What is the "Coolest" Bike Made in Thailand?

[thaiguzzi]

On 27/07/2017 at 0:50 PM, Kwasaki said:

There was only one 2001 CBX1000 l could find for sale in Thailand which came out in 1976.

Couldn't find a Z1300 it was only mentioned on a Thai web site which came out in 1978. 

UK Bike mag had a  'Cool bike'  article back in 2006 and the Z1300 won the ' Extreme Cool ' section,  l rode one and it certainly was a monster.

 

A great laugh for me were last lines they wrote the Z is cooler than CBX cause the Z1300 is a buffalo of a bike, a huge snorting bison of a thing,  so heavy and cumbersome it's a full upper-body workout just lifting it off the side-stand.

Drop one and you'll need a rescue party with slings and hoists to get the over 300kg monster upright again.

The CBX is,  by comparison , rather dainty,  bit of an angel-cake,  so simple angel-cakes ain't cool Buffaloes are. 

 

For a Z13 that one is very nice looking. Perhaps 'cos it's very non std. Like it.

[guzzi850m2]

19 hours ago, observer90210 said:

ok thanks for sharing!...any idea if some other brand makes something more study and serious?..or perhaps to take a world class brand scooter say a honda, yamaha and get a road legal side car fixed?

No you can't unless you are handicapped and can get an exemption.

 

I have no idea how Tiger managed to get the sidecar in the green book, but they did.

 

Even the police was stunned when they saw the copy of the green book and the sidecar was in it. 

 

All those shop sidecar bikes you see on the road are technically not road legal but the police normally leaves them alone as the owners are just ordinary people trying making a living.

[observer90210]

5 hours ago, guzzi850m2 said:

No you can't unless you are handicapped and can get an exemption.

 

I have no idea how Tiger managed to get the sidecar in the green book, but they did.

 

Even the police was stunned when they saw the copy of the green book and the sidecar was in it. 

 

All those shop sidecar bikes you see on the road are technically not road legal but the police normally leaves them alone as the owners are just ordinary people trying making a living.

Ok seems that the law is quite strict on side cars. Thanks for your feedback anyhow. Be safe!

[Shackleton123]

Triumph Bonneville T100

 

Assembled in Thailand. Classic Machine - 1959 design but with fuel injection (the carbs are faux - they contain the fuel injection system) Disk Brakes, Computer Engine Management, Digital instruments but with classical analogue readouts (needle pointers) modern suspension and frame design. Absolutely fabulous to drive here.

 

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, Shackleton123 said:

but with fuel injection (the carbs are faux - they contain the fuel injection system) Disk Brakes, Computer Engine Management, Digital instruments but with classical analogue readouts (needle pointers) modern suspension and frame design.

Yeah but that's not cool. 

[speedtripler]

13 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Yeah but that's not cool. 

Old school cool combined with modern reliability is still cool. 

[cornishcarlos]

"Cool" like most things, is subjective.. 

I think the basket on my Wave is cool, wouldn't want a scooter without one !!

Duke 690 is super cool but I guess not made in Thailand...

Did we decide if any bikes were actually made in Thailand ?

[Kwasaki]

29 minutes ago, speedtripler said:

Old school cool combined with modern reliability is still cool. 

Not being able to fix yourself is not cool. 

[Kwasaki]

25 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

Did we decide if any bikes were actually made in Thailand ?

That is the question and looking into past and present only found that some parts are manufactured ( made ) ( produced )  what ever you want to call it but assembled seems to be what happens.

But even Wiki is not clear they write produced and selling motorcycles in Thailand etc etc.

A.P. Honda,  Kawasaki,  Lifan,  Stallions,  Suzuki,  Yamaha,  Zongshen-Ryuka.

[speedtripler]

5 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Not being able to fix yourself is not cool. 

I can fix most issues myself, but cooler to ride something that doesn't constantly need fixing... 

 

[guzzi850m2]

1 hour ago, speedtripler said:

I can fix most issues myself, but cooler to ride something that doesn't constantly need fixing... 

 

I agree, those Triumphs T100 & 120 are timeless beauties and they are considered very reliable too.

 

I want a T120 badly, as my last big bike in this life (likely) and that's the one that always comes to mind.

 

Not many can fine tune a carburetor anymore, dying knowledge and if they are adjusted wrongly, the bike will run like shit and burn fuel in an alarming rate too in some situations, FI is adjusting fuel/air-mix all the time and run optimal, okay perhaps a bit lean from the factory but nothing a re-mapping can fix, so no need to get your hands dirty anymore.    

[Bung]

I've been lusting over a T120 since I first laying eyes on one.  Beautiful bike,  powerful and well made. I really like the blue and white colours.  Triumph did a very good job on the new classic range but with an older thruxton already I just can't justify having one unless I sold it,  and I couldn't bring myself to do that. 

 

Go for it! 

[Kwasaki]

18 hours ago, speedtripler said:

I can fix most issues myself, but cooler to ride something that doesn't constantly need fixing... 

 

Still prefer the original Triumph Tiger l had.

[kaneko86]

Stallions Centaur max250

[Kwasaki]

7 hours ago, kaneko86 said:

Stallions Centaur max250

Remember this interesting post :-

 

Quote....I read somewhere - can't find it now - that the 250 is a Suzuki engine made in China under Japanese supervision.

I've also read that the 400s are made by Shineray (I think that's been accepted) using the original tooling that they used to make the Honda XBR etc. engines for Honda in the 80s

 

Don't know how true either of those statements are. Lots of stories but few hard facts.

 

The 400s are sold here as 'Stallions', in France & UK (maybe others) as 'Mash', in USA as 'Genuine', in Poland as 'Romet' and 'Motorstar' in Philippines. Many of the smaller Stallions are also sold under the Chinese brand name of 'Somoto' and were exhibited at an Italian bike exhibition in 2015 under the Stallions name, including engine capacities not available here.

 

The 250 is sold in France as the Mash Cafe Racer 250, with some cosmetic additions but pretty much the same bike......Unquote.

[Familyonthemove]

19 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Remember this interesting post :-

 

Quote....I read somewhere - can't find it now - that the 250 is a Suzuki engine made in China under Japanese supervision.

I've also read that the 400s are made by Shineray (I think that's been accepted) using the original tooling that they used to make the Honda XBR etc. engines for Honda in the 80s

 

Don't know how true either of those statements are. Lots of stories but few hard facts.

 

The 400s are sold here as 'Stallions', in France & UK (maybe others) as 'Mash', in USA as 'Genuine', in Poland as 'Romet' and 'Motorstar' in Philippines. Many of the smaller Stallions are also sold under the Chinese brand name of 'Somoto' and were exhibited at an Italian bike exhibition in 2015 under the Stallions name, including engine capacities not available here.

 

The 250 is sold in France as the Mash Cafe Racer 250, with some cosmetic additions but pretty much the same bike......Unquote.

The Chinese haven't quite got the hang of branding.

 

'What bike do you ride?"

 

"I ride a Stallions, aka Mash, aka Genuine, aka Smoto, aka Romet 400"

 

Not cool..

[speedtripler]

21 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Remember this interesting post :-

 

Quote....I read somewhere - can't find it now - that the 250 is a Suzuki engine made in China under Japanese supervision.

I've also read that the 400s are made by Shineray (I think that's been accepted) using the original tooling that they used to make the Honda XBR etc. engines for Honda in the 80s

 

Don't know how true either of those statements are. Lots of stories but few hard facts.

 

The 400s are sold here as 'Stallions', in France & UK (maybe others) as 'Mash', in USA as 'Genuine', in Poland as 'Romet' and 'Motorstar' in Philippines. Many of the smaller Stallions are also sold under the Chinese brand name of 'Somoto' and were exhibited at an Italian bike exhibition in 2015 under the Stallions name, including engine capacities not available here.

 

The 250 is sold in France as the Mash Cafe Racer 250, with some cosmetic additions but pretty much the same bike......Unquote.

Those Chinese  things are scrap metal , no offense to anyone who believes they're great but you're better off buying a decent bike if you don't want the headaches... 

 

[Kwasaki]

4 minutes ago, Familyonthemove said:

The Chinese haven't quite got the hang of branding.

 

'What bike do you ride?"

 

"I ride a Stallions, aka Mash, aka Genuine, aka Smoto, aka Romet 400"

 

Not cool..

Yeah they have way to go when it comes to motorcycles.

I don't like Stallions style type of bike anyhow.

In Thailand wanted a GSX-R1000,  l settled for good deal on a s/h Versys and happy with it and l would change it but won't sell it at prices offered. 

 

[Kwasaki]

22 minutes ago, speedtripler said:

Those Chinese  things are scrap metal , no offense to anyone who believes they're great but you're better off buying a decent bike if you don't want the headaches... 

 

l guess a s/h one would be a cheap headache. 

[speedtripler]

5 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

l guess a s/h one would be a cheap headache. 

Classifieds are full of them For a reason 

Many of them less than 1000km 

 

 

If that's your budget you might as well get a Honda click, it will last longer than you want to use it and probably won't have a single issue

 

[Sharp]

Sent from my SM-N915G using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Motard]

Still my 8 year old Sonic   discuss

 

[speedtripler]

1 hour ago, Motard said:

Still my 8 year old Sonic   discuss

 

There is a security guard at my condo who rides an old honda 110cc 

Walking past I noticed He has ~86,600 km on it.... It just works! 

 

China bikes cost a few K less but fall  to bits Within months 

 

False economy.... 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 9, 2017 by speedtripler

[CMKiwi]

I bought a cheap Chinese trail type bike when I was working in Kabul, Afghanistan.  It was 200cc but had about as much 'grunt' as a 110cc Honda.  I enjoyed it as a get around bike and loved the remote starting fob that came with it.

 

It use to scare the bejesus out of Americans soldiers who happen to be sitting near the bike whilst eating food from one of the nearby shops.  I always got a giggle of starting it up from a distance away and watching their reaction.... yes it was a bit cruel.  Too many IEDs in Afghanistan made most people a bit jumpy, but this was in a 'secure' area and no vehicle could enter without a proper vehicle and person search.

 

I doubt Id buy another Chinese bike unless it was dirt cheap and I had the time and resources to refurbish or reassemble it.  There were so many things on that bike in Kabul that were assembled incorrectly, be it routing of cables or fuel line or things just put on upside down.  Crazy stuff.

[speedtripler]

1 hour ago, CMKiwi said:

I bought a cheap Chinese trail type bike when I was working in Kabul, Afghanistan.  It was 200cc but had about as much 'grunt' as a 110cc Honda.  I enjoyed it as a get around bike and loved the remote starting fob that came with it.

 

It use to scare the bejesus out of Americans soldiers who happen to be sitting near the bike whilst eating food from one of the nearby shops.  I always got a giggle of starting it up from a distance away and watching their reaction.... yes it was a bit cruel.  Too many IEDs in Afghanistan made most people a bit jumpy, but this was in a 'secure' area and no vehicle could enter without a proper vehicle and person search.

 

I doubt Id buy another Chinese bike unless it was dirt cheap and I had the time and resources to refurbish or reassemble it.  There were so many things on that bike in Kabul that were assembled incorrectly, be it routing of cables or fuel line or things just put on upside down.  Crazy stuff.

 

I used to work in the bike rental business so I have a fair bit of experience 

If you like working on bikes as a hobby or fabricating your own spares etc when you can't get any then go for it... 

 

Even The Bangkok  police have  abandoned their tiger boxer 200s  and now they ride Yamaha nmax and honda cbr300s.... And I'm sure they are very happy about the upgrade cycle 

 

 

[inThailand]

What's not cool is...

 

cheap Chinese bikes,

 

a Fino, Scoopy or PCX. They make up about 90% of the market. Boring!!!

[speedtripler]

10 minutes ago, inThailand said:

What's not cool is...

 

cheap Chinese bikes,

 

a Fino, Scoopy or PCX. They make up about 90% of the market. Boring!!!

 

Aerox 155 is cheap + cool 

But I think Yamaha will raise the price when they see the sales numbers it's selling in... 

If a Pcx is 98k thesedays the aerox is a great deal at 62-65-72 depending on spec

It has undeniably more guts in the acceleration dept , less weight, more flickable, feels more like a motorcycle than a ride-on lawnmower.... 

[Rdrokit]

Love my Stallion. It's the 400cc model based on the old Honda XBR 500cc engine. The Stallion is fuel injected (US Made fuel injection unit) where the XBR was carbureted. I like the naked retro bike look as that is what I rode when I was young. Can cruise at 130-140mph all day long which is plenty fast for me.

 

[Kwasaki]

7 hours ago, Rdrokit said:

Can cruise at 130-140mph all day long

Whow !! 

Edited August 11, 2017 by Kwasaki

[johnno2]

On ‎8‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 9:44 AM, Kwasaki said:

Whow !! 

as aussies say "tell him he's dreaming" 130 -140 KPH I can believe and even then it would be working hard