Buying A Motorbike - Any Recommendations?

[TCA]

I'm currently renting a bike by the month but have decided to take the plunge and buy a new machine. I've driven both manual and automatic before, but my other half prefers an automatic so I'll probably go that route. I won't need anything over 125cc, so a scooter type effort will do. The bike would be used daily for short journeys around town, so mileage would be relatively low with an even mix of both one and two people riding (say 150kg combined), in addition to some occasional shopping on board.

I'm looking at Honda Dream 125, Honda Wave 125i and Honda Click-i Forward. Can anyone recommend any of these (or not) or any others given the above.

Thanks in advance

TCA

[thaicbr]

"I'm looking at Honda Dream 125, Honda Wave 125i and Honda Click-i Forward"

well this one is easy. the only Auto is the Click. Personally i would get a Yamaha Nouvo

Edited October 2, 2009 by thaicbr

[imaneggspurt]

i agree, we just bought a 135 elegance and it goes like a rocket !, great little bike,.

[guzzi850m2]

I owned a couple of Waves previously over the years, very solid bikes indeed but a bit outdated compared to the autos I think. Ask ANY Thai lady which bike she prefer and she will say auto.

We bought a Fino and I am very impressed, it goes like a little rocket in the heavy Pattaya traffic, much easier to "scooter" around on than a Wave. (sorry Wave fans)

A wave is properly more 'heavy duty" than an auto, but come on, still very cheap to keep an auto running. If any farangs really think it is a problem then they "turn" every bath in their pockets (read: cheap Charlie).

In Pattaya I noticed more and more taxi drivers riding auto's and that is a very good indicator how solid they are nowadays.

[thrilled]

I've heard A lot of talk on thaivisa about the honda czi110.Check it out.

[PoorSucker]

For a bike that will last long time the Honda Dream (semi-auto).

For Automatic, Honda Click (water cooled, better for engine)

[TheAceFace]

AirBlade any day of the week if your after an automatic. How about a KSR?

[soihok]

How about a GSXR or a ZXR ?

A Fino goes like a rocket?

I have a fino and my Vigo leaves it for dead.

And a Vigo is slow compared to CBR 600 or the like.

The Vigo will out do a slow 250 ninja on the move,,,,but in traffic,,,a Wave is faster than a Vigo.

In fact a Bus with a nutter at the wheel is faster than than a Vigo.

Just my observation.

[jackcorbett]

You already said you preferred automatic. I'd pick either the top Honda or the top Yamaha. This means Air Blade or the Yamaha Nouvo Elegance. The Elegance has 135 c.c.'s whereas the Air Blade has just 110. Air Blade has fuel injection and boasts 15 % better fuel economy over its older models. But......the Nouvo has a 4.8 liter fuel tank to the Honda's 4 liter which allows for 20 % greater distance between fuel stops. Power wise there's no contest. The Nouvo feels like a bigger bike so it might suit you better. I think the Mios, Clicks and Finos have tires that are just too small to give you the same safety factor as the Air Blade or Nouvo, especially if you are riding two up. And if your gf tells you she's small and can therefore handle the smaller bikes much better keep in mind you are buying, not her. And that you are probably far more logical and that the extra margin of safety (and with the Nouvo Elegance substantially greater power) and MUCH LARGER STORAGE UNDER THE SEAT) trump any possible desire of hers for a smaller machine. Keep in mind also that many Thai women learn to drive and drive well, much larger bikes such as Honda Phantoms even though they aren't that large.

Best yet. Rent an Air Blade for a few days, then rent a Nouvo Elegance for a few days, then decide yourself which one you like better.

Edited October 3, 2009 by jackcorbett

[imaneggspurt]

How about a GSXR or a ZXR ?

A Fino goes like a rocket?

I have a fino and my Vigo leaves it for dead.

And a Vigo is slow compared to CBR 600 or the like.

The Vigo will out do a slow 250 ninja on the move,,,,but in traffic,,,a Wave is faster than a Vigo.

In fact a Bus with a nutter at the wheel is faster than than a Vigo.

Just my observation.

I think we were comparing scooters ....a ferrari will piss allo over a vigo, whats the relevance ?.....

[guzzi850m2]

Best yet. Rent an Air Blade for a few days, then rent a Nouvo Elegance for a few days, then decide yourself which one you like better.

Yes that would be the best thing to do. We are all different and prefer different bikes as well.

[petertucker48]

Best yet. Rent an Air Blade for a few days, then rent a Nouvo Elegance for a few days, then decide yourself which one you like better.

Yes that would be the best thing to do. We are all different and prefer different bikes as well.

Totally agree both bikes as great,must admit though I prefer the Yamaha Nouvo Elegance.

[soihok]

How about a GSXR or a ZXR ?

A Fino goes like a rocket?

I have a fino and my Vigo leaves it for dead.

And a Vigo is slow compared to CBR 600 or the like.

The Vigo will out do a slow 250 ninja on the move,,,,but in traffic,,,a Wave is faster than a Vigo.

In fact a Bus with a nutter at the wheel is faster than than a Vigo.

Just my observation.

I think we were comparing scooters ....a ferrari will piss allo over a vigo, whats the relevance ?.....

A Fino goes like a rocket,, apparently.

[guzzi850m2]

[

A Fino goes like a rocket,, apparently.

Ohh that really got to you did it Soihok?? I wrote a little rocket okay . And yes my Fino goes much faster than my old 125 Wave from standstill hence the expression " little rocket", I am really sorry (not really) if I annoyed you

[TCA]

Thanks for the replies. I plan to test drive a few this week. My rental bike is a Honda Click Forward (I don't see Click i or PGM-FI anywhere, so not sure if this is an older non-FI model?) and I have to say it's not bad but I feel slightly unsafe at higher speeds in that the steering feels a bit light and wobbly. I'm 85kg and feel that I should be imposing more of my weight forwards to compensate. This seems to be what jackcorbett posted about above. I guess the weekly shopping in the area between the seat and the steering will do just this and this aspect of the design might actually be something I need, so I'm tending to stray from bikes which don't have this space. Sounds like I should try the Yahama Nouvo Elegance and see how it feels. Anybody got a feel for the difference in gas consumption between the Click i and Nouvo Elegance?

[jackcorbett]

Thanks for the replies. I plan to test drive a few this week. My rental bike is a Honda Click Forward (I don't see Click i or PGM-FI anywhere, so not sure if this is an older non-FI model?) and I have to say it's not bad but I feel slightly unsafe at higher speeds in that the steering feels a bit light and wobbly. I'm 85kg and feel that I should be imposing more of my weight forwards to compensate. This seems to be what jackcorbett posted about above. I guess the weekly shopping in the area between the seat and the steering will do just this and this aspect of the design might actually be something I need, so I'm tending to stray from bikes which don't have this space. Sounds like I should try the Yahama Nouvo Elegance and see how it feels. Anybody got a feel for the difference in gas consumption between the Click i and Nouvo Elegance?

Just do it. The Elegance is much more roadworthy at higher speeds than the Click. As for the difference in fuel economy, if there's any, you aren't going to feel one iota's difference in the pocket. If I put 120 baht of gas into my Elegance per week and even if the click gets 15 % better fuel economy than the Elegance, you will be saving 18 baht per week. That's 54 cents per week or $26.00 per year. But I rented an older model Click down in Krabi for a day and it wasn't very impressive on fuel consumption so assuming you now are driving the non fuel injected Click, you might actually be getting worse fuel economy than I'm getting with my Nouvo Elegance.

[JonnyF]

How about a GSXR or a ZXR ?

A Fino goes like a rocket?

I have a fino and my Vigo leaves it for dead.

And a Vigo is slow compared to CBR 600 or the like.

The Vigo will out do a slow 250 ninja on the move,,,,but in traffic,,,a Wave is faster than a Vigo.

In fact a Bus with a nutter at the wheel is faster than than a Vigo.

Just my observation.

A bit off topic, but a Ninja 250 does 0-60 mph in a round 6-7 seconds depending on the rider. A 3.0 D4D Vigo does it in around 10 as far as I know. Also, to say that a Vigo is slow compared to any 600 supersport is kind of stating the obvious isn't it? Not in the same league, not even nearly.

In answer to the OP, I would recommend a Nouvo or a Airblade. My gf is tiny and gets on fine with our Nouvo MX, when she occasionally rides the work Mio (less than one year old) she complains that it feels small/twitchy and makes her nervous. If you're planning on riding 2 up, the Nouvo/Airblade is the only choice if you want Auto.

[PoorSucker]

Here's a price guide for you.

http://www.motorcycle.in.th/staticpages/in...ces-in-Thailand

[Spoonman]

How about a Suzuki Hayate, 125cc automatic, goes real real well (carries my 120kg along suk road @100km/h comfortably), gets decent fuel economy and has huge under seat storage.

[jackcorbett]

How about a Suzuki Hayate, 125cc automatic, goes real real well (carries my 120kg along suk road @100km/h comfortably), gets decent fuel economy and has huge under seat storage.

Before I got my first Nouvo, my girlfriend back then and I went to Koh Samui where I rented a Mio. She hated it because of its twitchiness. We rented it for just one day. When my next girlfriend and I went to Krabi we rented first a Click, then an Air Blade. Now keep in mind that the roads are hillier and permit fast driving than traffic clogged streets here in Pattaya. I hated the Click because of its twitchiness driving two up when I'd compare it to my Nouvo Mx. Then I rented an Air Blade and I loved it. There is a huge difference down in Krabi bet ween the Click and the Air Blade as far as stability driving two up. Later on I got this girlfriend a a nice red Fino. I would have gotten her an Air Blade as I felt it was a significantly better machine. Anyway, it was a beautifully sculptured Italian replica. I could sit in a bar and just look at it parked across the street and reflect.."Yamaha's a genius for putting that design on a bike for not much more than 40000 baht. And it was a fine little machine even driving two up on the back streets around here. But for some reason it did not have the power of my Nouvo MX even though both had the same 113 c.c. air cooled engine. And at faster speeds than I'd be driving down the back streets I'd much prefer my Nouvo MX. The Nouvo Elegance is significantly more powerful than the air cooled MX and it steers quicker and more precisely.

Edited October 4, 2009 by jackcorbett

[AzarovDmitriy]

 

How about a Suzuki Hayate, 125cc automatic, goes real real well (carries my 120kg along suk road @100km/h comfortably), gets decent fuel economy and has huge under seat storage.

Yes. Suzuki Hayate, 125cc (automatic) it's very, very wonderful motobike.

We are "moving" on it together with my wife and two my children.

Suzuki Hayate is very powerful.

[soihok]

How about a GSXR or a ZXR ?

A Fino goes like a rocket?

I have a fino and my Vigo leaves it for dead.

And a Vigo is slow compared to CBR 600 or the like.

The Vigo will out do a slow 250 ninja on the move,,,,but in traffic,,,a Wave is faster than a Vigo.

In fact a Bus with a nutter at the wheel is faster than than a Vigo.

Just my observation.

A bit off topic, but a Ninja 250 does 0-60 mph in a round 6-7 seconds depending on the rider. A 3.0 D4D Vigo does it in around 10 as far as I know. Also, to say that a Vigo is slow compared to any 600 supersport is kind of stating the obvious isn't it? Not in the same league, not even nearly.

In answer to the OP, I would recommend a Nouvo or a Airblade. My gf is tiny and gets on fine with our Nouvo MX, when she occasionally rides the work Mio (less than one year old) she complains that it feels small/twitchy and makes her nervous. If you're planning on riding 2 up, the Nouvo/Airblade is the only choice if you want Auto.

What do you mean by " as far as I know" ?

It means you,ve not done it does,nt it?

Edited October 5, 2009 by soihok

[TCA]

Managed to test the Nouvo Elegance 135cc today and was very impressed. I thought it steered and held the road better than the smaller Click that I'm riding at the moment and I definitely felt safer. Braking was good too and it has a fair bit of poke as well.

Pretty sure I'll go for it. My quandry now is that the only place stocking them locally is a small resale garage (almost exclusively Yamaha though) as opposed to the nearest main dealer which is 30mins drive away. Assuming the local place can carry out any necessary repairs and servicing, is there any benefit to buying from a main dealer? Price is the same.

[jackcorbett]

Managed to test the Nouvo Elegance 135cc today and was very impressed. I thought it steered and held the road better than the smaller Click that I'm riding at the moment and I definitely felt safer. Braking was good too and it has a fair bit of poke as well.

Pretty sure I'll go for it. My quandry now is that the only place stocking them locally is a small resale garage (almost exclusively Yamaha though) as opposed to the nearest main dealer which is 30mins drive away. Assuming the local place can carry out any necessary repairs and servicing, is there any benefit to buying from a main dealer? Price is the same.

I doubt it. I have bought three Yamaha motorbikes from the same dealership on Central Pattaya Road. Good price there and excellent service but I will just as often have my Yamaha serviced at a Honda dealership within five minutes of my condo. Great service. Had a part put in to repair the rear brake for 180 baht at the Honda dealership. Seems like parts for Yamaha Nouvos are available just about everywhere and I will have to say from my experience that the service I've gotten regardless of brand is far better than I've gotten in the U.S.

[Spoonman]

Assuming the local place can carry out any necessary repairs and servicing, is there any benefit to buying from a main dealer? Price is the same.

You will probably get better service at the "local place", I Took my 1 yr old Click into Mityon (pattaya) for its 1000km service, al seemed fine and off i went, parked it up for the night at home only to come out the next morning to find a massive pool of oil on the ground, seems they forgot to tighten the sump plug, happy days riding along with oil dripping onto the ground in front of the rear wheel, NOT.

It now gets serviced at "the local place".

[JonnyF]

How about a GSXR or a ZXR ?

A Fino goes like a rocket?

I have a fino and my Vigo leaves it for dead.

And a Vigo is slow compared to CBR 600 or the like.

The Vigo will out do a slow 250 ninja on the move,,,,but in traffic,,,a Wave is faster than a Vigo.

In fact a Bus with a nutter at the wheel is faster than than a Vigo.

Just my observation.

A bit off topic, but a Ninja 250 does 0-60 mph in a round 6-7 seconds depending on the rider. A 3.0 D4D Vigo does it in around 10 as far as I know. Also, to say that a Vigo is slow compared to any 600 supersport is kind of stating the obvious isn't it? Not in the same league, not even nearly.

In answer to the OP, I would recommend a Nouvo or a Airblade. My gf is tiny and gets on fine with our Nouvo MX, when she occasionally rides the work Mio (less than one year old) she complains that it feels small/twitchy and makes her nervous. If you're planning on riding 2 up, the Nouvo/Airblade is the only choice if you want Auto.

What do you mean by " as far as I know" ?

It means you,ve not done it does,nt it?

If you are asking whether I have done 0-100 in a Vigo with a stop watch in my hand, no I haven't. "As far as I know" means that I had a look at the specification of the 3.0 D4D and the general consensus was around 10 seconds.

In case you have missed my point, I was saying that the 250 Ninja does it in around 6-7 seconds. Therefore, to be slow in comparison to a Vigo, the Vigo would need to do it quicker than that. Does it?

[ttakata]

Like everyone says here, get the Elegance it's twice as good as any other scoot IMO for just a little more.

My friend has to fuel up twice as much as me it seems on his Click-i because it has such a small tank and has to rev so high to go quick.

I got my Elegance from the Yamaha Square on Phanon Yothin (just south of Ratchadaphisek) in North BKK.

They have 6+ of them in stock all the time and the first 3 services are free labor.

They may screw me on the consumables, I have yet to find out.

[TCA]

Just as I'm close to buying the Nouvo Elegance, a couple pf posters on another forum have warned me off it because it's not fuel injection. One post highlighted the fact that a carburetter is tuned to one fuel, and one fuel only, and that if you fill the tank with anything else, it is likely to damage the motorcycle's engine as some fuel burn hotter then other fuels. The sensors in a fuel-injection engine apparently prevent this from happening. They also said there would be an upcoming fuel-injection version of the Elegance but I've no idea when this is likely or how costly it will be.

What's the Nouvo Elegance owners' views on the above? Are you worried?

[PeaceBlondie]

We have an Elegance, a CBR150, a Phantom 200. Fuel is fuel; mai bpen rai.

[Spoonman]

Just as I'm close to buying the Nouvo Elegance, a couple pf posters on another forum have warned me off it because it's not fuel injection. One post highlighted the fact that a carburetter is tuned to one fuel, and one fuel only, and that if you fill the tank with anything else, it is likely to damage the motorcycle's engine as some fuel burn hotter then other fuels. The sensors in a fuel-injection engine apparently prevent this from happening. They also said there would be an upcoming fuel-injection version of the Elegance but I've no idea when this is likely or how costly it will be.

What's the Nouvo Elegance owners' views on the above? Are you worried?

Why not just run it on what ever Yamaha recomends ??