Looking for a Scooter

[Strong Eagle]

Actually, I want to buy a Honda Valkyrie. Wonderful machine.

I've put ads up on singaporebikes, but if anyone hears or knows of one that might be available, I'd be much obliged.

http://www.herberts.org/wayne/valk/valkmain.htm

[dot dot dot]

Sorry SE,

I am not in the scene, won't be able to help you out here. But tell me, did the old classic benz give up on you?

Eric

[Strong Eagle]

Sorry SE,

I am not in the scene, won't be able to help you out here. But tell me, did the old classic benz give up on you?

Eric

The old Merc is running fine. But it belongs to my friend and business partner and I need some wheels. I've decided a car is too expensive and have settled on a big honking bike... 1500 cc's.

[Blaze]

The Valkyrie is a beautiful vehicle.
1)How does owning a motorcycle compare to that of owning a car, $$wise? I am told that you will have to pay big bucks for the COE for 2 wheelers too.

2) Are Harleys popular in SG ?

My spouse made me give up motorcycles when our child was born eons ago. But I would like to take it up again in SG(year round riding?) since I am still in love with it, and I feel quite jealous seeing other riders cage-free. It's like sms said in another post, you gotta do what you love to do.

Thanks
Blaze

[Strong Eagle]

The Valkyrie is a beautiful vehicle.
1)How does owning a motorcycle compare to that of owning a car, $$wise? I am told that you will have to pay big bucks for the COE for 2 wheelers too.

2) Are Harleys popular in SG ?

My spouse made me give up motorcycles when our child was born eons ago. But I would like to take it up again in SG(year round riding?) since I am still in love with it, and I feel quite jealous seeing other riders cage-free. It's like sms said in another post, you gotta do what you love to do.

Thanks
Blaze

COE's for motorcycles are much cheaper than for cars. For example, this August bidding was $16,500 for cars, about $700 for motorcycles. Road tax for cars runs $3500-$4000, and about $600 for a large displacement bike, much less for small bikes.

There are a fair number of Harleys in Singapore. They don't get quite the premium they do in the US. I'm not much of a Harley fan... overpriced and under engineered... they do have a fine fit and finish, however. My favorite Harley website: http://www.goingfaster.com/angst/

Yes, there is year round riding... and you'd better plan for rain because it happens anytime. I feel that bike riding is much safer in Singapore than in my hometown of Houston, mainly because the cars are smaller and the speeds so much less. Drivers here are more unconscious as opposed to plain aggressive.

If you are going to get a motorcycle, it is much easier to convert your existing motorcycle license than go through the long training period here. Theoretically, you can only convert to a Class 2b, 125cc and under, but I know of two people personally who managed to conver to an unlimited Class 2. The key is being older and well experienced on large bikes. I think the law exists so that young kids don't come and kill themselves on crotch rockets.

[Wind In My Hair]

i've always wanted to have a motorbike but when i was younger my mum would not hear of it, and now that i'm older i've just become a wuss and prefer a car. still, it's on the backburner... is it difficult for women to ride a big bike? i can't stand those skinny ones and in an accident you're a gone case with those featherweights. but is a big bike really heavy and hard to manage?

[sapphire]

I had trouble putting a mobike on the stand!
Was easy to ride though.

[Strong Eagle]

i've always wanted to have a motorbike but when i was younger my mum would not hear of it, and now that i'm older i've just become a wuss and prefer a car. still, it's on the backburner... is it difficult for women to ride a big bike? i can't stand those skinny ones and in an accident you're a gone case with those featherweights. but is a big bike really heavy and hard to manage?

Actually, you're a goner in an accident with any kind of motorbike. Regardless of size, if you make contact with a vehicle, your body parts get crushed between the bike and car. Knee and leg injuries are most common. Wrist and arm injuries occur when thrown from a bike, and internal injuries occur when thrown from a bike into sign posts, concrete walls, and the like.

You may be pleased to know that the majority of accidents are single bike accidents... the driver riding beyond his/her skill level. One advantage of a larger bike is it is more visible because of its size and better lighting, another major cause of bike accidents... not being seen.

Biking can be safe. I've ridden more than 100,000 miles, much of it in heavy city traffic without an accident or ticket. I know some that have gone a half million miles or more without incident. Some people say that bikes are more dangerous than cars. That's not really the case. A better comparison is to airplane accidents. When they do happen, the consequences are more severe, so it pays to do what it takes to avoid accidents.

The real key to a bike of any size is to really understand how to ride one, and most accidents occur because the rider doesn't know. For example, why is locking the rear wheel so deadly in a panic stop, and yet why do so many bikers do it? What is countersteering? How does one read traffic to maxmize emergency options? Can you execute an emergency swerve? Can you id dangerous road conditions that compromise your safety? A lot of bikers around here exhibit very bad habits. But, they do in the US, too. They are the ones that become the statistics. Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly.

There is absolutely no reason that a woman cannot ride a big bike, and I know several women who do so, including a couple of petite ones riding the Valkyrie... one of the largest bikes on the road. When moving, large bikes are easy to ride. You must simply learn the techniques for dealing with large bikes at parking lot speeds, and how to deal with a lot of weight (nobody, for example, can stop a Valyrie or large Harley from tipping over once it has reached a certain point - it weighs too much).

If you're serious the starting point is a 2b license, then learning how to be a proficient motorcycle rider. That way, the other riders are the ones that become the statistics.

[Baron Greenback]

SE you seem to have quite alot of detailed knowledge on the subject, so the best person to ask. I have been contemplating getting myself a moped here in Singapore. Back in the UK yo ucan ride a moped on your car license as long as it is under a certain cc. Would I be able to ride a moped here on my UK license?

On the subject of Harleys there is a man who owns a bar on the East Coast, the bar is called Blooies & he is called Sarge (I think). He managed to get a Harley for a friend & they often go in convoys up to Malaysia.

[Strong Eagle]

If it's anything other than a motorized bicycle, you need a class 2b motorcycle license in Singapore. That let's you ride bikes up to 200 cc.

Technically, you cannot qualify for a conversion. If you've been here less than a year, you could probably get a letter stating that you were qualified to drive mopeds from the UK authorities and could sweet talk them into a 2b conversion. It's a guess but if you're older they might respect that.

Otherwise, you get to do the training course which looks like the schematic below.

[Wind In My Hair]

Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly.

i like that one! will remember that. sigh, just spoke to my mum and she worried herself into a hundred knots when i mentioned getting a bike. so for the poor dear's sake i guess i'm not going to get one yet.

ps: i just got rid of my old merc... miss it already... but here's the good news... no more cash drain!

[Baron Greenback]

Thanks SE, might just have to be a motorised bike then

[banana]

Get a Segway.

[Blaze]

Thanks SE.

I might be able to find my certificate (Yes, I took a motorcycle course:)) which I could use to try to get an unlimited Class 2 during conversion.

Are there good roads for a fun ride ? I guess it wouldn't last more that 45 minutes in Sg, unless you go in a loop. How about Malaysia?

Blaze

[Strong Eagle]

Thanks SE.

I might be able to find my certificate (Yes, I took a motorcycle course:)) which I could use to try to get an unlimited Class 2 during conversion.

Are there good roads for a fun ride ? I guess it wouldn't last more that 45 minutes in Sg, unless you go in a loop. How about Malaysia?

Blaze

According the law, you must have had your motorcycle license in a foreign country for at least 6 months before you got EP, PR, DP, etc. and you must do your conversion within 12 months of your date of arrival.

I'm getting a bike to commute, not only for the costs as noted in an earlier post but because of petrol and parking... downtown is very expensive for cars, free for motorcycles in most buildings.

Yes, there are active rider clubs here... see http://www.singaporebikes.com for more information. They do regular rides into Malaysia and Thailand.