I moved recetly to Taiwan, Taoyuan area and i am without transportation. What i noticed in here is that bikes in here are more expensive compared to Thailand where i previously lived. CBR150 in here is double the price as brand new one in BKK. Limit for bike price is around 50k NT$, hopefully less and i dont want to have a scooter.
So the question is that is FZR150 good choice for 2nd bike? I have no idea about the condition of 10y old bikes in here, but atleast in thailand bikes that old were shit. Also anyone know any bike shop in Taoyuan that has FZR for that i can test?
My orevious bike was Kawasaki Ksr race modified, that i spanked pretty hard on BKK track for my own fun
I moved recetly to Taiwan, Taoyuan area and I am without transportation. What i noticed in here is that bikes in here are more expensive compared to Thailand where i previously lived. CBR150 in here is double the price as brand new one in BKK. Limit for bike price is around 50k NT$, hopefully less and I don’t want to have a scooter.
So the question is that is FZR150 good choice for 2nd bike? I have no idea about the condition of 10y old bikes in here, but atleast in thailand bikes that old were shit. Also anyone know any bike shop in Taoyuan that has FZR for that i can test?
My orevious bike was Kawasaki Ksr race modified, that i spanked pretty hard on BKK track for my own fun [/quote]
The FZR is fairly slow and heavy and many now need a fair bit of work. But for 50K you should be able to get one in nice condition. I’m not sure what I’d go for at that price though. Nothing would be very exciting. You could get an NSR or an RZR/RZX, but they’re getting harder to maintain these days (can’t get the parts so readily and NSRs were always a bit delicate anyway from what I’ve heard). Maybe someone else can suggest something.
Actually, I do know what I’d get, though it probably won’t appeal to you. I’d get another Yamaha SR150. I think you can get one new for 50K. I really enjoyed mine, though it wasn’t fast at all.
Though after a while you may start to see the logic in a scooter… many people who wouldn’t have been seen dead on one when they came, warm to the idea after a couple of years. They’re convenient, can be comparatively fast, are very maneuverable, have good storage space, and offer better weather protection than most small motorbikes. A friend of mine who’s on a small motorbike now is thinking of getting a scooter for city transport and a big bike for weekend jollies.
I moved recetly to Taiwan, Taoyuan area and I am without transportation. What i noticed in here is that bikes in here are more expensive compared to Thailand where i previously lived. CBR150 in here is double the price as brand new one in BKK. Limit for bike price is around 50k NT$, hopefully less and I don’t want to have a scooter.
So the question is that is FZR150 good choice for 2nd bike? I have no idea about the condition of 10y old bikes in here, but atleast in thailand bikes that old were shit. Also anyone know any bike shop in Taoyuan that has FZR for that i can test?
My orevious bike was Kawasaki Ksr race modified, that i spanked pretty hard on BKK track for my own fun [/quote]
The FZR is fairly slow and heavy and many now need a fair bit of work. But for 50K you should be able to get one in nice condition. I’m not sure what I’d go for at that price though. Nothing would be very exciting. You could get an NSR or an RZR/RZX, but they’re getting harder to maintain these days (can’t get the parts so readily and NSRs were always a bit delicate anyway from what I’ve heard). Maybe someone else can suggest something.
Actually, I do know what I’d get, though it probably won’t appeal to you. I’d get another Yamaha SR150. I think you can get one new for 50K. I really enjoyed mine, though it wasn’t fast at all.
Though after a while you may start to see the logic in a scooter… many people who wouldn’t have been seen dead on one when they came, warm to the idea after a couple of years. They’re convenient, can be comparatively fast, are very maneuverable, have good storage space, and offer better weather protection than most small motorbikes. A friend of mine who’s on a small motorbike now is thinking of getting a scooter for city transport and a big bike for weekend jollies.[/quote]
I have a modified FZ-150. Some parts do need to be ordered, so if you get the FZ or FZR and you live in the boonies, you’ll need like a day or more to fix it. Took me a day to get my tires last week…plus since they are old, you’re gonna have to replace things now and then.
The FZR and NSR look about the same, cost about the same, and both are 150cc stock. The first thing that stood out for me however was that the NSR is a 2-stroke and is lighter. If you don’t know the difference between 2 and 4 stroke it’d help to do some research, but to sum things up, you get alot more power at the cost of reliability. Its a bit easier to get repairs/find parts for the FZR, and you get a some better components stock on the FZR. But if you want something way more fun, in my opinion get an NSR.
And don’t forget that the government is moving ever-closer to simply banning all 2-strokes for good as they’re noisy and polluting – they’ve long since stopped manufacturing them and the time that the old 2-strokes still being nurtured will become illegal is coming closer. The NSR in a very few years will be only viable as a track bike, I predict.
quite right… according to my intermittently reliable mechanic mate, as of 2009 it will become illegal to sell new carburetor aspirated bikes/scooters… All new models will be required to be fuel injected… and it’s long since been illegal to license new 2-strokes for road use…
The sooner they flat out ban 2-strokes the better IMO… It’ll come a price for a handful of NSR riders, but since 99.8% of 2-strokes on the roads are run down filthy shite spewing 50cc peasant-mobiles, the sooner they’re gone the better…
Then again, I’ve heard stories of the FZ-150 self destructing it’s air cooled rear cylinder since the air flow it gets in Taiwan summer is scorching hot to start with and further heated by flow off the front cylinder…
Judging by the way law is inforced in this country, especially on the road, do you guys really think that the government will go through all the hassle of trying to impose a national ban on a type of engine that is already out of production? Let alone go through all the effort of trying to educate all the officers on how to enforce it? Someone would probably protest such an operation or ask for reparations, making the whole thing more trouble than it’s worth. 2-strokes are already far down the road of extinction , and I think the government will just let nature take its course. We’re already lucky in this country that we can enjoy them while we can. On Taiwan roads, 2 strokes can stand up to bikes 5x thier size and 10x thier cost, that to me is worth it alone
Oh I think they will ban 2-strokes on paper, but as you say I doubt they’ll implement the ban, too many peasants who are unable to mentally accommodate the concept of rule of law would be throwing eggs… Like most laws it’ll probably be fairly well enforced in Taipei and not at all everywhere else on the island…
Since govt emissions policy seems to be readily implemented at the manufacturer level, they should just force SMY/Kymco to stop manufacturing and distributing spares for 2-stroke scooters… That would accelerate the long overdue demise of the 2-stroke filth scooters… and the NSR / stroker boys can still get their parts from Thailand or wherever for “track” use…
Back home, I would ask the owner to split the cost of having a mechanic look over the bike and give a general OK, look over the maintenance records, have a knowledgeable friend give a 2nd opinion, etc.
thank you for all the replys. How about scooters then, which models would be quite easy to have as both race bike and normal commuter, which are cheap to modify, looks quite ok (not those old kymcos) and are relatively cheap?
I have also been lookin at SYM 100+ CC KTR but thats quite impossible on a track use i guess. Moreover, that CPI supermotard would be perfect choice if there would be 2nd handed available, I blew too much money in Thailand on my previous bike, so i am short on cash to use 100k NT$ for a bike.
Also those 2-sroke bikes havent ever been my favorites Just cant stand the sounds and smoke coming out
Apparently there is a 1500$ government subsidy for turning in old 2 strokes. But it’s ending soon. Doesn’t say what plans they have afterwards for 2 strokes. taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/ … 2003430151
[quote=“jussip”]thank you for all the replys. How about scooters then, which models would be quite easy to have as both race bike and normal commuter, which are cheap to modify, looks quite ok (not those old kymcos) and are relatively cheap?
I have also been lookin at SYM 100+ CC KTR but thats quite impossible on a track use i guess. Moreover, that CPI supermotard would be perfect choice if there would be 2nd handed available, I blew too much money in Thailand on my previous bike, so I am short on cash to use 100k NT$ for a bike.
Also those 2-sroke bikes havent ever been my favorites Just cant stand the sounds and smoke coming out
Thanks in advance[/quote]
Youve got some incompatible criteria there. You cant have everything for nothing, but, 4WIW, the Duke has been mentioned on here as a suitable platform for go faster goods (“The Honda Civic of scooters” or something like that). It is, however, an old Kymco. (Edit:Well, actually, its an old SYM, but I’m assuming its the “old” you object to rather than the maker.) Fast out of the box the Cygnus and the Fighter seem to be favoured.
There isn’t a “SYM 100+ CC KTR”. There’s a SYM Legend (Honda CB 125 clone) which has been around for ever and of which you’ll see extensively customised examples with very loud pipes. Dunno if they are that much faster, but the bike has a relatively free-revving OHC engine. I imagine these are raced in their own class but I’ve never been to an official track so don’t know this for a fact. I THINK there’s a 150cc “police special” version of this bike but havn’t seen it on the civilian market.
There’s a 150cc 4V Kymco KTR with trail bike styling which looks nice and light and is quite popular with the yoof. It doesn’t seem to get customised, but it hasn’t been around nearly as long as the Legend so there may not have been time.
Both these bikes are quite small, a problem for taller foreigners. Hartford and Kymco both do taller trail bike style things (VR and Stryker) but they’re scarce, underpowered, and out of your price range new, though the CPI competition may have brought the VR price down if the dealer I spoke to last week got his English / Arabic numbers right.
, and I think the government will just let nature take its course. We’re already lucky in this country that we can enjoy them while we can. On Taiwan roads, 2 strokes can stand up to bikes 5x thier size and 10x thier cost, that to me is worth it alone 
Just cant stand the sounds and smoke coming out