The Vespa GTS300ie is supremely easy to ride, like any twist and go scooter, but enough power for useful acceleration and 110km/h cruising, all in a compact package. The Vespa GTS300ie caused a sensation among the scooter heads when it was launched in Thailand, having authentic looks, and the badge, coupled with a modern fuel-injected engine.

That's why the Vespa GTS300ie is rapidly becoming a favorite of rally-going scooterists, because they can nip to the other end of the country, across mountains, ride over unpaved country road and doing the most amazing things without worrying too much about breaking down. And if scooter rallies are your thing, turning up on a Vespa GTS300ie is just as acceptable these days as a geared classic Vespa two-stroke.

The Vespa GTS300ie is powered by a 278cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder 4-stroke, 4-valve QUASAR engine with electronic fuel injection and catalyzed exhaust system.

Suzuki, with the goal of creating a 'comfortable adventure tourer,' the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer recently redesigned the popular Suzuki V-Strom 650. The updated Suzuki V-Strom 650 features a new powerplant – though still a liquid-cooled DOHC V-twin – for increased torque in the low- and mid-range, plus a high-rpm horsepower boost.

The more detail specs for the engine are a 645cc, 4-stroke, 2-cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 90-degree V-twin engine, with a bore and stroke of 81mm x 62.6mm. The 645cc V-twin engine provides 68 real horsepower at 8,800rpm (50.5kW), and 60Nm torque at 6,400rpm at the rear wheel.

The bottom five ratios have been tightened up for increased performance, leaving 6th gear as an overdrive. Ergonomically, there is a new fairing with more weather protection, an 3-step adjustable windscreen.

The dual-sport/adventure market is growing bigger by the day, with more motorcycles and more gear and plenty more riders lapping it all up.

All the major motorcycle manufacturers in Thailand have a dual-sport and/or adventure bike in the fight and plenty of others are trying to literally get their hands dirty alongside the big players in the Thai motorcycle industry.

The variety in the market from a price and build standpoint is wide. From budget priced Chinese build to mighty and powerful Italian, German or Austrian build Adventure bikes, with several Japanese motorcycle makers offer a mid-range priced dual-sport or adventure motorcycle, there is a motorcycle to suit all prospective adventurers.

If you look into the brochure of the latest motorcycles you sometimes forget that previous models are also worth considering. As example the 2008 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade is still a very competitive motorcycle compared to what Honda big wing dealers are now selling.

The 2008 Honda CBR1000RR is powered by a 999.8cc LC 16 valve, DOHC, inline-four, with PGM-DIFI (duel-injector Honda PGM-FI model) and four 46mm Keihin throttle bodies. The engine is heavily revised from the previous models, with new linerless bores and a clever elector-deposited coating inside the cylinders. Inlet valves are titanium, and the bore went up 1mm, and stroke down 1.5mm compared to the 2007 Honda CBR1000RR. The pistons used by Honda for the 2008 up to present CBR1000RR are lighter than ever before, yet much stronger. Basically the 2.5kg lighter engine used in the 2008 Honda CBR1000RR is the same as Honda is using for the 2013 CBR1000RR.

The 2008 Honda CBR1000RR is also the first model that featured the new underslung exhaust system replacing the underseat exhaust on the 2007 CBR1000RR. Complex piping and resonance chambers together with no less than two ECU-controlled flapper valves optimize the performance all the way through the rev range.

A new addition to the Yamaha Motor Thai line-up, set to be released at the end of this year, is the Yamaha XVS950 Bolt. With the Yamaha XVS950 Bolt the Japanese company is building on the international successful Star 950 platform, the new-for-2014 is Yamaha's entrance into the bobber/chopper arena in Thailand.

The XVS950 Bolt is powered by a 942cc air-cooled, 4-stroke, V-twin, SOHC, 4-valve engine with a bore and stroke of 85mm x 83mm, with a 9.0:1 compression ratio, and is equipped with Yamaha's latest electronic fuel-injection system which comes with Idling Speed Control, the EFI uses a single 35mm throttle body. The engine is teamed with a 5-speed gearbox and for the final drive the chain is replaced by a belt.

The engine’s look is highly detailed, with polished cylinder fins and beautifully chrome-plated cylinder head covers, for an exceptional appearance sure to be noticed.

The rumor engines were running overtime in Thailand, most when the Kawasaki Z800 would be revealed. Personally I love the Kawasaki Z800. In a market as Thailand, where out and out performance isn't number one on everyone's agenda, Kawasaki wisely launched the latest 800cc Kawasaki Zephyr inline-four. From today we not have to wait for the Kawasaki Z800 much longer.

The 2013 Kawasaki Z800 is powered by a 806cc, liquid-cooled, inline-four engine, with a bore x stroke 71mm x 50.9mm and a compression ratio of 11.9:1. More significant is that Kawasaki has selected a electronic fuel injection system from Mikuni, and not a EFI from Keihin. The 4 Mikuni throttle boddies are 34mm in diameter and are equipped with dual throttle valves.

Styling wise, the Kawasaki Z800 is spot on. You might feel that the Z logo in the tail light is a gimmick, but it's little things like that, which will help the Kawasaki Z800 continue to be the best seller in this corner of the global motorcycle market.

When it comes to an efficient, good quality and economical motorcycle for daily commuting short distances in Thailand you cannot overlook the Honda Wave 125i. It's maybe not designed to show-of to friends at the motorcycle club, but it's highly fuel efficient, runs for ever with its nearly indestructible engine, and seems to be able to transport anythings as you can see on the streets in Bangkok.

With the rains being predictable and sunnier moments becoming more common, the latest Honda Wave 125i is spending more and more time on the road, and less in the garage.

The Honda Wave 125i is one of the motorcycles I not often take out of the garage. It's been sitting in a corner ignored because of the rainy weather. For sunny weekends rides I'd end up riding the higher-capacity motorcycles, or scooters that have storage space for my helmet.

Harley-Davidson has been plugging away at the liquid-cooled V-twin format for ten years now, so it's reasonable to expect that, by now, it should have made it righ-on perfect.

This, the Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle, is the company's variation of the liquid Milwaukee power bike. Handily for Harley-Davidson, the Muscle feels about as good as you could realistically expect. From the side, it looks fast; it also looks modern, and, most surprisingly, it looks like you could have fun on it.

The first thing I noticed about the Harley-Davidson V-Rod was its complete lack of Harley-Davidson branding. You'll see the name only in two spots on either side, very different from the regular Harleys of old, which screamed and shouted 'Step aside, mid-life crisis coming through' from every available centimeter of paintwork.

Fast it is too – proper, straight-line, traffic-light-here fast. Thanks largely to the ease with which you can flick it at the horizon – by tempering wheel-spin with the throttle and avoiding speed-sapping wheelies – it felt almost on par with my sportsbike. So I attached a data-logger to the Harley-Davidson V-Rod, to capture 0 to 400 meter figure, and did the same on my sportsbike – to get some comparative stats.

If you want proof that history repeats, look no further than Kawasaki's latest model range. Somewhere at the beginning of the list you' ll find the newest, smallest, nimblest Ninja, its capacit now expanded to 300cc to take advantage of a new worldwide trend in regulations governing the power-to-weight ratio of motorcycles accessible to motorcyclists. Back in the early ' 80s, this new Kawasaki Ninja 300 had a popular forebear, the GPz305, and it, too, was an entry-level parallel twin added to a range of sporty, air-cooled inline fours.

The new Kawasaki Ninja 300 is a much better player as entry level sportsbike. First up, there' s the engine. Over 40 percent of its components are new, including major structures like the engine block, cylinder head and crankcases. The additional 47cc it produces over the previous model is one the most effective gains in capacity added to any motorcycle.

Kawasaki seems to have recognized that the extremely peak power delivery of the old 250cc was a bit of a turn-off for some, as the extra 47cc have been attained via a 7.8mm elongation of the piston strokes, which now measure 49mm instead of 41.2mm. This adds a lot more leverage, so the crankshaft now spins more readily, and a relaxed, effortless engine persona is the result. IT also means that short-shifts are firmly on the riding menu, as the Kawasaki Ninja 300 now has enough surge in the middle of the rev range. And when you stretch the new 300cc inline twin out in typical Ninja 250R-operating fashion, the new Kawasaki Ninja 300 delivers its power far more emphatically.

The 2013 Triumph Bonneville Special Edition, take a standard Bonneville, add a red frame, Matte Black and Cranberry Red fuel tank, classic round headlight and front indicators, blacked out mirrors and pillion grab rail, a new seat, and a bash plate and you get the 2013 Triumph Bonneville Special Edition.

Underneath the striking visual treatment, you still get the enjoyable air-cooled engine, friendly handling, and exceedingly comfortable ergonomics. The regular two-tone Triumph Bonneville is still available, and the standard Bonneville will cost you 690,000 THB.

The 2013 Triumph Thruxton. The term Café Racer originated in Great Britain, and the tradition lives on in places such as the Ace Cafe London. Using the same basic platform as the Triumph Bonneville and Scrambler, the Triumph Thruxton has an unmistakable sporting slant, thanks to the low handlebars and the solo seat.