First exposure to a morning commute on MRT from Pasir Ris ..

[Hannieroo]

A motorbike?

Yes, sorry, a motorbike. Bukit batok to pioneer if route will change the answer. I know a lot of people do but the cars don't seem to check their mirrors here.

[Wd40]

A motorbike?

Yes, sorry, a motorbike. Bukit batok to pioneer if route will change the answer. I know a lot of people do but the cars don't seem to check their mirrors here.

I am a rider, so my answer might sound biased. My take is that there is always a risk in riding a bike, but you can reduce it to large extent yourself by riding defensively and not taking any undue risks.

I dont wear any safety gear, but if you really dont want to take chances, yeah you should invest on good riding jacket, pants, gloves and a good solid full face helmet.

I said this earlier here. The chances of getting hit are rare, after getting hit getting badly injured or die are even rarer. But end of the day, yeah there is a risk, which you need to be mindful of.

[offshoreoildude]

Singapore - the country with the most expensive cars in the world .... the cars here don't have indicators or side mirrors fitted from what I can tell.

[offshoreoildude]

... broken/not starting... talking about the HD right?

I've gone down the 2 bike route as well. One for Singapore (XT250) and one for the rest of Asia (Tenere). So far that's only been Malaysia.

Where did you get the XT250? Is it the new model? I've seen them online and like them but I didn't know they could be bought in Singapore!

[JR8]

Raincoat is always ready in the rear box.

JR8: [Staring blankly into the distance, squinting]

[x9200]

A motorbike?

Yes, sorry, a motorbike. Bukit batok to pioneer if route will change the answer. I know a lot of people do but the cars don't seem to check their mirrors here.

The safety is always put in question but people who ride daily (myself included) say it is not any more dangerous than it is in Europe or the US. In short - you have to learn some patterns/habits of the local drivers and make yourself visible (bigger bike and brighter lights = better). The traffic here only loosely follows the regulations but the behavior of the drivers/riders is highly predictable.

If you compare some statistics
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... s-2011.pdf
http://www.spf.gov.sg/prints/tp_annual/ ... lties6.pdf

they should roughly match I believe (factoring in that the riding season in Singapore is the whole year and motorcycle to car ratio is also higher locally).

Bukit Batok - Pioneer is a reasonably easy route. The only inconvenience is the initial part from Bukit Batok to AYE (Bkt Btk East Ave 3 - Cle Ave 6), always jammed in morning hours but still ok for a motorbike.

Bits and pieces in different threads:
http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/ftopic75967.html
http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/ftopic66636.html
http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/ftopic ... sc-30.html
http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/ftopic62075.html

[x9200]

Yeah, I was considering it(CB400 btw, CBR400 is a completely different beast), but gave up the idea after finding out about the ordeal of getting a 2A license.

Only getting 2B is a bit of trouble. 2A and unrestricted are a piece of cake compared. IIRC it took me ca 2 months to have it done the test included.

[Hannieroo]

Thank you. I know he bought stuff that was more summer weight and that he put the entire kit in the container. And I know he'd wear it.

The stats are particularly interesting, thank you. That might be one of the few times being in your forties is a plus. We were in Aberdeenshire before here and the stats there are higher than the rest of the UK because of the roads so there is no way I'd have let him commute on one.

Excellent. I get the car and he gets to ride all year on a daily basis. Everyone's a winner, Baby!

[x9200]

Almost sounds like a revenge to be taken. Is he going to like it?

[Hannieroo]

Like it? He's already bookmarked a whole load of sites selling bikes, every time I try and discuss how we are going to do school runs long term his only suggestion is "I could get a bike". He sold his last for the move and I think it hurt. So, yeah, he'll cope.

Thank you, I was a bit scared that it was too dangerous but you've put my mind at ease.

[x9200]

You may want to find him some relevant threads in the car/motorcycles subforum so he knows how to prepare himself for the licence conversion if he wants to get the unrestricted class - normally 2B (up to 200cc) is only granted.
Also for both of you, sign up ASAP for the basic theory tests (if not done yet). There is a few good months of waiting for the first available test date slot and you need to do it within 1y.

[bgd]

... broken/not starting... talking about the HD right?

I've gone down the 2 bike route as well. One for Singapore (XT250) and one for the rest of Asia (Tenere). So far that's only been Malaysia.

Where did you get the XT250? Is it the new model? I've seen them online and like them but I didn't know they could be bought in Singapore!

Bought it new in 2007 from Hong Leong. Not sure how long they sold them for. Manual was in Japanese so I guess never meant for this market. Use it every day, ideal as a commuter here.

[Hannieroo]

Good point about the test and I will direct him here. Up to now he's made me do all the research but I know nothing about bikes apart from their colour. Thank you.