Honda Wave

[chawbdurian]

How are Honda Waves for traveling through Thailand? I used one last time I was over there and had a blast, but never drove more than a couple hours a day and almost never on the highway. I know there's comfier options but you really can't beat the price on those things. 
 

What are your thoughts? Have I fallen for เด็กแว้น memes? I think they're pretty cool.

[HappyExpat57]

Local travel ok. Any long distances or extended trips, I wouldn't recommend them. Too hard on your bottom line.

[novacova]

The Honda ct125 is a good small displacement bike for long rides. The wave is great on fuel though taxing on the butt, certainly not good choice for long distance unless one modifies and improves the seat.

[Jim Blue]

Understand the Wave is the bike of choice among motocy thieves !

Not sure if it due  to the superb ride or the anti thief device though ?

[johng]

The wave has got to be the most popular bike in Thailand

cheap to buy, maintain and run,  easy to ride, almost indestructible but easy to fix at any shade tree mechanic all over the country if anything does go wrong.

For long distance  the fuel tank might be a limiting factor   but as mentioned  probably  most people would have to stop for a "butt rest" before the fuel ran out 😆

 

[spidermike007]

Absolutely awful. Though they are a solid bike they're certainly not made for long distance travel, unless you are a very hardcore type, who does not mind punishing your body. 

 

If budget is the issue, I would step up to a Honda ATV 160, it's a far better bike, much better suspension, and a more comfortable ride, with a lot more power. Otherwise, the smallest bike I would consider touring with is a 350cc. Either a Forza or an ADV. 

 

While we're on the topic does anybody own a Zontes 368? I was wondering about them. Been hearirg good things. 

 

 

[cjinchiangrai]

For long distance a PCX/NMAX/Forza will be more comfortable. Bigger seat and bigger tires.

[connda]

34 minutes ago, chawbdurian said:

How are Honda Waves for traveling through Thailand? I used one last time I was over there and had a blast, but never drove more than a couple hours a day and almost never on the highway. I know there's comfier options but you really can't beat the price on those things. 
 

What are your thoughts? Have I fallen for เด็กแว้น memes? I think they're pretty cool.

Your butt will hurt.

[chawbdurian]

Since these bikes are really easy to work on, how about installing a custom cushion? I've seen lots of options online. 

[Furioso]

I wouldn't go with the Wave.

 

Honda ADV-160 is close to perfect for city riding as it easily squeezes through traffic, very reliable, incredible fuel economy. It can take you anywhere in Thailand but the ride is firm. 

 

My neighbor owns a Honda ADV-350 now it is a fantastic bike but it's a little too heavy for me as I'm around 90 kg. Does not squeeze through traffic as easy as the ADV-160 but super comfortable and a lot more torque. Perfect cruiser for long road trips but not as good in heavy city traffic. 

[Aforek]

41 minutes ago, cjinchiangrai said:

For long distance a PCX/NMAX/Forza will be more comfortable. Bigger seat and bigger tires.

Before I had a Honda Wave : have to stop every 50 kms, sore shoulders, arms, buttocks maintenance expenses, many punchures 

 

now I have a Yamaha Nmax 155,  more confortable ( 100 kms no stop possible ), maintenance very cheap,  no punctures, large luggage compartment, break ABS 

 

but for travelling, yes , a 350 cc is better ;  between Honda and Yamaha, I choose Yamaha 

[KhunBENQ]

I use it for short rides around the village and out to the fields.

But with it's standard seat I wouldn't want to do long trips.

You can be sure that you get all modifications you can think of. One of the most built motor vehicles ever.

Every roadside mechanic in Thailand can do basic repair.

Parts are dirt cheap.

The wheels are bigger than scooter wheels and I feel more stable than on a girlie scooter like Scoopy i.

[KhunLA]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Otherwise, the smallest bike I would consider touring with is a 350cc. Either a Forza or an ADV. 

 

While we're on the topic does anybody own a Zontes 368? I was wondering about them. Been hearirg good things. 

Agree with above, and the Wave definitely wouldn't be my choice, or anything smaller than the 350cc recommended.

@chawbdurian

 

[novacova]

2 hours ago, chawbdurian said:

Since these bikes are really easy to work on, how about installing a custom cushion? I've seen lots of options online. 

There are plenty of shops that do custom cushions. The stock seat on the wave slops forward and a little narrow opposed to being saddle like, is one of the main reasons why it gets tiring to set on for long periods, they’ll know the issue when making note of that to the shop as it’s a common complaint.

[1FinickyOne]

we had fun fun fun till her daddy took the T-Bird away... 

[VocalNeal]

On 7/8/2025 at 7:53 PM, novacova said:

There are plenty of shops that do custom cushions. The stock seat on the wave slops forward and a little narrow opposed to being saddle like, is one of the main reasons why it gets tiring to set on for long periods, they’ll know the issue when making note of that to the shop as it’s a common complaint.

 

I took my Goattracker© to an upholstery shop for exactly the reason above. The seat was forcing me forward putting to much weight onto the foot pegs. The shop sliced a bit off making the seat flatter. Now much better.

 

I bought my touring bike from a 75 year old guy who said it was getting heavy. He bought a CT125 as a replacement and has been all over on it. Chiang Mai to Phuket et al. 

[Donald Bright]

On 7/8/2025 at 6:21 PM, Aforek said:

Before I had a Honda Wave : have to stop every 50 kms, sore shoulders, arms, buttocks maintenance expenses, many punchures 

 

now I have a Yamaha Nmax 155,  more confortable ( 100 kms no stop possible ), maintenance very cheap,  no punctures, large luggage compartment, break ABS 

 

but for travelling, yes , a 350 cc is better ;  between Honda and Yamaha, I choose Yamaha 

I have a Honda Click.   I travel 76klms, 38klms there and back twice a week, weather permitting.

I find i have sore shoulders, arms and buttocks, afterwards.   I have never associated the soreness with the bike not having been a bike rider before coming to Thailand.   Does the Click and the Wave have the same problems in making you feel sore after riding.

[Aforek]

Of course, they are not made for a long distance 

I don't know the Click ( just Scoopy, not better for comfort ), but your problems come from the bike, they are made for a few kms  in a row , 38 kms it's much already for them 

[Kinnock]

A Wave can cover long distances, especially the 125 Wave, and comfort is a personal thing .... personally I find the Wave reasonably comfortable and my knees are not constantly hitting the plastics, as with a Click, Scoopy etc.

 

But .... you'd need to be happy travelling in the left lane and frontage roads with all the other small bikes, busses, 'rot puang' sidecars and tractors.  Riding like that gets old pretty quickly.

 

A bit more power will allow you to keep up with traffic, get to the front of the pack at the traffic light drag race and find those quieter sections of road out of the gutter.

 

A 160 PCX, ADV or 155 Yamaha is a little better, but a 350cc Honda or Yamaha 'super scooter' is a lot better.

 

My personal choice is the Kawasaki Versys X300 .... quick enough for longer distances in Thailand.  The Honda CRF 300 is just as good, and 500 twin is even better.

 

But if ypu take it slow, and have the patience, any bike can do long distances.

[nahkit]

On 7/8/2025 at 5:29 PM, spidermike007 said:

While we're on the topic does anybody own a Zontes 368? I was wondering about them. Been hearirg good things. 

I've owned one since February, it's a great vehicle to ride, very comfortable and very quick. I also feel that it's very balanced at low speeds.

 

The downside is that at 5ft 6in I really struggle to get more than my tiptoes on the ground and have resorted to buying a seat that claims to take 30mm off the seat height, lowering the rear suspension as much as possible and wearing motorcycle boots with a thick heel/sole.

 

The menu interface on the display is a pain to navigate and the Zontes app itself is a waste of space - even the dealers don't really know how to operate it.

 

I dropped the bike a couple of times during the first month, nothing major, just some scratches, but because it was a new bike I decided to replace all the damaged areas with new parts. The Zontes dealer I bought it from quoted me 30 days to get the parts - that was over 70 days ago and I'm still waiting, having paid a 50% deposit.

 

So, for me, great fun for riding but the dealer/spares network is absolutely pants. 

 

 

[Hummin]

On 7/8/2025 at 12:01 PM, chawbdurian said:

How are Honda Waves for traveling through Thailand? I used one last time I was over there and had a blast, but never drove more than a couple hours a day and almost never on the highway. I know there's comfier options but you really can't beat the price on those things. 
 

What are your thoughts? Have I fallen for เด็กแว้น memes? I think they're pretty cool.

You get a decent 500 Honda 2017 with touring package in great condition for 75k is

 

I got 300 crf now, and used to 500 and 1000cc, there is no way I will go long transport stretches on such a small bike, I rather put it on the back of my truck and do the long ledges with the car.

 

So a 500x 75k you get a he'll of a better option to enjoy a good ride a bit more safe

[JamesPhuket10]

On 7/8/2025 at 11:01 AM, chawbdurian said:

How are Honda Waves for traveling through Thailand? I used one last time I was over there and had a blast, but never drove more than a couple hours a day and almost never on the highway. I know there's comfier options but you really can't beat the price on those things. 
 

What are your thoughts? Have I fallen for เด็กแว้น memes? I think they're pretty cool.

 

My thought is to ask yourself how much your life is worth to you and then suggest you go about in a Honda car instead of any death trap motorbike.

 

You can open the windows and pretend you are on a bike, better still, wear your crash helmet as well, then you will be super safe, or buy a car and cut the roof off. 😃