Assalamualaikum and Good day to all people.

Previously, I've made post about buying my first bike but I'm still in dilemma in choosing bike. Previously I've already decided to pick MT25 but recently i went to my dealership, and they got 2nd Kawasaki Z650 2017 with 8245km only with price around RM24K. So, after taking test ride for a while. Not gonna lie tak la gila2 but still ade power. No wonder ppl said its a good beginner bike.

Now for reality check, boleh sifu2 tlg share any problem yg selalu facing for this particular bike or any larger CC bike. Also, harap sifu boleh share sikit expense atau kos especially dr segi maintenance wear and tear, also Road tax and Insurance.

Btw, moto gune for commute from Seremban to Petaling Jaya around 140km per day 😁😁😁

Take you for reading my post.

Safe Ride, my Brothers

250 user here, not long also only been 3-4 month,

2012 ninja 250

maintenance of both bike should be less or more the same, but spare parts cant be said the same. I cant say which is more expensive but should depends on the manufacturer and bike availability.

The Kawaskai z650 is a quite a robust engine. Used by Versys 650, Z650 and Vulcan S ( all tuned differently of course ).

The maintainance is like Valve clearance every 40K (major) and the usual 5K service (minor).

Coil must be changed when the volt meter readings drop.

The rest is the usual chain and such.

The Z650 did an average of only 1600km per year since 2017...??

Check carefully. Make sure it isn't a rebuilt accident wreck with a new dash.

This post has been edited by ZZR-Pilot: Jul 21 2022, 05:46 PM

With ur commute...the z650 will be a better choice...itll cruise easier on the highway so u will feel less stressed n less fatigued... actually a versys650 will be even better...same engine as the z650...but with a more relaxed riding position n better wind protection.

As mentioned, engine is robust so the normal service costs depends on the engine oil u use...oil filter typically around rm50.

Also get long lasting tires..like sport touring tires.... not sure about the prices for z650 size...

Valve clearance every 40k must be done... don't listen to those who say dont need to do....its called "preventive maintenance" for a reason.... Meaning u do it to avoid unwanted things happening....if u only do it after something happened...thats not maintenance, thats better called "repair"

Next up is chain n sprocket...no idea how much but im assuming around rm600? Proper chain maintenance n lubing can help prolong. And again with ur commute..id highly recommend a scottoiler.

250cc vs 650cc

Roadtax RM50 vs RM250
Normal service same around 2l plus oil filter
Insurance depends on value insured if new r25 vs 2nd z650 will be about the same
chain both uses 520 but z650 sprocket set is slightly more expensive
Tire z650 a few tens of ringgit more expensive due to bigger size

What will get you is if there is something major. Major service like VC, top overhaul or accidents. Parts cost magnitudes more.
But bigger bike has its advantages. If you like to go fast. Probably you will save more fuel on a 650 than r25. Lower rpm and all that.

Z650

Don't worry about this bike and engine
Proven reliability and proven hardy engine.



When anyone want to buy big bike and have concern about the cost of owning this bike, I'm going to be blunt asking you this.

Do you have financial difficulty spending this amount of money?

Roadtax ( one time per year ) rm250
Big bike insurance - not cheap
Tyres front back , average 10000km to 15000km - approx rm1000
Engine oil every 3000km to 5000km - approx rm100 for 2 liter
Oil filter - rm50+
Spark plugs - approx rm140++ for 2
Petrol averagely about 22 - 25km/ liter
Chain sprocket - rm800
Brake pads front - approx rm400 - rm500+
Brake pads rear - approx rm250

This post has been edited by skyblu3: Jul 21 2022, 09:51 PM

buy the bike that you like - take a good look in person, sit on it, ride it (like you did) and choose carefully

MT25 and Z650 are very mature platforms, so both should not go wrong

many ppl go out search bike, and find the one that love at first sight
some ppl did research, bought a bike, and regret
depends which type person u are

engine CC is a small factor in deciding what you buy
250cc is overstressed for high performance given the components that is used
the 650cc is built to last and the this year model is bike of the year for some people back then - https://www.motorcycledaily.com/2017/12/md-...-and-ninja-650/

given your experience, the 650cc will be more suitable as workhorse
but, it's underpowered compared to peers - this may mean better reliability and more suitable for riding into areas with lower quality fuel

also, the 650 engine has different vibration character, diff bikes vibrate at diff RPM even for the same model. Some don't vibrate at all because the vibration range is spread out evenly. this is something u cannot fix.

maintenance wise, some ppl live with no fuss for both models, but some ppl kena issues like F1 team sponsor. YMMV, which is why I say the most important is getting the bike that you like and be able to fix it along the way. you can't have patience for something you don't like

but, of course, I hope no one gets into bad situation with a bike they get

in my case, I kena few issues - some that is common, some no one even heard before

First thing to do:
- voltmeter - charging voltage and cranking smoothness can show battery condition, do not hesitate to change a battery. It is more expensive to change stator coil and rectifier.

- do not cheap on oil and maintenance - good oil cools parts more effectively, especially valves along the way. A cooler valve elongate faster than a hotter valve, so think valve clearance, top end hancur, and cost of disaster. Oil is not just for lubrication.

- do not pressure wash the bike, only splash wash, mild brush, and rinse.

Thank you sir for the wise word.

This post has been edited by ArmFix: Jul 22 2022, 10:20 AM

Do you have financial difficulty spending this amount of money?

Roadtax ( one time per year ) rm250
Big bike insurance - not cheap
Tyres front back , average 10000km to 15000km - approx rm1000
Engine oil every 3000km to 5000km - approx rm100 for 2 liter
Oil filter - rm50+
Spark plugs - approx rm140++ for 2
Petrol averagely about 22 - 25km/ liter
Chain sprocket - rm800
Brake pads front - approx rm400 - rm500+
Brake pads rear - approx rm250

[/quote]


Thank you for the sharing.
After asking other ppl opinion some of them said that if i specifically compare between parallel twin only there should not any different interm of pricing of the maintenance. Only can be noticable if doing major service VC and other wear and tear. Not gonna lie, my main concern Is just the insurance only. However some of my friend said that with first party for Mt25 price around 850-1.2k.. and for z650 i just need to add few more hundred. I'm not sure whether it's true or not. So, that why i try to gain more ppl opinion regarding this matter.
I fully understand that to bela this kinda of toys is really expensive and klau ikut kan hati sudah mahu sapu Z900 but that mb on my checklist only mb in future 😘

Premium for sum insured RM25k is >RM1200?? Fuyohh!

Do you hv NCD?

In comparison, I'm paying RM1500 I think for first pty coverage for sum insured RM60k (888cc capacity) at max NCD.

The cost is easily justifiable to me coz I whack the bike to work since it is offset by the savings I make by not paying for expensive diesel & toll if I were to drive my SUV instead. It would be more diff to justify paying for that amount for a show bike / weekend toy. But that's just me lah.

If you buy the bike in cash, you can opt for 3rd pty insurance which costs a hell lot less... if u can stomach the risk.

This post has been edited by ZZR-Pilot: Jul 22 2022, 11:53 AM

Yeah, Cash only but from your experience would you prefer to buy 3rd party only?
I mean 3rd party only cover for the person that you got accident into right?. I know that 3rd party is more cheaper but interm of the risk. Not sure willing to gamble for it.

The last time I bought 3rd pty was when I owned a Dominar D400 which I paid for in cash.

At the time it was just out of warranty after 2 years of ownership & I wanted to get rid of it within the next few months, so I bought 3rd party insurance due to the limited risk.

My TNT600 daily driver was also on 3rd pty insurance during the last year I owned it. I knew I was a careful rider, but life taught me otherwise - it went up in flames when the workshop burned down after I sent it in to hv its shock absorber replaced in 2019. Could not claim anything for shit, fortunately the workshop owner was willing to reimburse me for my loss.

Lesson learned.

Nowadays, hearing horror stories of Brembo calipers being stolen I don't dare to rely on 3rd pty insurance for my current bike even though I paid for it in cash also.

Buy 3rd pty insurance only if you can afford to absorb the cost if something unfortunate happens.

That means, if you hv the means to afford accident repairs at your own cost, you can financially afford to lose the bike, your risk is limited (ie you live in a secure area, you're a defensive rider & u seldom ride or your bike is unpopular to thieves) or your livelihood does not depend on having that bike... then 3rd pty insurance is a viable option.

This post has been edited by ZZR-Pilot: Jul 22 2022, 05:59 PM

My prayer with your TNT600. Thanks for sharing your story. This make me much more prefer for 1st party insurance because accident happened sometimes without your control. I'm living around standard terrace housing. Not sure bout the security around the area but living here for the past 8 year. Haven't notice any theft or any sort of crime. The only criminal here is those damn cat always scratching and marking on my bike even after i cover the bike still those feline manage to get their claws to my bike.

Anyways brother, have you try the SRK600. I'm not really fan of Benelli but damn those bike are sexy as hell. Kinda reminds me with Z800 with Sugomi design

Looks nice, but under those new plastics is pretty much the same bike as the last one... which is underwhelming after almost 10 years. To me least.

But it probably remains the cheapest 4-cyl bike u can buy new.

One bugbear with Chinese big bikes is that they tend to be quite heavy for their class. This is the one area they have yet to catch up with the Japs.

On the other hand, my wife's 700 CL-X is pretty light for a 700cc bike... so maybe it's a sign of things to come?

This post has been edited by ZZR-Pilot: Jul 22 2022, 07:19 PM

For the peace of mind, since you will be using this bike to commute to work everyday..... Just get a Japanese bike

And as a daily bike, I strongly advise you to get only bikes with abs.

I use z650 for my daily commute of around 100km (30/70 city/highway). Lane filtering is ok and have sufficient power for overtaking at highway speed. Other parts like maintenance have been covered by sifus up there so I'll just share my experience with it.

The recent appointments of kawi sc is good to hear as we got more options (post EMOS acquisition). My only issues with my ride is the faulty abs, got it reset once but it lights up again. Need to get the sc to investigate further on what is the root cause.

But overall it's a good newbie bike and daily warrior. I know i can push the fc better but usually go for refuel after 300km. 130kmh is still eco mode so it's good for less throttle heavy user.

Btw got my brake assy and gear assy stolen few years back, so might be a good idea to keep in mind where you're storing your bike with sufficient cctv coverage. Nit sure if shift or disc lock helps though, but i always use it anyways.

Thank you sir for the sharing. In your experience using this particular bike, have you facing any weird problem or silly and have you facing any difficulty to find the certain part? For me personally, i would prefer to have a bike that have easy access to the spare part.

For original parts, the authorised SC should have sufficient coverage. But it took a while (2-3 weeks) to change my brake assy and gear assy since need to wait for parts to come in as it happened during Covid. Lol. As a daily rider, always have a spare bike for emergencies.

One more thing, maybe a taller windshield can help as the wind keeps on pushing me back.

This post has been edited by genesiscopy: Jul 24 2022, 11:27 AM

as a fellow naked bike rider, i can confirm that a taller windscreen will help. as long as u can get the wind directed above ur chest, u wont get pushed back as much.

Also, choice of helmet matters as well. some helmets cuts through the air better than others. this will help reduce neck fatigue on longer riders.

Agreed, i have experience riding with and w/o windshield and it's totally day and night especially since i commute around 80% highway 20% city. Really feel the wind on highway with higher RPM. In term of riding gear, I'm always wearing glove, fulface , safety boot and jacket as standard requirement. Nothing special or branded but at least those gears already safe my life like twice now.

iirc last 2 weeks ago, on my way to work around Bukit Jalil. There has been some minor accident. I don't know what actually happened but i saw the aftermath. There is this lady who rode LC. I saw her crying while sitting on the divider. At first glance, there is nothing problem until i saw her foot. Pretty sure some of her toes in FUBAR condition. At that time she wearing those fancy selipar. I guess that should be expected 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

Wearing slippers is like this lor.

Don't understand how these people have the balls to wear slippers and ride.

Don't say slippers
I don't even dare to wear sports shoes or normal shoes while riding.
Even if I wear running shoes when I ride nearby less than 3km, illl make sure I ride slowly on the left lane.

Dont know why people dont wear proper footwear and gloves when on the bike.

the 2 most easily fucked up parts other than your head even in a slow speed crash. Even so on a big bike. you jatuh bodoh at a stop light also can end up crushing your legs and foot.

This post has been edited by jaycee1: Jul 25 2022, 02:54 PM

because of this tered, i kena racun with the z650 by you TS

Hehe.. glad i could help 😋

Well we haven't go into our next topic which is "Can afford big bike, but can't take the damn license for it" this dedicated to my friend personally who rode MT09 with L license for the past year

This post has been edited by ArmFix: Jul 25 2022, 11:18 PM

many roadblocks targeting these gang dy

Took my wife on her first ride up to Gohtong Jaya on Sunday. Memang kena tahan roadblock.

She had L stickers on her bike, so the cop definitely interrogated her how come ride big bike but L license only?

Luckily she brought along the pass slip from her successful B Full test 2 weeks ago & explained she just hadn't the time to go to JPJ to update her license after UTC gave her the run-around last week.

Less bikes going up Genting nowadays as a result of the roadblock, probably due to a lot of riders not having the required license & having illegal loud exhausts designed to wake up the dead. I think that's a good thing.

isnt that good? then you wont be sweating under all that gear right? but i still sweat bollocks tho

Depends on ppl i guess. For me personally, I'm rarely sweating under my gear. After commute for 5 years, i think my body doesn't give fuck anymore.

It's a good thing

And I always wonder how many of these so called big bikers actually can afford to own and maintain a big bike?

Drove to Gohtong Jaya Sunday morning,
saw a gang of rempit bikers hiding at a junction before the block

Many got blocked, and their riding gang waiting ahead haplessly

*** clapping in joy ***


Those exhaust modders (include cars) that has ability to wake up the dead should really be kicked into longkang

Friend of mine recently found a gem, 2017 registered 2018 with only 1,817km genuine on clock.

Owned by an avid bike enthusiast with a few bikes including X-ADV750, XMax.

Friend celebrating this gem and his dream bike finally came true!

Damn, that's such a good deal. Congrats to your friend.

So did TS gotten the Z650 or went with something else?