Touring Thailand With A Ninja

[Tod]

I was planning to buy a er6n, but I heard that kawasaki thailand are apparently out of stock for the next 3 months...

So my question is, would it be really boring and uncomfortable to go touring around Thailand for a couple of months on a ninja250 or d-tracker.

I also need to specify that my girlfriend would be behind me on the bike most of the time.

Are they too small and weak to cover long distances comfortably?

Would really appreciate some input from peoples with experience about these 2 bikes.

Cheers.

[jchfriis]

I've got both a Ninja 250 R and an ER6-n, and the Ninja 250R is great fun and good for short trips and around town, but for touring with 2 people I would not use it. The seats are not comfortable enough, especially the pillion. You may also find that the engine is a bit too weak for touring with 2 people. The ER6-n is great for touring.

[BigBikeBKK]

^ Ditto- the Ninja 250R is good fun for solo riding- I toured 12,000km on mine in 6 months before buying the ER6n. But 250cc Ninja just doesn't cut it for 2 up riding, IMHO. And the Ninja 250R pillion is not designed for any real distance unless your missus / gf has a seriously high pain threshold

D-tracker might work, more comfortable for your pillion for sure, but again would be quite underpowered for riding 2 up.

Not sure where you're located, but a long term rental of an ER6n might be an option for you. Pop's in Chiang Mai has ER6n's for rent and they are available in Pattaya too.

Good luck and Happy Trails!

Tony

Edited April 6, 2009 by BigBikeBKK

[Tod]

Thanks Bigbikebkk and jchfriis for your answers...

That's what I was fearing

I was also considering renting an er6n, but the problem with rentals is that you can't get insurance. If anything happens to the bike or I have an accident with somebody on the road, I'm fcuked.

So that leaves me with little options... I will probably be bikeless for my 2 months off. Boring...

[mbox]

Thanks Bigbikebkk and jchfriis for your answers...

That's what I was fearing

I was also considering renting an er6n, but the problem with rentals is that you can't get insurance. If anything happens to the bike or I have an accident with somebody on the road, I'm fcuked.

So that leaves me with little options... I will probably be bikeless for my 2 months off. Boring...

Hi Tod

Not sure how "large " you and your partner are. But the Tiger Boxer 250 rs is worth looking at. It is available, it has a good seat & pillion. The power is good, top speed is sufficient .Quality of bike is good and there is another forum member who did longer distances than myself without any issues. New price is 72000 THB. I have got one myself and am very happy with it...

cheers mbox

[Bard]

Hi Tod,

If you rent in Chiang Mai where Tony pointed you, there insured so you'll be fine.

Cheers Bard

[Bard]

Hi Tod

Not sure how "large " you and your partner are. But the Tiger Boxer 250 rs is worth looking at. It is available, it has a good seat & pillion. The power is good, top speed is sufficient .Quality of bike is good and there is another forum member who did longer distances than myself without any issues. New price is 72000 THB. I have got one myself and am very happy with it...

cheers mbox

If a D-Tracker and Ninja is underpowered what makes you think the Boxer would fare better?

I rode my modified Ninja (more hp) with my wife on the pillion from Rayong to Ban Saen and back for a bike week, the bike did 160 km/h (on the speedo) so the Ninja has power, but my wife was not happy about that pillion at all.

Before back home I had a Honda 250 similar to d-tracker don't remember the name for a short while and she sat happily behind on that, but that was underpowered for the ride, single cylinder is not to hot on a 250 with max load, well unless you want to cruise in 100 - 120 km/h anything over will take forever to get to, and uphill is a struggle. Solo it was a cool ride but me, her and luggage not my kind of ride.

Cheers Bard

[mbox]

Hi Tod

Not sure how "large " you and your partner are. But the Tiger Boxer 250 rs is worth looking at. It is available, it has a good seat & pillion. The power is good, top speed is sufficient .Quality of bike is good and there is another forum member who did longer distances than myself without any issues. New price is 72000 THB. I have got one myself and am very happy with it...

cheers mbox

If a D-Tracker and Ninja is underpowered what makes you think the Boxer would fare better?

I rode my modified Ninja (more hp) with my wife on the pillion from Rayong to Ban Saen and back for a bike week, the bike did 160 km/h (on the speedo) so the Ninja has power, but my wife was not happy about that pillion at all.

Before back home I had a Honda 250 similar to d-tracker don't remember the name for a short while and she sat happily behind on that, but that was underpowered for the ride, single cylinder is not to hot on a 250 with max load, well unless you want to cruise in 100 - 120 km/h anything over will take forever to get to, and uphill is a struggle. Solo it was a cool ride but me, her and luggage not my kind of ride.

Cheers Bard

Bard,

Just because you don't like tiger Bikes(for whatever reason) doesn't make it unsuitable for anybody else. The Boxer has maybe not as high end speed as the ninja but i did 150 km/h on it which isn't bad . Powerwise , i did only a few shorter trips with my wife and it really has sufficient power( i am 95 kg, my wifes 50 kg). Just out of couriosity , did you actually ride a Tiger Boxer 250 rs for a period of time ,which than would give you the experience to evaluate the bike correctly???

Tod ,

Here are some reviews/reports: http://www.motorcycle.in.th/article.php?st...hai_All-Rounder

http://www.boxermc.info/article.php/Biking...terfall_Mea_Sot

As i mentioned before if you both are not too large i find the bike fine to trip thailand, also the "back passenger" will sit far better than on a Ninja. The bike is slim and handles real well, i added a topcase on mine which comes in handy when you go placesand i also added an windscreen which is nice too.

hope that helps ,

mbox

[kev_o]

I was planning to buy a er6n, but I heard that kawasaki thailand are apparently out of stock for the next 3 months...

So my question is, would it be really boring and uncomfortable to go touring around Thailand for a couple of months on a ninja250 or d-tracker.

I also need to specify that my girlfriend would be behind me on the bike most of the time.

Are they too small and weak to cover long distances comfortably?

Would really appreciate some input from peoples with experience about these 2 bikes.

Cheers.

On your search for an ER6 it might be worth calling the Kawasaki dealer in Korat, MPC Bike Shop, they have always had ER6's available when the other dealers were asking for a one month delivery after order. A couple of weeks ago they had 3 in stock, two orange and one black. The owners there speak good English and can be contacted on 044 255011 - 2

[JonnyF]

I've done about 6500 kms on my Ninja, about a third of that has been with my girlfriend on the back. The range is good, about 300kms on a tank and it cruises nicely between 120 and 140 km/h which is fine for me given the state of the roads and the standard of driving. 160-170 (indicated) is the maximum speed but I wouldn't do that speed for too long because the RPM's are too high to keep it there for hours.

The longest stint I've done was 750 kms in one day from Samui to Bangkok and that was pretty painful but I guess it would be on most bikes, certainly on a naked bike like the ER6N I wouldn't imagine it would be that much more comfy (possibly less so). For touring I'd say the ER6N has a few drawbacks, obviously the lack of a fairing and I've heard the range is only 200kms per tank which would annoy me a bit if that was true. Obviously the extra power would be nice and the seat looks more comfy on the ER6N, especially for the pillion.

I'll be thinking about buying the ER6F if it arrives in the 250k baht range but an extra 55k for ABS and a fairing would put me off given it's 225k for the ER6N and an estimated 280k for the ER6F - too much of a jump.

If you went for the D-Tracker I think you'd have to change the gearing as by all accounts the top end is quite low in stock form.

[Bard]

Bard,

Just because you don't like tiger Bikes(for whatever reason) doesn't make it unsuitable for anybody else. The Boxer has maybe not as high end speed as the ninja but i did 150 km/h on it which isn't bad . Powerwise , i did only a few shorter trips with my wife and it really has sufficient power( i am 95 kg, my wifes 50 kg). Just out of couriosity , did you actually ride a Tiger Boxer 250 rs for a period of time ,which than would give you the experience to evaluate the bike correctly???

Tod ,

As i mentioned before if you both are not too large i find the bike fine to trip thailand, also the "back passenger" will sit far better than on a Ninja. The bike is slim and handles real well, i added a topcase on mine which comes in handy when you go places and i also added an windscreen which is nice too.

hope that helps ,

mbox

No Tod,

All I said was due to previous statements that a d-tracker is underpowered for long haul with luggage and pillion, a bike more or less equivalent in power as the Tiger, so I asked you why would you think a Tiger would fare better? I never said I hated it, I just stated to obvious, it's possible to tour with a scooter even, but even including 250cc is not optimum for touring, sorry.

I did 182 km/h on my modified Ninja verified by GPS and Trent following me on his previous XJR1300, however this is not a realistic top speed on a Ninja it is pushing all you can and with a tuned engine and sprockets. Alone a realistic top speed (something you easily achieve) is 160 km/h with a pillion 140 km/h is very easy to achieve (all this real speed from GPS not the completely unreliable speedometers) and hold up and downhill, more than that is a struggle, it takes a lot of time to get there or straight flat road.

So first of all the experience I have with the Ninja is the pillion seat is uncomfortable, but if your pillion uses bicycle shorts (padded) under the draggin jeans it's bearable. And the Ninja is ok for tours if you don't ride to far in one day.

The D-Tracker with 10 hp less than a stock ninja is more underpowered for this task, but if you don't mind riding in 100 - 120 km/h I guess it's cool, yes you can go faster but cruise speed is what you easily can achieve and maintain.

To answer your question, have I ever ridden a Tiger boxer, yes I have not on tour though, from my experience it was much less powered than a Ninja, never tested it with a pillion tho, I also raced several local police officers and local guys on this bike with my previous Ninja 250R and they just becomes small in the mirror, I tested a D-Tracker which I liked and that felt about the same in power as the boxer, I had my missus behind on it and yes it pulled willingly to 120 more takes time but I guess you can get 140 with 2 up on it.

Can you tour with a Boxer two up and luggage, yes you can but it will not be propely powered for it in my humble opinion. You can tour 2 up on a CBR 150, Boxer, D-Tracker, Ninja anything like that if you like to. But if you're after a ER6n as the original poster was and wonder if the Ninja 250R or similar is underpowered for you the answer is YES, it's underpowered, and so is anything else with lesser power such as the Boxer.

So I was not slagging the Boxer, I just answered from the original query and the posts below.

Cheers Bard

[bobbin]

Just have the Ninja's pillion seat (AND rider's seat) recovered.

I did this on my Cbr 150r for the grand total of Bt.300. For both seats. Added foam and used a better covering fabric. That is a less slippery (more textured) cover.

And you could do your touring on a Cbr 150r. All the posts I have read over the last months regarding the Ninja 250 have not convinced me that it is worth paying more (much more) than double the price of the Honda.

2-up at 100kph all day long, with reserve power to pass. 400km to a tank riding solo, a bit less 2-up.

Some of the posters here have a "need for speed" and not just on the track. On one outing they were not welcoming anyone not willing/able to cruise ar 140-160kph. A little over the top for Thai roads. Not to mention illegal.

[BigBikeBKK]

Just have the Ninja's pillion seat (AND rider's seat) recovered.

I did this on my Cbr 150r for the grand total of Bt.300. For both seats. Added foam and used a better covering fabric. That is a less slippery (more textured) cover.

And you could do your touring on a Cbr 150r. All the posts I have read over the last months regarding the Ninja 250 have not convinced me that it is worth paying more (much more) than double the price of the Honda.

2-up at 100kph all day long, with reserve power to pass. 400km to a tank riding solo, a bit less 2-up.

Some of the posters here have a "need for speed" and not just on the track. On one outing they were not welcoming anyone not willing/able to cruise ar 140-160kph. A little over the top for Thai roads. Not to mention illegal.

Heh heh, ok, I'll confess that I'm one of those "need for speed" SSR riders , but there are some reasons we set some minimums for our rides.

First there are stretches of highway in Thailand that really do call for blasting. I'm in Bangkok and love to ride up north and north east, but let's face it, when you're going to Chiang Mai, there is NOTHING worth seeing until you reach Tak. In between the roads are straight and generally well paved, and the chances of being hassled by the BiB for speeding are minimal, so yeah, we blast it.

Second, by setting minimum speed requirements for long trips it helps to weed out the guys that might otherwise show up on beaters. I'm relatively new to biking in Thailand, but noted early on that a lot of guys show up for rides on aging bikes that are not mechanically fit for the trip.

I don't NEED to ride fast, BTW. I'm perfectly happy to putter along at 100km/hr with my friends who ride classic SR400s or Phantoms, etc. It's actually nice to go slow sometimes and enjoy the scenery.

Back to the topic at hand- the OP is asking about a bike for touring 2-up. That implies 2 passengers, plus some luggage. Yes, you can 'tour' on a Honda Wave if that is what you call "touring", but you'll be puttering along the side of the road with all of the other scooters, and that to me is neither fun nor safe.

If you want to be able to ride on normal roads at the speed of general traffic (that means ~120km/hr on highways) and have adequate power for passing and accelerating out of dangerous spots then I would respectfully say that 250cc would be the bare minimum for 2 people plus luggage. I loved touring solo on my Ninja 250R and hated touring on it when my wife was on the back. The light weight, incredible handling, and 33 HP of the Ninja 250R was great fun for one, but just didn't cut it when you added a passenger.

Chiang Mai has by far the greatest selection of legal, insured large bikes in Thailand and I would recommend the OP start his trip there. My first choice for 2-up touring would be a Kawa ER6n because they are only a few months old so pretty much guaranteed to be mechanically sound, but you can also find other decent bikes like CB400's, Viragos, XJRs, etc etc. Really all depends what kind of bike you like and are comfortable with.

Happy Trails!

Tony

[Tod]

Just have the Ninja's pillion seat (AND rider's seat) recovered.

I did this on my Cbr 150r for the grand total of Bt.300. For both seats. Added foam and used a better covering fabric. That is a less slippery (more textured) cover.

And you could do your touring on a Cbr 150r. All the posts I have read over the last months regarding the Ninja 250 have not convinced me that it is worth paying more (much more) than double the price of the Honda.

2-up at 100kph all day long, with reserve power to pass. 400km to a tank riding solo, a bit less 2-up.

Some of the posters here have a "need for speed" and not just on the track. On one outing they were not welcoming anyone not willing/able to cruise ar 140-160kph. A little over the top for Thai roads. Not to mention illegal.

Heh heh, ok, I'll confess that I'm one of those "need for speed" SSR riders , but there are some reasons we set some minimums for our rides.

First there are stretches of highway in Thailand that really do call for blasting. I'm in Bangkok and love to ride up north and north east, but let's face it, when you're going to Chiang Mai, there is NOTHING worth seeing until you reach Tak. In between the roads are straight and generally well paved, and the chances of being hassled by the BiB for speeding are minimal, so yeah, we blast it.

Second, by setting minimum speed requirements for long trips it helps to weed out the guys that might otherwise show up on beaters. I'm relatively new to biking in Thailand, but noted early on that a lot of guys show up for rides on aging bikes that are not mechanically fit for the trip.

I don't NEED to ride fast, BTW. I'm perfectly happy to putter along at 100km/hr with my friends who ride classic SR400s or Phantoms, etc. It's actually nice to go slow sometimes and enjoy the scenery.

Back to the topic at hand- the OP is asking about a bike for touring 2-up. That implies 2 passengers, plus some luggage. Yes, you can 'tour' on a Honda Wave if that is what you call "touring", but you'll be puttering along the side of the road with all of the other scooters, and that to me is neither fun nor safe.

If you want to be able to ride on normal roads at the speed of general traffic (that means ~120km/hr on highways) and have adequate power for passing and accelerating out of dangerous spots then I would respectfully say that 250cc would be the bare minimum for 2 people plus luggage. I loved touring solo on my Ninja 250R and hated touring on it when my wife was on the back. The light weight, incredible handling, and 33 HP of the Ninja 250R was great fun for one, but just didn't cut it when you added a passenger.

Chiang Mai has by far the greatest selection of legal, insured large bikes in Thailand and I would recommend the OP start his trip there. My first choice for 2-up touring would be a Kawa ER6n because they are only a few months old so pretty much guaranteed to be mechanically sound, but you can also find other decent bikes like CB400's, Viragos, XJRs, etc etc. Really all depends what kind of bike you like and are comfortable with.

Happy Trails!

Tony

I got the message and agree with you. Of course you can go touring around Thailand with pretty much anything, even a honda dream will do. But to do it in good conditions with 2 peoples on the bike and bags, the ninja 250 is definitely not a good choice.

My last bike was a ninja 636, kept it for 2 years before moving to Thailand... Downgrading to a 250 would probably bore me very quickly as well. Too bad I cant get my hands on an ER6N

If anybody can confirm that they are for rent with insurance in Chiang-Mai, I will do it that way.

Thanks again for all the answers.

[BigBikeBKK]

I got the message and agree with you. Of course you can go touring around Thailand with pretty much anything, even a honda dream will do. But to do it in good conditions with 2 peoples on the bike and bags, the ninja 250 is definitely not a good choice.

My last bike was a ninja 636, kept it for 2 years before moving to Thailand... Downgrading to a 250 would probably bore me very quickly as well. Too bad I cant get my hands on an ER6N

If anybody can confirm that they are for rent with insurance in Chiang-Mai, I will do it that way.

Thanks again for all the answers.

Hiya Tod,

I can confirm that Pop Car Rent has brand new Kawasaki ER6n's for rent. I don't think they maintain their own website, but they are listed on the Chiang Mai Index.

Pop bought 6 Orange ER6n's in January and last time I was there (a few weeks ago) they still had 5 available (one was totaled by an idiot tourist... tourist and Thai passenger died...).

This company has been around for 20 some years and is trustworthy and honest. I've rented bikes and a car from them many years ago and had no complaints.

Here is the location and contact number:

Contact Number:

Other shops I would highly recommend are Mr. Mechanic (don't know if the prices below are current, best to call and check):

Mr Mechanic. 4 Soi 5, Moon Muang Road. Tel: 053214708 / Mobile 018824402. Chiang Mai biggest rental fleet & run by the vivacious Gung. Bikes:

• 1x Honda CB1000 @ 1,200 baht a day.
  
• 1x Honda VFR 750 (93) @ 700 baht a day.
  
• 6 x Honda Steed 400 @ 700 baht a day.
  
• 6 x Honda 400 Super Four 400 @ 600 baht a day.
  
• 8 x Honda Phantom 200 @ 600 baht a day.
  
• 2 x Honda Degree 250 @ 600 baht a day.
  
• 11 x Honda XLR/ XR 250 Bajas @ 700 baht a day.
  
• 1 x Honda AX1 250 @ 600 baht a day.
  

Tony's Big Bikes (no relation to me ) Again, not sure the prices are up to date so call and check:

Tony's Big Bikes. 17 Ratchamankha Rd. Tel: 053207124. .Bikes:

• 10 X Honda Super Four 400 @ 700 baht a day.
  
• 4 x Honda VRX 400 @ 800 baht a day.
  
• 2 x Honda Bros 400 @ 600 baht a day.
  

Happy Trails!

Tony

[Tod]

Hey Tony,

I will definitely do that. Just called him a moment ago, he quoted 24'000 baht for one month, which seems reasonable.

Will be in Chiang Mai on the 20th, then Nan, Loei, Udon, Kanchanaburi, Hua Hin, PangNga, Krabi, Koh Lipe, and back to Chiang-Mai through Mae Sot, Tak, Mae Hong Son etc...

Cant wait...

[bobbin]

Tod

In your initial post you inquired about a decent bike for touring Thailand for a couple of months. Hence my thoughts that you can do that on a Cbr150r.

Money no object..get what you want. Do you want or need to do it without spending a lot of money? Get the Honda. Do you want to be in Nakhon Nowhere needing repairs to a Ninja 250 or Kawasaki 650? Forget the price and availability of the parts, what about the mechanics you'll be dealing with?

The Honda gets about 100/mpg. Probably twice as good as the other 2 bikes. Every kilometer you are either saving money or spending up to twice as much.

Cruising at 100kph, you are at approx. 7000rpm in 6th gear. Redline is 11500. Need to get going? Drop it into 4th, Redline. 5th, Redline. Hitting 6th doing 130-140+, you've increased speed by 30-40kph very quickly. If that's not enough you are not choosing your moments correctly.

Luggage? Unless you are riding a big bike with lots of storage built-in, you have got to scale back on the take-alongs. A small tankbag upfront and the pillion rider wears a backpack. You'll be doing laundry.

Two months rental of the bikes mentioned or other older bikes as shown above even with a "rate" will run Bt.40,000-60,000. Never to be seen again. Buy the Honda new for approx. Bt65,000. Sell after 2 months for Bt.45-50,000. Buy gently used for Bt45,000 and you could get almost all of it back.

The Ninja 250 is over-priced at just under Bt.150,000, proven by the small increase to move up to the 650 at Bt.225,000

I sold my Suzuki 750 when I came to Thailand 7 years ago and bought the Cbr150r. You can adjust. I did.

[Tod]

Tod

In your initial post you inquired about a decent bike for touring Thailand for a couple of months. Hence my thoughts that you can do that on a Cbr150r.

Money no object..get what you want. Do you want or need to do it without spending a lot of money? Get the Honda. Do you want to be in Nakhon Nowhere needing repairs to a Ninja 250 or Kawasaki 650? Forget the price and availability of the parts, what about the mechanics you'll be dealing with?

The Honda gets about 100/mpg. Probably twice as good as the other 2 bikes. Every kilometer you are either saving money or spending up to twice as much.

Cruising at 100kph, you are at approx. 7000rpm in 6th gear. Redline is 11500. Need to get going? Drop it into 4th, Redline. 5th, Redline. Hitting 6th doing 130-140+, you've increased speed by 30-40kph very quickly. If that's not enough you are not choosing your moments correctly.

Luggage? Unless you are riding a big bike with lots of storage built-in, you have got to scale back on the take-alongs. A small tankbag upfront and the pillion rider wears a backpack. You'll be doing laundry.

Two months rental of the bikes mentioned or other older bikes as shown above even with a "rate" will run Bt.40,000-60,000. Never to be seen again. Buy the Honda new for approx. Bt65,000. Sell after 2 months for Bt.45-50,000. Buy gently used for Bt45,000 and you could get almost all of it back.

The Ninja 250 is over-priced at just under Bt.150,000, proven by the small increase to move up to the 650 at Bt.225,000

I sold my Suzuki 750 when I came to Thailand 7 years ago and bought the Cbr150r. You can adjust. I did.

Hi bobbin,

The first bike I ever had was a CBR125. Even at the time I thought it was too weak and got rid of it quickly. I guess the 150 doesn't make that much difference with the 125.

I know it's possible to tour with pretty much any bike, even a scooter, but that's not what I'm looking for.

"Do you want to be in Nakhon Nowhere needing repairs to a Ninja 250 or Kawasaki 650? Forget the price and availability of the parts, what about the mechanics you'll be dealing with?"

That's the point of buying a new bike. To avoid mechanical problems as much as I possibly can. The chances of a breakdown with a new bike are still possible but a lot less than with a 2nd hand.

That leaves me with one option, rent one of these ER6N for a couple of months, and in 6 months hopefully there will be some bikes available at the kawa dealerships again, buy one and equip it with a full set of givi boxes.

[12DrinkMore]

Tod

In your initial post you inquired about a decent bike for touring Thailand for a couple of months. Hence my thoughts that you can do that on a Cbr150r.

Money no object..get what you want. Do you want or need to do it without spending a lot of money? Get the Honda. Do you want to be in Nakhon Nowhere needing repairs to a Ninja 250 or Kawasaki 650? Forget the price and availability of the parts, what about the mechanics you'll be dealing with?

The Honda gets about 100/mpg. Probably twice as good as the other 2 bikes. Every kilometer you are either saving money or spending up to twice as much.

Cruising at 100kph, you are at approx. 7000rpm in 6th gear. Redline is 11500. Need to get going? Drop it into 4th, Redline. 5th, Redline. Hitting 6th doing 130-140+, you've increased speed by 30-40kph very quickly. If that's not enough you are not choosing your moments correctly.

Luggage? Unless you are riding a big bike with lots of storage built-in, you have got to scale back on the take-alongs. A small tankbag upfront and the pillion rider wears a backpack. You'll be doing laundry.

Two months rental of the bikes mentioned or other older bikes as shown above even with a "rate" will run Bt.40,000-60,000. Never to be seen again. Buy the Honda new for approx. Bt65,000. Sell after 2 months for Bt.45-50,000. Buy gently used for Bt45,000 and you could get almost all of it back.

The Ninja 250 is over-priced at just under Bt.150,000, proven by the small increase to move up to the 650 at Bt.225,000

I sold my Suzuki 750 when I came to Thailand 7 years ago and bought the Cbr150r. You can adjust. I did.

I disagree over a couple of points here.

- the Ninja 250 and ER6N are very new and by all reports very reliable. I doubt whether you will need any major repairs to them. Maybe a puncture could be the worst, but a tyre shipped from BKK will take a maximum of 2 days.

- the Ninja is not overpriced at 145,000 Baht but the ER6N is underpriced at 225,000 for the Thai market :D Not that I am complaining. I have both.... It is a far better bike than the boy racer cbr150, and certainly preferable.

As the OP is a tourist, I doubt whether the "buy and sell option" is really an option.

Will be in Chiang Mai on the 20th, then Nan, Loei, Udon, Kanchanaburi, Hua Hin, PangNga, Krabi, Koh Lipe, and back to Chiang-Mai through Mae Sot, Tak, Mae Hong Son

That is one big ride. There is a very high possibility of a lot of rain once you get south of Chumpon at this time of year. Be prepared for long stops and unexpected overnight stays unless you are a masochistic torrential rain enthusiast. I have done it, and can have coped with dreadful weather, but female pillion riders?

[Tod]

As the OP is a tourist, I doubt whether the "buy and sell option" is really an option.

I am not a tourist, but I work a lot

7 months on everyday and then 5 months off.

[BigBikeBKK]

Hey Tony,

I will definitely do that. Just called him a moment ago, he quoted 24'000 baht for one month, which seems reasonable.

Will be in Chiang Mai on the 20th, then Nan, Loei, Udon, Kanchanaburi, Hua Hin, PangNga, Krabi, Koh Lipe, and back to Chiang-Mai through Mae Sot, Tak, Mae Hong Son etc...

Cant wait...

Wow Tod! Wounds like an awesome trip! Good for you! Have a great time and make sure you've got decent wet weather gear as I see you'll be heading south and you will no doubt encounter rain along the way. Hmmm, 24,000 Baht/month to rent an ER6n or about 800 Baht a day, that's really not bad.

Happy Trails!

Tony

[Bard]

Tod,

When are you hitting the road, I'm back home end of April and due to go working in end of May so the SSR crew might be on the roads so we could maybe meet you on the road somewhere...

You sound like a sensible dude, so that would be cool...

Cheers Bard

[Tod]

That is one big ride. There is a very high possibility of a lot of rain once you get south of Chumpon at this time of year. Be prepared for long stops and unexpected overnight stays unless you are a masochistic torrential rain enthusiast. I have done it, and can have coped with dreadful weather, but female pillion riders?

The plan was to be in the south for the end of april/beginning of may, when it's supposed to be relatively dry. I hope the weather will still be bearable. If there is a few rainy days I don't mind, will use them to rest and relax and hopefully go surfing the andaman coast.

Tod,

When are you hitting the road, I'm back home end of April and due to go working in end of May so the SSR crew might be on the roads so we could maybe meet you on the road somewhere...

That would be with pleasure, just let me know when you will hit the road and I'll arrange my journey.

Edited April 9, 2009 by Tod

[lennya12threh]

Just curious. I'm not looking for 200km/h or anything, but have been looking at SR 400s and GB 400s. I like the style and want a small bike with a bigger engine. I currently have a CBR 150, and would like something with just a bit more guts for the highway. I like the style too of the SR/GB. But how does and SR400 do on the highway, lets say compared to the Ninja 250?

I mean the SR only has 5 gears, but its 400cc. Long gears I hope?

[BigBikeBKK]

The plan was to be in the south for the end of april/beginning of may, when it's supposed to be relatively dry. I hope the weather will still be bearable. If there is a few rainy days I don't mind, will use them to rest and relax and hopefully go surfing the andaman coast.

Cool man! You surf too? I keep a few boards in Phuket and it would be a blast to ride down and catch some waves. How to carry a board on an ER6n...

Surf season is just getting started on the west coast and I haven't been in the water for many many months.

Here was a decent day at Kata last summer:

Looks like good conditions on the East coast today:

Definitely stay in touch with Bard and me and the rest of the SSR crew and with any luck we can all hook up.

Happy Trails!

Tony

[BigBikeBKK]

Just curious. I'm not looking for 200km/h or anything, but have been looking at SR 400s and GB 400s. I like the style and want a small bike with a bigger engine. I currently have a CBR 150, and would like something with just a bit more guts for the highway. I like the style too of the SR/GB. But how does and SR400 do on the highway, lets say compared to the Ninja 250?

I mean the SR only has 5 gears, but its 400cc. Long gears I hope?

The Yamaha SR 400 is a classic air cooled single cylinder "thumper". Built for torque and reliability, NOT speed.

In stock form they can comfortably cruise at 100-120 km/hr. In stock form they are not designed to go fast. Of course you can play with gearing and suspension to increase top end, but you should not expect to ever keep up with a Ninja 250R. I'm not so familiar with the CBR 150 but I'm guessing even the little CBR will be quicker than most Yamaha SRs.

Happy Trails!

Tony

[t.s]

Tod

In your initial post you inquired about a decent bike for touring Thailand for a couple of months. Hence my thoughts that you can do that on a Cbr150r.

Money no object..get what you want. Do you want or need to do it without spending a lot of money? Get the Honda. Do you want to be in Nakhon Nowhere needing repairs to a Ninja 250 or Kawasaki 650? Forget the price and availability of the parts, what about the mechanics you'll be dealing with?

The Honda gets about 100/mpg. Probably twice as good as the other 2 bikes. Every kilometer you are either saving money or spending up to twice as much.

Cruising at 100kph, you are at approx. 7000rpm in 6th gear. Redline is 11500. Need to get going? Drop it into 4th, Redline. 5th, Redline. Hitting 6th doing 130-140+, you've increased speed by 30-40kph very quickly. If that's not enough you are not choosing your moments correctly.

Luggage? Unless you are riding a big bike with lots of storage built-in, you have got to scale back on the take-alongs. A small tankbag upfront and the pillion rider wears a backpack. You'll be doing laundry.

Two months rental of the bikes mentioned or other older bikes as shown above even with a "rate" will run Bt.40,000-60,000. Never to be seen again. Buy the Honda new for approx. Bt65,000. Sell after 2 months for Bt.45-50,000. Buy gently used for Bt45,000 and you could get almost all of it back.

The Ninja 250 is over-priced at just under Bt.150,000, proven by the small increase to move up to the 650 at Bt.225,000

I sold my Suzuki 750 when I came to Thailand 7 years ago and bought the Cbr150r. You can adjust. I did.

the man wants a 600, is contemplating a 250, and you are trying to sell him a cbr 150? why?

Edited April 9, 2009 by t.s

[bobbin]

[

the man wants a 600, is contemplating a 250, and you are trying to sell him a cbr 150? why?

Because I'm biased obviously!!

Because I have done what he wants to do. On a Cbr150. I wrote my opinion based on those experiences.

[BigBikeBKK]

[

the man wants a 600, is contemplating a 250, and you are trying to sell him a cbr 150? why?

Because I'm biased obviously!!

Because I have done what he wants to do. On a Cbr150. I wrote my opinion based on those experiences.

Good on ya Bobbin-

You toured Thailand north to south, two up with luggage on a CBR 150? Tod's talking about a trip that's gonna be at least 5000km or more. Did you do that distance? 2 up? On a CBR 150?!? And the missus / gf is still with you?? She should get a medal (or have her head examined)!

Happy Trails,

Tony

[bobbin]

[

the man wants a 600, is contemplating a 250, and you are trying to sell him a cbr 150? why?

Because I'm biased obviously!!

Because I have done what he wants to do. On a Cbr150. I wrote my opinion based on those experiences.

Good on ya Bobbin-

You toured Thailand north to south, two up with luggage on a CBR 150? Tod's talking about a trip that's gonna be at least 5000km or more. Did you do that distance? 2 up? On a CBR 150?!? And the missus / gf is still with you?? She should get a medal (or have her head examined)!

Happy Trails,

Tony

Eastern Seaboard (Pattaya) to Chiang Mai and back. Approx. 2500 km. 10 days. On a Cbr150. A few shorter trips as well.

It's not that great a difference on any smaller non-touring specific motorcycle. Not a lot of luggage as noted earlier. We stayed in hotels. We weren't camping.

Unfortunately, the GF is no longer. But we are still friends.