Hello

I was wondering how easy it is to get a brand new Honda motorcycle 450 or 650 in Thailand or Cambodia?

Also I am thinking going Honda because I really love doing off road and getting lost. I think they have the easiest parts accessibility in SE asia am I right and how about worldwide?

I bought a 250 DR Suzuki when I went looking for gold dredging in NE Cambodia (Banlung) The town had about 4 x 250 which all failed me in one week!

Pascal

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Will ask my other half, she is Thai. My understanding is... not very easy. I gather there are a few 250s with Kawasaki being the most accessible and cheapest because they have a local factory.

Thanks I owe you a Leo Beer

Ok, I have a partial answer for you. She says "you can go showroom and buy. Is not difficult if you have money. Nothing difficult if you have money." That sounds about right too but I'm not sure about offroad machines that large. I looked into buying a 650 class single myself but it was cheaper to ride my own bike there which is what i'm doing. Bringing your own bike in costs around 90% value in tax to register or you can simply keep it on an international plate by going in and out of cambodia every so often, depending on your visa but the truth is the rules are not well enforced. In the North and south it's rare to see a number plate or a helmet but both are legal requirements. Foreigners are held to a different standard but it's not as bad as people say, I never had any trouble with driving around illegally and my only dealings with the police was them buying me drinks because it was good for their status to be seen with a white man... seriously.
My understanding is that bikes of that capacity are rare and expensive. A BMW Funduro sells in the UK second hand for £800 and over there for £4000. BMW have set up shop there but their machines are very pricey compared to UK or even Europe. Large bikes are a luxury but you're better off looking for a 650 than a 450 I would think, just from the point of view of how limited the ranges are and how much more specialised a 450 is. Kawasaki have a factory out there so have some more stuff to offer. My info might be out of date, I looked into this about 6 months ago and my partner has been over here for about a year.
Good luck with whatever path you choose. If I can help any more then please let me know.

Thanks for the reply!

I have some thinking to do but it's sure bring some light to the matter! I thought bike were cheaper since they make em in Thailand.

I don't think Honda are selling any trail bikes in Thailand at the moment. We couldn't even find a 2nd hand one with a plate and ended up buying a KLX 250 new. Costs about 150k B. This is probably your best bet, as you can get parts for it and cheaply.

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Cheers,
Peter.

Europe to NZ 2006-10

Almost 5000$ ? for a KLX 250 in Thailand? I thought they were like half-price what we pay in other countries.

Not quite: here in NZ we pay 10k for the carb model, equivalent to 8220 US$.

When we were looking for a bike for my wife we could only find two used bikes with plates: a DR250 for 95kB and a 17-year-old Honda 250 Degree for 150kB, i.e. 1000B less than a new KLX.

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Cheers,
Peter.

Europe to NZ 2006-10