And here's my reply :
Hi Chong,
Thanks for your kind words and I am just sharing what little knowledge I have with my readers here. Hope other riders or sifus could chip in and enlighten me and fellow readers on more knowledge too from time to time.
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However, IMHO, riding a bike is like every other learning experiences. We learn to crawl, then walk, then run, then swim and so forth. There are some riders whom have in-built talent whom could take on biking like ducks to water. For the rest of us, it may be a good idea to start from a smaller cc bike and gradually move on upwards.
I started from my father's Yamaha Y80, a nice little bike that I grew up with. I remembered polishing it on weekends to bring out whatever shine there still was in the old bike, and I loved riding the small bike around town. Well, not to say that I have more choices anyway as we were not well-off families but my folks are as honest as the day, and I made do with whatever I have access to at home. And I still ride this grand o' bike from time to time.
After I came out to the working world and slowly climb up the corporate ladder, I started to go back to the world of biking after securing my first car and house. As you could see, I made sure that I covered the priority bases first; then only did I indulge in my hobby.
My first real own bike was the Kawasaki ZX2R, which was all the rage those days. It was a nifty sporty bike- often referred as the baby superbike, because it had the looks of the bigger ZXR superbikes minus the torque and top-end speed. This, along with the Aprilla RS250, were the most sought-after baby superbikes of their times then.
Over time, I began to appreciate easyriders that were plying the roads of KL for their ease of use and easier riding position. I tried my hands with the entry level Kawasaki Eliminator / Vulcan 250, which shared the same engine as the Kawasaki ZZR250 sports tourer; and found that it was a really easy ride.
No longer do I have to crouch in the racing position just to get the wind-in-my-face experiences; and it soon became my preferred ride. As with the Vulcan of its days, one would began with the 250 before moving onto the 800 somehow. Irregardless of the capacity, with the exception of the heavier weight on the latter, both Vulcans were nice rides, especially during convoys on the highways.
And these days, sportsbikes and easyriders are taking a back seat to the newer genre of naked bikes and sport touring bikes. The sport touring bikes combine the best of both worlds- you get the aggressive looks of the sportsbikes and the easier riding position of the easyriders. I would have liked to get my hands on the Kawasaki Z1000SX with OEM panniers; but was relatively concerned about the very torquey engine and top-end speed for my relatively new riding experiences.
The next best option would thus be the Kawasaki Ninja 650R in CBU guise, and the rest is old waters under the bridge. I must say that it has been a great riding experience on the Ninja 650R, and it has an engine that is willing to pleased with good torque for town-riding and relatively high speed (220 km/h in stock standard form) for highway riding. I know many novice riders whom graduated to the Ninja 650R direct from mopeds; and the forgiving nature of the bike ensured that these riders remain safe and sound to enjoy their bikes on a daily basis.
So, Chong, the choice of your bike is really entirely up to you; but always remember to get a good set of riding gear to ensure a safer and more enriching riding experience on your new bike!
Let the good times roll, mate!
