Automatic motorcycles are really taking off in Thailand due to the fantastic rideability and solid performance but the Honda Wave is still the most common motorbike on Thailand’s roads both in Bangkok and all throughout the country. The Honda Wave has such a good reputation and solid performance many riders simply choose to update to a new Wave when the old bike just gets worn out.

There are a number of options on the new Honda Wave and the bike comes with two different motor sizes. You can buy the high performance Honda Wave 125 cc with numerous options or buy the Honda Wave 100 cc which is quite a bit cheaper although not as powerful and not as gutsy when you have a passenger.

The Honda Wave 125 S has a carburetor engine and costs around 43,000 baht. It is the basic 125 model and comes with front disc brakes and an optional electric starter which really is a must. The Wave 125 S, although a quality motorbike does occasionally have some starting problems with the electric starter, but most of the time if you need to use the kick starter you will get the bike running.

The top of the range is the Honda Wave 125 i, which has a fuel injected engine and is known to start first time every time with the electric starter. The Wave 125 i costs around 46,000 baht and gets as many as 50 km on just 1 liter of petrol which makes this bike one of the most fuel efficient and powerful motorcycles in the small motorbike bracket in Thailand.

For around 36,000 baht you can pick yourself up the bargain priced Honda Wave 100 which is very basic with no front disc brakes or electric starter or you can pay just a little bit more for the Honda Wave 100 S which has the optional electric starter and standard front disc brakes. Due to the cheap price and reliability, the Honda Wave 100 series is and has been for quite some time, one of the most commonly seen small motorcycles in Thailand.

Although not quite as big as the 115 cc Yamaha Nouvo model, the Yamaha Mio has a substantially powerful 110cc engine that is very quick off the mark for a small automatic motorcycle. The Yamaha Mio has a step through design very similar in size and shape to the popular Honda Click. Like the Click, the Mio only has a small storage capacity under the seat but has a handy hook behind and below the handle bars to carry a helmet or two or the groceries on your way home from the supermarket.

The new model Yamaha Mio has just recently been released and has a uniquely shaped single headlight designed that looks most impressive and is a step away from the currently popular twin headlight design of it closest competitors in the small automatic motorbike market, that being the Honda Click and Air Blade as well as the Yamaha Nouvo.

Same as the Honda Airblade and Click, the Yamaha Mio has slightly smaller tires than the Nouvo and Honda Wave models. The smaller diameter tires are proving popular these days and seem to give just as smooth a ride as the regular size wheels of most motorbikes in this bracket.

The Yamaha Mio is well priced at around 43,000 baht including on road costs depending on what options you choose. The standard Mio comes with spoke wheels although mag wheels are available at a slightly higher price. The Yamaha Mio has perhaps the widest range on colors available of all the small motorbikes currently on offer with a number of optional extras available to customize your bike.

In terms of value for money the Honda Click is probably one of the best buys of all bikes currently available in Thailand. At around 44,000 baht depending on your options the Honda Click automatic is around the same price as some manual bikes from other manufacturers. The Click has a V-Matic transmission which gives a super smooth and comfortable ride.

One interesting option on the Honda Click is the Combi Brake. The Combi Brake on the left side of the handle bars applies a certain amount of pressure to the back brakes while applying a smaller amount of force onto the front brakes as well to give the motorbike optimum stopping power without having to apply the front and back brakes with both handbrakes on each side of the handle bars. It is a new feature for Honda motorbikes and is also available on the Honda Air Blade.

The Honda Click also has a park brake option on the left handbrake as well that comes in handy especially if you want to stop the bike just briefly or when parked on a hill. The Click also has just one shock at the back of the bike instead of the usual two.

Like quite a few of the smaller automatic bikes on the Thai motorcycle market nowadays, the Honda Click has slightly smaller in diameter rims and tires similar to the Honda Airblade and the Yamaha Mio. The Click has the same size 110 cubic centimeter engine as the Honda Airblade and is quite a zippy machine even when traveling up hills. The only slight let down with the Honda Click is the very small storage area under the seat. It only allows you to carry one very small size helmet or just a few groceries. Although slightly more expensive bikes, the Honda Air Blade and Yamaha Nouvo have considerably more room under the seat. If travel space is not an issue for you, the Click is otherwise a great little bike.

The Honda Click in my opinion is a great value bike and comes in a wide range of color choices to suit all tastes. There are also numerous after market accessories available to customize your bike to make it stand out from the crowd.

The Yamaha Nouvo is not the cheapest automatic on the market at around 50,000-55,000 baht depending on your options, but it is definitely one of the most reliable small motorbikes available in Thailand. The Yamaha Nouvo has a 115cc engine and is just slightly larger than the new and popular Honda Air Blade which has a 110cc engine. Both the Yamaha Nouvo and the Honda Air Blade are automatics and at the top of the market in terms of popularity and rider comfort. Unlike many of the smaller motorbikes on the Thai market the Yamaha Nouvo has enough room under the seat to fit 2 motorbike helmets or a reasonable amount of groceries or other goods.

Unlike the Honda Air Blade, Honda Click and the Yamaha Mio, the Yamaha Nouvo has full size tires that offer a smooth ride at higher speeds and is quite comfortable to ride over speed humps which are so common on the side sois (roads) in Thailand. The Yamaha Nouvo can be seen all over Thailand but is extremely popular in busy places like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket.

The newest models of the Yamaha Nouvo have a twin headlight arrangement similar to both the Honda Air Blade and the Honda Click and look very impressive at night. The stream lined and aerodynamic features of the Yamaha Nouvo along with exceptional handling and rider comfort have made it one of the most popular small automatic motorbikes in Thailand. With the release of the latest model Yamaha Nouvo with slightly new colors and striping it is set to continue as one of Thailand’s most in style and versatile small motorbikes.

While I have been living in Thailand I have wanted to get myself a small automatic motorbike for quite some time but since I was in no hurry I decided to wait until the time was right and just take a look around at what I saw on the street. Although I have seen and hired the very popular Yamaha Nouvo on many occasions and was very impressed I decided to go with the liquid cooled Honda Air Blade as it just seemed a little smoother to ride and extremely quick off the start.

The first time I hired a Honda Airblade I thought the owner of the bike had tuned the bike over and above the usual specifications for that type of bike. However after hiring a number of different Honda Air Blades while traveling around Thailand I realized that the first Air Blade I hired was not specially tuned and in fact the Airblade is just one very quick and beautifully smooth motor bike to ride.

I have tried the Yamaha Mio but was not impressed by the lack of power and it is also a little bit smaller than the full size Honda Air Blade and Yamaha Nouvo. The Honda Air Blade has a 110 cc engine which is the same size engine as the Yamaha Mio but the Air Blade is noticeably more powerful for some reason. The Yamaha Nouvo has a 115 cc engine and has a similar power level to the Airblade. However, I think the Honda Airblade is zippier from the standing start and more responsive and maneuverable in busy Thailand traffic. I do think though that the Yamaha Nouvo might be capable of a higher top speed than the Airblade but probably not by much.

The Honda Air Blade has enough room to fit a full size helmet under the seat or to fit in a reasonable amount of groceries which I find very handy indeed. I decided on buying an Air Blade over a Honda Click which has the same size engine because it not only looks like a sleeker motorbike but the space underneath the seat of the Click was so small it only just fits a very small size helmet and nothing else. The Yamaha Nouvo I might add is the only other of the scooter style bikes on the market that has a good size space under the seat.

The Honda Air Blade has disc brakes that work like a charm, you really can stop on a ten cent piece with the Airblade even if you are moving quite rapidly. I was really impressed with the Airblades braking capabilities.

Some of the other notable features of the Honda Air Blade include a park brake system that is fixed to the left hand brake on the handle bars. The Airblade has a twin shock system that is especially good when carrying a pillion passenger, the Honda Click only has one shock. The fuel tank is conveniently located on the side of the bike unlike most bikes that have the fuel cap under the seat so you have to pop the seat everytime you fill up with fuel. The Airblade tank costs about 120 baht to fill which is just over $3 US and gets over 140 km on each tank of fuel which is amazingly good fule economy for an automatic motorcycle. The Honda Air Blade being an automatic motorbike makes it so easy to ride in heavy traffic. The liquid cooled engine of the Air Blade is incredibly quiet and has a unique sound of its own that is different than the usual air cooled engine.

All in all I would definitely choose a Honda Air Blade over all the other small motorbikes on the market. It is only slightly more expensive than the Yamaha Nouvo which is its closest rival but costs a bit more than the other bikes on the market. At 52,000 baht or about $1,500 US it is one of the more expensive motorbikes in the small size bracket but it is far far cheaper than similar bikes of its size and power that are available in the West. Without a doubt I would recommend the automatic Honda Air Blade to anyone looking for a new small motorbike that is living in Thailand.