Dual sport motorcycles

I hope this is the appropriate place to discuss my ideas and questions. I am a hard core dirt biker. I am not too impressed with the dual sport bikes I have seen so far, like the Kawasaki 250 or Honda XR 250. If/when I move to LOS, I would like to have a better/faster etc bike. I believe that Husqvarna (especially pre-1987) bikes are the best in the world. Always have been : Always will be. That said, I am not sure I could bring one of my bikes to LOS. If not, I am thinking of bringing an engine (big bore 2 stroke) in 2 or 3 pieces in luggage. Then get a Honda or Kawi that has a blown up engine. Find a guy that is good with motorcycles and have him weld and stuff my engine in this frame.
I have had 2 Honda 250 4 strokes and they are OK but nothing like a big bore 2-smoker. In my mind comparing a VW beetle to a Porsche 911S.

My opinion only. I do not want to start pissing contest as to which bike is better. Especially KTM vs. Husky etc.

Ideas and suggestions? Thanks

430xc (comes from my 1982 Husky 430xc)

I have built a bike or two in my time, so was interested in your thread..
I grew up as a teenager in the 70's and had trail bikes, before moving onto road bikes, but saw the odd Husky around..from reading your blurb it would seem you have a passion for your bike(s)..its a big mission you are thinking of undertaking, hauling an engine in from overseas via luggage and all that..probably set you back abit in excess luggage weight. There is a bike repair shop opposite the main police station in Udon that would take the job on, and they are pretty good with all sorts of bikes, big and small..you could probably pick up an old bike as you say, maybe via that bike shop, and reslot the engine, but you will need to beef up the rear end as well, new shocks and swing arm bearings, and you will have to center the engine weight correctly, otherwise you will be off on the first corner...I do question the matter of trying to access engine parts when required, plugs, rings, and what have you..its not like thailand have seen a husky of that vintage before...anyway, anything is possible when you have the will and the way..might be better if you asked this same question over on golden triangle rider .com, plenty of experience boffers over there, who will make your mind up for you, as other have done similar things to your project

Thanks maaka. I will take your suggestion about Golden Triangle Rider
430xc

Having ridden in the dirt for more than 30 years, I share your nostalgia for older bikes - up to a point.

That point is reached when you ride a well-integrated, well-engineered, MODERN motorcycle. Suspension has evolved WAY beyond the 1980s, and bikes are engineered such that all the parts work together. Amplifying what Maaka said, shoehorning an engine, no matter how powerful, into a frame it wasn't designed for, is asking for problems. Unless you fancy yourself an engineer, in which case you probably won't need help doing the job, I would forget about hauling an engine over here. Never mind the legalities (you DID say dual-sport, which implies LICENSED and REGISTERED); the result would be a Frankenstein's monster. YOUR Frankenstein's monster, to be sure, and subject to bragging rights, if that's your thing...

Learn a little about importing bikes here, and consider the hassle. Then, if you're still interested in riding a big 2-stroke dual sport, head down to Pattaya, or, better yet, keep an eye on Craigslist. I see Yamaha 450s, etc. for sale there periodically, and there seems to be a lot of shortcutting down there with regard to green books, etc.

Dual purpose bike here tend to be modern, 4-stroke (emissions testing), and EXPENSIVE.

I ride a Suzuki DR200, legally imported (by its first owner, not me), with green book, insurance, etc. It cost me about 72K baht. Do I wish it had more power? Yes. Would I be willing to pay 400K for a legal DRZ400. No.

Also, ask yourself where you'll be doing most of your riding? Do you really need pipey 2-stroke characteristics on the road? If you go off-road, will there be anyone around to patch you up, if you 'ride-like-the-wind', and then do an unscheduled getoff? There's no Sheriff's Search and Rescue to helicopter you to the nearest trauma center...at best, you'll end up in the back of a pickup, as they haul you to the furthest 'hospital', because the bounty is an extra 200 baht.

My advice: buy a reliable dual-sport, like a KLX250, a pickup truck, and a balls-out 2-stroke offroader to ride on a track, where there's plenty of help around to gather your pieces, and those of your bike after you inevitably taste dirt.

Cynic, though I am...

You may want to consider shipping them over as parts over a few months and then rebuilding them in Udon ?? A cheaper but longer option !

Aardvark wrote:You may want to consider shipping them over as parts over a few months and then rebuilding them in Udon ?? A cheaper but longer option !

And then? How will he register or insure it?

Very interesting points. Another thing about big bore 2 smokers is kick starting it. For years I have professed-- "If you are too old and feeble to kick start your bike, you are too old and feeble to ride it " I still don't have an e-button. It was hard to start my 1994 Husky 360 but I got an auto-decomp head. Sometimes an e-button would be nice though.

Perhaps a 280 or 300 kit for a 250 4 stroke would give it enough oompf.

I love the adrenaline of lifting the front wheel with only the throttle in

all 5 or 6 gears. BTW, I am not a super rider, I just know when to close the throttle.

Do the license people know all that much about bikes? In Washington state and other states, most police don't know enough to tell if things are totally factory.

I am a newbie to LOS so I welcome all advice and input. Maybe my need for speed and acceleration thrills will need to be left at the customs desk.
430xc

i am just a little confused. Do you want a street legal dual sport or a dirt bike? Dirt bikes don't get registered as they are not road legal so the green book is a moot point, you don't need one. Dual sport, thats a whole different ballgame with lots of red tape.

I bet you've still got a black and white tv!
Get a Harley and be done with it.............

I guess I thought you had the basic background down already: Importing bikes to Thailand is a problem, either whole, or in parts.

Look here: http://www.gt-rider.com/ There are many threads about bringing bikes in, registering them, etc.

Basically, if it's not made in Thailand, it's marked up over 100% (for whole bikes), and subject to emissions testing (at your expense) of the same kind as a manufacturer must go through to qualify their bike for sale in Thailand. That means about US$1000, anywhere from 10 days to six months with your bike at the testing facility in Samut Prakan, and no guarantee it will pass. No refunds, either.

If the bike is fairly new, it may pass, and you'll be eligible for a green book (registration document), and a number plate. If it doesn't pass, you're out the time and money.

The 100%+ markup can be bypassed by bringing it in in parts. Then it is ~30%, but based on valuation stated by the seller. You need an invoice, implying that you bought the pieces from a legitimate dealer. Japanese bikes are often brought in this way. When it arrives, the shop re-assembles it (correctly, if you're lucky), and sells it WITH INVOICE.

Read the bike classifieds on Craigslist, Baht&Sold, and Thaivisa. Most bikes over 250cc will say they're sold "with invoice, no green book", if they are up front about it.

Of course there are shops that specialize in importing bikes, and they MAY have invested the expense to qualify a particular brand/model, but they usually sell big bikes with invoice, and offer a green book as an extra-cost option. Some of these green books are EXTREMELY dodgy, and may not even list the correct displacement of the bike they represent. Usually these are forged, or tampered with, and the last thing you want, if you have contact with the authorities, is fake papers. Not to mention insurance, which will use ANY excuse to prevent paying a claim. One look at a dodgy book, and you'll be lucky if they merely walk away...by extra-cost, I mean in the neighborhood of THB75,000, or US$2500. Nice, huh?

Currently, I only know of two 250cc dual-sport bikes sold new legally in Thailand: the Kawasaki DTracker/KLX250, and the Tiger/Sachs x-Road 250, which is supposedly available now. Neither has the power to lift the front wheel, by throttle only, in second gear or higher.

I know all this, because I have the same desire for a lightweight, powerful dual-sport as you do. I tend to favor lighter bikes, and decided to stay below the 250 line, because there is about a 25kg penalty going from my DR200 to a KLX250. If I was going to cross that line, a DRZ400 or a DR650 would probably be my choice.

I had a Yamaha TW200, invoice-only, with fake number plate. I was paranoid the whole time I rode it. I actually only got stopped once, and all they did was check to see if I had a driver's license. But I was sweating bullets...

Here, in Isaan, it's probably OK to ride without a plate, but keep the invoice with you, and pay the tea money if you get stopped. There are at least two problems with that: insurance, and, if a cop likes your bike, it may get 'impounded'. You may then see it being ridden by you-know-who. Lately, I have seen ads for insurance on invoice-only bikes, but I would check very carefully what is covered.

The solution: no idea for your needs, but I have made my peace - I will not wheelie into town.

Good luck.

marcusb wrote:i am just a little confused. Do you want a street legal dual sport or a dirt bike? Dirt bikes don't get registered as they are not road legal so the green book is a moot point, you don't need one. Dual sport, thats a whole different ballgame with lots of red tape.

He said 'dual-sport'.

Sateev,
Whilst I agree with most of your post, I would add my 2 bahts worth from personal experience...
The biggest hurdle for getting a 'build-up' bike registered is the emmision test, and that applies now to new and old machines. The test can take up to 3 months, but regular visits/enquiries will grease the wheels. The emmision test is very tight and most carburetted bikes will fail. You lose your 25-30 thou. The most important doc to carry apart from insurance and license IMHO is the one issued by Customs & Excise, which shows you have paid all taxes on the bike including the final 'use as a vehicle' tax as opposed to just the invoices of the imported parts... this tax must be paid before you can use the bike on the road, or it can be confiscated by C&E, and you will need this before you can apply to reg the bike... the bikes value will be assessed by the C&E officer from a book. Their values are rediculously high... e.g. Honda Steed 400 valued by them at 335,000 Baht which is laughable.
Insurance can be done easily enough with a 'VIN' number or chassis number, but as an unregistered bike it will be limited to CTPL cover which is the lowest allowed by law, and almost worthless. You will still be breaking the law of not displaying a reg plate, so could be liable to cough up tea money of 200 - 500 Baht if you meet a greedy BiB, but I have never been charged this anywhere throughout the Kingdom in over seven years of biking here on plateless bikes (most of my bikes are registered with book & plate as it means I can protect my investment with a reallistic insurance policy). I can't comment about the off road stuff, as never done more than 'greenlaning' here (or should that be 'redroading'? ), although I did have a YZ490 many years ago, so I can relate to the buzz . All of my bikes have been modified/personalised, even my wife's Wave... it's a hobby.

Thanks, Stevo, for clarifying the Customs & Excise invoice issue. I wasn't aware of it.

As recently as five years ago, I was offered a 'pass-or-free-retest' by the technician in Samut Prakan (for an extra 5K baht) to get my TW200 tested. That was, of course, before any fuel-injected bikes were available. The process seemed too shady to me at the time, and I decided to let it go.

The OP also questioned whether the DLT people knew enough about bikes to catch a transplanted engine. Be assured, they do. You have to bring a pencil tracing on frosted tape of both your frame number, and the engine number, when you go to transfer the bike, i.e., get your name in the green book.

All my vehicles are modified, too; same-same, it's a hobby.

Thailand isn't the BEST place for creativity in motorcycle construction, but there are still possibilities.

Happy riding.

Sateev wrote: but there are still possibilities.

Happy riding.

Absolutely! my advise would be to buy a bike here, one with a green book & plate, and a f*cked engine... they are available from breakers or even privately, just get something that's basically up to the job in hand (with ref to the offroad). Send your engine through the right channels rather than bringing in a suitcase as you will need invoices for it.
You can register the engine change when fitted... it will need to be inspected, along with the paperwork and then your green book will be updated.

Stevo quoted: e.g. Honda Steed 400 valued by them at 335,000 Baht which is laughable

It is laughable, the Kawasaki KLE 650 DBF (Versys) is 285,000 baht on the road.
Was in the Kawasaki Big Bike showroom yesterday on Tahan Road which is currently undergoing renovation.