⌛ Bike Question & Recommendation

This will sound like a real stupid question to all you experienced bike owners but I bought my first bike in my life here last March, a Yamaha Nuovo AT115 Automatic. A real novice, I dumped it twice so far and have numerous nasty scars (both dumps my stupidity). So I am wondering, is a bigger bike with bigger tires easier to handle than a smaller bike? I feel like it is hard to keep my balance when we travel through south hiway road repair and also when I have to nearly stop behind pedicabs or the market on the hiway. My bike has very little weight in the front. It is quite response when I have to accelerate so I like that. My wife and I weigh about 128 k together, 2/3 me. Would you recommend, given my lack of expertise, a bigger bike would be more helpful or more dangerous. Serious question btw. Thanks
Pat

 

a bigger bike generally means more weight thus not helpfull when driving slowly

i recon you bought an automatic because you are unknown to shifting?

have you ever ridden a honda wave 100?? compared to a mio/fino/nuovo i found the wave easier to manouvre at very low speeds, wave has a lower centre of gravity

 

I own a Yamaha Mio, I use it just for city trips. Dumping twice can be a lack of experience. A bike with bigger wheels will drive and react in a different way. When also more horsepower on the throttle it might get a bit tricky.
Bikes like the Nuovo and Mio are primarly designed to drive with on paved roads. On smooth rough roads I did also notice it requires more skills to keep your balance specially when having a passenger behind. But speed is the magic word. I would suggest to get more customised with the Nuovo by driving solo instead with a passenger. Then step by step you will notice it's getting better and better. After some time you might be ready for a new challenge changing the Nuovo for a bigger one.

 

Thanks, Bikerguy is right on, I went for the automatic so I could focus on everything else. The reason I dumped the bike hard one time was I wasn't used to breaking with the left hand and letting go of the d*mn accelerator with the right hand, sort of like driving a stick shift car with two feet instead of one and hitting the break and accelerator at the same time. And RR_biker, you are correct in that it is harder for me with my wife on the bike, not too many issues riding along, but the princess had to come along most of the time so I need to get this right. Perhaps when the south hiway is complete my ride will be easier. Riding for 8 mos now has eliminated my fear, except for having to have 360 degree radar scanning for local traffic goat rodeo. Thanks for the advice both of you, well taken and helpful.

 

I'll approach this from the opposite angle here. I rode Harleys for over 45 years before moving here. As soon as I got here I bought a new Honda Wave 125. I found it to be too light weight even with my wife and I on it. It bounced all over the road. The narrow small tires made it uncontrolable when hitting a pothole or trying to ride a seam in the road for passing. Last and most important to me, power CAN get you out of trouble at times (such as passing).
After about 6 weeks of frustration, I gave the Honda to my father-in-law and bought a new Kawasaki Rouser 200. It is almost 150% of the weight of the Honda, has 200cc and has really nice large tires that are very forgiving on bad roads. With all due respect to all the automatic riders here, having a hand clutch is a LOT easier to control in heavy traffic as it gives you more options and ease of slow operation.
The down side is the weight, the height, and the learning process for new riders. But, in the end, in my opinion, a lot better choice.
After only a week or so of having it, a large bus, passing in the opposite direction, gave me less than 1 meter of road. The Rouser was perfectly stabile (wife screaming) and I'm sure I would have lost the much lighter Honda.

 

Ron8917, thanks for the valuable input. I know what you mean about being able to outrun the danger, I drove a 911 in the U.S. and that was one of the things I enjoyed the most. I have a friend with a K-200, I will ask him to let me test the weight and height. I had to chuckle to picture you as along term Harley guy riding a Honda 125. The manual shifting is an interesting point, now that I understand the Dgte traffic rules (hahaha), I would probably be ok with a manual trans. Thanks

 

So I am wondering, is a bigger bike with bigger tires easier to handle than a smaller bike?

i tried a friend's yamaha nuovo a few times, i'd say this would be the best ride if you want to go to the grocery and that kind of stuff... highway driving is a no-no for bike. its very light and fully-faired which makes it vulnerable to the wind disturbance a whizzing ceres creates; the wheel diameter's small, the wheelbase's also short so the gyro effect it gives is the worst for highway riding.

this is what they do to race-prepped scooters.


Would you recommend, given my lack of expertise, a bigger bike would be more helpful or more dangerous. Serious question btw.

see this depends on where you'd frequent with the bike. if its just here around dumaguete, running errands, small stuff you got to buy in the store, you'll be fine with that nuovo you got. and i'd say keep it if you decide to get another bike

for highway runs, 128k combined weight, 80k solo... go for a bike with fatter tires. ron8917's ride would be a good choice as he's testified. a 150cc - 250cc sportbike would be, IMO, both economical and enjoyable on the road.

the kawasaki rouser 200, dual rear shocks, air-cooled, best choice if you always ride with wifey.



these bikes, id recommend when you go solo most of the time.


the new, yamaha 150cc fz16, air-cooled, mono shocks, more economical than the rouser id presume. its new in dumaguete so expect some snags with service and parts.


but if you're a speed freak, go for this 150cc mini crotch-rocket! honda cbr 150, liquid cooled, mono shocks. fatter tires are always available.



these bikes are lower than your average motocross style bikes, they have slicks rather than knobbies which make them safer even with hard-braking. post's getting long hehe... im a sportbike/streetbike guy, so chopper riders, dirt-bike riders, and the like might disagree.

for my closer... in any bike you ride -- always remember the weaknesses of the bike, its either you do something to rectify the weakness, or plain and simple dont force the bike again in that situation, and you'll get along together really well.

 

RebelBiker and others, thank you for your help, at least I know more now about bikes. I like all of your ideas and will have a look at the Yamaha 150 and the Kawasaki 200, which seems to be a popular bike with foreigners.

 

My experience is bolstered by my permanently distorted and crooked left pinky broken and almost severed in a moped crash only 50 cc on a loose gravel road,those are the smallest tires about a foot and a half diametre,bad for bikes and leaning in turns at good speed or on slipery roads,they dont fall very gracefully when you do go down.The best bikes for handeling are within the parametres of motor cross racing bikes and the ones used for tricks at low and high speed..Its the bikes configuration of tire size width and diametre in ration with the chasis and how high you sit on it versus how much of the hieght is made by the tire itself..Take a spinning wheel and spin it fast and then try to change its axial orientation,it wants to stay upright so the wider diametre the wheel the more it stations the axis while spinning thus the more it will stay up right in motion,thats why all speedy bikes have the stadard around what the common 200cc dirt bikes have handeling even slippery mud and gravel..I had a 750 suzuki 4 cylinder once too and I could lean that heavy thing down low at speed and come right back up,,it was my puny wheeled moped 50cc that ruined my finger and got totaled in 2nd accident..

 

PatO...I have pictures of my Honda Wave 125, BUT NONE with me on it (too ashamed I guess).
I never rode a "sport bike" until I got the Rouser 200 and it took a couple of days to adjust to the "lean forward" sitting position, but once I did, I do really enjoy it.
I totally agree with what the other two said above, mainly about the larger tire size being an asset in all riding situations.
Maybe I never gave the Honda a fair chance in heavy traffic like I should have, but inching along in stop and go with an automatic was just too much trouble compaired to a hand clutch which gives you total control. And then there is also the passing thing with a hand clutch and 5 speeds.
But, you are absolutely right. Selling my 1450cc Harley, that had 93 horsepower and moving here to the land of small cc bikes was a shock for my system. Thanks to the Kawasaki Rouser 200, I am much better adjusted now.
The only real downside is that EVERYBODY wants to race the Rouser. In the states I had a classic Corvette and a classic 944 (at the same time) and it was the same "let's race"
mentality. Just wasn't interested.......
Good luck on your decision.
Incidently, I saw some ad for a nationwide company that rents motors on all the islands. Sorry, I don't remember their name, but they rent Kawasaki Rouser 200 to tourists. It might be a place to go test drive one.