Suzuki Much Cheaper Than Honda

[misterme]

Was about to buy a Dream. Today we stumbled across a few Suzuki models that caught my eye.

New bikes, they look like last years models, still unsold.

Suzuki Auto is 31,900 (from 40,000)

Suzuki w/gears is 30,000 (from 39,000)

New Honda Dream is 41,500

I can't justify paying roughly 10,000 more for a Dream, so will buy one of these Suzuki's.

Question is... Which one should I take? Auto or Gears?

They had a Honda Wave i for 43,500 too from 50K+ FYI

[JimmyTheMook]

Was about to buy a Dream. Today we stumbled across a few Suzuki models that caught my eye.

New bikes, they look like last years models, still unsold.

Suzuki Auto is 31,900 (from 40,000)

Suzuki w/gears is 30,000 (from 39,000)

New Honda Dream is 41,500

I can't justify paying roughly 10,000 more for a Dream, so will buy one of these Suzuki's.

Question is... Which one should I take? Auto or Gears?

They had a Honda Wave i for 43,500 too from 50K+ FYI

Avoid the fully automatic bikes if you can as they do not have the life span of the tried and tested automatic gear box type of motorcycles most Thai people use.

If you are ever planning to resell your new purchase , buy a Honda.

Suzuki will be just as reliable and will get you from point A to point B in the same fashion.

[Richard-BKK]

If you are similar to me, a bit more heavy then the average Thai, you can almost buy a Suzuki Raider 150R for the price of a good Honda Wave.

And this little Raider is a real kicker, it has 16 horsepower and with some engine mods it can even do more, I not belief in powerful small bikes but a bit more juice when opening the throttle is never a waist of money.

Some farang riders prefer a Suzuki Raider 150R over a Honda CBR150R, mostly because it is cheaper, it has a more upright riding position and repairs and spare parts are much cheaper.

Downside, the Suzuki Raider is secondhand more difficult to sell then a Honda CBR150R, but who buys a bike with selling in mind. If you buy something with the idea to sell buy nothing, the best saving ever.

3th, the current Honda CBR150 is soon to be replaced by a new model which has Direct Fuel Injection, making the older models less attractive, mainly as they will have serious less (horse)power and throttle response then the newest injection engine one's.

edit: I soon will test drive a CBR-125I to see what the difference is, the CBR-125 is already upgraded.

Edited November 21, 2007 by Richard-BKK

[misterme]

Good advice. I guess I'll go for the one with the gears.

Have been riding a (loaned) Yamaha with gears for the last 3 years. I prefer that style of bike, but for 1900 more, I thought I should poll the crowd.

I really like the Honda Product. Dream seems better value than the Wave

But for more than 25% less money, Suzuki it is.

[chavy]

If you are similar to me, a bit more heavy then the average Thai, you can almost buy a Suzuki Raider 150R for the price of a good Honda Wave.

And this little Raider is a real kicker, it has 16 horsepower and with some engine mods it can even do more, I not belief in powerful small bikes but a bit more juice when opening the throttle is never a waist of money.

Some farang riders prefer a Suzuki Raider 150R over a Honda CBR150R, mostly because it is cheaper, it has a more upright riding position and repairs and spare parts are much cheaper.

Downside, the Suzuki Raider is secondhand more difficult to sell then a Honda CBR150R, but who buys a bike with selling in mind. If you buy something with the idea to sell buy nothing, the best saving ever.

3th, the current Honda CBR150 is soon to be replaced by a new model which has Direct Fuel Injection, making the older models less attractive, mainly as they will have serious less (horse)power and throttle response then the newest injection engine one's.

edit: I soon will test drive a CBR-125I to see what the difference is, the CBR-125 is already upgraded.

Good post information Richard

How does the Raider perform fuel wise ? A couple of the Thai lads at work have these bikes & they really eye catching. Also would be interested hearing about your test ride on the CBR 125 ?? This model I never knew existed

[idahospud]

I have seen no specs on the Cbr 125 Fuel injected .My friend has a wave i. I rented a wave 125 and on the hills the standard wave out performed the i maybe this was just a fluke. I am sure fuel wise the injected model will do better. Just an observation .

If you are similar to me, a bit more heavy then the average Thai, you can almost buy a Suzuki Raider 150R for the price of a good Honda Wave.

And this little Raider is a real kicker, it has 16 horsepower and with some engine mods it can even do more, I not belief in powerful small bikes but a bit more juice when opening the throttle is never a waist of money.

Some farang riders prefer a Suzuki Raider 150R over a Honda CBR150R, mostly because it is cheaper, it has a more upright riding position and repairs and spare parts are much cheaper.

Downside, the Suzuki Raider is secondhand more difficult to sell then a Honda CBR150R, but who buys a bike with selling in mind. If you buy something with the idea to sell buy nothing, the best saving ever.

3th, the current Honda CBR150 is soon to be replaced by a new model which has Direct Fuel Injection, making the older models less attractive, mainly as they will have serious less (horse)power and throttle response then the newest injection engine one's.

edit: I soon will test drive a CBR-125I to see what the difference is, the CBR-125 is already upgraded.

Good post information Richard

How does the Raider perform fuel wise ? A couple of the Thai lads at work have these bikes & they really eye catching. Also would be interested hearing about your test ride on the CBR 125 ?? This model I never knew existed

[PeaceBlondie]

If you're looking for a very small sportbike like a 150, or looking to buy a Dream/Wave/etc., fuel consumption should not be a concern. You're concerned about a cost of roughly one hundred satang per kilometer. You're talking mere peanuts. In American terms, I'm getting 70 miles per gallon, and if I traded by CBR150 for a Dream, I might save 98 baht per month or per year. If the next CBR were a 165 cc fuel injected bike, it would probably get 30 km per liter also, and have over 22 horsepower.

[jackcorbett]

I don't know what the horsepower is of the Wave vis a vis the CBR 125. However if I recall, the weight of a Phantom is about 305 pounds although it appears heavier, and the weight of a CBR 150 is about 250 pounds. My Nouvo weighs about 225 pounds, but it's automatic, whereas a Fino weighs just shy of 200 pounds but is also an automatic. I will suggest the Wave weighs about 200 pounds, thus being about 50 pounds less than the CBR 150. Also the CBR 150 fully fueled is going to have a lot more gas in it than the Wave which only holds about 1 gallon of fuel so that's going to add a bit more weight to the CBR. So it's definitely going to take a little more horsepower to get the CBR 125 to perform as well as the Wave all other things being equal.

But they aren't equal. The CBR has a six speed transmission? Most Waves have a four speed. So say you are on a hill. And you use 2nd gear on the Wave. Now that 2nd gear might be just about right for that particular hill. But with the CBR 125 you have to go up a gear, say to 3rd. That gear might be a bit too tall for that particular hill so the Wave will outrun it. Shift down to 2nd and you might be too low with the six speed on the CBR.

In fact, that six speed on the CBR might be too much overkill for Pattaya driving conditons as well. But it might be perfect for most other driving conditions. Say that most of the time I'm driving between 5 and 20 miles an hour in Pattaya. Could be that I can handle most of that driving using just 2nd and 3rd gear. But with the CBR I have to do more shifting. I really don't know as I don't have a CBR and have never driven one, and although I've driven a Wave all that much I did rent one for a day on Ko Larn island. At first glance that four speed of the Wave's might seem limited compared to a five or six speed and outdated, but perhaps in the real world of typical driving conditions found in specific Thailand locations it might be just the ticket.

[PeaceBlondie]

Six speeds are used for two reasons: to give you an extra, overdrive gear for high speeds that the less powerful bikes would never attain, and an extra gear in the middle to give you maximum strength at lower speeds. It's not so much overkill that it interferes, because the CBR150 is comfortable between 4000 rpm and 11,000 rpm. Only the CBR and Suzuki Raider have tachometers, so nobody else in Thailand has any idea what engine speed they're at, anyway.

Comparing something like a Wave 100, with 7 or 8 hp on a good day, to a 150 sportbike that has over 17 horsepower, is such a contrast that a few kilos of gasoline are nothing, compared to two farang who weigh 100 kilos each! If it's that much of a problem, do like professional drag racers, and only keep a liter in the tank at all times.

Now I'll try to run off and leave the discussion between the Wave, Dream, Mio, Fino, and Harate to the folks who like small scooters.

[alleykat]

If you are similar to me, a bit more heavy then the average Thai, you can almost buy a Suzuki Raider 150R for the price of a good Honda Wave.

And this little Raider is a real kicker, it has 16 horsepower and with some engine mods it can even do more, I not belief in powerful small bikes but a bit more juice when opening the throttle is never a waist of money.

Some farang riders prefer a Suzuki Raider 150R over a Honda CBR150R, mostly because it is cheaper, it has a more upright riding position and repairs and spare parts are much cheaper.

Downside, the Suzuki Raider is secondhand more difficult to sell then a Honda CBR150R, but who buys a bike with selling in mind. If you buy something with the idea to sell buy nothing, the best saving ever.

3th, the current Honda CBR150 is soon to be replaced by a new model which has Direct Fuel Injection, making the older models less attractive, mainly as they will have serious less (horse)power and throttle response then the newest injection engine one's.

edit: I soon will test drive a CBR-125I to see what the difference is, the CBR-125 is already upgraded.

If anyone's interested I've got a Suzuki Raider 150cc for sale. I've had it 3 years now and it goes great. Never had any trouble with it and it has been regularly serviced. It's red, black and silver with black mag wheels, twin disc brakes, and as mentioned above it has a 6 speed gearbox and a tachometer.

I am in Hua Hin, could possibly have it delivered to Bangkok, or as far south as Surat Thani.

Best reasonable offer accepted. Reason for sale; we're planning the move back home early next year.

[misterme]

Well, I bought the Suzuki Step 125 for 31,900B. 1.9Km on the odometer w/full warranty. Pick it up tomorrow.

If anyone is interested in the other bikes, it was the Honda dealer just before Central Airport Chiang Mai & across from Sunbelt.

[CHdiver]

Good buy misterme; one of my friends has the Step since 1,5 years and is very happy with the bike. It's more powerful then my Nouvo as it has a 125 ccm engine and needs less fuel. The brakes (if you have a disc at the front) is the best of all automatics, beside of the dual brake sistem of the hondas.