struggled with the versys today

[jimbobs]

Had a 600km trip on the versys last week.the longest ive had on thai roads as ime a relative newbe on thai biking..so got brave today and just hit the dirt tracks..i have to say i struggled on alot of sandy tracks..
I realise now cambodia and loas will not be possible for me on this bike..
I done a fair bit of scrambling and dirt tracks as a young man..but would not say i am better than average.
The conclusion is i need a crf with just the performance mods ..by the way just saw the klx 450 looks the plumbs but cannot justify that money for a purely off road bike.
Thanks to you and other guys for your invaluable knowledge and help
Ride safe
Thank you
And by the way will start posting trip reports just got my conputor and camera up and running....
If annyone is interested in this part of thailand

 

[TonyBKK]

Oh yeah! At 205kg the Versys is a handful in deep sand, that must have been exhausting!! It does fine on dirt roads and other firm surfaces but if you want to do real off-road, best to get a proper off-road bike. My KLX is in Chaing Mai so I've been trying (and failing) to chase the fellows on my Versys

The KX250F and KX450F are serious off-road weapons, but they are race bikes with tiny fuel tanks and quite expensive when you consider they aren't road legal.

A friend reckons you could get them plated for an extra ~80k baht, but you'd have to install lights, signals, mirrors, etc and that drives the price to well over 400k baht. Cheap compared to a KTM 690, but still a chunk of cash...

Any decent riding in your neck of the woods? Must confess I've never been to Roi Et...

 

[DavidFL]

Arh yes, the Versys is not a sandy off-road bike that's for sure.
Keep your road bike & go rent a 250 if you can, for a bash in the bush.

 

[jimbobs]

Hi Tony
Ime about 60 klms south east of Roi et in khamnade..very flat but it really is hillbilly country and i have only hit the highways up untill know.thats why i am getting a more versatile machine because there must be some great places here.
Respect to you for even going with them guys i had little chicken chaser mopeds leaving me eating their dust all day..
You live and learn mate...if you ever travell this way let me know ide like a little buzz with you guys..
Roi ets beautifull but full of old fellas
Safe riding
Jim

 

[jimbobs]

Davidfl;287817 wrote: Arh yes, the Versys is not a sandy off-road bike that's for sure.
Keep your road bike & go rent a 250 if you can, for a bash in the bush.

there is no rentals at all around here i am looking to see if it is feasable to opening my own...but there is a seriouse lack of westerners here..dont qoute me but i have been told there may be 40 in Roi et...but there seams to be alot of house building ..i really know..
Ile get there in the end
Safe riding Dave
Sorry about my typing ime on a samsung my wife uses the computor and ipad..office ser up soon

 

[jimbobs]

Must admit though i will never sell this motorcycle there is something about the versys and thai roads its not perfect but it works here..i will buy the crf and if it comes the Z800 (if its 50k) of 400,000b but the versys is for keeps..dont know why ..its a keeper..
Would not look at it twice in the uk.
But i love my old machines would love to get some old classic cars..motorbikes but want to be legitimate....
God must be getting old

 

[Franz]

Hi jimbobs, just to echo TonyBkk and David, best bike for off-road in Thailand and also financially interesting are both the KLX250 and the CRF250L. Any more than 250 cc is too heavy and too expensive. Had a DR650 before and this bike was not a heavy weight, got her weight down to fuelled up around 170kgs, but still too heavy for any serious mountain climbing and slimy dirt tracks. Rgds, FR

 

[jimbobs]

Franz;287844 wrote: Hi jimbobs, just to echo TonyBkk and David, best bike for off-road in Thailand and also financially interesting are both the KLX250 and the CRF250L. Any more than 250 cc is too heavy and too expensive. Had a DR650 before and this bike was not a heavy weight, got her weight down to fuelled up around 170kgs, but still too heavy for any serious mountain climbing and slimy dirt tracks. Rgds, FR

Its an old quetion Franz but would you go for the Honda or the kwaka..i really cant decide..i want an old school basher..but tried a d tracker i could not live with the lack of power..which can be modified for reasonable enjoyment..
Itw an old subject but the bike is for destroying eventually what is the one to buy....i want an easy mod and a bike that will take punishment
Thanks again guys

 

[DavidFL]

jimbobs;287865 wrote: Its an old quetion Franz but would you go for the Honda or the kwaka..i really cant decide..i want an old school basher..but tried a d tracker i could not live with the lack of power..which can be modified for reasonable enjoyment..
Itw an old subject but the bike is for destroying eventually what is the one to buy....i want an easy mod and a bike that will take punishment
Thanks again guys

The CRF or the KLX?
Well the talk is that the CRF seems to give a better ride, but when the going gets tough the KLX is a winner - this is what the off-road tour leaders are saying.
If you're only renting take the CRF, but if its yours & your gonna put it to work, its a no brainer - the KLX is built to last & the CRF is built to a competitive price (cheaper materials.)
The guys doing the more serious trail riding / exploring are still on KLXs with no breakdowns & aren't changing over to the CRF.

 

[KZ25]

When you're on real sandy tracks power doesn't help you because it comes with weight and you want to be llight.

I went with my buddy to an area close to a beach, on the way there I took my XR650L and he was on my KLR250, I had an advantage on the street.

As soon as we hit the sand he rode rings around me so we switched!

 

[Ian Bungy]

Ah but None of You Guys actually Own or Ride Both!!! My KLX is Fantastic but it has had some Money spent on it to make it Perform how it should when You Buy it but unfortunately they are Heavily Restricted! The CRF has No restrictions and Performs better at Low and Mid Range than the Kawasaki. I am Waiting for the Performance Kit for the CRF which should increase Top End and improve it everywhere else and make it more than a Match for the KLX! The CRF to Me seems better Quality and Finish than the KLX. Both are Fantastic Value for Money here in Thailand given the Cost of Big Bikes here they are Actually Cheaper than anywhere else in the World!!! Which one You Chose comes down to Brand Loyalty I think? Not Much between them?

 

[jsbkk]

Hoping some info on the below link will help you with your decision ...

 

[KZ25]

Ian Bungy;287884 wrote: I am Waiting for the Performance Kit for the CRF which should increase Top End and improve it everywhere else and make it more than a Match for the KLX! The CRF to Me seems better Quality and Finish than the KLX. Both are Fantastic Value for Money here in Thailand given the Cost of Big Bikes here they are Actually Cheaper than anywhere else in the World!!! Which one You Chose comes down to Brand Loyalty I think? Not Much between them?

Isn't getting the CBR throttle body and ECU the easy and cheap way to do it? Or do you want more power?

When it comes to loyalty - I buy only Japanese! ;-)

 

[KZ25]

Sure, power never hurts and you're right as long as the bike stays light.

But we were talking Versys, DR650S, XL650R and KLR250 and none of those is a real dirt bike. The power of Versys wouldn't be an advantage, even with paddle tires.

Franz, I only used the DR650SE I had around town, with Pirelli MT60s - a total hoot! I didn't expect much when I got it and then I really loved it.

 

[TonyBKK]

KZ25;287890 wrote: Isn't getting the CBR throttle body and ECU the easy and cheap way to do it? Or do you want more power?

When it comes to loyalty - I buy only Japanese! ;-)

Odd comment since both the CRF-L and KLX are made in Thailand, not Japan... :/

 

[KZ25]

TonyBKK;287940 wrote: Mode comment since both the CRF-L and KLX are made in Thailand, not Japan... :/

Of course they are assembled here.

Are you saying the CRF and the CBR are not Japanese?

 

[TonyBKK]

KZ25;287947 wrote: Of course they are assembled here.

Are you saying the CRF and the CBR are not Japanese?

Totally off topic, but what I'm saying is, a Made in Thailand Japanese bike does not measure up to a Made in Japan Japanese Bike.

Check for example, the service schedule for the Made in Japan Versys against the Made in Thailand Versys. Clearly the qc folks at team green recognize that their Japanese made bikes require less frequent maintenance than their "identical" Made in Thailand bikes.

back on topic, sorta

 

[bsacbob]

Davidfl;287871 wrote: The CRF or the KLX?
Well the talk is that the CRF seems to give a better ride, but when the going gets tough the KLX is a winner - this is what the off-road tour leaders are saying.
If you're only renting take the CRF, but if its yours & your gonna put it to work, its a no brainer - the KLX is built to last & the CRF is built to a competitive price (cheaper materials.)
The guys doing the more serious trail riding / exploring are still on KLXs with no breakdowns & aren't changing over to the CRF.

Have to say i own a KLX and Versys and having riden on Laos a number of times i wouldn't think to take the Versys there, the 13N from Nong Kiew would shake it to bit's even with MT60's on the bike is too heavy. The KLX is great, light and fast enough, although a bit more low end power would be good but i guess we will have to wait for a 400 to come around. We rode on the 4B from Hongsa last week and hit a steep downhill section about 35kms in that had just had rain, with no traction we all dropped our bikes on this section and jointly walked them down the hill, ended up completely exhausted but still smiling. On the Versys i would have needed hospital care and intravenous beer Laos:happy2:

 

[KZ25]

TonyBKK;288015 wrote: Totally off topic, but what I'm saying is, a Made in Thailand Japanese bike does not measure up to a Made in Japan Japanese Bike.

I wouldn't know if that is so and frankly I don't care, because even if a "Made in Japan" bike is better than a "Made in Thailand" one, the Jap-made bike is either way more expensive or not for sale here.

That leaves me with cheaper, made-in-Thailand bikes that should hold up well enough.

Some bikes assembled here will be shipped and sold around the world so they are not just cheap crap for the locals around here. Don't think Honda would gamble with its reputation.

In the case of the Versys, I wouldn't pay double the price for an imported one which has better frame welds, better chains and sprockets and less frequent service intervals.

 

[KZ25]

bsacbob;288032 wrote: The KLX is great, light and fast enough, although a bit more low end power would be good...

Maybe a CRF250L would be worth a try?

 

[bsacbob]

KZ25;288039 wrote: Maybe a CRF250L would be worth a try?

Interesting thought, but just had 7 days in Laos both on and off road, my KLX has a modded ECU and the Honda struggled to keep up :think:

 

[bsacbob]

brake034;288059 wrote: Let me guess.......KLX modded ECU and Honda standard??

That's correct, but i thought i had already said that previously.

 

[brian_bkk]

I was in Vientiane recently and dropped by to see Fuark before crossing to Thailand..
He does bike rentals and supplies most of the bike rentals companies in VTE with the bikes they hire out..

He said the CRF is OK and agreed we need to wait a couple of seasons to see how they hold up., also clutch issues.
He said the parts of cheaper than the KLX in Laos..
But the KLX more stable / reliable.. but for him a cost reason to purchase the CRF.

Had a mate hire a CRF from Fuark when in Laos, brand new.. He has ridden lots of dirt growing up in the Australian outback..
Then he rode the KLX at Baan Ricky.. His opinion was the KLX is a better machine.

Cheers
Brian

 

[Muzz]

For all the exotica I have owned over the years, it is all gone now. For me, in Thailand a KLX250 and a ER-6n cheap cheerful and you are covered on road or off road. I think you get to a point in life where you don't really worry about what you are seen on as long as it does what it's supposed to do! Would love to have one of these though www.rokon.com

 

[jimbobs]

Yeh Muzz they look fun..i totally agree the Nr6 and the Klx is fantastic for Asia.
But if the Z800 is the right price would you be tempted.
I am buying something off road definately..but if the job ime in lasts i think the Z800 will be a popular choice..if it happenns..but ime happy with the versys if not....
Ide love to try the Nr6 i think its alot bettet looking than the n
Versys aswell ..but i travel alot of rough roads to my house
Safe riding mate