Finally passed your class 2B and got your p-plate? Congratulations! Welcome to the thrilling world of riding. There are a lot of things to learn — it is just the beginning. First things first, what bike are you looking at? In this post, let kakak share with you and help you a bit ok?
Types of Motorcycles
First, let’s get to know the different types of motorcycles — adventure, cruiser, naked, sports bike, tourer and sports tourer, dual sport, classic, off-road, scooter and moped (took this list off from this site). For a p-plate rider in Singapore, you’re only allowed to ride motorcycles of 200cc and below. Don’t suka suka ride your friend’s bike if its class 2A or 2 ok, your license can kena gantung (suspended)!
Since you just passed, we’ll focus more on the adventure, cruiser, naked, sports bike, tourer and scooter bike types. We don’t really have moped — the closest is probably a vespa, which falls under ‘scooter’ in my opinion.
Let’s go!
1. Adventure — Honda CBF190X (also known as Fighthawk)
It’s a pretty light bike, and a lot of people (including me) will mistake this bike for a Class 2A/2 bike due to its build. It’s quite a nimble bike, suitable to manoeuvre during lane-splitting. It is one of the fuel-efficient ones, I believe, and Honda bikes rarely ever go wrong.
Image from: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/motorbikes/2028932d1594455405-obtaining-singapore-driving-license-buying-pre-owned-motorcycle-honda-cbf-190x-fighthawk-3a5e13fe06784df4bc824b7605e8fd2e.jpeg
2. Cruiser — Phantom TA200
Phantom bikes are extremely beautiful. I daresay it can give Harley Davidson a run for their money, but I’m risking my life right now if I put a bet on it. One thing for sure is that Phantom TA200 has a rather stable handling, and a comfortable seating position suitable for long distance rides. You will feel secure as the centre of gravity of the bike is lower. Spare parts may be a little hard to come by in newer shops, so maintenance wise, you may need to go to a more established workshop to get things done.
Image from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Honda_Phantom_TA200_2004_Right_Side.JPG
3. Naked — Yamaha MT15 or Honda CB150R (Streetfire)
There are two options here, and it all depends on the look and feel of what you would like to go for. The specs are a little different too, which you can read more in-depth here. Personally, I feel that the tank is a bit more protruding for MT15 compared to the Streetfire. Btw, naked doesn’t mean that the bike is naked naked. It just means that there is no fairing (like those on a sports bike).
Yamaha MT-15 / Image from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/2018_Yamaha_MT-15.jpg
However, these two bikes are underpowered especially having a pillion. I personally used to have a Honda CB150R — it is a reliable motorbike for daily commute to work/school. The pillion seat can get quite uncomfortable for rides longer than 30 minutes, which is a shame. I have never owned an MT15, but I would think that the experience would be the same for pillions.
Honda CB150R / Image from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Honda_CB150R_Streetfire_SE_-_Jakarta_Fair_2016_-_June_21_2016.jpg
4. Sports Bike — Yamaha R15
I’m a little wary when recommending this bike. Truthfully, this bike is a fun one even though I am not a fan of sports bikes. The caveat — there is a steep learning curve. Riding school has taught the upright sitting position, and for sports bikes, there is a greater lean into the tank of the bike due to aerodynamics. While great for corners, riding straight for long distances does take a toll on your lower back/hip. I rarely see people ride long distances into Malaysia on a Yamaha R15 — not that it’s impossible, it’s uncommon!
Yamaha R15 / Image from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Yamaha_YZF-R15.jpg?20101007081241
While sports bikes are great for speed, putting a box rack with a box will spoil its dynamics and looks. Storage space can come up to be a problem, and you might have to tie your stuff to the pillion seat or carry them in a haversack. Gotta be creative on this one!
5. Tourer — Honda CB200X
This model is a pretty unique one — there is ABS system. Sidenote: majority of 2B bikes do not have this feature (for some unknown reason, even though 2B brakes are not as good as the bigger bikes). It is a useful safety feature which prevents wheel locking when braking too suddenly, which causes fishtailing.
Honda CB200X / Image from: https://www.singaporebikes.com/uploads/monthly_2021_12/Honda-CB200X-All-Colors-800×445.jpg.4e372063aece5d0e56cc8e74f98347cb.jpg
It is a rather uncommon bike model, relatively new to Singapore’s market (only available from 2021 onwards). The seating position mimics CB150R, just a little wider to support the back for longer rides. I have not had a pillion try the seat, but I would think that pillion comfort would be better on this compared to CB150R or MT15.
6. Scooter — Honda PCX160/ADV160
Both from the Honda family, there are slight differences to each model even though both are scooters. Made for city commute, fuel consumption hovers between 40km/L to 45.1km/L for both models. I’ve heard from friends that riding this scooter is so comfortable, it is difficult to make a switch to a manual bike.
The only switch I’ve heard is to the bigger brother X-ADV750, which… 2 more years to go to take a class 2 (psst, read my post on Class 2!).
Honda PCX125 / Image from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Honda_PCX125_2011_Front.JPG
So have you decided?
There are many other factors to consider, such as whether to get a first or secondhand motorcycle, financing, realising the purpose, your motorcycling journey (taking into consideration future upgrades). Perhaps I will blog more about this in a separate post…
Till then, ride safe!
Leave a Reply