Honda Vs Yamaha Vs Kawasaki: Informed Opinions Needed

[heybruce]

I am new to motorbikes, but after a few months of renting I am ready to buy my first bike. I've searched this forum and noted that Honda and Yamaha owners seem generally satisfied, JRD owners not as much. I haven't found any discussion of Kawasaki. I will appreciate any information or suggestions on manufacturers and types of bikes. My situation: I live in Chiang Mai, I am a little over 100 kg (trying to get down to 90), I am not looking for a racing bike but want something with good acceleration, and I am leaning towards a clutch bike--not as common in Thailand but I like shifting gears. My top considerations are reliability, ride and handling, fun, and value for the money. Storage and resale value are lesser considerations. Thanks for any help you can give me.

[JimmyTheMook]

I am new to motorbikes, but after a few months of renting I am ready to buy my first bike. I've searched this forum and noted that Honda and Yamaha owners seem generally satisfied, JRD owners not as much. I haven't found any discussion of Kawasaki. I will appreciate any information or suggestions on manufacturers and types of bikes. My situation: I live in Chiang Mai, I am a little over 100 kg (trying to get down to 90), I am not looking for a racing bike but want something with good acceleration, and I am leaning towards a clutch bike--not as common in Thailand but I like shifting gears. My top considerations are reliability, ride and handling, fun, and value for the money. Storage and resale value are lesser considerations. Thanks for any help you can give me.

If resale value means anything to you , I'd suggest a Honda.

Clutch bikes are covered with their Sonic model , fun ride but you lean down a bit and can be hard on your back.

Yamaha just came out with new and improved X1 model with a clutch and more comfortable riding position.

[PeaceBlondie]

In theory, all of the Japanese 4 have roughly equal design and build quality in almost all their models - worldwide, hardly a lemon. In Thailand, Honda dominates the market, something over 70%. You can find lots of Honda dealers everywhere. Where are the Suzuki and Kawasaki dealerships in Chiang Mai? Don't count Niyom Panich as much of a Suzuki dealer if they only hide a few inferior models in the back corner. Don't depend too much on the big Suzuki dealer on the superhighway intersection as you leave town for Saraphi.

Honda Sonic 125 and, for a bit more money, the CBR150, are great bikes with lots of gears, manual shift, disk brakes, mag wheels, good control, etc. And Honda probably has the best resale value (and model recognition) among all the marques. I'd recommend Suzuki Raider 150, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one to buy, and you might suffer when you try to sell it.

[mosquitoman]

My money goes with the Honda CBR150,

MM

[heybruce]

How comfortable are the Honda CBR 150's? They look like racing bikes that would be fun for a short while but may be a bit much for daily use. Also, I occasionally see used CBR 150's advertised for sale at prices so low it makes me wonder about their resale value. I didn't call on these bikes, perhaps they were old or had a lot of km's on them

[Lickey]

Nick a Kwacker off a copper, 175cc and they do go well,

[ajahnlau]

How comfortable are the Honda CBR 150's? They look like racing bikes that would be fun for a short while but may be a bit much for daily use. Also, I occasionally see used CBR 150's advertised for sale at prices so low it makes me wonder about their resale value. I didn't call on these bikes, perhaps they were old or had a lot of km's on them

Your best bet for your size would be the Kawasaki GTO. You should really look at used 400cc up chopper style.

[JimsKnight]

Honda CBR all the way!

They are small enough and light enough for an everyday bike. Comforts fine too. For long distances its ok. At high speed its a stable platform, unlike the sonic and wave, with its tyres giving a smooth ride.

Not many people own them in Chang Mai, in fact I've only seen a handful! The thais like them but the aggressive position and lack of basket etc keeps many away (as well as the 70k price tag).

Resale values suffer out here because the trait among thais is to ride hard and servicing is seldom done, although thats just my opinion... personally I buy brand new and keep hold of it until the engine grinds to a halt in the distant future, resale values on bikes are always poor unless its a top end cruiser like a harley.

I've a feeling that in the next year another version of the CBR may be released!

[Luckydog]

The Honda Automatic takes some beating Buddy.....

[PeaceBlondie]

The CBR150 is comfortable enough that I commuted 35 km each way, for almost two years, without discomfort. You do lean on your wrists enough to cause your fingers to fall asleep, but that's easily solved by changing your grip on the handlebar. The Welsh guy in Chiang Mai who rents out CBR150's said he wasn't uncomfortable on a round trip to Bangkok, and the last time, he fell asleep on the pillion! The pillion, by the way, is a high perch. However, the CBR150 is not an extreme ergonomic nightmare like a new CBR600RRRR. However, if you're over 6 foot 2 (or 190 cm), you'll be cramped on any bike.

Others have recommended the Kawasaki Boss 175 chopper and an automatic, but I don't think that's what the original poster said he wanted.

As for price of the newest CBR150R, I was in Nyom Panich ten days ago, and the sticker price was about 63,600 on promotion, 66,000 full price. Thais are not falling over themselves trying to get in the queue to buy a CBR, but there are buyers out there.

[Wellyoudidask]

I am new to motorbikes, but after a few months of renting I am ready to buy my first bike. I've searched this forum and noted that Honda and Yamaha owners seem generally satisfied, JRD owners not as much. I haven't found any discussion of Kawasaki. I will appreciate any information or suggestions on manufacturers and types of bikes. My situation: I live in Chiang Mai, I am a little over 100 kg (trying to get down to 90), I am not looking for a racing bike but want something with good acceleration, and I am leaning towards a clutch bike--not as common in Thailand but I like shifting gears. My top considerations are reliability, ride and handling, fun, and value for the money. Storage and resale value are lesser considerations. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Honda #1 worldwide, finish, reliability .resale,etc, cant go wrong !

[goldfish]

Honda #1 worldwide, finish, reliability .resale,etc, cant go wrong !

With about as much character as a doped-up John Major. That said, I've always reckoned you could pass your test and hop straight on a honda fireblade and all would be fine as long as you were careful with the throttle. Go on, prove my theory correct.

Not for you? Ok, just make sure you buy something with enough power to accelerate up them hills when needed. You may not feel you need it now but you will in six months. Good luck

[Wellyoudidask]

Honda #1 worldwide, finish, reliability .resale,etc, cant go wrong !

With about as much character as a doped-up John Major. That said, I've always reckoned you could pass your test and hop straight on a honda fireblade and all would be fine as long as you were careful with the throttle. Go on, prove my theory correct.

Not for you? Ok, just make sure you buy something with enough power to accelerate up them hills when needed. You may not feel you need it now but you will in six months. Good luck

AHH, that word character, what do you suggest ? something British perhaps,? nah,.Chinese ? nah,.mmm,, thats me done, over to you !

[heybruce]

Thanks for all the info. I'll see if I can find any of the recommended models at one of Chiang Mai's rental places and try them out for a few days. I'm not rushing into this, I want as much info as I can get before I buy.

[MaiChai]

The trouble with buying a new 'real' motorbike is that there isnt much to choose from. I mean Thailand has gone scooter crazy, or if you are not following the fashion you would buy a Wave 100cc on the basis its a honda and extremely economical. So all the Japanese manufacturers are churning out scooters or step throughs. My experience has shown that if you want a 'real' bike, meaning gears, clutch and reasonable sized engine, then you need to buy secondhand for more choice. Also you can get a very cheap bike second hand. The downside to this is that you need to be mechanically minded and know what to look for when inspecting a bike to buy. However, most things on Thai bikes are cheap to fix. I shopped around for a 2nd hand cbr150 a while back, and a three year old bike can be had for about 35K; thats quite a discount on the new price of around 62k. Not much discount can be had buying new; I mean people buy new because they dont have the cash to buy a second hand bike, and the bike companies make money out of the finance and not the sale.

[mcgriffith]

One Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words:

PS I've owned them all. Currently have a 2004 Aprilia RSV-R Factory in US.

CBR 150 is next to perfect for CM, IMHO......

[heybruce]

One Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words:

PS I've owned them all. Currently have a 2004 Aprilia RSV-R Factory in US.

CBR 150 is next to perfect for CM, IMHO......

I can't deny that is a sexy bike. Is there any place where I can rent one, or must I buy before I try?

[Netfan]

Used CBR's can be found pretty easily in BKK, go for around 30-35K.... check some of the online buy and sell sites- baht and sold, etc... for greater chiang mai area. You could step up to a Honda Super4, or Yamaha xj, probably 60-70K for a nice used one, cruisers like Honda Shadow 400 you'll pay more, but they are very comfortable (owned one).

I'd agree with Peaceblondie on Suzuki Raider 150- i had one for awhile- its a fun bike, but dont count on reselling it.

[misterme]

I can't deny that is a sexy bike. Is there any place where I can rent one, or must I buy before I try?

Across from the Anodat hotel is a guesthouse that rents the CBR150 for 350/day. I think he calls his rentals 'Dragon Bikes'. I put 1000km on one and loved it. Gas mileage was twice as good as bigger bikes.

If you buy an import (400cc, for instance) expect to pay through the nose for any parts/repairs. All parts from salvage yards are priced similar to the new imorted parts. Think of it as a motorcycle parts mafia.

As for the Boss (79,000appx), many motorcycle rentals in Chiang Mai used to have them, but now only have the Honda Phantom (89,000). Rental operations are quite price sensitive and a lemon will get ditched quickly. Only reason I see for switching to Phantom is that it's a better bike. At 10,000 baht more (once converted) it's not alot more for a bike that is proven better.

I think the Phantom is the better choice. But you have to be happy with a cruiser. I laid one down this winter. Crash bars took all the impact. My only repair was a rear turn signal at 250 baht. If you lay the CBR down, how many X,XXX baht before it looks good again.

[PeaceBlondie]

The question is, how much does it cost to lay a CBR150 down? In my case, nothing. I dropped it when I killed the dog outside of Mae Taeng, and the laydown only scratched the paint and scratched a few bits. Only last month did we finally replace a screw on the filler cap for the disk brake fluid. Sportbikes are designed to fall and you just get up and go again, unless you're lying on the road and Nok Lek is shouting, "You wan' go 'o'pi'al?" Then you say, "Just take me to the hospital." Nok Lek rode the bike all the way home without any known repairs. The right bar was bent toward the tank, and the Honda mechanic fixed that with an Allen wrench in one minute, for free, months later.

Of course, you can wreck a sportbike, big time. My mate who was drunk crashed his NSR150 at Rincome intersection big time. He replaced the body parts for about 11,000, and started riding it again.

I just took a look at my boyfriend's candy-apple paint job Phantom 200, which has the extra crash bar for 1.900 baht more. A laydown might scratch that beautiful paint job, the saddlebags, the exhaust, front fender, etc. It's not designed to be laid down.

I always forget the name of the CBR150 rental place in Chiang Mai, run by the Welshman.

[LoveDaBlues]

Have to admit that CBR150 is really sweet. If I was more into bikes I think I'd go for it.

Recently I've decided to buy something to just putter around the village on and perhaps a trip into town (only 16 kilometers) from time to time. I like the idea of a full automatic. I've owned many Honda products (2 cars, lawn mower, water pump, generator) and they were all bullet-proof so I'm going to stick with a Honda. It seems everything Honda makes is quality and lasts.

I like the new Air Blade but can only get the blue color I want in the model without the 'combo brake'. Is the 'combo brake' really necessary? Seems to me to be kind of 'gimmicky'......or is it really a desired feature?

[misterme]

Interesting about the cost after your 150 laydown. thanks. good insight. I love the 150 once I'm outside the city.

Now that the talk of scooters has come up, I'll add this bit of experience too.

Automatic bikes are huge, HUGE gas pigs. Better to get a gear bike (N,1,2,3,4).

Unless you're up and down hills (like I used to do the Patong/Karon route a few times a day) where the automatic balances the need for changing gears for uphill climbs.

[PeaceBlondie]

Okay, so this is another ad for the CBR150, but the 'manual' rental bikes with their backward, clunky, 4 speed transmissions are no match for a real, forward, comparatively unclunky 6-speed. I've rented Wave, Dream, and X-1 bikes with the four speed, and it reminds me of my 3-speed column shift 1958 Vauxhall Victor Super Saloon.

[BlackArtemis]

For a knock around market bike, nothing beats a dream deng. My wife and I get more than enough acceleration out of the 100cc engine. It's the cheapest to fix too, hel_l an engine only costs 4000B.

[heybruce]

I'm enjoying the discussion this thread has generated, and learning some good stuff. Right now I'm getting around on a rented Honda Sonic; fun bike, handles well, and too small, even though I'm not that big, 5'10" or 1.77m. I'll see if I can find that CBR150 rental place.

[sabaijai]

How comfortable are the Honda CBR 150's? They look like racing bikes that would be fun for a short while but may be a bit much for daily use. Also, I occasionally see used CBR 150's advertised for sale at prices so low it makes me wonder about their resale value. I didn't call on these bikes, perhaps they were old or had a lot of km's on them

Your best bet for your size would be the Kawasaki GTO. You should really look at used 400cc up chopper style.

I agree about the GTO. But haven't they been discontinued in Thailand?

[bangkokrick]

I am around 95 KGS and i have been running a kawasaki Boss 175 cc for a couple of year now. This is a clutch bike and i have been very happy with the performance so far.

Everyone is buying Honda and i wanted to be a little different so i bought kawasaki and i also prefer the styling on this bike.

Get ya knackers on a Kwaka mate you cant go wrong!

[Gary A]

I too was very happy with the Kawasaki Boss. I like a bike I can sit on and have my feet under me. I DON'T want to lie down on a bike just to be in style. I like to use my mirrors and not be looking at just my shoulders. My Boss never missed a beat and I REALLY enjoyed being able to outrun the Phantom fans.