Varadero XL 125v

l3stat SG

say engine guard to make your $70 more worth it! Very Happy yah i completely forgot where i saw the post liao... need to ask those people in STR.. think that's where i saw it...

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rock hard... ride free...

zensg SG

Helo guys,
I'm new to singapore and have got 2B license just few days back. After receieving the license I went to check some bike shops at Serangon Rd with great enthusiasm but it was really a pain to see very few options for the bikes under 200cc. I saw Varadero XL125 at one shop and the guy there was quoting S$9800 for it with everything included. On another shop(which had no varadero in stock) was quoting S$7000 with everything included and promising 2 week delivery on order...i double checked - everyting included and of course first hand. What really baffled me further was that the guy on the second shop(cheaper price one) was really discouraging me from purchasing the bike. He was saying that this bike has some overheating problem and spare parts are very expensive. And that the resale value is very bad. I really loved the bike but these strange things are confusing me. I'm new here so you people's advice would be highly appreciated.

clockwise SG

heh...my friend,
what the second shop ppl say is true, as the model that u have indicated is consider new to the market, the parts are not easy to find and workmanship for spoilt parts will be more than others.

So my recommendation is either u dun ride for now and upgrade for bigger bikes, or u jus get a normal bike to ride now and wait for upgrading..

and in any case, have fun riding. Smile

l3stat SG

ay man.. i was considering this bike as well... but the power really puts me off. its 15bhp is about all the smallish v-twin can give, for a 150kg (dry-weight) frame. not wishing to intimidate you with figures, but it'll be hurt in pick-up. however, two riders of the bike have given me good reviews, regarding stability, fuel consumption and ease of ride. oh yeah, and if you're thinking of adding more power by mods, not really feasible. one owner i talked is a dirtbike/motard mech, he spent quite a packet on an after-market straight through exhaust, modified the airbox and rejetted the bike. the result? "nothing fantastic, don't expect too much..."

er.. actually, this bike banks in on the typical new biker's desire to ride a shiny large bike as soon as possible... but the added weight of the frame with the small engine means it's not going anywhere in a hurry. it's also designed for the UK "learner legal" market, where the max power is 15bhp.

regarding parts, i won't worry so much if i were you, but cosmetics wise, i would. it's unlikely that it would require any major parts change in the first 2 years, being a new bike, if you maintain the bike regularly. probably after then, when the market for it picks up, you're going to see more parts for it. but do think about cosmetic things like fairings. er.. not cursing you, but it's easy to get damaged fairings... accidents and stuff. not easy to find... oh yes, accessories are expensive. go to the UK honda website, they have a list of accessories there. a PLASTIC exhaust undercowling costs $260. Smile

as for whether you should buy a new bike as your first bike etc, i won't touch on that. just think what you want out of your bike. cheap, economical transport? then it's the bike for you. a full tank is 17litres, and can go up to i quote "450+km" but if you're looking for something fun and fast to ride when you need the pickup, it's probably a bad choice. just drop me a line if you wanna know more about it. btw, $7k sounds quite impossible, especially OTR, everywhere i've gone to quotes $9.5k OTR, at least. kuang tai lee at ubi even quoted me $10.4k! Shocked

so which shop quoted you $7k? care to share? don't worry, don't think lines of people are forming to "snatch" the bike from you... Smile

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rock hard... ride free...

[This message has been edited by l3stat (edited 24 March 2002).]

zensg SG

Thanks a lot guys for your quick and insightful info. I fully understand your point that this bike rides on your desire to ride a fleshy bike asap. Though I've not made my mind yet about what I'm going to purchase. I want to purchase a bike which I would ride for around 1-2 years atmost, mostly in Spore and don't want more than 3K depreciation in first year. What would you recommend..Varadero, Aprillia, NSR ????<br>
About the shop which quoted me S$7K - I donn know whether the guy was conning me or what. The addrs of the shop is Bike Production Pvt Ltd. 610 Serangoon Rd <br>
Thanks again for your responses

nismoS132 SG

if you ask my opinion.

if you really want a chopper/cruiser, get the Phantom 150.

it's a 2 stroke liquid cooled engine.
it holds up to 9 litres of petrol, 2 litres of reserve, totaling 11 litres and cast last your 180-220 Km depending on your riding style.

it looks good, it is fast.

but if you want my honest opinion, don't get a cruiser. they're slow, noisy, bulky, and personally i think they're ugly.

get the NSR RR or the NSR SP.

please do not get the KRR, ah tee's friend whose riding a KRR recently had a small accident, the frame of the bike broke.
it cannot withstand strong impact, do not get it.

aprilia rs125... after 1-2 years, the value of the bike will drop drastically.

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press for NOS
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l3stat SG

Oh... i hear bike production is a black shop.. very black.. as is mah motors opposite the fire station. black in what sense i'm not sure, but i haven't heard anything good about them.

eh $7k really, might be possible, but definitely not OTR. i dunno man.. i suppose if the guy sticks to his word, and you really want the bike, go ahead, just don't go back to those shops to service...

regarding your bike choice, best way to avoid depreciation, is to get a used bike. when you get a new bike, even when you sell like in 1 or 2 months, it knocks off at least $500 off the value. reasoning behind this is that you gotta entice the buyer to buy your bike, over paying the small difference and getting a new one. certain bikes depreciate faster, like continental bikes. so, get a used one, and one with good resale, like erm.. honda or yamaha bikes. i was told this lar.. a new cagiva planet costs about $11k, 2 years later, it sells for about $6k at the dealer.. so deduct the markup that the dealer gives on this bike, you can figure out how much the owner loses...

if you want a decent, practical ride, and you're not looking for speed or fun, get the varadero, but as nismo said, there're a lot of other good alternatives to that bike... $7k OTR is still okay, but definitely not $9k+! among the bikes you listed, i would go for SP.

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rock hard... ride free...

runner 180 SG

Ya, agreed with you!! Smile Smile

zensg SG

Thanks guys !! You’ve been really helpful. I’ve got some idea now about for which bike to go. I’ll try if I could close the deal for Varadero for 7k without any pitfalls – 10k for not so reliable bike is definitely expensive. If couldn’t then I’ll go for NSR SP.

l3stat SG

wah i really suggest you go for the SP lar... $7k can buy a very good bike. a nice SP and maybe an arai helmet for what's left over! cos the varadero would be very hard to sell. i went to see the bike.. chio is chio.. but think about the power? SIGH~ sian... oh btw, the brake fluid inlet on the right handle-bar? hits the windscreen when you make a full left-turn. nothing much lar, just didn't expect a $9000 bike to have this kind of flaw.

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rock hard... ride free...

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