Funny that I had texted Gary of GC Ann coincidentally just yesterday to check on the news, specifically the CKD V-strom that he had mentioned late last year.

He said nothing could move due to the MCO (makes sense), hv to wait towards the end of the year at best.... so I'm not sure what Mr Ramanujam is talking about in this article. Pre-order to wait how long exactly and what's our incentive to do so?

Things should get interesting this year-end though, he said, coz if the kilang jalan then we can expect the V-strom 650XT Adventure (that's the version complete with the hard panniers) going for under RM40k. Plus the CFmoto 800MT should be due in at the time too.

Me, I'd take it with a fistful of salt. But what have we got to lose in waiting anyway, since this pandemic is getting worse and it doesn't look like I could go touring on a new bike anytime soon...

This post has been edited by ZZR-Pilot: Jul 17 2021, 07:43 PM

Apparently Wah Hong Motor in Klang says they're taking RM500 bookings for V-Strom 650 to be sold at RM38K (not OTR). Updates coming next month. Maybe this is the CKD thing GC Ann was going on about...

Interesting....

I might be getting the gsxs750. Any one with experience on this bike ?

Gsx 750 at 40k

Sv650 and v strom at 37k

This post has been edited by Dreadlock13: Aug 25 2021, 02:20 PM

K5 engine, need to ask those GSXR750 owners. should be no problem lah...

all cbu so far...
if ckd even cheaper ???









This post has been edited by basilisk: Aug 26 2021, 04:34 PM

I remember sv650 was rm 43k before.
And gsx s750 was even more expensive.

But wow kawasaki malaysia not messing around this time.

Ya wor, drooling for gsxs.. Used to be 54k if not mistaken.. Too bad salary got affected, else sure grab either Gxsx or v-strom...

Was holding my purchases since covid.
Everything went wrong.
Don't know if I ever get the chance to buy one anytime soon.

And yes gsx s750 price was insanely high back then.

Yea, now even if not affected also better just focus on necessity 1st.. Seems like situation is out of control, no one knows what will happen next.. Now me surviving on EPF withdrawal only.. Salary down 50% since 1st MCO.. After pay installments left almost 0..

GC Ann guy got back to me today, confirming that the V-strom he mentioned months ago turned out to be CBU.

Long story cut short, I was offered rock bottom RM38,500 OTR (3rd pty insurance) cash price, minus the freebies.

I'm like DAAAAAAAAAMMMNNNN.... people were trying to sell their 2-3 year old V-stroms for that price in the used market!


But it left me wondering... if Suzuki can flog this bike CBU at under RM40k and still make a profit (pretty sure they're not doing it for charity at this point), imagine the profit margin they were raking in when they were selling it at RM45k previously!

This post has been edited by ZZR-Pilot: Aug 28 2021, 12:32 PM

Yeah the new bike all cbu from Japan.
Before every suzuki bike is overpriced.

I think KMM already have the infrastructure to do mass import and cut price to suit Malaysian Market.

They did this with kawasaki. So they pretty much know what to do already. And they already got the plan and infrastructure lay out. All KMM had to do is bring in the bike in large number

This post has been edited by Dreadlock13: Aug 29 2021, 07:00 AM

So what happens to the Versys 650? Will they cut price to match?

Pandemic notwithstanding, at least now I got something to really look forward to in Q1 next year. Need to see the CFmoto 800MT in the flesh, see if I can handle the seat height and decide. Admittedly, although looking rather old fashioned by now, the V-strom does actually fulfil my needs to tour 2-up comfortably with the wife... and it does so with proven bulletproof reliability & at a significantly lower price. The pricier 800MT comes with the twin seduction of more power & more modern specs.

Kawa versys is always more expensive then V-strom.
But both are proven a reliable bike.

But kawasaki 650 is more of a road going bike.
And V-strom is a very capable off road motorcycle due to its better ground clearance.

At the end of the day. Pick the right bike for the thing you planned to do

If like touring.. maintenance wise both is OK right? But which one is more comfortable for long ride? Or depend on the user?

versys 650 vs vstrom plenty of reviews comparison online, frm west to east.

i read versys owner switch to vstrom, they say aft ride versys long distance, pegang rokok oso d hand shaking... vstrom is like moving sofa... lol..

Definitely prefer the Suzuki. I feel it's narrower at the waist, making the bike more manageable for me.

Not interested in taking it off-road although having that limited dirt road ability in reserve is always a good thing when getting off the highway. I just want to tour with the wife & luggage in comfort, maybe head out to Laos or even China one day!

And I rarely pamper my bikes, so it has to look good & stay reliable while looking like absolute shit. LOL.

In a sea of parallel twin engined bikes, that V-twin now becomes something of a novelty.

Thanks all for the input.. Vstrom 650 below 40k nowadays... waiting covid to subside... then will sambar...

Kawa 650 engine is vibrate, and different from 1 bike to another.
Some owner complain, some not.
Some vibrate at certain RPM, some don't.

See how much rubber mounting is used on the KLR650... footpegs, handlebars, and seat mount.

The Suzuki situation reminds me of when ER6 first came, CBU then slowly CKD. Quality can see difference, but after many years CBU become lackluster and only manage to hold little value.

The road will be flooded with these price friendly bikes.

Hopefully this time around, Suzuki brand is managed better, and supply chain properly looked after. Otherwise it's just another Japanese brand with foul aftertaste.

but seriously tho.... I was not expecting GSX S750 was price at 40K, even the honda CB650r is price higher then that,

omg