Fellow travelers/expats,
I am looking to purchase a good manual/semi-automatisch motorcycle to tour Thailand with.
My girlfriend is half-Thai and we are in Thailand a lot, planning to settle down in the future so buying is the better option compared to renting all the time.
I have a couple criteria mainly budget, we are young and travelling a lot so it has to be cost effective. Let’s say at MOST 37.000 THB. Less is better because we will have to buy equipment also.
Engine size doesn’t matter, we have been touring all over Southeast Asia with all kinds of scooters/motorbike and made it safe and sound aside from a couple flats.
On a lower budget I would like to have around 125-150cc and of course, not automatic but manual or semi automatic because we love riding in mountains off the beaten track.
I have experience with the Yamaha YBR 125 in Northern Vietnam and loved it, cheap, strong and reliable.. Unfortunately not available in Thailand.
Closest thing I can find is the Suzuki FD 110, drove it one time and it’s a pretty nice and simple bike. Yet I’m worried its not going to have enough power.. 15cc’s extra may not sound like a lot but going uphill it makes a world of difference.
Used to ride a Honda Cb500x and it was a dream, unfortunately way above our budget. In the future we will make the upgrade since it is widely available in Thailand and extremely comfortable and versatile.
I have been razing over marketplaces looking for a bike, but it seems there are not many options that aren’t over 30 years old.
Also, please no GPX, I prefer Japanese brands for reliability and ease of finding parts. Tried the GPX and you can really feel and see that they saved on the quality on these bikes. Price is good but I prefer something trustworthy.
Second hand, of course. Since new bikes are not to be found with this meagre budget.
Looking forward to hearing from fellow bikers for suggestions, any more questions let me know and I will elaborate more.
Cheers, Sebastian! 😉
