As per title, I am newbie motorcyclist without any prior experience in it aiming for B Full.
I have few questions as below:

0) Should I get proper riding boots, glove, pants, jacket and obviously helmet before starting my lesson? if so, how much would that be cost generally for decent kit. Don't mind spend a little bit more on safety kit since i forsee that jatuh bodoh would happen.

1) Is there any biking gear shop that can be recommended where I can go as newbie and try it out instead being pushed around for the sake of sales.

2) Is it necessary to get an personal bike to train on other than going through the bike at Driving School?

3) Is a 150CC sport bike (R15/GSXR150/CBR150/Etc) considered a good bike to begin with? I am considering this over kapchai since sport bike had different riding requirement which I think its transferable to higher CC bike should I choose to do? Or I should be better off with proper big CC bike like Dominar 400 for a start. I tried on those 250 bikes and I find it to heavy for me (skinny arm) hence looking at those 150cc sportbike.

4) I am skinny build guy but 170CM height person and 65kg, should i be worried with the heavier bike that was used in driving school (I think Jaguh and Vulcan are used in the place I enrolled in).

5) Is there any advance riding course outside that I can attend once I got my lesen? I have Keith Code book on the side but I dont think it would be helpful prior unless I got the bike myself. I think I am more like "learn as you go" type of rider.

6) This may sound silly but my research suggest to me that bikes price varies between dealership? and availability is depending if one is paying full cash vs someone taking loan (I am more keen on cash payment). Sorry for such Q since I am coming from car world where prices are more or less fixed as per RRP.

Think that what I can think of now.

Look forward for answer from fellow members.

*Seems like now I can get L lesen straight away without doing undang2 test at JPJ, just need find time to convert my lesen.

Update 15/11/23


This post has been edited by minizian: Nov 15 2023, 06:16 PM

0)
First of all go to the rider gear thread that discusses this. A lot of your questions have already been asked and answered there.

yes get gear. ATGATT. You will use it anyway. While not necessary for the test itself, by bare minimum get good full height boots and gloves by minimum. A cheap open face helmet (sirim or ECE rated) would suffice for now. I have heard horror stories of broken feet and legs by dropping the bike during B full practice. A 200kg bike falling on your legs is no joke.

As for cost, a full set, jacket, pants, boots and gloves can cost anywhere from 1000 to the sky.

1) look up the rider gear thread.

2/3) it certainly helps to get more riding experience on the side if you haven't had any riding experience. There are various schools of thought on this, but most centres on getting a cheap used beater that you don't need to worry about dropping. Some would say get a light bike like a FZ150i or a z250....some like me went straight to the Dominar. Get a normal naked bike. They tend to be easiest to learn on and lacks expensive fairings to repair when you drop it. I would not recommend a "sports bike" for a first bike.

4) try to find a school that offers newer bikes. Feet forward cruiser type bikes are more difficult to maneuver.

5) don't worry about this at this point. Get seat time first

6) don't worry about this also. Just shop for a used bike. After a year or 2 , not only will you know what bike you like, but you would have also be able to answer your own question.


As for first bike, I went with the Dominar because it's the cheapest new B full bike. I got mine used. The Dominar is not an easy first bike to ride. If you think a 160kg 250 is heavy, a 190kg dominar would be even more difficult. I wanted a heavy bike that can replicate bikes the next class up such as the z650 from the test centre so it's an easy transition for me. I had 1 year riding before taking my B full test due partly because of MCO and the subsequent backlog.

yes getting proper gear is highly recommended. for extra safety get the one with proper CE rating. glove, pants, boots can cost up to 3k depending on what you choose.
on jatuh bodo topic, getting a bike protection is recommended (crash bar or frame slider) i've had jatuh bodo on my 200 kg bike and the only thing that saved my leg from getting crushed was a frame slider holding the bike.

those 150cc bikes you mentioned are decent bike to begin with. although i'd say go for 250cc so you can get used to the weight when you are upgrading later.

for advance classes, already got someone asked before
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/5369639

not sure about prices between dealership, but what i've seen from mudah, these shops prices are pretty similar for the big bikes that i looked for.

My wife had never even ridden any kind of bike before attempting to get her B Full license. So when she needed to learn the basics of handling a kapcai with a clutch, she paid for 2 sessions with Hafiq Azmi who runs an advanced riding school. Pricey but we didn't have a kapcai so that was what she did. She did 2 sessions with him at the Bukit Jalil Stadium car park where she could drop his kapcai to her heart's content. LOL. After that she was ready to climb up on my D400.

Look him up on Facebook. Maybe you can discuss with him what you need to learn.

'Advanced riding' courses I had attended in the past focused on racetrack riding skills, which are largely pointless on the road - shit like learning where your braking points are, carrying corner speed, apexing. Roadcraft skills are a whole different kettle of fish altogether (and a whole less sexier to sell). It's important to know the difference.

A lot of roadriding instructions can be found on akademi memandu Youtube.

1) No need to get those protection kits before your lesson... Have a look at YouTube for riding test route / obstacles. You won't be riding that fast in the testing track. It will only be inside the testing track unlike car test / practise, where you will be riding outside the testing track. It will be slow rides, thus you are better with less clothing IMHO.

2) Try to find an academy which will utilise the same track and same bike for practise and also for the test. It will greatly assist.

3) Starting with 150cc may ended you up with quickly to find lacking in power. IMHO better to start with 250cc for minimum power. On a plus side, it is easier to sell.

6) From my experience, it is cheaper to buy directly from an authorised dealer that can be found in the distributor's website. One may need to ask between those authorised dealers to get the best price.

This post has been edited by BlackBananaV6: Nov 15 2023, 11:02 AM

yes, but you dont want to drop the bike on yourself when you misjudge the titi and some low speed tight turns also. So yeah. Boots and gloves.

Even during my practice sessions, i've witnessed 2 "accidents" even by "seasoned" old riders with big bikes, and a few more by novice riders, so yes, crashes and drops are common during practice and test.


Getting a cheap small bike be it a 150 or 250 is fine, as long as it has a "real" clutch. good clutch play is crucial in getting an easier pass. Whether one sticks to the bike or not isn't the issue, we all eventually upgrade. But yes, a bigger 250 will better replicate the weight and handling of the bigger test bike. But then again, the test bike with all that scaffolding installed will weigh in upwards of 200kg.

TS, please wear protective gear whenever possible la. Can suffer less damage if made mistakes during training sessions.

Small bike allows u to make mistakes & get away with it.
But, big bike will penalise u if u made mistakes..

This post has been edited by yhsiau: Nov 15 2023, 11:41 AM

Hi folks, thanks for all the replies.

Much appreciated.

Anyway got myself some motorcyclist starter pack (got some odd looks from shop when i told them I am bikeless lol):
Komine Half Mesh Jacket - since I think its nicely balanced and fairly price for what it is, and its white lol
Taichi mesh glove - not sure if not having slider on wrist side okay or not?
KYT TT Course - it felt the most comfy with glasses on and tried various brand and its red hope other notice me for safety
Falco boots - Since the place i went have clearance price and the price was okay for what I am getting (assuming it was properly made in italy lol), I think i need break in the shoe too

Currently still looking for mesh pants since the shop I went does not have the size I wanted, most likely getting matching Komine entry level mesh pants for a start. I guess after this things are more less sorted for a rider starter pack?


I checked on my driving school and they are using Kawa Z650 as well as ER-6 for the litar part.

went to one of AD, got quoted extra 6K on top of RRP when I mentioned how much all in for cash purchase. Not sure what is it exactly but sure he was pushing me toward getting a bigger 800 CC bike as a starter bike Okay lah I sat on top pushing around seem ok but I have no confidence in handling such power. He looked sad when i told him my bajet is only toward 150-250 cc bikes

Thank for the recommendation and link, I have connected with him and he have shared his courses menu.

I actually am worried the 150cc bike would outgrow me as I ride more. I somewhat thinking for my budget I should look onto used D400 as starter bike since 250cc of major brand are out of reach of my budget.

Driving school using Z650, not sure if those used z650 worth buying?

This post has been edited by minizian: Nov 15 2023, 06:17 PM

nice you got the gears, don't forget for rain suit also since we are in raining season until next year january. givi rain suit is enough imo

z650 is decent starting bike, it has about the same weight with z250 with more than enough power for city and highway ride
I believe you can find used one with the old lcd screen under 20k at some shop
D400 that you are looking is about 10kg heavier than the z650

this saturday has test ride event at kawasaki setapak, so you can try a z650 and see if it suits you
https://www.facebook.com/kawasakisetapak

[quote=minizian,Nov 15 2023, 12:02 AM]
As per title, I am newbie motorcyclist without any prior experience in it aiming for B Full.
I have few questions as below:

0) Should I get proper riding boots, glove, pants, jacket and obviously helmet before starting my lesson? if so, how much would that be cost generally for decent kit. Don't mind spend a little bit more on safety kit since i forsee that jatuh bodoh would happen.

1) Is there any biking gear shop that can be recommended where I can go as newbie and try it out instead being pushed around for the sake of sales.


* For cheap decent gear , you can try Hodaka Motoworld (PJCC) , Komine , RS Taichi brand of jackets and gloves with Scorpion helmets.

Seems like Z650 is one of the bike that i can grow with it for next few years but D400 at the going used price is also damn tempting too.

There are two school of thoughts where one start with higher cc outright while another thoughts is start small to learn basic then scale up

I dont think I would test the bike for real since i have zero experience with L lesen (Do they even allow L rider to try?)
Worry I will jatuh bodo too
Dont mind go see see look look tho


I have gotten my main gear except pants, maybe I will visit motoworld to have a look over the weekend since they are the one who importing Komine goods but their webpage plenty of item were out of stock

This post has been edited by minizian: Nov 15 2023, 11:45 PM

Starting with 250cc is the safer option. Since you can a used one for pretty cheap then trade it back when you buy bigger bike..
Treat it like something disposable where you aren't afraid to drop it but at the same time learn the maintenance needed on a bike.

how much was the damage for the gears?

He got no fullB , can test?

Don't forget to protect your knee cap.

Proper riding pants should have the knee amour

If not, you can get those strap on.

if you got L for b full can

I budgeted RM2.5K for essential item.
This includes the pants that I have yet to get it.
Not sure if it is considered normal but I just decide to go abit more on kit side just to protect myself
Sure I will get odd looks by others but they are not the one who is financing my bills if shit hits the fan

Most likely passed the exam I will upgrade to full gauntlet style glove, the one I got is just normal short glove that should be sufficient for city/general riding

I plan to visit motoword to have a look at this product in person
http://komineshop.shop21.makeshop.jp/shopdetail/000000009182
Not sure if they would have the size that fit me.
I hope the safety that came with the pants is adequate for the $ paid

I would give the test ride a pass, dont want to jatuh the bike
Dont mind go to see see look look to get general feel

This post has been edited by minizian: Nov 16 2023, 04:48 PM

A z650 is an excellent starter big bike. Used examples cost about the mid 20s...and recent models have ABS so look for one that has it. It has more than enough go for a novice rider. You could also cross shop with the MT07 although they run higher prices and no ABS.

The only thing going for the D400 is the bargain basement price, especially if you can find a very low mileage used unit like I did. The Z650 is actually easier to ride low speed than the Dominar....and as you can imagine, after riding the D400 for a year, the z650 test bike was a cake.

Edit : yes the hard slider on the glove is a good thing to have.

This post has been edited by jaycee1: Nov 16 2023, 07:14 PM

https://shopee.com.my/Komine-PK-7463-Protec...46-eec302cc54ff

this shopee shop is run by motoworld, if you can find your size here then the physical shop should have it

How much you got those Falco boots for? Nice boots