kawasaki 250 tracker or Ne-6 which is better for me

jimbobs · Oct 20, 2012

Alright lads

Ime just about to finish building my house in phontong near Roi et and ime gone treat myself to a bike .i work in mexico and work 8 weeks on and 3 weeks home in Roi et. ive been buzzin around on the rev and rips and its pissing me off because i cant go very far because they are shite.
Ime gona spend about 150k to 200k on a bike and ime either lookin at a new tracker or a second hand kwacker Ne-6/ninja etc..the roads where i am are really bad so i need something that will cope with rough roads/dirt tracks and highways..i also want to do a bit of travelling on my bike.
Is the Tracker upto long journeys/ will the Ne-6 be ok on dog rough roads...ive ridden bikes all my life but i wouldnt say ime great on or off road
CAN YOU ADVISE.

Joelthailand · Oct 21, 2012

Hi,
I got a D-Tracker & it's a very capable fun bike with enough grunt & modest power for your needs. Stock forks are great for pot holes etc (a bit soft for fast road riding & hard braking) but perfect for rough roads/dirt tracks and highways. Rear shock is fully 3 way adjustable btw. The stock off-the-forecourt restricted D-Tracker is ridiculously underpowered but unrestricted & with a aftermarket pipe is way better, which makes for a good all round machine.

I would not want to ride rough roads/dirt tracks on a ER6/ninja!!! But a Versys (if your legs are long enough) with some dual sport tires like Pirelli Scorpions or something a touch more knobblier would be fantastic & a lot of fun.

Be warned the D-Tracker will initially feel powerful enough after buzzing around on scooters but after a few months it will feel under powered & you may wish you got a 650 Versys in the first place imho!!

EDIT: Long journeys would not be comfortable on the D-Tracker with it's stock saddle!! A 100+km ride would have you walking like John Wayne...:shock: If you could take the pain & vibration the bike could sit theoretically at 100km/h for hundreds of kilometers at a time. (100km/h is about 6000rpm on stock gearing).

Sharktooth · Oct 21, 2012

Joelthailand;283541 wrote: Hi,
I got a D-Tracker & it's a very capable fun bike with enough grunt & modest power for your needs. Stock forks are great for pot holes etc (a bit soft for fast road riding & hard braking) but perfect for rough roads/dirt tracks and highways. Rear shock is fully 3 way adjustable btw. The stock off-the-forecourt restricted D-Tracker is ridiculously underpowered but unrestricted & with a aftermarket pipe is way better, which makes for a good all round machine.

I would not want to ride rough roads/dirt tracks on a ER6/ninja!!! But a Versys (if your legs are long enough) with some dual sport tires like Pirelli Scorpions or something a touch more knobblier would be fantastic & a lot of fun.

Be warned the D-Tracker will initially feel powerful enough after buzzing around on scooters but after a few months it will feel under powered & you may wish you got a 650 Versys in the first place imho!!

EDIT: Long journeys would not be comfortable on the D-Tracker with it's stock saddle!! A 100+km ride would have you walking like John Wayne...:shock: If you could take the pain & vibration the bike could sit theoretically at 100km/h for hundreds of kilometers at a time. (100km/h is about 6000rpm on stock gearing).

Completely agree with this. Had my d-tracker nearly two years and the buzz wears off very quickly. Way underpowered and any kind of distance is a painful experience. Go with a Versys...

jimbobs · Oct 24, 2012

thanks guys i am leaning towards the versys but i think i will struggle to get a decent on for 200000bt, i appreciate the advice

TonyBKK · Oct 24, 2012

I've seen low mileage Versys in good nick go for a bit over 200k.
Keep your eyes open and you might find one, but be aware they are in high demand as there's a 3-4 month wait if you want a new one from Kawasaki right now.
Happy Trails!
Tony

Sharktooth · Oct 25, 2012

TonyBKK;283621 wrote: I've seen low mileage Versys in good nick go for a bit over 200k.
Keep your eyes open and you might find one, but be aware they are in high demand as there's a 3-4 month wait if you want a new one from Kawasaki right now.
Happy Trails!
Tony

3-4 month? Really? That's thrown a huge pish flavored spanner in my plans!!!

Joelthailand · Oct 26, 2012

Popped into Kawasaki Phuket this morning & asked about Versys waiting lists & they laughed & said we have 3 brown/white models available to buy today. You can ride away in 4 days time after payment is received & red plate is done!! Sorry have to wait one month for all black model, they said to me.

jimbobs · Oct 28, 2012

Thanks alot gents ive just put a deposit down on a new Versys , i could no be arsed waiting so thanks for the advice, I have chosen a brown one (not what i would have preferred) because i do not like white bikes, i am not in thailand at the moment so my wife is sorting it out, (i know what your thinking) but i have no choice.
Joel you have said if you pay for the bike you can have it in 5days, my wife has toldd me they have said delivery will be dec , jan ,feb ,or may be march if they have big problem (dont you live thailand) so ime completely confused, ime gettin mine in Khon Kean because thats the nearest to Roi et .
Tony ive seen alot of your threads and you seem to have the measure of biking in thailand, do you supply engine guards and parts for the Versys because every time ive bought something here it never fits or its the wrong part, so nice one for the help and advice guys

yankee99 · Oct 28, 2012

jimbobs;283693 wrote: Thanks alot gents ive just put a deposit down on a new Versys , i could no be arsed waiting so thanks for the advice, I have chosen a brown one (not what i would have preferred) because i do not like white bikes, i am not in thailand at the moment so my wife is sorting it out, (i know what your thinking) but i have no choice.
Joel you have said if you pay for the bike you can have it in 5days, my wife has toldd me they have said delivery will be dec , jan ,feb ,or may be march if they have big problem (dont you live thailand) so ime completely confused, ime gettin mine in Khon Kean because thats the nearest to Roi et .
Tony ive seen alot of your threads and you seem to have the measure of biking in thailand, do you supply engine guards and parts for the Versys because every time ive bought something here it never fits or its the wrong part, so nice one for the help and advice guys

Joel is in phuket. My guess would be if you go to phuket and pick it up you are good to go. I am not sure what the five days is about. Here in pattaya if you pay cash for a bike its a matter of hours not days.

Joelthailand · Oct 28, 2012

I'm sure you can walk in & ride out if you contact them first & arrange a special fast service. The 4 day thing is the general (not in a rush) pre-delivery inspection, arrange basic insurance in your name, get your forms filled in for Green book & assign a red number plate to your bike etc.

If 3 people walk into Kawasaki Phuket this week for a Versys, then they will be out of stock like most other dealerships in Thailand! I think the all black model is pretty hard to get at the moment......that's the one I would want.

TonyBKK · Oct 29, 2012

yankee99;283698 wrote: Joel is in phuket. My guess would be if you go to phuket and pick it up you are good to go. I am not sure what the five days is about. Here in pattaya if you pay cash for a bike its a matter of hours not days.

Every dealer gets an allotment of bikes, when they're sold out they have to wait for their next allotment. If one dealer is sold out you may well be able to find the bike you're looking for in stock at another dealer.

As far as I know the Kawasaki dealer in Khon Kaen is NOT an authorized Kawasaki Big Bike dealer and have not been trained to service 650cc Kwackers. If you order a Versys there they are probably sourcing it from one of the Kawasaki Authorized Big Bike Dealers. Probably Korat or Udon.

jimbobs · Oct 29, 2012

Hi Tony
Yes you are right they are just booking the motorbike from Khon Kaen all sevicing etc will be done in Udon , thanks for all you help and i will be ordering all my future parts through your company,
nice on Jim

alanr1610 · Oct 30, 2012

Hi Jimbobs,
You wont be disapointed with the Versys when you get it. I had similar problems finding lead times last year. Just hang in there.
I am in the UK until Jan / Feb 2013. I was taken out on my Versys in Sept 2011. Hit and run, nearly cost me my leg hence the reason for being back in the UK. I live down in Buriram but the missus is from Phon Thong so travel up from time to time to see the family. Happy to meet up next year when I am back. In the meantime if you fancy getting out and about there are plenty of bike parties coming up now as the biker season is just satrting. Buriram Bike Party is on 26th January and is worth a visit and always has a good mixture of bikes and people, Thai and Farang.
Give you a shout when I am back in Thailand.

Alan (Wolf Rider MC Buriram)
QUOTE=jimbobs;283529]Alright lads

Ime just about to finish building my house in phontong near Roi et and ime gone treat myself to a bike .i work in mexico and work 8 weeks on and 3 weeks home in Roi et. ive been buzzin around on the rev and rips and its pissing me off because i cant go very far because they are shite.
Ime gona spend about 150k to 200k on a bike and ime either lookin at a new tracker or a second hand kwacker Ne-6/ninja etc..the roads where i am are really bad so i need something that will cope with rough roads/dirt tracks and highways..i also want to do a bit of travelling on my bike.
Is the Tracker upto long journeys/ will the Ne-6 be ok on dog rough roads...ive ridden bikes all my life but i wouldnt say ime great on or off road
CAN YOU ADVISE.[/QUOTE]

jimbobs · Oct 30, 2012

Hi Alan ,,wow that was nasty with your leg eh ,,how was the insurance people ive often wondered about insurance in Thailand, are you still going to ride in Thailand its a bit of a decision like isnt it after nearly losing your leg,,ime back over in 3 weeks and in Feb so it would be great to see another ferang around Phon Thong, anyway take care and i will hopefully see you around
Jim

alanr1610 · Oct 31, 2012

Its not so much the insurance as the hospitals you need to wonder about. Five opperations in Thailand all a waste of time. Came back to the UK and they had to undo everything that was done in Thailand and start from scratch. I have been riding for over 35 years so don't intend stopping just yet though.
Alan