YA DUDE..
200 cc is low CC anyway..sorry miss write it..
for long commute going KRABI..
better choose 650 cc and above..

That can be done in less than one day from KL.. no sweat

Hi there! I have zero riding experience. I attended couple of B Full classes in driving school, now only riding a clutch kapchai for practice in driving school since I have no bikes at home to practice. Currently I decided to get myself a SECOND HAND scrambler/mortard for practice and commuting. I'm 5'5 (165cm) tall, but I believe the height problem is not an issue if I ride with riding boots. Budget is within range of RM4k-5k. At most is RM6K.

Current options I have in mind were:-
Demak DTM 150/200
KLX 150 s/l
Honda MTX 200
Honda CRF250L

Would like to know your thoughts on the list of options above. Other suggestions are most welcomed as well.

KLX seems the best choice for me.

any special reason on why u opted for scrambler?

One of the main reasons is due to it being a durable machine for a beginner like me who is new to riding. The bike itself is forgiving as who knows I might drop the bike or get myself into accidents on the road, or even commit silly mistakes. Moreover, being able to practice on a scrambler which is naturally tall allows me to get more accustomed to the height of larger bikes so that I am able to practice with a bigger bike the next time I attend my B Full riding classes. For now, the instructor only allowed me to ride on a kapchai with clutch since I have no bike nor big bike to practice at home. So I will have to keep on riding on the kapchai for a very long time until they allow me to hop on to a bigger bike. I believe it will take some time since I only attend classes during weekends.

Is there really no other 2nd hand affordable 200cc scramblers out there apart from just going with the KLX150?

I personally would advise against motards, they're very uncomfortable hence really bad for long distance riding, they are designed to be ridden standing up when off roading. On top of that, they're not gonna prepare you well for the big bikes. Height is not really the problem when riding big bikes, its the weight, and motards are super light.

If you want to try motards, i suggest visiting Most Fun Gym just behind Empire Damansara https://www.facebook.com/mostfungym/
Might be a little pricey, but the instructor there will teach you alot of things driving schools don't teach, like trail braking for example.

If you want to buy a second hand bike for practise, I highly suggest getting a second hand FZ150i and selling it off again when you want to move on to something bigger.

Speaking from my own experience, i took up the bike course late last year, and I had zero experience, couldn't even ride a bicycle. First day I trained on the kapchai, second day after an hour, my instructor told me to go on the 650cc 210kg ER-6n, dropped it after riding 10 meters becoz i pulled the brake too hard. And from there on I just kept training on the ER-6n, in total dropped about 6 times. Didn't get a bike to train on my own, got my license within 2 months of training, then bought myself the new Duke 390 that has an 83cm seat height, I'm 168 cm btw, and have been riding for 8 months now with it.

One advise i would have for you when training with the big bike, don't brake on the titi, don't jam the front brake when turning, try using the rear brake for slowing down and only use the front brakes when upright and coming to a full stop.

Thanks for the sharing of your experience. I do hope the instructor here in Penang is kind enough to allow me to hop on a bigger cc bike as I have attended like 6 riding classes with a kapchai, 4 times without clutch and twice with clutch. I remember asking the one of the instructors if I could hop on a big bike after the numerous times of practice, they ask me have I rode on a tall bike/ big cc bike before? My answer was obviously "no" and then he told me to proceed with kapchai. Then I was very reluctant to go back to training with the kapchai and he gave me tons of reasons in a rude manner eg: dropping the bike can be costly bla bla bla... I mean those bikes are expected to be dropped right?

Then a different instructor who is present in one of my riding lessons advise me to get a clutch bike my own and start practicing myself first since I only attend bike classes during the weekends as I have work during weekdays. Moreover, as a newbie like me who can't even ride a bicycle properly, I feel I need to be consistently riding in order to grasp the "feeling" to ride and balance on the bike.

Btw, are there any other options apart from a FZ150i? That bike is too common here in Penang. I want something that is different from what most people are riding.

[update]
Okay bro. After some time of consideration, I have decided to go over my budget for a bit and buy the Kawasaski Z250sl which is a little bit more expensive than the second hand Kawasaki KLX150. I find it a realistic option as I find its riding position similar to the ER6N that is available in the driving school just that the cc is smaller. Do you think getting a Kawasaki Z250sl is a realistic approach for me to practice riding and to commute? In fact even if I passed my B full license test I will still be riding with this bike for another few years before I upgrade to a new bike with larger cc.

This post has been edited by Shakalaka: Sep 26 2018, 01:26 PM

is it new or used?
if used, just buy z250. more reliable.

This post has been edited by leon898: Sep 26 2018, 02:34 PM

good option.... if the bike was actually reliable....Z250sl can be considered kawasaki's lemon.

seriously... dont overcomplicate it....riding a bike is not so complicated... no need to find same seating position...height etc etc.... if i were u... id go with the FZ150i suggestion... cheap to buy and also cheap and easy to maintain, reliable, fuel saving making it a good commuter etc etc.

even if u feel the Z250SL is similar on paper.... in height.. riding position bla bla bla....

when u hop on the new, bigger, bike its gonna be completely different.

instead of concentrating so much on a bike...how about concentrating on riding itself? getting used to the clutch... gear shifting... and most importantly... and i really mean MOST IMPORTANTLY.....learning to read other vehicles on the road so u can avoid any possible accidents....and this.. can be done on any bike. one ur used to being a motorcyclist.... ull be fine on any bike

Personal preference, if long trips, better grab something with more upright position and higher CC. The higher CC will help in comfort too at cruising speed