Buying A Motorbike In Pattaya

[wpcoe]

I'm ready to buy a motorbike. I'm not interested in bike trips across the country. I just want basic transportation to get me to/from the grocery store, the barber, Tukcom center, restaurants, etc. I have rented Yamaha Nuovo bikes before and pretty much decided to get one, but still have questions.

I looked at the Mio and decided it was a bit small. I like the size of the underseat storage cavity on the Nuovo: big enough to lock up the helmet while shopping and to hold a small bag of purchases on the way home.

How does the Honda Click compare to the Nuovo? Is the water cooled engine a good thing or not?

Are there other automatic transmission bikes worth considering? I understand that the Honda Wave 125 is an auto-clutch bike, but would I find the gear-shifting cumbersome (or difficult for this clumsy 51-year old retiree to learn) for the type of stop and go driving I'm planning? The only two-wheeled motor vehicle I've ever driven is the Nuovo.

Then, there's the question of WHERE to buy. There must be a dozen Yamaha dealers in Pattaya. Are they all the same ... should I just choose the closest one to home? Anything to look for in a dealership? Are prices negotiable, or is it a fixed-price situation? Any reports of good/bad experiences with particular dealers?

[barryofthailand]

Best on the market is Honda Wave 125cc. The gears are easy, and yes has an automatic clutch. This bike is best quality for the money.

Good dealer is on the corner of Pattaya Thai and soi Bakaw.

Barry

[moonoi]

I understand that the Honda Wave 125 is an auto-clutch bike, but would I find the gear-shifting cumbersome (or difficult for this clumsy 51-year old retiree to learn) for the type of stop and go driving I'm planning?

Reading this it seems that you don't have a license? If that is the case then you should invest in the time to go and get one. Your insurance will be invalid if you dont have one (some companies are specific in that you have to have a Thai licence) and could cause you big problems if you involved in a serious accident. Its really easy anyway so theres no excuse not too

Applogies if I have misunderstood

[wpcoe]

Best on the market is Honda Wave 125cc. The gears are easy, and yes has an automatic clutch. This bike is best quality for the money.

Good dealer is on the corner of Pattaya Thai and soi Bakaw.

Barry

Thanks for the suggestion. I will check them out. Think they'll let me test ride a bike, seeing I've never ridden a "manual gear" bike? ;-)

[wpcoe]

Reading this it seems that you don't have a license? If that is the case then you should invest in the time to go and get one. Your insurance will be invalid if you dont have one (some companies are specific in that you have to have a Thai licence) and could cause you big problems if you involved in a serious accident. Its really easy anyway so theres no excuse not too

Applogies if I have misunderstood

Oh! Good point! I have been using my overseas driver license to rent bikes. Do you know where in Pattaya area I go for the license? I think I remember hearing that you can take the test in English now. Is that correct?

Thanks for the tip!

[moonoi]

Reading this it seems that you don't have a license? If that is the case then you should invest in the time to go and get one. Your insurance will be invalid if you dont have one (some companies are specific in that you have to have a Thai licence) and could cause you big problems if you involved in a serious accident. Its really easy anyway so theres no excuse not too

Applogies if I have misunderstood

Oh! Good point! I have been using my overseas driver license to rent bikes. Do you know where in Pattaya area I go for the license? I think I remember hearing that you can take the test in English now. Is that correct?

Thanks for the tip!

I don't know about Pattaya I live in Bangkok. However I would guess that it is just as simple. If your foreign license gives you motorcycle entitlement then you don't need to do the test only need to exchange you license although you do need to do a colour blindness and depth of perception/field of view test.

If you have to do the full exam then yes it is available in english too

[wpcoe]

If you have to do the full exam then yes it is available in english too

Thanks for the quick confirmation. I will have to take the exam, as my US (Hawaii) licence does not have a motorcycle endorsement.

[barryofthailand]

The test is a basic written test and a driving test. The office in Pattaya is locsted off of HGWY 36 next to the international school of Regents.

You have to get their early in the morning like at 8:30' It's an all day afair. Written test in the morning, and driving test in the afternoon. The girls in the office will rent you their motorbike for 50 baht.

Barry

[wpcoe]

I didn't realize the license was an all-day affair until reading posts here. Others make it sound like it's "nothing". But, since I'm retired, I can definitely spare a day.

I'm not confident in my bike driving skills. I've only rented an automatic transmission bikes, and probably that's what I'll buy, although I want to take a look at the recommended Honda Wave 125. If I were confident the girls' rental bikes were automatics, I would rent a songtaew to get me to the license bureau, since I'm not looking forward the the trek to the bureau on my own, possibly returning in rush hour traffic on Suhhumvit. But, I bet their bikes are manual, which means I'd be S.O.L.

If I drive my own bike there, I should be ok, since I have a valid overseas license for a car, I don't have to take those tests.

I would like to know, however, what the road test is for a motorbike. Is it just manouevering around traffic cones in a parking lot, do you take an examiner pillion out on the open highway, or what?

[otherstuff1957]

The Wave, and a lot of other scooters, has a rotary clutch. What this means, in layman's terms, is that you can change gears with out having to manually use the clutch. So it's kind of like a semi-automatic transmission, you do have to change gears, but you don't have to use a clutch when you do so.

[wpcoe]

Thanks, otherstuff. I assume I'd still have to master right foot braking and left foot shifting, which would be totally new to me. Remember, I'm a retiree. "Old dogs and new driving techniques"?

[CHdiver]

Thanks, otherstuff. I assume I'd still have to master right foot braking and left foot shifting, which would be totally new to me. Remember, I'm a retiree. "Old dogs and new driving techniques"?

Now; I bought my Yamaha (Nuovo) from Watchara Marine Co. Ltd. Drive up Pattaya Klang up to Sukumvit. Bevor the Traffic Lights the last Soi to the left. They just sell Yamaha, give you free Service up to 10'000 km. Good service.

But maybe you would like to stop by a Honda Dealer. At Pattaya Tay Corner 3. Road is a big Dealer. He has all big Makes so it's easy for you to compare. My GF bought a Suzuki there and is happy with the Service. Honda has two new full Automatic Bikes. So you may have a look at them as well.

[wpcoe]

Honda has two new full Automatic Bikes.

I think those are the Honda Click with a water cooled engine. I was wondering how fragile that was, and how much maintenance/attention it would require vs the usual air-cooled engine.

Thanks for the dealer recommendations. I need to get off my fat keester and check these places out. I'm still being a nervous nelly about the bike license road test, but I guess I just have to bite the bullet and try it. (I wonder what would happen if I failed the test, and they observed me hopping on my bike to head home? )

I'm about to head out now to rent a bike for a week to give me more mobility to check these places out. I'm going to see if they have any other automatic bikes other than Nuovo, just for some variety.

[barryofthailand]

Things you will need to bring with you when you take the test for a license.

Medical certificate, can be had by any local doctor 50 to 100 baht. All they do is take your blood presure if that.

Proof of residency obtained from the Pattaya immigration office- 200 baht. Bring your passport and a rental agreement or some papers that can prove where you live.

Two photos. Just tell the photo shop it's for a drivers license, they will know the size. You need the same for immigration.

Barry

[Sophon]

Thanks, otherstuff. I assume I'd still have to master right foot braking and left foot shifting, which would be totally new to me. Remember, I'm a retiree. "Old dogs and new driving techniques"?

I don't drive motorcycles, but I'm pretty sure you shift gears with your (left?) hand not your foot. Can someone confirm?

I apologize for any confusion caused if I'm wrong.

Sophon

[CHdiver]

Thanks, otherstuff. I assume I'd still have to master right foot braking and left foot shifting, which would be totally new to me. Remember, I'm a retiree. "Old dogs and new driving techniques"?

I don't drive motorcycles, but I'm pretty sure you shift gears with your (left?) hand not your foot. Can someone confirm?

I apologize for any confusion caused if I'm wrong.

Sophon

Apologize accepted

[moonoi]

Thanks, otherstuff. I assume I'd still have to master right foot braking and left foot shifting, which would be totally new to me. Remember, I'm a retiree. "Old dogs and new driving techniques"?

I don't drive motorcycles, but I'm pretty sure you shift gears with your (left?) hand not your foot. Can someone confirm?

I apologize for any confusion caused if I'm wrong.

Sophon

Your wrong Apology accepted

Your thinking of the clutch..... the clutch is operated by the left hand, throttle and front brake by the right hand, gears with the left foot and rear brake with the right foot

Edited September 29, 2006 by moonoi

[PeaceBlondie]

wp, if you're talking about the old Brit bikes where you shifted the gears with your right foot, and operated the rear brake with your left foot, that was prior to 1975, so your limbs have already forgotten.

Left hand - clutch, if there is one

Right hand - throttle and front brake

Left foot - shifting gears (4, 5 or 6 gears)

Right foot - rear brake

And, the shifting pattern on four-speed Thai bikes with the automatic clutch is backwards from everything else I ever knew: you lift your foot UP to shift DOWN. If switching to a sportier bike with manual clutch, it's the opposite.

Good luck, wp.

And, to whomever wondered about the water-cooled engines begin better or worse, they are much better in hot climates. The pavement in the daytime here can be 46 degrees, and that can warp the cylinder on an air-cooled bike.

[wpcoe]

wp, if you're talking about the old Brit bikes where you shifted the gears with your right foot, and operated the rear brake with your left foot, that was prior to 1975, so your limbs have already forgotten.

No, I've never done any gear shifting on a bike. Ever. So, it's a bit intimidating.

And, to whomever wondered about the water-cooled engines begin better or worse, they are much better in hot climates. The pavement in the daytime here can be 46 degrees, and that can warp the cylinder on an air-cooled bike.

VERY interesting. Thanks!

Good luck, wp.

Many thanks!

I've started spending more time on the roads (with a rental bike) to increase my comfort level in preparation for the license test. Yesterday I drove up to Bang Saray, drove up to Phoenx Golf Course, etc. All I'd used one for before was to/from Tesco or Foodmart about 1km from my condo. I'm kinda like the retired lady who just uses her car to drive to church on Sundays. The first several times I rented a bike, I would only go places where I could do so making only left turns. :-)

[scotsman]

Hi wpcoe The driving test is a paper test first then its outside in the car park, they have mini streets with cones and traffic signs so it should be a walk in the park if you have been a car driver and you can drive your motor bike around pattaya then you should pass no problem. Good luck

[tornado40]

Reading this it seems that you don't have a license? If that is the case then you should invest in the time to go and get one. Your insurance will be invalid if you dont have one (some companies are specific in that you have to have a Thai licence) and could cause you big problems if you involved in a serious accident. Its really easy anyway so theres no excuse not too

I got my TGF the Honda Wave 125 i - fuel injected when they first came out a couple of years ago - great performance by I too prefer the Nouvo with the automatic. Interested to hear about the water cooled click as soon will buy a bike for me!

Can anyone recommend an Bike insurance cover that would cover for serious injury as mentioned above? I only thought that third party cover was available

Also, is there any company that will insure for monthly visits to the Island (Samui)?

I have a full motorcycle licence in the UK and believe this covers me in Samui?