Here’s my experience buying my first bike, the drama that came in when buying and also stories of all the shenanigans I had to face with my problematic first bike until the day I sent it to the scrapyard.
I’m the Singaporean cheapskate who of course didn’t buy from a motorcycle dealer but instead searched on Carousell (Singapore version of Craigslist/Gumtree, basically a platform where anybody can sell second hand or new items to anybody). I literally put a filter where I can buy the absolute cheapest, look for bikes that have a rear box and compare the best value for COE (Certificate of Entitlement, if you don’t know what that is I already wrote a guide here) I came across 3 bikes that caught my attention Daelim 125CVT, FZ16ST and Bajaj Pulsar 200. I texted all 3 sellers and I had 3 very different experiences when meeting them. The time when meeting them was in May 2022 I wrote this article based on memory as many of the chat history was lost, due to seller deleting the listing or also because I changed my phone so the exact words said by me or the sellers is not 100% on point but I am trying my best to be accurate as possible so here’s my drama of buying my first motorbike.
First meetup is the Daelim 125CVT seller. He came punctually and he was a friendly guy. I test drive the bike and he told me what I needed to know like the engine oil, what was the max speed and the coolant doesn’t need to be changed until the COE ends. Honestly the value was great, selling price is $1000 for 6 months left of COE which means about $167 per month. Rental costs for many 2B bikes is about $350 and above per month so the price he was offering is definitely worth it. The only problem I had was I didn’t like the turning. The braking was fine, the pick up is great, the speedometer/fuel gauge is working, high and low beams are working and I am most impressed of the amount of storage in this bike. Unfortunately at that point of time I felt like the turning was not so responsive. The end result was there were 3 viewers on this bike on that day and he texted me if I have a higher price to offer so the first guy is me, the 2nd guy offered $1100 and the 3rd guy offered $1200 so I was like “Sorry bro I’m out” haha imagine I use the shark tank reference – for those reasons I’m out 🙂 then I said “The 1.2k guy win” Well, I already didn’t feel confident on the turning so its alright, on to the next bikeeeee.
Second meetup is the FZ16ST seller. The listing showed $1000 till September so 4 months of COE left still a good value tho. A big problem started even before meeting him. Boy oh boy this dude was late as heck. I asked him if 1pm is ok for you then he said yeah then I updated him on 12.30pm that I’ll be early and reached the location at 12.45pm. He replied that he’s gonna be late haven’t left work. I was like ok sure. I played some Mobile Legends for 1 hour plus so at 1.30pm I asked him what is your eta, he replied oh sorry I’m on my way. Alright sure, I continued to play games and edit some photos on my phone until 2.30pm. I told him, hey bro if 3pm you haven’t arrived then I will make my way back home already I can’t wait too long. Then 3pm came, I started making my way to the nearest bustop. Then I texted him that I have to go already maybe we meet another day. He texted back where are you I’m at the parking lot already then I replied that I’m on my way back *facepalmed so hard*. The moment I met him, he is dead honest about the bike. Straight away he’s like I dropped this bike many times, the carburetor needs to be cleaned up and the tires are pretty much bald but enough to stop the bike when braking. I was like woah is there anything else I must know about? He answered there may be other problems about this bike that I may not know about, I have told you what I know, to be sure you may test drive the bike. There shouldn’t be any major changes as the bike is going to expire soon and I recommend that you should not renew the COE or else you will need to pay more for engine overhaul or other maintenance. When I test drive the bike, I feel it’s brakes, the gear shifter, the high and low beam, pickup, the speedometer and fuel gauge all of them working so far it’s a very functional bike. Right after I test drive the bike he was like bro ride a bit more then I was like, oh don’t mind if I do haha. I told him that I like the bike but I have one more bike to view. I also told him that I will update him tomorrow if I am buying his bike or not. He gave me a new offer if I buy his bike soon then he would sell it to me for $900 so my guess is he felt bad that I waited for him for 3 hours or the bike is not in a good condition or maybe both who knows…
The 3rd meetup is with the Bajaj Pulsar200 seller. The very same day I met up with the FZ16ST seller. His listing showed $1200 for 1 year worth of COE I was like woah that’s a steal man let’s meet this dude. I texted him if we could meet at 4pm then he’s like no let’s do 5 pm I was like ok sure thing, right after I met the FZ16ST dude which was at Woodlands I made my way to Punggol to meet the Bajaj Pulsar 200 seller. I texted him, hey I’m here to view the bike then he replied that he won’t be around but the bike is there, he’s out with his friends then I asked him what time will he be back. No reply. I searched for his bike at the parking lot and then I took a pic of it and asked if this is his bike he said yes it is. I can see and touch the bike but now the only thing that is missing is I need to test drive plus I need to speak to the seller to ask him more about his bike. Of course, I could text him if there’s anything wrong with the bike but nothing beats asking in person. If he has something to hide, you can kind of sense it when there’s a lack of confidence during a face to face conversation. Anyone can say anything behind a screen you know. BEWARE OF SCAMS Please don’t buy anything without testing the product!
So same thing as the previous meetup, I waited little bit. I proceeded to text him that I am able to wait a bit then played some games on my phone. An hour passed till 6pm ish then I said hey bro in 30 minutes time I have to leave I can’t wait anymore. He instantly replied, huh you are still there, don’t wait for me I will be late. Then he immediately called me after that text. Hello, it’s ok you don’t need to wait for me, I will be late. I told him I came to view the bike and we agreed to meetup at 5pm. He said I am working now, hmmmm earlier he texted me that he was out with his friends… He continued, you came to view the bike right? Go and view the bike is right there, why do you need me? I answered I need you to be here to ask you some questions and test drive the bike. He raised his voice asking me what do you want to know about the bike. I asked him I would need to know about the history of this bike, if there are any problems, of course it’s much better if you are here to explain to me in person. Through the phone I could tell, he actually shouted NO PROBLEM! There are no problems about the bike! I ride the bike everywhere I go! Confirm no problem with the bike! Sheesh that was sus. Then I immediately asked him wait a minute you ride the bike everywhere but the bike is still here and you are out working, what transportation did you take? He answered OH I used my company van I need to work is urgent. I said nicely alright bro next time if you agree to meetup for viewing then it’s better to update early if you are not available, good thing today I don’t have anything going on. His tone soften up a little he repeated if you come for viewing I do not need to be there but if you are buying then I will be there by the way where do you live? I told him YES I have intention to buy the bike of course I need to view first, test drive and ask you some questions, I live at Woodlands. He raised his voice again HUH WOODLANDS WAHHH I thought you live nearby! If you live nearby then easy to view. I was like bro I don’t even know you what do you mean you thought that I live nearby. He asked me when is the next time I am free. I answered, I will update you on text, and if I didn’t update you then I probably got another deal from another seller. I told him if somebody say they want to view your bike it is better if you meet them as they may buy it on the spot after test driving and listening to the details of the bike. The internet can say anything, only after speaking to a seller in person then you will gain confidence in buying the item. I hung up the phone and I started making my way home. What a day 🙁
While I was on the way to the bustop, I called the FZ16ST seller and told him what happened as I was still furious on the conversation I had with the previous seller. Maybe he doesn’t understand what viewing meant, I don’t know about him but what I do know is when somebody says ‘no problem’ means there is a problem. No rider in this world can say their bike has no problem at all. C’mon dropping a bike is normal, there are problems starting up the engine, the speedometer may not be working, and so on. Unless the rider always does maintenance then of course the rider can explain what kind of maintenance he does and how often. There may be records of maintenance from the autoshop or any e-receipts to proof that a new clutch cable has been purchased or when was the last oil change, etc. What I’m saying is there is no such thing as no problem and if legit the bike doesn’t have any problem there is proof to show how it was maintained or the simplest way is to test drive. In the end I sealed the deal with the FZ16ST seller. That is going to be my first bike.
That very night I met up with the seller to pass his keys over but waiiiiittttt there are a few things you must do before the transfer of ownership. First, I have to buy insurance, I got mine from NTUC Income Motorcycle Insurance. Which insurance do you think I bought? HA! you read my mind. Of course I bought the cheapest one and the cheapest one costs $388.74 for 1 year then I had to buy the Motorbike Concessional Season Parking for $99.35 for 4 months so that I can park in any HDB parking lot in Singapore without any extra charge unlike the regular season parking where you can only park within your own residence. After the transfer of ownership via One Motoring, I accepted the transfer and yeah the bike is MINE! The seller told me that there is that attachment with his bike so he took his last photo with the bike.
WOOHOOO I am finally a bike owner! I went out riding all around Singapore to get used to the bike better. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows so here are the problems I wanna share to you guys. 1 month later on the 1st June 2022, I was scared for my life when the clutch cable snapped! The clutch not working is not the worst thing in the world as I can still ride my bike. Just that it’s very noisy when changing gears as I have to rev a lot then close throttle then shift up or down the gear. Paid $38 for a new clutch cable to my buddies at THCycle (Woodlands motorcycle shop) then 3 weeks later on 21 June 2022 the front brake lost it’s braking power so I paid $220 for the whole package consisting of replacing the brake pump, brake disc, brake fluid (free of charge) and a change of Motul 10W50 engine oil. 1 month after that on 31 July the bike broke down and I had to call the towing company. The chain literally fell of the sprocket like 3 times when I was riding then the mechanic told me that teeth of the sprocket is not biting the chain anymore. Will need to replace a new chain and sprocket then I’m like the COE of the bike going to expire in a few months so I don’t need anything brand new. In the end I paid $90 for towing and $50 for a second hand chain and sprocket. Good thing is that I got referred by THCycle for the towing service so I didn’t need to pay extra. That day was a Sunday so towing cost definitely a hundred plus dollars. Oh man… only when you think there won’t be any other problems. On 26 August barely a month from the last servicing, the chain dropped off and got twisted around the bolt of the sprocket so the bike couldn’t even be pushed or moved. Good thing I was near the side of the road. I called the towing company and I was like this is it. I’m not going to repair this bike anymore. I’m sending it straight to hell eh just kidding straight to THCycle where they helped me on the documents to deregister my bike. After deregistering, I got a $4 rebate for road tax on the bike lol 🙂
If you have made it this far, thank you so much for reading my article. I hope this article can prepare those who intend to buy a second hand bike or be aware of problems you might face along the way as a bike owner. Have a nice day ahead!