The New 250Cc Landscape

[CMX]

Since recent trade agreements allow 250cc bikes to cross borders at a lower tax rate (to be phased out), the standard of 125cc's and lower as inexpensive bikes has changed. Particularly for those bikes built or assembled here, the 250cc bike has become just plain cheaper. On Thai Visa, discussions have turned to four that are now available at pretty reasonable prices. Some argue that 250cc is all anyone needs for travel in Thailand, while others prefer them for urban and suburban use.

The Kawasaki Ninja 250 twin has been around for a while, and it still holds the established crown for performance. At 147,500 baht, it also claims the highest price.

So new on the scene that we have not been able to operate it (to find out if it is better than the Ninjette in some way), Honda's CBR 250R is next in price. A thumper, it is considerably cheaper. Rumor has it that the ABS version will cost but 115,000 baht, or 100,000 without the innovative braking system. It puts out 26HP. Like the Kawa, it offers the chic of a sports bike.

The Tiger Boxer 250RS (really a 233cc) has been around for some years. Claiming only 18HP, it costs 72,000 plus shipping and costs of registration. It has been described as an “all-rounder.”

Just now available, the Chinese Lifan V250, assembled here in Thailand, is a twin. It is said that it is a close copy to the old Yamaha Virago 250, later the V-Star. It boasts but 18HP too, but is in no degree a sports bike. It is a cruiser. It weighs in at 152K, and is the only 250 to offer chrome, and lots of it. Introductory price is 78,000 baht all in, but like the Honda, the bike has not been tested by us here.

[mbox]

cmx, the Lifan LF 400 is a copy of the Virago 400 . The Lifan LF-250 -B is not a copy of the Virago. I read it is merely a clone of the Shadow Sabre.

mbox

[canuckamuck]

I believe the Lifan is a pretty good copy of the Yamaha V-star

Yamaha V Star 250

Lifan 250

Also missing from this discussion is the D-Tracker 250 which I believe comes in around 150k Baht

[mbox]

Although not much discussed here ,nor much good news i heard, there are 3 more 250 cc bikes available and assembled(?) here

Platinum Monaco DJ 250

http://www.platinummotorsale.com/shopper2.html

Platinum Police 250

http://www.platinummotorsale.com/sport1.html

Platinum Century 250

http://www.platinummotorsale.com/sport2.html

I got no Price of those Bike maybe someone else knows...but i would think they are very cheap .

mbox

[mbox]

I believe the Lifan is a pretty good copy of the Yamaha V-star

Yamaha V Star 250

Lifan 250

Also missing from this discussion is the D-Tracker 250 which I believe comes in around 150k Baht

Here is a shadow sabre to compare with

Yes, the d-tracker and the klx are missingtoo.

So we have

Kawasaki ninja 250R

Kawasaki d-tracker 250

Kawasaki KLX 250

Honda CBR 250R

Tiger Boxer 250 RS

Lifan LF 250-B

Platinum Monaco DJ 250

Platinum Century 250

Platinum Police 250

9x 250 Bikes currently to choose from...did we forget anything?

Mbox

[visions]

Now wouldnt it be good if Yammaha came out with a 250 twin sport bike and a 250 cruiser, competitively priced in the Honda range.

That would really open up the compitition.

Make the dealers more competitive too....maybe??? TiT.

[mbox]

Now wouldnt it be good if Yammaha came out with a 250 twin sport bike and a 250 cruiser, competitively priced in the Honda range.

That would really open up the compitition.

Make the dealers more competitive too....maybe??? TiT.

Yes, this would be great if yamaha came with something like this...and have suzuki following the same trend ...and i want that KTM duke 200 as well :-)

oh well , wishful thinking...but maybe some comes true

mbox

[CMX]

Mbox,

Thanks for filling in the list. Of course, I meant only to refer to street (only) bikes - or track - but not off road. I was thinking of my own purchasing decision made a year ago. But of course these others, particularly the Quackers, are good options.

Platinum's reputation a year ago was not good, from what I read, so I made them invisible, erased them from my brain. I know Lifan, on the other hand, from the U.S., where a 250 has been sold for some years. I am not sure that you are correct about which bike the Chinese tried to clone with Lifan's "Custom V250" Doesn't prove anything, but I've seen pistons offered showing a fit with either the Yamaha or Lifan, and several U.S. threads mention Yamaha in connection with the Lifan - but that's no proof, it could just be a common misconception.

One thing is certain; more choices are good for the consumer.

[Richard-BKK]

The Lifan LF250-B and LF400 are fully manufactured in Thailand, not just assembled, Lifan has one of the largest factories compared to all motorcycle manufacturers in Thailand. Probably the Chinese manufacturer is producing them in Thailand to benefit from easier export to Europe and America.

Lifan LF250-B or LF400 is no copy of the Virago 250 or 400, Lifan bought several production facilities from Yamaha about 5-years ago. At the time Yamaha was moving all cruiser production to the USA under the name V-Star. Some parts, surely not all, of the Yamaha V-Star 250 are being produced at the Lifan Rayong, Thailand factory and exported to Malaysia where the Yamaha V-Star 250 are being assembled.

The deal between Yamaha and Lifan to take over some production facilities, Vietnam, Japan and two other places, included the right to produce some of the “older” Yamaha Virago models.

Edited December 11, 2010 by Richard-BKK

[ScubaBuddha]

So we have

Kawasaki ninja 250R

Kawasaki d-tracker 250

Kawasaki KLX 250

Honda CBR 250R

Tiger Boxer 250 RS

Lifan LF 250-B

Platinum Monaco DJ 250

Platinum Century 250

Platinum Police 250

9x 250 Bikes currently to choose from...did we forget anything?

Mbox

Honda VTR 250?

Lifan LF250 GY-7?

Suzuki TU250?

Maybe Richard can update us on the future availability of some of these bikes? I believe they are "coming soon"?

[Richard-BKK]

For Suzuki, a few months ago I was informed that Suzuki (Japan) was sick of all the problems and conservative thinking of the that time main Thai distributor. Now Suzuki Japan is ruling the scepter, and they to my idea underestimated the Mai Pen Rai – Sabai Sabai culture at the Suzuki Thailand a bit. But slowly, Suzuki Thailand is getting back on its feet. What does that mean for 250cc and bigger motorcycles. Officially, all (big bike) motorcycles you can find on the Thai Suzuki website are available in Thailand, the problem was that the Thai Suzuki Distributor never ordered them... (So I think that in the first quarter of 2011 more and more bigger models come available)

The production of the Honda VTR250 is currently being moved to Thailand, downside is that they all being exported to Japan. Will the VTR250 ever be available in Thailand, the answer is who knows. Honda did do a road safety and emission test for the VTR250 in Thailand.

Lifan is just started to distribute the 4 or 5 models now available in Thailand, when sales pickup, we can expect more models including the LF250-GY-7 and/or the 400cc cruiser the LF400.

Also another one we forget is the Apollo Orion RX 250, which something comparable to the Lifan LF250-GY7. The Apollo Orion RX 250 is scheduled to be available in Thailand in the first few months of next year.

[neverdie]

4 choices

[katabeachbum]

4 choices

7 years ago when I got a Phantom 200 there where no choises, only 200cc available through official dealers. Looking brighter now

[LivinLOS]

Also another one we forget is the Apollo Orion RX 250, which something comparable to the Lifan LF250-GY7. The Apollo Orion RX 250 is scheduled to be available in Thailand in the first few months of next year.

Not to rub it in but you said similar mid summer.. Best to stick to actually being sold rather than maybes.. Otherwise theres loads of maybes (KTM 200 duke please !!).

[Richard-BKK]

Also another one we forget is the Apollo Orion RX 250, which something comparable to the Lifan LF250-GY7. The Apollo Orion RX 250 is scheduled to be available in Thailand in the first few months of next year.

Not to rub it in but you said similar mid summer.. Best to stick to actually being sold rather than maybes.. Otherwise theres loads of maybes (KTM 200 duke please !!).

Did you see any KTM 200 on a Thai road, does the KTM distributor has any information? The Apollo Orion RX 250 is a registered model in Thailand and already several Apollo Orion RX 250's made it on the road in Thailand. This just for testing and getting a feel for what people think about the motorcycle.

Starting to sell a new product, if it's a new beer or a motorcycle needs a lot of research and marketing information. This information is not gathered easy and sometimes takes more time than expected.

The Bajaj deal is still not on paper, Bajaj want a bigger finger into KTM before they do another financial injection, currently Bajaj is 39% owner of KTM, while they are 48% shareholder of the Kawasaki motorcycles in ASEAN, with several cross license agreements, and they hold a license to market motorcycles made by Bajaj as Kawasaki products, and it's therefore very possible to more likely that Bajaj is going for the cheaper option to just introduce more Kawasaki's on the Indian market.

For the Mid-Summer available I have the idea I never said that. I recall to have said that the first batch of the Apollo Orion RX 250 will arrive in September (2010), it did and several people (30) are now riding in Thailand on this bikes (registered with license plates) to test them (they bought them with reduced prices) therefore the Apollo Orion RX 250 is being sold in Thailand, it has a model approval and is therefore an actual motorcycle allowed on the Thai roads.

[mbox]

Also another one we forget is the Apollo Orion RX 250, which something comparable to the Lifan LF250-GY7. The Apollo Orion RX 250 is scheduled to be available in Thailand in the first few months of next year.

Not to rub it in but you said similar mid summer.. Best to stick to actually being sold rather than maybes.. Otherwise theres loads of maybes (KTM 200 duke please !!).

Did you see any KTM 200 on a Thai road, does the KTM distributor has any information? The Apollo Orion RX 250 is a registered model in Thailand and already several Apollo Orion RX 250's made it on the road in Thailand. This just for testing and getting a feel for what people think about the motorcycle.

Starting to sell a new product, if it's a new beer or a motorcycle needs a lot of research and marketing information. This information is not gathered easy and sometimes takes more time than expected.

The Bajaj deal is still not on paper, Bajaj want a bigger finger into KTM before they do another financial injection, currently Bajaj is 39% owner of KTM, while they are 48% shareholder of the Kawasaki motorcycles in ASEAN, with several cross license agreements, and they hold a license to market motorcycles made by Bajaj as Kawasaki products, and it's therefore very possible to more likely that Bajaj is going for the cheaper option to just introduce more Kawasaki's on the Indian market.

For the Mid-Summer available I have the idea I never said that. I recall to have said that the first batch of the Apollo Orion RX 250 will arrive in September (2010), it did and several people (30) are now riding in Thailand on this bikes (registered with license plates) to test them (they bought them with reduced prices) therefore the Apollo Orion RX 250 is being sold in Thailand, it has a model approval and is therefore an actual motorcycle allowed on the Thai roads.

Richard, do you know who sells the Apollo Orion RX 250 and what is the price? It is good to have an additional Bike in the 250 cc Class.

About the KTM Duke 200...this what some of us wish to have(me too )...no-one really said that we will get it here....just some wishful thinking

happy trails,

mbox

Edited December 11, 2010 by mbox

[Richard-BKK]

The first shipment of 35 Apollo Orion RX 250 motorcycles where part of a planed road testing trial. They still not commercial available in Thailand. Rumors, and I'm not so close to the source as I would like say that the RX 250 will go eventually for around 80k. This can be a game of disinformation, from Apollo to Lifan who will likely target the same market in the first and second quarter of 2011.

For Bajaj, I found this press release which gives another view on the KTM and Bajaj future...

----------------------------

In an attempt to give its international plans a major fillip, Bajaj Auto, the India's second-largest motorcycle maker, is working towards bringing the technological prowess of Austrian motorcycle maker KTM and Kawasaki of Japan together to form a global alliance.

The three companies are discussing the matter, which would lead to cost-effective manufacturing programmes for engines, platforms and components, and also a global distribution and marketing set-up.

Developed platforms can be used by the three companies to create different products suitable to their strategy and brand. Platform sharing is more common in car and sport utility vehicle industry, where some companies have multiple brands.

Indian based Bajaj Auto has a 38.09 per cent stake in KTM, which specialises in making stylish street and off-road bikes. The two companies are in the process of developing a range of high-performance engines to serve domestic and international markets.

This new range of low- and high-capacity engines can be tapped by Kawasaki, one of the world's largest bike makers and a long-time technical partner of Bajaj Auto.

Edited December 11, 2010 by Richard-BKK

[neverdie]

4 choices

7 years ago when I got a Phantom 200 there where no choises, only 200cc available through official dealers. Looking brighter now

Only if your a sadist kata, only if ur a sadist. The Honda offering didnt really take things very far did it. I mean, some may like the styling and its not bad but other than that its bit of a YAWN really.

When something new arrives, people look to see something new, something special, something exciting - this I am afraid is a massive FAIL on Honda's part. One could be forgiven in wondering if this bike was made for the sport cateogry or perhaps for an old golfer to attach his gold clubs to. Obviously the WFC is biting.

[Rabid]

Dear All

Can anyone recommend a location where these bikes can be bought / seen / test-ridden??? ? (I haven't found the manufacturer's websites very useful in this respect, and thought that knowledge of dealers on here could be a better bet...)

I live and work in central BKK, but have only seen one motorcycle shop on Rama IV which had a couple of well-wrapped-up CBR 150s that they were reluctant to let me sit upon.

I did have a seat on the CBR 250 at the motorshow where I found the position comfortable. Being a daily rider through BKK, but also wanting a bike I can 'get away' on occasionally at weekends, I would like to try these bikes before making a choice. (I currently have a Wave that I commute about on, and an old NSR150 that is fun for a blast, but I find the riding position uncomfortable in traffic...)

Cheers,

G.

[LivinLOS]

Also another one we forget is the Apollo Orion RX 250, which something comparable to the Lifan LF250-GY7. The Apollo Orion RX 250 is scheduled to be available in Thailand in the first few months of next year.

Not to rub it in but you said similar mid summer.. Best to stick to actually being sold rather than maybes.. Otherwise theres loads of maybes (KTM 200 duke please !!).

Did you see any KTM 200 on a Thai road, does the KTM distributor has any information? The Apollo Orion RX 250 is a registered model in Thailand and already several Apollo Orion RX 250's made it on the road in Thailand. This just for testing and getting a feel for what people think about the motorcycle.

Starting to sell a new product, if it's a new beer or a motorcycle needs a lot of research and marketing information. This information is not gathered easy and sometimes takes more time than expected.

The Bajaj deal is still not on paper, Bajaj want a bigger finger into KTM before they do another financial injection, currently Bajaj is 39% owner of KTM, while they are 48% shareholder of the Kawasaki motorcycles in ASEAN, with several cross license agreements, and they hold a license to market motorcycles made by Bajaj as Kawasaki products, and it's therefore very possible to more likely that Bajaj is going for the cheaper option to just introduce more Kawasaki's on the Indian market.

For the Mid-Summer available I have the idea I never said that. I recall to have said that the first batch of the Apollo Orion RX 250 will arrive in September (2010), it did and several people (30) are now riding in Thailand on this bikes (registered with license plates) to test them (they bought them with reduced prices) therefore the Apollo Orion RX 250 is being sold in Thailand, it has a model approval and is therefore an actual motorcycle allowed on the Thai roads.

My point was you said mid summer we will see it in a couple of months..

Where do I go to buy one again ??

When I can go buy one.. Its being sold in Thailand..

As for the KTM 125 or 200's.. Theres nothing more than a dream at the moment India is making the 125 and its 100% being sold in Europe.. They say a 200 is planned in 2011 for 'select asian markets' but anything more than that is just a gamble.