A road trip starts from the very beginning. Previously I wrote about converting my license from Singapore to Malaysia and the whole purpose was so I could be more aligned when travelling. Passport Malaysia, License Malaysia, Motorbike, bought, registered and MADE IN MALAYSIA.
All this for the paranoid traveler like me preparing for the future event if I were to try to sneak cross over borders of difficult nature such as the Thai-Myanmar Border or the Myanmar-China Border or the Cambodia-Vietnam border or the Vietnam-China Border. Best to get your story straight …. Especially when not speaking the same language. Best not to confuse the already confused officers when going about some unimaginable road trip.
So I decided in Sep 2017 that I was to be using a motorbike instead of a car for the road trip …. Now I just needed to buy a motorbike.
The dilemma was real :-
What kind of bike should I get ??
What was my budget … RM 5k ??
Second Hand or Brand New ??
250cc or 125cc or should I upgrade my license and get a Harley … ??
Could I afford a classic like Vespa??
Can I maintain the bike on the road myself??
What about Carnet & Insurance??
Those were just the basics that go over in my head while looking at adverts and adverts of bikes for sale on the internet. In the end money rules them all … I managed to streamline to a few models
Demak D7 125cc
Demak D7 150cc ( but its not out yet … only picture in theory on the internet )
KTNS GP 125cc
KTNS GP 250cc
As you can see …. I have a thing for the classic look. This all started after looking at my landlord bike in Singapore a Suzuki GN 125 which he maintained lovely like a vintage …. Alas I could not buy the bike off him for it would be in SGD 5k plus the other hassles of Carnet in SG insurance in SG registration to a non-citizen non-pass holder … Short story … I like a old mechanical no nonsense bike which I can strip apart myself someday and custom built it to my liking
So one fine week while I was back home in KL doing nothing … took my dad for a bike shopping trip … Demak D7 was about RM2900 but there was no stock in all the cycles shop we went in KL ... this covers from Setapak area to Ampang to Kajang … anyplace on the web that says there was a Demak D7 …. There was no more stock when we reach the place …
Next Best thing Was the KTNS GP 125cc – Price about RM 6k … imagine that … now I had to think very hard on how this was going to be …. Did not jump the gun but saw the other more beautifully sleek KTNS 250 cc … - Price about RM 12k … both had stock but need to order and wait …
I did not buy any bike that trip back to KL …
A month later late Nov 2017 … scouring the net like crazy for some hint a of a decent bike …. I found the authorized dealer shop that sells Demak and an expensive phone call from Singapore the guy tells me ya we have stock, but not much left …
Thinking it might be a false news like all the calls that say yea we have it till I reach the shop and they run out of stock and tries to sell you the double the price KTNS GP 125, I decided to drop a message on their facebook page. …
One day later the reply came … yea we have it … not much left thou …
Ng Brothers Motor
No. 37, Jalan Pakis 1, Taman Sri Pulai, Johor, 81100 Johor Bahru, Malaysia
So one nice weekend I made a trip to Johor, took the expensive long distance taxi ride to their shop and it was time to buy a bike …. Price was RM2900 ++ the guy said … just let me confirm the stock he said … a short phone call later
“But” …. He says …. My heart fell … thinking it must be the same thing again … no stock … run out … some other nonsense excuse ….
Motorshop: But only one color left – Black … are you ok with that … this is old stock no more in production this model he says …
With a big grin I paid the deposit and cant wait for the next week to come into Johor to pick up my new bike.
Somewhere in the middle of the week I got a call from the bike shop … they have a problem he said, … my heart fell even harder this time thinking its gonna be some shitty excuse that they made a mistake and now they don’t have the bike ….
Motorshop: I made a mistake … they don’t have black color … only blue, is it ok with you ….
Heck yea of course it was ok with me, better yet I prefer that color initially just did not say anything since there was no choice anyway …. But that was just my heart screaming YES YES YES
To him I said
Me: Haaar … no more black ah …. Got discount or not ? ( I just had to asked )
Motorshop: Haha … no discount, this is old stock and actually hor there is another thing, because its old stock, ppl are jacking up the price and selling it …
Me: Huh ?? Sorry I don’t understand. ( I fully understand … shit shit shit … how much is this extortion gonna be? Maybe I should not have asked for a discount .... too greedy ... instead of getting a discount i am being asked for more money *facepalm* )
Motorshop: I mean I get the old stock from other people and they not selling at old price anymore, they are selling higher price
Me: How much higher ( all kinds of random possibilities ran through my head even thinking if this was a big scam or not )
Motorshop: RM 300 more
Me: Ok ….
So I got the bike, an new but old bike if that make any sense … It was a bike that was manufacture in 2014 and sat in the store till I bought it in 2017 … 3 years … not too bad I hope … the shop settle all the insurance, road tax and stuff which was about RM 100 …
That next weekend I went to Johor and straight to the motorshop. Before even entering, I could see my bike nicely parked outside … it was one of a kind … no other bike looked like it. Paid my balance including the extorted RM 300 … I think it was extorted … well maybe not from this motorshop chap but definitely from someone up the line that pass the bike to him and finally to me.
Checked my Ownership document, Road Tax, Insurance …. Wait … what … I am married ??? Looking at the motorshop guy I pointed to the insurance which says martial status : Married …. Err this is wrong …
Motorshop: Ah !! no problem … its ok … you anything just come back … if I put you married its much much cheaper the premium … else at least 5 times more !!
Rolled my eyes …. Ok I am married I guess ….
All this for the paranoid traveler like me preparing for the future event if I were to try to sneak cross over borders of difficult nature such as the Thai-Myanmar Border or the Myanmar-China Border or the Cambodia-Vietnam border or the Vietnam-China Border. Best to get your story straight …. Especially when not speaking the same language. Best not to confuse the already confused officers when going about some unimaginable road trip.
So I decided in Sep 2017 that I was to be using a motorbike instead of a car for the road trip …. Now I just needed to buy a motorbike.
The dilemma was real :-
What kind of bike should I get ??
What was my budget … RM 5k ??
Second Hand or Brand New ??
250cc or 125cc or should I upgrade my license and get a Harley … ??
Could I afford a classic like Vespa??
Can I maintain the bike on the road myself??
What about Carnet & Insurance??
Those were just the basics that go over in my head while looking at adverts and adverts of bikes for sale on the internet. In the end money rules them all … I managed to streamline to a few models
Demak D7 125cc
Demak D7 150cc ( but its not out yet … only picture in theory on the internet )
KTNS GP 125cc
KTNS GP 250cc
As you can see …. I have a thing for the classic look. This all started after looking at my landlord bike in Singapore a Suzuki GN 125 which he maintained lovely like a vintage …. Alas I could not buy the bike off him for it would be in SGD 5k plus the other hassles of Carnet in SG insurance in SG registration to a non-citizen non-pass holder … Short story … I like a old mechanical no nonsense bike which I can strip apart myself someday and custom built it to my liking
 |
| My Singapore Landlord Bike - Suzuki GN 125 |
Next Best thing Was the KTNS GP 125cc – Price about RM 6k … imagine that … now I had to think very hard on how this was going to be …. Did not jump the gun but saw the other more beautifully sleek KTNS 250 cc … - Price about RM 12k … both had stock but need to order and wait …
I did not buy any bike that trip back to KL …
A month later late Nov 2017 … scouring the net like crazy for some hint a of a decent bike …. I found the authorized dealer shop that sells Demak and an expensive phone call from Singapore the guy tells me ya we have stock, but not much left …
Thinking it might be a false news like all the calls that say yea we have it till I reach the shop and they run out of stock and tries to sell you the double the price KTNS GP 125, I decided to drop a message on their facebook page. …
One day later the reply came … yea we have it … not much left thou …
Ng Brothers Motor
No. 37, Jalan Pakis 1, Taman Sri Pulai, Johor, 81100 Johor Bahru, Malaysia
So one nice weekend I made a trip to Johor, took the expensive long distance taxi ride to their shop and it was time to buy a bike …. Price was RM2900 ++ the guy said … just let me confirm the stock he said … a short phone call later
“But” …. He says …. My heart fell … thinking it must be the same thing again … no stock … run out … some other nonsense excuse ….
Motorshop: But only one color left – Black … are you ok with that … this is old stock no more in production this model he says …
With a big grin I paid the deposit and cant wait for the next week to come into Johor to pick up my new bike.
Somewhere in the middle of the week I got a call from the bike shop … they have a problem he said, … my heart fell even harder this time thinking its gonna be some shitty excuse that they made a mistake and now they don’t have the bike ….
Motorshop: I made a mistake … they don’t have black color … only blue, is it ok with you ….
Heck yea of course it was ok with me, better yet I prefer that color initially just did not say anything since there was no choice anyway …. But that was just my heart screaming YES YES YES
To him I said
Me: Haaar … no more black ah …. Got discount or not ? ( I just had to asked )
Motorshop: Haha … no discount, this is old stock and actually hor there is another thing, because its old stock, ppl are jacking up the price and selling it …
Me: Huh ?? Sorry I don’t understand. ( I fully understand … shit shit shit … how much is this extortion gonna be? Maybe I should not have asked for a discount .... too greedy ... instead of getting a discount i am being asked for more money *facepalm* )
Motorshop: I mean I get the old stock from other people and they not selling at old price anymore, they are selling higher price
Me: How much higher ( all kinds of random possibilities ran through my head even thinking if this was a big scam or not )
Motorshop: RM 300 more
Me: Ok ….
So I got the bike, an new but old bike if that make any sense … It was a bike that was manufacture in 2014 and sat in the store till I bought it in 2017 … 3 years … not too bad I hope … the shop settle all the insurance, road tax and stuff which was about RM 100 …
That next weekend I went to Johor and straight to the motorshop. Before even entering, I could see my bike nicely parked outside … it was one of a kind … no other bike looked like it. Paid my balance including the extorted RM 300 … I think it was extorted … well maybe not from this motorshop chap but definitely from someone up the line that pass the bike to him and finally to me.
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| Demak D7 - Ready for Collection |
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| Demak D7 - My First Ride |
Motorshop: Ah !! no problem … its ok … you anything just come back … if I put you married its much much cheaper the premium … else at least 5 times more !!
Rolled my eyes …. Ok I am married I guess ….
 |
| Demak D7 back at Home - The Adventure Planning is in full swing now |
Haha... seems like married guys are generally less of a risk taker!
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