Owning a Motorbike in Singapore

You’ve gotten your motorbike license and are ever ready to go on the road. However, know the costs of owning a motorbike in Singapore.

Singapore is one of the most expensive countries to own any vehicle. That does not deter the many who do get it, though. A baseline before you proceed: do take some time to understand what the Certificate of Entitlement is. 

After owning a motorbike for close to six years now, it has become a habit to track what I spend on my transportation needs. That, too, has affected my decision on whether I want to upgrade my bike to a 400cc and above. Without further ado, here are the costs you need to consider before committing yourself to a motorbike.

Cost of the Bike

You will have two choices:

1. New Bike (SGD 10,000+ onwards)
2. Secondhand Bike (SGD5,000 onwards)

There are pros and cons to either option that should always be at the back of your mind.

New Bike

The most obvious thing is the price tag. Even for a kapchai, a clutch-less 150cc motorbike, the price can go up to SGD7,000 and beyond, excluding the COE. Do consider how much you are willing to put for downpayment and instalments, or you would like to pay total cash.

One thing to note is that the cost of a new motorbike increases if you choose to pay via monthly instalments over total cash. This is where shops have interest rates to earn money over nothing.

Secondhand Bike

Secondhand bikes are known to be notorious for having hidden problems. Most of the beautiful secondhand bikes on display for a fraction of the cost of new ones have hidden stories. You won’t know until you ride into them after a week. After all, it is a machine with many different parts that are just too difficult to evaluate on the surface level, such as the engine.

It’s not all bad, though. Having imperfections in a secondhand bike allows you to learn the most out of breakdowns.

If you are a new rider, I recommend riding a secondhand bike.

Being a novice rider will have you drop the bike more often than you think.

Pro-tip: Get a seasoned/experienced rider friend to help you find a suitable bike for you when you head to the workshops!

Petrol

Oil prices are increasing, and that directly affects us, consumers. Are you using your bike for commuting? Or are you using your bike for work, e.g. food delivery? This will affect mileage, which affects the amount of petrol your bike uses.

Maintenance

This is a huge thing. Please take a look at this maintenance schedule for the Honda CB150R (which is the model of my current motorbike). On top of the petrol top-ups, I change my engine oil monthly. CB150R is particularly a hardy model, but it will fail if I don’t care for the heart. Any bike would!

Not only that, Singapore’s weather can be unforgiving. You will need to take care of your bike through dusty days and rainy days. The way you ride will affect how your engine and motorcycle treads react.

In general, these are what I usually take note off:

• Well-oiled chain with enough slack
• Effective front and rear brakes
• Working signals and horn
• Smooth clutch process
• Fresh treads on tyres
• Monthly Engine Oil Maintenance
• Sufficient Coolant and Brake Fluid
• Change Air Filter (after a year or two/if it’s dirty, whichever is earlier)
• Battery Charge/Change
• Check for any weird noises
• Chain and Sprocket Change (once every two years or if the sprocket wears down)
• Functioning Spark Plug
• Smooth Suspension
• Petrol Level
• Air-filled Tyres

To lower the costs, you can purchase spare parts from workshops, suppliers and Carousell. I usually buy bike accessories from Carousell and Shopee because I am team #convenience. For example, this chain and sprocket for CB150R cost $95 instead of $150+.

The Administrative Stuff

We also need to be responsible riders too. These are the things to take note of.

Road Tax

Road tax varies from $20 to $40 per 6 months. It depends on the type of motorcycle and its age of it. It is higher as the bike gets older.

Insurance

If you are a new rider, premiums are expensive ~$1000 per year. However, this drastically reduces after your 2nd year of riding. There are usually three types of motorcycle insurance:

1. Third-Party (the cheapest)
2. Third-Party Fire & Theft
3. Comprehensive

I usually go for Third Party for my first and second bikes. However, with the increasing reports of vehicles on fire, I am warier and have increased the coverage on my motorcycle. With my CB150R, I selected the Third Party Fire & Theft. As of writing, for a 25-year-old with six years of riding experience, the premiums were $425.95 per annum. My renewal is coming soon, and I might be able to get a premium for around $300.

Interested in getting motorcycle insurance? You can use my referral code here to get a discount!

Season Parking

For motorbikes, there are two types of season parking – the normal one, which requires you to pay for your residential spot monthly and also pay if you use other HDB carparks or the Concessionary Season Parking, which is fixed at $20/month (and still have a spot at your residential carpark). This allows you to park anywhere at HDB carparks (except red lots and red, white lots after restricted hours).

I recommend the Concessionary Season Parking for ease of mind and apply via GIRO (automatic deduction). There is a rebate of 2% (40 cents) for every successful deduction, which works out to be $4.80 per year. 

Transfer of Ownership (for second-hand bikes)

If you’re looking to purchase a second-hand bike, there is a transfer of ownership fee. Usually, the buyer will bear this cost if you’re buying from an individual (like from Carousell), and you can sometimes negotiate if the seller is a workshop. The transfer fee is $20 – not expensive, but it is still an expense.

Accessories

You might want to spend on items for aesthetics or necessity. Here’s a list of things that you might need to purchase one time or every once in a while (the list is not exhaustive):

• Chain Lube
• Tool Kit Box
• Raincoat
• Phone Holder
• WD40/Chain Cleaner
• Soap and Wax/Cleaning Supplies
• Motorcycle Jack (most CB150R in Singapore do not have a main stand, so you cannot oil your chain by yourself)
• Helmet
• Any other protective Gear (Jacket, Gloves etc.)

Overall Monthly Costs

Currently, below are the rough costs to take note of per month for CB150R, daily commute:

Note that this does not include the periodic maintenance like changing coolant, spark plug etc., and any significant incidences like a flat battery, which requires a change or towing (on average, from $35 onwards).

Ride Safe!

With that being said, I hope this gives you more clarity into the costs involved in owning a motorcycle in Singapore. Feel free to connect with me @kanochromia on Instagram if you have any burning questions!