These New Little Fat Tire Kawasaki Motorcycles....

[jaideeguy]

Been seeing more of these Kawasaki fat little tired motorcycle/scooters. They seem shorter than normal and with mono shock system. Buzzing all over the place, they do go fast.....but hows the balance on them and how do they handle on the road?? or off road?/ most have clutches...which is good for my taste. What are the prices??

[dave_boo]

I assume you're talking about the KSR. Seems like a fun little bike and there's quite a customisation scene for them. Never rode one, but there are forum members that have...good luck.

[JonnyF]

I've got one, they're not very fast (mine maxes out about 90) but they handle well and they're good fun to ride. Off road the stock rear shock is too soft so it tends to "bottom out" over rough stuff, but I had fun exploring the little tracks around Phuket on it when I was living there. They're solid and reliable, and use very little fuel.

Great bike for extremely heavy traffic, I always take it we're going somewhere like Pantip or MBK because you can slice through the gaps between cars and it turns on a sixpence. Better than sitting in a cab for an hour.

I paid about 57k I think 2-3 years ago, and spent about 3k on a rack and footpegs so the girlfriend can ride as pillion. It's best for shortish trips (under 50kms), I wouldn't do much more than that on it unless I had no other option. I only use it for short trips and not that often, but it's one of those bikes you get quite attached to. If you're over 6 foot I'd guess it would be quite uncomfortable.

[Fishenough]

Report on a trip done on a KSR!

http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycl...orth-t6164.html

Size sometime does NOT matter!

[dave_boo]

Forgot, here's the link to the product page. Even offer a 178cc upgrade kit...imagine that would make a pretty nice little ride!

[jaideeguy]

Thanks for the links......the 'short' road trip on GTRider was great, and longer than I would need.

I have what is probably the inspiration [father] of the KSR....it's a Yahama TW200 [Jap import], big fat tire on the rear. mono shock and geared really low....can climb a wall, but I may think about the KSR for legality and parts availibility.

Does the KSR come standard with a clutch??

[CroBiker]

Very popular in Thailand this little thing. They have their own online community:

KSR THAILAND

[BigBikeBKK]

Does the KSR come standard with a clutch??

Never ridden one but believe the KSR has gears but no clutch. Shifts like a Wave- I don't know what that kind of transmission is called... Had the pleasure of meeting Kyler from Singapore who did that epic ride from Singapore to Laos and back on a KSR- nice guy and big respect to anyone who can cover such a distance on such a small bike!

[LivinLOS]

I consider those like clutchless manual (it has a clutch its just operated on the foot lever)..

You can add aftermarket clutch kits.. and 6 speed boxes...

[barrybike]

few pics of a few of them at bangkok bike fest 2010

[Kalyan]

Shifts like a Wave- I don't know what that kind of transmission is called...

I've encountered terms such as "robotised manual" when describing their transmissions. Functions like a sequential gearbox with automatic clutch.

The KSR has lovely lines and a commanding riding position - I didn't like the Yamaha TW200 as the huge tyres made it look underpowered. I pity the motor trying to accelerate such a huge mass...

So even with a $1000 special price and a promise that the TW200 "would surely attract girls", I went for the most infamous (for moped racing) Yamaha cub on the market, the Y125Z. Which has a top speed way higher than the TW's 100 or so kph.

Not dissing the KSR of course, just a lil TW200 tale