[Group] Singapore BAJAJ Team (SBT)

[ORen]

Oren: How's the search for the key cap going? hehe

 

On the Sat morning shopping to do ! I looked for it in shops in some malls, but so far no luck.

Tonight checking City Square, have to go there for something else.

[revhappy]

How expensive are the parts UM sells compared to other bikes parts? Like for example let's say you need a new rectifier or gear lever, or something very specific to the Pulsar model. How much more expensive is the price UM gives vs. the price you would get in another shop if your bike was say a Honda or Yamaha?

 

Because I actually feel UM has a higher price than what the part costs in India or indonesia, but compared to SG bike shops I feel the pricing is very competitive. Am I wrong, can the folks who've had other bikes maybe share their views ?

 

In most cases UM prices are about 5 times more expensive than Indian prices for the same part. For eg. Brake pads cost about 4$ in India, here they cost about 23$. Signal lamp costs about 4$ in India here costs about 18$. The smallest items cost a bomb here for example the EO drain bolt cost 1$ in India and 10$ here. Diaphragm costs 1-2$ in India here 12$ I guess.

 

Comparing with other popular 2B bikes like phantom or wave/spark is difficult becasue the other bikes have lots of after market suppliers are cheaper prices, but if you compare with niche bikes like Hyosung or Daelim then UM is cheaper.

[irahc78]

Yeah that's what we've been saying for more than 2 years now but if someone goes MIA, no one picks it up, so it's best to have 2-3 people focused on the task until completed. ANything you can contribute will , I'm happy to take.

Yes, will base this round on the one previously done, said that in my first message.

 

My opinion - 607 pages seems like a lot. But honestly, there's a lot of chatter out there and the main task is to eliminate chatter and extract the essence. Once we do that, we are talking about 3 or 4 pages (200 posts maybe). And 3 guys X 5 pages a day = 15 pages / day. All the work done in 40 days. I know in 40 days, we will have maybe 700 pages, but you get the picture. From there on - it should be easy.

 

6Ps of life - Proper prior planning prevents poor performance.

[m0bIlEnErD]

How expensive are the parts UM sells compared to other bikes parts? Like for example let's say you need a new rectifier or gear lever, or something very specific to the Pulsar model. How much more expensive is the price UM gives vs. the price you would get in another shop if your bike was say a Honda or Yamaha?

 

Because I actually feel UM has a higher price than what the part costs in India or indonesia, but compared to SG bike shops I feel the pricing is very competitive. Am I wrong, can the folks who've had other bikes maybe share their views ?

 

 

Parts for Pulsar not that bad. Compared to other brands, competitive.

I should know, I owned 13 bikes & scooters since Feb 2010!!

[m0bIlEnErD]

Looking to purchase a Bajaj Avenger' date=' preferably direct from dealer (Universal Motors?)[/quote']

 

@Pandora's Kitten :3 : you been riding Phantom for quite awhile. Read some of your posts from the past and you are pretty knowledgeable with cruisers and specifically to Phantoms. Why the sudden interest with the Avenger? You planning to mod it?? haha

 

There is a chap online here in Bike Mart selling a used Avenger. It's red I believe.

 

http://www.singaporebikes.com/bikemart/used_bikes/231/bajaj_avenger_dtsi/

Edited April 14, 2011 by m0bIlEnErD

[ORen]

Oh yes!!!

 

@O'Ren thanks for cds!!!!!!!!

 

No problem bro, enjoy the show

[ORen]

In most cases UM prices are about 5 times more expensive than Indian prices for the same part. For eg. Brake pads cost about 4$ in India, here they cost about 23$. Signal lamp costs about 4$ in India here costs about 18$. The smallest items cost a bomb here for example the EO drain bolt cost 1$ in India and 10$ here. Diaphragm costs 1-2$ in India here 12$ I guess.

 

Comparing with other popular 2B bikes like phantom or wave/spark is difficult becasue the other bikes have lots of after market suppliers are cheaper prices, but if you compare with niche bikes like Hyosung or Daelim then UM is cheaper.

 

Yeah so don;t you think it doesn't make sense to say UM is expensive to singaporeans who will be anyway shopping in Singapore ?

It's not like we can tell people import from india or go to another shop in JB or SG.. So expensive compared compared to the original price, ok agree. But then again, Singaporeans surely do realize they pay their bike 3 times its original price, yeah ? Regardles of where the bike was made, and that's the situation with the custom duty and taxes and all that crap.

 

So when a new rider is looking for a bike, is it useful to tell him "parts are very expensive" if it's compared to the India market price ? I don't think it is. I think it's more interesting to compare the prices with other bike brands maybe then we can tell prospect that ok , a signal light for a pulsar is $18 compared to $10 for a yamaha or a wave.. see what I mean ?

[revhappy]

@Pandora's Kitten :3 : you been riding Phantom for quite awhile. Read some of your posts from the past and you are pretty knowledgeable with cruisers and specifically to Phantoms. Why the sudden interest with the Avenger? You planning to mod it?? haha

 

There is a chap online here in Bike Mart selling a used Avenger. It's red I believe.

 

Definitely got to be the FC and also Phantom is extinct now so Avenger is the only powerfull 2B cruiser in production

[ORen]

My opinion - 607 pages seems like a lot. But honestly, there's a lot of chatter out there and the main task is to eliminate chatter and extract the essence. Once we do that, we are talking about 3 or 4 pages (200 posts maybe). And 3 guys X 5 pages a day = 15 pages / day. All the work done in 40 days. I know in 40 days, we will have maybe 700 pages, but you get the picture. From there on - it should be easy.

 

6Ps of life - Proper prior planning prevents poor performance.

 

Guys... can your read again my post please? I didn;t say we'd have to go through every single page of this thread. But we do have to search for the info in them. I've done it before, trust me.

And I have read about 350 or 400 from the very first one since I joined. And I found SO MUCH information hidden in these pages, you have no idea... the things that have been discussed, tried, investigated, the ideas, the clear info, the images and videos that are very very useful, hidden in all those pages.

So the plan is to come up with i don;t know, 25 to 50 most popular and useful questions we ask about our bikes, and write the best answer to them.

To do that, we need to know what info people will find useful (for example, in my previous FAQ draft, there was a question about "where do i find sand paper to sand my exhaust pipe" - to me, this is not a high priority, but "what is the best time to go through the customs" or "what type of oil does a Pulsar need" , that's moire likely to make the top 50).

And to find the answer to these questions, sometimes, if we don;t have it ourselves, we will need to search the pages and find it.

 

Yeah, we could ask the current readers to answer the questions, but I'll bet my rizoma grips that we won't be able to get a complete answer: some have been answering the same questions over and over again for years and are a bit sick of it. Some know the answer but just don;t feel like typing a 50 lines post. Some know part of the answer so wait for someone else to say something, and some just never share and just read and take what's interesting. So the best chance we have to do this, is to roll up our sleeves and to dig into these pages we have here, to find our answers.

 

I don't think it's a big deal, and i think if we're disciplined and everyday do a bit, it won;t take more than a couple of weeks to gather 50 useful FAQs with images and decent reliable info.

 

After that, we will be able to write the next questions and answers as we go

[revhappy]

Yeah so don;t you think it doesn't make sense to say UM is expensive to singaporeans who will be anyway shopping in Singapore ?

It's not like we can tell people import from india or go to another shop in JB or SG.. So expensive compared compared to the original price, ok agree. But then again, Singaporeans surely do realize they pay their bike 3 times its original price, yeah ? Regardles of where the bike was made, and that's the situation with the custom duty and taxes and all that crap.

 

So when a new rider is looking for a bike, is it useful to tell him "parts are very expensive" if it's compared to the India market price ? I don't think it is. I think it's more interesting to compare the prices with other bike brands maybe then we can tell prospect that ok , a signal light for a pulsar is $18 compared to $10 for a yamaha or a wave.. see what I mean ?

 

Yeah completely agree with you. Its not like UM's prices are way over the top. If you compare a phantom's servicing cost when it goes to Planet Motors it should be similar to UM's.

 

For me the cost of spares is a non-issue. How often do we change spares for our bikes, what is important is the service bill that comes everytime you visit the service center and the total cost over a period like a year or so. In that scenario, a bajaj pulsar should be as cheap as a honda phantom to maintain.

[ORen]

Looking to purchase a Bajaj Avenger, preferably direct from dealer (Universal Motors?)

 

Anyone have experience with the model? Mainly concerned about performance and reliability issues, also availability of accessories and if I have to go back to UM to service and repair. Am hoping the parts base for Bajaj machines is more developed than when Bajaj entered the SG market. Won't want to be forced to import parts from India!

 

Basically I like economical small 'chopper' type bikes that require little maintenance, I have a Phantom which doesn't complain when trashed an entire year that doesn't seem to need or want maintenance. Fuel efficiency 40km/l @ 100-110kph daily and am hoping the Avenger's newer engine would top that.

 

Nice to see you here Welcome welcome !

I think the guys replied and covered everything : Gotta make that trip to UM and see what they have, at what price. I don;t know the bike, but I believe you have great bikeshop connections so shouldn't be a problem to do the repairs and servicing elsewhere if you want. The mechs we've tried outside UM don;t like to work on Pulsars because they don't know it, but maybe with the avenger the similarities with other cruisers will help ?

 

We don;t have Avenger riders here who participate to the thread but I've seen a few times Avenger riders at UM coming to service the bike so maybe the shop can put you in touch with one of them to ask your questions and maybe meet the guy to check out the bike ?

[revhappy]

Nice to see you here The mechs we've tried outside UM don;t like to work on Pulsars because they don't know it' date=' but maybe with the avenger the similarities with other cruisers will help [/quote']

 

The Avenger was built of the same platform as the Kawasaki Eliminator 175, infact the Avenger when it first came to India it was called Bajaj Eliminator. In Malaysia they have or had a bike called Modena Jaguh its a cruiser with a huge tank which was also built from the same platform as Kawasaki eliminator.

 

So the mechs here and in JB should be more comfortable with Avenger than pulsar. Pulsar is a "100% Made in India" bike

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bajaj_Avenger

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modenas#Jaguh_175

Edited April 14, 2011 by revhappy

[ORen]

Yeah completely agree with you. Its not like UM's prices are way over the top. If you compare a phantom's servicing cost when it goes to Planet Motors it should be similar to UM's.

 

For me the cost of spares is a non-issue. How often do we change spares for our bikes, what is important is the service bill that comes everytime you visit the service center and the total cost over a period like a year or so. In that scenario, a bajaj pulsar should be as cheap as a honda phantom to maintain.

 

Eaxctly. I think for years we've been saying yeah the problem is parts and one shop and expensive.

And I for one, when I wanted a Pulsar because I liked the bike the moment I saw it, I was a bit disappointed when reading this here. I thought, ok these guys have used the bike for years, they are more experienced than me, if they say it's a risk or issue, maybe I should get another bike.. Because I don't even know where to go if i need help and i don;t know bikeshop prices, and I don;t want to spend every month tons of cash just because my bike needs a new light ! It's only when I sat down and asked questions that i actually realized, there was more people telling me they never did anything to the bike but changing the oil and pump the tyres, that I started understanding how the bike works and what it would really cost.

 

And this is not about UM. This is about us giving a fair, realistic and honest view on the bike we ride and the cons and pros. And I don't think saying parts are expensive is a reality.. and it's making people think it's not a good choice. Especially when non Pulsar riders start being all smart about this and start making statement when they can't even tell a model from another..

 

Also, please, this whole thing about money... hello ah, some of us have raccuned their bikes so much, they can't even sell it because the price tag would be ridiculously high. Remember when Kira posted how much truly his Pulsar was worth ? Nothing to do with spare parts cost !

 

I say if you get a Pulsar, and it's in good condition, and you take care of it, you will not pay more maintenance or servicing than any other bike. In fact, because the Pulsar is excellent to save on petrol, and requires very little regular maintenance, you will save money every month compared to getting another bike. And that is a fact, something ALL OF US Pulsar riders have experienced.

 

There is after all a reason why Class 2A riders and Class2 riders come back to the Pulsar. How many Fazer and Ducati and other big bikes owners have gone and took a Pulsar ? It's not because the maintenance and parts are expensive is it ? On the contrary, it's because it's a bike that can take quite a lot, with a performance perfect for Singapore use, and a money saver in terms of expenses.

 

Now if you're way of taking of your bike is to whack it until the engine drops dead , it's another story..and maybe you ought to buy a super cheap 4th hand bike and just kill it dead at no cost

Edited April 14, 2011 by O'Ren

[ORen]

It's pouring so heavily, I can't see anything through the office windows. I hope no one is riding under this rain. This is the time to get some mid afternoon biker kopi !

[alvinyansg]

lots of talk of parts being expensive

let me summarise

UM is also a business they need to make money too

when they import the parts there are taxes and stuff

so when they get the parts the prices will be already higher than it cost in india

there you have it

all the parts for all bikes will be higher here than in the place of production

 

i think lets just stop this debate on whether the parts at UM is expensive or not

if it is then its the rider's choice to go else where

this debte will never go anywhere...

Edited April 14, 2011 by alvinyansg

[alvinyansg]

Definitely got to be the FC and also Phantom is extinct now so Avenger is the only powerfull 2B cruiser in production

 

actually phantom is not extinct

you can still get brand new phantoms

[alvinyansg]

Any idea anyone to answer my question ?

here's a link to the full map : http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=johor+bahru&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=52.372705,135.263672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Johor+Bahru,+Johor,+Malaysia&ll=1.379166,103.595753&spn=0.065212,0.132093&z=14

 

the link cannot is not working

it shows cannot show the route

[revhappy]

actually phantom is not extinct

you can still get brand new phantoms

 

Yeah I heard 1 or 2 shops may have an old phantom lying idle. But its production was stopped in Thailand. I see only a few FBA phantoms on the road. Yet to see an FBB or later phantom

 

Although it is a made in Thailand bike, I think it should be called Singapore's national bike, hehe

Read this page, there is more info about Phantom in Singapore than Thailand:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Phantom

 

In fact the team Phantom Knights from SBF has a mention there. Amazing.

Edited April 14, 2011 by revhappy

[alvinyansg]

Yeah I heard 1 or 2 shops may have an old phantom lying idle. But its production was stopped in Thailand. I see only a few FBA phantoms on the road. Yet to see an FBB or later phantom

 

Although it is a made in Thailand bike, I think it should be called Singapore's national bike, hehe

Read this page, there is more info about Phantom in Singapore than Thailand:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Phantom

 

In fact the team Phantom Knights from SBF has a mention there. Amazing.

 

saw a number of FBE phantoms on the road

[mjbs64]

It's pouring so heavily' date=' I can't see anything through the office windows. I hope no one is riding under this rain. This is the time to get some mid afternoon biker kopi ! [/quote']

 

lol .. if i do that than i'll be late for my school cca and if that happens all the time .. then the schools will obviously terminate my contarct ....

 

like yesterday afternoon heavy downpour in jurong but not a single drop in amk ... if let say i just stay foot while waiting for the rain to stop then I should say bye bye to my class ... i have to cancel again and again .. nope for me to lose my contract and lost my income ... hmmm i'll put my gears on with my RS TAICHI rain gear .. i'll fight the rain with the aid of my prayers for safe journey...... hehehehhe

 

I have 4 schools at 4 different location every weeks ... from jurong all the way to ponggol, amk , arab st and bt panjang ..... to take shelter every time and gave the schools same excuses hmmmmmmmmmm .....

 

well ... do the coast guard dock their boat during storm or they fight through the waves to patrol or rescue lives ...

 

similarlah .. me cos that's my job I've signed with the schools to provide teaching archery to the students ... and to cancel the class due to raining or mc without replacement .... by chance i will sit under the bridge counting vehicles pass by ...

 

to be honest riding in the rain is actually more fun than during hot day ..... you just need to be very careful and be alert ... understand the road hazard ... like said .. the more often you ride in that weather , the more enjoyable ride you will have cos the other motorist too .. they are the same .. they will drive with more cautious too.... that makes your ride more easiear.

 

Yes .. it's very slippery and prone to accidents but yet again .. any where any time accidents are in front of us ... just see athur and gaban case ... both at juntion but both at different weather .. if that day is your day to happen .. how careful you are the accident will happen .. becos it's fated that way ... fated to be safe and fated to be ... i don't want to mention the words

.. heheheh

 

but like said again and again ... experience comes from mistake but don't make silly mistakes ... learn the correct way to minimise mistakes and all shall be happy to be with the loves one ....

 

 

sorry for my nonsense again but do ride more in the rain .... it's really fun and challenging too!!! hehehhee

 

oooppss forget ... when it rains please don't change to slippers to ride cos that's STUPIDITY!!! ... oopss sory lol

 

be it shine or rain ... i will definitely ride if needs to ... kekekkekee

 

CHEERS!

Edited April 14, 2011 by mjbs64

[irahc78]

Guys... can your read again my post please? I didn;t say we'd have to go through every single page of this thread. But we do have to search for the info in them. I've done it before, trust me.

And I have read about 350 or 400 from the very first one since I joined. And I found SO MUCH information hidden in these pages, you have no idea... the things that have been discussed, tried, investigated, the ideas, the clear info, the images and videos that are very very useful, hidden in all those pages.

So the plan is to come up with i don;t know, 25 to 50 most popular and useful questions we ask about our bikes, and write the best answer to them.

To do that, we need to know what info people will find useful (for example, in my previous FAQ draft, there was a question about "where do i find sand paper to sand my exhaust pipe" - to me, this is not a high priority, but "what is the best time to go through the customs" or "what type of oil does a Pulsar need" , that's moire likely to make the top 50).

And to find the answer to these questions, sometimes, if we don;t have it ourselves, we will need to search the pages and find it.

 

Yeah, we could ask the current readers to answer the questions, but I'll bet my rizoma grips that we won't be able to get a complete answer: some have been answering the same questions over and over again for years and are a bit sick of it. Some know the answer but just don;t feel like typing a 50 lines post. Some know part of the answer so wait for someone else to say something, and some just never share and just read and take what's interesting. So the best chance we have to do this, is to roll up our sleeves and to dig into these pages we have here, to find our answers.

 

I don't think it's a big deal, and i think if we're disciplined and everyday do a bit, it won;t take more than a couple of weeks to gather 50 useful FAQs with images and decent reliable info.

 

After that, we will be able to write the next questions and answers as we go

 

I understood your point O'ren. What I suggested was - we do the sweeping of all the pages ONE time and extract the meaningful posts, rather than having to search answers for each question. Let me see if i can quickly put together some screen scraping app that consolidate the posts.

 

But I think you're spot on with the post. MJ took time to answer my questions many times over and I am thankful. So i can see how the FAQs will be helpful. Later!

[arthur_chan]

Yes .. it's very slippery and prone to accidents but yet again .. any where any time accidents are in front of us ... just see athur and gaban case ... both at juntion but both at different weather .. if that day is your day to happen .. how careful you are the accident will happen .. becos it's fated that way ... fated to be safe and fated to be ... i don't want to mention the words

that why i edited my sigy. u cant control when u have an accident, but u can control the speed when u fall.

i fell n got up to ride again and again and again and again and again and again.....

 

kekekekekeke

[arthur_chan]

So i can see how the FAQs will be helpful. Later!

 

actually some ppl dont read FAQs kekekekee

[irahc78]

actually some ppl dont read FAQs kekekekee

 

Maybe they should read this and ask a question if still in doubt.

Or, maybe.. when someone asks a question thats already answered, we can copy & paste lah, rather than type 50 lines.

 

We can definitely put this to use [one way or the other]

[arthur_chan]

Yes' date=' will base this round on the one previously done, said that in my first message.[/quote']

 

sorry, speed reading, missing out some things u mentioned