Honda CBR150R baby rocket

[baz666]

I'm over in Thailand for a couple more weeks. Been here for most of the past 2.5 years and I've learned a lot about how great small bikes can be. That's why I bought the 2000 ex250 Ninja when i was back home for a few weeks over xmas. Can't wait to get back and work on her.

One bike I hadn't ridden till renting one for the last 3 weeks of my stay here is the Honda CBR150R. It's a huge laugh through the mad traffic of SE Asia. It's got a water-cooled 150cc single cylinder 4-valve engine. The bike has disc brakes, aluminum frame, full gauge set, including fuel and temp. This baby revs to almost 12,000 rpm and handles like it's on rails. Weighs next to nothing so acceleration is impressive. And narrow as hell so scooting through traffic is like a video game. Top end is about 130kph or about 80mph. But it's screaming pretty loud at that speed.
The one in the photo is 5 years old and runs on a skinny 90 back tire but the newer ones have a 120 rear and fuel injection. This one has a carb.
And get this. Renting this bike costs about $17 per week! New one's cost about $1300 to buy. Oh, and the Repsol paint job makes it go about 3mph faster!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/69874352@N00/12672189763/

[csmith12]

2.5yrs away from home .

The lil cbr seems like it has found a good place there. What other bikes have you rented while your there?

[baz666]

There's a baby cruiser over here known as the Honda Phantom TA200. Yup, a 200cc cruiser with saddle bags and backrest. There's a similar bike called the Kawasaki Boss and it's a 175cc two-stroke. Wacky or what? A baby cruiser with a high revving two stroke. Kind of nuts. It has no power at all till about 6,000 rpm then BWAAAAAA, fires ahead till the 11,000 rpm redline. Just nuts. Cruisers have vague front ends anyway but with a two stroke it's hairy!

They also rent an awesome bike called Kawasaki 250 D-Tracker. It's a single cylinder water cooled engine in a dirt bike type frame with sport tires. Great for city riding. Lots of clearance so goes through pot holes, over curbs, parking pylons, excellent forks and reservoir rear shock. They sell for just under 4,000 bucks. I don't know if they sell them in the US but I'd like to modify the ex250 I bought into some kind of similar supermoto style machine.
Here's a few photos of the bikes mentioned.

http://www.be2hand.com/upload/200906...1-162630-1.jpg
kawasaki boss 175

http://108.179.231.22/~tonybb01/wp-c...phantom200.jpg
honda phantom 200

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9hwySBBk82...cker+x+250.jpg
kawi d-tracker

[csmith12]

That D-Tracker seems like the Honda Grom and lol at 2 stroke cruisers, I bet that is a hoot!

[misfitsailor]

I love that little Honda! Wish we had them here.

[baz666]

yeah, there's a bunch of different cool little bikes they have in asia i wish they'd import to the States. Like that awesome Kawi 250 D-Tracker. Great city bike for our crumbling urban environments. Really great value for the money and tough as nails, looks awesome too.
I think Kawi sells something like it, the KR250 maybe? I can't remember. Not the KLR250 which is pretty slow. The D-Tracker is a different engine I think, more advanced, revs higher. I've always wondered why the Japanese don't do a serious small supermoto, like KTM does. The Ninja 250 engine would be great for that or the new 300.

[misfitsailor]

I remember years ago seeing a 4 cylinder Honda CBR250 in Japan. I love my Ninja, but if that had been available here I would have bought one!

[Klondike1020]

Originally Posted by baz666

I'm over in Thailand on. This one has a carb.
And get this. Renting this bike costs about $17 per week! New one's cost about $1300 to buy. Oh, and the Repsol paint job makes it go about 3mph faster!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/69874352@N00/12672189763/

SWWEEEEETTTTT
I was just in THAILAND and I was paying 32$ a day to rent a ex650 and 4$ a day for a stupid honda scooter!

where did you rent the CB150 so cheap! I want to score one next time I am back there!

[baz666]

Hey,
I know what you mean about the rents on bikes. It took me a couple years to finally locate the absolute best deals. When I first got here I was paying the same or more than you. But it's like any new place. Takes a while to figure out the local scene.
Anyway, there's a guy in Chiang Mai called Glen, an American dude. Really good guy. You rent bikes off him super cheap and the thing is, you can ship a bike all over Thailand via Thai Post and it costs very little. I sent my Honda Phantom from Pattaya to Songkhla in the south, about 1100kms (660 miles) for about $60. You don't "officially" tell Glen you're shipping his bike all over the country but in theory you could have ridden there. The bikes are in fact plated for the whole country and the rental agreement and insurance are nationwide. You just wouldn't normally ride that far on a small bike.
Anyway, it works out fine. I always fly out of Chiang Mai anyway because there are Korean Air flights to Inchon and then anywhere in the world and the Bangkok international airport is a huge nightmare.
Oh, and here's Glen's number in Thailand: +66 899546001 and tell him Baz sent you. He's in the south end of Chiang Mai, just past the airport and he'll deliver a bike to you anywhere in town or come pick you up. Really great guy. He lives in Thailand fulltime.

[baz666]

Originally Posted by misfitsailor

I remember years ago seeing a 4 cylinder Honda CBR250 in Japan. I love my Ninja, but if that had been available here I would have bought one!

That really would be something. a 250 four banger. I can just imagine the cornering on that baby.

[Klondike1020]

@baz666 - Thanks so much for the advice !

I wish I had this info in OCT but I plan on going back and this will make the visit more awesome! Ive only been once and for a short trip and it was a great deal of learning.

I did not know I could FLY INTO CHAING MAI

I hate BK and would totally try to avoid it in the future. I will try flying in the way you go.




You travel there for work?>

[silentIm]

Isn't D Tracker sold in states? I think the US name is KLX 250 SF. It has carb though instead of fuel injection.

[akima]

Great info.

They sell the D-Tracker in the UK. I think it was the first motorcycle I sat on after I decided I wanted to take up riding. I liked it but the ninjette won my heart.

[baz666]

yeah, I thought Kawi sold something like that in the US, wasn't sure of the name. I think Yamaha has something similar WR250X or something.
But I think the KLX250 might be a different bike, more off-road. They rent those here as well and they're quite different than the D-Tracker. The D-tracker isn't an off-road bike at all, just looks like it somewhat. I'd call it more like a supermoto, revs much higher and stronger than a KLX250 and the gearing is different. Acceleration is much more on D-Tracker and KLX250 has more low end torque. D-Tracker also lower to the ground, shorter dogbone links and shorter forks.
But this might be just for Asia. It's hard to know since bike names and numbers seems to change place to place.
I think the D-Tracker sold here, which is built in Thailand for Thai market, it has two small rads, I believe, while the KLX250 has one that's bigger.
There's also a D-TRacker I've seen here with mag wheels, not spokes. That might be a dealer accessory in Asia because they also come with spokes. But front wheel is smaller on the D-Tracker. 17 inch, while the KLX250 here has a 19 inch front wheel with knobby tires and wider spaced spokes.
Again, bikes are so often dealer prepped diferently for different buyers that it's hard to tell if there is a 'standard' version. I've seen that with the new Honda 250MX, i think it is. It competes with the D-Tracker. Like the D-Tracker it's lower, shorter dogbone links that CF250L dirtbike version.

Kawi also sells a 125 version of the D-Tracker and the KLX. And there's a full 6 speed KSR 110 pitibike that's tiny but Thais ride them like circus bikes through traffic.
One bike that's strange is a mix between a scooter and tiny sportbike, the Honda Sonic 125. It's got a full 6 speed gearbox, 125 liquid cooled engine but it's like a scooter with the front fairing taken off, super narrow handlebars, will go through a doorway, perfect for dense Thai traffic.

And I'm having an awesome time ripping around on the CBR150R. What a hoot! Anybody can get their knee down on this thing. And it's got amazing power for such a tiny engine, revving like mad. Wish they sold them in the US. This is the bike people should learn to ride sportbikes on. I've learned so much about cornering with this hot little bike. You can control your line so easily all the way through and if you go in too hot, so easy to bring it back, good brakes, aluminum frame, very responsive suspension. I'm amazed Honda can build such a tiny legitimate sportibke. But I've heard Aprilia make a 50cc sport bike that's pretty hot too.

[BlownWideOpen]

We have those Honda's here in Canada in 125R format... I rode one for my bike test, it was alright I guess.

[silentIm]

The older CBR 150 used to be sold through grey market in my country. Very agile, and handle like it read your mind. The new fuel injected one is heavier though. Though it got more proper tyre size.