Well, I ran some errands today and where should the tasks took me but to a chanced encounter at a bike showroom. Since it was a rainy day in Kuala Lumpur, you could bet your bottom dollar that the showroom was empty as heck, saved for a salesperson whom was busy on his mobile phone.
I decided to take a look around, but found that all the bikes on display had an A4-sized "Do not sit" instruction on them. The salesperson saw me glancing over the bikes; and we started chatting for a bit. When he asked me about my bike and I told him that I used to own a Ninja 650R that had since been sold and had a blog documenting about the thrills and spills of the bike; it turned out that he has been reading this very blog from time to time.
That broke all ice and he welcomed me to try sitting on the bikes, so that I could write a brief piece about the bikes. And so I went straddling from bike to bike, and starting the engines to hear some melodious notes.
1) KTM Duke 200 @ RM18k
I tried riding on the Duke 200 first- this was a bike that another reader offered to swap and top-up with Green Hornet when I first wanted to sell the bike. The Duke 200 felt light and was easy to support on one's feet, which would provide the additional confidence to its rider. However, twist the throttle and you could feel that it's very un-superbike-like. The throttle felt loose and cheap, and it felt more like a motard's that a junior superbike's. A good bike for running around town due to its small footprint and high torque, but doesn't feel premium.
2) KTM Duke 690 @ RM48k
For a single-cylinder bike, the Duke 690 sure didn't feel like it wanted to throw one off its back by the long-known vibration issues associated with single-cylinder engines. This was a refined bike dressed in hoodie. Riding position felt a bit "out" to me though- I can't really put my finger to it. Compared to the Ninja 650R, I felt more comfortable when seated on the Ninja.
3) Naza-Hyosung Blade 650R Twin Brothers Racing @ RM24k
For RM24k, this represented downright good entry option into the world of superbiking. The TBR exhaust sounded great and it was factory standard. Riding position was decidedly racer-type so you ain't going to be going on touring with this bike. Bike felt quite heavy though when supported through one's feet.
4) Ducati Monster 795 @ RM59k
The Monster's sitting position was low- feeling like that of the Duke 200 earlier, but quality and premium feel was much abound by comparison. I find this a good buy.
5) Sym 200 VTS @ RM9k
This maxi-scooter was parked next to a Piaggio X9 500, and eventhough it cost 1/5 of what the Piaggio costs, it looked pretty smart and its size would reassure any rider switching over from superbike to maxi-scooter. I find this a good buy too.
Throughout the time, the salesperson kept telling me that the best bike that one could buy at the immediate period was the Kawasaki Z800- good price, good specs and good inline-four sound! Why yes, I found this a very handsome bike too.
