I'm looking at buying a second hand motorcycle.

My budget is a bit tight (like my wallet)

A guy at my local bike shop has several 2nd hand machines.

A honda sonic(i think) - the most expensive - 15k

A Yamaha X1 - looks in good nick - 2 years old - 12.5k

A suzuki (forget the name) - 5 years old - 9.5k

Now i've been told not to touch Suzukis, by a guy my friends know, but he owns a honda garage...

The suzuki looks good and for the cash i'm very tempted... But i want something reliable too!!!

The Yamaha is 2 years old but an extra 3k...

What would you do?????

Buy a Honda. Any idiot can fix them and spares available everywhere

The big 4, as the Japanese bikers have been called for decades, have nearly equal records worldwide as being more dependable than the average new refrigerator. Your main problem in Thailand, I would think, is that Honda has well over 50% of the market, and the other three have far fewer dealers.

IN buying a used bike, which I'm notoriously bad at doing, you have to evaluate the mechanical status of things you can barely see when looking directly at them. I suggest that you find somebody who really knows motorcycle mechanics to help you.

I would get the sonic for myself or the X1 if I was looking for something a bit more comfy and practical.

The X1 Yamaha was the best rental unit I ever rented, far better than Waves and Dreams.

Thanks for the replies guys.

I will go back and take a good look at the X1...

Thanks for the replies guys.

I will go back and take a good look at the X1...

The last one my wife bought was a 125 Suzuki Best. She sold her Honda for the Suzuki. To my surprise the Suzuki is more powerful, starts easier and idles when cold. The Honda was VERY cold blooded. Maybe she did know what she was doing. Three years now and the Suzuki has never missed a beat.

My partner has only had one or two Hondas in the last 15 years. Suzuki, Yamaha, even a Tiger, never a Kawasaki. If you have a good mechanic, they're probably all reliable.

Thais love hondas.. And while the sonic is an OK bike (my brother has a bastradized one with a CBR150 engine and swing arm and the lights sans faring zip tied in.. Goes like a demon but is RAF) I would have the X1 over the sonic even at equal money..

Then again I am too big for the sonic, feels like a monkey bike with the bars all the way down there..

With all the motorcycle models you can go wrong or use forever, a Honda Sonic raced to the edge ..and bad serviced, oil hardly ever changed..etc. If that is the case the Honda is a bad choice, if the old Suzuki is used as shopping bike of a family and serviced every time it was needed it is a much better choice.

5 year is nothing for a small engine motorcycle, as long as it is serviced well and not used as a racing bike, the sporty nature of the Honda Sonic doesn't really helps to belief it was a shopping bike.

My father in law still has a Suzuki motorcycle, which he bought 26 years ago, and he still drives this little bike around the mooban.

I not say go for the Suzuki, I say go for the bike that is used normal, check signs of problems...what color is the exhaust pipe, what color is the exhaust pipe exit (is it wet or dark coffee brown, light brown....what fuel it drives on?)

With un-lead fuel of today dark-brown to dark-grey (dry) is a sign of good combustion, black (dry) still fine, light brown (don't buy) the engine is running to lean and running a engine to lean means big problems as burned valves, holes in pistons or pieces nipped off..... All wet exhaust pipe exit need much more study, better also not buy