Scooter for Girl

[Moonlover]

26 minutes ago, GarryP said:

 If your wife rode in Egypt, particularly Cairo, I reckon she could ride anywhere in the world.  

Not Cairo, we lived in a much smaller, coastal city, but still pretty chaotic.

 

But I do agree with your sentiments regarding that city. It is, by some margin, the worst place I have ever travelled in. Far worse than anywhere I've been in Thailand.

 

And as for aggression, I have seen car drivers deliberately side-swiping each other. They make Thai drivers seem like little angels.

 

Oops! Going off topic again!

[canthai55]

You were called on your initial post as saying using only one brake will make the bike unstable.

I said Hogwash - was then - is now.

 

[jayci]

Going a little too fast into winding canyon roads and having to deftly apply the rear brake to wash off the speed. Valid yes for an experienced rider.
 
But hardly appropriate for day to day riding on the streets of Thailand.
 
Let's be realistic shall we, instead of trying to 'score points'.
 
Riding instructors and safety experts agree on balanced front and rear braking.

It is unrealistic to expect a novice rider to do balance braking on mud, gravel or grass. I would hazard to guess if doing 70/30 braking on grass would end up with your arse on the grass.
So easy to over do the front brake in conditions like that, so for the most part for a novice no front brake is better

Sent from my Le X820 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Moonlover]

4 minutes ago, jayci said:

It is unrealistic to expect a novice rider to do balance braking on mud, gravel or grass. I would hazard to guess if doing 70/30 braking on grass would end up with your arse on the grass.
So easy to over do the front brake in conditions like that, so for the most part for a novice no front brake is better

Sent from my Le X820 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

It is unrealistic for a novice rider to riding in such conditions at all!

 

The recommended 70/30 split is recommended for normal riding conditions. However, situations are bound to occur when a different technique is called for. One learns, by experience when that might be so.

 

And let's be reasonable, we talking daily street riding here, not motocross.

[trianglechoke]

[ostyan]

15 years old? A push pedal bike

[KhunBENQ]

As others already wrote, to stay legal she has to limit to 110 ccm (until 20 years old).

The granddaughter got freedom of choice within this.

 

And (I was not surprised) she choose a Honda Scoopy.

Of course the "top model" .

"Honda Scoopy i, Club 12".

LED light, idle stop, tubeless tyres, USB connector for phone charging in a rainproof enclosure (VERY important ) ...

54000 Baht.

 

If I had insisted on a basic Honda Wave (four gears with automatic clutch) like I have, she would have had a death wish for me

Face loss to the max. She would not have touched it.

 

Exactly like this picture from the web:

[wazzupnow]

22 hours ago, canthai55 said:

Only one answer.

Get her the one she wants.

All the big name brands are close in reliability.

Ignore all those 'Motorcycles are the most dangerous things since sliced bread' posts

all thai girls have motorcycle scars, so what is the issue here? a sexy tattoo can cover most of it 555

[KKr]

6 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

I rode a bike with this feature recently and found it a little strange, especially when you specifically want rear brake only, front wheel is loosing traction in wet/gravel etc. I suppose it works combined with ABS but still feels odd when you only want rear brake.

most riders do not use the rear brake it seems.
and for good reasons, the rear wheel is difficult to correct once it starts sliding.

and 100 % yes to a compulsory driving course, for motorcycles AND cars !

[scubascuba3]

most riders do not use the rear brake it seems.
and for good reasons, the rear wheel is difficult to correct once it starts sliding.

Isn't it the other way around, most riders use the rear brake because they don't want to drop the bike if the front locks

[Gracas]

Take her helmet shopping first.

[KKr]

17 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

22 minutes ago, KKr said:

most riders do not use the rear brake it seems.
and for good reasons, the rear wheel is difficult to correct once it starts sliding.

Isn't it the other way around, most riders use the rear brake because they don't want to drop the bike if the front locks

If I am mistaken than so be it, this is what someone who hits the circuit most weekends told me.

[catman20]

7 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Yes correct. 110cc or less between 15 and 18 years of age

well thats OK then she wont get killed on a 110cc right ? 

[rumbo1]

4 hours ago, canthai55 said:

You did not learn much in that time

https://www.sportrider.com/riding-skills-series-using-rear-brake

The rear brake on mt GPZ 600 was next to useless under heavy braking as the rear wheel was in the air most of the time , however on my 350 YPVS the front brake was no good as i was almost always in wheelie mode , what fun it was to be young !!!

[NoshowJones]

Definitely a Scoopy, but she will have to wait till she is 16. I don't think there is an automatic 100cc which is the most your daughter can legally ride, or is it 115cc?

[NoshowJones]

23 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Oh dear... Apologies for commenting so negatively on this, it's probably not what you want to hear... 

 

Wait a couple of years and get her an old car... Much safer than having a child ride around on a scooter.

 

I sincerely hope this does not turn out to be the most heartbreaking decision you have ever made. 

 

 

The safest scooter out there:

Yamaha Tricity - 155cc ABS...  It has the best stability with two front wheels, it has the best and most stable braking with ABS.

Left brake lever applies brakes to both front and rear wheels. Right brake lever applies brakes to front wheels only. 

 

 

The OPs daughter is only 15.

[NoshowJones]

22 hours ago, ktm jeff said:

For a 15 year old , is there an engine size limit , say 110cc. Your choice may be limited by this. A Fino , Scoopy or KSR type would be good.Bikes are less protected than cars but are more affordable and easier to navigate traffic and park.

Be careful with the Fino, unless you don't mind always filling up the tank.

[Cranky]

Are you insane?  I'll be leaving the country rather than get my daughter a motorbike.

[OneMoreFarang]

35 minutes ago, catman20 said:

well thats OK then she wont get killed on a 110cc right ? 

Let's be realistic and look at the alternative: If she does not drive herself then most likely she will drive on the back of the bike with someone else. And if the someone else is a teenager boy with lots of testosterone her chances of getting killed will be a lot higher as if she drives by herself.

 

Obviously some parents dream about that their kids will never drive. But that that's exactly that - a dream.

 

And let's add the theoretical alternative of a bicycle. I have no statistics but I would bet that is even more dangerous - at least on city streets.

[OneMoreFarang]

Somehow it's funny to read that bikes over 110cc are only for people over 20 years of age. Did anybody tell this to the Thai people? Does anybody care? Does anybody enforce it?

 

I don't think I am good at estimating the age of teenagers but many with "bigger bikes" are certainly not over 20...

[thailand49]

8 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Yes correct. 110cc or less between 15 and 18 years of age

I'm sure this is what is in the books, but I can safely say in the real world here in Thailand does not exist even if it did not one is enforcing it period!

[tweedledee2]

 My wife has a Honda Scoopy and our15-year-old daughter uses it occasionally but only with first asking.   Personally, "if" I were to buy a new bike for my daughter, it would be my choice, not hers based on ease of riding and safety.   It would definitely have an automatic transmission, disc brakes if available, small diameter cast wheels and wide tires.  Definitely no gold wire wheels or skinny tires.  Underseat storage, as opposed to a handlebar mounted basket to lower the center of gravity for stability.  There would also be rules she would have to agree to regarding her cell phone usage and carrying passengers.  

[oldlakey]

59 minutes ago, thailand49 said:

I'm sure this is what is in the books, but I can safely say in the real world here in Thailand does not exist even if it did not one is enforcing it period!

Now that could be a possible clue as to why so many moto riders / passengers appear in the accident statistics

I think its safe to say that

[DUNROAMIN]

None. Wait till she is older and buy a small car, unless you are prepared to gamble with her life on Thai roads. I think the average road toll for motor cycle fatalities is around 5 - 6 thousand a year in Thailand.

[Lamkyong]

23 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Lots of choices and I agree with above: Best get her what she wants.

 

Apart from that make sure you buy it in a shop which has also a garage and good service so that you can be sure they know what they are doing.

 

I don't know if she likes it but if she likes it I recommend buy her one with gears and at clutch.

1st advantage is if she learns to drive on that she can easily later change to a bigger bike.

2nd and I think BIG advantage: She will need both hands on the handlebar and that means she can't just drive with one hand and use her mobile phone with the other hand.

fairly sure that all scooters are either automatic or  no clutch lever  (semi automatic)  all that went out with he 2 stroke

[1130bobs]

After the obvious answer; the safest bike for her is one that does NOT have a boy (friend) driving it.   

Get the smallest 110 - 115cc auto that is around.  No gears.  I feel the advantages of ABS are off set in this case because a 150cc is too much power for any novice in Thailand.  Also, I would not recommend the tri yamaha. A novice friend fell off it twice at slow speed - the 2nd time breaking his wife's hip.  Since she lives here, not on a 2 week vacation, she needs to learn how a scooter handles.  That is where her safety is - how she drives it - defensive driving.  Take some trips with her so you can show her tips for corners, traffic, lights, etc.

  She will thank you for it (even if not spoken).  Take her on sand, mud to see how it affects handling.  Get her to jam the brakes at 5-10kph on grass to see what it feels like to slide, skid.

  This is the best you can do - except to put a speed limiter on it.  But that would probably cause her to find a boy to disable it.   

[Familyonthemove]

10 hours ago, sebastion said:

Honda supercub 110 cc.
Semi auto gears and very lightweight and not tall.
The new one is beautiful and only 47,100 baht.

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk
 

The Supercub's semi auto encourages slower, deliberate riding, and the drum brakes are 'naturally' anti-lock,  but weak compared to a disk.  The Wave 110 can come with a disk, but it's not as cute.

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, thailand49 said:

I'm sure this is what is in the books, but I can safely say in the real world here in Thailand does not exist even if it did not one is enforcing it period!

There's a 15, maybe 16 year old lad that I know in Udon Thani riding around on a Honda CBR150R that his British step dad bought for him. Responsible parenting?

 

And there's a 14 y/o in our village that rides his dad's around sometime. Same type from what I can see.

 

Enforcement. What's that?

[KhunBENQ]

2 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Definitely a Scoopy, but she will have to wait till she is 16. I don't think there is an automatic 100cc which is the most your daughter can legally ride, or is it 115cc?

?

A Scoopy is 108.2 ccm and an automatic.

Very smooth and silent.

I tried it, though even for me with only 1.72m it's just too small.

Exactly made for the underage group from 15 years on.

15 is the age where they can do a motorbike driving license.

 

Don't ask about the idea behind these limits.

Indeed such a scooter can do 100 km/h (62 mph) or more(?).

 

[Suradit69]

On 3/12/2018 at 5:50 PM, canthai55 said:

the most dangerous things since sliced bread'

Rather cavalier attitude considering the number of people who have suffered severe sliced bread trauma.