Iconic American Harley Davidson Motorcycles to be Made in Thailand

[transam]

5 minutes ago, RigPig said:

VERY COOL!! and British racing green?

This MGB is exactly the same as mine. It had an 1800cc engine, then they brought out an MGC, same car but 3000cc, same engine as the Austin Healey 3000, then they brought out the MGB V8 which had the 3500cc Rover engine that Rover saloons had. Of course the MGB had mods to deal with the bigger engines.

[RigPig]

The REALLY great thing will be the competitive financing deals, this should make the bikes available to any Thai that can obtain credit!!!  Bye bye "Monkey bikes".....

[ben2talk]

The REALLY great thing will be the competitive financing deals, this should make the bikes available to any Thai that can obtain credit!!!  Bye bye "Monkey bikes".....

Do not let those rose tinted spectacles give you any idea that reality is distorted.

[digger70]

12 hours ago, RigPig said:

And you have owned one and know this from first hand experience no doubt....

 

They are only always being worked on because there is so much customising that can be done, not just bolt on a new fairing or LED lights.  My Harleys are the ONLY ones of their kind in the world, you could NEVER say that about a modern bike, sure the engineering is more sophisticated, sure they are fast, sure they are lots of things Harleys are not, but mine has NEVER let me down and I like the old school retro stuff the other just doesn't jell.  It's your fantasy / story no one elses, stick to your rice burners / crotch rockets if you want, it's your choice as this is mine,  And frankly I don't give a hoot what you think, opinions are like Aholes, everybody has one and is entightled to it!

,,55555"

[Peterw42]

15 minutes ago, RigPig said:

The way I understand it is that if it is legal in ANY ASEAN country it is deemed to be legal in all ASEAN countries...

Yes I get that but there is still a noise level that is legal, in Thailand, dependent on engine size, its 95-99 dBA @ 200mm from the pipe. It cant legally be louder than that no matter where the pipe is made. Around 90-100 dBA is standard all over the world

 

http://www.tisi.go.th/standard/fulltext_e/tis341_2543.pdf

 

Edited May 27, 2017 by Peterw42

[RigPig]

4 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Yes I get that but there is still a noise level that is legal, in Thailand, dependent on engine size, its 95-99 dBA @ 200mm from the pipe. It cant legally be louder than that no matter where the pipe is made. Around 90-100 dBA is standard all over the world

 

http://www.tisi.go.th/standard/fulltext_e/tis341_2543.pdf

 

That may be so but TIT, and beside when all of the Generals in the Army and High ranking police have one as standard State supplied kit I don't think it will be much of an issue.....

[Ace of Pop]

Unless they bring the price down they will remain a Nich Market,1mill for the top ones, no wonder my only pall here with one is single, on the Rigs and carts it about in a nice New Toyo 4x4.Ive had a wobble around on it , it's a dream of a Bike.[emoji383]☠️.Dare I say ide value it at about 550 k .[emoji86]


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[RigPig]

1 minute ago, Ace of Pop said:

Unless they bring the price down they will remain a Nich Market,1mill for the top ones, no wonder my only pall here with one is single, on the Rigs and carts it about in a nice New Toyo 4x4.Ive had a wobble around on it , it's a dream of a Bike.☠️.Dare I say ide value it at about 550 k .


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Well I am in the same situation (RigPig) and i have 2, and they are both one off creations / builds.  I do ride mine though, mine are probably close to a mill Baht each, more reliable than a Thai GF that's for sure!! haha.

 

But being locally built (less tax) and the new financing arrangements there should be a lot more around... I hope.

[Techno Viking]

I hope the 750 Street Rod comes down in price cause I would love one to replace my Yamaha scooter.

[Techno Viking]

1 hour ago, RigPig said:

Well I am in the same situation (RigPig) and i have 2, and they are both one off creations / builds.  I do ride mine though, mine are probably close to a mill Baht each, more reliable than a Thai GF that's for sure!! haha.

 

But being locally built (less tax) and the new financing arrangements there should be a lot more around... I hope.

There are 2 RigPig's ?

 

Or was your post meant to be made under a different name ?

[RigPig]

22 minutes ago, Techno Viking said:

I hope the 750 Street Rod comes down in price cause I would love one to replace my Yamaha scooter.

I suspect they will make those and the new 500 here, may take a while but you'll be OK

[RigPig]

24 minutes ago, Techno Viking said:

There are 2 RigPig's ?

 

Or was your post meant to be made under a different name ?

Mate EVERYONE working rigs is a pig 555

[Stevemercer]

I remember my Sportster 883 as a great bike. Bought new in Australia in 2005 for $10,000 and 200,000 kms trouble free motoring. The only thing I had to change was the oil, tires and brake pads. The original belt was still OK even after 200,000 km. I sold it for $12,000 in 2010.

 

[animatic]

On 5/25/2017 at 6:06 AM, ezzra said:

There's another icon that has gone to the dogs and  cheap labor,

gone is the pride, heritage and good al American made hogs...

what happened to Trump promises to keep US  manufacturing in the

US? gone to dogs as well I guess...

Well, actually I looked at all the range of bikes from 800 to 1800 and picked a Harley.

For comfort, short term torque, long distance ridability, customizability, and ease of use.

I've had Hondas, Yamahas, Ducatis and Nortons, and rented other marques,

so I have a clue what I want.

 

Not 100% sure of the quality will stay the same in a Thailand factory.

But there are many Harley fans here and most Thais are quite well heeled, 

due to the cost of post import duty costs of the bikes, etc.

I think they will insist on quality for their bikes, and Harley reps here know that.

And from what I can see the Thailand car market is generally well made.

 

I less flush times, post 2008 crash there is less cash for 'luxury transport',

and Harley is in that niche. So hardly a wonder they have sold less in USA 

than the last decade. But no doubt many used ones changed hands.

Edited May 27, 2017 by animatic

[HaleySabai]

Ducati has a factory here also,but the bottom lines remain significantly higher than in Europe and N.A.

I suspect the price range for Harley's won't be set for the wanna-bees.

In Thailand all big bikes are considered "luxuary" items and so if you want the face, then you should put the money where yo mouth is.

By the way,it's advisable to own a pick-up too....Harley's do like to come home in the back of a truck.

 

Saw a Classic Chrome 500cc Royal Enfield yesterday parked at a Mall in ChiangMai - beauty! I heard a Suzuki dealership is flogging'em now....any idea of price?

Edited May 27, 2017 by HaleySabai

[transam]

1 minute ago, HaleySabai said:

 

 

By the way,it's advisable to own a pick-up too....Harley's do like to come in the back of a truck.

 

 

Rubbish.....

[HaleySabai]

You are right,homy...they are rubbish bikes.

 

[kannot]

7 hours ago, transam said:

Why would you think that...?

both  trade on a  badge

[transam]

6 minutes ago, kannot said:

both  trade on a  badge

Doesn't most stuff now...?

[RigPig]

2 hours ago, transam said:

Doesn't most stuff now...?

Quite right and they must have done something right for the badge to mean something....

[RigPig]

3 hours ago, HaleySabai said:

You are right,homy...they are rubbish bikes.

 

And you would know this because?,,,,,,,,,,,

[harleyclarkey]

A lot of the infantile and pathetic comments about Harleys are down to the jealousy syndrome. Can't afford one? So will then try to make them out to be a "tractor", "hairy old man's bike", "small d**k syndrome", "attention seekers". .etc.etc.etc.

 

Ask yourself how many of the "real" bike riders on "real" machines here, all kitted out in their spotless matching leathers and helmet to mimic their GP heroes, knee sliders with not a mark on them, riding around a few A roads on the weekends (in the sun of course), have ridden a thousand kilometres in a day? Rode a single trip (Canada) of twenty, yes twenty, thousand kilometres that I and my lady have done? Ridden every country in Europe from Norway to Portugal, Ireland to Poland to Serbia/Croatia, all 49 US States, all ten Canadian provinces and one territory (Yukon), South Africa, India, etc.

Oh yes, I forget to tell you .....all on Harleys. And not, touch wood, a single breakdown. One of the best bikes on the planet for proper, real touring.

 

Give up uneducated comments, and forget the pathetic, dated, tired old comments about Harleys and their riders.

 

Love Harleys....dislike the company.

 

ps....just as an aside this "old man and attention seeker, tractor rider" has ridden most of the GP circuits in Europe nearing my 60th year (Jerez and Bruno my favourites) on my Tuono. At 62 I came second in a race on a track day in Mugello in the streetfighter category. Forgot....I wore down both knee sliders and my leathers have had to be professionally patched up after "offs".

Yeah...guess I fit the image a lot of idiots here portray us Harley riders.

 

Edited May 27, 2017 by harleyclarkey

[harleyclarkey]

3 hours ago, HaleySabai said:

You are right,homy...they are rubbish bikes.

 

Here we go again...yet another stupid uneducated comment.

Monster touring torque, comfort, utter reliability, supreme passenger comfort (no knees in your chin) , luggage space......what did I forget?

 

 

 

[Bikeman93]

19 hours ago, transam said:

Perhaps not off topic, you have all heard of the zillionaire Joe Leno, well he puts a lot of his wealth into accumulating a huge selection bikes and cars from near every era and various countries. Here is a list of many vids on each of his bikes, very enjoyable, and from a guy who appreciates all types of m/cycles including Harley's.  Enjoy...

 

 

You forgot the DR650 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGdLm9sXzdo

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spAq8JuXVUY

Edited May 28, 2017 by Bikeman93
Addition

[ben2talk]

12 hours ago, harleyclarkey said:

Here we go again...yet another stupid uneducated comment.

Monster touring torque, comfort, utter reliability, supreme passenger comfort (no knees in your chin) , luggage space......what did I forget?

• Yamaha/Star (11 percent failure rate)
• Suzuki and Honda (12 percent)
• Kawasaki (15 percent)
• Victory (17 percent)
• Harley-Davidson (26 percent)
• Triumph (29 percent)
• Ducati (33 percent)
• BMW (40 percent)

 

For reliablility you should go for the Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda. Have a look at 'energized enthusiasm', then 'evangelism'. It seems that Christianity and Harleys have a lot in common - worship something, have utter faith in something, that you know isn't real.

 

Do some searches 'Harley reliability' or maybe just 'reliable motorbikes'.

 

Really, the reason we're not bothering with this thread is that it really isn't worth arguing. Did you ever hear an atheist and a Christian argue?

 

Here's god - no, there's nothing in that box! Yes there is, I can feel him.

 

Now I get the Torque, and the preference for a top heavy machine, and the desire to put up with flaws  - but try to face the truth of it; we all hate something about our bike - but we lie about it to justify our choice).

 

All bikes suck, just some suck in different ways (and Harley riders suck more than Apple Fanboys).

[ben2talk]

14 hours ago, harleyclarkey said:

Ask yourself how many of the "real" bike riders on "real" machines here

 

Rode a single trip (Canada) of twenty, yes twenty, thousand kilometres that I and my lady have done?

 

One of the best bikes on the planet for proper, real touring.

Does ANYONE actually think that a bike is a superior tool for travelling long distances?

 

Sure, if you want to go 'touring' across continents, a Harley is one option. So are Adidas shoes and bicycles.

 

Actually 'REAL' bikers are the people who use their machines to commute to/from work, go and pick up shopping, take your kid and his go-kart to the local park, daily school runs...

 

'Dream' bikers are people who think it's actually a normal activity to decide not to take an aeroplane, but to make an 'event' of the journey (as if 3-4 hours sitting in a saddle isn't enough... I don't even want to spend more than that sitting on my sofa for chrisssakes!!).

 

So fine - you did your tour. Try to ignore the Honda Gold Wing brigade - it's hardly a bike (more like a pretend car-on-wheels)... The fact is that you're now entering a crazy tiny niche who buy bikes JUST for the tour. You look down on the 'everyday biker' brigade, even the 'weekender' holiday brigade.... In the same breath I can look down on you.

 

Harley are not really very known for their MotoGP bikes - the Japanese do it so much better, and you can sneeze as much as you like when you see a ZX10 being sold in a shop in a Mall and say 'you can't pick up a Harley this easily'. There's a reason for this... and it's not that you need to start spending heaps of cash to try to customise it into a half decent bike 'ok, let's spend a few thousand fitting a monoshock here... make it more like a real sportbike'.

 

If you want better sound, best upgrade from the ZX10 and go for Ducatti - the most amazing sounding bikes that actually keep up riding through traffic. That's right, we're not very likely to be heading up into the Rocky Mountains listening to Led Zeppelin on our ahem ipods any time soon. We ARE likely to pop down to The Mall to buy a new saucepan, maybe some socks, then maybe stop off at Makro and buy 20kg of supplies that will fit nicely in a plastic crate thrown on the metal rack at the back of the rider... 

 

I've seen more 'REAL riders' huddled under bridges when it rains 'it's just not worth the risk' than I could count.

 

Face facts - these are simply toys. People who love bikes will have a 650 Vstrom parked outside, next to a ZX14 (heavy tourer) and a Hyabusa, with a 1000 Fazer for real everyday use... They don't have Harleys. Only Harley worshippers have Harleys.

 

Collectors wishing to preserve expenditure (low depreciation) don't choose good stuff - Toyota are reliable and good cars to use, but we want an MGB because we can get our money back. 

 

The point of this thread is that Harley will build in Thailand - that's money for the Thai economy and good for the country maybe... but if it leads to an increase in the number of Harleys on the roads of Thailand getting in my way when I want to get through traffic (and jeeeez I never saw a Harley that didn't block traffic when I want to go through) then it's definitely not good for me.

 

Real bikers - I bet you never met one.

[Techno Viking]

13 minutes ago, ben2talk said:

 

Actually 'REAL' bikers are the people who use their machines to commute to/from work, go and pick up shopping, take your kid and his go-kart to the local park, daily school runs...

 

 

lol, I ride my scooter to the shops every now and then, did not realize that made me a "real " biker !!

[ben2talk]

lol, I ride my scooter to the shops every now and then, did not realize that made me a "real " biker !!

Neither did anybody else. If anything, it's probably qualifies you as an inexperienced pain in the carpark.

It is not a good thing to be qualified as if I can't, people generally do not like bikers, I certainly do not like bikers.

[Bikeman93]

Just now, ben2talk said:

Does ANYONE actually think that a bike is a superior tool for travelling long distances?

 

Sure, if you want to go 'touring' across continents, a Harley is one option. So are Adidas shoes and bicycles.

 

Actually 'REAL' bikers are the people who use their machines to commute to/from work, go and pick up shopping, take your kid and his go-kart to the local park, daily school runs...

 

'Dream' bikers are people who think it's actually a normal activity to decide not to take an aeroplane, but to make an 'event' of the journey (as if 3-4 hours sitting in a saddle isn't enough... I don't even want to spend more than that sitting on my sofa for chrisssakes!!).

 

So fine - you did your tour. Try to ignore the Honda Gold Wing brigade - it's hardly a bike (more like a pretend car-on-wheels)... The fact is that you're now entering a crazy tiny niche who buy bikes JUST for the tour. You look down on the 'everyday biker' brigade, even the 'weekender' holiday brigade.... In the same breath I can look down on you.

 

Harley are not really very known for their MotoGP bikes - the Japanese do it so much better, and you can sneeze as much as you like when you see a ZX10 being sold in a shop in a Mall and say 'you can't pick up a Harley this easily'. There's a reason for this... and it's not that you need to start spending heaps of cash to try to customise it into a half decent bike 'ok, let's spend a few thousand fitting a monoshock here... make it more like a real sportbike'.

 

If you want better sound, best upgrade from the ZX10 and go for Ducatti - the most amazing sounding bikes that actually keep up riding through traffic. That's right, we're not very likely to be heading up into the Rocky Mountains listening to Led Zeppelin on our ahem ipods any time soon. We ARE likely to pop down to The Mall to buy a new saucepan, maybe some socks, then maybe stop off at Makro and buy 20kg of supplies that will fit nicely in a plastic crate thrown on the metal rack at the back of the rider... 

 

I've seen more 'REAL riders' huddled under bridges when it rains 'it's just not worth the risk' than I could count.

 

Face facts - these are simply toys. People who love bikes will have a 650 Vstrom parked outside, next to a ZX14 (heavy tourer) and a Hyabusa, with a 1000 Fazer for real everyday use... They don't have Harleys. Only Harley worshippers have Harleys.

 

Collectors wishing to preserve expenditure (low depreciation) don't choose good stuff - Toyota are reliable and good cars to use, but we want an MGB because we can get our money back. 

 

The point of this thread is that Harley will build in Thailand - that's money for the Thai economy and good for the country maybe... but if it leads to an increase in the number of Harleys on the roads of Thailand getting in my way when I want to get through traffic (and jeeeez I never saw a Harley that didn't block traffic when I want to go through) then it's definitely not good for me.

 

Real bikers - I bet you never met one.

Agree with most of your comments, but tourers do it because its not comfortable at first but you adapt to it, not with equipment but with mindset, a bit like camping. Sometimes the rougher the better. After the adventure you appreciate the comfort more but realise you can live without it.

 

Ever read Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance? Always makes me want to go touring.

Edited May 28, 2017 by Bikeman93
Addition

[Techno Viking]

2 minutes ago, ben2talk said:

It is not a good thing to be qualified as if I can't, people generally do not like bikers, I certainly do not like bikers.

Why are you even in this thread then if you do not like people that ride motorbikes ?