Bangkok based: Z800 or Z1000

[Fab5BKK]

Hi All,

I'm quite an experienced rider in Europe (CB350, CB750, ZZR1100, ZRX1200, ZX9R, SpeedTriple, to name a few). I plan to spend more time in Thailand and was thinking to buy a new toy

I had a look at the SpeedTriple and was shocked (understatement) with the price here.

Therefore, I had a look at the Kawasaki price list. Z800 & Z1000 look quite affordable. Now, big question which one would be the most suitable (mostly staying within the "greater Bangkok")?

Many Thanks in advance!

Fab

Edited August 19, 2014 by Fab5BKK

[ll2]

z1000 sure. Less weight than z800 but more power, aluminum chassis and better parts than z800.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[DILLIGAD]

Both nice but 1) Z800 is a heavy beast. 2) have you considered something more manageable in the crazy BKK gridlocks? (FZ09 / Ducati / ER6N for instance)

Good luck on whatever you chose.

[JonnyF]

I agree with ll2.

Also Z1000 has ABS, Z800 doesn't (yet).

ABS is a big plus for BKK, especially on a big powerful bike like the Z1000 given all the oil, diesel, water etc on BKK roads. Z1000 also has a lower seat height which might make it easier maneuvering at extremely low speeds (depending on your height).

Only advantage of the Z800 is price as far as I can see, (and the front end on the Z800 looks better IMO but that's subjective).

[Fab5BKK]

Thanks Guys!

I'm just 1m75, so Z1000 (with ABS) makes sense

I was considering Ducati Monsters ( 1200). Not that sure about 2 things; 1. reliability 2. "Engine smoothness" (against a 3 or 4-cylinder)

Never had an Italian

[Shurup]

Thanks Guys!

I'm just 1m75, so Z1000 (with ABS) makes sense

I was considering Ducati Monsters ( 1200). Not that sure about 2 things; 1. reliability 2. "Engine smoothness" (against a 3 or 4-cylinder)

Never had an Italian

Well, why don't you take one for a spin then?

[Fab5BKK]

Why not

If positive could an option (if price's right!)

Thanks!

[Gweiloman]

If you're not going to be living full time in Bangkok or Thailand, why not buy a second hand bike to start off with, just to get used to Bkk traffic? You could pick up some beauties for around 160 - 250 k, depending on model, year etc.

Furthermore, unless you are planning to go for long rides, a liter bike is not that suited for Bkk traffic (in my opinion).

[ll2]

A honda cb650f at 285 k new do the job as good as a z1000 for half the price in bangkok too.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[wowjudo]

After driving the z800 for 3 months i wish i'd have taken the z1000 from the beginning - seriously

If you have spare cash then go for the 1000 - worth it

Edited August 19, 2014 by wowjudo

[Shurup]

After driving the z800 for 3 months i wish i'd have taken the z1000 from the beginning - seriously

If you have spare cash then go for the 1000 - worth it

I'm curious what made you change your opinion about this bike?

[Fab5BKK]

Me too

[saramsland]

Thanks Guys!

I'm just 1m75, so Z1000 (with ABS) makes sense

I was considering Ducati Monsters ( 1200). Not that sure about 2 things; 1. reliability 2. "Engine smoothness" (against a 3 or 4-cylinder)

Never had an Italian

Take a Duke for a test ride.. In my opinion much better handling. The 796 come 821 monster is manufactured in Thailand so is cheaper, a few differences from the larger monster but would be good for Bkk. As for the 821 not sure if it will be manufactured in country or not as I have not read up on it much as yet.

But you could find a monster for 300-400k.

[yankee99]

PM me if you're serious as I might be selling one (z1k).

[Fab5BKK]

Many Thanks All

1. I'll check the new Monster's price.

2. If reasonnable have a test ride

3. If not positive, would go for a brand new Z1000 (may be test ride Z800 & Z1000).

[maamoot]

Check out the BMW F800R , 440 000 baht , I am very happy with mine .

[Hili]

Many Thanks All

1. I'll check the new Monster's price.

2. If reasonnable have a test ride

3. If not positive, would go for a brand new Z1000 (may be test ride Z800 & Z1000).

The Monster 1200 price doesnt really worth it

Satndard: 899,000

S Version: 1,099,000

[Fab5BKK]

Yep, almost 3 Z800 for the price of 1 Monster 1200 S

[Fab5BKK]

Yep, and 1 Z1000 full features, still cheaper than a 1200 s

Edited August 20, 2014 by Fab5BKK

[rambling]

Check out the BMW F800R , 440 000 baht , I am very happy with mine .

I saw this bike on display at the shopping mall and quite liked the design, except for the plastic cover where the tank usually is. Also when I sat on it at first it felt like the seat was a little on the hard side and a bit wide, how's your experience with it? Can you share some details on how long you've had this bike and how's the maintenance interval/cost? Thanks.

[bramds]

Check out the BMW F800R , 440 000 baht , I am very happy with mine .

I saw this bike on display at the shopping mall and quite liked the design, except for the plastic cover where the tank usually is. Also when I sat on it at first it felt like the seat was a little on the hard side and a bit wide, how's your experience with it? Can you share some details on how long you've had this bike and how's the maintenance interval/cost? Thanks.

Which shopping mall?

[rambling]

Check out the BMW F800R , 440 000 baht , I am very happy with mine .

I saw this bike on display at the shopping mall and quite liked the design, except for the plastic cover where the tank usually is. Also when I sat on it at first it felt like the seat was a little on the hard side and a bit wide, how's your experience with it? Can you share some details on how long you've had this bike and how's the maintenance interval/cost? Thanks.

Which shopping mall?

It was Central Ladprao about a week ago. They had the 1200 GS as well but it was mainly a BMW car display. Only one sales person was there for the 2 bikes and the rest of them were selling the cars. They came from the BMW showroom on Vibhavadee (next to the Ducati showroom), same showroom for both cars and bikes.

[Fab5BKK]

Don't go there often

[BKKBike09]

If you want naked then I suggest you also look at FZ-09. I was seriously thinking about buying Z800. But after tooling it around the back of the Rama 9 showroom carpark and then sitting on Z1000, I wanted the Z1000. However it's way more than I wanted to spend. Then I found out FZ-09 was on sale here. It's 60,000 more than Z800 and also doesn't have ABS but it's a lot of fun and really easy to live with in BKK traffic. Suspension needs work though if you weigh much more than 75kg and want to thrash it a bit (add say 40K for a new shock and stiffer fork springs). It is a seriously powerful bike: 190kg wet; 110 hp; 60+ ft/lb torque with 40+ on tap even around 2,000 rpm.

V-strom 650 is also a good bike, with ABS, and reasonably priced here at 350K.

Hypermotard is also excellent.

BTW I had a Speed Triple in UK and would love to have one again. But the price here ...

[BKKBike09]

If you want naked then I suggest you also look at FZ-09. I was seriously thinking about buying Z800. But after tooling it around the back of the Rama 9 showroom carpark and then sitting on Z1000, I wanted the Z1000. However it's way more than I wanted to spend. Then I found out FZ-09 was on sale here. It's 60,000 more than Z800 and also doesn't have ABS but it's a lot of fun and really easy to live with in BKK traffic. Suspension needs work though if you weigh much more than 75kg and want to thrash it a bit (add say 40K for a new shock and stiffer fork springs). It is a seriously powerful bike: 190kg wet; 110 hp; 60+ ft/lb torque with 40+ on tap even around 2,000 rpm.

V-strom 650 is also a good bike, with ABS, and reasonably priced here at 350K.

Hypermotard is also excellent.

BTW I had a Speed Triple in UK and would love to have one again. But the price here ...

[BKKBike09]

If you want naked then I suggest you also look at FZ-09. I was seriously thinking about buying Z800. But after tooling it around the back of the Rama 9 showroom carpark and then sitting on Z1000, I wanted the Z1000. However it's way more than I wanted to spend. Then I found out FZ-09 was on sale here. It's 60,000 more than Z800 and also doesn't have ABS but it's a lot of fun and really easy to live with in BKK traffic. Suspension needs work though if you weigh much more than 75kg and want to thrash it a bit (add say 40K for a new shock and stiffer fork springs). It is a seriously powerful bike: 190kg wet; 110 hp; 60+ ft/lb torque with 40+ on tap even around 2,000 rpm.

V-strom 650 is also a good bike, with ABS, and reasonably priced here at 350K.

Hypermotard is also excellent.

BTW I had a Speed Triple in UK and would love to have one again. But the price here ...

[JonnyF]

If you want naked then I suggest you also look at FZ-09. I was seriously thinking about buying Z800. But after tooling it around the back of the Rama 9 showroom carpark and then sitting on Z1000, I wanted the Z1000. However it's way more than I wanted to spend. Then I found out FZ-09 was on sale here. It's 60,000 more than Z800 and also doesn't have ABS but it's a lot of fun and really easy to live with in BKK traffic. Suspension needs work though if you weigh much more than 75kg and want to thrash it a bit (add say 40K for a new shock and stiffer fork springs). It is a seriously powerful bike: 190kg wet; 110 hp; 60+ ft/lb torque with 40+ on tap even around 2,000 rpm.

V-strom 650 is also a good bike, with ABS, and reasonably priced here at 350K.

Hypermotard is also excellent.

BTW I had a Speed Triple in UK and would love to have one again. But the price here ...

Totally agree, I sat on the MT09 and loved it, if I was after a naked bike this would be my choice, felt like a supermoto. Super comfy riding position and awesome power (judging by the reviews).

Lack of ABS would bother me on a street bike with this much power and a reportedly soft front end but I'd ride it a few weeks and judge that for myself (reviews aren't always in line with real world experience) and stiffen the front end if required, easy and cheap. I'd definitely take this over the Z800 though.

I'd love to hire an mt09 for a day or two. I'm sure they'll hit the rental shops soon enough, probably there already.

[Fab5BKK]

Yep, I don't know much about Yamahas, never rode any of them :-(

May be I should "dig" in this direction as well, thanks!

Just had a look @ the MT09, it looks quite light. Need to see / ride one of them :-)

Edited August 21, 2014 by Fab5BKK

[BKKBike09]

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If you want naked then I suggest you also look at FZ-09. I was seriously thinking about buying Z800. But after tooling it around the back of the Rama 9 showroom carpark and then sitting on Z1000, I wanted the Z1000. However it's way more than I wanted to spend. Then I found out FZ-09 was on sale here. It's 60,000 more than Z800 and also doesn't have ABS but it's a lot of fun and really easy to live with in BKK traffic. Suspension needs work though if you weigh much more than 75kg and want to thrash it a bit (add say 40K for a new shock and stiffer fork springs). It is a seriously powerful bike: 190kg wet; 110 hp; 60+ ft/lb torque with 40+ on tap even around 2,000 rpm.

V-strom 650 is also a good bike, with ABS, and reasonably priced here at 350K.

Hypermotard is also excellent.

BTW I had a Speed Triple in UK and would love to have one again. But the price here ...

Totally agree, I sat on the MT09 and loved it, if I was after a naked bike this would be my choice, felt like a supermoto. Super comfy riding position and awesome power (judging by the reviews).

Lack of ABS would bother me on a street bike with this much power and a reportedly soft front end but I'd ride it a few weeks and judge that for myself (reviews aren't always in line with real world experience) and stiffen the front end if required, easy and cheap. I'd definitely take this over the Z800 though.

I'd love to hire an mt09 for a day or two. I'm sure they'll hit the rental shops soon enough, probably there already.

Oops. I seem to have managed to post my thoughts three times. Sorry 'bout that (vagaries of True Internet). Front end is too soft for my liking so I'm changing the fork springs and oil for some stiffer Ohlins; rear shock also struggles so am changing that too for the basic Ohlins. I've never had an ABS bike so will it would be preferable to have it, it doesn't bother me. I believe you can rent FZ09 in Chiang Mai - saw a post recently here from a guy who'd done that.

Yep, I don't know much about Yamahas, never rode any of them :-(

May be I should "dig" in this direction as well, thanks!

Just had a look @ the MT09, it looks quite light. Need to see / ride one of them :-)

Considering all the options never hurts!

One point to bear in mind about Thai-made vs imported is that if you're into modding, it's much easier to mod a locally-made bike because the aftermarket guys start making stuff immediately the bike is released, since they know there'll be a market. If an imported bike also has been around a while and is popular, which Z1000 is, then it's also not so hard to find mods. Same also applies to parts. But if you have an imported bike and particularly a new model it can be very hard to get things like aftermarket pipes and stock parts. I've seen some sweet looking modded Z800s.

[Fab5BKK]

The plan is to modify the bike "just a little bit": front springs, rear shock (Ohlins), full line (Akrapovic, Yoshimura) and make the rear end nicer ;-)