I don't think there is any chance that the Chinese can recreate the handling of a real Honda. It will look like a Honda, but it will not handle like one.

Dave. Do you want to sell the nut cruncher ninja 250. let me know.

Of course the CbR150 is in a class of its own. Unless you include the NSR150 and its ilk. And probably there are more NSR150 on the road. Even that bike, which was Hondas flagship in Thailand they dumped into Australia when they finished with it, so you can bet the CBR will go when they perceive the time to be right, which will be when they have a replacement bike.

Do suzuki still make the raider150 ?

Yes. its just been reintroduced this year. one of the three Suzuki distributors are doing it. there is a thread somewhere about it

The CBR150 ain't no Ducati. It's the smallest bike I've owned in 4 countries. When I arrived here in 2003, it was either a new BMW or a CBR150. Five years later, nothing under 140K baht was half as good. It works great here and looks great. Trouble-free, easily worked on. Over 70 MPG, comfortable, agile.

Thanks PB, Don't you feel kind of prone with the combination of feeling the bike is tiny, but still in a crouch position? Is that something you get used to, or you just feel it or not?

Like my taller friends such as T Dog have testified, there is no crouch. None. I am neither prone nor supine.

Hi.

Isn't "Minerva" originally a Spanish brand..? I know that we (in Germany) had tuning bits for Zundapp, Hercules and the like made by or under the name of Minerva and that stuff always came from Spain.

There's also a company named "Montesa" that builds Honda motorbikes, while they sell in local (Spanish) markets as "Montesa" they are exported as "Honda". The Honda NSR 50 available in Germany are all made by Montesa.

Regards....

Thanh

Hi.

Isn't "Minerva" originally a Spanish brand..? I know that we (in Germany) had tuning bits for Zundapp, Hercules and the like made by or under the name of Minerva and that stuff always came from Spain.

There's also a company named "Montesa" that builds Honda motorbikes, while they sell in local (Spanish) markets as "Montesa" they are exported as "Honda". The Honda NSR 50 available in Germany are all made by Montesa.

Regards....

Thanh

I belief that Minerva has more to do with Sachs, and here are also some "maybe" upcoming Sachs 250cc models

If the Minerva 250 supermoto shows up in Thailand under 100,000B like it is in Indonesia than I will be on one.

double post

I belief that Minerva has more to do with Sachs, and here are also some "maybe" upcoming Sachs 250cc models

Looking good except for that lazy eye headlamp on the naked yellow one. But what's up with only 20PS? Granted I understand the torque is up (but not to the Ninja's level), but ONLY 20 PS?

He Dave,

For so far as I understand are it 250cc single-cylinders, and the Kawasaki Ninja 250R is a two-cylinder setup... Still 20PS or HP is a bit on the low site

Dave. The Minerva 250 is a single cylinder air/oil cooled motor. so gotta match it more with the Kawa d-tracker (22ps) than the Ninja.

Canuck. The Sachs x-road/trail 250 (what ever its bloody called) will be available soon about 100thou.

Dave. The Minerva 250 is a single cylinder air/oil cooled motor. so gotta match it more with the Kawa d-tracker (22ps) than the Ninja.

Canuck. The Sachs x-road/trail 250 (what ever its bloody called) will be available soon about 100thou.

Yeah, you're quite right; but if they're marketing it on sportsbike chassis, there's going to be direct comparisons to the Ninjette. Would it win in the price to performance category? Well, assuming that it comes in at 90k, a Ninja being 140k, than it compares favourably in the hp/$. Any higher than that it doesn't. Lower, it only gets a better deal. Then you have to consider the service of the bike. Is it going to be a "Tiger-Sachs" collaboration that you can get service for IF you live near a Tiger dealer or in a couple of days when the Tiger main dealer gets up to you (if only to diagnose the problem)? I'd suppose (maybe wrongly), that someone purchasing one of these bikes over a Kawker is doing it on a budget and can't afford to be without their bike a couple of days. I'm not implying they'll break down more than a Ninjette, but least ways with my bike I know that I can throw it in the back of a truck and run it down to NakWan for repairs.

On the other hand, I don't see anything wrong with them pushing out a high torque at low rpm dual sport bike; makes things much more controllable. Look at the Transalp, xr650, klx***, dr450*, etc. Not too much hp there, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with them.

I'm really not trying to be negative, in fact many manufacturers coming into this segment may force Honda to get off their asses and release a bike I can love (and yes, I'M BIASED).

**BTW**

I'll sell my Ninja when I can get a Honda of similar specs (but better cause it has a wing on the tank ). Thanks for your enquiries.

**edit**

BTW, with those specs it better not cost much more than the similarly specced Tiger Boxer.....

He Dave,

I have me dreams more on a Sachs MadAss 500cc, but that probably will be a dream forever.....