Honda Phantom 200

[tracker]

Hi,

I bought a phantom 200cc as soon as it was available, and that was, i think about 4.5 or 5 years ago.

I am 1.94cm and that is simply too tall for this bike, unless you pack something on the backseat for support. If driving anything longer than an hour, it is not comfortable. However if you are 1.75cm you might be ok.

I drive each day 90km for work (45km oneway) which results in about one hour driving. Suspension is poor on the typical poor quality left lanes in many places in and around bangkok. However, if the road is smooth, you ride is smooth as well. Another option is to drive 60 to 70km/h... but that is really to slow for me.

It uses gasoline 91 about 1 ltr/35km. On 15000km i had to add 70cl of oil. I have replaced the battery already twice. The first lasted 4 years or so, the second (only 200baht or so) lasted 8 months. now the 3rd is in.

What I find irritating is the tiny vibration on the handlebars, which make my hands fall asleep (which is probably connected to the 80-100km/h which I use). This might be due to my high posture which makes me hold on tight on the handlebars. I am looking for some softer rubber grips to get rid of it.

if you buy, keep it polished because all the chrome parts which are made in thailand turn to rust if not maintained. Which parts?: no cleaning and see where it starts.

o yeah, one more thing, my speedo meter has a 10% deviation. I checked with gps unit. 80km/h on my speedo is only 70-71km/h in real. 90 = 80 etc.

hope this helps

[tracker]

O, one more thing I forgot; I had to replace the rear-brake piston last year (not the caliper but the one connected to the foot-brake under the engine) turns out that it is made half of plastic... what a wonder..

I was already twice in the position to sell the bike, but declined, despite the good price. I have a 2nd big bike, which I use for long trips, but the "work-bike" is highly economical and worth its money, despite the above mentioned points...

[rcm]

O, one more thing I forgot; I had to replace the rear-brake piston last year (not the caliper but the one connected to the foot-brake under the engine) turns out that it is made half of plastic... what a wonder..

I was already twice in the position to sell the bike, but declined, despite the good price. I have a 2nd big bike, which I use for long trips, but the "work-bike" is highly economical and worth its money, despite the above mentioned points...

tracker,

Thank you for your feedback good to know all that. I got across nice Bike yesterday and it wasn't a Phantom...but i still bought it . It is a Yamaha Virago 400 ....i was glad that i found a good 400cc Bike as i was always having the questionmark over the 200cc engine on the Phantom . Disadvantage on the Virago maybe the availability of Spares....will see.

rcm

[tracker]

good luck with your bike! The virago is a twin V engine, isn't it? it should be economical as well (above 1:20 i guess).

Anyway, the topic of this thread is phantom and therefore it will be of use with future purchases of forum visitors.

[Thaiboxer]

Riding motorcycles is a dangerous prospect at best in Thailand...particularly in Bangkok. However, the rising fuel prices make motorcycles look like a good alternative to the gas guzzling tank that I drive now. I spent nearly 6,000 baht last month on 91 gas and that was just around town! I know somebody who has a Honda Phantom and although it has its limitations (as tracker mentioned), it's cheap to buy and spares/labor are cheap in Thailand. If it really gets 35km/liter that is AWESOME mileage; I think our car gets about 7-8km/liter. The Phantom is not a bike for experienced speed demons but it seems to be ok if you don't ride too fast. I believe they're about 80,000 baht new and the smaller 125cc's are around 40,000 baht. If I had a bike, I would rather have something like the Phantom with its wider tires rather than the skinny, slippery tires found on the smaller bikes. Another thread mentioned a diesel Yaris 1.4L...that would be a great care for Thailand...diesel reliability and cheaper to run than a gas vehicle.

[KHUNDAN]

If you are going to be doing any long distance riding then I think you will find the bike to be very slow and will take a long time to get anywhere. It's not the point of being able to beat anyone off the line, it's having go power when you need it. Try Baht&Sold or ThaiSecondhand websites for other choices in larger bikes.

Yeah, I'm like you SnakeBite I like to get to where I'm going. However the Phantom is a really good bike for the money. Have alot of Falungs in my area with them. (Burirum) and they rode from here to Pattaya and to Chiaphun with me at 100kph with no problems.

[Snotty]

If you are going to be doing any long distance riding then I think you will find the bike to be very slow and will take a long time to get anywhere. It's not the point of being able to beat anyone off the line, it's having go power when you need it. Try Baht&Sold or ThaiSecondhand websites for other choices in larger bikes.

Yeah, I'm like you SnakeBite I like to get to where I'm going. However the Phantom is a really good bike for the money. Have alot of Falungs in my area with them. (Burirum) and they rode from here to Pattaya and to Chiaphun with me at 100kph with no problems.

It was 90 to 100 and was down right dangers. Trucks and buses passing you and pushing you off the road. I will never ride with a group that has phantoms in the group again. But I did still injoy meeting you guys

[camble]

I bought a Phantom 200cc this spring for 86,000 plus another 3000 for the side bags. Ride is OK, acceleration not the greatest but fuel economy is very good. Electric starter a real plus. Now have 4300 km on it, use it every day, and haven't spent anything on maintenance except oil changes. The bike looks great, appears bigger than it is. Longest trip I took was about 250 km, doing around 90-110 km/h.

[Valarie]

Sawadee kap!! Im Hassan and Im from Singapore. I ride a Phantom 200cc and I hope that all of ya can give me some tips abt riding it!

[MioBikerBoyz]

Phantoms are shit. Your better off getting a "non-commercialized" ride like a steed or virago. Phantoms are useless and don't even carry the power that is mentioned in the consumption. Have a look around and see whos selling what and check them out, I got a few bikes for sale myself that you might be interested in.

[Thai Chi]

Phantoms are shit. Phantoms are useless and don't even carry the power that is mentioned in the consumption.

Would be intresting to hear your thoughts on the Platinums and JRD's then

[OzPaR]

Phantoms are shit. Your better off getting a "non-commercialized" ride like a steed or virago. Phantoms are useless and don't even carry the power that is mentioned in the consumption. Have a look around and see whos selling what and check them out, I got a few bikes for sale myself that you might be interested in.

What have you got?

[H2oDunc]

RCM you should have no problem getting parts for your Virago here in LOS. Its a good bike with a bulletproof V twin. I bought a Phantom when I first arrived here and it took me all over LOS. Its been a good bike, still is but for me just a little underpowered. I got a Virago 1000cc FOR 90,000 with a book and spent 40,000 on chrome tyres service etc is now a lovely bike. The wife now rides the phantom when we travel. She rode from Chumphon to Kanchanaburi last month for the "We love the King" bike weekend and loved it. Ive just ordered the first Triumph rocket 3 in Thailand for delivery in May and now the wife wants to take over the Virago. For me the best way to travel here is by bike. Just be VERY aware and wear the right clothing and helmet. I hope you get lots of fun out of your Virago. If you are ever down south way, Chumphon drop me a line for a beer.

IF YOU CANT DIVE! RIDE!

[baabaabobo]

How does it compare with a kawasaki BOSS of which I see many?

[Nemothepemo]

Just some personal experiences.

I priced a Suzuki 125 "Something" today and it was 48,000bt plus insurance and registration. It was about 51,500bt out the door. That's a lot of money. I own a Super4 400cc Honda and a Tiger Joker 120cc now. For 10,000bt I had the Joker customized by the dealer. It looks like a little chopper. I am going to sell it. It runs great, but it is just a putt putt.

I had some work done on the Honda two weeks ago and I went through 3 shops and was ripped off by each one. I am convinced that there isn't an honest big bike mechanic in Pattaya. The little sucker who worked on my carb, even stole my carbon fiber helmet (4500bt) out of lock box, He gave the bike back to me with the same problems I had when I brought it in. He told me I could go to the police and report my helmet as stolen.

When the Super 4 is running great there is no better bike for Thailand. But I am going to sell this one too. It is running perfectly now. It has GPS and a great sounding Carbon Fiber exhaust system. It just got a little old and it needed front seals and rear shocks and a lot of little stuff. After 3 shops I thought I had it straight, but I felt a twist in the front end. It turned out to be a wheel bearing. The S.O.B who fixed it said that maybe I needed to buy a wheel. I passed on that. When he said that I should get a new front tire, I bit on one. When I left the shop I pulled over and looked at the tire. It was second hand and someone had cut the tire down to the cables inside to give the tire some extra life. I had a knife with me and I went back to the shop and with my knife in hand showed this crook where the tread had been cut. He gave me a brand new tire for 800bt more. But, he wouldn't give me a receipt for any of the work he did.

My first bike in Thailand was a 1500cc Kawasaki Vulcan. I took it to Siam Motorbikes and paid to have it checked out. Verdict was that it was O.K. I had more problems with that bike than with my second wife. I ended up shopping on Ebay for parts and having them sent over here UPS. When I asked the owner of Siam why he said the bike was O.K,. his response was " Why not say it's O.K., when you have problems you'll just bring it to me to fix and I'll make more money". His shop is "closed" now. Oh, for those of you who don't know....this is Thailand and big bikes run HOT. You have to carry water in your back pack so when you are riding through Bangkok or any other city and the bike overheats and sputters to a stop, you can pour water on the engine until it cools down and will start again.

Once I got rid of the Kawasaki I bought a Honda Shadow 750. Again same overheating problem. Also, this was the slowest big bike I ever owned. When I would ride with people they would have to stop and wait for me to catch up. I got rid of that one quick.

Which brings me to several points. If you have a lot of money.....who cares what you buy! Get a Harley. Every morning you can go outside and look at the oil droppings coming out of the case. I have never seen or owned a Harley that didn't leak oil after a year or so. Check your dealer for his Gold Chain Collection. You are paying for it.

Every big bike in Thailand was parted into the country in creates, then some how it got a book. But, unless you are the one who brought it into Thailand. you are in for trouble. Bogus Books....Changed Serial Numbers on the Frame....Who Knows ? There is a trick for everything. I have just had a lot of bad experiences.

But this leads me to my conclusion. I am going to buy a 200cc Honda Phantom tomorrow. It is less than a year old, and I know that I can get a dealership to work on it, there are parts available and it was built in Thailand. I have negotiated a good price and I know I can sell it for what I paid for it in a year. The bikes I own now are in great shape and I will sell them off. No more big bikes or strange books and deals for me.

My advice is don't buy a big bike, don't leave your bike with the mechanic and pick it up in a few days, stay and watch what they do. Get your old parts and a receipt for everything.

Ride Safely and Be careful !!

Edited November 6, 2007 by Nemothepemo

[ultybaby]

any one got a plattnem monoco.250cc chopper

[PeaceBlondie]

any one got a plattnem monoco.250cc chopper

If you check on the following link, there's a discussion about the Monaco

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...p;#entry1550297

And, if you look in the current front page of this biking forum, there is a discussion about the Platinum chopper.

[JSixpack]

Just some personal experiences . . . [nightmares with big old bikes]

I am going to buy a 200cc Honda Phantom tomorrow. It is less than a year old, and I know that I can get a dealership to work on it, there are parts available and it was built in Thailand. I have negotiated a good price and I know I can sell it for what I paid for it in a year. The bikes I own now are in great shape and I will sell them off. No more big bikes or strange books and deals for me.

My advice is don't buy a big bike, don't leave your bike with the mechanic and pick it up in a few days, stay and watch what they do. Get your old parts and a receipt for everything.

Yup. Same as my experiences w/ big bikes. No more! Got me a Phantom too and life has been good since. I wouldn't take another big bike if you gave it to me--the hassle with the idiot thieving repair shops, the long waits for spare parts and the lying about how much they cost, is NOT worth the constant headache. Break down on the road (and I have) and see how much fun THAT is, too.

Yeah, Phantom! What a relief. It's all you really need, comfortable, reliable, repaired easily everywhere. OK, it may be shit, but it's good shit. You ain't gonna be making that many long road trips; and if you do, you probably shouldn't do it on a bike anyway. Worried about your street cred? Forget it: nobody cares around here. They really, really don't. So, wave your cash, bank book, and credit cards, or drive a nice new car.

Phantom! Phantom! Phantom!

[SM7WGP]

Phantoms are shit. Your better off getting a "non-commercialized" ride like a steed or virago. Phantoms are useless and don't even carry the power that is mentioned in the consumption. Have a look around and see whos selling what and check them out, I got a few bikes for sale myself that you might be interested in.

Thats to take a mouth full of it!

I went from Chiangmai to Mesai For a border run last week and no problems at at all from the usual soar but 500 km same day gasoline 10 liters and no racing 80 -90 kmh a little slower in the Mountains so you can see and feel the nature. So if you like the Phantom go for it, Instead of all the big bikes out there with no papers at all and no insurance you cant drive a round on an invoice bike and think you are legal.

Until you run in to the wrong police and they confiscate the bike, then you wont feel happy at all !

[Issangeorge]

there has been a good posting on choppers here, do a search on phantom, yes its a good bike for the price. I have added some extras on it as you can see.

Rono, nice looking bike. Where did you get the saddle bags and what kind of price are they? Thanks. Issangeorge

[selftaopath]

Rono, nice looking bike. Where did you get the saddle bags and what kind of price are they? Thanks. Issangeorge

Hi, for years I rode/fixed English and American "iron." Recently I purchased a little 200 cc Phantom. I live in BKK and would like to find a shop for parts and maintenance. I/we went to several Honda shops, but no one speaks English and I have yet to learn Thai. I like this little bike and rode it up from Cha Am - took a long time????? but.... I am still adjusting to the BKK traffic. I really want to get shorter handlebars, but seems like shops don't know how to measure them. They ask my G/F what style????? Is there a shop in BKK where I can be understood? I want to replace the 36" bars with 28" handlebar. Sorry for my lack of learning Thai language. I'm trying to learn - really.

Keoki

[Kerryd]

I bought my Phantom in late 2005 (2006 model). About 80,000 baht at the time, including tax, registration, insurance, book, helmet, etc. I also bought a set of saddle-bags (can't remember the price, but they were cheap).

When I bought it, I wanted something a little bigger than the various "step-throughs", as I wanted to be able to take short trips outside the city as well as the normal in-city riding. I'd taken trips to Nong Nooch, the Crocodile Farm and other places on a step-though and didn't find them that comfortable.

The Phantom does the trick though. Haven't tried it on any longer trips (i.e. over 100kms) though. Around Pattaya it has enough power (and "umph") to get me through the traffic easily enough, and (usually) parking it isn't a problem. I'm not out to road-race other bikes, and don't get too concerned if some smaller bike "beats me off the line". Who gives a flying fc*k ? If that's what you're into (racing around trying to beat other cycles), then you'll obviously want a different kind of bike. In that case, start up a new thread and extol the virtues of whatever gets your rocks off.

I recently bought my Harley (as mentioned in a different thread), so the Phantom is going to feel neglected (even more than normal). I've had a couple offers to sell it, but am going to keep it for awhile. I'm bringing the GoF (Grumpy old Fart, aka Dad) over for holiday this summer. The Phantom will be a good bike for him to putt around on (he used to be a Harley rider, and at one point had a Vincent Black Shadow).

It was kind of funny. I'd had the Phantom for about 2 1/2 years when I bought the Harley. A couple of weeks later I had to make a couple of trips to Jomtien on the Phantom (the Harley was in the shop getting new handlebars installed). It felt awkward driving the Phantom again. Handlebars shorter, bike lighter, different handling. I felt like I was riding a little kids bike.

My landlady looks after the Phantom while I'm away, and she said the same thing (sort of). She would ride it around here and there, but then switch to the step-through (Honda Wave), and suddenly the Wave felt like a little kids bike.

All in all, I'm happy with the Phantom. It met my needs (and expectations) at the time, and the price was reasonable.

[PeaceBlondie]

I had to run off to Tesco Lotus Express in a light rain in a very busy market, and parked next to a new Flame Edition Phantom. Wow, I thought for a moment it was a real Harley! Even more outrageous than my partner's 2007 Phantom with the candy apple tank and black flames.

When my 2003 CBR150R was misbehaving, I drove the Phantom more and enjoyed the low end torque. Great Harley imitation, even if it is far from the real thing.

[selftaopath]

I am enjoying this little 200 cc Phantom. I have a 1974 1000cc Sportster in HI. The torque of that baby let my "ass end" swing out many times - glad I could stomp my leg down and keep from kissin the road :-)

With this bike I'm again finding more challenges of not speaking the Thai language or understanding "the way things are done" (or not done) here. I wanted to transfer the title and in Cha Am/Petchaburi was told I could do it in BKK and .... you guessed it - in BKK am told I must go back to Cha Am/Petchaburi to transfer???? Can't one Honda dealer "work" with another Honda dealer to make this happen??? Of course I can not speak Thai lang - my fault, or lack of grey matter and my G/F seems to be confused also.

I want to put smaller handlebars on this ride - b/c in BKK it will help. I am also looking for ONE leather saddle bag - as the original one fell of (previous owner riding). Any help directing me to a shop where I can use my English (only) language would be greatly appreciated.

Phew, it's early AM and I feel like I "need a nap" already.

Thanks, Keoki

[12DrinkMore]

I have owned a Phantom for six years and put 60,000 kms on it.

1. At 50,000 kms the timing chain tensioner gave up, and with a very nasty internal crunch the engine gave up too. Since then the bike has been rebuilt five times by three different garages. Long story, but I now believe that it is impossible to find a decent mechanic and that once one has taken an engine apart, it is a big success if the bike runs to the end of the road. Honda refused to sell me a complete engine unit, they insist that all the bits are ordered piece by piece.

2. It rusts like hel_l. After the first rain shower the chrome was already rusty on a three day old bike.

3. The seat position is rubbish, designed for small people. You are effectively locked into the position due to the "hump", and cannot slide back and fore, leading to a numb bum after a couple of hours.

4. Very few garages carry spares, it always means "have to order from Bangkok".

5. The bike is now dated. There have been no technical improvements since it was introduced. How about fuel injection, Honda?

6. The rear tire develops nasty looking ridges afer a few thousand kms, difficult to describe, but it looks like the "V" sections of the tread are peeling upwards. I used to replace the tyre when this happened, now I don't bother.

In the end, however, it is really the only possibility to own a "larger" bike at a reasonable price. I don't like the "Boss", which is even more dated and Platinum has too few dealerships.

I do wish that Honda or Yamaha would wake up to this market and sell a decent 400cc or 600cc bike.

Oh, and I recommend that you buy the real Honda chain and not a Chinese cheap copy. I get 20,000 kms on a Honda chain, provided they don't tighten it like a piano wire, the copies require constant adjusting and replacement after 5,000 kms or so.

[davidgtr]

I do wish that Honda or Yamaha would wake up to this market and sell a decent 400cc or 600cc bike.

Wake up Yamaha? But you can buy new big bikes here. There's a list of Yamaha models here.

[JSixpack]

I do wish that Honda or Yamaha would wake up to this market and sell a decent 400cc or 600cc bike.

Wake up Yamaha? But you can buy new big bikes here. There's a list of Yamaha models here.

All crotch rockets for about B500,000 up.

[davidgtr]

I do wish that Honda or Yamaha would wake up to this market and sell a decent 400cc or 600cc bike.

Wake up Yamaha? But you can buy new big bikes here. There's a list of Yamaha models here.

All crotch rockets for about B500,000 up.

If you sat on a FJR1300 or the FZ6 Fazer, you wouldn't really call them crotch rockets. The YZF R1 / 6 I agree are crotch rockets, but not the others. The FJR is a full on touring bike, extremely comfortable to sit on & easy to ride. Try it sometime.

[LivinLOS]

I think the FZ6 is almost perfect for Thai road riding (maybe if your after off road or cambo Laos its not the best tool)..

Do they sell the FZ6N version here or only the ugly faired one ???

The ugly faired one is +- 6500 USD in the states.. high 2xx's in baht.. V 447k here !! Tho you also cant get the Naked version in the US.. Looked at some UK prices also.

[12DrinkMore]

Yes, the bikes are available, but twice the price of the same bike Farangland.

If they can sell a Phantom for 85,000 Baht, then why can't they sell a 400cc bike for around 170,000 Baht? I have a major mental block, or rather wallet block, when I see the price in Farangland at 240,000 Baht and then in Thailand they want 500,000 Baht.

On another note:

As a replacement for my dated and clapped out Honda Wave, I wanted to buy the new Yamaha 135cc Spark with the decent no-innertube tyres, as promoted by Yamaha since early this year. Shop price a little pricey at around 55,000 Baht, but can you buy one? No, it's always "next month".

Come on Yamaha, get your show on the road.