Is the GPX Legend 250 Twin III a Good Motorcycle? | Review

Is the GPX Legend 250 Twin III a Good Motorcycle? Yes, it is!  It’s a gorgeous, vintage-style, Thai motorcycle, which (if you are patient with it) should bring years of fun riding. It’s our vehicle of choice when traveling the roads of Sakon Nakhon in search of undiscovered Thai temples, hidden cafes and coffee houses, and other off the beaten track destinations in Thailand.

Released in 2022, the GPX Legend 250 Twin III comes in three color variations (Black Night, Green Forest, and White Everest). Each one is striking in appearance, with gold front forks and a cushioned gas tank around which the driver’s legs snugly fit. Our choice was the White Everest, which has a beautiful red leather seat.

The GPX Legend 250 Twin III retails for around 90,000 baht, so it is a budget friendly Thai motorcycle. While the engine is made in China at a factory closely overseen by Thai and Japanese engineers, the other parts are made in Thailand, and the bike is assembled at GPX’s factory in Chachoengsao. GPX is the Thai motorcycle company that also makes the British bred (now Indian owned) Royal Enfield motorcycle in Thailand.

We have been very happy with our GPX Legend, but as with any budget motorcycle in Thailand, there are certain quirks that you should be aware of. So we have compiled the following manual of tips and advice for foreigners in Thailand who are considering buying this classic Thai motorcycle.

Review & Advice for GPX Legend 250 Twin III Owners

1. If you have a need for speed, the GPX Legend is not the Thai motorcycle for you. While the bike is 250cc, it is similar in power to the Honda PCX 160, with the PCX (by our reckoning) being faster in acceleration from a dead stop. We believe 90 km/hr to be the top comfortable cruising speed for this motorcycle. In our case, 60-70 km/hr is the speed we usually cruise at. And it should be noted that (as we mention in our Thai motorcycle safety tips) you really shouldn’t be driving on rural roads in Thailand faster than 65 km/hr anyway.

The GPX Legend 250 Twin III is a 6 gear motorcycle, and if you look at the shifting recommendations in the manual, you could be misled into the thinking that the bike is much faster than it is (for safe and comfortable driving). The manual says that 6th gear is for speeds between 80 – 120 km/hr. This seems to us wildly overestimated, as we usually comfortably shift into 6th at around 60 km/hr. If we were to wait until 80 km/hr, it would cause lots of unwelcome rattling and vibrations.

Should you like to drive faster on your GPX Legend and want to reduce that vibration/rattling, some GPX owners in Thailand have replaced the front sprocket with MTX 125 14 teeth sprocket. Drivers who have done this say that it reduces the vibration 70-80%.

2. The GPX Legend 250 Twin clutch can be finicky, especially during the first 1,500 kilometers. You may find that you need to down shift all the way to 1st before coming to a full stop. In other words, we usually expect trouble if we come to full stop at 2nd or 3rd, and then try to downshift to 1st. If you find yourself at a full stop and need to downshift to 1st, slightly roll the bike forward while downshifting. That should ease the bike into gear. Note that it is also hard to put the bike into neutral from a full stop too. So, likewise, shift into neutral as the bike is slightly moving forward.

Because the GPX Legend clutch can be finicky, it may not a good bike for people who do a lot of city driving, that is driving where there is lots of stopping and starting on the roadway. However, that being said, you will see some very clutch-experienced delivery drivers in Bangkok using a GPX Legend. But the motorcycle really excels as a back roads bike for cruising through rural Thailand.

3) Brake squeal is a issue with some GPX Legend 250 Twin III motorcycles. And by brake squeal, we don’t mean a squeal when applying the brake, we mean a squeal sometimes coming from the front brake when you are riding the motorcycle and the break is not applied. Fortunately, there is a simple solution to this problem! You simply need to exercise the front brake more. When at a full stop, squeeze the front brake hard a few times, or when driving on an empty road, apply the front brake strongly a few times. This should solve the squeaking for a while, until you have to do it again. This brake issue has been prevalent for some riders when first driving the bike, and usually stops after a few thousand kilometers.

One other thing, when it comes to GPX brakes. If you find yourself driving on dirt roads, you should afterwards take the bike to get it cleaned, as dirt can get into the brakes. After getting your GPX Legend washed, be sure to check the wires on either side of the gas tank — as the high pressure spray can sometimes dislodge one of the wires. If that happens, it is easy to reattach the wire immediately by hand.

4. It will be tough or impossible to get help from someone at GPX who speaks English. At least that has been the experience of people we know. We can’t really say that this is a unique complaint, because it is just as hard to get English speaking help from other motorcycle brands in Thailand. However, we were somewhat surprised to hear from several people that their requests to communicate in writing with a GPX service technician were ignored. It seems that GPX service technicians must be talked with on the phone and not via email or LINE chat, which makes it hard for foreigners who often prefer communicating in Thai by writing with the help of Google translate. If a GPX Thailand representative reads this post, we would kindly suggest they work on correctly this problem, especially since you are promoting this motorcycle with an English language website.

5. The GPX Legend 250 Twin does not hold its value much on the resale market in Thailand, compared to motorbikes from Honda and Yamaha. This is because many people erroneously think that GPX is a Chinese made bike, rather than a Thailand made motorcycle and Thai motorcycle brand. If you look at previous models of the GPX Legend you’ll see the prices fall precipitously as short as 1 year after purchase. So, when buying a GPX Legend Twin, you should look at as a bike you’ll keep forever, perhaps eventually as a 2nd bike when you decide you want a newer one. Keep in mind that GPX does provide a 3 YEAR, 30,000 km, Warranty with your purchase of a Legend, so that should ease any concerns you have about its quality.

So, to wrap things up, the GPX Legend 250 Twin III is a good, affordable Thai motorcycle. Yes, some people will have a few minor issues with the bike (as mentioned above), but this bike just needs some breaking in, and for you to get used to its quirkiness. Once you do, you will fall in love with the driving experience, just as much as you fell in love with its cool, vintage appearance.