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Posted

The way i see it, cars are the overwhemingly dominant choice of transport in singapore. From the papers all filled with car ads, but super rarely a bike ad, f1 newspaper coverage but no gp, few local car mags like torque and motoring but absolutely no local bike mags and so on, it makes my blood boil.

 

comparing a car and a bike is like comparing a rocket and a moving box. now which of these 2 sound more appealing? i dont blame those who need to ferry their family around, run errands etc for owning cars, but for those who just need a transport for themselves, why in 9 out of 10 people still say wanna own cars? do they have their reasons or are they just blindly influenced by the media, govt etc to own a car?

 

maybe driving/being driven around in a car is considered a status symbol or whatever, but if one day some influential people(president,rich boss) were to ride or be chauffered in a goldwing etc, what effect would it have i wonder.

 

now what makes my blood boil is that extremely sexy rockets like r1, haya are being cast aside by the population of non lookers like nissan sunny's and toyota what have yous. They dont deserve this fate. They deserve to be highlighted as much as cars do, in mags and in the papers. Bikers, dont you agree?

 

(In any case, riding=death, as they say, is actually very very exaggerated. And those car drivers caught in jams frustrated that they cant squeeze or move forward, get a bike, make life more easy. Racers, needless to say, you get a lot more performance for less money.)

 

now bikers, i alone cant do much to promote biking, everyone plays a part, and we can expect to see a brighter future for vikes in sg!

Silver636

  • 1 month later...
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Posted

I agree, but in countries with high bike population they usually have smaller cc bikes or scooters. What we have are "passion" bikes. Not many people actually live their passion or have interest in bikes(a lot of people do not have bike licence) but a lot of people have a need for transport and transport comes with how deep is your wallet. People also want safey and comfort which bikes are lacking. Welcome to the develop economy. I love bikes in fact currently have 2. And like u wish that more ppl would take it up but after thinking about it here is my 2 cents worth.:goodluck: :goodluck:

Previous rides

Bikes:Magna125,Dragstar400, Sym2,CBRRW919:thumb:,ZX11:YZF-R1

  • 1 month later...
Posted

parents will always object riding as it is too 'dangerous' even though one could be safe.. its the perception of ppl.... the 'metal cover flesh' will always remind ppl of how safe a car is.has any1 say driving is dangerous?.. :giddy: the bad reputation coz by many p-platers wit their bad attitude had left a bad remarks for promoting of riding.. well, its stil abt passion if u choose riding...n tt won be affected by any1

Posted

metal cover flesh?? did u see the mazda miata accident? tink the metal eat up the ger's flesh instead.. :sorry: to bring up such a sad topic but look at the truth..

 

statistics says that in an event of an accident, the injuries that a rider suffer is usually more than dat of a driver.. however, with dat being said, there are also cases where drivers met an accident far more worst than us..

 

ads or watever media that protray cars are a symbol of status, i have nothing to say about it.. i can say that if a car want's to catch my attention, it has to be at least worth $200K..

05.04 - 08.04: Honda Wave S (FV)

08.04 - 05.09: Honda Version S (FP)

09.08 - 08.10: Honda ESi 4dr (SBV)

04.11 - 02.12: Ducati 749 (FY)

05.09 - 07.14: Honda Wave X (FBD)

07.14 - 09.15: Yamaha Tmax 530 (FBH)

11.13 - 09.15: Honda City (SGA)

 

09.15 - Current: Honda Jazz (SKV)

Posted

gahmen earn more $$$ from car than from bikes mah

 

1. COE

2. insurance/road tax higher than bikes

3. petrol

4. parking(s)

5. ERP

6. more jobs in the automotive industry

Posted
  Quote
Originally posted by josean@Nov 16 2005, 11:59 AM

gahmen earn more $$$ from car than from bikes mah

 

1. COE

2. insurance/road tax higher than bikes

3. petrol

4. parking(s)

5. ERP

6. more jobs in the automotive industry

:deal: .... the amount of tax, or additional registration fee govt impose on every car is 130% :slapforehead: .... huge amount when u consider the number of cars imported :giddy:

Posted

I prefer riding, but anyway, bought a car. Reason is, I dun like to ride in rain, and I want to go places with my children, just like old times, on a bike with my wife.

 

Taking bus/mrt for sightseeing is shitty, want to go anywhere, got to think twice, with a car, no need think.

 

Anyways, I still ride more than drive, as it is only an OPC.

 

Why have local car mags and more ads for cars? easy, the accessories costs more and the market is bigger than bike.

 

cars can change fenders etc, put expensive I.C.E, tint the windows, change to leather seats and much much more...bikes leh? How many items can you change legally? Not many...the most ex is the pipes, and how many bikers can afford?

 

That's why only one LAB for bikers, but many many LAB for cars... :lol:

http://www.nutrition4u.sg/images/coaches/VicNette02.jpg

 

Contact me at 9858 6442 (madman) 9845 6442 (Babycakes)

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  • 3 weeks later...
Posted
  Quote
Originally posted by Touch n Go@Nov 16 2005, 10:38 PM

:deal: .... the amount of tax, or additional registration fee govt impose on every car is 130% :slapforehead: .... huge amount when u consider the number of cars imported :giddy:

of cos..... where do you tink the few billion dollars of reserves come from? Of cos, theres also the liquor and ciggy tax, this tax that tax etc.......

 

the methods of control dun really serve the purpose of deterrent anymore... what they really do serve is to fill up their coffers. *kaching*

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/Arcfire/PGforumbike.jpg

 

Jun 2002 - May 2003 ~ NSR150SP

May2003 - Dec 2006 ~ GSXR400RR

Oct 2006 - Present ~ Burgman AN400K3

  • 1 month later...
Posted

Some more the more expensive it is, the more people want to buy to show off their wealth. :nono:

 

I'll glady pay $25k for a superbike that can smoke every $100k car.

RXZ NSR150SP SV650 CBR400RR GSXR1000 FZ6S VFR800 CBR1000RR R1200GS

Galant ES 2.4A Civic Si 2.0A

Posted
  Quote
Originally posted by rhema83@Jan 14 2006, 01:04 AM

Some more the more expensive it is, the more people want to buy to show off their wealth. :nono:

 

I'll glady pay $25k for a superbike that can smoke every $100k car.

 

Just dont get ''accidentally'' knocked down by the respective car drivers.

Silver636

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

To promote biking, those ride & drive may wish to put stickers at the back the car:

 

"I am a rider too" :cheeky:

 

But less of us makes us special mah, haha :thumb:

http://i697.photobucket.com/albums/vv331/5ton/57259_471404029449_5144815_o12.jpg

Current ride: Harley Wide Glide, Aprilia Tuono V4R

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 months later...
Posted

Hi pal.

 

From my experience and interaction with bikers, I somehow can generalise my humble views as follows:-

 

1) Generally, there are 2 groups og people who ride bikes:-

a) those who cannot afford a car but needs the mobility which MRT, buses or even taxis cannot provide, these groups of ppl are generally older (in their 30s,40s or 50s), a bike to them is a livelihood, wo it he cannot survive decently,

b) bikes enthusiastics who spends much money to ride and worships bikes, this falls into the higher income group who ususally own big cars too.

 

Whom we need to promote to is those in between, those who are comtemplating of getting a car or a bike.

 

I think the 3 main dicouraging factors of ppl riding bikes are:-

 

The 1st one is bikes are (or perceived as) dangerous:-

 

Imagine if you have a 18-yr old daughter who said "Daddy, I want to ride a sport bike", what would you answer?

Imagine your wife tells u (not once a while) but frequently,holding a newspaper,

"Hey, look at the bike accidents at where ......, u still want to ride, it is SOOOO DANGEROUS, what happen if.......??"

 

2nd, bikes are not comfortable (or as comfortable as cars).

No air con, no shelter, no radio, can't maintain a decent conversation.....

Pampered S'poreans are so used to luxuries that air con is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity.

 

Do you have a chance to hear your colleagues say to you this " Hey, u ride a nice bike, can you take me for a pillion?", even if u ride a Goldwing,

 

But is this not more familar from your colleagues?:"Why don't u take us out for lunch, u drive what....." OR "can u drop me at the nearest MRT station?" even you drive a 20-yr old Datsun 100A?

 

I have a lady colleague when got one time, she missed the company transport and also missed those staff who have cars, she needs to fetch her children urgently, I offered to pillion her to the nearest MRT station to catch a taxi (my coy very diff to get cabs), the journey would be less than 5 min but she gracefully declined and book a cab instead.

 

The 3rd reason is more of egoism and status. The facts of life is, the more wheels, the better (very similar to the satire story of "The animal farm" , all animals chanted :"4 legs good, 2 legs bad", now perhaps we can modify it a little "4 wheels gd, 2 wheels bad")

 

Ppl see bikes as poor man's machines, and materialistic S'poreans will go for 5Cs , not 4Cs and 1 B!

 

How to promote biking, after we know the reasons of rejection?

 

For the danger part, I must say only those who ride can tell, riding itself is not dangerous, not more dangerous than any other motorised vehicles, be it cars, lorries etc.

It is the way ppl behave on the rd that is dangerous. Bikers shd display good riding habits on the rd so that the public can agree that we bikers are not out there to ride recklessly. The media also must protray image that bike accidents are caused equally by drivers as well as by bikers himself. Cannot everytime say bikes fault. A bike skidded, whose fault, maybe before he skid, he is trying to avoid a car which suddenly cuts into his lane??

 

To address the 2nd issue, (bikes are not comfortable), I think we need the help of bike manufacturers to make bikes which are more comfortable and more appealing, I must say the nowadays there are improvements, but can improve further.

 

Eg, not only Goldwing should have radios & MP3 players, STX13, ST11 or even some maxi scooters shd have one too, and how about electrically height adjustable windshield which comes with wipers?

 

We know we cannot have air con in bikes but how abt a fan which cuts in when bike speeds drops to 30km/hr, so that it can help to cool us down a bit when trafic jam in hot afternoons?

 

How then abt parking brakes and reverse gears for heavier bikes, or even retractable shelter for some?

 

The 3rd reason is more difficult, because it is psyschlrological, anything abt human feelings is difficult to solve. Perhaps we shd feature in bikes mag or media whenever there is company director, high end doctors, ministers who buy or own bikes, if the President or Prime Minister own a bike, then it problably can help to boost the bike image a bit.

 

My 2 cents worth.

People ask me, "Why ride bike?" I ask them back :"Why drive car?"

  • 3 months later...
Posted
  Quote
Originally posted by leewenzhen@Jan 14 2006, 09:11 AM

Just dont get ''accidentally'' knocked down by the respective car drivers.

Touch wood! Choy!

 

Driving a $100k car doesn't make somebody the king of the road. I drive too, but I never want to knock anyone down, much less a biker. I am sure my friend Throttle, who has driven many great cars and still does, feels the same way. Those who want to knock bikers down should be hauled to Woodbridge and be locked up.

 

And I maintain my stand that it is 100x more exciting to ride my "cheap" 10-year-old CBR400RR (especially on the track) than driving my "expensive" Galant.

RXZ NSR150SP SV650 CBR400RR GSXR1000 FZ6S VFR800 CBR1000RR R1200GS

Galant ES 2.4A Civic Si 2.0A

Posted

For the past few days, had been reading the news paper. Fatal bike accidents is like almost every day news, just like the recently mercedes and bike accient.

Motocyclist and car passenge died.

 

12 yrs ago COE is $500, and there was a time that COE even drop to $1!!

now the coe is $1000 plus. MAYBE the COE for motorcyels issue is lesser thats why such high price for COE.

 

With a few facts gather together dun you guys see that theres something very obvious!!!

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w221/tricker_juan/Tricker/DSC00476.jpg?t=1177510513

 

I Been riding her since 2005:angel:

Posted

Well guys & gals in my reference riding & driving are all the same.. is juz tht car r

 

fully covered n bike did not. Accident can happen to anyone.. even a bus, MRT,

 

Taxi (u noe lah ah taxi drivers hw they drive.. c custmer liao they

 

swerve..ish..ish...) wif alot of passengers can collide wif anything.. is juz tht we

 

humans r so careless n somehow the don't really care type can hv this incident

 

happen.. so the best way is to give way & safely drive or ride when on the road...

 

Well guys & gals i think the insurance company is to much isn't they...coz they

 

keep on rise the $$$$ on bikes.. 4 those who r below 25 hv 2 fork out more rite..

 

2 bad... correct me if i'm wrong rite fellas...

Life is like a shooting star, it don't matter who you are,

 

If you only run for cover, it's just a waste of time.. :thumb:

 

 

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s271/warriorconp/MyRide2.jpg

Posted
  Quote
Originally posted by Tricker@Oct 5 2006, 12:04 PM

12 yrs ago COE is $500, and there was a time that COE even drop to $1!!

now the coe is $1000 plus. MAYBE the COE for motorcyels issue is lesser thats why such high price for COE.

 

With a few facts gather together dun you guys see that theres something very obvious!!!

I took a look at the LTA data on the number of vehicles

In 2004 there were 258,629+158,609 cars of COE categories A and B

In 2005 there were 267,872+170,449 cars of COE categories A and B

 

Bikes in 2004 136,192 in 2005 138,662

 

So the car population growth was around 21 thousand unit, which is around 5%, while bikes population growth was around 1%

 

So that is why car COE falling and bike's is growing

Posted

How about scraping coe system for small cc bikes?

Imagine coe 1k , honda wave less then 5k ppl usually feel not worth it to buy small bike with such expensive coe. If want to promote biking, got to cut down the cost of owning bikes, at least for smaller cc bikes. In Singapore ppl who buy small cc bikes are usually use for commuting. In Singapore we got very few chioces of japanese bikes to buy.Japan got a lot 250cc bike, but due to our licensing system here 250cc bikes are not popular.

 

We can look at examples of how japanese make their small cc bikes popular.

 

REGISTRATION TAX

125cc and below: none

126cc - 250cc: one-time 6,300 yen fee when the bike is new

251cc and up: 5000 yen for 2 years, 2500 yen/year after 10 years

 

For vehicles larger than 250cc, a biyearly (every other year) inspection must be done. This is called SHAKEN (車検). The main cost components of shaken is the mandatory insurance (JIBAISEKI HOKEN) and weight tax (JYUURYOUZEI). These, plus a few miscellaneous fees can come to as low as about 35,000yen. However, in order to get the bike to pass the rather picky inspection, a lot of work might be required. Or at least required in the eyes of the bike shop (more work means more yen for them). It seems average costs are about 70,000 yen, but you can probably do it for much less by doing it yourself. See the section on SHAKEN below. Like the mandatory liability insurance, the shaken transfers with a vehicle (and is often a selling point: "comes with shaken good until next January"). Since a 250cc bike is the largest bike that doesn't require this, 250cc is the most popular size.

 

In Taiwan the citizen to scooter ratio is almost 1:1, this shows that scooter is affordable. And usually scooters can park almost any where, but as long as dun park at the designated pedestrien walkway.

 

Where else the local shopping centres carpark even ban motorcycles, plus coe so ex how to make biking popular!!

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w221/tricker_juan/Tricker/DSC00476.jpg?t=1177510513

 

I Been riding her since 2005:angel:

Posted
  Quote
Originally posted by madman@Nov 17 2005, 03:17 AM

I prefer riding, but anyway, bought a car. Reason is, I dun like to ride in rain, and I want to go places with my children, just like old times, on a bike with my wife.

 

Taking bus/mrt for sightseeing is shitty, want to go anywhere, got to think twice, with a car, no need think.

 

Anyways, I still ride more than drive, as it is only an OPC.

 

Why have local car mags and more ads for cars? easy, the accessories costs more and the market is bigger than bike.

 

cars can change fenders etc, put expensive I.C.E, tint the windows, change to leather seats and much much more...bikes leh? How many items can you change legally? Not many...the most ex is the pipes, and how many bikers can afford?

 

That's why only one LAB for bikers, but many many LAB for cars... :lol:

ver very true... totally agree.. you see very rich ppl drive car, but u don see very rich ppl ride bikes and park in their bungalows righte?

Jul' 01 - Jun '02: Honda 185 XL

Jun' 02 - Mar '03: Yahama 200

May '06 - Oct '07 : Honda CB400 Version 'S'

Posted

One thing to note, sit in car no need helmets, girls and ladies don have to wear the helmet which will make their hair messy...

 

Sit in car ladies can wear skirt shorts dress hig heels wadever and still look good, but bikes?

 

ya, if a minister someday start riding a bike i guess it will change the perceptions for al Singaporeans, but for now... hahaha

Jul' 01 - Jun '02: Honda 185 XL

Jun' 02 - Mar '03: Yahama 200

May '06 - Oct '07 : Honda CB400 Version 'S'

Posted
  Quote
Originally posted by raidknight@Oct 6 2006, 01:58 AM

ver very true... totally agree.. you see very rich ppl drive car, but u don see very rich ppl ride bikes and park in their bungalows righte?

You will be surprised...

RXZ NSR150SP SV650 CBR400RR GSXR1000 FZ6S VFR800 CBR1000RR R1200GS

Galant ES 2.4A Civic Si 2.0A

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

I love riding bikes (a lot), got my bike licence in 1996. I dare not claim to be a very experienced rider but over the years I’ve discovered that there truly are some forms of negative stigma associated in riding motorbikes. Allow me to highlight those that I think are more common and the possible reasons for that perception.

 

Bikers are hooligans.

Believe it or not, bikers do give off a “bad boy” image. I think that it is a well known fact as a packet of tissue paper on an empty table during lunch time. This image is capitalised as a cliché that you see in the many (local and overseas) dramas serials on television. Script writers like to convey the villain as the blonde haired tattooed one smoking a cigarette and riding a fierce/loud bike. Apologies for not drawing better rationale but I hope that you get what I’m trying to put across.

 

Bikes are for the poor.

One of the stigmas of bikes is that it is a poor man's personal transport. Checking LTA’s records in 2005, the bulk of bikes registered in Singapore are between 101 to 200 cc. This makes up about 76 percent of the bike population. If engine displacement is a major factor in cost, bikes of larger than 500 cc accounts for only 7 percent.

 

Bikes are dangerous.

Like many forum posters have pointed out riding a motorbike, admittedly, is more dangerous than driving a car. Statistics don't lie. Looking again at the numbers for same year, 55 percent the total fatalities from road users comes from motorcyclist and pillion riders. Whereas in the same year road users that consist of motorcar drivers and passengers account to a mere 5 percent of total fatalities. When it comes to survivability that is a big difference!

 

So I guess the real challenge to promote the biking culture is to change the negative mindsets, of both the public and the riders. Firstly, we need to think of ways to eliminate or greatly reduce bikers and their pillion riders from meeting an untimely end on the road. Like they say, “It is not the shoes that make the runner fast”, similarly I believe that it is the attitude of the rider that really makes or breaks the ride. I find that protective gears like good full face helmets, jackets and gloves are not commonly advocated as standard riding gears. Just look how exposed our traffic police on bikes are.

 

Although I have an affinity towards sports bike, I have to confess that perhaps one of the most iconic brands in the motorcycling world is the Harley Davidson. This is one brand that seems synonym to a motorbike. Borrowing their marketing strategy, “We fulfil dreams through the experience of motorcycling…” You really cannot understand how addictive the riding experience is, until you ride a bike on the open road.

 

Freedom, youth, strength and a sense of the individual identity should be what every motorbike rider experience each time the throttle turns. Live to ride, and I would like to add, safely to ride again another day.

 

Some links for reference.

http://www.spf.gov.sg/stats/traf2005_concern.htm

http://www.lta.gov.sg/corp_info/corp_private_vehicles.htm

 

P.S. And please, having a loud exhaust does not save lives. It is an irritant and it really adds to the growing negative image of bikers.

"Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate, so we can buy sh*t we don't need."

- Tyler Durden (Fight Club)

 

"Until you find something worth dying for, you're not really living."

- Rebecca St. James

Posted

I agree that there has been alot of stigma and flak on being a biker in Singapore. Mostly driven by the local culture and mentality of the older generation.

 

But what i definitely do not agree on are the statistics being shown on the spf website. I feel that these statistics, though true, do not serve the purpose of educating the public on biking but rather, distorting their perception as with all forms of statistics.

 

It states the no. of fatalities of bikers/pillion compared to motorcars. BUT the crucial point here is how are the fatalities caused. Are they due to self skidding? Are they due to collision with another vehicle? Are they caused by other vehicles? All these make a huge difference in the way people percieve biking.

 

For example, in 2005 there were 2000 fatalities of motorcyclist/pillion and 1900 of these were caused by other vehicles colliding into it. If this was the case, shouldn't we be looking at the bigger problem of educating the other road users to look out for motorcyclist instead of telling the motorcyclist to be careful(though this should also be part of the education)?

 

Why are we so persistent on harping on the minor issues of road safety and missing out on the big picture?

 

Biking in fact is not dangerous, it is made so by other drivers/riders. The way to go in promoting biking is to educate and promote mutual respect for all users on the road. Only this way can we enjoy the breeze in our face without having to worry about the maniacal-suicide-bomber-driver-who-needs-to-get-from-A-to-B-in-20secs sticking close to our arse.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/Arcfire/PGforumbike.jpg

 

Jun 2002 - May 2003 ~ NSR150SP

May2003 - Dec 2006 ~ GSXR400RR

Oct 2006 - Present ~ Burgman AN400K3

Posted

Dear Arcfire,

 

Thank you for contributing your opinion. Please allow me to share some facts that I’ve just recently discovered.

 

When I first started riding I had the impression that those Malaysian bikers who ride into Singapore are the ones who are most likely to meet an untimely end on the road in an accident. Next in the list should be the Malay riders who work as dispatch or delivery. Perhaps it is because I’ve had countless near misses with them that gave me that impression.

 

On the 14th of October 2006, the Traffic Police had a dialogue session on safety issues with some of the forum members of SBF. According to the CO, he claimed that the group that is of the highest risk of contributing to the number of fatalities on the road are male Chinese riders from the age group of 20 to 30 who ride 2A and smaller bikes. He also added that from forensics they deduce that the most fatal window is during midnight to 6am, where the road is usually clear of other vehicles and the riders were travelling at very high speed.

 

And lastly I think you have hit the problem right on the nail, it is mutual respect for all road users. This is so pivotal in educating the public in safety awareness! Cannot agree enough on the Traffic Police Road Safety Campaign, “You do not exist in your own world…in other words, it’s never just about you…we can’t give anyone the red carpet treatment”.

 

May all of your experience on the road always be pleasant.

"Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate, so we can buy sh*t we don't need."

- Tyler Durden (Fight Club)

 

"Until you find something worth dying for, you're not really living."

- Rebecca St. James

  • 9 months later...

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