Honda Wave 125i VS Yamaha Spark 135i

[Preceptor]

Dear fellow riders out there, care to share your opinions on the reliability and consumption between these two machines?

I am riding a Suzuki Skydrive. Want a change of feel from this to a clutch/gear shift machine instead.

Hope to hear from you guys soon!

Many thanks!!

[papa al]

Both of these are great little machines & reliable

​Wave has nice under-seat storage

Spark is fast (~140) & liquid cooled

both have auto clutch now & injection, so great economy

Spark has a lower recommended max load....~135kg if I remember right

Spark has mag wheels available, so go with Spark.

An amazing little bike, very comfy and easy to ride.

I had one before, sold it, now bought a really nice 2nd hand 2008 with real clutch.

Done.

Edited June 6, 2014 by papa al

[Thaiwi]

^^the Spark has mag wheels so choose that over the wave? Not really a reason to dismiss the wave entirely.

OP - have a read below. The wave has mag wheels too...

It depends exactly what you're looking for.

The wave has a huge underseat storage and is believed by many to be bullet proof. As long as it's looked after, it will run for years and years. The wave is 55k for 125 electric start and mag wheels. - I was recently looking into getting one but have gone a completely different route.

The spark, as above is faster. It has a more aggressive seating position(though not by much). It is seen by many as the boy racer option, there are videos that exist of it hitting 140kph un-modified online.

If you're looking for a bit of fun, maybe the Spark is best. If you're looking for decent storage and still power to get pass cars at a higher speed, the wave will do fine.

Go sit on both at their respective dealers and see what works best for your needs.

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Edited June 7, 2014 by Thaiwi

[stubuzz]

I changed my Wave for a Mio. The wave is fraught with problems. The valves rattle after 6 months;the clutch basket gives a loud clunk, and the gears stick.

They were fixed under warranty, but the problems returned within a month. The shop refused to do it again, as they are common problems caused by bad design.

[Pinot]

The Honda has significantly better resale.

[CBR250]

I changed my Wave for a Mio. The wave is fraught with problems. The valves rattle after 6 months;the clutch basket gives a loud clunk, and the gears stick.

They were fixed under warranty, but the problems returned within a month. The shop refused to do it again, as they are common problems caused by bad design.

I would like to know to what extent the Wave is "fraught with problems" - and what exactly are the "common" problems & "design faults" you refer to? Perhaps some other Wave owners would comment if they too have had similar issues, as one individual's bad experience doesn't provide an adequate basis for a general conclusion. I must say that these particular issues sound more like poor servicing rather than issues of durability and longevity. A valve & clutch adjustment after 6 months would seem pretty normal as the bike settles in. And if done badly, the noises will return rapidly. This would indicate poor service standards rather than poor manufacture. But if enough owners report similar problems then it may be that manufacture is indeed at fault, as stubuzz claims.

My experience (ie not generalisable either) is that Waves are quite a tough little machine. I have a 2006 Wave 125 (carb version) which has done 28,000 kms touring around Thailand, Laos and Cambodia and a lot of city work for past 3 years, with the odd 300 km mountain trip carrying about 180kg of rider, passenger & luggage. Never a problem, just routine tuning. I know of other Waves with more kms than mine and similarly no mechanical problems. Even when maintenance is neglected (a common practice here), the Waves still seem to go on forever.

My partner's 2009 Mio (carb version) seems quite robust too. She bought new, and has only done 13,000 kms, but has had no major problems, with all routine services done on time. It has some quirks. Weather changes mean it is a bugger to start - maybe not an issue with the newer injected motors. I find the Mio more comfortable than the Wave for city work because of the lazy auto and larger seat. But the Mio is not as good as a Wave (or other semi-auto bike) in a hilly area. CVT belts don't seem to transfer torque to the rear wheel as efficiently as cogs.

Never ridden a Spark, but would love to! It sounds like those extra 10cc offer a lot of fun. And the 135 motor has been around for a while, so should be fairly durable as well.

[papa al]

^^the Spark has mag wheels so choose that over the wave? Not really a reason to dismiss the wave entirely.

OP - have a read below. The wave has mag wheels too...

It depends exactly what you're looking for.

The wave has a huge underseat storage and is believed by many to be bullet proof. As long as it's looked after, it will run for years and years. The wave is 55k for 125 electric start and mag wheels. - I was recently looking into getting one but have gone a completely different route.

The spark, as above is faster. It has a more aggressive seating position(though not by much). It is seen by many as the boy racer option, there are videos that exist of it hitting 140kph un-modified online.

If you're looking for a bit of fun, maybe the Spark is best. If you're looking for decent storage and still power to get pass cars at a higher speed, the wave will do fine.

Go sit on both at their respective dealers and see what works best for your needs.

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Dude I said the Wave was great, not dismissing it at all.

Pretty sure they don't come with mags and I got real sick of pumping tubes every week.

Ater-market mags ~5-6000baht.

Not sure what you mean by aggressive seating , but Spark seems very upright & comfy for an old fart like me.

Miss the underseat storage sure.

They are all good.

Edited June 7, 2014 by papa al

[Thaiwi]

Each is entitled to their own opinion

I'm a young fart. But I have back problems and found the spark not so great for me.

100% certain, willing to bet my first born you can get mags as standard. As above, 55k electric start with mag wheels for the 125 wave. Check out any honda dealer or even the aphonda site, I think you can see them there. Either way, I tested one near my home from the local Honda Shop which had the aforementioned wheels.

I do wish the spark was comfortable for my creaky bones. I think it's a great little machine.

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[wantan]

Wave 125i seems to be available with spoked and mag wheels:

http://www.aphonda.co.th/product/2014/wave125i/color.asp

[ttakata]

If you want a real clutch you might want to look at the KLX125, MSX125, or Raider 150.

[ktm jeff]

The wave , as with most Hondas the last few years , has many design faults and build quality issues. It is available with alloys (EDIT - not as standard}. so it will still look good when at the side of the road , broken down !.Yamaha has far better build / dealer service / re-sale value. Very good ride / suspension.

Edited June 7, 2014 by nigel jeffrey

[Wong!]

Yamahas seem to eat batteries, so that's something you'll have to get used to. We have had 4 Waves over the years and all have been faultless.

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[Preceptor]

I had a sonic before getting this suzuki skydrive.

Went to the Honda bike dealer yesterday with Misses... she kept ogling at the new PCX... sheesh...

[Thaiwi]

I had a sonic before getting this suzuki skydrive.

Went to the Honda bike dealer yesterday with Misses... she kept ogling at the new PCX... sheesh...

Don't worry, my wife has been doing the exact same. She doesn't even ride. Haha.

So did you check out the wave? What's your thoughts?

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[Preceptor]

I had a sonic before getting this suzuki skydrive.

Went to the Honda bike dealer yesterday with Misses... she kept ogling at the new PCX... sheesh...

Don't worry, my wife has been doing the exact same. She doesn't even ride. Haha.

So did you check out the wave? What's your thoughts?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Hi Thaiwi,

I actually prefer the weight of Wave as compared to PCX.

I myself weights 70kg while Misses weights 65kg.

Either Wave or Sparks should be able to carry our total weight of 135kg without much choking.

The only set back is when we ride thru a paddle of water on Wave/Sparks, the water from the front wheel will bound to reach my feet.

By the way, the sales person claims that PCX150 is able to clock over 50km per litre!!!

On a displacement of 150, I would be say that is really miraculous.

Suzuki Skydrive 125i is doing about 35km per liter...

[jackcorbett]

I had a sonic before getting this suzuki skydrive.

Went to the Honda bike dealer yesterday with Misses... she kept ogling at the new PCX... sheesh...

Don't worry, my wife has been doing the exact same. She doesn't even ride. Haha.

So did you check out the wave? What's your thoughts?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Hi Thaiwi,

I actually prefer the weight of Wave as compared to PCX.

I myself weights 70kg while Misses weights 65kg.

Either Wave or Sparks should be able to carry our total weight of 135kg without much choking.

The only set back is when we ride thru a paddle of water on Wave/Sparks, the water from the front wheel will bound to reach my feet.

By the way, the sales person claims that PCX150 is able to clock over 50km per litre!!!

On a displacement of 150, I would be say that is really miraculous.

Suzuki Skydrive 125i is doing about 35km per liter...

A PCX 150 will do over 50 kpl assuming the driving is highway and speeds are held to reasonable limits, but surprise surprise, so will a Yamaha Nouvo 125 SX and my Yamaha Nouvo 135 Elegance with a carburetor. I have done a number of road tests to prove it. The killer is city driving. All three are automatics. So much for the myths spread around here that such automatics are gas guzzlers.

[Preceptor]

I supposed I should be able to hit over 50km on the Suzuki Skydrive on a constant velocity straight road too

I am mainly using it to ferry Misses to & back from work. (One can imagine the traffic between Rama 9 & Sukhumvit, in the morning and evening.)

In that case, shouldn't a semi automatic machine like Wave or Sparks be slightly better on the fuel consumption?

I wanted a KLX250 but she abhorred the height and seat of it.

[papa al]

A Wave or Spark can get better fuel economy than an automatic scooter in city driving if driven conservatively, i.e. @ low rpm.

[jackcorbett]

I remember when Honda had just started its invasion of the U.S. market. Back then if I recall even the 350 Honda CBR was still not available and the largest Honda was a 300. I think it was called the dream. If I recall Honda was advertising fuel economy running 150 mpg or so for its 125 models. Those were manuals. One can approach such numbers even with a Nouvo 135 while driving on the highway and keeping one's speeds at moderate levels---say 80 kph or less. As for city driving, if you get on a Nouvo 135 (with a carburator) and drive normally you aren't going to do that well. It's got a lot of torque and one tends to use it. Now...get on a Nouvo SX 125 and you will find that you will drive it in the city much more conservatively. One of the reasons is you've always got that little computer in front of you monitoring your fuel economy. One tends to lighten up on the gas to get better numbers on the computer monitor. Now...get back on a Nouvo 135 Elegance again and if you are paying attention you can duplicate the type of city driving you were doing on the Nouvo SX. When you do you will find that your city mileage is almost as good as you had been getting with the 125 SX. The difference (in favor of the 125 c.c. SX) in my opinion is due to the difference in engine displacement rather than in the fact that the SX is fuel injected and the Nouvo Elegance has a carburetor. You've got about 8 percent more volume in the cylinder of the 135 and that's roughly the difference you will see if you drive both bikes conservatively in city driving.

[tingtongfarang]

All automatics i have used seem to use much more fuel than there manual counter parts or even larger capacity bikes with manual transmission,

I have a honda wave Z model carbureted (manual transmission and clutch), honda cbr 250R, and a few weeks ago i aquired a honda click twist and go 110cc pgmfi, i hav,nt checked the figures yet but the auto click seem to use almost double the fuel of the wave, and maybe even more than the cbr 250,

all 3 are in good condition and well maintained, i,m convinced its the auto with belt drive which eats the fuel.

[Preceptor]

hmmmm... what about KLX 150?

Any good?

[ll2]

of course Honda Wave 125.

it is the best selling bike on Earth right now!

it is a bullet proof bike, reliable, easy to repair and find parts.

Plus better resale value!

and it is not a lot slower than spark 135.

[papa al]

Like LL said.

I thought the Wave 110 was #1 in sales, but I'm unsure.

Anybody...?

If you want to drive the same same as everyone else, then Wave.

Wave is also the most stolen bike, so....

The Spark looks cooler with the mono shock vs two big ole ugly coils on the Wave.

Took a little spin to Rayong and back to Patts yesterday on the Spark.

Feeling strong and very steady at 120 on the highway.

Yama-hauling. Yow.

Edited June 10, 2014 by papa al

[Preceptor]

What's the price of a brand new sparks 135 now?

Was considering KLX 150 as I'm able to mount the curb as and when I like

I read somewhere that someone commented that KLX 150 is torturing to ride on the road?

Please enlighten

[papa al]

What's the price of a brand new sparks 135 now?

Was considering KLX 150 as I'm able to mount the curb as and when I like

I read somewhere that someone commented that KLX 150 is torturing to ride on the road?

Please enlighten

Last I checked Spark 135 w/ mags about 56,000baht.

Not in stock.

1000 deposit to order.....1-2 weeks

3 colors.

[hgvneil]

Know little about the Yamaha,but the Honda wave is an excellent bike.

As said the Honda is the best selling bike ever,over 60 million in various supercub forms.

We had bought a Honda dream 100cc when I met the mrs in Thailand back in 1999.

Now in the UK we have BOTH got Honda waves 125i ( called innova over here )

Not many ride them over here,but those who know of them can tell of the excellent economy,reliability.

They are popular in UK for pizza delivery companys.Thats why friends at work take the piss and ask me for pepperoni or cheese/tomato when I arrive at work.

But I don't care because I know they are brilliant bikes.

By the way the valves/tappets have to be checked at 2500 miles intervals.It has to be set correctly with a feeler gauge.Also I change the oil on ours every 1000 miles.

Back when we had the Honda dream in Thailand I knew nothing of maintenance,but the owner manual will tell you everything.

As for MPG check out this Israeli guy who put up excellent DIY and maintenance videos on youtube for the wave/innova.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f6OEcffJ3w&list=PLXlwe-Wg__YaTZ3Z3QWnbyZcm91R4ReTu

[ttakata]

I supposed I should be able to hit over 50km on the Suzuki Skydrive on a constant velocity straight road too

I am mainly using it to ferry Misses to & back from work. (One can imagine the traffic between Rama 9 & Sukhumvit, in the morning and evening.)

In that case, shouldn't a semi automatic machine like Wave or Sparks be slightly better on the fuel consumption?

I wanted a KLX250 but she abhorred the height and seat of it.

I had a DTX250 and never rode it in BKK because of the wide bars and long wheelbase made it tough to weave through stopped traffic.

I ride this stretch of road often and the narrow width small scooters are much better filtering through the stopped traffic on this stretch of road.

You're probably right going with a semi-auto if you want to save on gas.

The Wave seems a good bike for 2 up riding and fuel economy.

Will you keep your Skydrive?

Let us know what you end up getting.

I am curious if you will like riding a shift bike over your automatic in that heavy traffic over the long term.

Edited July 11, 2014 by ttakata

[triansah1990]

who know how many pick-up sensor rotor assy on spark 135i and diameter of that? can spark 135i user tell to me? i need to compare with fz150i or r15 rotor. thanks

[onlycw]

Well, both are good bikes. The Yamaha is cheaper to buy but harder to sell (higher depreciation, too).

Am currently riding an Wave 100 in terrible shape. Likely >100,000 km, but the bike is reliable despite years of deferred and bad maintenance (wrong spark plug used etc., am renting it from a Thai).

A friend has the Spark 135 and he's a true biker who also owns a Harley. He loves his and it's a keeper for him. But for just a year or two, I would likely buy the Wave but without starter.

OT: Is there a place selling used Wave parts? Need a chain, tires, shocks... Don't wonna spend thousands on a rental.

[phutoie2]

I was at our local Honda dealer today having the Sonic serviced and looking at the new Waves.

Wave 110cc with black mag wheels RS model at 45,000 Baht and the Wave 125cc black mag wheels 56,000 Baht.

I was thinking of getting something more comfortable to ride, the Sonic apart from the odd puncture has been bullet proof. There will be no probs off loading it, a queue of local boys are wanting to buy it off me.

Besides cc any other big differences between the two Waves .