What Is The Perfect Size Or Model Bike For Bkk

[LivinLOS]

No answer right now but will keep trying..

Nice to see Triumph got going here.. Now if only the KTM guy would get into operation too

[PeaceBlondie]

I had doubts about liter size bikes, but they do get through traffic in Chiang Mai. I got passed by a BMW twin with panniers, a Yamaha F1, and a full-dress Honda Gold Wing 1200, who all went in the left gutter and got through.

[dotcom]

My CB 400 Superfour is perfect for BKK. Not too hot either. R-1 riders know what I am talking about.

[agord]

My CB 400 Superfour is perfect for BKK. Not too hot either. R-1 riders know what I am talking about.

so in the crappy American remake of Bangkok Dangerous anyone know what bike Nicholas Cage is riding around on while doing his hits??

[LivinLOS]

BMW K1200R

[agord]

BMW K1200R

Is that your bike or the one Nick Cage is riding around on while shotting up the town???

[JimsKnight]

When a moped can get you across town faster than anything speed is no longer a factor. Anything to big and you choke on exhaust. You don’t want to loose your ability to go between cars that are stopped at a light without taking out someone’s mirror off. A tight turning radius is a must when traffic is jammed and you’re trying to keep moving. On the other hand I have found that they can also be too small. I have learned and witnessed first hand that mopeds take a nose dive when you hit the breaks and they loose the slightest traction. Not just certain models but all of them. There is just not enough weight to stop you in a hurry. When I was home in October I witnessed or just missed 2 deaths and two wipe outs. Everyone I saw, a taxi pulled out in front of a moped. The driver locked up his breaks and the front tire flew to the right slamming them straight down on the road and under the car. This has happened to me twice but I was able to ride my back break to keep it up. If the road had been a little wetter I would have been paying for new paint jobs. So I would really like a VFR 400 but I think it would be too wide and keep me from going between cars. I am going to get a Honda 150nsr today because I think it will be small enough for traffic and heavy enough to stop without going down if I lock up the breaks. Anyone with a VFR 400 or CBR 150 got any input?

Depends what area of Bangkok you roll about in to one extent.

I asked one of the Red Baron boys this question and his answer?

Not a sportsbike over 400cc I would say!

He says the best thing is a 400cc scooter, his has 65 litres of luggage space under the seat, is narrow AND it keeps your feet dry in the rainy season

I used a CBR 150cc, those things excel there.

The Kawasaki Ninja 250cc also may do well.

The key is the width though and not the engine size.

Even a few 400cc machines are too wide IMO but thats just me

[RusticCharm]

Dude, dude. Enough of this namby-pamby, girlie-man moped stuff.

Just buy a Ducati superbike and be done with it, f'christsakes!

[PeaceBlondie]

Dude, dude. Enough of this namby-pamby, girlie-man moped stuff.

Just buy a Ducati superbike and be done with it, f'christsakes!

Right, just take one or two million out of petty cash, and be done with it.

[agord]

Dude, dude. Enough of this namby-pamby, girlie-man moped stuff.

Just buy a Ducati superbike and be done with it, f'christsakes!

Right, just take one or two million out of petty cash, and be done with it.

My take is on a moped you are on the side of traffic as opposed to being on a big bike where you are part of the traffic or in it instead of on the side where people are pulling out into you or cutting across. I think better to be in the center of the road keeping up with the cars than on a moped. just my opinion - the two accidents I had on scooters were the result of being on the side of the road where as we all know Thais dont like to look too carefully before pulling out.

[neverdie]

Dude, dude. Enough of this namby-pamby, girlie-man moped stuff.

Just buy a Ducati superbike and be done with it, f'christsakes!

What I'm trying to work out Rustic.....is you only went half way....you could of got the 1098R for an extra 1,592,000thb. Pocket change stuff really

[RusticCharm]

What I'm trying to work out Rustic.....is you only went half way....you could of got the 1098R for an extra 1,592,000thb. Pocket change stuff really

Nah! I don't like to show off. 

[neverdie]

What I'm trying to work out Rustic.....is you only went half way....you could of got the 1098R for an extra 1,592,000thb. Pocket change stuff really

Nah! I don't like to show off.

Fair enuf then Nice bike the 848....if i wasnt so tight I might be able to pry some money off myself to buy one of them....I just cant get past the inflated 'real' bike prices here, brings water to my eyes everytime I climb upon my massive 150cc starter motor!

[jrbkk64]

Got a BMW F650GS and it is pretty good in BKK traffic. It is not as "slim" as the mopeds the Thais use, but normally no problem whatsoever. I must admit I only use the bike for pleasure and try to avoid BKK traffic as much as possible. You should be able to find a good one for about 250k.

[RusticCharm]

if i wasnt so tight I might be able to pry some money off myself to buy one of them....I just cant get past the inflated 'real' bike prices here, brings water to my eyes everytime I climb upon my massive 150cc starter motor!

Hey, if you can afford it...then why not? You'll be able to join us on bike weeks and road trips. Same goes for the OP.

I know what you mean about the prices though. Everytime I read how much the 848 is in the US or UK, I'm tempted to kick in the monitor screen. 

[BigBikeBKK]

I just cant get past the inflated 'real' bike prices here, brings water to my eyes everytime I climb upon my massive 150cc starter motor!

I hear you on that one! With her beautiful roads and perfect biking climate just imagine how many more big bikes there would be in Thailand if the prices weren't so grossly inflated... I'd LOVE to get a sexy new FZ6 but it kills me that I can get one in the US for only $6999 (about 245,xxxTHB) while here in the Land of Smiles and Duty I'd have to shell out 447,000THB for the same bike.

Happy Trails!

[thaicbr]

if for Bangkok then i think probably a Kawasaki D-tracker with a few comfort mods. but if ya want to be able to roam the countryside as well then from what i've seen of the Ninja 250 you would be hard pressed not to be happy. especially if ya on a budget.

Allan

[BigBikeBKK]

Hey Allan!

As much as I'm looking forward to getting a bigger bike I have to agree that the little Ninja 250R is well suited to Thailand and it's certainly a good value.

We missed you at Red Baron the other day! Good fun followed by a piss up at my house

I'm off to Amsterdam this evening, back in 5 weeks. Look forward to seeing you then.

Happy Trails!

[neverdie]

if i wasnt so tight I might be able to pry some money off myself to buy one of them....I just cant get past the inflated 'real' bike prices here, brings water to my eyes everytime I climb upon my massive 150cc starter motor!

Hey, if you can afford it...then why not? You'll be able to join us on bike weeks and road trips. Same goes for the OP.

I know what you mean about the prices though. Everytime I read how much the 848 is in the US or UK, I'm tempted to kick in the monitor screen.

You are dead right rustic, but I have several forces working against me at the moment, one of those being I need to bring Aussie dollars here to purchase a new bike and the Aussie Dollar isnt too good at the moment & is most likely to get worse before it gets better & the second is, I really want a 1098, but the 1098 here is more expensive than the 1098R in Australia......I just can't get past that.

Having said all of that, I could buy a 250 Ninja & spend all day wringing its little neck...just like some of the current owners do which would be fun i guess, but im not exactly sure it would keep me happy for long. Yes I know, I'm a power hungry fool!

Would love to be coming on a couple of those rides but im stuck between a rock and a hard place at the moment....something should happen in 2009 tho!

[PeaceBlondie]

Dude, dude. Enough of this namby-pamby, girlie-man moped stuff.

Just buy a Ducati superbike and be done with it, f'christsakes!

Right, just take one or two million out of petty cash, and be done with it.

My take is on a moped you are on the side of traffic as opposed to being on a big bike where you are part of the traffic or in it instead of on the side where people are pulling out into you or cutting across. I think better to be in the center of the road keeping up with the cars than on a moped. just my opinion - the two accidents I had on scooters were the result of being on the side of the road where as we all know Thais dont like to look too carefully before pulling out.

You are talking about the verge, the edge of the road, the gutter. I seldpom go there, because as you state, it is the most dangerous place. It made sense in the 1970's when Thais started out on 50cc Honda Cubs, and still applies to grandma and 3 kids and a pig on a tired Honda Dream 100. I have been known to pass TVisa car drivers on the right side at high speed on a curve. I use the left edge only for turning left , or squeezing through rush hour traffic.

[Bard]

To answer the question of what is the perfect bike for Bangkok you have to think about what bikes you rode previously, and think about the most nimble one with excellent brakes, and go for something similar.

Since I live in the country side I love sportsbikes, but previously when I did ride in big cities for work and so on I really liked moto style bikes. You sit higher up so you see the traffic better, the single cyl gives you good kick off and they are nimble with good brakes and road tires.

So Bangkok bike on budget the Kawasaki D-Tracker, or on no budget the BMW G 650 Moto

For an allround bike also for touring in the weekends on budget the Kawasaki Ninja 250, medium priced Kawasaki Er-6n or Yamaha FZ6, and no budget you could do Ducati, BMW, or anything you want.

Cheers Bard

[BigBikeBKK]

I could buy a 250 Ninja & spend all day wringing its little neck...just like some of the current owners do

Hey... I resemble that comment!!!

[neverdie]

I could buy a 250 Ninja & spend all day wringing its little neck...just like some of the current owners do

Hey... I resemble that comment!!!

It was you I was thinking about when I made that comment!

[BigBikeBKK]

I still think this would be awesome in Bangkok Rot Tit

Happy Trails!

[thaicbr]

Yer Bigbike i should have come to Red Baron but i'm a lazy bum really (hang over), also in traffic my bike runs as hot as the Devils ball sac when he's at it with the local Nuns.

Allan

[BigBikeBKK]

LOL Allan,

I can't imagine you ever get stuck in traffic on the SUPERsonic!

No worries, we'll catch you next time. Red Baron is definitely worth a visit.

I'm in misty, foggy, grey, cold and miserable Rotterdam now and am missing the LOS big time!

Happy Trails!

Tony

[t.s]

When a moped can get you across town faster than anything speed is no longer a factor. Anything to big and you choke on exhaust. You don’t want to loose your ability to go between cars that are stopped at a light without taking out someone’s mirror off. A tight turning radius is a must when traffic is jammed and you’re trying to keep moving. On the other hand I have found that they can also be too small. I have learned and witnessed first hand that mopeds take a nose dive when you hit the breaks and they loose the slightest traction. Not just certain models but all of them. There is just not enough weight to stop you in a hurry. When I was home in October I witnessed or just missed 2 deaths and two wipe outs. Everyone I saw, a taxi pulled out in front of a moped. The driver locked up his breaks and the front tire flew to the right slamming them straight down on the road and under the car. This has happened to me twice but I was able to ride my back break to keep it up. If the road had been a little wetter I would have been paying for new paint jobs. So I would really like a VFR 400 but I think it would be too wide and keep me from going between cars. I am going to get a Honda 150nsr today because I think it will be small enough for traffic and heavy enough to stop without going down if I lock up the breaks. Anyone with a VFR 400 or CBR 150 got any input?

have ridden nsr 150, NSR 250 rr and vfr 400r. the last was my favourite,the 250 was perfect for bkk once i took the mirrors off. the clutch on the 400 did your hand in in traffic

[Bard]

Just my 2 cents or satang

The Ninja 250R which I had was the most whip through traffic beater I had due to it's narrow enough, has enough power and stopping power (just change the tires from IRC and you can stoppie) the lime green one is very visible as well, so the others in traffic see you much better. All in all a great performing city bike, can also do trips, play on race track and is a killer in twisties. Another bike which is great is the D-Tracker, you sit high so you see good, power is there from down below and brakes are great, again get rid of the IRC tires.

The VFR is not really my thing I would rather go for a CBR 400 then, that is a good bike. The scooters or step through is cheap and swift, I got one CZ-i to carry beer cases and stuff in the city, cheap as chips low fuel consumption and run on gasohol, does easily 120 km/h as well and cost 35k baht brand new I think that's what I paid anyways. So if you want something to carry stuff with you they're a good deal but obviously not a big bike with it's 110 cc. Trent is the evidence that any bike can be flipped around in BKK as when he had his XJR 1300 and rode it like a moped in Bangkok, so I guess anything will do if you get the feel for what the bike can go through between cars.

Cheers Bard

[JonnyF]

Yep the Ninja 250R is great in traffic, the only problem is the turning circle in real tight traffic when squeezing between the front and rear bumpers of 2 stationary cars, a couple of times I've had to rock it back and forth to get through whereas a Wave/Nouvo would get through on the first turn.

I love riding the KSR through Bangkok traffic, just replace the lollipop style wing mirrors with something with a shorter "stem" and you can get through the tightest gaps. It turns on a sixpence and soaks up the cracks in the roads. It's got a bigger tank than the scooters as well, added to the really good fuel consumption means you never seem to need to fill up. Really practical bike in my opinion, bullet proof as well.

[AnthonyR1]

yamaha R1...enough said. thread can be closed now