Enduro / Off Road Motorbike contacts in Hua Hin Area

[Alex5211]

Hi,

I want to get into off road motorbiking (trail biking) in Hua Hin and later in Isaarn (Bueng Khan) where my wife is coming from.

I do not have my bikes yet.

What is the best way to start in Hua Hin?

I have been to the Kawasaki shop in Kui Buri.

I have checked out everything on internet.

And of course I have checked out the motorbike shops in Hua Hin.

For Hua Hin I need a bike with number. For Isaarn a bike without number will do.

With number: Honda CRF or Kawasaki KLX (125, 150, 250) seem to be the only bikes available if new

no number: I am trying to get a Honda XR 250 or equivilant

Does anyone have a good used bike for sale? Kawasaki D-Tracker 250 would be ok, I can change the tires..

Can anyone recommend a shop or people who do reasonable work/tuning on motorbikes?

Are any of you guys teaming up for cool off road rides in this area?

Hope to hear from you!

Felix

[Bazw57]

If you want to have a great dirt bike adventure then give this guys in Sihanoukville Cambodia a try, I did a 5 day ride back in November and it was great.

http://www.straydogasia.com/

[Alex5211]

thanks..

I am sure there are a lot of great places to ride..

I will stay within Thailand just in case anything happens..

are you in Hua Hin area?

[Alex5211]

I have tried the following bikes BTW:

Keeway (china bike) - no good

Lifan (china bike) - no good

M Bike (china bike) - good, but too junky, especially the frame

China bikes have great prices and come with thai number (made/assembled in thailand), that is the only advantage

Honda Sonic strongly modified - good for a Sonic (which is no good unmodified)

Kawasaki KLX 250 (made in Thailand) - excellent

any other recommandations for motorbikes with official thai number other than Kawasaki KLX 250? Suspension of Honda CRF 250 is supposed to be not so good but I am sure for me a Honda CRF for a start would do..

I want a number because I want to use the bike also for riding in town in Hua Hin..

[Alex5211]

any recommandations for cool offroad motorbike trails near Hua Hin??

[Bazw57]

Almost without exception all the off road motorcycle tour companies in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam all use Honda XR250 and I think the reason is simple.

They are extremely reliable and easy to get parts for and most Asian mechanics are very familiar with fixing Honda engines.

My advice would be stick what the locals use and you cannot go wrong.

Yes and the Chinese bikes are mostly all cheap shit.

No I don't live in Hua Hin but I have a good friend that does so I visit there often.

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[Bazw57]

I did mean to say was to stick with what the local use (XR250 Honda) and you cannot go wrong

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[ktm jeff]

If you have ruled out the Chinese bikes - which would offer you the best value by far as you get into the off-road fun - then the Kawasaki KLX 250 is the way to go. Honda XR made years ago and outdated a bit (same as some Chinese bikes - carb and air cooled). Honda CRF a poor copy of the KLX and not really too good off road - non adjustable suspension , heavy ,and Hondas build quality (and resale values)the past few years has fallen , according to many.Lots of professional companies use the KLX. Have fun !

[Alex5211]

thanks for the replies:

Honda XR 250 is supposed to be the best but they are hard to find with a tabien, a number plate which I would like for the first bike..

Honda CRF 250 everybody says no good, bad suspension for offroad but maybe sufficient for me..

Kawasaki KLX has been around for years also and they are more expensive but for a start everybody seems to agree that the are ok-

they also seem to be easy to modify (for more power) but I don´t exactly know how yet..

I have tested the Kawasaki 250 KLX in the Kawasaki Shop in Kui Buri and it was an ok bike, definitely much more power than the chinese M Bike 200cc which I also test rode in Isaarn which is the only acceptable offroad bike among the chinese bikes..

After long research and looking at second hand chinese bikes etc. I kind of stopped taking that into consideration.

So if you want a number plate you have little choice in Thailand it seems. It´s either Kawasaki KLX/D-Tracker (change wheels) 125/150/250 OR Honda CRF 250.

The question now is: should I take a 150 or a 250cc. The latter is heavier and not as mobile..

For Hua Hin I am gonna use it in the street also. For Isaarn I am gonna use it mainly offroad. So I will probably have to get 2 bikes...

[ktm jeff]

The CRF may be OK for you,for now , but after a while you will want something better so you may as well buy a Kawasaki KLX 250 to begin with and save loosing money on a Honda. KLX will be pretty handy off road with its adjustable suspension/two radiators and lighter weight. Kawasaki KLX 140 is good off road if you dont need it road legal. The XR,s were imported years ago , many with dodgy paperwork , and are useable , but outclassed even by a CRF. There are many posts on how to modify the KLX but you cant make a full- on motocross bike out of it.Change tires/exhaust/modify ECU(restricted) and away you go!Dont forget ALL the safety gear.

[Alex5211]

thanks nigel. I went to the Yamaha/Honda shop today and sat on the Honda CRF L 2013 and surprise, surprise it was a real good feeling, better than my first impression on the Kawasaki- high up, could barely touch the ground but it felt heavy, the lady in the shop tried to find out how heavy it is and said not more than 160kg. Oh my god. But of course I have not driven it yet. I also heard the weight of the Honda is much more. I still consider the KLX 150 because it´s a lot lighter.

Then I went to meet somebody who is selling his Kawasaki D-tracker 150 (I would just have to change the wheels and it is a KLX) and I test rode it. Surprise, it was stronger and faster than I thought and sitting low was not really a problem. Good bike.

I also went to a motorcycle repair shop in HH near the main railway crossing in the corner. He had a lot of Motocross bikes there to repair (it seemed from a company called Renthal, does anybody know it?) and he told me that he is riding the Kawasaki 250 KLX himself and that also older models are good as well. He did not speak english very well but he said it´s 28000 Baht to buy the set for the performance boost. Not cheap.

The Kawasaki seems the way to go. The question is only 150 or 250. Both come with number plates and are road legal.

[ktm jeff]

If you need it road legal and will use same bike "up North" then 250 is water cooled and stronger , built for full size adults.If 150 D-Tracker is cheap and not wrecked then buy that to see how you enjoy off-roading , then buy the KLX 250 later , which is higher as its a "true" off-roader. Honda isnt much heavier but lacks much of the off-road equipment and susspension fitted to the KLX. You will have boots on and soon get used to it - it can also be lowered cheaply! The Renthal sign at the shop may have refered to the handle-bars on the bikes/for sale? .LOL. Get friendly with the people you ride with for maintainance tips as bikes used off-road do suffer far more wear and tear and it will pay you to learn how to do some of it yourself. Many find this adds to the enjoyment.

[Alex5211]

hi nigel, thanks. I totally agree with you.

this link says the Honda CRF 250 L is 145kg:

http://www.motorcycle.in.th/article.php/The-Honda-CRF250L_Revvy-Dual-Sport-Bike

this links shows Honda Thailand it seems where they have a Honda CRF 250 R (not L) available for 316 000 Baht:

http://www.aphonda.co.th/hondabigwing/home.ashx#product-CRF250R-overview.ashx

I guess the L version (more than twice as expensive) is equiped with better suspension etc.

I know about those "wars" with equipment from other sports I have done and intuitively and through my research over the last 2 months I have evolved to the point now where - yes- I think I will jump right to a 250 motocross version. The 150 might get boring after a while although lighter bikes are easier in traffic and I can find many almost new ones for about 55000,- Baht on the internet.

I did sit (only sit) on the Honda CRF 250 L several times. It does make a very good impression to me. But I cannot test drive it. A friend of mine also tells me about a small issue where the hot air from the air cooler goes right to your upper leg and after a few hours that is a point to consider. It´s 20 000 Baht cheaper new than the Kawasaki.

So the only option for a good or at least usable 250 offroad bike which is street legal in Thailand right now is to get the Kawasaki KLX 250 either new from the shop or wait until I see something on the internet where I might be able to get it for half the price almost. The problem is: there are not so many KLX 250 used advertised on the internet. And travelling and checking them out is also a hazzle. Maybe take risk? Pay and hope the seller ships the bike? I can find the D-tracker 250 Kawasaki more often. It is supposed to be the same bike as the KLX 250 except the wheels (17/17 street wheels versus 18/21 motocross/offroad wheels). So I am considering to change the wheels if I can find a good deal for D-tracker. But that adds to the hazzle and is not cheap either.

Some info/One more word about Chinese bikes: The quality is not that bad when I look at them. 99% of the people use these bikes only on roads anyway. The worst quality is the "M Bike" (it´s also the cheapest at around 45-49000 Baht) BUT it seems to be the best bike for offroad (confirmed by a friend of friend of mine). I did test ride this one several times (only on the road) and it is ok for a start. The suspension and everything else was ok. But with 200cc (which are not top effective I guess) I got bored even while test driving it.

There is a small issue with the clutch which I did not like and my main problem was that the frame (not alluminium) is welded real badly. Even with brand new bikes I saw some red rust coming out from the weld. They weld it but not all the way around. That way air and moisture can go in through the wholes and it rusts from within. You might not even see it. That fact really disqualified it for me at the end. The mentality of the people who produce something like that is a big question mark to me. It would be sooo easy to close the whole with the weld. I want to be open for everything but I have hooked of the Chinese bikes.

[thelongshoot]

Just sent you a PM

[Alex5211]

the Kawasaki KLX 250 is 138kg (7kg lighter than the Honda CRF 250):

http://www.kawasaki.co.th/th/motorcycle_14_klx250.asp

this seems to be the official Kawasaki Thailand link.

The title says it all:

"Motocross Inspired Dual Purpose"

[colinp]

Not a motorbike person so excuse my ignorance...there is a shop that sells KTM bikes in Hua Hin, are they off-road?

[Alex5211]

Jor Charoen in Hua Hin it is I think. They have only KTM road bikes in the shop but there is one KTM Enduro they can order which is a KTM 690cc for 390 000 Baht. Too big and why pay this price if you can get a good Enduro used for under 100 000,- ?? (if you want to risk "used" off course)

They can order the M Bike and also the Kawasaki KLX 250 but they did not quote me good prices on both of them.

Kawasaki Kui Buri is the best shop I have seen. The Honda shop in Hua Hin can order the CFR (list prices, no good deals) and Yamaha Hua Hin or whatever the name is has a CFR in their shop right now.

200m after Tesco in Pranburi there is a shop with Chinese bikes mostly, big shop, interesting items - I am sure they can order stuff. They have a used M Bike for 40 000 (way to expensive for 26 000 km) and also in Hua Hin there is a shop on Phetkasem Road near the King´s palace that has the M Bike there for 50 000,- Baht new. Pranburi has another shop near Mitsubishi with a Kawasaki KLX 150 new for 75 000 Baht. That shop seems to have a repair guy who knows what he is doing.

[mailo]

hello I search the People he go for ride in Hua Hin white the Motocross my number is 0823600046 (Frank)

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[carsten brun]

Offroad Enduro tour Motocross Hua Hin

Hello Enduro and Motocross Riders!

i just read this posts from yours and want inform you that we are a Group with around 5-8Europian Enduro/Motocross Riders and we ride sometime in weekdays but also mostly in weekends.We ride in groups from 2-15riders sometime (we also know many thai enduroriders and sometime ride togheter)

We riding just for fun and also Enduro/Motocross Races.

Just last weekend we join a Enduro Competion behind Kanchanaburi(Sai Yok)

Some of us will ride also at 22.02. at the Enduro Competion in Chonburi

Also we have Enduro and Motocrossbikes for rent of course with all gears when nessary!

And we offer Endurotours with Tourguide up to your ridingskills from soft to hard!

For more information please contact me it will be nice when we would can join our offroad fun tougheter!!!

feel free to contact me for more Questions :

call 0860863584

Line ID: faddybike

email: [email protected]

webside: www.endurotours-huahin.com

[Ash78]

Hi All,

Is there anywhere in the Hua Hin / Cha Am area who sells MX and Enduro Tires?

Thanks

[properperson]

any recommandations for cool offroad motorbike trails near Hua Hin??

sent you a PM Alex....

[properperson]

Offroad Enduro tour Motocross Hua Hin Hello Enduro and Motocross Riders! i just read this posts from yours and want inform you that we are a Group with around 5-8Europian Enduro/Motocross Riders and we ride sometime in weekdays but also mostly in weekends.We ride in groups from 2-15riders sometime (we also know many thai enduroriders and sometime ride togheter) We riding just for fun and also Enduro/Motocross Races. Just last weekend we join a Enduro Competion behind Kanchanaburi(Sai Yok) Some of us will ride also at 22.02. at the Enduro Competion in Chonburi Also we have Enduro and Motocrossbikes for rent of course with all gears when nessary! And we offer Endurotours with Tourguide up to your ridingskills from soft to hard! For more information please contact me it will be nice when we would can join our offroad fun tougheter!!! feel free to contact me for more Questions : call 0860863584 Line ID: faddybike email: [email protected] webside: www.endurotours-huahin.com

have sent you a pm.....

[properperson]

Hi All,

Is there anywhere in the Hua Hin / Cha Am area who sells MX and Enduro Tires?

Thanks

Have sent you a PM....

[brianwl]

Resurrecting this thread.

 

Any current info on Enduro type riding in and around Hua Hin?  Bike recommendations for a short guy (720mm seat height or less)?  I can do my own wrenching.