How to purchase and own a motorcycle in Singapore

You’ve passed your first motorcycle license, class 2b, and you can’t wait to get yourself a new bike. The only issue is that you have no idea how to go about doing so. Here’s what I know about making a purchase on a motorcycle and how to go about owning it.

Remember that a 2B license only allows you to be able to own a motorcycle with an engine capacity of up to 200cc. You can either a motorbike new or used. For new motorbikes you have no choice but to get them from a dealership. Used motorbikes can be bought from either a dealership/motorcycle workshop or directly from owners. 

For this post, I'll just cover how to purchase a used 2B motorcycle.

If you are planning on getting a used bike from a dealership these are the steps involved.

1) Decide on a bike

2) Either choose between paying installment or full cash

Note: Some dealerships will charge you extra if you choose to pay full cash because of a new law that has been passed, it is colloquially known as lemon law AKA Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act. You can read about this here https://singaporelegaladvice.com/law-articles/what-is-the-lemon-law/ . My friend was told he had to pay 200 SGD extra because of this and he decided to just pay via installment. 

3) If you decide to pay via installment, you will have to tell them what your down payment is and they will work out your monthly installment plan. 

4) Next either the shop will get an insurer for you or you can source your own insurance. The price of the insurance will depend on the bike you're getting, how long you've held your license, your age and whether you've had any accidents before. These are the ones I know of. 

5) Lastly will be the transfer of ownership at LTA if you're paying full cash. This is 11 dollars by right but shops will charge you extra.Doing this will transfer the ownership of bike to you.

Another side note: Dealerships also tend to add a lot extra hidden costs like administration fees ,new IU unit, etc so be sure to clear this up before you sign anything. 

For getting a used bike directly off an owner, these are the steps.

1) Contact the owner of the bike you want.

2) Go for a viewing, if it is to your liking then decide on the final price of the bike with owner. 

3) Settle full cash or source for your own loan with a financing company

4) Find your own insurance, same thing as before; price of insurance depends on the bike you're getting, how long you've held your license, your age and whether you've had any accidents before.

5) Go to LTA to transfer ownership to your name, again it will be 11 SGD. 

Personally I won't get a used bike from a motorcycle workshop unless it is recommended to me by a friend. This is because there have been too many cases where people get ripped off by these motorcycle workshops. The common misconception is that they will fix up the bike for you meaning the bike won't have any major problems but this is not true. They only fix what is necessary for the bike to be able to start. Of course, not all motorcycle workshops are bad but that is why I will only buy a used bike off a workshop that my friends recommend. 

When buying a used bike off the owner directly, bring someone who is mechanically inclined. If you cannot do this then ask the owner to bring the bike to a workshop that you know is reliable, to do a full check on the bike to see if there are any problems with it. Of course you will have to pay for it. Only do this if you are really serious about buying the bike. This will save you a lot of problems down the road if you purchase the bike. It is generally better to buy a bike directly off the owner.

If you want to purchase and continue to own the bike, there are a few things to keep in mind. You will need to put aside cash for a few extra things other than the price of the bike. Here is a list of it.

1) Insurance - Every year you will have to put aside money for insurance, it will keep going down year after year if you don't get into any accidents.

2) Road tax - This has to be renewed every 6 months - 1 year. The price will depend on the engine size of the bike you have and your bike's carbon emmision. If I'm not wrong.

3) Season parking - It is less than 20 SGD for HDB

4) Cash Card- You need to have money for cash card when entering car parks with gantry and also for paying ERP

5) Fuel - Depends on your bike's tank size and it's fuel consumption

6) Regular motorcycle maintenance

7) Motorcycling gear - Raincoat/helmet/gloves

8) Parts replacement- Tyres/brake pads/clutchplates/ or if anything goes wrong

For now this is all I can think of, so owning a motorcycle is not so cheap, although it is WAY cheaper than owning a car. Be sure you have enough funds for all of these so that your bike doesn't take a toll on your wallet. Don't regret making a purchase on a bike just because you couldn't wait to get your hands on a motorcycle.