Fast Thai Two Banger ?

[INTJ]

Hi,

Just sold my 900 Fireblade to a forum member, and for a bit of fun wouldn't mind procuring one of these modified 2 strokes that buzz around, perhaps a nova dash, LS125, KRR etc ? Is there any chance of finding a decent bike, and what do they go for ?

Is it exceedingly hard to find one of these older Thai bikes that isn't junk ? Looked on the usual Thai classifieds but there doesn't seem to be many around at all.

Thanks in Advance

[Richard-BKK]

Looking for a decent 2-stroke bike, I would say look at the Kawasaki GTO, lots of them around and they where not to long ago still on sale

[INTJ]

Hi Richard,

I like the classic look of the GTO but I want something tuned and fast that I can give a thrashing.

Cheers

[Lickey]

So why did you sell your fireblade? too much for you was it? just want to thrash a little bike, congradulations!!!

[INTJ]

So why did you sell your fireblade? too much for you was it? just want to thrash a little bike, congradulations!!!

Not quite sure what to make of that..................

Looking at the time of the post I'll put it down to someone who can't take a drink very well coupled with poor English skills

INTJ

[chavy]

So why did you sell your fireblade? too much for you was it? just want to thrash a little bike, congradulations!!!

Where did he say he wanted to thrash it ???

I sold my CBR 1000 because I could see myself being killed on it in Thailand, perhaps the OP could see the same thing coming his way.

[mikethevigoman]

Hi Richard,

I like the classic look of the GTO but I want something tuned and fast that I can give a thrashing.

Cheers

The gto is /was a 35 year old new bike !,.i think the op is looking for something to tune like the thias do, you can always buy a scruffy one and do it up,. cheap as chips for bits, the last of the ls id say,.

[INTJ]

"I sold my CBR 1000 because I could see myself being killed on it in Thailand, perhaps the OP could see the same thing coming his way."

Pretty much spot on. As I've got older, had kids and been here a while I am much more aware of the massive dangers of motorcycling here, and as anyone who has ridden a big bike knows, the acceleration is absolutely phenomenal, and the average Thai driver cannot make that judgement about your speed, only being used to motorcycles approaching at 80kp/h. I have had pick-ups crossing the carriageway to make a u-turn, oncoming buses overtaking forcing me onto the shoulder etc while I am travelling at 200+. Yes, far too fast for the roads here, completely stupid but when I get on a big bike I just can't help but give it a handful, but the danger is always there in my mind, even when riding nowadays. My biggest fear was being crippled or brain damaged for a moments thrill, and myself and my family carrying the burden til the end. When someone on the forum was looking for the exact make and model I saw it as a sign and let it go. I also have a 100cc Yamaha that I have happily tootled around safely on for 15,000 km over the last 3 years, but for whatever reason I just can't seem to ride responsibly on a big bike.

I has it for 2 years and will miss the amazing performance of the blade, and probably in time will gravitate towards another larger capacity bike, perhaps only for track days, etc but for now I would like a 2 stroke that will be a bit of fun. I know there are plenty of people killed every day here on small bikes but riding at 240 in shorts and T shirt increases the odds massively.

Mike

Thats one possibility, although I would prefer a bike someone has got bored of and I can enjoy it without the hassle of building it myself. The NSR150SP seems like a good bet although I think it will be a challenge to find a good one. Do you know approximately how much it costs to rebuild a 2 stroke motor ?

Cheers.

[jing jing]

"I sold my CBR 1000 because I could see myself being killed on it in Thailand, perhaps the OP could see the same thing coming his way."

Pretty much spot on. As I've got older, had kids and been here a while I am much more aware of the massive dangers of motorcycling here, and as anyone who has ridden a big bike knows, the acceleration is absolutely phenomenal, and the average Thai driver cannot make that judgement about your speed, only being used to motorcycles approaching at 80kp/h. I have had pick-ups crossing the carriageway to make a u-turn, oncoming buses overtaking forcing me onto the shoulder etc while I am travelling at 200+. Yes, far too fast for the roads here, completely stupid but when I get on a big bike I just can't help but give it a handful, but the danger is always there in my mind, even when riding nowadays. My biggest fear was being crippled or brain damaged for a moments thrill, and myself and my family carrying the burden til the end. When someone on the forum was looking for the exact make and model I saw it as a sign and let it go. I also have a 100cc Yamaha that I have happily tootled around safely on for 15,000 km over the last 3 years, but for whatever reason I just can't seem to ride responsibly on a big bike.

I has it for 2 years and will miss the amazing performance of the blade, and probably in time will gravitate towards another larger capacity bike, perhaps only for track days, etc but for now I would like a 2 stroke that will be a bit of fun. I know there are plenty of people killed every day here on small bikes but riding at 240 in shorts and T shirt increases the odds massively.

Mike

Thats one possibility, although I would prefer a bike someone has got bored of and I can enjoy it without the hassle of building it myself. The NSR150SP seems like a good bet although I think it will be a challenge to find a good one. Do you know approximately how much it costs to rebuild a 2 stroke motor ?

Cheers.

Nice post. I've been riding motorcycles, on both dirt and street, since I was 12 years old and currently have a Ducati 900 SS back in California but you can never really use a big bike the way it was intended here in Thailand. The road conditions are simply too dangerous.

Over here I own both an LS125 and an NSR150SP. The LS was in excellent shape when I got it and is surprisingly quick above 8000 rpm, but the problem is below that it's gutless. My NSR is a bit tired, desperately in need of an engine rebuild, and has no juice at high revs, but I can tell it's much stronger in the midrange than the LS and once freshened up no doubt she'll be a proper screamer.

Both the LS and NSR behave like real sportbikes in the handling department - stable at speed - but are extremely light and nimble and manueverable in town. Even for a very experienced rider with seat time on seriously powerful machines these bikes are a kick to ride, and I think you'd be happy with either one (or both!) as I am. It's true that an SP in good shape is very hard to find, especially at a reasonable price, but if you keep looking eventually you'll find one in decent enough shape to work with. Mine was all original and complete down to the toolkit and owner's manual but needs some TLC -- a complete engine rebuild first and a fresh paintjob somewhere down the line are definitely on the to do list.

I've got 2 young sons and the older one (almost 2 now) absolutely loves to get on the bike and ride with me. I put him in front between me and the tank - he's got his own little helmet with faceshield - and we cruise the roads upcountry where we live with huge grins on our faces. Another bike freak in the making!

Edit: regarding the cost of rebuilding a 2-stroke, I believe a simple top end job would cost less than 1500 baht but if you want to replace the crank and main bearings that may double the cost, and if you need a new cylinder for the NSR that can be quite expensive - I've heard various numbers up to 10K baht - because it's Nikasil plated and not reborable. Clutches, chains, sprockets, seals and the like are all very cheap and locally available.

Edited October 7, 2007 by jing jing

[SnakeBite]

The NSR can be bored as I had mine done and had rings replaced to match the bore, new crank bearings, rod and piston, new water pump and even had the radiator taken apart and totally cleaned, all parts and labor were less than 5000 baht. I've known this Thai guy for about 5 years now and maybe that's why I got a lower price but then I did help a bit on some of the stuff. I could have done it all but this was done during the hot season and I couldn't be bothered with all that. 5555

[INTJ]

Hi,

Found a little bike shop today with an LS and an NSR, the NSR was the old RR model. The LS looked in much better shape, nice paint and brand new tyres. They wanted 21K each, probably could negotiate that down a bit from there. Bit on the steep side I thought, probably 15K would be OK.

The guy in the shop says there is a massive difference in power between the 2 bikes, and the NSR is the one to go for. Would you second that ? It looked a bit dated and haggard round the edges though.

I asked about the SP, he says they come up from time to time and go for around 28K. In that case I'd much rather pay the extra for the pro-arm model NSR.

Do you know if the LS and the old model NSR has the nikasil plating in the cylinder ?

Cheers

Edited October 7, 2007 by INTJ

[jing jing]

Interesting... the guy in the shop where I bought my NSR said it's almost evenly matched for speed with the LS, which is my impression as well... as noted the NSR is way stronger in the midrange, but the LS being a featherweight bike is really, really quick once it gets on the pipe. The shop will probably let you ride them both and you can see for yourself. If the NSR is worn out and the LS is fresh it may not be a fair comparison, of course.

Then there's the issue of the RC valve on the NSR - which has been discussed a bit in another thread - that the LS doesn't have. Basically it's an electronically controlled valve that changes the profile of the exhaust port at lower rpm to give the engine more bottom end grunt. The problem is that the system is prone to failure over time, and then you end up (as is the case with mine) with a motor that won't pull on the top end.

As far as the Nikasil is concerned, I haven't pulled my NSR apart yet so am not 100% sure if the cylinder is plated or not, but all the Honda 125's I've worked on that were made since the late '80's have been Nikasil plated. It would still be theoretically possible to have the cylinder sleeved with an iron sleeve and then rebored to the proper size, but I really don't know if oversize piston and rings are available. To my knowledge, genuine Honda pistons and rings were not made in oversize for Nikasil equipped bikes but there were plenty of aftermarket manufacturers back in the States who sold sleeves and pistons, and that may be the case here as well.

In Surin we've got a motorcycle salvage shop that has just about every part you can imagine, dirt cheap. I'm hoping that if my cylinder is toast maybe I can find a decent one on the shelves over there -- same with the RC valve and a few other bits that need replacing.

Edit: I paid 24K out the door for my LS in Surin, probably overpaid about 5K but it's super clean, low mileage, and runs like a bat out of hel_l, and paid 15K plus tax and insurance for the NSR (Pro-Arm model) in Pattaya. I figure between motor work, paint, and other odds and ends I'll put at least another 10K into the NSR, maybe more because I really like that bike and will probably end up fully restoring it and adding whatever trick performance goodies I can find for it.

Edited October 7, 2007 by jing jing

[INTJ]

Hi,

I found an NSR proarm today, new repsol paint and the sneaky looking chinese shop owner reckons it has had a rebore. It was superficially OK but obviously been round the block a few times. Showing 60,000km and ran well enough, although I didn't want to show too much interest by taking it for a run. Needed 2 new tyres, he said the RC valve was working, and would give a months guarantee on the bike.

Asking 30,000 baht. So, by the time I factor in registration, PLB, transfer and tyres and whatever other bits its bound to need looking around the 35,000 mark. Seems like an awful lot of money. If I was going to put this much into an NS (which is probably necessary to get a good one) then it would make more sense to buy one like yours for 10-15K then build the bike myself, knowing it had been done right and not taking somebody's word for it. How much were these bikes new ?

Now my logical brain starts ticking - for 20K more I can buy a Superfour 400 with a book of approximately the same vintage. But then I'm back onto a bigger bike that I really wanted to avoid. Or a late model CBR150.

Incidentally, there was a Kawasaki at the same shop, not sure of the exact model, like an earlier KRR, ah, yes - serpico. That was 22,000 baht, but he said these engines cannot be rebored.

Also looked at some worn out Nova Dashes at another place, asking 15,000 baht.

So now I don't really know where I'm at with it all

Cheers

[VocalNeal]

So now I don't really know where I'm at with it all

Cheers

Where are you?

I would think an NSR150SP would be perfect. If you want to splash out a bit more you could go for an NSR 250. I have one but I'm not selling it. I also used to ride an NSR 150R

[flupke]

The NSR can be bored as I had mine done and had rings replaced to match the bore, new crank bearings, rod and piston, new water pump and even had the radiator taken apart and totally cleaned, all parts and labor were less than 5000 baht. I've known this Thai guy for about 5 years now and maybe that's why I got a lower price but then I did help a bit on some of the stuff. I could have done it all but this was done during the hot season and I couldn't be bothered with all that. 5555

correct ,

my FSX ( same engine , but rare model ) just got the same work done

new rod & piston , cilinder bored , all inside bearings : totall cost 3800 bath

at the shop where i bought it last year , they where embarrased about it , having now already problems with the engine , so they took almost no profit on the parts

i must admit that i know where and when i killed the engine , so don ' t blame it on honda reliability

after 200 km under 5000 rpm , it is getting more fun back again in higher revs

[jing jing]

A decent Superfour will cost minimum 55K, more likely in the 70-75K range and parts may not be so cheap or readily available.

15K should buy a Dash RS in good condition, I've seen them for that much or less.

30K IMO is way too much for an NSR Pro-Arm where the true condition is unknown. These shops know very well how to tart up an old battleax, and a new paintjob with old tires is one of those deals that sends up a red flag for me. I'd prefer a bike with an old paintjob at a reasonable price because new paint can be done for about 5K. I'd hesitate to pay more than 25K for the bike without being quite sure the mechanicals are solid.

I don't think riding the bike would be showing too much interest. Ride every bike you can just for comparison, and at some point you'll need to whip out cash and make an offer anyway, so they'll know you're interested then.

Where are all you fellas getting your rebuilds done? Those sound like some excellent prices. Yesterday a shop told me the piston and rings alone are 3500 baht just for the parts -- sounds like BS to me but then I haven't priced them yet at a dealer.

[flupke]

for an original honda piston another shop told me before : 1600 bath

i got mine for 1200 , amazingly cheap

anyone seen one like this ?

http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2193785700083314388hvEdJN

[VocalNeal]

from another forum Chepp 9K runaround

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi

Does it have to be a "yoghurt cup"..? Please consider the Yamaha RXZ. I'm driving one of those, it's a 135 cc single with approximately 15 HP. They are usually abused as work horses due to their rather enormous (for a two-stroke!) torque in lower rpm's, but these can go fast as heck!

Mine has a funny fault which i blame on the exhaust (trying to find one for the older version now), there's ample torque right up to 4.500 rpm, then there's a "black hole" up to 5.500 and then it REALLY pulls right up to 11.000 rpm. Mine has had a serious accident under it's previous owner and the rear frame has been welded, somewhat amateurishly, as a result it's a little unstable at speed, but i have done 160 KM/h on it already, and 145 with a passenger.

Mine has now 64.000 Kilometers on the clock, at 59.000 it's gotten a new piston/cylinder rebore (no new rod as that's still factory condition) plus i disabled the YCLS (which reduces 2T oil consumption, but more oil is better for the engine). I've gotten it two years ago with 41.000 KM's on the clock, and i can say, the RXZ is outstandingly reliable.

With regards.....

Thanh

Edited October 10, 2007 by Thanh-BKK

[Thanh-BKK]

Oh, and forgot to mention - RXZ's are cheap, i've bought mine as a wreck (i love building them up by myself) for only 5.000 Baht, i guess a top-condition one would cost less than 15.000 Baht.

The RXZ is still produced to today but no longer imported, i believe the latest ones available here are the 1996 models.

Kind regards.....

Thanh

[INTJ]

Hi,

Thanks for all the replies, but today I was driving past a bike shop and spotted a beautiful Honda CB750 in original colours, just arrived from Japan. When the guy told me the price 60,000 baht I bought it straight away. Its a beautiful bike and more of a cruiser than a sports machine, plenty of torque but not massively fast.

There's a few small jobs to do, but I should have it by Saturday. I'll post some pics when I get it.

Thanks again for all the advice and opinions given.

INTJ

[SnakeBite]

At the price of 60k for that CB750, I don't think you'll get papers with that and it will cost you another 50k to get those but let us know how things go.

[jing jing]

CB750 eh? You couldn't get much farther from an NSR than that, short of a chopper.

Amazingly enough I was bringing my bike to Surin from Chonburi last weekend and stopped for some noodles, and what was sitting for sale in front of the shop but a very clean NSR Pro Arm in Repsol colors. It was in better shape cosmetically than mine but shows more km on the clock. Fired it up and it sounded healthy, RC valve seemed to be working.

Anyway, I got the owner's phone number... if anyone is interested, shoot me a PM.

[Richard-BKK]

You can always buy a 2-banger new, we just got the new Kawasaki price and product list and the Kawasaki KRR 150SSR is still on the list (74,500 Baht suggest retail). I also see that they still have the Kawasaki GTO, they added "classic" behind GTO (43,800 Baht suggested retail)

If you drop the 2-stroke and go for 4-stroke I can recommend the new Suzuki Raider R 150, it is light has as much power as a Honda CBR150R and cost lot less...(money which you can spent on engine modifying)

[Skyline]

######!I just sold my NSR150RR in Repsol colours and I miss it lots!

These little 2 strokes are great fun to ride but finding a good one is becoming increasingly difficult.

Good luck finding a good one!

[bernie66]

A year ago i was looking for the same thing you are. I found a now 6 year old dash for 14k. I put the mags and tires from a 150 and it rides really good with the added weight in the tires. At the time I looked all over bkk for one and only found 1 for sale in a shop. The only thing about it I don’t like is the battery life. Evidently they don’t have magnetos in these things. But I did see one last week that looked really good on Lad Prow rd. the only other one I have ever seen in perfect shape for sale. I have only seen one on the road that still had the original fairings and looked nice. It’s a 5 years old bike, a year newer than mine. Its Just down the road from Bangkapi mall. A Honda shop next to the Vejthanee hospital. I bet you could get it for 10 k. I bet you won’t be able to get one at all in a few more years. But these sport bike framed 150's? What’s the point in having an engine that small and giving up the maneuverability of a moped in traffic? I think their retarded and impractical. A 600cc sport bike in Thailand,Ok. But a 150cc/ 250cc engine in a sport bike frame. That’s just ridicules.