Kawasaki Versys 2012 Purchase

[easylife]

So the black/yellow is on fact the new color scheme for 2012. Thanks for clarifying things. Easy

Sorry if I missed the answer to my question, is there any difference between the 2011/2012 models! Is the yellow bike the OP has bought the same as the black / yellow of last year

It's exactly the same. Just a color change.

Correct me if I'm wrong but up to now there has been only 2 iterations of the model: 2006 and 2009. In between and after it is purely marketing naming and only the color changes.

2011 saw the birth of the Versys 1000cc though.

[Polanskiman]

I believe you said most of your riding will be on pavement, yes?

IMO Radiator guard and mudguard are only useful if you plan to ride offroad.

Pre-load and damping are adjustable front and rear on the Versys.

Here's a useful guide to suspension settings that you might find helpful:

Tony, you are correct. I will mainly (if not 100% of the time) ride on pavement. At least for the first few months or so.

Thanks for the radiator guard and mudguard advise... an expense less to worry about!

Thanks also for the guide. Haven't read yet but will go through it tonight.

My dealer is the one after Thaksin Bridge. Should I trust them to do the initial preload adjustment or should I do it myself?

All the best.

Edited February 14, 2012 by Polanskiman

[thai4me]

I bought a 2011 Versys on August 31st. Have now done 10,000klms. Unless you are going to ride on the track, the stock brakes will out perform you and the stock tyres will do you fine for 8000klms. I bought a package with my bike which included a bigger stand pad, hand guards, crash bars, radiator guard, rear mudguard, hard Givi panniers and upgraded screen. I have since added Pirelli tyres (excellent in the mountains) and given it a wash...It is a very good bike straight out of the box and doesn't need any tinkering unless you want to do track days and play with things. Also I have reset the preload on the rear as locally it is set to cope with a 68kg rider and I weigh 105kg.

Ride it-don't play with it in the garage...it simply does not need it.

You might want to check if the spring rate can accommodate up to 105kg. As far as I know, bikes here comes standard with springs to do up to 75kgs or thereabouts. 105kg is surely out of the range.

I also weigh the same as you and I had to replace all the shocks or springs for all my bikes.

[thai4me]

Just in case anyone wants to know www.racetech.com makes good springs. A pair of front fork springs and rear monoshock springs will set you back about 10,000 baht plus minus. For atvs try www.elkasuspension.com

[commande]

how much did you pay for the versys and how long is the waiting list

The price hasn't changed: 285.000 baht. The earliest I can get it is March If I'm lucky, if not then it will be April or even May.

Just want to make sure you understand that you will pay tax on this bike purchase so the 285,000.00 Baht is purchase price. Add sales tax, registration/plates and it will cost you around 304,000.00 Baht.

[nikster]

how much did you pay for the versys and how long is the waiting list

The price hasn't changed: 285.000 baht. The earliest I can get it is March If I'm lucky, if not then it will be April or even May.

Just want to make sure you understand that you will pay tax on this bike purchase so the 285,000.00 Baht is purchase price. Add sales tax, registration/plates and it will cost you around 304,000.00 Baht.

No.

I paid 285,000 for the bike - sales tax is included in the price.

I paid another 1000 Baht or so for basic mandatory insurance and registration. Chiang Mai November 2010, one of the first (but not the first) Versii in CM

That's it. I rode it off the lot for 286k. If they tell you something different they're pulling your leg. I am sure it could happen since the bike seems to be in high demand right now. Some dealers might be taking advantage of that.

Edited February 15, 2012 by nikster

[commande]

You are correct, I was mistaken - the price does include the tax. I did pay here in Bangkok an additional 2600.00 for premium insurance and another 1500.00 Baht for registration and tags. Thank you for the correction.

Edited February 15, 2012 by commande

[BigBikeBKK]

how much did you pay for the versys and how long is the waiting list

The price hasn't changed: 285.000 baht. The earliest I can get it is March If I'm lucky, if not then it will be April or even May.

Just want to make sure you understand that you will pay tax on this bike purchase so the 285,000.00 Baht is purchase price. Add sales tax, registration/plates and it will cost you around 304,000.00 Baht.

WRONG! VAT is included in the price.

[BigBikeBKK]

You are correct, I was mistaken - the price does include the tax. I did pay here in Bangkok and additional 2600.00 for premium insurance and another 1500.00 Baht for registration and tags. Thank you for the correction.

Enjoy your new bike!

[monty1412]

For heavens sake, Tony, Wana, can you take the bickering somewhere else? If Tony has a price on his brake pads, let him charge that, why do you really have to care so much?

I guess its Tonys attitude that makes people angry. He combines his passion for riding with commercial interests and promotions. And if this weren't enough, he likes to continiously rant and insult everyone who doesn't want to play with him. Its a pity that commercial interests come up that often here at TV.

Not wanting to sit on any side of the fence here, I had email words with BBBK but I will say if he offers a commercial service that helps people and ensures they get a good product and actually delivered then thats up to the folks who buy and quite frankly i wish there was more people in the know offering products on the board.... even the shops here muck things up like frame sliders for a FZ1 recently at a certain motorbike store in BKK.

BBBK does add allot to the board in terms of reports and ride commentaries as well as excellent videos. So on the whole take the attitude as stirring the pot and adding a bit of spice to the posts and as stated wish there were more people providing commercial services to us mere board mortals.

If anyone can find adjustable rear sets for a cbr400rr NC29 1991 they will be elevated to god like status. ( Of course totally irrelevant to the whole post but thought Id throw it in anyway)

Cheers

[wana]

For heavens sake, Tony, Wana, can you take the bickering somewhere else? If Tony has a price on his brake pads, let him charge that, why do you really have to care so much?

I guess its Tonys attitude that makes people angry. He combines his passion for riding with commercial interests and promotions. And if this weren't enough, he likes to continiously rant and insult everyone who doesn't want to play with him. Its a pity that commercial interests come up that often here at TV.

Not wanting to sit on any side of the fence here, I had email words with BBBK but I will say if he offers a commercial service that helps people and ensures they get a good product and actually delivered then thats up to the folks who buy and quite frankly i wish there was more people in the know offering products on the board.... even the shops here muck things up like frame sliders for a FZ1 recently at a certain motorbike store in BKK.

BBBK does add allot to the board in terms of reports and ride commentaries as well as excellent videos. So on the whole take the attitude as stirring the pot and adding a bit of spice to the posts and as stated wish there were more people providing commercial services to us mere board mortals.

If anyone can find adjustable rear sets for a cbr400rr NC29 1991 they will be elevated to god like status. ( Of course totally irrelevant to the whole post but thought Id throw it in anyway)

Cheers

Dr bike can surprise you with what he has tucked away in the back ,hes worth a try

http://www.dr-bikebangkok.com/store/

ask for james if you dont speak thai , if he cant order them ,he probably can tell you who can

[Polanskiman]

how much did you pay for the versys and how long is the waiting list

The price hasn't changed: 285.000 baht. The earliest I can get it is March If I'm lucky, if not then it will be April or even May.

Just want to make sure you understand that you will pay tax on this bike purchase so the 285,000.00 Baht is purchase price. Add sales tax, registration/plates and it will cost you around 304,000.00 Baht.

No.

I paid 285,000 for the bike - sales tax is included in the price.

I paid another 1000 Baht or so for basic mandatory insurance and registration. Chiang Mai November 2010, one of the first (but not the first) Versii in CM

That's it. I rode it off the lot for 286k. If they tell you something different they're pulling your leg. I am sure it could happen since the bike seems to be in high demand right now. Some dealers might be taking advantage of that.

I think the question was answered several times so I wont insist. However, there is indeed some additional costs, not VAT related, but insurance and bike registration related. Since I am not a rich expatriate I had to go for the credit option they offer and therefore had to take the insurance they provide with it (~12.000 Baht for a all inclusive insurance the first year). No choice! I put a 130.000 initial payment, the rest is credit.

In total I will be paying 302,500 Baht when I finish paying back the credit company.

Below the flyer I got during the Bike Festival at Central World:

Edited February 15, 2012 by Polanskiman

[nikster]

^ polanskiman 302,000 seems like a REALLY good price factoring in financing and 13k for first class insurance. You're paying only 4,000 Baht in interest? Sounds like an awesome deal!

I got 1st class insurance too which cost 14,000. it's good to have, peace of mind. But I would not exactly call that a part of the bike price. There are many other, cheaper options for insurance. I guess except if you finance the bike...

I find it a bit weird that there's so many different quotes for registration - you'd think there is one price to register a Versys in Thailand, and that's it. I paid less than 1000 Baht for rego - negligible. Others report being charged 1,500 or 2,000 or even more. Is that the dealers taking a profit or are there actually different prices at different registration offices in the country?

[commande]

Way off topic here but does anyone have a recommendation for a good paint shop in the Bangkok area - I need to get some minor paintwork done on my bike as the silver plastic paint has rubbed off the plastic cover near my foot-pegs due to my shoes rubbing against it. Will repaint and then get some 3M clear plastic tape to go over the top to stop this from happening in the future.

Thanks -

Todd

[nikster]

Way off topic here but does anyone have a recommendation for a good paint shop in the Bangkok area - I need to get some minor paintwork done on my bike as the silver plastic paint has rubbed off the plastic cover near my foot-pegs due to my shoes rubbing against it. Will repaint and then get some 3M clear plastic tape to go over the top to stop this from happening in the future.

That's a classic - happens to all Versys with silver above the foot pegs. The 2012 models are black there, I wonder how much these parts are. Black looks much better anyway...

[BigBikeBKK]

^ polanskiman 302,000 seems like a REALLY good price factoring in financing and 13k for first class insurance. You're paying only 4,000 Baht in interest? Sounds like an awesome deal!

I got 1st class insurance too which cost 14,000. it's good to have, peace of mind. But I would not exactly call that a part of the bike price. There are many other, cheaper options for insurance. I guess except if you finance the bike...

I find it a bit weird that there's so many different quotes for registration - you'd think there is one price to register a Versys in Thailand, and that's it. I paid less than 1000 Baht for rego - negligible. Others report being charged 1,500 or 2,000 or even more. Is that the dealers taking a profit or are there actually different prices at different registration offices in the country?

Yeah, I've wondered about that too- here in Bangkok it's less than 1000 Baht to register a new bike, but I've heard of dealers in other provinces charging their customers a lot more. I suspect the dealers are taking the piss as registration should cost the same regardless of province, no?

[BigBikeBKK]

Way off topic here but does anyone have a recommendation for a good paint shop in the Bangkok area - I need to get some minor paintwork done on my bike as the silver plastic paint has rubbed off the plastic cover near my foot-pegs due to my shoes rubbing against it. Will repaint and then get some 3M clear plastic tape to go over the top to stop this from happening in the future.

That's a classic - happens to all Versys with silver above the foot pegs. The 2012 models are black there, I wonder how much these parts are. Black looks much better anyway...

Yeah, if it bothers you a lot I'd suggest replacing the silver plastic pivot covers with black ones. The silver paint on the aluminum stays also wears off. Personally I don't care, but probably the best solution would be to take them off and have them powder coated. Powder coat is a whole lot more durable than paint.

Happy Trails!

Tony

[BigBikeBKK]

For heavens sake, Tony, Wana, can you take the bickering somewhere else? If Tony has a price on his brake pads, let him charge that, why do you really have to care so much?

I guess its Tonys attitude that makes people angry. He combines his passion for riding with commercial interests and promotions. And if this weren't enough, he likes to continiously rant and insult everyone who doesn't want to play with him. Its a pity that commercial interests come up that often here at TV.

Not wanting to sit on any side of the fence here, I had email words with BBBK but I will say if he offers a commercial service that helps people and ensures they get a good product and actually delivered then thats up to the folks who buy and quite frankly i wish there was more people in the know offering products on the board.... even the shops here muck things up like frame sliders for a FZ1 recently at a certain motorbike store in BKK.

BBBK does add allot to the board in terms of reports and ride commentaries as well as excellent videos. So on the whole take the attitude as stirring the pot and adding a bit of spice to the posts and as stated wish there were more people providing commercial services to us mere board mortals.

If anyone can find adjustable rear sets for a cbr400rr NC29 1991 they will be elevated to god like status. ( Of course totally irrelevant to the whole post but thought Id throw it in anyway)

Cheers

Have you asked the kind folks at Moth Racing / Club 517 Superbike? Their locally made rearsets are by far the best quality available in Thailand (and are priced accordingly). They don't have the CBR400 listed on their website, but they have a lot of products that aren't on their site, and can often have rearsets made to order. Give them a call at 02-946-7649. Khun Mang speaks quite good English

[commande]

Way off topic here but does anyone have a recommendation for a good paint shop in the Bangkok area - I need to get some minor paintwork done on my bike as the silver plastic paint has rubbed off the plastic cover near my foot-pegs due to my shoes rubbing against it. Will repaint and then get some 3M clear plastic tape to go over the top to stop this from happening in the future.

That's a classic - happens to all Versys with silver above the foot pegs. The 2012 models are black there, I wonder how much these parts are. Black looks much better anyway...

I honestly thought about having all the silver painted metallic black like my gas tank - it's actually very annoying and looks terrible which is why I want to get it fixed.

[commande]

Way off topic here but does anyone have a recommendation for a good paint shop in the Bangkok area - I need to get some minor paintwork done on my bike as the silver plastic paint has rubbed off the plastic cover near my foot-pegs due to my shoes rubbing against it. Will repaint and then get some 3M clear plastic tape to go over the top to stop this from happening in the future.

That's a classic - happens to all Versys with silver above the foot pegs. The 2012 models are black there, I wonder how much these parts are. Black looks much better anyway...

Yeah, if it bothers you a lot I'd suggest replacing the silver plastic pivot covers with black ones. The silver paint on the aluminum stays also wears off. Personally I don't care, but probably the best solution would be to take them off and have them powder coated. Powder coat is a whole lot more durable than paint.

Happy Trails!

Tony

I didn't know you could powdercoat plastic parts - I thought the oven when the powder is baked on would melt the plastic but if not that would be perfect!!!

Edited February 15, 2012 by commande

[commande]

...

Edited February 15, 2012 by commande

[BigBikeBKK]

Way off topic here but does anyone have a recommendation for a good paint shop in the Bangkok area - I need to get some minor paintwork done on my bike as the silver plastic paint has rubbed off the plastic cover near my foot-pegs due to my shoes rubbing against it. Will repaint and then get some 3M clear plastic tape to go over the top to stop this from happening in the future.

That's a classic - happens to all Versys with silver above the foot pegs. The 2012 models are black there, I wonder how much these parts are. Black looks much better anyway...

Yeah, if it bothers you a lot I'd suggest replacing the silver plastic pivot covers with black ones. The silver paint on the aluminum stays also wears off. Personally I don't care, but probably the best solution would be to take them off and have them powder coated. Powder coat is a whole lot more durable than paint.

Happy Trails!

Tony

I didn't know you could powdercoat plastic parts - I thought the oven when the powder is baked on would melt the plastic but if not that would be perfect!!!

Um, no, I was talking about powerder coating the Aluminum stays, NOT the plastic covers!

[Polanskiman]

^ polanskiman 302,000 seems like a REALLY good price factoring in financing and 13k for first class insurance. You're paying only 4,000 Baht in interest? Sounds like an awesome deal!

I got 1st class insurance too which cost 14,000. it's good to have, peace of mind. But I would not exactly call that a part of the bike price. There are many other, cheaper options for insurance. I guess except if you finance the bike...

I find it a bit weird that there's so many different quotes for registration - you'd think there is one price to register a Versys in Thailand, and that's it. I paid less than 1000 Baht for rego - negligible. Others report being charged 1,500 or 2,000 or even more. Is that the dealers taking a profit or are there actually different prices at different registration offices in the country?

The insurance is not included in the price I provided earlier. You would need to add up the 12.000 Baht to the 302.500 Baht. Therefore the interest is not 4.000 baht but 17.050 over a 2 years period. Below I've attached a simple spreadsheet I made prior purchasing the bike. I wanted to compare what I got during the Festival and what I got if I purchased it directly at the dealer on Rama 9 since during the Festival they decreased the interest rate from 6.50% to 5.50%.

Regarding the registration, I will have to pay somewhere around 1.xxx Baht. I don't have the exact amount available right now. Not sure why this varies from one province to another though.

Moto Installment.xls

Edited February 15, 2012 by Polanskiman

[BigBikeBKK]

The insurance is not included in the price I provided earlier. You would need to add up the 12.000 Baht to the 302.500 Baht. Therefore the interest is not 4.000 baht but 17.050 over a 2 years period. Below I've attached a simple spreadsheet I made prior purchasing the bike. I wanted to compare what I got during the Festival and what I got if I purchased it directly at the dealer on Rama 9 since during the Festival they decreased the interest rate from 6.50% to 5.50%.

Regarding the registration, I will have to pay somewhere around 1.xxx Baht. I don't have the exact amount available right now. Not sure why this varies from one province to another though.

In my mind insurance and finance charges are not part of the sale price. The Kawasaki Versys sells for 285k Baht which includes 7% VAT. If you choose to finance the bike, then of course you will pay interest. Registration is less than 1000 Baht. Basic government required insurance is around 600 Baht. 645 if I remember correctly?

As there are now two Kawasaki Big Bike dealerships in Bangkok, Kawasaki Rama 9 no longer sells motorcycles. They still offer test rides and service though

Let the Good Times ROLL!

Tony

Edited February 15, 2012 by BigBikeBKK

[Polanskiman]

The insurance is not included in the price I provided earlier. You would need to add up the 12.000 Baht to the 302.500 Baht. Therefore the interest is not 4.000 baht but 17.050 over a 2 years period. Below I've attached a simple spreadsheet I made prior purchasing the bike. I wanted to compare what I got during the Festival and what I got if I purchased it directly at the dealer on Rama 9 since during the Festival they decreased the interest rate from 6.50% to 5.50%.

Regarding the registration, I will have to pay somewhere around 1.xxx Baht. I don't have the exact amount available right now. Not sure why this varies from one province to another though.

In my mind insurance and finance charges are not part of the sale price. The Kawasaki Versys sells for 285k Baht which includes 7% VAT. If you choose to finance the bike, then of course you will pay interest. Registration is less than 1000 Baht. Basic government required insurance is around 600 Baht. 645 if I remember correctly?

As there are now two Kawasaki Big Bike dealerships in Bangkok, Kawasaki Rama 9 no longer sells motorcycles. They still offer test rides and service though

Let the Good Times ROLL!

Tony

Tony, you are correct all the way down.

285.000 Baht is the price of the bike. Full stop. The rest is independent.

I was simply explaining specifics of my situation

As you like to say... Let the Good Times ROLL!

[Polanskiman]

Got to talk to the dealer today. I'm #8 on queue. Dealer says he will only receive 3 yellow Versys this month. I MIGHT get mine in March as I was told that Kawasaki doesn't inform the dealer in advance on how many bikes it will deliver... It can be 3, 4, 5 or more.

[freedom4life]

Could anyone recommend a great dealer to purchase the Versys in Chiang Mai? I would also appreciate the whereabouts of a great acessory shop for this type of bike. Thanks a bunch!

[nikster]

Could anyone recommend a great dealer to purchase the Versys in Chiang Mai? I would also appreciate the whereabouts of a great acessory shop for this type of bike. Thanks a bunch!

That's easy - there is only one dealer in Chiang Mai but they're pretty good. It's on the outside of the moat, south side past Chiang Mai gate. After Siam TV (the huge electronics/home appliances store). Can't miss it.

Accessories is a good question - there are lots of shops, none of them particularly well stocked. The kawa dealer isn't all bad, I have found some good deals there. Example a Sparx helmet for 4,000 baht, and a Taichi mesh jacket for 3,500.

Kawa CM currently has a black/yellow in the showroom, I don't think it's promised to anyone. Get it while it lasts

[katabeachbum]

^ polanskiman 302,000 seems like a REALLY good price factoring in financing and 13k for first class insurance. You're paying only 4,000 Baht in interest? Sounds like an awesome deal!

I got 1st class insurance too which cost 14,000. it's good to have, peace of mind. But I would not exactly call that a part of the bike price. There are many other, cheaper options for insurance. I guess except if you finance the bike...

I find it a bit weird that there's so many different quotes for registration - you'd think there is one price to register a Versys in Thailand, and that's it. I paid less than 1000 Baht for rego - negligible. Others report being charged 1,500 or 2,000 or even more. Is that the dealers taking a profit or are there actually different prices at different registration offices in the country?

Yeah, I've wondered about that too- here in Bangkok it's less than 1000 Baht to register a new bike, but I've heard of dealers in other provinces charging their customers a lot more. I suspect the dealers are taking the piss as registration should cost the same regardless of province, no?

reg fee to DLT is same all over TH. price of plate same. Por Or Bor (compulsory Insurance) same. dealers fee to do this varies. usually they throw in an ugly jacket and a useless helmet and charge 1900 baht. to do it yourself is approx 1.100 baht for big bikes

[Polanskiman]

^ polanskiman 302,000 seems like a REALLY good price factoring in financing and 13k for first class insurance. You're paying only 4,000 Baht in interest? Sounds like an awesome deal!

I got 1st class insurance too which cost 14,000. it's good to have, peace of mind. But I would not exactly call that a part of the bike price. There are many other, cheaper options for insurance. I guess except if you finance the bike...

I find it a bit weird that there's so many different quotes for registration - you'd think there is one price to register a Versys in Thailand, and that's it. I paid less than 1000 Baht for rego - negligible. Others report being charged 1,500 or 2,000 or even more. Is that the dealers taking a profit or are there actually different prices at different registration offices in the country?

Yeah, I've wondered about that too- here in Bangkok it's less than 1000 Baht to register a new bike, but I've heard of dealers in other provinces charging their customers a lot more. I suspect the dealers are taking the piss as registration should cost the same regardless of province, no?

reg fee to DLT is same all over TH. price of plate same. Por Or Bor (compulsory Insurance) same. dealers fee to do this varies. usually they throw in an ugly jacket and a useless helmet and charge 1900 baht. to do it yourself is approx 1.100 baht for big bikes

Well that's the nice sweet theory, not sure reality follows that path. I ain't getting some useless helmet and certainly not some jacket but still I am paying over 1,750 Baht. I haven't asked why, but certainly will, soon enought!

Edited February 17, 2012 by Polanskiman