Now I know that one way to get a half decent bike here is to ‘modify’ one. And you can see a lot of these modified bikes on the streets, even though any modification away from the original police description is technically illegal, unless you get the right government paperwork (br*bes anyone?).
So, I suggest we keep this ‘purely theoretical’ so that no laws are broken.
What would you do to modify a bike here to make it better?
me? I’d like to take a stock bike here (KTR, farmers bike, or something like that), rip out he old engine and install a 250cc diesel engine.
yes, you read correctly, DIESEL! Then add a biofuel modification, and second small gas tank.
In the second gas tank, a fuel additive could be kept to boost the performance. and then you could run the bike on old night market cooking oil.
Imagine the faces on the test center workers faces when they do an emissions test. their confusion would be just that little more funny that the strange feeling of hunger they’d have just gotten.
I know this modification can be done on cars, and I know that diesel motorbikes exist. So 1+1, why not? Sure it may not work perfectly…or well for that matter, but then it would fit it here fine.
I would keep the stock engine, replace the caliper with a Brembo or Frando, stainless steel brakeline, and change the brake mastercylinder to fully adjustable Frando or Brembo if you have the money for it. I also like to buy a bigger front disk as well. (12-15,000nt)
FInd a shop that can tighten up the front suspension, just buy some stiffer springs and heavier weight fork oil. Buy a locally made rear shock. RPM is ok, there is a new company out there called BT (Best Taiwan) ahah the name is great. Actually the shocks are awesome, fully adjustable. We have been testing them for our race bikes and really like them. (7-12,000nt)
Get some decent tires, I prefer the Bridgestone BT39’s. They wear out really fast though, but they have excellent grip for the street and decent for rain too. (6-7,000nt)
I would look into different sized front and rear sproket. Find the combination that suits you. (3-4,000nt)
I like exhaust pipes, but they don’t really add any hp. Maybe 1 hp if you are lucky on a taiwanese bike. I like having some sound though. (3-5,000nt)
The last thing I would look into would be fitting a bigger carb. Most Taiwanese bikes come stock with tiny carbs. If you upgrade this you will see a huge gain in power. You will also be filling up your gas tank twice as much though. 7-9,000nt)
Thanks what I would do, and actually thats what I have done to all my bikes/scooter.
And remember to buy a cover and a lock.
It can get expensive, but it really makes the bike so much more responsive.
Depend of the bikes, but for CPI I would upgrade seat to get more comfortable ride. (What would you recommend?) I want to extend operational pain-free range to more than 100 km.
Also some luggage rear box, I want to be able to carry on my bike something more then just rain coat. Something like BMW/s
Someone suggested to me that I simply get a KTR and rebore the engine to 200cc+ as well as other mods, instead of getting a 250 here.
I’m open to this idea, however, is it even legal??
I’ve read on here people saying that any change to the bike is illegal. I don’t want to not be able to register it or spend all this money, just to have it taken away 7 months later and endure other punishments… Keep in mind, I am not going to live in Taiwan forever, so I need something I can later sell off, so I don’t want to do stuff the eliminates its papers and forces me to sell it a fraction of what I invested into it.
Make sense? Am I wrong? (I hope so).
If someone hypothetically did all of these upgrades to a KTR, how would it compare to a TU250 in both power/performance and cost?
I wonder if the cost of the upgrades would make it not that much lower than a TU250. Also, having the TU250 you don’t have to worry about it being taken away and you get to know you are playing by the book.
[quote=“Rennes”]Someone suggested to me that I simply get a KTR and rebore the engine to 200cc+ as well as other mods, instead of getting a 250 here.
I’m open to this idea, however, is it even legal??
I’ve read on here people saying that any change to the bike is illegal. I don’t want to not be able to register it or spend all this money, just to have it taken away 7 months later and endure other punishments… Keep in mind, I am not going to live in Taiwan forever, so I need something I can later sell off, so I don’t want to do stuff the eliminates its papers and forces me to sell it a fraction of what I invested into it.
Make sense? Am I wrong? (I hope so).
If someone hypothetically did all of these upgrades to a KTR, how would it compare to a TU250 in both power/performance and cost?
I wonder if the cost of the upgrades would make it not that much lower than a TU250. Also, having the TU250 you don’t have to worry about it being taken away and you get to know you are playing by the book.[/quote]
As long as you don’t change the engine case than you can change your bike to a 200cc. Nobody will know even if you sell the bike and need to change the papers. This has been discussed a million times!!
Also, remember if you are going to put more power into a bike like a 150cc KTR, then you will need to change other vital parts. So now you bike goes faster, but stops slower. Now you are putting more stress on the brakes, suspension and even the stock tires. IMO you can’t just make more power into an engine until you do a brake and suspension upgrade to support your new power. It is just dangerous, especially on the streets of Taiwan. So then you will be spending about the same amount as a used or possibly new TU250cc. So what do you want? Plus your KTR might be less realiable too. I’m all about modding motorcycles, evey bike I have is modded, but it comes with a price and reliability issues.
As long as you don’t change the engine case than you can change your bike to a 200cc. Nobody will know even if you sell the bike and need to change the papers. This has been discussed a million times!!
Also, remember if you are going to put more power into a bike like a 150cc KTR, then you will need to change other vital parts. So now you bike goes faster, but stops slower. Now you are putting more stress on the brakes, suspension and even the stock tires. IMO you can’t just make more power into an engine until you do a brake and suspension upgrade to support your new power. It is just dangerous, especially on the streets of Taiwan. So then you will be spending about the same amount as a used or possibly new TU250cc. So what do you want? Plus your KTR might be less realiable too. I’m all about modding motorcycles, evey bike I have is modded, but it comes with a price and reliability issues.[/quote]
I’ve been searching the forum more and can’t find all the info about the issue of modding and papers… If it has been discussed in detail, can you kindly refer me to the link?
I understand what you mean about the engine upgrade must be followed by the other things, to make it a safe package. If the price to get the KTR to a decent standard is the same price tag of a TU250, what would the advantage be of modding the KTR vs. just buying a TU 250?
Maybe I’m wrong, but I imagine that modding the KTR will peak at a power/performance standard still below the TU250. If cost is the same, doesn’t it make more sense to just buy the Suzuki 250 and then later, if you want, drop the money to mod it, making it well outshine the top of the line KTR?
Not many advantages, just that you would be making a turd bike into something a little nicer.
Yes, if you have the money it would make more sense to buy a TU250. It is going to take a lot of time and money to make a KTR out perform the TU250cc. I am sure it can be done though.
When I bought my Ninja 650, I told myself I wouldn’t mod it. I’ve modded past scooter/bikes to a huge degree, and in the end it’s mostly just wasted money and less reliability.
But I recently got sponsored by Scottoiler and got their e-system (an electronic system that oils your chain while you ride keeping it as close to perfectly oiled as possible). And then I got contacted by an aftermarket body works company and they sent me a seat cowl and other stuff. So I added this stuff on and fell in love with my bike all over again.
People said my bike looked better, but that I needed to clean up the tail (mud flap, big license plate holder, ugly signal lights) so I got an integrated tail kit that puts your signal lights into the brake light. And I just ripped off the mud flap thingy. Just ordered a Double Bubble windshield. And finally something to actually improve the bike’s riding…an Ohlins rear shock.
So after owning my bike for 5 years and doing almost nothing to it…in the last month or so I’ve changed it into a totally different machine.
It’s great when a few modifications can re-spark your love for your vehicle. And although modding can be expensive…it’s still cheaper than getting a whole new vehicle because you are bored with your current one.
Are there any negatives to reboring an engine?
If you took a 150cc and rebored it to say, 220cc, does this harm the engine, affect reliability or overall engine life?
Unlikely to have the same reliability once you push more power out of it, plus the cylinder becomes much thinner and may have trouble with big ends, ports (2 stroke) valve placement (4 stroke) or simply splitting if it is thin.
[quote=“Rennes”]Are there any negatives to reboring an engine?
If you took a 150cc and rebored it to say, 220cc, does this harm the engine, affect reliability or overall engine life?[/quote]
I made my 125 into a 180 it burnt out after a year. Which is pretty normal without extensive cooling mods to counter the larger engine size.
[quote=“Rennes”]Oh, this totally sucks!
So if I am looking to get a reliable bike, with at least some strength, I should not pick up a 150 and make it a 220?
Thanks for the info. Please tell me anything else I should be aware of.[/quote]
It just depends what engine you are modifying. An FZ/FZR 220cc built right is very reliable.
True. Overengineered engines may have more reserve for playing with. Some light little whizzer has generally got only just enough metal to handle the stock output,: go above that and you end up eating bearings, overheating, trashing the gearbox, running poorly from mixture or fuel feed problems or combustion chamber mismatch, or whatever…
Now I have to rethink everything. Before, I was hoping for a Suzuki 250, but simply can’t afford it. Then, unhappily, thought I’d have to take a 150 KTR.
I recently found out about the possibility of a 150 Yamaha FZ having the engine bored 220. This seemed like the perfect middle ground between the KTR and Suzuki, which would let me have a cool bike and not have to replace it immediately…
now I have to figure out this whole engine life / reliability issue. I don’t want to spend 40,000-50,000 NT just to have the engine blow out in a year.
I suppose there’s a reason the companies made the bike a 150 and not a 220… Why would anyone choose a 150, if cost were not an issue? I guess the cylinders technically, should not be expanded, and if they are, risks follow…
RK1951 can you explain how the FZ 220 will hold its reliability? The shop you keep referring to sounds really good. When they rebuild and rebore engines, how long do they tend to last after leaving the shop? I might be in Taiwan for between 1 to 3 more years, so I’d really prefer not to be dealing with engine blow outs, especially since I’m not a racer. If this is a major risk, or an inevitable reality, maybe I need to switch my mind back to a regular stock KTR 150… as sad as that is…
Rennes, have you had a chance to ride an FZ yet? I think even at 150cc, and maybe 15-16hp you’ll find the power to be more than adequate for most situations that Taiwan has to offer. I’ve ridden around all of Taiwan on a basically a 150cc farmers bike, and while it could have definitely used more power to pass in the mountains, it got the job done.
If you think you need more power, you can get it turned into a 220 or more. Worse case, you can sell it at basically no depreciation since these bikes are more or less bottomed out.
The thing I particularly don’t like about the small-bore Taiwanese bikes is the upside-down circular transmissions. Meaning non-international shifting pattern. You’ll know what I mean if you ever “got lost” in one of these gearboxes and need to find 1st gear right now.
[quote=“mabagal”]Rennes, have you had a chance to ride an FZ yet? I think even at 150cc, and maybe 15-16hp you’ll find the power to be more than adequate for most situations that Taiwan has to offer. I’ve ridden around all of Taiwan on a basically a 150cc farmers bike, and while it could have definitely used more power to pass in the mountains, it got the job done.
If you think you need more power, you can get it turned into a 220 or more. Worse case, you can sell it at basically no depreciation since these bikes are more or less bottomed out.
The thing I particularly don’t like about the small-bore Taiwanese bikes is the upside-down circular transmissions. Meaning non-international shifting pattern. You’ll know what I mean if you ever “got lost” in one of these gearboxes and need to find 1st gear right now.[/quote]
no, I haven’t ridden an FZ yet. 15-16 HP seems pretty good, if that is really the case. The Suzuki TU250 is 20 HP, right? So that means the FZ is only a bit weaker?
Based on hearing people talk on this forum, I was under the impression that the FZ was slow and sluggish. Yamaha uses an international gear box, right? So the FZ shouldn’t have the “upside-down” transmission, correct?
What kind of top speed can an unmodified FZ get?
I am learning more about how re-boring shortens the cylinder life and such, so I’m starting to get worried about this.
Right now I ride a 125cc scooter. I’ve driven it for over 4 hours on one sitting (not including re-fueling). Can it get the job done? Yes. Is it fun? No.
I fear the 150cc bike vs. a 125cc scooter will be a very slight improvement in strength, I hope I’m wrong.
I’ve been browsing Ruten, and there’s some nice looking FZ’s for under 30,000 NT.
I can live with these stats, if they are true. I haven’t ridden one, but if this is the case, why is everyone ragging on the FZ as being a slug? Is it because they are comparing it to the NSR?
Is re-boring primarily for those interested in racing?
Given the shortened life that re-boring causes and other reliability issues, is it even worth it to re-bore an FZ-150 to 220 if one is not interested in racing, but just looking for a fun, strong bike to explore Taiwan, mountains, camping trips, etc.
I know this isn’t the right thread for this discussion, but now I wonder, how an FZ-150 compares to a KTR-150.
their confusion would be just that little more funny that the strange feeling of hunger they’d have just gotten.
