4 Reasons Why More Riders Switching To Class 2B Smaller Displacement Motorcycles

You might even find it ticks a few more, compared to the rocket-ship you were previously considering. So to help you think outside the box, and possibly consider something a little different when it’s time for a new bike, here are a handful of reasons not to rule out a small capacity motorbike…

1) Cost Savings (Especially during this COVID period! - No Touring!)

First of all, think how much cash you could save yourself by buying a small capacity motorbike. It’s no secret that superbikes are getting more and more expensive by the year. What did not help over the last few years is the new ARF tax placed on Class 2 motorcycles by the LTA. This has cause Class 2 motorcycles, whether ADV or superbikes, to almost double in prices! This increase in price has cause a very obvious fall in registration numbers of Class 2 bikes, and shops that we spoke to recorded as much as a 50% fall in demand for new Class 2 bikes.

In fact it’s becoming fairly silly. Your talking about Class 2 motorcycles being priced a S$50,000 for a run of the mill motorcycle, and the European brands touching and even surpassing S$100,000! If you want a top spec litre sportsbike to call your own like the Ducati V4R, that would set you back a pretty S$132,000, let that sink in for awhile. It would be lovely to be able to afford to spunk that kind of cash on a new bike, but not many people can. Certainly not without selling your soul to a finance company.

But for less than 20% of that, you could buy yourself a proper little weapon, brand new, still with a few bells and whistles. For less than S$15,000 you could have a Yamaha MT-15. Or you could have a Honda PCX150. And that’s just for a new one. Imagine what you can pick up in the used bike market.

And you’re not just going to save on the purchase price. You’re insurance will be cheaper for a start. You definitely won’t get through tyres as fast as you would on a big bike, and you’ll probably use less fuel too. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

2) Smaller CC bikes are "more fun" and nimble!

But smaller bikes are too slow and too boring, aren’t they? Well that’s where your wrong! You can have a right laugh on a smaller, slower bike precisely because it’s just that. Most people can’t hold the throttle wide open on a 200bhp bike for very long. I know I can’t. Big bikes these days are beyond fast. Don’t get me wrong, I love the thrill of riding a big superbike, but you can’t really ring ones neck. Not on the road anyway. And that does take a little bit of the fun out of it.

Give me something with 20bhp though, and it’s a different story. You can really stretch the cables on one of those. And what a laugh you’ll have whilst you’re doing it. Some of the most fun I’ve had on a bike, has been on bikes with barely any power.

If you’re racing, of course you need to be on something with comparable power to the rest of the field. But if you’re not, you don’t. Even if you’re on a trackday, nobody really cares how fast you are. As long as you enjoy yourself. And with local event organisers such as SingaMoto organising track days dedicated to the Yamaha Aerox class, you can go racing even on a Class 2B kup kia!

3) You'll keep your license for longer!

But for me, it’s when I’m riding on the road that a small capacity motorbike really comes into its own. And not least of all because I know my license is a lot safer. When you’ve got 200bhp+, if you’re not careful, you don’t just break the speed limit, you annihilate it. You might be innocently sitting at 90km/h one moment, and then doing 200km/h the next. And if the TP catches you doing that, you’re in serious, serious trouble. It’s so easy to do though, that you’re never far away from loosing your license on a superbike.

With just 10% of the power, it’s a different story altogether. Sure, you can still do 120km/h on most production sportsbikes, but the smaller the bike is, the harder you’ve got to try. And if you ask me, that’s what riding a motorbike is all about.

And don’t be fooled into thinking that a Class 2B bike has to be ancient. Oh no. Some of the trickest bikes going have only got small engines in them. Take the latest range of scooters for example, with it’s full factory electronics suite including ABS, keyless-entry, traction control, these toys aren't just reserved for the Class 2 superbikes anymore.

And besides, with the cash you’ll save when you decide not to go down the superbike route, you could bling any bike out to the max. You could splash out on some decent suspension, a full system and some lightweight wheels, and still be in pocket.

4) Pissing Class 2 bike owners off

But the thing that’ll probably make you smile the most about owning a small capacity motorbike, is how much your mates will hate it. When they have all paid top dollar for their all-singing-all-dancing, streak-of-lightening superbikes, and you’re keeping them honest on a bike with half the power, that cost half the money, they’ll be incandescent with rage. It’ll be brilliant. Because you can keep up with most big bikes on a small capacity bike, if you’re prepared to give it some extra berries.

And you’ll definitely find that slower sportsbikes are capable of fast group trackday pace (with the right rider onboard). So don’t let your love for trackdays put you off. You might even find you can lap quicker on a slower, easier bike to ride. You wouldn’t be the only one.

So don’t be a CC snob. If you’re ready for a change, don’t write off the possibility of trying something a little bit different. Something a little bit smaller and a little bit slower. It might be the best decision you’ve ever made.