First big bike - is this a good deal ?

[JustAnotherFarang]

I think it was more to do with the seat on the R15 seemingly higher and elevated to push you forward. I could be wrong but I went to the Honda shop about 20 metres away and tried their bikes for size again. I do prefer the seating on the cb300 f but the fairing and style of the cbr300 seems more pleasing to the eye. I passed by the Yamaha shop as I walked back to my car and passed a wistful eye on the R3. Its a beautiful beast by comparison to the Hondas that look rather ordinary by comparison. What I really need is a test ride but in the one horse town that I live in, thats unlikely to happen

JAF

[English_M_in_Bkk]

Can't go wrong with the R3, a lot better than the CBR300, which you will outgrow and get bored of quickly

[kekalot]

I went to the local dealers today and checked out the Honda CB300 F which was bigger and nicer than I thought it would be. Seat was a little hard though but maybe thats because I tend to sit in a padded chair most of the day going nowhere. I asked for the price and they said it was 131,000 which didnt seem so bad. But right next too it was the CBR 300 with the Repsol fairing and that was priced at 136,900. To my eyes, it seemed that the better deal is the CR300 because you get the sports fairing, twin headlightsl and coloured wheels albeit I think I would go for the red, white and blue model at that price.

JAF

I had the CB300F priced at 126,000 baht in Phetchaburi about 2 months ago at a Honda retailer. I guess 5000 baht not that big of a difference but it might be worth looking around if you'd like to save

I was looking at the CB300F myself but I might go for the CB500F if I can find one.

choice, choices!

[lust]

I agree about working your way up to the big bikes.

First bike I ever rode was a 125cc scooter. I was instantly hooked. After, I bought a CBR150 because they are cheap, look good, and fun to ride. About a month later, I was bored and wanted more power. Moved to a CBR400. The difference from 150cc->400cc was huge for me. I was afraid of the 400 for a little to be honest. The weight was a big change as well. It took me a few months of riding to get comfortable with leaning on it. I dropped it once and did a number on it while doing a U-turn.

After a while, I wanted a bigger bike. Mostly because all my friends were upgrading to bigger bikes and I wanted to stay with them. Upgraded to a CBR929. Just like going from my 150cc->400cc, I was terrified going from 400cc (60hp) -> 900cc (150hp). And even after a year of riding it, it still terrifies me once I open the throttle up feel the power band. I can't imagine having anything faster in Thailand because this is overkill for power in my opinion.

[JustAnotherFarang]

Thats the only thing holding me back from buying the R3 at the moment.....the fear factor because of its size and power. I feel I would be more comfortable on the CB300 F and it also comes with abs as standard but reading that I will get bored of it quickly makes me think that the R3 is the better buy for longer term enjoyment. I am not likely to chop and change bikes, this will be a one time deal for long term ownership.

JAF

Edited July 22, 2015 by JustAnotherFarang

[DILLIGAD]

You know you want an R3, so go for it!!!

[JustAnotherFarang]

Well I made my decision and went for the Yamaha R3 because it just offers more power and refinement. I chose the blue and silver option and got free registration, tax and insurance thrown in as well. Now all I have to do is renew my old bike licence (about 2 years out of date) and hope that they will give me a 5 year licence before I am off and running on the roads again. Thanks to everyone for contributing to this thread. It helped me to think and think again before I splashed out the cash today

So now I am in the market for after sales parts like slider bars and protective gear such as gloves, helmet and accessories. Can anyone point me in the right direction on the local thai/english websites

Cheers

JAF

Edited July 25, 2015 by JustAnotherFarang

[Crowleys]

K-speed and 320sp shop are good for basic accessories

[dezy1801]

My first big bike was a 600 cc here in Thailand my only previously experience on 2 wheels was a Nouvo scooter. I just took it easy and ride the bike as much as I was comfortable with nothing more. I am now riding a 1000 cc.

After 6 months on the 600 I wanted a bigger bike and most of my other friends who have a big bike now also started on small bikes and soon wanted a 1000 cc or bigger. Only you know if you are sensible enough to ride a big bike.

Good luck

[DILLIGAD]

I found Panda Riders shop in BKK to be a good source for riding gear.

Good decision BTW

[mark131v]

Well I made my decision and went for the Yamaha R3 because it just offers more power and refinement. I chose the blue and silver option and got free registration, tax and insurance thrown in as well. Now all I have to do is renew my old bike licence (about 2 years out of date) and hope that they will give me a 5 year licence before I am off and running on the roads again. Thanks to everyone for contributing to this thread. It helped me to think and think again before I splashed out the cash today

So now I am in the market for after sales parts like slider bars and protective gear such as gloves, helmet and accessories. Can anyone point me in the right direction on the local thai/english websites

Cheers

JAF

Congratulations JAF on a good decision and a great bike, I can guarantee that you will not get bored of the R3 any-time soon!!

It is a great learner bike and very forgiving but as you get more time in the saddle you have more than enough power to get the adrenaline flowing

When I got mine they threw in a Yamaha R Series helmet with the bike as well as a training session (which has not happened yet) so I can tell you that the R Series helmets are really good and worth the 2.5 k baht they cost if you buy yourself and in fact I prefer it to my much more expensive Shark helmet

Let us know how you get on as I don't think there are that many of us who have bought R3's yet and I still see very few on the roads, enjoy and safe riding!

[mark131v]

I went to the local dealers today and checked out the Honda CB300 F which was bigger and nicer than I thought it would be. Seat was a little hard though but maybe thats because I tend to sit in a padded chair most of the day going nowhere. I asked for the price and they said it was 131,000 which didnt seem so bad. But right next too it was the CBR 300 with the Repsol fairing and that was priced at 136,900. To my eyes, it seemed that the better deal is the CR300 because you get the sports fairing, twin headlightsl and coloured wheels albeit I think I would go for the red, white and blue model at that price.

JAF

I had the CB300F priced at 126,000 baht in Phetchaburi about 2 months ago at a Honda retailer. I guess 5000 baht not that big of a difference but it might be worth looking around if you'd like to save

I was looking at the CB300F myself but I might go for the CB500F if I can find one.

choice, choices!

I don't think you can go wrong with a CB500 of any description you can also pick them up very cheaply second hand now so the difference in a new 300 and a second hand low milage 500 is minimal and a bit of a no brainer for me, I have a CBX and it is a great bike and with 24k km on it no problems at all, it's also worth considering the R3 and the Ninja 300's as they are all great bikes to learn on or as normal day to day bikes and plenty powerful enough for the Thai roads

Edited July 26, 2015 by mark131v

[dezy1801]

Well I made my decision and went for the Yamaha R3 because it just offers more power and refinement. I chose the blue and silver option and got free registration, tax and insurance thrown in as well. Now all I have to do is renew my old bike licence (about 2 years out of date) and hope that they will give me a 5 year licence before I am off and running on the roads again. Thanks to everyone for contributing to this thread. It helped me to think and think again before I splashed out the cash today

So now I am in the market for after sales parts like slider bars and protective gear such as gloves, helmet and accessories. Can anyone point me in the right direction on the local thai/english websites

Cheers

JAF

I use paddock in bangkok loads of gear there and all sizes.

[JustAnotherFarang]

I have to buy what I need online as I live down south. I checked out Lazada and bought a few things like knee protectors, body armour, gloves and bike cover. The other bits like tail tidy, rear mud guard and slider bars will be from one of the shops shown above. I will also buy the R3 helmet from Yamaha but cannot find the designs online to see which one I would like

JAF

[Happy Grumpy]

Personally I would recommend a CBR300 for 6 months.

Then a CBR500.

Then CBR650.

They are all user friendly newb bikes.

Go gently, there is no rush.

[mark131v]

I have to buy what I need online as I live down south. I checked out Lazada and bought a few things like knee protectors, body armour, gloves and bike cover. The other bits like tail tidy, rear mud guard and slider bars will be from one of the shops shown above. I will also buy the R3 helmet from Yamaha but cannot find the designs online to see which one I would like

JAF

Hi JAF, the R3 has its own helmet in the R Series (there is a cheaper one for the R15 too) and they are also colour coded to the bike and look pretty good too, you don't need to shop around just go to the dealer you bought it from and tell them you want an R3 helmet, might get a couple of mae mee's but persevere as they were produced for the R3 in Thailand, if that shop is no good or cant be arsed just go to another dealer

[Happy Grumpy]

Good move, going for the R3.

[JustAnotherFarang]

The guy in the shop recommended the Yamaha helmet and said it costs about 2000 bht but he did not have any pictures or brochures to show me. I will pick up the bike on Tuesday and I will ask him to get me a colour coded helmet to look at.

Cheers

JAF

[mark131v]

The guy in the shop recommended the Yamaha helmet and said it costs about 2000 bht but he did not have any pictures or brochures to show me. I will pick up the bike on Tuesday and I will ask him to get me a colour coded helmet to look at.

Cheers

JAF

Mate if it is Yamaha R Series helmet you will be well pleased though to be honest they should have asked what colour you want as there are 3 different ones..,....

[mark131v]

Just realised that my advice could be a bit.. crap.... what I said about the Yamaha helmets only works for someone whose head fits em so if your fizzog don't work then get something else....

[macknife]

I have to buy what I need online as I live down south. I checked out Lazada and bought a few things like knee protectors, body armour, gloves and bike cover. The other bits like tail tidy, rear mud guard and slider bars will be from one of the shops shown above. I will also buy the R3 helmet from Yamaha but cannot find the designs online to see which one I would like

JAF

Firstly congratulations on your new bike.

You mention body armour and knee pads. While any protection is better than nothing those body armour suits aren't really suited for road use. If you come off doing any kind of decent speed that armour will be ripped to shreds in seconds. Better to get yourself a good quality mesh jacket like Rev-it or A-Star

[Can samui]

I think before you go nickel and diming yourself to death you might want to consider a quick trip up to Bkk and go to the paddock or panda and get everything in one go. That way you can try it on and make sure it fits. While the Yamaha helmet might be ok I would still recommend a better one, HJC, Shoei, Arai. All available in bkk.

Flying up is dirt cheap these days.

Just my two bahts worth!

[mark131v]

I think before you go nickel and diming yourself to death you might want to consider a quick trip up to Bkk and go to the paddock or panda and get everything in one go. That way you can try it on and make sure it fits. While the Yamaha helmet might be ok I would still recommend a better one, HJC, Shoei, Arai. All available in bkk.

Flying up is dirt cheap these days.

Just my two bahts worth!

Why....?

Do you really think Yamaha or any other big producer is going to put their name to anything without looking in to it ??

From personal experience the Yamaha R series helmets are really good granted you need your head to fit into the thing's but if you do you are laughing .....

[macknife]

I think before you go nickel and diming yourself to death you might want to consider a quick trip up to Bkk and go to the paddock or panda and get everything in one go. That way you can try it on and make sure it fits. While the Yamaha helmet might be ok I would still recommend a better one, HJC, Shoei, Arai. All available in bkk.

Flying up is dirt cheap these days.

Just my two bahts worth!

Definitely this, I learned the hard way buying cheap stuff. Best to just pay out once on good quality stuff and then you don't have to worry about it. For me Pandarider has the best quality gear. Paddock is ok too, they have Taichi gear which looks nice and a little cheaper than the other big brands.

As far as the helmet goes, I think Yamaha have a deal with Shark to make helmets for them, so the helmet will be fine. However at 2500B I don't think Yamaha Thailand are using Shark so you may want to look at something else.

[mark131v]

I don't subscribe to the 'you need to spend a fortune to get a good helmet' school of thought

Real and Bilmola start at a couple of thousand baht and a basic Shark helmet starts at about 4, get whatever you are happy with, from personal experience I can tell you that the yamaha R3 helmet is good and is the most comfortable of all my helmets, it is also light and cuts noise down well and has an internal sun visor

It is not the best helmet in the world but I truly believe it will work as well as anything else if the worst was to happen though I will do my utmost to avoid finding that out...

[Can samui]

In my humble opinion there are two things a rider should never be stingy with, tires, because they are the only thing attaching you to the road and a helmet, because if you really need it, pray to god it is a good one!

[mark131v]

In my humble opinion there are two things a rider should never be stingy with, tires, because they are the only thing attaching you to the road and a helmet, because if you really need it, pray to god it is a good one!

I agree to a certain extent I just don't believe a 30,000 baht helmet is 15 times better than a 2000 baht one or that it proportionally increases increases your survivability, if they are both DOT approved and fit properly then that is good enough for me but I realise others will have different opinions and that is cool too...

[JustAnotherFarang]

I am going to buy two sets of protective gear, one simple mesh with guards all around the top half of the body and some protective knee guards that bend with the knee. This I will use around my province. The second set will be a proper protective jacket and trousers with shoes as well for travelling further afield. I like the Taichi stuff from KSpeed and the price is reasonable too

For the helmet, I want to get the Yamaha R3 series but the guy says I will have to order it online so for now I will make do with my full face moto cross helmet. I might just get a helmet and accessories from these guys on Facebook as their prices are very competitive

https://www.facebook.com/Mspeedbikeshop

JAF

[Can samui]

The helmet can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. If it does not fit properly it will seem like some bizarre middle ages torture device right in the middle of a good ride. Best to try it on and leave it on for 30 minutes or so in the shop before buying it. So, I would not recommend buying one on line, unless they take 100% returns!

[DILLIGAD]

Who makes the Yamaha helmet? Unless you know this, it's not worth considering.