Motorbike to street motor cycle

[dchi]

Im currently living in Thailand and would like to buy a motorcycle for street use when I return to the US. I have been riding in Thailand for 7 months on a 135cc Yamaha Spark. Don't laugh because here its considered the 2nd fastest bike made and sold in this country. The fastest is the Honda CBR 150, its a cool little bike. Anyways, my bike is only 135cc and makes about 10 hp. Its fuel injected, very modern, can reach 75 mph and gets about 100 mpg. The tank is only 1 gallon. Bigger bikes are available but new ones can not be sold here. Anything over 200 cc faces serious taxes and must be imported used. For example a use CBR 600 with high milage and 3 years old would sell for about $10,000!
Riding here is dangerous, wrong side of the road, people run red lights all the time, speed, drive at night without any lights or reflectors, carry insane loads on their bikes and trucks, ect. I feel I gotten a lot of experience in a short amount of time.
I would like to move up to a bigger bike when I get back, but I have never ridden a larger street machine. I have ridden and owned dirt bikes when I was younger, XR200, KX 100,KLX 300 and KX 250. The last one kinda scared me but I did get fairly good with it. I know I DO NOT WANT a cruiser or 600 sport bike. I think something lighter easy to handle and feel stable on the highway maybe 40-50 HP 500cc or less. I was thinking maybe a DRZ400 but long rides would be uncomforatable(seat,wind,buzzing motor at 70mph). No on the 650 DR or KLR, too tall for me. Im only 5'8" 145 lbs. What do you all think? Also any chance these starter bike could take a trunk box or panniers?

[dchi]

I just wanted to say I think its really funny when all these people say Im 6'-6'5" 200-300 lbs can this 650cc bike haul me around. The Honda Wave 100-125 cc is by far the most popular bike in this country. Every day they are riding 2 up. Very common to see upto 4 people up or a side car modified on it carrying a whole family. They go across bad roads and up hills no problem. I think people need to ask "Im 6'2" 260 lbs, will this 650cc bike take me to 140 mph?"

[Scott58]

See what you can do about getting your bike back to the states. It's been years ago but when I returned home from over seas I considered trying to get a few of my bikes back, but I figured hell there just 50's. I can get something better. Well come to find out a YZ 125 of the day couldn't touch a 6 gear fantic 50cc for performance or gas mileage. The US really lacks a good selection in the range of motorcycle your talking about. The mind set here is just skewed toward "bigger is better". The only problem you'd have is EPA and parts for your bike. They won't even let you put turn signals and lights on a good 125cc dirt bike here (believe me I've tried to make it happen). I'm the exact same height and weight you are (with a 32" inseam). I've looked at the KLR "type" bikes several times and they're a bit to tall for my liking. You'd have to consider having it lowered which will add cost to an already overpriced market. I don't think your going to like what you find when you get here. Maybe you'll get lucky, but the 500cc and under class really sucks here in my opinion and in the 25 years i've been back here i've always just settled for what I ride and have never found exactly what I wanted (with the exception of the RD-400, but thats gone now too). Good luck.

[jonnythan]

You might like the Suzuki GS500 or SV650 or... Kawasaki Ninja 500?

[Grendel_Sprite]

Have you checked out the scooters (motorbikes) available in the US? The selection has been getting better lately, at least where I live. Kymco, Vespa, Piaggio, Aprillia, Honda and Suzuki all sell scoots here. The line is pretty well rounded with scoots from 50cc to 500+cc.

I've got an Aprillia Scarabeo 250 and it handles the freeway and around-town duties pretty well. It also comes with a top case. I think the 500 comes with panniers.

[dchi]

I did look at the scooters. The prices leaves me in shock. 95% of the population here rely on a bike as there only transportation. So very high quality bikes from Honda,Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki with engine sizes from 100-150cc are priced cheap at $1000. The same quality bikes in the US go for $3000 and $5-6000 for one with 250-500 cc engines. I think its cheaper in the US to go with a motorcycle. Also im not sure about those little tires on the highway at 75mph. Here they use them but most people are only going about 50-60mph on the shoulder of the highway. Also Im amazed at how many miles they put on these things. Most have over 30,000 km or 20,000 miles on them and still going strong.[/img]

[dchi]

Those Aprilla's sure do look nice and expensive. Im sure I would get alot of laughs rding one of those in the states. If I had one of those babies here, it would be like having a Escalade with 24" gold plated wheels! If they were priced cheaper, I would care what others thought, and would probably get one when I got back to the US.
Can some one tell me how to post pics? THere are really interesting bikes here that you dont see in the US. They make a CBR 150, really neat and a KSR 110 supermotard. Funny seeing a grown man riding one of those down the street, but they are consider perfomance bikes here and are heavily modified. You guys that have the Harleys and sports bikes would rule here. However the traffic pattern are not well suited for full size bikes and its not legal to use a motorcycle on the free way, but many do. Also the thais laugh at guys with big bikes like you guys laugh at some one riding a scooter. It just not the norm here.

[dchi]

Its nearly impossible to bring a bike into or out of this counrty without paying more than the bike is worth in taxes and duty fees. If I could, me and every other Expat here would buy every bike we could and imort them to the US. They are very high quality from honda,yamaha, suzuki and Kawasaki. They all get near 100 mpg and can all do 50mph or more easy. Best thing is they are all about $900-1600 new! Check out the Honda wave, Air Blade, Click, Yamaha Nouvo, Spark, Mio. There the most popular bikes in Thailand. Must be 10 million of them here no joke! They blow away any US made or imported mini bike/scooter that is priced under $3000.

[Fast Eddy B]

Can some one tell me how to post pics?

Please post some pics. I've got some from thailand, and I'd like to see more. Here's the link:

viewtopic.php?t=13503

Follow the steps, it works well.

My pics from Koh Panang are now gone on imagespot, but maybe I'll reload them. In the meantime,send us yours...

[dchi]

[img]http://img14.imgspot.com/u/07/207/04/P3120051