BKK?

[Richard-BKK]

I can only guess that you talk to the wrong person, also the question is not do you have it, it needs to be can I order it.

HI

A few days ago i called Kawa BKK and asked about the KLX 300, the lady said not hab, i asked about price if it comes to Thailand, she said not hab, not come???? have you seen it in BKK?

[TheAceFace]

There was reports that Kawasaki recalled the models of KLX made in Thailand due to bad frame welds, does anybody have more info on this?

How much are the KLX's in Thailand?