The Honda SH150i Scooter - Perfect Commuter for Bangkok

I’m usually a ponderer, taking weeks mulling over an idea before parting with cash, but after getting stuck in yet another traffic jam om my commute I snapped. Time to get an easy to ride two-wheeler.

I’m usually no fan of scooters following an embarrassing holiday mishap 10 years ago (the usual stupid tourist, never been on a scooter before, almost ending up down a cliff) but I thought I’d give one a shot and a one year old Honda SH150i, in shinny white color, caught my eye. With Givi 30 liter topbox and Honda’s reliability it was the ideal commuter. It even came with a Ermax wind shield.

A quick once-over revealed light scuffing on the fairing plus a crooked front brake lever. I had clearly had a minor spill and I’m pretty sure it was one of the contributing factors to the sale, although the owner denied all knowledge. With its recently fitted Yuasa battery the scooter started first time.

The tires were mismatched and the rear shock in less that good condition. Neither needed changing immediately but both require attention. Using this as a bargaining point. I reduced the asking price by 1500 THB. I’d done a little research and found larger-wheeled scooters are slightly more costly than standard ones, so felt the price was fair.

Once home I waded through the documents finding one of the five previous owners had covered 5,000 kilometers in the short time of ownership. He’d increased the kilometers considerably but regularly serviced the Honda SH150i, keeping meticulous records of work done. From what I could work out the next owner had only covered 1500 kilometers but had done little maintenance, so my first job will be a full service.