First Bike ever, for occasionally use on holidays around Hua Hin

[awayego]

I'm not a 'biker' as such but I've tootled around on a Yamaha Nuovo Elegance (135cc) for a few years now - great scooter but now I'm bored!

I'm seriously considering a Honda CBR 300 as an entry level 'real' bike.

I looked at a Benelli 300 (Benelli dealership recently opened in Chiang Mai) and really like the look and feel of it but common sense regarding service and reliability told me to go for Honda.

I'm 67 years old and trying to have a mis-spent old age so I guess going up a notch with a bike is one way to be a bit crazy!

Go for the Honda man, service all over the Kingdom without problems, robust, much better re-sale value.

Lots of happy cb®300 owners around from what I can read on different forums, consider buying the naked cb300 model since you are a grown up man

Money to be saved on 2nd hand purchase, a bike will drop app 20% in value the first year after leaving the show room.

I was also considering the cb300 but opted for the more powerful versys650 but I still uses scooters for downtown riding.

There is one guy here on the forum that goes all over the place on his old cbr250, Laos, Cambodia and so on and he rides from Pattaya I believe.

Cheap long distance touring and he is also a senior citizen and seems to have a blast.

Ah! Now you're talking! Hadn't checked that out until now - VERY nice!

http://www.roadrunner.travel/2014/07/14/2015-honda-cb300f-baby-cbr-gets-naked/

The Benelli is definitely out now! Cheers!

[mrpinknz]

Everyone here is talking poo rubbish. If you want a "bike" with a manual transmission you can pick up a used Kawasaki ninja 250 for about THB 80,000 or a ninja 300 for about 120,000 or a Kwasaki er6-n or er6-f (650cc) for about THB 180,000-200,000. These are motorcycles and not scooters like honda clicks, pcxs or waves. My first bike was a ninja 250 and its a good learning bike and they look cool. Don't buy a 150 because you will grow out of it and become bored of the low power very quickly. If you want to do trips to Huahin i would recommend a Kawasaki er6-n or er6-f. You can buy used bikes from www.kaidee.com or www.craigslist.com. Good luck!

[Dublin]

Honda PCX will meet all your needs 125cc or the 150cc, long rides short rides nipping around town great little bike.

[casualbiker]

Everyone here is talking poo rubbish. If you want a "bike" with a manual transmission you can pick up a used Kawasaki ninja 250 for about THB 80,000 or a ninja 300 for about 120,000 or a Kwasaki er6-n or er6-f (650cc) for about THB 180,000-200,000. These are motorcycles and not scooters like honda clicks, pcxs or waves. My first bike was a ninja 250 and its a good learning bike and they look cool. Don't buy a 150 because you will grow out of it and become bored of the low power very quickly. If you want to do trips to Huahin i would recommend a Kawasaki er6-n or er6-f. You can buy used bikes from www.kaidee.com or www.craigslist.com. Good luck!

I'm guessing the guy lives in Hua Hin. And was specifically asking for a low cc run about. Your reading comprehension must be Poo rubbish :DB)

[sirocco]

hello Kasal,

is to advance the topic:

motorcycle ever made, so why not start with an electric bike.

to tour HUA HIN, up Cha Am or Pranburi, that's fine.

See store to the Petchkasem 47. (Between 20,000 and 30,000 baht)

M & A guesthouse at 100/1 (to Chomsin Street, Sofia hotel or Tai Tai) leases. This could be a test for you.

The propriètaire, English, very friendly, able to advise you.

I've seen people traveling on a scooter with one wheel in front and two wheels at the rear.

Look at the 94, outside a restaurant that makes angle with a courtyard, almost opposite the hotel Narawan, there is often this kind of scooter.

[gary94578]

It is most dangerous when your a new rider, so I would go easy with an automatic.

Renting a few different bikes to see what you like would help your choice,

Honda has been great, reliable and easy for me. 125cc has a little more punch, especially going uphill.

A 5,000 cc bike is not for a first time rider, and total overkill going to 7-11 and hard to weave around stopped cars.

Take is easy at first, practice some place empty. figure 8's, fast stops. At first the tricky ting is to let off the gas when you brake, that needs practice.

Accident insurance was a good buy for me.

Have fun, good luck

[CarolJadzia]

May I suggest the OP hires a motorcycle and finds a large carpark where they can go and have a play.

If it has a clutch and gears then that takes a while to master.

Practice pulling away and stopping. Also some emergency braking. Get used to the extra weight and the differences of a motorcycle over a bicycle.

The op can see if they get on with clutched bikes or automatics. Get a feel for what they want before spending loads of money.

In the UK it is a legal requirement that everybody who wants to ride a motorcycle has to satisfactorily complete a basic training course before riding on the road.

In Thailand there is no such training. That is reflected in the comparable accident statistics. Thailand's accident rate being 22 times the rate of the UK. The highest proportion of road users in that being Motorcyclists.

Learn how to handle whatever motorcycle you get somewhere safe before venturing onto Thailand's roads.

[beerzy]

yes go for the honda great bike.costa a bit more but the power is there if you need to go up hills.

[kasal]

hello folks

thanks a lot for your precious answers, help and time opening my eyes to what would be the best for me.

first of all i should make the bike license, then before that i need to check it out with my wife. she might not be so happy with my idea.

i only stay in Thailand twice a year for holidays, so i would not make long trips with the scooter, just that its somehow more useful then always talking the car.

but i have been looking a bit around, guess its going to be honda for sure, but not yet sure which one, but for sure automatic for the beginning, around 45K. i would need further studies before i get one and yeah there is my wife....

love the style of the honda 200 phantom. thats what i could image, i dont like speed, i would prefer easy riding. but it should not be bigger than 200cc for the beginning.

[papa al]

OP

That Suzi GD looks cool and is very cheap.

IMO Yamaha Nouvo suits and is prolly first or second most popular scooter among farang here.

But really they are all good.

Next to sex I think riding bikes is #1.

[awayego]

I don't know if anyone will see this now but I thought an 'epilogue' might be appropriate!

Well, as a 67 year old new to big bikes, I hired a Honda CB300F (my initial choice of entry level 'big' bike) for two days.

I had seen this Kawasaki Ninja 300ABS (SE), eighteen months old and 18,000km on the clock but absolutely pristeen and really liked the look of it.

It was a choice between a new CB300F or the Ninja - same money.

In the end, the Ninja won the day - it seemed like "chalk and cheese" compared to the Honda.

In comparison, and admittedly I'm a novice but nevertheless, the Honda felt 'cheap' and the Ninja feels so much more refined.

The Honda was a sod to get neutral and when I did it was a sod to get into first unless double-clutching (like in a car).

The Kawi has a feature that makes getting neutral a breeze plus another feature when you change down to prevent going into the lower

gear at too high revs.

The gears on the Honda were clunky and the clutch not smooth at all.The Kawi is just the opposite - very smooth and feels much more refined. Yes it's higher revving but still smooth.

Even the ignition/steering lock on the Honda was very awkward and sometimes you had to take the key out and start again - not so onthe Kawi.

And it wasn't as though the Honda was old or well-used/abused - it only had a few thousand km's on the clock!

OK, maybe the Honda wasn't the best example around.

But absolutely the right decision (new CB300F or 2nd hand Kawi).

I am now a very happy biker!

Edited August 7, 2015 by awayego