Hey kawans,

Here's the situation, I've been driving back and forth between my workplace and it's been taking a toll on me. Driving a manual kinda exacerbates the stress. I spend roughly 3.5 to 4 hours on average driving back and forth from work which is 60km in total back and forth.

I'm currently in the midst of getting a B full license with the idea of getting an MT07 to ease my commute. Hopefully I'll be able to cut down on the travel and perhaps find a little thrill and joy in the journey. Don't worry, I've already set aside the budget for a full face helmet, riding jacket and gloves. That said, if anyone has shop recommendations, I'm all ears. Would prefer a shop that can advise on helmet sizings with test fitting.

Would the sifus here be able to advise on the MT07? How is it in terms of maintenance cost and are there any issues I should be looking out for?

Much appreciated

Mind sharing why the MT07 is not a beginner friendly bike? Cause I was initially eye-ing the Z800 but asked to start on the MT07 as a beginner bike.

Ah, will look into the Z650 but from what I can see, it weighs almost as much as the MT07 yet offers less power. The z650 does have ABS though.

Thanks for all the advice and pointers. I really appreciate it! Nothing beats hearing it from a group of experienced veterans here.

Didn't really consider maxi-scooters because I don't want to develop the habit of riding without the gear changing as I feel being able to ride with gears is an important part of the learning process when I step up to a bigger bike. 

After much consideration.. I'll check in with a smaller and simpler bike just to get a feel of things before jumping into getting the MT-07. Heard some good things about the ER-6N as a 'throwaway starter bike'. Any thoughts on that? But I don't think that comes with ABS or TC though..

Hi Kawans, in case anyone's wondering, I'm still alive and well. got all my limbs intact too. Hahah

Just to update, I've gotten my bike for a week and had my first class at the driving school yesterday. Ended up with a Leoncino 250 in pretty good condition from a friend (Was a deal I couldn't resist)

And also I want to thank everyone who talked me out of getting an MT07 as my first bike. My driving school uses the MT07 as their practice + test bikes and whoa, the handling and weight is not something I would have been able to handle without any prior experience. So thanks for stopping me from doing something stupid.

By the way, I could go through the riding test motions at the driving school but one thing I seem to be having issues with is the dreaded titi. Kept going off the titi for some reason even when I'm trying to follow through with all the tips given.

- Don't look down
- Look ahead
- Play with clutch and brake

One thing that caught me is always the 'bump' going up the titi and it takes me half a second to steady myself once I'm fully on it. As time in the driving school is always limited, does anyone have any other tips on how else I can practice the skills needed to pass this 'wall'? Hahah

Thanks Kawans!

Entering my 4th month of commuting on my bike. Have more or less acclimatized to riding on highways and motorcycle lanes with a more confidence than when I first started.

Some stuff things I would like to ask the sifus here though

- Each time I get on the bike, I still get that little uneasy feeling for absolutely no reason at all. I had these feelings when I first started commuting on the bike but I thought it was just greenhorn jitters but 4 months in with regular commutes 3 or 4 times a week, I still get that feeling albeit it's a lot lesser then when I started. Is this normal?

- While lane filtering/lane splitting, I could be going between 55kmh and 65kmh amidst slow or stopped cars but there will be speeding kapchais overtaking me and whizzing through, cutting dangerously. I do give way as soon as I notice people speeding and coming up fast behind me while lane splitting/lane filtering but these bikers will 'shoot the gap' no matter how tight the space is without allowing me to cut into the left or right lane. Am I doing something wrong? Am I going too slow? How fast is too fast to lane filter/lane split?

- Going on the motorcycle lane, I noticed some riders tend to cut during tight turns or through tunnels when it's clearly dangerous. It's quite unnerving especially when you're managing the turns and another bike just cuts into your lane forcing you to brake. I do ride based on traffic flow and I don't think I'm going too slow as I tend to overtake quite a bit especially when there are other bikes going slower than 60 - 70kmh. Is this something you guys faced as well when it comes to using the motorcycle lane?

I was looking at it! And it's really tempting. Has the Ducati Monster-ish sillhoutte that I like too.. at RM 30k NEW, sounds like a steal.

But kinda phobia with Suzuki. You see, I used to own a Suzuki SX4 and damn, the spare parts are crazy pricey. Some parts are on par with continental cars. Like why the heck am I even paying Continental sparepart prices to drive a Suzuki? Not only that, the spare parts are scarce.. 

That experience really taught me to study maintenance and spare part prices before committing to my next vehicle.. hahah

anyone can recommend the riding pants and also riding boots?
Looking for the high performance ratio type as I'm not rich to buy to top tier brand like alphine star & etc

After nearly a year of riding, today marks a memorable day for me as I've moved up to the next comfortable level for me at 600cc. The power difference is quite drastic, keeping in mind my experience with larger CC bikes were confined to the driving school and friends who let me to take their bikes out for a quick spin around the block.

Really thankful for the few otais who convinced me to go with a smaller CC bike lest I kill myself before even learning to ride. Few close calls I had on the 250cc would have been disastrous on this 600cc like poor throttle control and holding the clutch during turns during my early days of riding. (Single Cylinder bike with their massive engine braking  )

Few key differences I've noticed
- The throttle on this bike is so much more sensitive than the 250cc that I was daily-ing previously but the power on tap makes my commute much more exhilarating and smooth. Just have to smoothen out my wrist because my bike sounds like I'm rev-bombing each time I'm launching off as it's quite rev-happy.
- The 4-cylinders really made a difference in the smoothness and vibration but the heat between the legs were, let's just say... toasty. (Lucky I've decided not to have more kids or I bet this would have somehow affected my lineage. 
- 4-cylinders are REV HAPPY..seriously..
- Highway cruising was so much more fun as the bike doesn't sound like it's stressed much. 100km/h at 4.5k revs in 6th gear.
- The 220kg weight was no issue when moving and even when going slow + lane splitting, it's really quite manageable. Must be the intensive training I had due to daily riding the 250cc.

As I mentioned many times before, it's been a journey and I can still scarcely believe I went from not knowing how to ride to upgrading my bike today. I foresee it's a continuous journey with many more things to learn during my rides to come. All said, my quality of life has returned and I'm a lot less tired these days with time to spend with family instead of getting stuck few hours on the roads. I get to enjoy my morning coffee and send my kids to school without getting caught in the morning crawl and I'm there when my kids come out of their daycare in the evenings. Riding is everything I thought it would be and more..

Closing things off, I'll see you guys on the road! Keep the rubber side down and shiny side up!

Obligatory bike pics

Hahah, I know which bike you're talking about. And no, this is not that bike. It's built by the same person though. Just with some other added 'customisation' for me such as double seat, rear hugger, crash bars and double exhaust.

Very acutely aware this bike has no ABS, so I've been keeping below 120km/h but with average cruising speed of 100km/h.

Wanted to ask the experienced otais here, I feel like I'm struggling when I go fast (aka 110km/h and above). I find myself tensing up and the wind buffeting also doesn't help as I feel myself getting 'thrown back' the faster I go. Any pointers on how to deal with this on a naked bike? Seating postures, nerves, or just plain greenhorn rider on my part?