Heart and reason..... (Ducati or Triumph)

[dotpoom]

Sorry pal, English is not my first language and back home we call it roadster.... Let's call it naked bike if you prefer ;-)

There seems to be different names for different bikes alright, in different parts of the world. What many people here call "Scooters"....at home we would have called Motorbikes.... Scooters were the Vespa's, Yamaha's and Lambretta's.

Edited May 17, 2015 by dotpoom

[lemonjelly]

From scooter to big bike in one day? Don't get me wrong, if you haven't any experience on a bike larger than a scooter, a Ducatti etc might be a bit too much. Maybe get a used CBR 250 first to play around on for a while,

[Tapster]

@OP

Unless you can afford to buy the wrong bike and then swap it for another, my 2c says buy the one that makes you feel best. There's nothing like the life-enhancing buzz of firing up and riding a bike that stirs you like no other.

However, that bike may come with the occasional niggle, so hopefully it won't be your only means of transport.

Triumph v. Ducati?..........Ducati!

Ducati has a purity and heritage that is unique whereas (much to my disappointment) Triumph lost the plot and now have the badge but not the soul. Their bikes seem to cut the mustard but if you're old enough to know or care, they're a completely different marque from the original Triumphs....some people are probably very glad of that!

Please tell us what you eventually choose, you lucky bugger!

[tomaway]

From scooter to big bike in one day? Don't get me wrong, if you haven't any experience on a bike larger than a scooter, a Ducatti etc might be a bit too much. Maybe get a used CBR 250 first to play around on for a while,

No problem regarding my experience, my scooter is a 500cc a bit tuned up and it works better than many big bike available in Thailand. I also owned a CB650f last year but had to sold it to buy a car...

I guess the thing i will miss the most will be the trunk under the seat... It save me last night having a good rain coat in it!

I have a real crush for the monster... But what a pity that the white model is not for sale in Thailand!

I also checked the price for the Termignoni muffler..... [emoji33] it was already overpriced for the Tmax at 40k thb but for the monster they are asking 60k!!! Wayyyyyy too much!

[eisfeld]

Thanks Eeeya for the info!

Living in Phuket makes the things easy. The new triumph showroom just opened and the Ducati one is running since couple of years now. Both bike being assembled locally I hope i will not have to wait for any parts like in Yamaha.

In the end i am not expecting to have a 5 stars service but at least a serious one...

Regarding parts you will be surprised to learn that even for locally produced bikes, Ducati doesn't keep spares for everything.

My Scrambler needs about 7 parts replaced out of which 3 are not available locally and have to be ordered from Italy. Two I remember were exhaust and fork. Total *planned* time from accident to repair 2 months, how long it really will take is yet to be seen. That includes about 3 weeks of me pushing Ducati and the insurance company to get their act together and even start ordering parts.

Whenever I ask a bit more difficult question I get weird looks from the short "manager" lady there and I have the feeling she hates me

For example the insurance approved the repairs on a thursday but they tell me they can only order parts on a wednesday - nearly a week wasted doing exactly nothing. When asked why, she said that's a policy with all Ducati dealers in Phuket. How many dealers are there? Only one!

Had to speak to the owner to work out a better plan. If done optimally I could have been riding my bike one week after the incident since only two critical parts need to be fixed and for those they have spares available, the others are scratches so I can wait a bit.

Long story short: don't expect a level of service like from Honda with Ducati.

But the bikes are a blast to ride, you just have to suffer a bit for the fun. No pain no gain

Man I'd be tempted to open a Yamaha dealer here if I'd know they'll get the prices down by making bikes locally. I think there is a huge market oportunity with the other dealers being shitty (location, sales, service) and their bikes selling like hotcackes in other countries.

[warrimurf]

I'm with you 'eisfeld' on the dealer service side.

The simplest things here get the strangest reaction from the dealer and the get up and go side of the industry, well it got up and left.

I buggered up a couple of mag wheels and it was purgatory trying to get some action between the insurance and the dealer (Ducati) however the spares did arrive quite quickly from Italy once my wife threw a screaming fit in the showroom.

I know it's not my country but it would be nice to have someone proficient in English to talk to. Unfortunately I'm just crap at foreign languages.

Strangely enough any time I go there now I get prompt and efficient service, so they can do it if motivated.

I worked in large motorcycle shops (Yam, Suzi, BMW) in UK and Australia and they would have gone bust if they behaved like the dealers here.

I'd open a shop here aimed at the big bike expat market except that it's Thailand and it would be doomed to fail trying to deal with the business environment here which looks to screw you every way you turn.

[warrimurf]

As for the Termioni exhaust, don't bother get another brand off the internet. Much cheaper even after tax. You might even be lucky and not get taxed?

My complete MIVV de cat system for Multistrada was about £750 from UK including tax, not the $2,000 for the termioni.

[BKKBike09]

OP - You sound like you want the Ducati so buy that.

Personally I'd go for the Street Triple R. Monster has never really done it for me. As others say: if you can afford to buy either, then get what excites you more.

You say you're offered a 40K discount on the Striple R's 460K price tag; are you sure that's for the R and not a price for the base Street Triple? That's a big discount.

[pastafarian]

Japanese made Yamaha MT07 at 299k baht should not be ruled out, getting great reviews and loads of $ left over for upgrades, accessories and bling. But if only those two I'd for the Triumph, that creamy triple is a great engine.

[Shurup]

Monster!!!

[Shurup]

Honda's CB 500 X is a reliable and very comfy bike with an excellent price and good service coverage.

Not sure how CB500X got in here, totally different bike and totally gutless comparing to the 2 in OP.

[Rhys]

Still think the CBR 650 is a winner...

[eeeya]

actually she's the winner in that photo ..just one more quick look before i click the back button... maybe one more

[Rhys]

eeya.....

I saw on another post on another site.. this type of photo.. the bike was more displayed..

The caption was... how to tell if you are not _ _ y... Did you like the bike or the babe....55555

Edited May 17, 2015 by Rhys

[tomaway]

What bike? .....

[papa al]

Still think the CBR 650 is a winner...

You can tell this is a lady as she demonstrates hyperextension [beyond 180º] of the left elbow.

A lady-boy cannot.

FYI

[Nickymaster]

Monster 821 is really nice and luckily a bit larger than the previous model. If I would buy a triumph it would be the bonneville. It's the only model I like from them.

[guzzi850m2]

Bonneville for me too, love how they look man.

Timeless classic and they still sells like hot cakes.

I haven't seen the 821 in the flesh yet but no doubt it's a cracking bike to ride.

If I was ever to get a Ducati, I will get the Hyperstrada with same engine, good for tall/long legged people.

I bought with my valet in mind and being a family man with a kid, so a new V650. Not a bad bike really but okay not near as fun as the ones OP are after.

[nikster]

What bike? .....

You can get a bike... or you can get a Ducati!

I had a couple of Kawasakis - great bikes, loved them. I always thought people talking about the "character" of a bike are full of it - a bike's a bike, it's got handling, it's got performance, and I'm the one riding it, maybe I have character. But not the bike. Then I got a Ducati Hypermotard and, yes, dammit, everyone was right, bikes do have a character. Tons of character!

It's not the easiest bike to own, things do go wrong with it at times, but you'll love her nonetheless. It's gorgeous to look at, that alone makes me happy every day. It's also fantastic to ride - you feel one with the machine, thanks to an amazing suspension setup. And then there's the engine, which makes these amazing noises, like it's talking to you.... this is totally stock. It will backfire just a little, at just the right times, it loves to be ridden hard, it pulls like there's no tomorrow, and ... it talks to you. :)

Of course get the Monster. Ducati is improving on the reliability front and a Triumph is no Honda either. The service interval for the 821 engine is 15,000km. So you pay a little more each service but you have fewer of them. The desmo service - which is the expensive one - is every 30,000km.

As we enter the age of all electric vehicles, gasoline engines are going to be a thing of the past in a decade or so. Getting the Ducati you can be sure you've had one of the finest internal combustion engines, a true piece of art of its time.

One thing I can promise you if you buy the Monster: There will be no regrets.

[Big Guns]

If I was going for looks and character I'd go for the Monster every time. I've owned my M795 for almost 3 years (will sell soon). The bike has been faultless. The only problem is the service at Ducati Pattaya is absolutely terrible and the 6000 Baht overcharging on the last service being the final straw. Kawasaki had great servicing but the bikes (Ninja 250 and ER6n were soulless). So my next bike will be a BMW F800R or Triumph Street Triple (don't need the R).

[tomaway]

Thanks to all of you for your comments!

The one thing that push me toward the Triumph is that when I visited their old showroom in Phuket, I discussed with a lovely lady in an almost fluent English and what she said makes sense.... Amazing no?

She said that their maintenance was a bit pricey but they follow everything by the book and keep a close look on their mechanics skills.... You'll never hear something like that from Yamaha Phuket!!

I am sure that both bike are great and only a good test drive could make me balance for one or the other. I'll do that when I will be in France this summer... Perfect weather!!

I am quite amazed how fast the market for big bike has changed in just few years in Thailand! If only they could do that with cars....

[JonnyF]

I agree with Nikster, it's very hard to explain the feeling of pinning the throttle of a Ducati and hearing that roar and knowing the heritage behind such a sexy beast.

Just looking at the bike as I park the car after work cheers me up after a bad day at the office. I love my Jap bikes, they're more clinical but they don't give me the same feeling as the Ducati.

They're like a super hot stripper girlfriend with an incredibly sexy voice, that sometimes sulks a bit if things aren't perfect.

[BBJ]

As i've said before, test ride both and buy the bike you enjoy the most regardless of the minor differences in service locations etc.