Thank you for this, I'm going to stay away from these 2 then... LoL!

what are the bike that you currently eyeing on it ?

If your budget is 20k, there are a lot of bikes you can get used.

That's the way to go as you don't yet know what type of bike you like or the riding you'd be interesting in doing (adventure riding, touring, or just weekend cruise solo or 2 up). You can always get a different bike once you get to know your own preferences in time. You won't loose much selling a used bike.

To get your feet wet, 20k will buy you a naked 650 like the z650 which is a do it all general bike. It's easy for newer riders to handle, fairly reliable and parts and service isn't a problem. If you can handle a bigger and heavier bike, the 1st gen versys 650 will serve you well as a basic longer distance comfortable touring bike with better luggage capability and pillion comfort. Even an old Vulcan 650 will do well as a no frills relaxed solo cruiser. Not surprisingly, all 3 of them shares the same basic engine.

I would caution agaisnt going with a cheap Chinese bike used. Yes the price may be tempting but the level of local support from the dealer/distributor is lacking, especially for brands under Mforce. Only go that route if you are mechanically inclined and prepared to get your own parts (they are cheap from taobao) and do your own work. There isn't very much wrong with them and they are very good value for what you pay for, providing you are aware of the caveats.

This post has been edited by jaycee1: Dec 27 2024, 08:07 AM

Vulcan 650, Versys 650, V-Strom 650, SV650, 2nd hand RE Interceptor, Rebel 500,

excellent suggestion, but i doubt you can find very many SV650s and vstrom 650s for 20k. Very good bikes though.

the z650 seems the best bang for the buck japanese used bike for beginners. Some later models have ABS. You might be able to find some older MT07s for around the same price but unfortunately, none of them have ABS.

some might say the kawazaki 650s are a bit boring, but then again, for a newer rider, boring might just be a good thing, and lets face it, its a bike, no matter how boring it is, its still bags of fun for someone starting out.

achievement for myself 2024

-d400 > er6n 2010 (currently) > 2025 plan (2025 z900/gsxs-750)
-bfull license in one go. (from zero to JPJ passed under 5 weeks)
-confident to weave through traffic defensively. (occasionally kena horn/finger by kapchai especially in high traffic).
-confident to ride in heavy rain. (especially during night time ride going up genting and down, misjudge weather )
-reduce Chicken strip and build confidence to lean.

May not be much for most, but as greenhorn and most of time solo/+wife as pillion, ticks all my check before upgrade another bike.

This post has been edited by marsha1l: Dec 29 2024, 07:17 PM

Can geh, just gotta browse frequent enough and see if there’s any desperate seller 😂

Z650 always came with ABS. I think you mean ER-6N. I have used and sold off my Z650. Daily commute was used to be 80+ KM from Bentong to Cheras and then got WFH, bike was of no use already. Just go around with kapcai's. Sold it off more than a year ago. Reliability was top notch and maintenance is very cheap. Only expensive thing to maintain is the tires. Which can last for 15-25k KM, depending on the tire type and way of riding.

I think when the z650 came out, they had an ABS and non ABS version. Maybe everyone bought the ABS version

Never knew that they have the non ABS version as im one of the early ones to buy the bike in Malaysia. That was my main concern as I had both MT-07 and z650 on my mind when looking for bike and was steered away from Mt-07 since no ABS. Even Versys at that time doesn't come with ABS version.

Cant verify this...but its possible that malaysia only got the abs version n the non abs was never sold here.

They did the same for the z900....only abs versions in Malaysia

Z650 oni wit abs for msia
Price 17,xxx can get...

hi guys, im riding mt09 v3 with big ass wind shield, however pillion is still getting strong wind buffeting. she mention its hard for her to even adjust her head position, is it because its a naked bike after all, wind coming from all over the bike?

naked bike
jgn cruise laju sangat abang~

Probably yes...

averaging 130-140 only, she cannot tahan already haha... end up maintain 110-120. tired gila with this speed, but with 110-120, she mentioned its ok.

but also 1 thing, maybe is because she was wearing my helmet, too big for her. still on testing run see if she likes it or not, maybe getting 1 helmet for her when going for next trip

tell her to hide behind your back or hunch over with you when speeding. its normal to feel heavy turning your head at if you are sitting upright at 140+ kmh.
if its her first time riding as a pillion, she'll get used to it over time.

give it another try without the windshield. this is so you get clean air coming to you. although ull have to tahan the air to ur chest for the test.

most ppl put big windshield coz they want the air to go OVER their helmet which creates its own problems....
- it creates a vacuum in the area between windshield and rider
- vacuum sucks air from all around it causing turbulence which in turns causes buffeting.
- add ur body to it which pushes air away even more, and pillion suffers more from the vaccum n turbulence

so first try to get clean, non turbulent air to ur helmets...theyre (mostly) designed to cut through air anyway.

if it works, then perhaps look into smaller windshields that pushes air away from ur chest but ur helmet still gets clean air.

on my z9, the air is directed to my chin bar. and on a z9, where the pillion sits higher than rider, pillions helmet is basically in clean air so i have no issue with pillion complaining about buffeting.

helmet longgar pun xboleh bro goyang2

yes, i have tried looking up for this in youtube, however, it seems not easy to understand and need to do a few experiment. I know it looks stupid on mt09 with a big ass windshield, but i like this concept cause i can tour and still ride comfortably in town.. haha..

Initially i got this windshield because myself cannot take the wind when going 140kmh>. with this windshield im able to ride comfortably at 160-180kmh. maybe not good for pillion. Will try on a very short windshield for my next trip to cameron with pillion. lets see how it goes.