I’ve been doing a lot for reading on the T1 on forumosa and most people don’t have good things to say about it. However, are the 2011-2012 models any better? I found an excellent and honest used motorbike shop at the end Yanping N. Road, and have the choice between the Quannon NK, Quannon, and T1. I ended up on choosing a 2011 T1 that still included a 2 year warranty, and after much negotiation got the price down to 62,000. (Because we’re buying a few motorcycles)
Funny thing is that a helpful Taiwanese guy noticed us while driving his KTR and told us not to choose the Quannon/T1 and instead get an NSR/FZR since it was faster. I always thought the Quannon was a better/lighter road bike than the T1, but the guy told me that the T1 was better because it was lighter and easier to rdrive. And for some reason the normal Quannon was more expensive than the Quannon NK, one of my buddies is getting the NK.
I’m not that concerned with speed as this is my first motorbike, but I do want something that has decently good quality and that I can ride everyday.
Do you regard the Kymco Quannon (both naked or otherwise) the same way or is it a little better? I always maintained that the Quannon was the better performer and more durable, but the local guy who helped me out was saying otherwise.
Quannon doesn’t strike me as quite so fake, (the false cover on the T1 cylinder-head crosses the line for me) but I understand the engine is the same as in the KTR, and for the money I’d probably prefer to go for that. A naked bike isn’t so expensive if/when you drop it.
However, these are personal opinions and essentially aesthetic ones. I havn’t ridden either machine much, I don’t ride my own bike much anymore, and if I had ridden them much I don’t really have the skill level to make a confident performance comparison.
Of course it’s OK to ask for people’s opinions on this kind of thing, but if you don’t know the people its probably a good idea to take them with a big pinch of salt.
The NK quannon is lighter and more powerful then the T1, it is a bit more expensive though. The t1 looks better though in my opinion. it is apparently very easy to ride, it has the international gears where as the quannon has cyclic. Quannon i think also has a rear disk, T1 has a rear drum… i am pretty sure i am right with these facts but please correct me if i am wrong…
The Quannon Naked I’ve been riding has “international gears”, I’m guessing that the other Quannon would too. Yes, the Quannon does have a rear disk brake and the T1 has a rear drum.
Really? Where are you reading that? And who is saying that? I don’t think there is one foreigner that I know of that has owned a T1 on this forum board. How can that be true anyway, because the T1 is just a SYM Wolf in disguise. For a small cc bike, the Wolf is great for day to day commuting. It isn’t a racer, or great for performance, but they are very reliable, parts are cheap and they last years if you take care of them. I would be that the T1 would be exactly the same. Maybe you are hearing bad things about the T2, but why the T1?
Well that Taiwanese guy gave you the worst advice ever. Yes those bikes are faster, but he forgot to mention that they are old and both bikes are dying breeds. Many of the engine parts, and even fairing pieces are sold out of the entire island and the only way to find parts are to know people or buy them from over seas. I am involved with the racing scene here in Taiwan and nobody is racing the T1. Anyway, if I had to chose between those bikes, then I would buy a Quannon, but that is just my personal opinion.
I think the KTR is the best buy for the buck here in Taiwan if you just want something cheap, reliable and easy to ride. That bike is great!
The KTR is a decent bike. I’ve had mine since July and put over 4,600 km on it.
2 weeks ago I rode up to Alishan and back from Tainan. Last weekend I rode to Taimaili (south of Taidong).
I do have one big complaint though… It is very uncomfortable for long rides, especially if you have a passenger on the back. You can expect your crotch to be completely numb after 30-40 minutes of solid riding. I am 6’2’’. I feel too big for the bike, but as we’re in Taiwan, there weren’t many options.
On a side note… driving down to Kenting on the open road, I had a passenger and 2 Taiwanese guys were on some Aeon. I am guessing it is a 125 or 150, I don’t know that company much… We pretty much burned them time and time again. They were unable to keep up with us.
I’m afraid I don’t know much about these more modern small bikes. I’m still in love with my old Yea Lang.
The KTR, if my old information was reliable is the only small cc model with an engine balance shaft, and is supposedly slightly more comfortable to ride due to its lower vibration input to the rider’s hands.