Any suggestions on purchase of new motorcycle for Thai girl. Based in Phuket. What brand would be best. Engine capacity. Auto or manual gears. What dealer/s will give best price.

Hi Peter,

For buying a motorcycle in Thailand you need to ask the girl what she is going to do with it. If the motorcycle is mainly used for shopping at the nearest supermarket, I would recommend one of the many V-belt automatics, they ride smooth and are ideally for shopping. On the other hand if the distance is a bit more and many traffic lights it would be wise to consider a semi-automatic (like the Honda Wave series). A full automatic motorcycle is about twice as expensive on fuel economics as a semi-automatic.

If the motorcycle is also used to get to work and travel outside town, it would be interesting to look at the Honda CBR-150R or the next month available Kawasaki D-tracker 250cc. This bikes are more expensive then the average scooters in Thailand, but they also give the option to go on road trips upcountry.

Thanks for the answer explaining differnece between automatic, semi-automatic and manual. Last month I rented a fully automatic and it used the fuel at a very fast rate. Yes I best find out what the girl would like.

Following my initial request in June, 2 weeks ago I purchased a new Honda Click (automatic with Combi brake) while in Phuket. Checked a number of dealer prices in Phuket Town and chose the best deal. The motorbike performed very well driving around the island and fuel economy was much better than older models. Very pleased with the motorbike.

Peter

Hi Peter,

Did you buy the new model with fuel injection (I belief the Honda Click-i) or the regular 'carburetor' model?

Good question - don't know if it was the Click-i or not. Just know it ran well on the hills etc. Would post a photo if I could.

Peter

It is also not that important which model you have, if it rides good and you are happy with it.

Actual you can upload pictures, just look in the top menu and select Media, you find there Media Gallery where you as registered user can upload pictures and share them with others. You can also rate and comment on other pictures.....

Just to complete the story - I stayed in Phuket for 2 weeks and then gave the motorbike to the Thai girl that I had met once before. This gift was not solicited nor any obligations for the girl. It seemd she would not be able to afford a motorbike and it was something I wanted to do. I hope she will enjoy it into the future and have a happy and safe life.

Peter