I would agree with that, SE Asia has so many Chinese wave Colones that it is not uncommon for people to come moto tour and just buy a wave for the trip. There is the most interesting market of used waves just running tours around
Yup. Been there, done that :)
Although, if you come in as a Westerner, I do recommend buying a genuine Honda. The hassles your save yourselves compared to the cheap Chinese clones are worth the "premium".
Mind you, you can buy good used bikes for well below 500 USD. A new Wave 110i is just under 1100 USD in Thailand.
The custom bike scene in SE Asia is really worth checking out. The ingenuity makes me feel even more of a dumbass than I already am. Loads of fun. I’ve had some great times chatting about bikes when I’ve been over there.