Buying/running a motorbike in Singapore

[Kammy786]

Hi all,

Its getting really close to the big move now and I'm getting more impatient everyday! lol

I have been looking into modes of transport when i get there, a car is out of the question (at least until the wife finds a job), so how about a motorbike, I have owned superbikes in the UK for years, 1000cc up. I realise this would probably not be too wise in Sing but maybe something like a 600cc bandit cruiser?

I have found a couple of dealers out there and they are advertising brand new BMW GS650 for S$19000, which seems pretty reasonable, does anyone know about prices of road tax, insurance and any other regular payments you may have on a bike, besides maintenance and fuel.

Cheers

[Strong Eagle]

COE on a motorcycle is S$1812 as of last bidding exercise in December. Will remain at roughly this amount for a while. Single payment at new bike purchase time, may or may not be in the bike price quoted to you.

Similarly, additional registration fee is 15% of open market value, the cost of the bike including shipping, fees, etc. May or may not be quoted as part of bike price.

Road tax is based upon displacement. 600cc is S$156.40, a liter bike is S$250.24.

Insurance will vary by type of bike, your age and experience, and riding history. For full coverage, including theft and loss by fire, etc for a 600cc bike, I'd expect you'll pay in the S$600 - S$800 range.

I rode a 1500cc Valkyrie in Singapore for years and there are quite a few liter bikes around. This chart shows the breakdown by cc

http://www.lta.gov.sg/content/dam/ltawe ... _by_cc.pdf

[PNGMK]

I'd recommend bikes for sure in Singapore. I would not recommend the heavier bikes - traffic riding is too tight for them - I've recently bought a Duke 390 ($15,000 on the road incl insurance) and it's the perfect size for Singapore.

[PNGMK]

FYI - until you get your car you could consider something like this;

http://www.singaporebikes.com/used_bike ... da_models/

[PNGMK]

Or this - very cute!

http://www.singaporebikes.com/used_bike ... pa_px_150/

[stuckmojo]

My 2 cents. I relocated in November and immediately discarded the idea of having a car. Too expensive.

I then went straight to the Harley Davidson dealer where I bought one of their ex-rental bikes before they put it for sale somewhere else.

Aside from getting wet now and then, it's the best decision I could have made.

[PNGMK]

+1 to above poster. When I first rode a bike here - after 15 years lviing here - I was "why the f didn't I do this before"?