Honda NC700x

B451,000 , 670cc
Finally, Honda’s stunning deconstructionist showroom, designed by VasLab, is set to open on April 26. And with it comes a wide range of their previously unavailable big bikes. This 700cc is a crossover adventure bike, like the Kawasaki Versys, but this engine was designed with fuel economy in mind, making the whole experience rather underwhelming.

Kawasaki Versys 650

B285,000, 650cc
The Versys isn’t the sexiest bike out there, but it’s quite possibly the best bang for your buck. Praised by reviewers as incredibly maneuverable, despite it’s added height, this is a ride that you can actually take up-country and race down Thong Lor.

Kawasaki ER-6N

B250,000, 650cc
Costing a mere B100,000 more than a Honda CBR 250, this bike’s engine is over four times the size. It’s also a great looking ride, with its aggressively-styled all-black features. This baby won’t be much use outside of Bangkok, but the point is to park it in front of trendy bars, not take it to Khao Yai.

Yamaha FZ1 Fazer

B590,000, 998cc
Deal alert: it’s a 1-liter engine and still B110,000 short of our price limit. But Kawasaki also does a Z1000 for nearly the same price (B585,000), so which one should you get? The Kawasaki looks and feels meaner. But the riding position and wind-protection of the FZ1 make it a much more realistic bike for longer rides outside of town. What’s sure is that both these bikes are a ton of fun and make for great all-rounders.

KTM 690 Duke

B628,000, 654cc
The KTM 690 Duke is a seriously insane bike. For one, it’s only got one cylinder. And common wisdom is you don’t do single cylinder bikes above 500cc. But this bike is clearly aimed at those with wisdom issues. It’s for doing wheelies, driving off-road and taking impossibly tight corners: behavior that can only be excused in the countryside or when trying to avoid really bad traffic jams.

Piaggio MP3

B530,000, 400cc
The new three-wheeled Piaggio 400ie from Vespa looks surprisingly like an ATV roadster but it’s actually a three-wheeler, making it narrower than an ATV, handy if you want to squeeze past cars in our city’s mad traffic. The extra wheel should come in particularly handy for stability this rainy season but if you compare the engine size to the price, this is not exactly a cheap toy.

Triumph Scrambler

B700,000, 865cc
We picked the scrambler because it’s so beautiful it makes us want to bite our fist and cry. It’s an 865cc, making it the second biggest bike of this roundup and also the most expensive. As for thrills, the Triumph ironically loses out to the Kawasaki W650, a copy of the original Triumph Bonneville. Only the Japanese knockoff isn’t available here, so you’ll just have to “settle” for the original’s stunning style and slightly ho-hum performance.

Essentials

Kawasaki. At Real Moto Sports. 372 Ramkhamhaeng 146 Rd.
02-7281605-6. Open daily 9am-6pm, closes at 5pm on Sunday.
Piaggio. At Vespario, Suhumvit Soi 55 (Thong Lor), 02-714-7742.
Open Mon-Sat 10am-7pm.
Triumph. Britbike. 29/75-76 Royal City Avenue. 02-203-1315.
Open Mon-Sat 10am-7pm.
Honda BigWing. Opening Apr 26. Praditmanutham Rd.
www.honda-bigbike.com
Yamaha Rider’s Club. TYM Marketing Co.,Ltd.Yamaha Rider’s Club Branch. 55/61 Ratchadapisek Rd., 02-640-6990.
www.yamaha-motor.co.th. Open Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm
KTM. 2222 New Phetchburi Rd.. 02-318-0100.
www.ktmbangkok.com. Open Mon-Sat 10am-7pm.