Which Motorbike To Buy For Town, But Maybe Some Trips?

[papa al]

Nice 2nd-hand [under 50k]

CB150 or Mslaz

be perfect for you

Move up in a year or two?

Sell w/ minimal depreciation.

Bikes over 150ish-cc too hot when stopped in traffic.

papa rented a CB150 for a week & loved it.

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

14 minutes ago, papa al said:

Bikes over 150ish-cc too hot when stopped in traffic.

That depends on the bike.

I.e. my KTM has a fan which keeps the water cool - and my left leg warm.

And the Suzuki has only an oil cooler, no water. No problem with overheating. ???? 

[papa al]

47 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

That depends on the bike.

I.e. my KTM has a fan which keeps the water cool - and my left leg warm.

And the Suzuki has only an oil cooler, no water. No problem with overheating. ???? 

My Duke 200 feels too hot on my body when stopped.

The bike engine itself is cool enough.

Don't sell the Raider.

Bike & rider both ~comfy.

A lane-splitter for sure.

 

[OneMoreFarang]

13 minutes ago, papa al said:

Don't sell the Raider.

Bike & rider both ~comfy.

A lane-splitter for sure.

[Solinvictus]

Motorbikes are one thing but if your looking to MOTORBOAT you know where to go!

 

????‍♂️????‍♂️????‍♂️????‍♂️????‍♂️????‍♂️????‍♂️

[OneMoreFarang]

Adventure, maybe also in Thailand in a couple of months...

 

 

 

 

[NoshowJones]

On 1/26/2020 at 6:37 AM, daveAustin said:

Can't go wrong with a Wave. The motors are incredibly durable; went everywhere with ours and she's still going at over 150k! The problem with scooters regards steep, sustained downhilling is there is no gear selection to engine brake... if you're a bit of a namby-pamby that is and need to brake. 

For about town and distance, good fuel economy and reliability, you can't go wrong with a 

Honda PCX.

[richard_smith237]

On 1/27/2020 at 11:43 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

On 1/27/2020 at 11:27 AM, papa al said:

Bikes over 150ish-cc too hot when stopped in traffic.

That depends on the bike.

I.e. my KTM has a fan which keeps the water cool - and my left leg warm.

And the Suzuki has only an oil cooler, no water. No problem with overheating. ???? 

It’s a good point. 
My bike (BMW G310GS) also has a fab, but I switch it off at the lights. 
 

The ‘heat’ or rather ‘cooling’ issue has prevented me from getting some larger bikes recently (I.e. Ducati Scrambler or Triumph Thruxton, now the RS is out I may not care about the heat !!) 

[Fab5BKK]

IMHO and YMMV

 

Bikes can address 2 needs (at least):

* a utility tool (local shopping runs, commuting, etc.)

* a pleasure tool (riding for enjoyment)

 

It'd be quite challenging to find 1 bike for both.

 

I currently have a Yamaha NMax and a Triumph Street Triple (I might consider a brand new Triumph Speed Twin).

 

BTW, I won't recommend a Street Triple / Speed Twin to a new bike license holder ????

 

Last advice if I may, don't spend your whole money just on the bike, keep some to buy protection gear (helmet, gloves, etc.)

 

 

[guzzi850m2]

2 hours ago, Fab5BKK said:

IMHO and YMMV

 

Bikes can address 2 needs (at least):

* a utility tool (local shopping runs, commuting, etc.)

* a pleasure tool (riding for enjoyment)

 

It'd be quite challenging to find 1 bike for both.

 

I currently have a Yamaha NMax and a Triumph Street Triple (I might consider a brand new Triumph Speed Twin).

 

BTW, I won't recommend a Street Triple / Speed Twin to a new bike license holder ????

 

Last advice if I may, don't spend your whole money just on the bike, keep some to buy protection gear (helmet, gloves, etc.)

 

 

Excellent answer, I do it the same way; scooter for popping around Payyaya on and a big bike for pleasure/trips.

 

Admitted the big bike is not handy downtown but the PCX is and the other way around when out on the highways.

[guzzi850m2]

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

It’s a good point. 
My bike (BMW G310GS) also has a fab, but I switch it off at the lights. 
 

The ‘heat’ or rather ‘cooling’ issue has prevented me from getting some larger bikes recently (I.e. Ducati Scrambler or Triumph Thruxton, now the RS is out I may not care about the heat !!) 

That's a somewhat odd point having for not moving up in bike size, many big bikes don't have that issue (frying your leg(s)) at red lights.

 

Both my ex Versys650 and current XSR900 don't fry your legs and both have cooling fan kicking in when the cooling water reach a certain temp.

 

I suggest you check on bike forums and ask.

 

RS? Speed Triple? Yeeees please, lovely bike, super light, get one man.

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

2 minutes ago, guzzi850m2 said:

That's a somewhat odd point having for not moving up in bike size, many big bikes don't have that issue (frying your leg(s)) at red lights.

 

Both my ex Versys650 and current XSR900 don't fry your legs and both have cooling fan kicking in when the cooling water reach a certain temp.

 

I suggest you check on bike forums and ask.

 

RS? Speed Triple? Yeeees please, lovely bike, super light, get one man.

 

 

I think the overheating is definitely an issue to be aware of and avoid.

And that seems to happen especially with bikes which were never (officially) sold in hot climate.

I had a Honda VFR400 NC30 which constantly was too hot, and it had a fan which was mostly on. The only option was to install a bigger water cooler but that wouldn't fit behind the fairing anymore...

[richard_smith237]

5 minutes ago, guzzi850m2 said:

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

It’s a good point. 
My bike (BMW G310GS) also has a fab, but I switch it off at the lights. 
 

The ‘heat’ or rather ‘cooling’ issue has prevented me from getting some larger bikes recently (I.e. Ducati Scrambler or Triumph Thruxton, now the RS is out I may not care about the heat !!) 

That's a somewhat odd point having for not moving up in bike size, many big bikes don't have that issue (frying your leg(s)) at red lights.

 

Both my ex Versys650 and current XSR900 don't fry your legs and both have cooling fan kicking in when the cooling water reach a certain temp.

 

I suggest you check on bike forums and ask.

 

RS? Speed Triple? Yeeees please, lovely bike, super light, get one man.

 

that and indecision...  I nearly purchased the XSR900 Custom at the Motorshow before Christmas, an awesome bike, I sat on the thing about 10 times - Also liked the Thruxton RS and sat on that a whole lot.

 

For the purposes of the OP, none of them viable 1st time bikes. 

 

If Yamaha ever bring out their TriCity 300 that would be an excellent bike. I know the TriCity splits opinion, but I thought my 155cc was an excellent city bike. 

 

If only CCM had bikes in Thailand, or Norton with their new Atlas Ranger & Nomad. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[OliverKlozerof]

I wanted to rent a Wave 125 but none of the shops in my area have them available. They mainly have full automatics, not semi automatics. I may keeping asking at farther-flung shops though, as I'd really like to try one for a few days to a week.

However, I'm starting to feel that, for driving in BKK, a fully automatic Click might be simplest. Lots of starting and stopping, and not having to think about shifting could simplify things in town.
I have lots more questions...but here's one: What's the difference between a Click 125 and the 150 version. Well, obviously the 150 has more power. But I mean, when would someone choose the 150 over the 125? There are basically no hills in BKK, so you don't need the extra power. Maybe if you're a huge person you'd want the 150? I'm rather small (5'8", 130lbs), so that's not a consideration. Maybe the 150 would be better for longer distances?
And: Earlier I talked about how a full auto scooter is not good for coming down from high mountains. But then I realized: Very little of Thailand has high mountains. And: There's always the option of pulling over and letting the brakes cool off if I ever got in that situation. So, besides slightly better gas mileage, I'm starting to think I don't really need a bike with gears for 99% of what I'm thinking of doing.

[Agusts]

You are on the right track, forget Wave, go for Click 125 (or 150) or if you can afford it, Aerox 155 - unless you really like the flat floor board.

 

There is also Yamaha Filano 125 (with ABS) but if you want to sell or upgrade in a few years the Click will be sold in 1 day, Yamaha might take a bit longer to get rid off...

 

Forget manual or semi-manual bikes, in Thailand there are so many nice scooters for sale why bother with gears - unless for long trip touring.

 

 

[OliverKlozerof]

And rather than starting a new thread, here are a few more motorbike newbie questions:

1) Is there a way to find a used (say Wave or Click), in good condition for a good price? (One guy recommended I go with the owner of a bike shop to one of the Thursday auctions, but that owner said he no longer offers that service, as prices now not much better than the open market due to more people coming to the auction.) Anyone in BKK with good Thai skills/knowledge interested in helping with this? For reasonable remuneration (that means money ???? ).

2) The great safety vs comfort debate: What gear/clothes do you wear to to stay safe but not die from overheating? (I'm talking about for smaller bikes; not big touring bikes.)

3) When I got the license the other day they took the original Residence Affidavit I'd just gotten at the US embassy. Unfortunately, the embassy now has about a month wait for appointments. Used to be the better option compared with going to Chaeng Wattana, as you could get appointments quite quickly and required just one visit (though $50 fee). But now CW may have the advantage, and is considerably cheaper. But I think is 2-day process. Since I'll need another Residence Proof Thingy in order to buy a bike, anyone know how long it takes at CW? (I could search elsewhere, but I'm lazy.)

[Agusts]

1)- Look at www.bahtsold.com    or Facebook MarketPlace. Buying from a foreigner is a good option, unless he is offloading a rundown rented bike - hard to say sometime, but you can see if the bike was rented if you pay attention to body work, always check mileage with tyre wear to see if it makes sense.

 

2)- In town, t-shirt and flio-flop... !!!? lol , but make sure you have a good helmet, very important to have at all times.

 

3)- The residence certificate from immigration office is easy if you have done the TM30 already. Usually same day, I am not familiar with Bangkok office though...  (but it is only valid for 30 days, so time it right).

 

[richard_smith237]

11 minutes ago, OliverKlozerof said:

And rather than starting a new thread, here are a few more motorbike newbie questions:

1) Is there a way to find a used (say Wave or Click), in good condition for a good price? (One guy recommended I go with the owner of a bike shop to one of the Thursday auctions, but that owner said he no longer offers that service, as prices now not much better than the open market due to more people coming to the auction.) Anyone in BKK with good Thai skills/knowledge interested in helping with this? For reasonable remuneration (that means money ???? ).

2) The great safety vs comfort debate: What gear/clothes do you wear to to stay safe but not die from overheating? (I'm talking about for smaller bikes; not big touring bikes.)

3) When I got the license the other day they took the original Residence Affidavit I'd just gotten at the US embassy. Unfortunately, the embassy now has about a month wait for appointments. Used to be the better option compared with going to Chaeng Wattana, as you could get appointments quite quickly and required just one visit (though $50 fee). But now CW may have the advantage, and is considerably cheaper. But I think is 2-day process. Since I'll need another Residence Proof Thingy in order to buy a bike, anyone know how long it takes at CW? (I could search elsewhere, but I'm lazy.)

1) Facebook Market place may be a source for locating the specific bikes you like and want to look at. 

When you find a bike, agree with the owner to get the bike checked at a garage before purchase (you will probably have to pay for the bike check up). 

 

2) Safety Gear: Opinion varies, the general consensus is: At minimum Always helmet, gloves and decent footwear (never flip flops). Personally, I tend to wear more, especially if I’m going to be riding at any speed above 50kmh and zig-zagging through traffic. 

 

3) Did you take a Colour Photocopy of your Affirmation of Residence? (supposedly the DLT do not accept this, but they didn’t notice on my previous bike purchase). You may be able to ‘pay to fast track’ a proof of residence from your local Immigration office (I’m not sure for Chiang Mai). 

 

 

[scubascuba3]

40 minutes ago, OliverKlozerof said:

I wanted to rent a Wave 125 but none of the shops in my area have them available. They mainly have full automatics, not semi automatics. I may keeping asking at farther-flung shops though, as I'd really like to try one for a few days to a week.

However, I'm starting to feel that, for driving in BKK, a fully automatic Click might be simplest. Lots of starting and stopping, and not having to think about shifting could simplify things in town.
I have lots more questions...but here's one: What's the difference between a Click 125 and the 150 version. Well, obviously the 150 has more power. But I mean, when would someone choose the 150 over the 125? There are basically no hills in BKK, so you don't need the extra power. Maybe if you're a huge person you'd want the 150? I'm rather small (5'8", 130lbs), so that's not a consideration. Maybe the 150 would be better for longer distances?
And: Earlier I talked about how a full auto scooter is not good for coming down from high mountains. But then I realized: Very little of Thailand has high mountains. And: There's always the option of pulling over and letting the brakes cool off if I ever got in that situation. So, besides slightly better gas mileage, I'm starting to think I don't really need a bike with gears for 99% of what I'm thinking of doing.

Click 150 has better colour options, but if you like a 125 colour I'd go with that, it has a kick start which may be useful one day

[papa al]

Young man:

A Click

[the best selling bike in Thailand[

is like kissing your elderly aunt.

Get a nice 2nd-hand CB150 or maybe MSlaz.

You can rent [week/month]-to-own here Patts

B4500/mo; 1500/wk 

 purchase price.~50 to 60KTB

[papa will give you a lift from Patty bus station to shop. 5 5]

The reality is that all the small bikes here are 

wonders of economical transportation.

CB150 Get a good test ride, √ for vibration

https://www.pjtrading.shop/index.php?id_product=557&controller=product

Pailin can maybe find one for you in BKK w/ BKK plates.

Fluent English

Honest

[OneMoreFarang]

5 minutes ago, papa al said:

Young man:

A Click

[the best selling bike in Thailand[

is like kissing your elderly aunt.

Get a nice 2nd-hand CB150 or maybe MSlaz.

You can rent [week/month]-to-own here Patts

B4500/mo; 1500/wk 

That is a very good point.

It's also possible to have fun riding smaller bikes - if they are designed to have fun. And that includes the Honda CB and others.

 

In theory it's a good idea to rent a bike to test it. But as far as I know it's a good idea to be careful where you rent one. You don't want to end paying lots of money for something similar to the JetSki scams.

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, OliverKlozerof said:

However, I'm starting to feel that, for driving in BKK, a fully automatic Click might be simplest. Lots of starting and stopping, and not having to think about shifting could simplify things in town.

If you ride a bike with gears and a clutch this is soon something you don't think about. You just use the gears and clutch and you don't think about it.

 

Obviously with a clutch you can't hold your mobile phone with the left hand constantly in the air. I think that is an advantage. ???? 

 

I don't know how easy people change from automatic scooter to a bike with gears (small or big). I never had a scooter so I don't know. But I read lots of time that people who rode automatic bikes for years look later again for bigger automatic bikes. And that makes the selection of available big and bigger bikes very small. For that reason I would recommend a beginner to get used to clutch and gears ASAP. Once you feel comfortable with that then you have the option to ride any bike. Obviously you can then still choose an automatic scooter but you don't have to. Give yourself the ability to choose any bike. 

[losworld]

6 hours ago, OliverKlozerof said:

I wanted to rent a Wave 125 but none of the shops in my area have them available. They mainly have full automatics, not semi automatics. I may keeping asking at farther-flung shops though, as I'd really like to try one for a few days to a week.

However, I'm starting to feel that, for driving in BKK, a fully automatic Click might be simplest. Lots of starting and stopping, and not having to think about shifting could simplify things in town.
I have lots more questions...but here's one: What's the difference between a Click 125 and the 150 version. Well, obviously the 150 has more power. But I mean, when would someone choose the 150 over the 125? There are basically no hills in BKK, so you don't need the extra power. Maybe if you're a huge person you'd want the 150? I'm rather small (5'8", 130lbs), so that's not a consideration. Maybe the 150 would be better for longer distances?
And: Earlier I talked about how a full auto scooter is not good for coming down from high mountains. But then I realized: Very little of Thailand has high mountains. And: There's always the option of pulling over and letting the brakes cool off if I ever got in that situation. So, besides slightly better gas mileage, I'm starting to think I don't really need a bike with gears for 99% of what I'm thinking of doing.

You don't need the 150 it is only marginally faster.  The Click 125 is a great urban scooter but I actually prefer the yamaha gt over it and it is cheaper but will have less resale.

 

[losworld]

3 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If you ride a bike with gears and a clutch this is soon something you don't think about. You just use the gears and clutch and you don't think about it.

 

Obviously with a clutch you can't hold your mobile phone with the left hand constantly in the air. I think that is an advantage. ???? 

 

I don't know how easy people change from automatic scooter to a bike with gears (small or big). I never had a scooter so I don't know. But I read lots of time that people who rode automatic bikes for years look later again for bigger automatic bikes. And that makes the selection of available big and bigger bikes very small. For that reason I would recommend a beginner to get used to clutch and gears ASAP. Once you feel comfortable with that then you have the option to ride any bike. Obviously you can then still choose an automatic scooter but you don't have to. Give yourself the ability to choose any bike. 

Clutch and gears are okay for highway but a pain in the ass in the city thus the success of the auto scooter.

[OliverKlozerof]

So, I think I'm coming to the conclusion that, for getting around a town like BKK, a full automatic scooter makes most sense. In fact, the only advantages I can think of for a semi auto like the Wave, or bike with clutch are: 1) a little better gas mileage, and 2) can downshift to take load off brakes on long descent (a convenience in the very few areas of Thailand with long descents), 3) a tiny bit slimmer profile for weaving through traffic? Obviously, you could still ride a scooter down a long descent...but you might want to pull over a couple times to let the brakes cool. (But I wonder what manufacturers even recommend in this case? Maybe they say the brakes should handle it??) And obviously, both bikes can go equally long distances...it's just that bigger bikes would do it in more comfort.

[scubascuba3]

4 hours ago, OliverKlozerof said:

So, I think I'm coming to the conclusion that, for getting around a town like BKK, a full automatic scooter makes most sense. In fact, the only advantages I can think of for a semi auto like the Wave, or bike with clutch are: 1) a little better gas mileage, and 2) can downshift to take load off brakes on long descent (a convenience in the very few areas of Thailand with long descents), 3) a tiny bit slimmer profile for weaving through traffic? Obviously, you could still ride a scooter down a long descent...but you might want to pull over a couple times to let the brakes cool. (But I wonder what manufacturers even recommend in this case? Maybe they say the brakes should handle it??) And obviously, both bikes can go equally long distances...it's just that bigger bikes would do it in more comfort.

You could rent different bikes to help you make a decision. One day with each would be ok. You can't go wrong with a Click its no.1 seller plus easy to sell 2nd hand. In the future you could get a bigger bike but really there's no need

[mike787]

Buy the motorcycle that will keep you alive in Thailand.  In the emergency room, us doc's call them "donorcycles" . as in organ donor.   Good luck here. 

[OliverKlozerof]

Hmm...I thought I posted this couple days ago but maybe there was a problem. So I'll hit Submit now.
---
Below is thread from a few years ago but seems to explain why can't rent Wave in Bangkok.

I was was hoping to try one: 1) For the experience, 2) Seems like good to learn before trying bike with clutch, 3) Cuz so many recommend them.
Anyone have one in Sukhumvit/Upper Sukhumvit that would let me ride it for at least a couple hours?
But the Honda PCX is also looking like maybe a good choice....

 

 

[OliverKlozerof]

New notions:

1) Vespa? (Bracing for ridicule.) I see in Europe it's easy to rent them. Next class is big touring bikes, with nothing much in between. Vespas go up to 300cc now. Some people even tour with them.

2) What kind of (extra) insurance do y'all (I'm not from southern US, but...) have?

3) Honda Forza looks interesting. 300cc. OK for long-ish trips?

4) Are scooter brakes really not designed for long descents? Or are they?...

[papa al]

12 minutes ago, OliverKlozerof said:

Hmm...I thought I posted this couple days ago but maybe there was a problem. So I'll hit Submit now.
---
Below is thread from a few years ago but seems to explain why can't rent Wave in Bangkok.

I was was hoping to try one: 1) For the experience, 2) Seems like good to learn before trying bike with clutch, 3) Cuz so many recommend them.
Anyone have one in Sukhumvit/Upper Sukhumvit that would let me ride it for at least a couple hours?
But the Honda PCX is also looking like maybe a good choice....

 

 

Cheap underbone 'Wave-like'

for rent.