Bikeing With A Bad Back

[chiangrai]

hi,

i'm being forced by financial circumstances to sell my car and by a bike,

but my back is a bit dodgy,and i live up a mountain.

what bike should i buy.

i need a bit of power for the mountain,comfortable sitting position and soft suspension,

maybe a scooter or an easy rider,

i saw a honda phantom,very comfortable but it looked to heavy to go up the mountain,

200cc should be eneough it's just the frame that looks heavy,

anywone know how they are on the hills,

i saw a picture of a kawasaki boss 175 it looks faster because it's lighter

but i haven't ever driven either of them

as for scooters,something a bit more comfortable than the yamaha nova,

or maybe i could make it more comfortable,change handle bars,seat and wheels

i see the honda pcx 125cc,looks comfortable but maybe not eneough power for the hills

so anywone know which is faster honda phantom or kawasaki boss,

or can recomend a chopper of tha sise(150-250cc) that has a bit of power,

I don't want to go up to 400cc

or in the scooter department a 175-250cc scooter.

i cant afford to go for the 500cc range

or can i

MY BUDGET IS 60,000bht approx

thanks in advance

[mbox]

Hi chiangrai,

Not knowing your back-problem in detail, but i would say if you sit on a "chopper" you will likely get more bumps extended right to your back. I would suggest something more of an slight bent forward seating position . Naked Bike may be working better.

mbox

[dave_boo]

Tiger Boxer in its 250cc form should suit you well. Not that much more than a Phantom or Boss, and it definitely has the power you'll need. Add in the famous service and you should be good to go.

[mbox]

Tiger Boxer in its 250cc form should suit you well. Not that much more than a Phantom or Boss, and it definitely has the power you'll need. Add in the famous service and you should be good to go.

The Boxer 200R may also be fine , costs 64k , and you're able to "unmount" any spares from the BiB Bike:lol: ...although easy to get spares anyways.

mbox

[Garry]

anything with pliable suspension and a plush seat to soak up the bumps for starters

[jubby]

The Phantom looks comfortable but it makes my back ache after about 30 mins. And it aches for days after.

I recently got a Kawasaki KLX250 which looks decidedly less comfy but has an upright seating position, and I get no back problems. So looks can be deceptive.

you probably need to hire whatever you think your going to get for a day and make sure it doesn't give you problems. Also a back support bandage thing may help.

Stay clear of automatics if your up a mountain .

The standard Honda dream (not the wave) 125 takes some beating if your on a budget.

[BSJ]

When the going gets tough the tough get a quad bike!

[billd766]

When the going gets tough the tough get a quad bike!

If you buy one of those eat lots of spinach like PopEye as the steering is had to turn.

My friend has one and I tried it out as I was thinking of buying one for my wife and I had problems trying to turn it.

Scrapped that plan right away.

[CMX]

So far as I hear, backs are so much an individual thing that is most important that you do ride before purchase. If you are in Chiang Rai, that could be a problem, I realize. I second the view that automatics are slowed by hills a lot.

Your budget and general specs. will fit the Tiger Boxer 200, and it is possible (as Mbox often suggests) that you could get a Bib let you ride one. But probably not long enough to have a sense of backaches.

[mbox]

When the going gets tough the tough get a quad bike!

If you buy one of those eat lots of spinach like PopEye as the steering is had to turn.

My friend has one and I tried it out as I was thinking of buying one for my wife and I had problems trying to turn it.

Scrapped that plan right away.

+1

i had a look at those quads yesterday @ Impact ( yes it is a home and garden exibition but there is a stand showing those too) it really needs a lot of effort to steer...maybe there are other ones too but the one i looked at was hard to steer.

mbox

[Zzinged]

I'm with Jubby on this one. A trail bike or motard style bike would probably do you good.

Of course, more info on your back would make recommending a bike more accurate.

[nattydread]

why not invest in something like this?

http://www.koolbak.com/MotorcycleBelt/Kidney_Belt.html

[mbox]

So far as I hear, backs are so much an individual thing that is most important that you do ride before purchase. If you are in Chiang Rai, that could be a problem, I realize. I second the view that automatics are slowed by hills a lot.

Your budget and general specs. will fit the Tiger Boxer 200, and it is possible (as Mbox often suggests) that you could get a Bib let you ride one. But probably not long enough to have a sense of backaches.

CMX , how is your custom seat on the Tiger Boxer 250RS ? That maybe added comfort for the OP too?

I got along with the 2nd generation seat prettty well, but i had it adjusted to my Bum

You are right , to test, have a word with some police man and ask him if you can test his Boxer 200 ( ok, they are not always in perfect shape due to lack of maintenance but it gives you an idea) - if you offer some beers & Larb moo w /khao nieauw you sure can test the bike longer :-)

happy trails,

mbox

[VocalNeal]

If you don't need to carry passengers too far this may have been ideal.

http://classifieds.thaivisa.com/automotives-vehicles/motorcycles/blue-kawasaki-d-tracker-125cc-66725.html

[CMX]

I agree that having the seat modified might help in finding a solution. Like selecting the right bike, though, it must depend upon the person's back. My "custom" seat just suited my own personal behind better - nothing to do with back aches. Even with me, it was trial and error, until we found what worked for me. This might apply to OP, might not.

I took advice to select firm cushioning material, not soft, by way of supporting longer rides. Seems to work for me. I have heard people speak of gel-seats with some admiration. But for OP, I do not know - just another avenue of possibility.

[billd766]

I ride a Honda Phantom and I have had a bad back for some 25 odd years and I can ride my bike from Khampaeng Phet where I live to BKK or Chiang Mai about 400 km in each direction.

Several months ago I went out with a mate for a day ride of about 475 km and I still felt pretty much OK at the end of it.

The day ride was on the normal roads and then across a national park almost reaching 1,000 metres high with a rough road from north of Tak to Mae Ramat, down to Mae Sot then back to Tak and home again.

If you are close to Chiang Mai call in at Tony's Big Bike hire as he has a selection of bikes you can hire.

The link is here

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=103123673807285494411.0004624feb401af10e332&ll=18.781887,98.99835&spn=0.004088,0.005493&z=18&iwloc=00046b80ca45a7fbdb4f8

As far as I know he has a couple of Phantoms plus bigger and smaller bikes for rental.

I find that my Phantom is a good reliable bike but a rocket ship it ain't.

You probably don't need one anyway.

[CMX]

Tony has quite a few Phantoms; I'd call if you consider coming to rent one in case tourist season warms up; last week he had some in use. The bike itself has the feature of feet forward, naturally, rather than the sports style. That might suggest more weight on the spine OR a more comfortable and sustainable position.

However, the bike gives a gentle ride for the category of power. Assuming that you are an accustomed rider and that your mountain has roads that do not require 4 wheel drive on a car (paved), the Phantom will get you and a pillion or shopping load uphill.

I've not driven the Boss, but don't suppose that it would be any better getting up a hill, given less power.

Edited November 1, 2010 by CMX

[BSJ]

When the going gets tough the tough get a quad bike!

If you buy one of those eat lots of spinach like PopEye as the steering is had to turn.

My friend has one and I tried it out as I was thinking of buying one for my wife and I had problems trying to turn it.

Scrapped that plan right away.

Thats strange. I've ridden farm models and they are very reasonable in the steering department.

[BSJ]

why not invest in something like this?

http://www.koolbak.c...idney_Belt.html

I went for a New Life mesh thinking it would be ideal. I have a distressed disk L2 (Lumbar). But I also have a Thorasic disk problem (T3)....and wearing the belt on the bike meant all the rough jolts went straight to T3! Oh well, back to square 1!

[Kimera]

When the going gets tough the tough get a quad bike!

If you buy one of those eat lots of spinach like PopEye as the steering is had to turn.

My friend has one and I tried it out as I was thinking of buying one for my wife and I had problems trying to turn it.

Scrapped that plan right away.

+1

i had a look at those quads yesterday @ Impact ( yes it is a home and garden exibition but there is a stand showing those too) it really needs a lot of effort to steer...maybe there are other ones too but the one i looked at was hard to steer.

mbox

Thorght they were illegal on thai roads

[Kimera]

When the going gets tough the tough get a quad bike!

If you buy one of those eat lots of spinach like PopEye as the steering is had to turn.

My friend has one and I tried it out as I was thinking of buying one for my wife and I had problems trying to turn it.

Scrapped that plan right away.

+1

i had a look at those quads yesterday @ Impact ( yes it is a home and garden exibition but there is a stand showing those too) it really needs a lot of effort to steer...maybe there are other ones too but the one i looked at was hard to steer.

mbox

Thought they were illegal on thai roads

[dave_boo]

Y'all understand that quads are heavier than bikes and when you sit on them stationary you are trying to move two much wider wheels than are on motorcycles? I.E. their resistance to change (Newton's first law of motion) is going to be much higher. Get them up to speed and you'll see a big difference....