Yamaha Nouvo Or Honda Air Blade?

[Michel1980]

Hi All! For me, the Air Blade seems to be a good choice, I wonder if someone knows where the best place is to buy Air Blade (best price with mag wheels)?

Do some of you have any tip/links regarding tuning parts, to make Air Blade go a bit faster?

Thanks.

Hello,

Im new here in this forum i know. But bare with me, we own Honda click,Honda Icon,Kawasaki Kaza130 shifter. And my own bike Honda Airblade..

First of all so far i find the Airblade the best bike conserning comfort compared to the other ones. It drives like you are on a airbed compared to the other ones (with exception of the kawasaki)

My gf has serious back problems (not thai dont worry im not a crazy farang;) In the past she broke her back 2 times, and ever since she has to life with medications ectra. YOu can get 100with it, but everybody knows how annoying the roads in thailand can be. Let alone iff youre like we are...residents in Koh Samui, lamai.

The roads are bad, so we needed a bike that suits her needs as well. She loves the airblade compared to the other bikes so far that are to sturdy.

Now im modding the bike with all kinds of nifty things but mainly suspension modifications. I got now replaced the rear shock with Posh racing ones (bigger outer and inner spring system) nitrogen is used to make the things works. Spacer were needed to get the desired highed seen the fact these springs are shorter.

My advice is dont go to the dealer for these kind of jobs. Get a good LOCAL modifier to do it. I paid with bout 1 hour of work to do it, and very nice job on making the springs nitrogen cartridges fit the bike (drilling holes ectra) 2150, the 150 was for the spacers. 2000baht for the springs, this sounds like allot its fair amount of cash. The honda dealer asked me for the same SET of springs in the coloring of my bike (red/black) approx 3500bath. The feel wonderfull and looks totally awesome on the bike to!

I also asked the local modifier what he could do conserning speed. The airblade is the slowest bike conserning topspeed in the fleet. Why? Not so strange its the most heaviest compared to the enginepower it has. Most local modifiers know how to get youre bike going like a rocket. Also be smart iff youre thai is so so, get a thaifriend with you to xplain precisely the nature of the job the need to do. Before you know it the put on a huge exaust ahahah well we all know how that look and sounds like. Just be sure that youre clear to them on the job the need to do on youre bike.

And more important is, you can always talk about the price as with everything in thailand.

Hope this anwsers youre question a bit. Will add pic soon i think so you can see the nature of the modding so far.

Regards Michel

Edited April 27, 2008 by Michel1980

[mstrtptn]

I happen to own all 3 (+ some other bikes); Nouvo, AirBlade and Hayate.

Bought the Nouvo used and it is 2 y.o. model. It is OK ride.

AirBlade bought new 6 months ago; powerless compared to Nouvo and the front suspension SUCKS! (Maybe it is only me; I tend to drive always FAST and to push my bikes to the limits.) Brakes are good!

Hayate bought slightly used 4 months ago and of all 3; this is the best one. Not mention that it seems to be also the cheapest.

More power and nicer to handle.

My wife has a 2 y.o. Mio and that is very much as are all 3 previously mentioned bikes.

Out of Mio, AirBlade, Hayate and Nouvo, I still choose my semi-automatic 125 injection Honda Wave.

My STRONG opinion is that rubber sling is for other things in life; not to use in vehicles. For me it is important to be able to handle my bike, make heavy leaning on curves if necessary; and TO CHANGE GEARS MYSELF!

And I also have balls between my legs; so knees-together driving is not my thing. More for the boyz-town things.

It would also take thousands of thai accountant girls to convince me that rubber sling technology is some way better than is chain and solid metal gears. CVT is for girls who don't know how to use gears.

Do not get me wrong: Automatic has some it's advantages. With things to move with your bike, or make a short hop to the nearest 7-11, the easiness of automatic can be justified. But a real bike has GEARS. (But then again; a real bike is also a bit more than 125 cc...)

[LivinLOS]

I am unsure which one the Hayate is ?? But I see mentioned the Kwaker zx130 which I think is a great bike.. May even be better than the wave wich is saying something as I really think thats a triumph of cheap simple engineering.

I too cant get comfortable with an auto.. Gutless up hills.. No engine braking down them..

[HDRIDER]

HI

Try this

http://www.motorcycle.in.th/article.php/Th...Scooter-or-Bike

[LivinLOS]

Ahh another auto !!

The ZX130 feels strong.. Rode a mates and it impressed me, had a certain solid feeling and while not being T135 quick was definately a step up from the basic manuals which again are a step up in poke over the autos.

I understand many may not need any extra power but living with hills (and recently moving to one that can barely get an auto up it with just one normal rider) and being 6 3 and >105kg.. every little extra boost makes a bike much more useable.

[moo9]

I today traded in my CBR150R against a new Airblade. I liked the CBR very much, but in Pattaya's traffic (where I only use the bike) an automatic is much more comfortable to drive.

I had a rental Airblade before and decided against the Nouvo, because it rides much smoother, it is simply a pleasure to drive in dense traffic. I checked also the new 135cc Nouvo, but I simply do not like the look and color scheme.

Sure I am missing my CBR now, but after the Songran Traffic here, I was hoping to back on an automatic again.

[JetsetBkk]

I'm after a new bike. I have a pick-up, so the bike is going to be just for getting around the moo baan, going to the market and for the g/f to visit the wat while I have a lie-in.

I've read all of this thread and I'm b*ggered if I can decide which to buy.

I've been to:

Honda and seen the 'Air Blade' and 'Phantom'

Yamaha - Nouvo 'Elegance' and 'MX'

Suzuki - 'Hayate'

JRD - 'Tornado', 'Sanook', 'Joop', 'Typhoon', 'Snow Baby' (all incredibly cheap!)

I couldn't find much to choose between the Honda 'Air Blade' and the Yamaha 'Nouvo'.

What I don't like about the Nouvo Elegance is its looks - from the front it looks like something out of "Alien" or "War of the Worlds", and I don't like the way the side panels come out to that sharp crease and go back in again - just another "Alien" angle in the design to get scratched and dented. Mind you, the Air Blade looks pretty 'Alien' from the front, too.

I think I prefer the old Nouvo MX version which also comes in a nice blue.

So, I have no desire to look like a boy racer, or ride great distances. It's just for pottering about and popping up to the 7/11- storage space, reliability, number of service centres, ease of maintenance, are my priorities.

Anyone have any recommendations?

[LivinLOS]

Forget the JRD's.. Nasty..

I say theres very little in it for Nuovo / Airblade.. If out of town the lower top speed and smaller wheels of the airblade may be worse than the nuovo.. Nuovo has better storage... Airblade feels a bit nippier in town and better brakes. All personal preference (I like the nuovo more of the two).

I agree with you that the 'elegance' look is an aquired taste, but I think its a better machine.

I myself dont like the autos.. I would be buying a wave or a kawasaki zx130.. Stronger, longer lasting, cheaper maintenance, less fuel use.. But no status to thais.

[Michel1980]

CUTTED

I myself dont like the autos.. I would be buying a wave or a kawasaki zx130.. Stronger, longer lasting, cheaper maintenance, less fuel use.. But no status to thais.

Well i disagree...

Wave,kawa, ecta shifter

cons

* Chaindriven means MORE maintaince compared to beltdriven simple as that.

* its not even cheaper its even more xpensive compared to automatics.

(THIS GOES FOR KOH SAMUI)

And local dealers cant even find parts for the kawasaki (!!) iff so the have to come from FAR. Means a longer downtime compared to the beltdriven bikes.

Quote from local repairshop and modifiers (so not useless tits ppl that know what bikes are)

Owner pom, The kawasaki great engine, strong bike, not easy to maintain here on samui, even on mainland its a bike that is not as populair as honda or yamaha. Parts are harder to come by and more expensive. Complete tuning would be between 10 13000 bath.

Owner Wit, modifier. I dont want to do this because its a bike that isnt that easy to get parts for iff something fails will take weeks depending on the nature of the part that broke down. HOnda, yamaha ectra much better.

Now back to the maintaince, i asked the DEALER were the bike was bought. TO adjust the idle was to low bike shutsdown from time to time.

Quotes what happend a bit

"sir, this screw adjust it when that happens"

"excuse me, youre the mechanic, we bought this bike here not long ago. Im not a mechanic, i know how it works did in holland allot of work on bikes im not a idiot on that area. But this is service right?"

" I dont know sir, adjusting is xx bath.."

I was stunned and offcourse laughed a bit. Its as we call typical thai styl how the handled this.

No offence with the honda dealer NEVER EVER had this. Great service, always cup of coffee or water while you wait. You can see its a prof setup the garage ectra. No here on KOH SAMUI NEVER EVER BUY A KAWASAKI. To bad because the bike is really good :C

I could trade it with my airblade, because there is a custom honda 750cc underway. I drove around on the kawasaki. I love the bike, great shifting capabilities ectra, But the airblade is favor the most and i do mean entire Honda. Way better service, parts are everywere stocked so never a problem there. Im sorry just the way it is.

[LivinLOS]

100% dissagree (and we have many many bikes, both auto and manual).

I have (among the bikes) a Kawasaki Cheer.. god knows how old.. its got nearly 60k kms on its clock !! When you get an auto to 60,000 kms come back and tell me.

Chain drive v belt drive being more expensive.. Again totally not true.. Have a belt problem (whining very common on the Nuovo MX) and your looking at 4.5k for a rebuild.. My missus rents bikes and has some nuovos this has been done a couple of times. I fail to understand whats expensive about a chain, they last for years and cost what 600 baht for a chain ??? Maybe 1500 for chain and sprokets name branded.

So you had a bad dealer experience.. OK so that one shops a pain.. Basic Kawasaki parts are easy to obtain and can be serviced by every tin shack mechanic I have ever dropped it off at, here on Phuket.. And still how would that effect a Honda wave ??

As to tuning.. You probably wont need it with an manual as you would an auto.. My basic geared bike flies up hills over taking every auto, the auto box steals 10 - 15% of the power output of the engine. On the hill to my house my mates GF had to get of his bike and get on the back of mine as it wouldnt go up the (very steep I admit) hill 2 up.

The autos drink fuel.. I was having to put in 100 baht every other day (on my regular daily route) into a nuovo where the cheer would do the same kind of miles and be 4 or 5 days between a 100 baht fill. OK so its 100 baht here or there but that still means a grand a month. Auto have more complexity so more work. Less power.

If the autos are more economical ??? Why is it that EVERY MB taxi has a manual ??

[jackcorbett]

100% dissagree (and we have many many bikes, both auto and manual).

I have (among the bikes) a Kawasaki Cheer.. god knows how old.. its got nearly 60k kms on its clock !! When you get an auto to 60,000 kms come back and tell me.

Chain drive v belt drive being more expensive.. Again totally not true.. Have a belt problem (whining very common on the Nuovo MX) and your looking at 4.5k for a rebuild.. My missus rents bikes and has some nuovos this has been done a couple of times. I fail to understand whats expensive about a chain, they last for years and cost what 600 baht for a chain ??? Maybe 1500 for chain and sprokets name branded.

So you had a bad dealer experience.. OK so that one shops a pain.. Basic Kawasaki parts are easy to obtain and can be serviced by every tin shack mechanic I have ever dropped it off at, here on Phuket.. And still how would that effect a Honda wave ??

As to tuning.. You probably wont need it with an manual as you would an auto.. My basic geared bike flies up hills over taking every auto, the auto box steals 10 - 15% of the power output of the engine. On the hill to my house my mates GF had to get of his bike and get on the back of mine as it wouldnt go up the (very steep I admit) hill 2 up.

The autos drink fuel.. I was having to put in 100 baht every other day (on my regular daily route) into a nuovo where the cheer would do the same kind of miles and be 4 or 5 days between a 100 baht fill. OK so its 100 baht here or there but that still means a grand a month. Auto have more complexity so more work. Less power.

If the autos are more economical ??? Why is it that EVERY MB taxi has a manual ??

As my old girlfriend put it, many Thais buy manuals because they can't afford to buy the autos. She went onto say that if they could afford autos, this is what they'd have.

[ozsamurai]

I have an AirBlade and am thouroughly impressed, but one of my things is modification, so does anyone know where I can get some mods done in BKK. A Chip set perhaps. We should have a get together. Farang bike gang on Airblades, now that sounds funny!!

[LivinLOS]

If the autos are more economical ??? Why is it that EVERY MB taxi has a manual ??

As my old girlfriend put it, many Thais buy manuals because they can't afford to buy the autos. She went onto say that if they could afford autos, this is what they'd have.

But the argument I was being given is that the autos are cheaper to run ??

I say thats totally about face.

A manual (for example wave 125i) is cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, cheaper to service, has more power, and lasts longer.

The autos are idiot proof for people who find gears a problem (not meant as an insult, some of my mates also like twist and go), generally have better storage, and look more 'modern'..

[HDRIDER]

HI

I have 2 bikes with gear and 1 Nouvo, i just love the Nouvo around town and for shopping, fool proof bike, i tried Air Blade, to slow

[JetsetBkk]

Forget the JRD's.. Nasty..

I say theres very little in it for Nuovo / Airblade.. If out of town the lower top speed and smaller wheels of the airblade may be worse than the nuovo.. Nuovo has better storage... Airblade feels a bit nippier in town and better brakes. All personal preference (I like the nuovo more of the two).

I agree with you that the 'elegance' look is an aquired taste, but I think its a better machine.

I myself dont like the autos.. I would be buying a wave or a kawasaki zx130.. Stronger, longer lasting, cheaper maintenance, less fuel use.. But no status to thais.

Thanks for your comments, LL.

I agree - the finish on the JRDs look incredibly rough. I couldn't rest my bare feet on the running board of the one in the shop - the holes cut in the metal had very sharp edges and the overall build quality looked poor. I guess that's why they are so cheap.

I did hire a Nouvo a few years ago - the old MX type - and loved the automatic gearbox, but it was a very noisy machine. Nothing specific - just a very rattly, noisy machine. Of course, it WAS a rental so had probably been thrashed and maybe not maintained too well. At 150 baht / day it would pay for itself in a year.

What I don't like about manuals is changing down gears - my heel just won't go that way on a small cramped bike. I need to sit right back on the passenger seat so my long legs can work. So I must have an automatic or a big manual. And big manuals look a bit scary to me - the Phantom just looks so huge! and I don't think the g/f would be able to ride it.

[LivinLOS]

What I don't like about manuals is changing down gears - my heel just won't go that way on a small cramped bike. I need to sit right back on the passenger seat so my long legs can work. So I must have an automatic or a big manual. And big manuals look a bit scary to me - the Phantom just looks so huge! and I don't think the g/f would be able to ride it.

If (like me) your a bit on the large size have them move the gear shift round 1 or 2 splines... Any bike should be made to fit the rider and a geared bike should always be set up to be comfortable for your seating position.

The phantom is a 'real bike' and very different from a jump on scooter.. IMO thats why bikes like the ZX130 / X1 / T135 / Sonics sell, they are more bike powered but still convenient.

[moo9]

HI

I have 2 bikes with gear and 1 Nouvo, i just love the Nouvo around town and for shopping, fool proof bike, i tried Air Blade, to slow

I just bought a brandnew Airblade. I had a Nouvo and a CBR150 before.

Totally happy with the Airblade. I put some YSS Shocks in the back and Posh Fork dampers. Acceleration from low speed or red traffic light is just great. Top speed might be lower than the Nouvo, but anyway I would not like to ride at 100 km/h on both bikes.

The Nouvo is not bad, but for fast moving city traffic the Airblade is even better.

Rgds

Moo9

[JetsetBkk]

If (like me) your a bit on the large size have them move the gear shift round 1 or 2 splines... Any bike should be made to fit the rider and a geared bike should always be set up to be comfortable for your seating position.

Thanks for that solution LL! So obvious, but I never thought of it!

I had a day off today - no bike shop browsing. Tomorrow it'll be back to Honda and Yamaha for the final decision. It'll still be an automatic though - I'm just too lazy!

[withnail]

HI

I have 2 bikes with gear and 1 Nouvo, i just love the Nouvo around town and for shopping, fool proof bike, i tried Air Blade, to slow

I just bought a brandnew Airblade. I had a Nouvo and a CBR150 before.

Totally happy with the Airblade. I put some YSS Shocks in the back and Posh Fork dampers. Acceleration from low speed or red traffic light is just great. Top speed might be lower than the Nouvo, but anyway I would not like to ride at 100 km/h on both bikes.

The Nouvo is not bad, but for fast moving city traffic the Airblade is even better.

Rgds

Moo9

moo9 how much difference do you find the shocks make? Do they just make the ride less bouncy or are they actually stronger as well?

Edited May 1, 2008 by withnail

[HDRIDER]

HI

I have adjustable shocks, and stiffer springs in my front forks (Nouvo) and yes you can fell its different, adjustable shocks are not that expensive.

[moo9]

HI

I have 2 bikes with gear and 1 Nouvo, i just love the Nouvo around town and for shopping, fool proof bike, i tried Air Blade, to slow

I just bought a brandnew Airblade. I had a Nouvo and a CBR150 before.

Totally happy with the Airblade. I put some YSS Shocks in the back and Posh Fork dampers. Acceleration from low speed or red traffic light is just great. Top speed might be lower than the Nouvo, but anyway I would not like to ride at 100 km/h on both bikes.

The Nouvo is not bad, but for fast moving city traffic the Airblade is even better.

Rgds

Moo9

moo9 how much difference do you find the shocks make? Do they just make the ride less bouncy or are they actually stronger as well?

I would equip any bike with these shocks! It improves handling, however it might reduce comfort on bad roads. The big difference comes into play when you really load the bike. Factory shocks can't handle the overload. I paid for the YSS shocks (non gas) 1700 Baht. If you choose adjustable gas shocks (Gazi) you gotta pay around 3,000 - 3,500 Bht for the pair. Imho a very good investment.

Rgds

Moo9

[withnail]

Cheers for the info. Mine would be for a Fino, so I'd only need the one. Could anyone recommend a specific model number or anything? This is my local shop http://www.likitracing.com/

[canuckamuck]

The Hayate is better and cheaper than the Air Blade and very similar to but cheaper than the Nouvo. I don't understand why it doesn't get the same consideration.

Try it out you'll see what I mean.

Edited May 2, 2008 by canuckamuck

[JetsetBkk]

The Hayate is better and cheaper than the Air Blade and very similar to but cheaper than the Nouvo. I don't understand why it doesn't get the same consideration...

Not so many Suzuki dealers as Honda and Yamaha?

[moo9]

The Hayate is better and cheaper than the Air Blade and very similar to but cheaper than the Nouvo. I don't understand why it doesn't get the same consideration.

Try it out you'll see what I mean.

Why is the Hayate better than the Airblade? I drove both as rentals and decided for the Airblade. Yes, it is more expensive by about 5,000 Bht but the acceleration is better, the handling is better and the ride is smooth. Only advantage for the Hayate is that it offers slightly more space and the lower price tag.

Resale value of Honda will be much higher though.

[jackcorbett]

I've driven all three. The Suzuki is a dead ringer for the Nouvo although it offers 125 cc's. Compared to my 115 cc. Nouvo I could tell no difference in the power and the handling of my Nouvo was just a bit sharper. For that matter though the handling of my Nouvo, the old model, is also a bit better than the new model. But the new model Nouvo at 135 cc's is decidedly better than mine, the Air Blade and the Suzuki.

[JetsetBkk]

For me, it's now between the Yamaha 'Mio MX' and the 'Nouvo MX'. Decisions, decisions...

[HDRIDER]

HI

Nouvo, more space under seat for shopping, 2 shocks, Mio only have one, if you ride 2 up. Take the Nouvo, well, just take the Nouvo and dont think more about it, btw take the new 135cc

[jackcorbett]

For me, it's now between the Yamaha 'Mio MX' and the 'Nouvo MX'. Decisions, decisions...

You pay for what you get so much of the time. The Mio and the Fino are the same size. I really like the retro styling of the Fino. But when we compare the old model Nouvo against the Mio and the Fino, you get substantially more power even though both seem to use the same 115 c.c. engine. (I think Yamaha's done some special tweaking to the engines in the Nouvos). You get A LOT MORE STORAGE under the seat. That is you can't put much more than a pair of gloves under the Fino or Mio's seat whereas you can put a whole bag of groceries under the Nouvo's seat. You get automatic choke with the Nouvo whereas the two smaller Yamaha offerings employ a manual choke. You get sustantially larger wheels and tires with the Nouvo (16 inch versus 14 inch) which translates out to greater stability. And here's the best one yet.....you get twin shocks in the rear on the Nouvo versus a single shock on the Mio, Fino, and for that matter the Honda Click. Think about it........there's a single shock on just one side of the rear of the bike on the Fino, Mio and Click to save production costs so that both Honda and Yamaha can come into the market with lower cost automatic bikes. Now that's just not good enough, I say. If you don't believe me put one 200 pound plus Western guy on the back of these bikes and your 100 pound Thai girlfriend and just see how well the Mio, Fino, and Click come out. Not that this is something I recommend but I've done it for short runs when absolutely necessary. Do this and you will appreciate the larger tired and twin shocked Nouvo's and Airblades.

And to those who might quibble about cost differences, rounding the numbers off we are talking about a 40,000 baht bike here versus a 50,000 baht bike. That's just 10,000 baht difference. Say you ride your bike to 4 years. That's just 2500 baht a year difference or the price you will pay for one bar fine in a go-go club plus what you might pay the girl for one night. Now think about what you pay in the U.S. per year for driving a car. Say you buy a new car for $25,000 and after 4 years you get $12000 for this car. That's $13,000 over the 4 years. Divide that by four and you wind up depreciating your car by $3250 or 100,750 baht per year just to drive that car. So we are talking about driving a car that depreciates 100,750 baht per year versus having to pay just 2500 baht per year for a Nouvo over a Mio, Click, or Fino. That's a factor of 40 to 1.

This one's a no brainer. What is your life worth? And as long as you are stuck with just two wheels what is your comfort level worth and general all around utility of the bike? Bikes such as the Nouvo and Air Blade give you a huge margin in all categories over the lesser automatics. As for me, I'd take 135 cc's over 110 (the Air Blades displacement) anytime. Snap up the new model Nouvo (which is 135 cc's and liquid cooled versus the 115 cc. airl cooled engine in older models such as mine) or wait until what you see Honda's going to be coming out with to counter the new Nouvo because once again Honda's going to have to play catch up because once again Honda finds itself seriously outgunned. But if you simply prefer the Air Blade and feel that in the real world of day to day driving such as you encounter in Pattaya where you will never drive very fast anyway, it's still an excellent selection being far better than the Click, Fino or Mio.

Edited May 4, 2008 by jackcorbett

[LivinLOS]

HI

Nouvo, more space under seat for shopping, 2 shocks, Mio only have one, if you ride 2 up. Take the Nouvo, well, just take the Nouvo and dont think more about it, btw take the new 135cc

Theres your answer..

I dont like the look of the elegance but its a better bike by far.