G'day riders! I am in Rawai, south Phuket, and i have finally picked up a new CRF250 Rally
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What bike(s) are you actually riding?
- Thread starter gobs
- Start date
G'day riders! I am in Rawai, south Phuket, and i have finally picked up a new CRF250 Rally
starting to face problems with the bike park
the new one, received last tuesday
the new one, received last tuesday
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I added a New Bike also, The New Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled! This Bike is Awesome for up here in Northern Thailand. This is a New Model and Way Different to all the other Scrambler Family! Nearly 8 Inches of Fully Adjustable Suspension, Different Frame, Swing Arm and Wheels. It Eats the Twisty and Rough Roads! I have only done 1000 km on it but Love it!
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It isn't supposed to be an Adventure Bike, More a Retro Scrambler capable of doing what it's Name suggests unlike any other so called "Scramblers" Offered on the Market today! That's the reason for the 19 inch Front not a 21. It is still a Very Capable Bike and Fantastic Fun. I will call in next time I am up there and You can take it for a Spin. it holds it weight well and feels like a Big CRF in the way it Handles!
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Due to a lengthy landscaping and house construction project, the garage has been bereft of a 'proper' bike for the past 2 years... and I could not bear to ride the wife's Honda Click, it's so flimsy that it scares the daylights out of me! During this exile, I've discovered that there are few things worse than thinking like a motorcyclist whilst being trapped behind the wheel of an elderly, horsepower-deprived 3.0 Hilux Sportrider...
The inability to overtake on even the most imperceptible incline does however give one plenty of time to ponder on the sort of bike one would ride, when one could finally justify ownership of a new bike... I've always liked cruisers and have variously owned an 1100 cc Shadow, a Vulcan 900 and 400, even a Phantom 200 a decade ago when choices were very, very limited in Thailand. The expanding range of "retro-modern" bikes has captured my interest over the past couple of years, and I was leaning towards close scrutiny of a Royal Enfield Classic 500 as a strong contender. Whilst in Mae Sot on a border crossing mission a couple of years ago, I was very impressed by a large group of Royal Enfield bikes heading into Myanmar on a tour. That was the first time I'd ever seen one! The only reason I decided against the Royal Enfield 500 was the modest 27 horsepower, and thinking that I might be doomed to remain stuck forever behind the cabbage trucks - but on 2 wheels instead of 4.
The new Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor looks gorgeous and is likely to be in my price range, but it is at least a year away... Suzuki finally have their new Boulevard available, but the price is a little steep. The Kawasaki Vulcan 650 is nowhere near as aesthetically pleasing as a the Vulcan Custom 900, and the Honda CTX 700 has similar chunky lines... And then, a few weeks ago, I was in Chiang Mai, heading to the Peera Pharmacy near Thapae Gate. I usually get a park down the back of Big Wing Honda, and get a coffee at the Black Canyon nearby. As I walked past the Honda workshop entrance I spotted a model I'd never seen before - a neat little Honda cruiser with decent lines! The Honda Rebel CMX 500...
The last bike I owned was a CBX 500, and although its not the style I'd normally opt for, its price and performance made it an attractive package and I really enjoyed riding it. The fact that the Rebel CMX 500 is based on the same engine, albeit engineered to produce more torque, was a good selling point.
Khun Yuam - CMX 500 - in standard trim... on the way to Mae Hong Son to meet up with the memorial ride participants.
So, a month later the Rebel is well past the 1,000 kms initial service, and has now been suitably attired in the essential bling. Actually, I opted for the slightly more expensive "enhanced" version which comes with straight handle bars, engine guard / crash-bars, stainless trim on radiator etc, and front foot-boards instead of pegs. On top of that, I've acquired saddlebags from Pat & Marty at CRSaddlebags.com, saddlebag racks, plus a windscreen and a custom seat from Zeed Parts in Bangkok. The spotlights are fitted on the crash bars but are not yet wired up, and there's an air horn in the mail.
At this point, I am very happy with the way the bike performs. The low centre of gravity and impressive lean angles, coupled with light weight, make it a delight to ride on the twisty back roads of Mae Hong Son province... It is low enough that when stopping at the city traffic lights, I can plant both boots flat on the ground while seated. That's a great comfort when the streets are slick in midsummer...
The inability to overtake on even the most imperceptible incline does however give one plenty of time to ponder on the sort of bike one would ride, when one could finally justify ownership of a new bike... I've always liked cruisers and have variously owned an 1100 cc Shadow, a Vulcan 900 and 400, even a Phantom 200 a decade ago when choices were very, very limited in Thailand. The expanding range of "retro-modern" bikes has captured my interest over the past couple of years, and I was leaning towards close scrutiny of a Royal Enfield Classic 500 as a strong contender. Whilst in Mae Sot on a border crossing mission a couple of years ago, I was very impressed by a large group of Royal Enfield bikes heading into Myanmar on a tour. That was the first time I'd ever seen one! The only reason I decided against the Royal Enfield 500 was the modest 27 horsepower, and thinking that I might be doomed to remain stuck forever behind the cabbage trucks - but on 2 wheels instead of 4.
The new Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor looks gorgeous and is likely to be in my price range, but it is at least a year away... Suzuki finally have their new Boulevard available, but the price is a little steep. The Kawasaki Vulcan 650 is nowhere near as aesthetically pleasing as a the Vulcan Custom 900, and the Honda CTX 700 has similar chunky lines... And then, a few weeks ago, I was in Chiang Mai, heading to the Peera Pharmacy near Thapae Gate. I usually get a park down the back of Big Wing Honda, and get a coffee at the Black Canyon nearby. As I walked past the Honda workshop entrance I spotted a model I'd never seen before - a neat little Honda cruiser with decent lines! The Honda Rebel CMX 500...
The last bike I owned was a CBX 500, and although its not the style I'd normally opt for, its price and performance made it an attractive package and I really enjoyed riding it. The fact that the Rebel CMX 500 is based on the same engine, albeit engineered to produce more torque, was a good selling point.
Khun Yuam - CMX 500 - in standard trim... on the way to Mae Hong Son to meet up with the memorial ride participants.
So, a month later the Rebel is well past the 1,000 kms initial service, and has now been suitably attired in the essential bling. Actually, I opted for the slightly more expensive "enhanced" version which comes with straight handle bars, engine guard / crash-bars, stainless trim on radiator etc, and front foot-boards instead of pegs. On top of that, I've acquired saddlebags from Pat & Marty at CRSaddlebags.com, saddlebag racks, plus a windscreen and a custom seat from Zeed Parts in Bangkok. The spotlights are fitted on the crash bars but are not yet wired up, and there's an air horn in the mail.
At this point, I am very happy with the way the bike performs. The low centre of gravity and impressive lean angles, coupled with light weight, make it a delight to ride on the twisty back roads of Mae Hong Son province... It is low enough that when stopping at the city traffic lights, I can plant both boots flat on the ground while seated. That's a great comfort when the streets are slick in midsummer...
Bought this last week.
Like riding a savage beast.
Like riding a savage beast.
I guess I should post a picture of my newly acquired ride then as well. It's a Royal Enfield Himalayan 2018. It's a great bike. A lot of fun to ride.
I also have a small yamaha X1-R from a while back.
Great little bike and fun to ride in a different way.
I also have a small yamaha X1-R from a while back.
Great little bike and fun to ride in a different way.
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Hi there Fritztouw
Very interesting bike you have there. Any chance to share some experiences with the Himalayan?
How many kms have you done with it now? Experienced any problems?
Whats will you say the cruising speed is on highway, without premature engine wear?
Whats the fuel milage?
Thanks in advance!
Very interesting bike you have there. Any chance to share some experiences with the Himalayan?
How many kms have you done with it now? Experienced any problems?
Whats will you say the cruising speed is on highway, without premature engine wear?
Whats the fuel milage?
Thanks in advance!
Hi,
The bike has been great so far. I've done 2500km on it and I'm still very happy with it. At first i was a bit apprehensive about buying one since all the problems with the BS3 version but the one sold here is a BS4 with fuel injection. I get about 35km/l and usually i can go around 350-400 easily on a tank.
Sure it's not a powerhouse (27hp and 24nm torque if I'm correct) and it's not lighting fast but it has substantial torque to do any climbing and the 21/17 front rear wheels make it very capable off road. I just took it up phu toei national park and it didn't stall once on me despite the mud and ruts. In low rpm it just kept chugging up the hill.
On the tarmac it keeps up with other traffic well. I don't drive that fast in Thailand but you can easily stay ahead of traffic. Top speed i around 130-135 or so. It will easily cruise at around 110km/hr. I find riding highways not a problem with the himalayan here. It just depends on how you ride i guess. Vibrations are minimal compared to the bullet and gt since it's a long stroke and it has a counter balancer.
The seat is quite good and I'm 6"4 and have no issues sitting or standing on the bike. I usually do long trips of around 500+ km and I've had no issues yet with the seat or anything. I did buy one of these cooling mesh nets that you can put over the seat which helps in keeping the seat cool. It's oil/aircooled after all . In the end I might buy some bar risers though. I ride a lot two up and that's never really impacted performance much.
Suspension is fine, it's not a GS or africa twin but it does the job also off road. You get 60mm more front suspension travel than on a cb500x. This really makes a difference.
No problems so far and I don't suspect any either since the majority of initial problems have been weeded out on the BS3 version. It's a very basic bike, sturdy built and it does exactly what you expect for the specs/price ratio. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Fritz
The bike has been great so far. I've done 2500km on it and I'm still very happy with it. At first i was a bit apprehensive about buying one since all the problems with the BS3 version but the one sold here is a BS4 with fuel injection. I get about 35km/l and usually i can go around 350-400 easily on a tank.
Sure it's not a powerhouse (27hp and 24nm torque if I'm correct) and it's not lighting fast but it has substantial torque to do any climbing and the 21/17 front rear wheels make it very capable off road. I just took it up phu toei national park and it didn't stall once on me despite the mud and ruts. In low rpm it just kept chugging up the hill.
On the tarmac it keeps up with other traffic well. I don't drive that fast in Thailand but you can easily stay ahead of traffic. Top speed i around 130-135 or so. It will easily cruise at around 110km/hr. I find riding highways not a problem with the himalayan here. It just depends on how you ride i guess. Vibrations are minimal compared to the bullet and gt since it's a long stroke and it has a counter balancer.
The seat is quite good and I'm 6"4 and have no issues sitting or standing on the bike. I usually do long trips of around 500+ km and I've had no issues yet with the seat or anything. I did buy one of these cooling mesh nets that you can put over the seat which helps in keeping the seat cool. It's oil/aircooled after all . In the end I might buy some bar risers though. I ride a lot two up and that's never really impacted performance much.
Suspension is fine, it's not a GS or africa twin but it does the job also off road. You get 60mm more front suspension travel than on a cb500x. This really makes a difference.
No problems so far and I don't suspect any either since the majority of initial problems have been weeded out on the BS3 version. It's a very basic bike, sturdy built and it does exactly what you expect for the specs/price ratio. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Fritz
Bloody Hell Moose65, You Like Ballistic Missile Bikes then? Not to many Supercharged SX on the Road here I would think? Very Nice.
Thanks for sharing the experiences and thought about the Himalayan Fritz. I have a Honda Crf 250L in Thailand and I am thinking about an upgrade and possibly a Himalayan. Love the Camo colored one! Or I might also keep the Crf and add another bike. The Crf is a great bike for what it is. It suits most of the roads in Thailand well except for the highways of course. Economical and reliable too. But for long highway days and when the gf wants to join in, its not the best option. Even though we rode Hua Hin to Lampang in one day (825 kms or so via Suphanburi) on the Crf.
I have ridden RE Bullets on organised trips in Bhutan, Nepal and northern India and just loved those bikes.
Wow - 35 kms/l, thats great fuel milage and even better than my Crf which gets 33,3 kms/l or so riding 90-95 kms/h clock speed but since the Crf speedo is 7 % optimistic the real speed is around 87-88 I guess. I dont want to ride the little Crf any faster over time as I think I will wear out the engine prematurely. If I could do 100 kms/h I would be happy and you say 110 is ok on the Himalayan I should be more than happy with that.
Brakes are said to be not the best on the Himalayan and suspension a bit soft, but since its not racing bike I guess one can live with it.
I have also read that valve check is every 5000 kms and oil change every 10000 kms. That valve check interval sound a bit weird. Maybe in the beginning, but after 20-30 k kms, every 5000 kms?
Ok - time will show if I ever buy one. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and experiences on this bike.
So this is my two bikes. The first is my Honda Crf 250L which is thai plated. The second is a Yamaha Tenere 660 which Im doing a Around the world trip on for the moment. Its got 170 k kms on the clock pr now.
Hi Dodraugen,
That's interesting, I'm looking at a CRF250L to buy as an addition. I don't like riding two up and my SO doesn't have a bike yet so I guess it's a good excuse. I love those bikes and I assume they'll allow a bit more aggressive off roading. I don't mind taking the Himalayan on trails but I just think the CRF will do it a lot better (and lighter). Was looking at buying one second hand perhaps.
The himalayan sleet (the camo one) looks quite nice indeed. I went for the black one in the end. As far as the brakes go... they're not that bad. Just give it a good squeeze and they'll bite. The rear brake is a tad bit touchy and locks up easily going downhill, on tarmac it's fine though. That's the only complaint I have about it but I probably just need to adjust the lever. In the beginning, the front brake was a bit sluggish / soft but it's actually improved over the last 1500 km. Regarding the suspension, I'm not sure if it's soft or not. The rear suspension is a tad bit hard at times and I'm bouncing all over the seat doing a 100km/hr on secondary roads with rough patches; it's quite firm. Front is soft, but it's intended that way to cater for off road / Indian roads I think. The bike is hugely popular in India.
For an off-road performance review, this guy has tested it and he seems to know what he's doing with the bike. This convinced me to buy it.
The maintenance schedule is quite odd indeed but I checked with RE in Bangkok and they said the 5,000km valve check is for the first time, after that it's 10,000km I believe. I can check with the maintenance schedule but it's a bit over the top.
I posted a trip report I did recently with the bike here in the western Thailand forum.
Great bikes! Do you have a trip / progress report somewhere online for the RTW trip? 170K is a lot!
I guess we are quite off topic by now, appologies for that. But if you or anyone else want to have a look - I have a not so serious Facebookside where I post photos and comments from my trip. Im in Ecuador for the moment heading north. Will cross the Darien Gap 10-13 October.
En idiot på mc-tur/An idiot and his motorbike going abroad
My 2 bikes and my ATV, CRF250L in motard trim, versys 650 and CF Moto Cforce 550
Intro: Rider n Kampot, Cambodia, sold CRF250L because it was a tank, bought KLX250S (enduro model) Handling is infinitely better. I am 5 ft. 10 in about 170 pounds and 72 years young.
However, the Honda had more torque. That quick fix off jumping the clutch lever switch seemed like a good idea. I tried it and it probably gave 10 or more percent power, not so much on torque but great mid and high quite noticable. I think that with clutch lever pulled in the whole map just goes about 5% richer across the board. Makes for easier starting and probably a simple mapping procedure for manufacturer. No other mods yet. Any other KLX250 owners are welcome to contact me. Questions about Cambo entertained. It is a great country. I am Canadian and have 2 year in Nam, 3 in Thai and five here in Cambo. agreyfox (at) gmail.com.
However, the Honda had more torque. That quick fix off jumping the clutch lever switch seemed like a good idea. I tried it and it probably gave 10 or more percent power, not so much on torque but great mid and high quite noticable. I think that with clutch lever pulled in the whole map just goes about 5% richer across the board. Makes for easier starting and probably a simple mapping procedure for manufacturer. No other mods yet. Any other KLX250 owners are welcome to contact me. Questions about Cambo entertained. It is a great country. I am Canadian and have 2 year in Nam, 3 in Thai and five here in Cambo. agreyfox (at) gmail.com.
While I have the Vstrom off the road for crash repairs I have to own up & admit I'm using a Kawasaki Dtracker 250 for temporary transport.
I call it the black plonker. Its nimble & easy to use around town. It could do with more power, better suspension, luggage capacity, bigger fuel tank..you could go on, but it does the job and because you travel a lot slower you actually smile a lot more and have a lot more fun / interaction with the locals rather than just blasting on pass in a flash. So you see and learn more!
Comfi Cheeks has come to the rescue for longer distance riding on that razor plank of a seat.
Comfi Cheeks Motorcycle Seat Pads
I call it the black plonker. Its nimble & easy to use around town. It could do with more power, better suspension, luggage capacity, bigger fuel tank..you could go on, but it does the job and because you travel a lot slower you actually smile a lot more and have a lot more fun / interaction with the locals rather than just blasting on pass in a flash. So you see and learn more!
Comfi Cheeks has come to the rescue for longer distance riding on that razor plank of a seat.
Comfi Cheeks Motorcycle Seat Pads