Long Road Trips On 125 Cc

[Focus]

Hey. I'm wondering about the feasibility, comfort and just over-all do'ability of long road trips on a 125 cc motorbike. I'm talking about 2 or 3 days out on the road. I know it might be a rough on the bum, but I can take frequent stops. What about other considerations? Anyone have any experience with long road trips on a 125 cc?

Thanks,

(Only) Focus

[Richard-BKK]

Hi Focus,

I'm Dutch, I did Amsterdam to Morocco on a Honda 50cc, okay I was 16, and not forget it was me and a Morocco friend (on one bike), I'm now much older and never found that excitement and discovery feeling which I had on this little Honda SS50. Trust me, there is nothing more exciting then pushing the limits, I have several motorcycles on which I can tour the country, and they all in perfect condition, but the trill of do I going to make it is gone...

[PeaceBlondie]

When Art Friedman, the senior editor of Motorcyclist magazine neared retirement, testing 1,500 cc bikes, he said his best long trip was on a Honda XL175.

[Nio]

I road a 125cc from Rangsit (around Dreamworld) to Prachinburi and back in the same day.

I had the time of my life getting there, but after I arrived in Prachinburi, I seriously thought about leaving the bike there and taking a taxi back.

The ride back was painful, extremely so.

Even with stops, pushing more than 125 km per day is not a good idea.

And your right, the softest seat in the world won't save you.

There is not enough comfort to support rides that long.

Needless to say, I have never tried that again.

[Richard-BKK]

That is what I mean, it is said size matters... but in reality, the little bikes, the moment your first bike could not take the hill, the first time you had problems... are all what matters if you look back on your motorcycling past... I have had in recent years all motorcycles I ever dreamed of but the motorcycles that make me smile are not the fancy new one I have in the garage ... it is the Honda SS50, the Zundapp kS50 later I swapped the engine with a KS80... that time likely from a stolen German motorcycle (sorry to the German guys), it is the Puch 50cc automatic, and the Yamaha XT500... That where my bikes...

To be honest thinking back to my trip on my 50cc Honda SS50, I'm considering to do this sort of trip again... But then in Thailand...

[Briggsy]

Many. Will give info when have more time.

[Focus]

Hi Focus,

I'm Dutch, I did Amsterdam to Morocco on a Honda 50cc, okay I was 16, and not forget it was me and a Morocco friend (on one bike), I'm now much older and never found that excitement and discovery feeling which I had on this little Honda SS50. Trust me, there is nothing more exciting then pushing the limits, I have several motorcycles on which I can tour the country, and they all in perfect condition, but the trill of do I going to make it is gone...

Hi, Thanks for the feedback; wow! Amsterdam to Morocco on a Honda 50cc!! Fantastic. Going through Spain must have been one of the best parts!

Your story and the others posted in reply to my query are inspiring.

I'm just thinking of a 3 day trip on a KoLao 125 cc in Laos, maybe from Vientiane to Sayaburi province.

[Richard-BKK]

Actual Morocco was the best part, nobody ever seen a 50cc from Holland, I needed a special permit from the Morocco embassy as they did not had a classification for my type of vehicle. In the Netherlands a 50cc was classified that time as a bicycle with support engine, Morocco not part of the European Union did not had anything to classified the vehicle and we needed this special permit, which was basically a letter of in Arabic telling that the King of Morocco was giving us permission to ride this vehicle in his country... It was so cool, when we came to the town where my friends family lived we needed to show this document to everybody...

Now I believe that people where thinking we where so special... Likely I was also the first European teenage boy to enter this little town which was between 12 sand dunes, a few Palm trees, and the sun of which you seemingly could never hide from... And if you finally when released from the sun rays you find yourself in colds nights you wish you were sleeping under so many blankets

[neverdie]

Three days touring on a 125cc in thailand......some form of torture ? Perhaps your just sadistic?

[Richard-BKK]

Focus, keep focused, most people commenting are just jealous that they never did anything to remember there two-wheel past... Ask 90 percent of the bikers in Thailand if they where bikers before they came to Thailand, and most will say not really... So not listen to anybody who is basically jealous of you having a good time...

[12DrinkMore]

Go and just do it!

OK, you travel more slowly (and see more of the countryside), but fuel costs are minimal.

My Honda Dream has over 100,000 kms. I travelled from the Malaysian border to Hua Hin in one day on it. Many border hops from Hua Hin to Ranong in one day, that's around 700 kms.

Yeah, maybe you might call me a masochist, but I just love riding bikes. Big or small.

And, in terms of comfort, to be honest I can sit for a lot longer without bum issues on the Dream than the Kawasaki Ninja and ER6N. Also a lot less stress, as on the bigger bikes I ride faster, with a lot more wind resistance and concentration.

Actually this has got me thinking about how many clicks I have ridden in Thailand.

Honda Dream just over 100,000

Honda Phantom 65,000

Ninja 250 4,000

ER6N 11,000

Total about 180,000 in 12 years or so.

Still alive and lovin' it!

[Dpolenz]

You guys are biker puppies,when you take the big step i will come back and talk to you

[jackcorbett]

You guys are biker puppies,when you take the big step i will come back and talk to you

I did a 1500 mile tour of England and Scotland when I was 17. The bike didn't have 50 c.c.'s and it didn't even have shocks. Had a blast too, staying in youth hostels most of the time. The bike was a three speed pedal bike. So yeah, I think a 125 c.c. would do it and just think you wouldn't have to pedal up the large hills.

[dave_boo]

Bah, go for it.

If you're at your own pace; and there's nothing forcing you to be somewhere at such a time, why not?

Let the road take you where it will....

[thrilled]

You'll wear that little thing out in no time.I mean it's so small ya can hardly pass at high speed.A 350 or better would be A lot better.Me personalily would want something 500cc and up.Experience been riding sine 1967.

[ttakata]

It's cool to hear of such adventurous riders.

I've only done 100+ mile (12 hours with lots of breaks) days on my 50cc Ruckus back in the States, I'm a wuss.

I met a kid named Wan that toured the US coast to coast on his stock Ruckus, now that takes some balls.

It's true, there's so much less stress and fun the slower you go.

So long as you're not in a hurry any bike will do.

Just enjoy the ride, that's what it's all about right?

[wjmark]

You'll wear that little thing out in no time.

Absolutely untrue.

My Wave 125 has 45000km and is going great.

A few years ago I did the Chiangmai/Mae Sai visa run two months in a row on my Wave. 520km in one day.

On one of those runs I made it back in 3 hours and 20 minutes (260km). Cruised all day with the throttle wide open. Generally doing 115-120, and hitting 130km/hr downhill.

No problem.

Get some nice big tyres, and put in synthetic oil!

[KarenBravo]

I'm thinking of doing a round trip to Surat Thani from Phuket on one of my tarted up Honda Cubs. Probably this one, 1981 Honda C90.

[SeanMoran]

I'm thinking of doing a round trip to Surat Thani from Phuket on one of my tarted up Honda Cubs. Probably this one, 1981 Honda C90.

That CT90 looks like such a classic; already retro in 1981 I'd guess. I wouldn't like to think that such a vintage would get whacked by grasshoppers and bugs on the way to Surat Thani and scratch the duco or unshine those spokes. A good reliable bush-basher might leave you with less tears on your return to Phuket.

I've done a lot of shorter 2-3 hour roadtrips between provinces, but there were two longer distance multi-day trips that stand out, from 2005 & 2006 (2548 & 2549), , and on two different genres of bikes. The Suzuki 125cc two-stroke 5-speed in 2005 and the Honda Wave 100cc four-stroke 4-speed in 2006. Firstly, from Rayong to Chantaburi to Khorat to Nonthaburi to Rayong in 2005. Then in 2006, the one way ride from Nonthaburi, Ratchaburi, Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarrat, Hat Yai, with return on the train.

I wrote a little about the different attributes with vibrations at prolonged high-speed between these two small single bikes: two-stroke vs four-stroke: a year ago on the Bangkok Post forum, so I won't repeat the same story any further.

The Suzuki 125 was by far the better bike for long-distance allday riding, and cost 1/3rd the s-hand price of the Honda. The Honda was more reliable and looked better tonking around town.

I hope that a photo of each is applicable:

http://antarctica.netau.net/img/gal/gallthai/bike/bike05.jpg

The rucksack in front of the seat between the knees might suit the CT90 cargo, but I'd not want to run the risk of scratching it with another rucksack strapped to the read guard.

http://antarctica.netau.net/img/gal/gallth.../hondawav07.jpg

And a special one for nothing more than nostalgic reasons:

http://antarctica.netau.net/img/gal/gallthai/bike/bike07.jpg

[KarenBravo]

I plan to have a small back-pack as I'll only stay a couple of nights. If I stay longer, I could go on my 1982 Honda C70 as it has racks fore and aft, though, a 70cc engine maybe a bit small for the journey.

[neverdie]

Focus, keep focused, most people commenting are just jealous that they never did anything to remember there two-wheel past... Ask 90 percent of the bikers in Thailand if they where bikers before they came to Thailand, and most will say not really... So not listen to anybody who is basically jealous of you having a good time...

Richard, Sometimes what you say when you post simply amazes me, no wonder bkkbigbike is always all over you.

Given that I ride a small bike daily in Thailand and have done many thousands of kilometres over the past 20 plus years here, & on some fairly crappy bikes I may add, I doubt I have much jealousy for someone that wants to tour around for half a week on a 125.

Richard, give yourself an uppercut.

[hc02sa]

I've taken many long trips around northern Thailand on my Suzuki Hayate 125 with a passenger and its certainly possible. The 125 with a passenger can still get up steepest roads such as Doi Ang Kang.

I've put 8000km on the bike in 3 months with no problems.

A sore bum can be a problem but a break after every 100km seems to do the trick. You can also change the seat to a more comfortable material without much cost.

Trips traveled recently:

Chiang Mai -> Mae Hong Son -> Mae Chaem -> Chiang Mai (636km in 2 days)

Chiang Mai -> Nan -> Doi Pukha ->Chiang Mai (850km in 3 days)

Mae Sai Border runs (520km each time)

Go for it!

[BigBikeBKK]

Richard, Sometimes what you say when you post simply amazes me, no wonder bkkbigbike is always all over you.

Given that I ride a small bike daily in Thailand and have done many thousands of kilometres over the past 20 plus years here, & on some fairly crappy bikes I may add, I doubt I have much jealousy for someone that wants to tour around for half a week on a 125.

Richard, give yourself an uppercut.

NeverDie- you have such a gift for words- said it far better than I ever could! I think Richards just being jealous and negative because he has some nice bikes in his garage but rarely gets out and rides them...

Traveling on two wheels is great fun, whether on a push bike, 50cc scooter, or liter bike- it's ALL GOOD!

Happy Trails!

Tony

[neverdie]

^ Well Tone, we all know what the abreviation for that name is, don't we.

Seriously though, if you were gonna tour around, you want something you could carry a decent pack on, something that would be able to accelerate away from the idiots in their pick ups and something with half decent suspension.

I sometimes have fairly big days in the saddle around bkk on the Raider150 and at the end of say 200-250km's in the traffic, dust and crapp out there, you kinda look forward to being run down by a wayward truck or something.

On the other end of the scale, I wouldnt wanna tour around on a full sports bike either, Thailand is one place where I like to have my head up, looking front, left, right and behind every 2 milliseconds, scanning the horizon and near more for that <deleted> this is trying to end your day with his sump parked on your head.

The other problem with the little bike when you get bush is the 3 litre fuel tank and the 120km range when the going gets tuff.....sorry, its not something that would make me jealous.

....anyway Richard, no doubt you still think im jealous .....perhaps i should spell it out to you, this sounds like a phhhharking nightmare

[12DrinkMore]

You'll wear that little thing out in no time.I mean it's so small ya can hardly pass at high speed.A 350 or better would be A lot better.Me personalily would want something 500cc and up.Experience been riding sine 1967.

I reckon those little Honda engines are indestructible and unbelievably reliable.

The parameters for a tour on a small bike are vastly different from touring on a fast bike. May take a bit longer to arrive, but IMO that just means more time on the bike!!!

Traveling on two wheels is great fun, whether on a push bike, 50cc scooter, or liter bike- it's ALL GOOD!

Absolutely. I hate travelling in a car. I need the wind, the rain, the sun, the heat, the cold, the smells, the dirt; they make me feel alive. :D

[KarenBravo]

Touring on a big bike, or, a small bike.

Depends.

If reaching the destination is important, then you need a big bike.

If the journey itself takes precedent with lots of stops, I don't see a problem with a small bike.

[StrandedBusinessPerson]

Hi there, I used to have a 125 yamaha ybz (indian/jap colab) here in nepal, and I drove it over 20K all around Nepal and India on long trips. I finally broke down and got a real bike...an enfield bullet 350cc. The yamaha was okay, if u were not in a hurry. I rigged some panniers but made the mistake of using the tail as a luggage area, and that broke early on. petro mileage was great - over 50 per litre - but whenever i went over 65 or so, the bike started to shake pretty bad. the best ride, and the last one, was from kathmandu to gantok in sikkim. i was ferrying a few friends back and forth between darj and gantok on the back road and the engine finally blew with 200kg of people and 100kg of luggage. we sold the smoldering hunk of junk and bought an ancient enfield to get back home. later i got a 2004 bullet and it's been the best bike ever. btw, can i get enfield parts in bkk anywhere? there is a serious lack of aftermarket parts here in nepal. cheers!

[Focus]

Thanks for all the great replies. Truly inspirational. I'll let you all know how my trip goes. I'd include a photo of my bike but I can't figure out how to upload the photo to my message.... anyway, it's a KoLao 125 cc, automatic gears.

Focus

[Focus]

Ah... there's the photo. It did attach. Believe me, I know how to ride the bike better than I can deal with internet and computer stuff... .

Focus...

[ThunderDuck]

Gday Focus

In 2006 I completed a 38 day 7600 km circumnavigation of Thailand on a 125cc Honda Dream scooter. It ran flawlessly ... from 40 plus degrees and wide open throttle on the highway to climbing mountain switchbacks in pouring rain.

Avg distance / day ~ 380 kms

Longest " / " ~ 640 kms (ouch)

Rest days ~ about nine

Avg speed ~ 85 -90 km / hr

Avg economy ~ 90 mpg

Maintenance ~ Replaced chain and sprockets @ 11,500 klms

Punctures ~ nil

Best of luck ...