Motor Bikes

[idahospud]

Hello to all. I will be arriving in Chiang Mai on the 10th of october I will be purchasing a new motor bike and staying for about 9 months then return again in 3 and do it again. Does anyone know the availability of a new cbr 150 r in Chiang Mai ? How hard are they to get? When do the new year models typically come Out. Price about 65,000 Baht is that close.

I am a long time motorcycle rider and have motorbiked bankok Phukett and Chiang Mai and Pai

I have only connected Pai to Chiang mai.

Do Riders go between Bankok and Chiang mai on these small bikes or is this a bad Idea.

I have two Buells I ride in the Usa. I also have smaller bikes. Are there any clubs That make travel to these destinations. Or is this to much for these small bikes.

I will be riding with my Tg

Any Advise would be great

Thanks

[mcgriffith]

Hey idahospud,

Several of us on this forum own CBR150's. No problem for availability; all the Honda dlrs in town should have 1 or 2 in stock. The new 2008 model will probably not be out till Dec, so you will most likely get an 07- which is just fine. I don't know if there are any major changes planned for 08; unlikely.

Price is 65,000. If you bargain hard (like our pal Gus from Outback Bar) you might shave 2500 off the price...but new bikes of this rarity are not often discounted that much.

As for riding to BKK, etc.- no problem. CrowBoy (on this forum) rode his to Penang from here for the break-in, in 1 week. In May, I rode 1200 km around northern Thailand in 4 days; was not passed by one other vehicle, of any type, on any road, anywhere. With the g/f, you might not be going at quite that pace, but you will be fine.

All us CBR150 owners here LOVE our bikes- a great choice for Thailand.

Hope this helps.

McG

[idahospud]

Thanks this is great news. What about Helmets Should I bring my own. has anybody made the trip from Bangkok to Phukett any advise .How long. bad idea Thanks again I am sure I will have additional questions

Hey idahospud,

Several of us on this forum own CBR150's. No problem for availability; all the Honda dlrs in town should have 1 or 2 in stock. The new 2008 model will probably not be out till Dec, so you will most likely get an 07- which is just fine. I don't know if there are any major changes planned for 08; unlikely.

Price is 65,000. If you bargain hard (like our pal Gus from Outback Bar) you might shave 2500 off the price...but new bikes of this rarity are not often discounted that much.

As for riding to BKK, etc.- no problem. CrowBoy (on this forum) rode his to Penang from here for the break-in, in 1 week. In May, I rode 1200 km around northern Thailand in 4 days; was not passed by one other vehicle, of any type, on any road, anywhere. With the g/f, you might not be going at quite that pace, but you will be fine.

All us CBR150 owners here LOVE our bikes- a great choice for Thailand.

Hope this helps.

McG

[Tywais]

I believe there is a CBR150 club in Chiangmai also. Can't find the information at the moment but I'm sure mcgriffith or others can find it.

[mcgriffith]

If you have a hi-quality full faced helmet (or 2) that you are fond of, by all means bring it (in your checked luggage; helmets are not allowed in cabin on planes). A new Index full face (Shoei clone) costs about 800 baht here.

As for the travel time to Phuket, I have not done it personally (though I plan to do so in the future). I HIGHLY recommend this site for all information related to motorcycle travel/touring in Thailand:

www.gt-rider.com

McG

[Tywais]

I believe there is a CBR150 club in Chiangmai also. Can't find the information at the moment but I'm sure mcgriffith or others can find it.

Found the TV topic on it > http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=117958

[Potter]

Some of your quistions could be better answered at the thaivisa motor forum.

How about going on a honda phantom, 200cc and 8x,000 for a new bike?

[madjbs]

I have taken helmets onto planes as hand luggage quite a few times and had no problems.

[idahospud]

Thanks to all that have responded. I will wait untill I arrive in Chiang Mai and try and contact The club or each person For a beer or a ride or both.

Thanks again

I have taken helmets onto planes as hand luggage quite a few times and had no problems.

[Crow Boy]

Thanks this is great news. What about Helmets Should I bring my own. has anybody made the trip from Bangkok to Phukett any advise .How long. bad idea Thanks again I am sure I will have additional questions

Hey idahospud,

Several of us on this forum own CBR150's. No problem for availability; all the Honda dlrs in town should have 1 or 2 in stock. The new 2008 model will probably not be out till Dec, so you will most likely get an 07- which is just fine. I don't know if there are any major changes planned for 08; unlikely.

Price is 65,000. If you bargain hard (like our pal Gus from Outback Bar) you might shave 2500 off the price...but new bikes of this rarity are not often discounted that much.

As for riding to BKK, etc.- no problem. CrowBoy (on this forum) rode his to Penang from here for the break-in, in 1 week. In May, I rode 1200 km around northern Thailand in 4 days; was not passed by one other vehicle, of any type, on any road, anywhere. With the g/f, you might not be going at quite that pace, but you will be fine.

All us CBR150 owners here LOVE our bikes- a great choice for Thailand.

Hope this helps.

McG

Hi Idahospud - as McGriffiths wrote in his reply to you I rode my CBR150 from Chiang Rai (actually if I want to be pedantic from Mai Sai on the border) down to Penang. It did take me longer than his stated 1 week. I did it as a tour not a speed test I did the bit from Bangkok to Phuket but did a detour to Samuii on the way. The road was fine as far as Thai highways go but there were parts down south that had major roadworks happening and that slowed things down. I set myself a loose target re distance and then ride accordingly. My personal preference is to avoid riding after dusk on the open road and to look at the trip as being for fun not because I HAVE to be in such and such a place on a specific date.

As has been pointed out - there is a link to a thread on this forum for owners of CBR150s CBR150 forum I suggest we move this conversation there.

The CBR150 is a great little bike - not something I would have considered in any way, shape or form back in Oz but they work very well here. In ChiangMai there are quite a few rolling around and while there isn't a club as such we are more a loose association of kindred souls. The majority of CBR150 owners are farung but there are several owned by Thais around town. The other thread is read by owners all over Thailand including Phuket so that would be useful for contacts on the trip down south.

Look forward to seeing you on the other thread and when you are coming to CM send us a message - several of the boys are happy to indulge in the occassional beer or six

CB

[Crow Boy]

I have taken helmets onto planes as hand luggage quite a few times and had no problems.

Not sure when you did this but the current international air laws specifically forbid taking a helmet on board as hand luggage. Similar to bottles of shampoo and conditioner etc. The reason being that it can me made of explosives in the form of a shape charge. When I tried to bring my new helmet with me from Oz last trip they (Thai Air) wouldn't even let me put it on as stored luggage. I had to hand it over to a friend and leave it back there.

CB

[madjbs]

I thought I might have some problems but nobody seemed in the slightest bit interested. Me and my friend flew from Manchester to Bangkok on etihad via Abu Dhabi and back again. It could have been before the current crop of rules though. Since then I have taken helmets in the checked baggage 3 or 4 times with no problems (all on etihad).

Wouldn’t like to risk it now I know they an take it off you though.

[PeaceBlondie]

Perhaps somebody suggested that every single little Honda dealer in Chiang Mai will have one or two CBR150's in stock. Not so; only the largest dealers (Niyom Panich, Sasa Panich, etc) will have any. Since they're still one cylinder and carbureted, the CBR150 can be repaired by most mechanics, even though they are water cooled. Some parts have to be special ordered. E.g., my brake pads would have run 1,200 per wheel through Honda, and the accessory (Prida) outlet on Chiang Moi Road had 2 or 3 levels and we paid 800 per wheel. The tubeless tires have taken up to a week to arrive, or have been in stock.

[Daewoo]

As mcgriffith said, get yourself over to www.gt-rider.com

It is the best site for motorcycling related questions for the North... but you are expected to put something back in with trip reports and such if you join the forum ( www.board.gt-rider.com )... it is a great site and community...

I bought on Index helmet in Chiang Mai for 800 baht and bought it back to Aus with me (as checked luggage). I wouldn't go as far as to say it is a Shoei equivalent, but it does the job.

In fact despite it being totally illegal because it isn't approved for Australia, I use it regularly here to save my 'real' bike helmet from being knocked around.

Cheers,

Daewoo

Edited September 8, 2007 by Daewoo