2013 Platinum Px250 Enduro 67,000B

[Richard-BKK]

Do you know what parts of the PX250 are manufactured in Thailand?

Agree with you that Zongshen make a good little engine.

Genuinely interested to know because at the 65k bht locally it is a bargain if reliable.

I have one friend who has for many years a Platinum PX175, and other person I know has a PX125, both are still happy owners. But I also have too admit that both Platinum owners are mechanical skilled, for instance the friend with the Platinum PX175 checks all fasteners after the bike was at the dealer for some repair, just to make sure they are at the right torque.

Most parts of the Platinum PX250 are made in Thailand, you would be surprised to know that Thailand has many manufacturers that make parts like wheels, sprockets, chains, and even you can find manufacturers that are able to manufacture frames and suspension for a reasonable price.

Personally I have never seen a Platinum PX250 from close-up and I'm like most on this forum a bit septic about the quality (“Made in Thailand” doesn't automatically means “quality”).

The owner of the Platinum PX125 rides everyday a good stretch of the Bangkok outer-ring road to his work on Rama 2 Road (which is probably something like 14 to 18 kilometers a day), for the last 7 or 8 years in my book that is a good value for money. And it maybe not the most shinny bike, and you probably will not impress much other motorcyclists ... but then at a certain age you just laugh inside about people with shinny bikes...

[BSJ]

I was using the word "Chinese" loosely bearing in mind that the engine/gearbox is Zhongshen and without that you have a 2 wheeled downhill racer!

There may well be 50%...or more Thai content, but the quality of the parts is still the issue.

[DGC]

Test

[DGC]

I live part of the year in Nakhon Ratchasima and bought half a year ago a 2014 PX250.

Have done approx. 1000km on it without any issues.

I like Enduro bikes and had in Germany in the old days a Yamaha XT-600 and now a Kawasaki KLR-650.

Unfortunately bigger engine bikes seem not to be available at fair prices in thailand.

I stumbled across my black PX250 in a BIG C store - liked the look of it immediately and paid 65k THB.

In my opinion it is a great 'bang for the buck' - especially considering it has and upside down fork, e-start, kickstart, braided metal brake lines and the 2014 model comes even with Daytime Running lights and rear disc brake...

Stock sound from the dual exhaust is great and reminds me (no joke) a little bit of a Ducati... I wonder how Platinum got street legalusation on that sound....

Just the tires which came with it where to horrible: I like offroad tires also on streets - of course they handle not perfect there but i just don't like the look of Enduro bikes with street tires...

However the tires which came with it looked ok but on wet roads you feel like ice skating with them.

Therefore i had the wheels and tires changed to bigger wheels/wider offroad tires.

Pics to follow...

[DGC]

Pics...

[ktm jeff]

Nice one DGC , and a good alternative to a Keeway 200 Enduro at a similar price. Can i ask what sizes are the new wheels/tires and where did you get them from , and the price. Enjoy the bike , good value for a fun bike.

[AllanB]

These are/were for sale in Big C and I personally didn't like it as much as the cheaper Lifan, they are trying too hard on the image and glitz and not hard enough on the engineering.

The Lifan seems a much simpler bike, less glam and that is a good thing when it comes to these bikes, also the Lifan has been around longer and seems to be proving itself. Engine/g/box is available and cheap, that just leaves a bit of welding on the frame.

The other problem is the Platinum is just too expensive, at 67,000, that is 2/3rds the price of a reasonable CRF and put them side by side.... no, it don't make sense.

The Lifan cruiser and indeed other cheap cruisers are full of stuff to go wrong.

Edited November 6, 2014 by AllanB

[DGC]

@ ktm jeff:

Rear is 140/80-18 now and front 100/90-18

The rims i got in thailand - tires i had to bring in from Germany since they don't seem to have any rough looking offroad tires in Thailand which still perform kind of okay on normal roads in that size

(Tires are MITAS brand/Type DAKAR = formerly BARUM from Germany)...

[DGC]

@Allenb:

The Lifan seems maybe even better value for money - i have never encountered one though.

Are they now street legal?

[DGC]

@ktm jeff: sorry typo in previous post

Front is 100/90-19 = a little big taller front wheel since i prefer the "old school Enduro look" to the later super moto look

Price for tires in Germany is approx 3-4k thb for rear and 2-3K thb for front.

Rims in thailand came up to approx. 5K thb including install....

The 17' stock offroad tires/wheels didnt look too bad either and were on dry roads ok. However i have never encountered anything that slippery/lethal on wet roads b4. I guess it must be due to a bad rubber mix....

[AllanB]

@Allenb:

The Lifan seems maybe even better value for money - i have never encountered one though.

Are they now street legal?

Yes, a friend of mine bought one about 3 years ago and it is still going. He had the side panels painted as the UV had faded them, but the orange plastic looked bad when it was new. Looks like a new bike now, plus a few people on this forum have similar stories, saying it is a good model.

I am still trying to find an agent in Khon Kaen

Edited November 7, 2014 by AllanB

[ktm jeff]

DGC - thank you for correcting your post , i thought it strange to have an 18 front , although , this is Thailand. An 18 rear is no problem , best size.Most fronts are 21 but the Keeway TX Enduro 200 uses a 19 front , as you now are. As an option to importing Mitas , have a look at the Thai made VEE brand , available in many road legal sizes. The addition of a rear disc is most welcome.Its a great value bike - enjoy !.

[Supertuktuk]

@Allenb:

The Lifan seems maybe even better value for money - i have never encountered one though.

Are they now street legal?

Yes, a friend of mine bought one about 3 years ago and it is still going. He had the side panels painted as the UV had faded them, but the orange plastic looked bad when it was new. Looks like a new bike now, plus a few people on this forum have similar stories, saying it is a good model.

I am still trying to find an agent in Khon Kaen

Maddaeng Motor Khon Kaen LIFAN KEEWAY SYM RYUKA Dealer

http://ehongmd.com/index.php

[ktm jeff]

The Platinum is a 250 (233cc) and has much more fancy components than the Lifan , such as up-side down forks , braided brake hoses , brush guards , LED indicators etc. The Lifan also has an "unusual" pattern gearbox that takes some getting used too. I rent a Lifan when im in CM and it is fine for light dirt track use , although the brakes are poor and the suspension is worse. Plastics scratch and fade easily. Not knocking the bike , dont forget its 46,000 Baht. Now the Platinum has a rear disc and has components and tires that would suit me more , the extra 20,000 Baht (£400) makes it my choice , or the 64,000 Baht Keeway enduro.These types of bikes are fine for FUN , and a cheap entry to dirt riding an popping around to friends or 7-11 .. They are not as good as a Kawasaki KLX (156,000) or a KTM (425,000 +).

[ll2]

The Platinum is a 250 (233cc) and has much more fancy components than the Lifan , such as up-side down forks , braided brake hoses , brush guards , LED indicators etc. The Lifan also has an "unusual" pattern gearbox that takes some getting used too. I rent a Lifan when im in CM and it is fine for light dirt track use , although the brakes are poor and the suspension is worse. Plastics scratch and fade easily. Not knocking the bike , dont forget its 46,000 Baht. Now the Platinum has a rear disc and has components and tires that would suit me more , the extra 20,000 Baht (£400) makes it my choice , or the 64,000 Baht Keeway enduro.These types of bikes are fine for FUN , and a cheap entry to dirt riding an popping around to friends or 7-11 .. They are not as good as a Kawasaki KLX (156,000) or a KTM (425,000 +).

platinum 250 cc cross looks definitely better quality and has better components than Lifan but Lifan is in the market for a while so maybe theirs are more reliable for a Chinese bike? i mean as reliable as a Chinese bike can get?

but instead of paying 63 k THB for an unknown adventure similar to gambling, better get a second hand kawa klx for around 80 k or a newer honda crf250l for 95 k THB. Price difference is very small IMO so dropping 63 thb for platinum does not make any sense.

Lifan at least sells its for 46 k THB which sounds like a better deal - i mean if we consider Chinese bikes a better deal which they are never a better deal.

[Richard-BKK]

If you want to buy a off-road/on-road or light-adventure motorcycle you can also look at Zongshen who are selling the Zongshen RX3 you can search for more information but the RX3 is powered by a 250cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled, DOHC valves engine, which gets its fueling from an electronic fuel injection system.

Build quality is good and while a early test model had some problems with the fueling that seems completely fixed...

The Zongshen RX3 comes with aluminum hard luggage on the sides and topbox at the rear (what you see in the picture is what you get) and cost 119,000 THB (recommended retail price).

Edited November 10, 2014 by Richard-BKK

[seedy]

The Zongshen RX3 and cost 119,000 THB (recommended retail price).

That is a great price.

Any long term reliability history so far ??

[ll2]

They start to sell this zongshen in usa with a different brand and model name as the cheapest adventure bike for 3000 something usd.

[Richard-BKK]

The Zongshen RX3 and cost 119,000 THB (recommended retail price).

That is a great price.

Any long term reliability history so far ??

The Zongshen RX3 was introduced not so long ago so not much information on reliability, but the engine used for the RX3 is used by many other manufacturers and which the Zongshen RX3 uses the latest version of this engine it has proven to be very reliable...

Zongshen is one of the, if not the largest motorcycle engine and parts manufacturer, the produce parts and engines for Piaggio, Harley-Davidson and others... The Platinum PX250 is equipped with one of the earliest engines out of the same family, the Tiger Boxer 200 and 250 engine (before all problems started) also came from Zongshen and is also related to the engine used for this motorcycle.

[Richard-BKK]

They start to sell this zongshen in usa with a different brand and model name as the cheapest adventure bike for 3000 something usd.

Yes, it's true, Zongshen has the RX3 available for branding, so if you want to sell the RX3 with your own brand name it's possible... Quality is still the same... The first Zongshen RX3 we had the pleasure to ride was branded as a Minsk TRX300...

[seedy]

Thanks Richard

[AllanB]

The Zongshen RX3 and cost 119,000 THB (recommended retail price).

That is a great price.

Any long term reliability history so far ??

The Zongshen RX3 was introduced not so long ago so not much information on reliability, but the engine used for the RX3 is used by many other manufacturers and which the Zongshen RX3 uses the latest version of this engine it has proven to be very reliable...

Zongshen is one of the, if not the largest motorcycle engine and parts manufacturer, the produce parts and engines for Piaggio, Harley-Davidson and others... The Platinum PX250 is equipped with one of the earliest engines out of the same family, the Tiger Boxer 200 and 250 engine (before all problems started) also came from Zongshen and is also related to the engine used for this motorcycle.

To my mind this is the perfect example of a Chinese bike not to buy, an unknown and quite complex machine for almost the same money as a Jap bike, why would you take the risk...and it looks hideous too?

You make all these links with Piaggio and HD, which are hardly name associated with 100% reliability in themselves and it is only a link, a couple of parts. The CRF is made by Honda available for the same money. A local dealer here had a new CRF for 125,000 and his thing is only a few quid cheaper.

Who, what, why, how...??

[seedy]

A local dealer here had a new CRF for 125,000 and his thing is only a few quid cheaper.

With crash bars, luggage, road tires. etc ??

Don't think so.

[ll2]

The Zongshen RX3 and cost 119,000 THB (recommended retail price).

That is a great price.

Any long term reliability history so far ??

The Zongshen RX3 was introduced not so long ago so not much information on reliability, but the engine used for the RX3 is used by many other manufacturers and which the Zongshen RX3 uses the latest version of this engine it has proven to be very reliable...

Zongshen is one of the, if not the largest motorcycle engine and parts manufacturer, the produce parts and engines for Piaggio, Harley-Davidson and others... The Platinum PX250 is equipped with one of the earliest engines out of the same family, the Tiger Boxer 200 and 250 engine (before all problems started) also came from Zongshen and is also related to the engine used for this motorcycle.

To my mind this is the perfect example of a Chinese bike not to buy, an unknown and quite complex machine for almost the same money as a Jap bike, why would you take the risk...and it looks hideous too?

You make all these links with Piaggio and HD, which are hardly name associated with 100% reliability in themselves and it is only a link, a couple of parts. The CRF is made by Honda available for the same money. A local dealer here had a new CRF for 125,000 and his thing is only a few quid cheaper.

Who, what, why, how...??

Exactly allan. Who buys it when you can get a honda crf or kawa klx around the same prices!

Only poeple dont value their hard earned cash or like gambling can go buy it i believe.

And luggage, road tires? that panniers looks like thin briefcases that can carry only documents! and honda or kawa also comes i am sure better stock tires than zongshen adventure and crash bars, not expensive to get for a crf or klx too.

Actually they sell zongshen as ryuka here in thailand so all those different names also adds a lot of confusion. Is it ryuka, zongshen or what?

And at the end, you see another name and model in your greenbook as most of these chinese bikes i believe not homologated for thailand.

Mysterious world of chinese bikes:lol:

Edited November 11, 2014 by ll2

[Richard-BKK]

The Zongshen RX3 is sold in Thailand as the Zongshen Ryuka RX3, Ryuka is a Thai daughter company of Zongshen and it’s basically an indication that the motorcycle is produced in Thailand.

The name in the greenbook is “Zongshen Ryuka RX3” ….

As I said before the motorcycle is not long enough sold in Thailand to give any serious word about reliability, but the Zongshen Ryuka RX3 is sold 100% legal (the suggested retail price is included registration, greenbook).

[ktm jeff]

AllanB , as Richard-BKK , explains , this bike is sold under other names in other countries ( as Benelli is sold as Keeway in Brazil ) and for the price , its about half what it would cost to convert / modify a KLX with the crash bars and panniers etc. I thought the CRF was closer to 140,000. Maybe its going out of favor with some people as its had more than its share of quality problems. The reason i was looking at some of the "cheaper" bikes , was when i move full time to CM , i want / need a bike for running around on while finding a house etc. A bike i wont be too fussy about (i like to strip down and modify my bikes ). Once a house with garage is found , i can buy a better bike (KLX). I will then modify it to my own specs , something i wont be able to do whilst staying at a guest house.

[AllanB]

I am not really interested in what the marketing men say, that all it is "sales talk"...OMO washes whiter.

First of all the bike has to be cheap, like 1/3rd of the price of the competition. Then it has to be reasonably durable, during the use that I put it to and this is verified by other users, people with a wholly independent opinion, like those on this forum, so I disregard all testimonials on company websites, which is just OMO marketing.

If the bike is simple and very basic, that ticks the 3rd box for me, a frame with an engine/g/box and wheels. Like when I buy a used car of a certain age...no electric windows, no central locking, no sunroof, no turbo, etc, things that can go wrong....and will.

Why do you need all this crap on a dirt bike, panniers and accessories and I hate things trying to be what they are not........

[apetley]

It's not a dirt bike with panniers. It's a cheap little bike going for the touring versys/500x look.

[seedy]

It's not a dirt bike with panniers. It's a cheap little bike going for the touring versys/500x look.

Exactly. And if it is reliable - and there is no reason to think it is not with the manufacturers history, it is a great buy.

They have been building bikes for a long time.

No other manufacturer offers this amount of standard equipment at anywhere near this price.

But there are always people who take a look at a picture of a bike on a public internet forum, make up there minds what it is without even seeing it in the flesh, and post completely unsubstantiated 'facts' about it.

I am old enuf to remember when the "Made in Japan" label meant cheap, shoddy goods. And look at them now.

[ll2]

It's not a dirt bike with panniers. It's a cheap little bike going for the touring versys/500x look.

Exactly. And if it is reliable - and there is no reason to think it is not with the manufacturers history, it is a great buy.

They have been building bikes for a long time.

No other manufacturer offers this amount of standard equipment at anywhere near this price.

But there are always people who take a look at a picture of a bike on a public internet forum, make up there minds what it is without even seeing it in the flesh, and post completely unsubstantiated 'facts' about it.

I am old enuf to remember when the "Made in Japan" label meant cheap, shoddy goods. And look at them now.

i have seen it in real and did you?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/704617-bangkok-bike-festival-2014/?p=8061931

Just dont forget, yes, Japanese bikes are remembered as cheap products 30 - 40 years ago but they innovated or invented things those times and even created bike genres like 'sport bike'. If you are old, i am sure you witnessed these as well.

and what about Chinese? they just copy. in this case, they copied a successful bike; honda cb500x.

that panniers in the photo are like briefcases with very limited carrying capacity and top box is also small. You can get a full proper Givi setup including panniers, mounts and top box for around 10 k THB here and by saying proper, it means stronger panniers with decent dimensions that can carry things apart from documents!

Crash bars start around 3000 thb at local shops. maybe even cheaper for a crf or klx.

so overall, those extras on this generic bike with an unknown origin i am sure costs a lot less than a maximum 13 k thb you can spend for proper Givi pannier/top box solutions and crash bars.

So, overall, it is hard to spend 120 k thb for that bike IMO. just it does not worth.

If they sell it like 80 k thb? maybe we can count it like it has a value.

Edited November 12, 2014 by ll2