Also, what year and mileage would you aim for? Would you get any work done at a mechanic? Any custom modifications? 

You can get a brand new one for about 50,000 baht.

Prices of Honda's seem to be way more than list price, dealers are taking advantage, I'm not even sure it's a farang thing

The new 110cc Honda Wave 2025 starts at about 36,830 BHT

The new 125cc Honda Wave 2025 starts at about 57,200 BHT

Then you have the 'Special Editions' ... 68,000 BHT + 

 

3 hours ago, chawbdurian said:

Also, what year and mileage would you aim for? Would you get any work done at a mechanic? Any custom modifications? 

 

Stock bike is good, maybe upgrade the tires thats all.

 

 

I don't like the standard two part seat made for pillion ride.

As I use the thing quite occasionally I have refrained from changing.

5 hours ago, johng said:

You can get a brand new one for about 50,000 baht.

 

2 hours ago, Madgee said:

The new 110cc Honda Wave 2025 starts at about 36,830 BHT

The new 125cc Honda Wave 2025 starts at about 57,200 BHT

Then you have the 'Special Editions' ... 68,000 BHT + 

 

How about used? 
 

1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said:

I don't like the standard two part seat made for pillion ride.

As I use the thing quite occasionally I have refrained from changing.

definitely getting a new seat, was also thinking of new brakes and clutch plate because I want to buy used. 

Paid 15,000 for mine secondhand in good condition. The engines are pretty indestructable and even if something does break very cheap to fix. I got the biggest tyres I could for mine for a slightly softer ride. The 100 cc ones are good enough for local riding. The 125's give you a bit more flexibility if you are going further than local.

There are some times 'good' deals  on 'repossessed' low mileage bikes at a dealership  and many for sale secondhand from private individuals online.

Honda wave engine is as said almost indestructible  as long as you change and keep the engine oil topped up regularly...but even if the thing runs out of oil and dies  there are plenty of spare parts and mechanics that will revive it for  very little money..often you can even sit and wait while they do it and be on your way again within a few hours !!....you won't get that with a Ducatti,BMW,KTM or Triumph  😋

15 minutes ago, johng said:

There are some times 'good' deals  on 'repossessed' low mileage bikes at a dealership  and many for sale secondhand from private individuals online.

 

32 minutes ago, trucking said:

The engines are pretty indestructable and even if something does break very cheap to fix.

I'm seeing some for as low as 20K on fb - I'm thinking of just getting an old beater and customizing it. Anything wrong with this plan? My goal is to continue traveling around the country and then later into Laos.

6 minutes ago, chawbdurian said:

I'm seeing some for as low as 20K on fb - I'm thinking of just getting an old beater and customizing it.

You have to be careful with faceache   often they will be vehicles that are on finance ..the low asking price is what they have already paid  on the finance deal  and you will take on the remainder  avoid with a bargepole 😋 that's a mixed up metaphor..

as for customisation and then onto a Laos  anything but light mods could cause problems  at the boarder maybe keep as stock as possible.   

17 hours ago, chawbdurian said:

 

I'm seeing some for as low as 20K on fb - I'm thinking of just getting an old beater and customizing it. Anything wrong with this plan? My goal is to continue traveling around the country and then later into Laos.

 

If you are traveling a lot the 125 would be better suited.

Not the point on the price. Where it gets tricky, is where can you get proper servicing as even YouTube or TikTok (without those annoying commercials) knows more then the dealerships, often with absolutely no idea on basic maintenance and to do a clean and proper job by western standards. But of course, the price tag will be more then western...

18 hours ago, chawbdurian said:

My goal is to continue traveling around the country and then later into Laos.

Then perhaps consider a ct125, much more comfortable to ride and practical for long distance. You can modify the seat on the wave, though it still won’t be an ideal bike for riding long distance.

On 12/7/2025 at 9:35 AM, novacova said:

Then perhaps consider a ct125, much more comfortable to ride and practical for long distance. You can modify the seat on the wave, though it still won’t be an ideal bike for riding long distance.

Nice bike but twice the price of a Wave 

 

On 12/6/2025 at 2:59 PM, johng said:

You have to be careful with faceache   often they will be vehicles that are on finance ..the low asking price is what they have already paid  on the finance deal  and you will take on the remainder  avoid with a bargepole 😋 that's a mixed up metaphor..

as for customisation and then onto a Laos  anything but light mods could cause problems  at the boarder maybe keep as stock as possible.   

Remember, a Thai will not get the green log book until all the finance has been paid; the dealer keeps it.,I have heard of financing stretching to 5 years.

So,if you are offered a Wave without the log book, it will probably still be on finance, no matter what excuse, unless it is an old 15-year-old bike, with no log book, but then when it comes to do the Por Ror Bor, tax you will find you will have a few years of back-dated tax to pay.

Some second-hand bikes can be  expensive due to the high interest charges when bought new, most seem to be 30% which the owner wants to get back when he sells the bike, a 60k Wave plus 30% interest, plus the cost of getting the logbook,at the end of the finance can push the price up to 80k expensive.

On 12/7/2025 at 7:59 AM, trucking said:

I'm thinking of just getting an old beater and customizing it. Anything wrong with this plan?

 

Nothing wrong.

I had my 110i engine case split, rebuilt crank and all new bearings at Honda for 3500 Baht. It has 72,000 kms on it and was vibrating and whining a bit. I bought it a while ago for 12,000.  All OK now. Geared down by 3 teeth on the rear so it revs a bit and gets hot on long distances. I have trail tires and use it for following farm tracks in the hills. Tires are direct from from VeeRubber ( same tread pattern as CT125) but the swing arm geometry means a slightly wider tire will not fit. If I changed to alloy swing arm OK. I have not yet found any softer spring kits.

 

Modern 110i and 125 engines don't have the facility to add an oil cooler if you fancy one. For that you need an older style cast rocker/valve cover like the CT/MX

If you are lucky you live near an actual shop where you can browse all the aftermarket bits. Honda has an excellent online parts catalogue for reference.

Plastic bits from Honda are cheap so don't fret the cosmetic stuff and you can mix and match colours. Lazada also has complete plastic kits for some older models.

 

Below is one I tinkered with in Indonesia using some parts from Thailand and odd bits locally in Indonesia. That was a while ago and it started life as a Supra/Wave 100 as that is what they had there. 

 

I will be happy to converse by PM.

@VocalNeal hey thanks for the great response. How do you get around the cops taking your bike though? I was told even changing the color was illegal...

 

I also read that modified bikes are basically impossible to travel with into other countries like Laos. No idea if any of this is true or just Thai hearsay. 

On 12/12/2025 at 10:39 AM, VocalNeal said:

 

Nothing wrong.

I had my 110i engine case split, rebuilt crank and all new bearings at Honda for 3500 Baht. It has 72,000 kms on it and was vibrating and whining a bit. I bought it a while ago for 12,000.  All OK now. Geared down by 3 teeth on the rear so it revs a bit and gets hot on long distances. I have trail tires and use it for following farm tracks in the hills. Tires are direct from from VeeRubber ( same tread pattern as CT125) but the swing arm geometry means a slightly wider tire will not fit. If I changed to alloy swing arm OK. I have not yet found any softer spring kits.

 

Modern 110i and 125 engines don't have the facility to add an oil cooler if you fancy one. For that you need an older style cast rocker/valve cover like the CT/MX

If you are lucky you live near an actual shop where you can browse all the aftermarket bits. Honda has an excellent online parts catalogue for reference.

Plastic bits from Honda are cheap so don't fret the cosmetic stuff and you can mix and match colours. Lazada also has complete plastic kits for some older models.

 

Below is one I tinkered with in Indonesia using some parts from Thailand and odd bits locally in Indonesia. That was a while ago and it started life as a Supra/Wave 100 as that is what they had there. 

 

I will be happy to converse by PM.

Gearing it down by 3 teeth, well, it will go from 0-60 a bit sharp, but then all revs as you said, it gets a bit hot, not surprised,but as you said, good for tracks and hills

I always thought the Wave was undergeared, and the aforementioned 5th gear would not go a miss, act more like an overdrive.

For a lot of years, I used Kawa 125 GTO's, Ok, a 2-stroke. I upped the gearing on that, good for long journeys, with a 5-speed gearbox

We have a Suzuki Smash 110 cc, that is the wife's, cut-feed-for-cattle bike, with a sidecar on it, even with the chair that seems under geared, just all revs,but only 4 gears, if that was solo I would up the gearing.

49 minutes ago, kickstart said:

and the aforementioned 5th gear would not go a miss, act more like an overdrive.

 

Mine was 14 /35 and the first CT125 was 14/39 but I couldn't find a 39 so went 38. 

 

I only travel around town or truck it to the hills. But yes at 1000 rpm-ish per 10KPH is a bit low. Can't cruise at more than 70 Kph or 6900-ish and it gets hot, even with an oil cooler.

 

I think if I were doing it again I would buy a cheap Sonic. Proper (sic) forks and 5 speed and still listed on Honda's part site.

 

As long as the colour is the same as the book and the original exhaust is on during inspection for tax I don't think anyone worries what suspension or air filter, wheels, tires et al it has.