Buying A Motorbike - Any Recommendations?

[TCA]

I'm currently renting a bike by the month but have decided to take the plunge and buy a new machine. I've driven both manual and automatic before, but my other half prefers an automatic so I may go that route, although will consider both. I won't need anything over 150cc. The bike would be used daily for short journeys around town, so mileage would be relatively low with an even mix of both one and two people riding (say 150kg combined), in addition to some occasional shopping on board.

I'm looking at Honda Dream 125, Honda Wave 125i and Honda Click-i Forward but am also getting recommendations for the Yamaha Nouvo 135 Elegance. I've no mechanical knowledge, so some advice would be appreciated. Can anyone recommend any of these (or not) or any others given the above.

Thanks in advance

TCA

 

[David Learmonth]

We have a Honda Wave 125 fuel injected/electric start. Superb machine. Very reliable & excellent fuel consumption. Bought ours at local Greenwing dealer - service has been first class & Greenwing seem to have dealerships all over the country.

 

[Pikey]

I've got a Nuovo Elegance - nice but drinks petrol at the same rate as I drink beer, which those who know me, will tell you it's a lot and quickly! Discount that one if economy is important to you. Otherwise comfortable and nippy (100 - 105 kph with an 85kg rider)

Dream - not available with a disc front brake so drum brake will need adjusting/cleaning more to remain strong and may squeak when wet. Otherwise bulletproof.

Click-i & Wave-i. Both great and I would choose one of thse. If I was just riding in the city, it'd be the click. If I was planning on any hilly riding, I'd take the Wave as a gearbox is handy in the mountains.

Cheers,

Pikey.

 

[TCA]

Thanks for the replies above. I plan to test drive a few this week. My rental bike is a Honda Click Forward (I don't see Click i or PGM-FI anywhere, so not sure if this is an older non-FI model?) and I have to say it's not bad but I feel slightly unsafe at higher speeds in that the steering feels a bit light and wobbly. I'm 85kg and feel that I should be imposing more of my weight forwards to compensate. I guess the weekly shopping in the area between the seat and the steering will do just this and this aspect of the design might actually be something I need, so I'm tending to stray from bikes which don't have this space. I wonder though whether a bike like the Yahama Nouvo Elegance is better in respect of this apparent front end lightness given it appears to have larger front wheels and is a bigger bike?

 

[Pikey]

Captain_Slash wrote: Jeff is your Nouvo Elegance FI or carb? I ask as you say its thirsty, I bought a brand new Honda SH300i last month which is a twist and go and gives me 90mpg, not bad for a 300cc automatic machine

Col,

It's carbed and I get about 30km/litre whatever that works out to in MPG. Seems thirsty only because I ride it flat out to and from work so am racking up 180km a week and filling it every 3 days. Not worried about the consumption as it's the perfect bike for the job - comfy, stable and a big bucket under the seat for my bottles of Leo. The comment about economy was to give the OP an idea. If I was to buy a small commuter bike again, I'd probably go for one of those Honda CZ-i. They look funky, do great MPG and are cheap as chips at 37K brand new.

When are you back?

Cheers,

Pikey.

 

[TCA]

Managed to test the Nouvo Elegance 135cc today and was very impressed. I thought it steered and held the road better than the smaller Click that I'm riding at the moment and I definitely felt safer. Braking was good too and it has a fair bit of poke as well.

Pretty sure I'll go for it. My quandry now is that the only place stocking them locally is a small resale garage (almost exclusively Yamaha though) as opposed to the nearest main dealer which is 30mins drive away. Assuming the local place can carry out any necessary repairs and servicing, is there any benefit to buying from a main dealer? Price is the same.

 

[TCA]

Just as I'm close to buying the Nouvo Elegance, a couple pf posters on another forum have warned me off it because it's not fuel injection. One post highlighted the fact that a carburetter is tuned to one fuel, and one fuel only, and that if you fill the tank with anything else, it is likely to damage the motorcycle's engine as some fuels burn hotter then other fuels. The sensors in a fuel-injection engine apparently prevent this from happening. They also said there would be an upcoming fuel-injection version of the Elegance but I've no idea when this is likely or how costly it will be.

What's the Nouvo Elegance owners' views on the above? Are you worried?

 

[Franz]

TCA, go to Yamaha Square near Kad Suan Kaew and try the Spark 135 once, that's a good one with amazing acceleration but not a scooter, has clutch......cheers, Franz

 

[TCA]

Thanks Franz but I'm not in the north of Thailand. Also my preference is for an automatic, so I kind of had my choice down to the Yamaha Nouvo Elegance or a Suzuki Skydrive 125, favouring the former. These non fuel injections comments about the Nouvo are making me waver.

 

[TCA]

Thanks Captain. Apparently the recommened fuels for use in the Yamaha Nouvo Elegance is no different to that specified for Honda's fuel injection models: pure benzene 91, 95 or 98 or gasohol 91 or 95.

Neither is equipped to work on any of these "future fuels" like E20 or E85, so it doesn't sound to me like there's anything between the two and I've yet to hear or read anything about Elegance owners and engine trouble.

I gather that the gasohol has slight disadvantages over the regular benzene such as loss of power and fuel efficiency and possibly even damage to the fuel system, but as this presumably applies equally to both fuel injected and non fuel injected bikes, the argument for fuel injected bikes does not appear to hold water on this front either.

Any thoughts?