Honda Phantom

[HLover]

Does anyone on TV own one? If yes, what are the positives and negative aspects of the 200 cc version for Thailand?

Thank you for any information as I am thinking to buy one.

[uwe_rayong]

Couple of years ago I had one and drove it for 5 years. The 200cc is usually very reliable, service is cheap. Spare parts are plenty and also cheap, so it is very cheap to run.

Resale value is good. I drove it for 5 years and lost 10.000 THB (I had bought it 2. hand), only did the service and had zero problems.

Even the battery lasted the whole time. I used it 1-2 times a week for runs between 10 to 50km, all in all about 15000km.

So not big mileage, but I´ve seen Phantoms with 90k km still going strong.

Negative:

If you are tall it may is uncomfortable to sit on, top speed is only 120-130km/h - a good cruising speed is around 100km/h.

Riding a Phantom is boring.

The mini Chopper looks a little bit tacky, especially if you are tall and big and add leather saddlebags (to the bike ) and that stuff...

If you say I don`t care to look tacky, I just want something cheap, reliable and and not another Scooter, the Phantom is maybe a good bike for you.

I liked it, as I`m not tall it was comfy to sit and it was very cheap to run.

At that time I had bought it the variety for 200cc bikes and bigger was very limited, now there are so much very affordable bikes with 250-650cc I think I would not buy another Phantom.

The main reason for me would be the (very) boring ride and tacky looks.

[lovelomsak]

I have one. Very cheap to maintain.I put 2 new tires on mine for 2600 baht at the honda dealership.Cannot beat the costs. I like the low end torque when in traffic. The reason I bought mine is I am older but if I go down with this bike I can still pick it up by myself. I think anything much bigger could be a challenge to get back up alone.The problem now can only buy used they quit making them. But they are Honda and Honda goes forever.

[HLover]

Great replies, thanks. I do like Honda as well.

[kiniyow]

Honda may stop making Parts for these sooner then latter..They stopped making the Bike so not much money in a line of Parts for a Bike no longer made...

[billd766]

I have had mine 6 years now and it still runs fine. I bought it with 5,5xx km on it and it is now at 49,xxx km

I have been T-boned once and bent as it was it still took me 125 km home.

I have been through a couple of batteries, several sets of tyres, chains and sprockets and other sundries.

It has only died on me once when the spark plug failed. I wasn't far from my local Honda shop and they picked it up and fixed it.

It is NOT a crotch rocket that will get you from 0 - 100 kph in 2 seconds but it will get you there and it will stay there all day with stops for toilet breaks, food and gas. It is fairly comfortable to ride (I am 120 kg and about 1.85 metres tall).

4 years ago I took mine to BKK and back in one day, about 380 km each way. I started before sunrise and got back home in a terrific thunderstorm with heavy rain and lightning, spectacular but scary especially as the trucks, buses and cars never slowed down but the Phantom never missed a beat. True I walked like a cowboy with no horse for a couple of days but at 67 I was happy that I could do it.

There are quite a few Phantoms coming up for sale but some are for silly prices. They were only about 84,000 baht new and for a late low mileage model don't pay any more than about 45 to 50,000 baht. Also be aware that having bought it you will have a problem selling it again. For me that is not a problem as my 12 year old son wants it when he is big enough to ride it.

[uksomchai]

Not the fastest 200cc bike around but for me the perfect bike for Thailand. Comfortable, reliable and easy to maintain. Every Somchai mechanic in Thailand can fix and service them, parts are dirt cheap and as long as the chain is looked after as with the fluids will run forever

[lexilis]

I bought a Phantom new seven years ago. It now has 104,000 km on it. It has never once not started and has never stranded me. I have not had a single significant mechanical or engine failure with this machine. The worst that has happened was a broken speedometer cable. Two new batteries, two new chains, one headlight and other normal care during that time. Frequent oil changes and brake checks, etc. It has been the most dependable machine (car or motorcycle) I have ever owned. Honda definitely has my vote.

[AllanB]

Had one as my first "big bike" ha ha, I had lots of trouble, including 2 engine rebuilds and when in bits saw it was very flimsy inside, tiny timing chain, pathetic oil pump, no filter, etc and the gearbox is a real pain too.The big problem with the engine performance is the total lack of torque, which bearing in mind it is not a fast bike, is important and that's what makes it boring. I never really rated the handling either and that was confirmed when I bought my NV400, which does handle well.

I was quite comfortable though, so my advice buy one with a shot engine and put another engine in, I saw one with a Suzuki 400 and the bike was transformed....except for the handling, but it is a cruiser, so a straight line bike.

It is the Thai Harley...need I say more?

[HLover]

Good advice, thanks

[cheeryble]

I find mine a bit heavy, even I'm a big guy, but it gets around and actually the medium size missus seems to enjoy riding it.

BTW someone keyed all the painted panels on my Phantom, that's the tank, and front and rear mudguards. (It's another story)

It's a very low mileage bike and deserves looking after.

How much for a decent respray for that?

Edited August 21, 2015 by cheeryble

[billd766]

Had one as my first "big bike" ha ha, I had lots of trouble, including 2 engine rebuilds and when in bits saw it was very flimsy inside, tiny timing chain, pathetic oil pump, no filter, etc and the gearbox is a real pain too.The big problem with the engine performance is the total lack of torque, which bearing in mind it is not a fast bike, is important and that's what makes it boring. I never really rated the handling either and that was confirmed when I bought my NV400, which does handle well.

I was quite comfortable though, so my advice buy one with a shot engine and put another engine in, I saw one with a Suzuki 400 and the bike was transformed....except for the handling, but it is a cruiser, so a straight line bike.

It is the Thai Harley...need I say more?

I remember your posts about the Phantom form a while ago. I think that you had an unlucky buy. Mine was bought from from a farang in NST and apart from shipping it up to BKK by train as I had no gps and no idea which way to go I had no major problems at all. I am lucky that the local Honda dealer has a good techie who does all the work on the bike when it is needed. I change the oil every 2,000 km and the Phantom keeps plodding along.

I am quite happy to plug around. I use it 3 or 4 times a week to go into the local village 6 kms away, to the bigger one 15 km away and up to Khampaeng Phet sometims which is 65 km each way. TBH I wouldn't put a bigger engine in mine as it does what I want and if I want to get a big cheesy grin on my face I also ride my mates Honda CB400 now and again just for the fun of it.

[billd766]

I find mine a bit heavy, even I'm a big guy, but it gets around and actually the medium size missus seems to enjoy riding it.

BTW someone keyed all the painted panels on my Phantom, that's the tank, and front and rear mudguards. (It's another story)

It's a very low mileage bike and deserves looking after.

How much for a decent respray for that?

Probably between 3 to 5,000 baht for a really good job but it also depends on where you live and the quality of the painters. Rural Thailand is relatively cheap but at the bigger main dealers the quality may be a bit better though the price will be that much more.

[AllanB]

Had one as my first "big bike" ha ha, I had lots of trouble, including 2 engine rebuilds and when in bits saw it was very flimsy inside, tiny timing chain, pathetic oil pump, no filter, etc and the gearbox is a real pain too.The big problem with the engine performance is the total lack of torque, which bearing in mind it is not a fast bike, is important and that's what makes it boring. I never really rated the handling either and that was confirmed when I bought my NV400, which does handle well.

I was quite comfortable though, so my advice buy one with a shot engine and put another engine in, I saw one with a Suzuki 400 and the bike was transformed....except for the handling, but it is a cruiser, so a straight line bike.

It is the Thai Harley...need I say more?

I remember your posts about the Phantom form a while ago. I think that you had an unlucky buy. Mine was bought from from a farang in NST and apart from shipping it up to BKK by train as I had no gps and no idea which way to go I had no major problems at all. I am lucky that the local Honda dealer has a good techie who does all the work on the bike when it is needed. I change the oil every 2,000 km and the Phantom keeps plodding along.

I am quite happy to plug around. I use it 3 or 4 times a week to go into the local village 6 kms away, to the bigger one 15 km away and up to Khampaeng Phet sometims which is 65 km each way. TBH I wouldn't put a bigger engine in mine as it does what I want and if I want to get a big cheesy grin on my face I also ride my mates Honda CB400 now and again just for the fun of it.

Yes, I was unlucky, mainly with the guy who did the first rebuild, which 2 weeks later required another. But it gave me the opportunity to see the engine build, which as I have said is flimsy. The engine is too small for a such a big heavy bike, so the whole thing is really underpowered.

Mine blew up when I rode two up and then went up a real steep hill (flat out at 2kph). essentially overtaxing the engine. So if you potter around on it, it is possibly okay.

Looking back now I looked a fool on it, a big guy on a fake Harley and obviously fake, by sight and sound. If you want to ride one, make sure you are Thai. A Farang I know, who introduced me to the bike, still has his and he looks a fool on it.

When I moved on to a real bike, I felt like a real biker, so I understand the grin when you got on the 400, with almost 4 times the horsepower my NV is a proper bike.

Most of the time I ride a bog standard Wave 110, which is what it is and not a fake anything.

[uksomchai]

Your trouble started when you bought a Phantom that looked like a Harley. Any bike that has been messed around with is a worry. buy a Phantom that looks like a Phantom, preferably a 200cc one and you will have no worries. I wouldn't call it underpowered by any means but as said not the fastest bike around but powerful enough to take two people anywhere they wish to go. I've done it many a time

[ktm jeff]

A has been said above , just a few years ago , there wasnt much chioce around . Now there is . Lifan , Platinum , Stallion and Keeway , all do very good value bikes , around this engine size . If its a cruiser style your after , then Keeway do a 200cc Suprelight for 59 K , and a 250cc fuel injected twin , Dorado or Blackster for 89 K or 92 K . Their 3 other 200cc bikes are the RKV , Supermoto and Enduro , all at 59 K .

[uksomchai]

I would still rather have a Phantom against any of the nice looking Chinese bikes that are probably as cheap for a new one as you would pay for a decent second hand Phantom. Try rocking up to the local Somchai mechanic in the back of beyond with a problem with your keeway fuel injected cruiser and expecting it to be fixed

[AllanB]

Your trouble started when you bought a Phantom that looked like a Harley. Any bike that has been messed around with is a worry. buy a Phantom that looks like a Phantom, preferably a 200cc one and you will have no worries. I wouldn't call it underpowered by any means but as said not the fastest bike around but powerful enough to take two people anywhere they wish to go. I've done it many a time

No you misunderstand the bike was bog standard, the Phantom was designed to look like a Harley, well to a Thai anyway.

I found the horse power just about okay (barely), but the torque was dreadful, wore my leg out constantly changing gear, around town it was a nightmare, with no gear indicator. Sometimes you would kickdown and it wouldn't change, so counting the gears was a problem, with the (many) gears very close you couldn't tell, well until you tried to pull away in the wrong one.

With my NV400 there is so much torque you could be 2 or even 3 gears out and it would pull, the Phantom would just stall. It was not a bike to ride in the rain either as the handling was so bad, a real bullock clencher.

I know I had a bad example, but I really don't like the bike, it was designed in Thailand, obviously by someone who knew bugga all about bikes. My guess is was a joint effort between a commercial artist and an accountant.

My NV has had quite a few issues too, well one main one now fixed, but I still love riding the bike, mountain roads and twisties are a joy, the Phantom was just a worry on anything but a billiard table.

[cheeryble]

You ride it on a billiard table?

[billd766]

Had one as my first "big bike" ha ha, I had lots of trouble, including 2 engine rebuilds and when in bits saw it was very flimsy inside, tiny timing chain, pathetic oil pump, no filter, etc and the gearbox is a real pain too.The big problem with the engine performance is the total lack of torque, which bearing in mind it is not a fast bike, is important and that's what makes it boring. I never really rated the handling either and that was confirmed when I bought my NV400, which does handle well.

I was quite comfortable though, so my advice buy one with a shot engine and put another engine in, I saw one with a Suzuki 400 and the bike was transformed....except for the handling, but it is a cruiser, so a straight line bike.

It is the Thai Harley...need I say more?

I remember your posts about the Phantom form a while ago. I think that you had an unlucky buy. Mine was bought from from a farang in NST and apart from shipping it up to BKK by train as I had no gps and no idea which way to go I had no major problems at all. I am lucky that the local Honda dealer has a good techie who does all the work on the bike when it is needed. I change the oil every 2,000 km and the Phantom keeps plodding along.

I am quite happy to plug around. I use it 3 or 4 times a week to go into the local village 6 kms away, to the bigger one 15 km away and up to Khampaeng Phet sometims which is 65 km each way. TBH I wouldn't put a bigger engine in mine as it does what I want and if I want to get a big cheesy grin on my face I also ride my mates Honda CB400 now and again just for the fun of it.

Yes, I was unlucky, mainly with the guy who did the first rebuild, which 2 weeks later required another. But it gave me the opportunity to see the engine build, which as I have said is flimsy. The engine is too small for a such a big heavy bike, so the whole thing is really underpowered.

Mine blew up when I rode two up and then went up a real steep hill (flat out at 2kph). essentially overtaxing the engine. So if you potter around on it, it is possibly okay.

Looking back now I looked a fool on it, a big guy on a fake Harley and obviously fake, by sight and sound. If you want to ride one, make sure you are Thai. A Farang I know, who introduced me to the bike, still has his and he looks a fool on it.

When I moved on to a real bike, I felt like a real biker, so I understand the grin when you got on the 400, with almost 4 times the horsepower my NV is a proper bike.

Most of the time I ride a bog standard Wave 110, which is what it is and not a fake anything.

Thank you for the insult about looking a fool on my Phantom to me and all the other Phantom riders.

The Phantom is a real bike and I am still a real biker. though not so much nowadays.

I have never considered it as a Harley lookalike just as a good solid reliable bike that I know will start when I want and it will take me anywhere I want to go. I have never had a problem in over taxing the engine but that may be the way I ride it. Perhaps the guy who introduced you to the Phantom is like me, quite happy with it. I know that it will outlast me now in a days riding but that is only because my bones ache anyway. I also have no doubt that if I wanted to ride the 400 km to BKK tomorrow morning all I would need to do is check the tyre pressures, fill the tank and it would take me there without missing a beat.

I wouldn't even consider that on a Honda Wave 110cc.

[AllanB]

Had one as my first "big bike" ha ha, I had lots of trouble, including 2 engine rebuilds and when in bits saw it was very flimsy inside, tiny timing chain, pathetic oil pump, no filter, etc and the gearbox is a real pain too.The big problem with the engine performance is the total lack of torque, which bearing in mind it is not a fast bike, is important and that's what makes it boring. I never really rated the handling either and that was confirmed when I bought my NV400, which does handle well.

I was quite comfortable though, so my advice buy one with a shot engine and put another engine in, I saw one with a Suzuki 400 and the bike was transformed....except for the handling, but it is a cruiser, so a straight line bike.

It is the Thai Harley...need I say more?

I remember your posts about the Phantom form a while ago. I think that you had an unlucky buy. Mine was bought from from a farang in NST and apart from shipping it up to BKK by train as I had no gps and no idea which way to go I had no major problems at all. I am lucky that the local Honda dealer has a good techie who does all the work on the bike when it is needed. I change the oil every 2,000 km and the Phantom keeps plodding along.

I am quite happy to plug around. I use it 3 or 4 times a week to go into the local village 6 kms away, to the bigger one 15 km away and up to Khampaeng Phet sometims which is 65 km each way. TBH I wouldn't put a bigger engine in mine as it does what I want and if I want to get a big cheesy grin on my face I also ride my mates Honda CB400 now and again just for the fun of it.

Yes, I was unlucky, mainly with the guy who did the first rebuild, which 2 weeks later required another. But it gave me the opportunity to see the engine build, which as I have said is flimsy. The engine is too small for a such a big heavy bike, so the whole thing is really underpowered.

Mine blew up when I rode two up and then went up a real steep hill (flat out at 2kph). essentially overtaxing the engine. So if you potter around on it, it is possibly okay.

Looking back now I looked a fool on it, a big guy on a fake Harley and obviously fake, by sight and sound. If you want to ride one, make sure you are Thai. A Farang I know, who introduced me to the bike, still has his and he looks a fool on it.

When I moved on to a real bike, I felt like a real biker, so I understand the grin when you got on the 400, with almost 4 times the horsepower my NV is a proper bike.

Most of the time I ride a bog standard Wave 110, which is what it is and not a fake anything.

Thank you for the insult about looking a fool on my Phantom to me and all the other Phantom riders.

The Phantom is a real bike and I am still a real biker. though not so much nowadays.

I have never considered it as a Harley lookalike just as a good solid reliable bike that I know will start when I want and it will take me anywhere I want to go. I have never had a problem in over taxing the engine but that may be the way I ride it. Perhaps the guy who introduced you to the Phantom is like me, quite happy with it. I know that it will outlast me now in a days riding but that is only because my bones ache anyway. I also have no doubt that if I wanted to ride the 400 km to BKK tomorrow morning all I would need to do is check the tyre pressures, fill the tank and it would take me there without missing a beat.

I wouldn't even consider that on a Honda Wave 110cc.

Sorry mate, my deep hatred of the one I owned coloured my feelings, it was nothing but trouble and the local expert dealership who did the work weren't experts at all. We did and still do most of our riding two up and 150+ kilos plus luggage is too much. This was my first big bike and I expected a lot, the Wave we bought earlier would go anywhere, so I thought doubling the cc would mean lots of power and torque to spare.

Some on this forum think 300-400cc is underpowered, so I guess it is horses for courses.

[soihok]

Horses for courses it is.

Phantom is not a big bike in my eyes, I see them as transport for the masses but I can never take them seriously. Especially when tassles, saddle bags and stick on plastic Eagles heads appear on them, then I have to have a chuckle.

Never mind, just my take on them.

[billd766]

I was 125kg (read fat bugger) when I started riding mine but I have lost 5kg since then.

I am lucky with my local Honda dealer and a couple of guys that work there as they are pretty good guys.

My first bike was a 1957 LD 150 Lambretta air cooled scooter that I bought in the UK back in 1962. It would cruise all day at 50 mph/80kph but run it flat out 58 mph/90 kph and in 10 minutes it would overheat and die. Wait 10 minutes to let it cool down and I would be on my way again.

It looked like this but in blue and white.

i also had a Yamaha Virago 535 cc for a year or so but like your Phantom it was a bit of a dog. I sold it for a loss of 15,000 baht a year later. When it was running well it was a good bike but that was for only about 30% of its life with me. The other 70% it was in the shed broken and awaiting parts.

Sadly doubling the cc doesn't always double the power. Mostly it depends on the type of bike too.

Years ago in the UK I used to have a Honda CX 500cc V twin. It was the "small" version of the Honda Gold Wing which at that time was either a 1,000 or 1,200 cc bike but the power wasn't double but the torque was great.

Nowadays if I had the money I would love the latest Honda 1800cc trike like this one.

Unfortunately Honda don't make them in Thailand so it would be a very expensive import.

[soihok]

CX500, they were know as Plastic Maggots

I spent most of my biking years in the UK on early GSXR's , after stepping up from Suzuki X7 (and a year on a VF750F - don't ask).

The above picture of the Sam Lor - doesn't stir my teacup but as said before, horses for courses.

[anto]

Its now very much an old mans bike .I had one for about 3 years .Whent on it several times from Pattaya to Koih Chang .Very reliable ,but i once had to change the Carb .Only downside ,was lots of vibration through the handlebars ,leaving your hands numb on a long run.

[AllanB]

Digging myself out of a hole I dug, I did find the Phantom comfortable on a trip and got 120mpig. had I seen the Suzuki 400 twin transplant, I would have kept it. I had paid 50k for it and spent another 30k on repairs, so could have saved face, plus would have removed all the problems at a stroke. Even better would have done the transplant after the first engine failure, where they also replaced a whole lot of gearbox parts.

A 400cc Phantom = Steed, half the price with a green book.

We live and learn.

Edited August 23, 2015 by AllanB

[billd766]

CX500, they were know as Plastic Maggots

I spent most of my biking years in the UK on early GSXR's , after stepping up from Suzuki X7 (and a year on a VF750F - don't ask).

The above picture of the Sam Lor - doesn't stir my teacup but as said before, horses for courses.

I saw quite a few trikes in NZ and the beauty of them is that they are much harder to drop and sooo comfortable.

At 71 my worry is that if I drop the Phantom or my mates CB400 I won't be able get out from under it or pick it up again.

[slipperylobster]

Ha.

Email me...you can get the one in my avatar cheap...perhaps cheaper than you think

Chiang Mai

[AllanB]

Ha.

Email me...you can get the one in my avatar cheap...perhaps cheaper than you think

Chiang Mai

Cant seem to blow up your avatar do you have a better/bigger picture?

[soihok]

CX500, they were know as Plastic Maggots

I spent most of my biking years in the UK on early GSXR's , after stepping up from Suzuki X7 (and a year on a VF750F - don't ask).

The above picture of the Sam Lor - doesn't stir my teacup but as said before, horses for courses.

I saw quite a few trikes in NZ and the beauty of them is that they are much harder to drop and sooo comfortable.

At 71 my worry is that if I drop the Phantom or my mates CB400 I won't be able get out from under it or pick it up again.

At 71 I am in impressed that you are still riding.

Nice one.

I am 20 years behind you, I would be well chuffed if I could still be riding when I am in my 70's.