Finally passed your class 2B and got your p-plate? Congratulations! Welcome to the thrilling world of riding. There are a lot of things to learn — it is just the beginning. First things first, what bike are you looking at? In this post, let kakak share with you and help you a bit ok? (more…)
Tag: singapore
Review: Lola Faye Café
My partner and I were craving something in the late evenings. Most cafés in Singapore close around 10 pm – which is pretty acceptable, but we just… wanted to get fat (haha!). Add a halal-certified cafe to the mix, and you get Lola Faye Café!
Lola Faye Café
It is a little bit far for us since we both stay in Jurong. However, we were chilling by East Coast Park, and the café was convenient to go to!
- Address: 35 Hamilton Rd, Singapore 209204
- Opening Hours: 2 pm to 2 am every day, closed on Mondays
Surprise, surprise! This café’s operating hours start at 2 pm, and end at 2 am. Perfect for those who like to chill in the middle of the night. I’m so envious of those staying in the East…
The area is also peppered with bars and other cafés and Mamak shops. You’re also a stone’s throw away from Jalan Besar Stadium and *cough* my ex-workplace (People’s Association) *cough*. I’d chill around these areas more often to explore the other cafés (mostly non-halal-certified).
When we arrived around 10 pm, there was a pretty long queue. Good thing for us, we were only two people, and seats were almost available after 15 minutes of waiting. The café’s ambiance was cozy for customers, and the aesthetics were excellent for Instagrammers.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take photos of the café, but I did take pictures of the food…
What did we have?
- Peachy Peaches Milkshake
- Oreo Strawberry Milkshake
- Biscotti Ice cream with Buttermilk Waffle
- Hokkaido Milk Ice cream with Charcoal Waffle and Chocolate Drizzle
Do We Recommend?
Yup! I think it’s a solid 4 out of 5 for me. The Buttermilk Waffle was slightly chewier than the Charcoal Waffle. The combination of the ice cream and waffle was a hit. I would skip the Chocolate Drizzle (a top-up of $1) because it overwhelms the Hokkaido Milk ice cream.
The drinks were a little sweet for my taste, but I’m so used to drinking 25% and 0% bubble teas, so there’s a bit of a bias there. Note: I’m not a food reviewer by any means, so please take my review with a pinch of salt!
Owning a Motorbike in Singapore
You’ve gotten your motorbike license and are ever ready to go on the road. However, know the costs of owning a motorbike in Singapore.
Singapore is one of the most expensive countries to own any vehicle. That does not deter the many who do get it, though. A baseline before you proceed: do take some time to understand what the Certificate of Entitlement is.
After owning a motorbike for close to six years now, it has become a habit to track what I spend on my transportation needs. That, too, has affected my decision on whether I want to upgrade my bike to a 400cc and above. Without further ado, here are the costs you need to consider before committing yourself to a motorbike.
Cost of the Bike
You will have two choices:
- New Bike (SGD 10,000+ onwards)
- Secondhand Bike (SGD5,000 onwards)
There are pros and cons to either option that should always be at the back of your mind.
New Bike
The most obvious thing is the price tag. Even for a kapchai, a clutch-less 150cc motorbike, the price can go up to SGD7,000 and beyond, excluding the COE. Do consider how much you are willing to put for downpayment and instalments, or you would like to pay total cash.
One thing to note is that the cost of a new motorbike increases if you choose to pay via monthly instalments over total cash. This is where shops have interest rates to earn money over nothing.
Secondhand Bike
Secondhand bikes are known to be notorious for having hidden problems. Most of the beautiful secondhand bikes on display for a fraction of the cost of new ones have hidden stories. You won’t know until you ride into them after a week. After all, it is a machine with many different parts that are just too difficult to evaluate on the surface level, such as the engine.
It’s not all bad, though. Having imperfections in a secondhand bike allows you to learn the most out of breakdowns.
If you are a new rider, I recommend riding a secondhand bike.
Being a novice rider will have you drop the bike more often than you think.
Pro-tip: Get a seasoned/experienced rider friend to help you find a suitable bike for you when you head to the workshops!
Petrol
Oil prices are increasing, and that directly affects us, consumers. Are you using your bike for commuting? Or are you using your bike for work, e.g. food delivery? This will affect mileage, which affects the amount of petrol your bike uses.
Maintenance
This is a huge thing. Please take a look at this maintenance schedule for the Honda CB150R (which is the model of my current motorbike). On top of the petrol top-ups, I change my engine oil monthly. CB150R is particularly a hardy model, but it will fail if I don’t care for the heart. Any bike would!
Not only that, Singapore’s weather can be unforgiving. You will need to take care of your bike through dusty days and rainy days. The way you ride will affect how your engine and motorcycle treads react.
In general, these are what I usually take note off:
- Well-oiled chain with enough slack
- Effective front and rear brakes
- Working signals and horn
- Smooth clutch process
- Fresh treads on tyres
- Monthly Engine Oil Maintenance
- Sufficient Coolant and Brake Fluid
- Change Air Filter (after a year or two/if it’s dirty, whichever is earlier)
- Battery Charge/Change
- Check for any weird noises
- Chain and Sprocket Change (once every two years or if the sprocket wears down)
- Functioning Spark Plug
- Smooth Suspension
- Petrol Level
- Air-filled Tyres
To lower the costs, you can purchase spare parts from workshops, suppliers and Carousell. I usually buy bike accessories from Carousell and Shopee because I am team #convenience. For example, this chain and sprocket for CB150R cost $95 instead of $150+.
The Administrative Stuff
We also need to be responsible riders too. These are the things to take note of.
Road Tax
Road tax varies from $20 to $40 per 6 months. It depends on the type of motorcycle and its age of it. It is higher as the bike gets older.
Insurance
If you are a new rider, premiums are expensive ~$1000 per year. However, this drastically reduces after your 2nd year of riding. There are usually three types of motorcycle insurance:
- Third-Party (the cheapest)
- Third-Party Fire & Theft
- Comprehensive
I usually go for Third Party for my first and second bikes. However, with the increasing reports of vehicles on fire, I am warier and have increased the coverage on my motorcycle. With my CB150R, I selected the Third Party Fire & Theft. As of writing, for a 25-year-old with six years of riding experience, the premiums were $425.95 per annum. My renewal is coming soon, and I might be able to get a premium for around $300.
Interested in getting motorcycle insurance? You can use my referral code here to get a discount!
Season Parking
For motorbikes, there are two types of season parking – the normal one, which requires you to pay for your residential spot monthly and also pay if you use other HDB carparks or the Concessionary Season Parking, which is fixed at $20/month (and still have a spot at your residential carpark). This allows you to park anywhere at HDB carparks (except red lots and red, white lots after restricted hours).
I recommend the Concessionary Season Parking for ease of mind and apply via GIRO (automatic deduction). There is a rebate of 2% (40 cents) for every successful deduction, which works out to be $4.80 per year.
Transfer of Ownership (for second-hand bikes)
If you’re looking to purchase a second-hand bike, there is a transfer of ownership fee. Usually, the buyer will bear this cost if you’re buying from an individual (like from Carousell), and you can sometimes negotiate if the seller is a workshop. The transfer fee is $20 – not expensive, but it is still an expense.
Accessories
You might want to spend on items for aesthetics or necessity. Here’s a list of things that you might need to purchase one time or every once in a while (the list is not exhaustive):
- Chain Lube
- Tool Kit Box
- Raincoat
- Phone Holder
- WD40/Chain Cleaner
- Soap and Wax/Cleaning Supplies
- Motorcycle Jack (most CB150R in Singapore do not have a main stand, so you cannot oil your chain by yourself)
- Helmet
- Any other protective Gear (Jacket, Gloves etc.)
Overall Monthly Costs
Currently, below are the rough costs to take note of per month for CB150R, daily commute:
| Petrol ($20 x 6) | 120.00 |
| Season Parking | 20.00 |
| Engine Oil (1.2L) | 21.60 |
| Road Tax | 3.67 |
| Insurance (Fire & Theft) | 35.50 |
| Total | 200.77 |
Note that this does not include the periodic maintenance like changing coolant, spark plug etc., and any significant incidences like a flat battery, which requires a change or towing (on average, from $35 onwards).
Ride Safe!
With that being said, I hope this gives you more clarity into the costs involved in owning a motorcycle in Singapore. Feel free to connect with me @kanochromia on Instagram if you have any burning questions!
Review: Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Beach Road (January 2022)
Hello everyone.
It has been a while since I touched this space. I want to share my staycation experience at Pan Pacific Service Suites Beach Road with you. Both my friends and I stayed there from 12 to 14 January 2022. We wanted more holiday, even though December had just passed. Plus, who can say no to a fun experience at a serviced apartment hotel?
Checking In
Based on the reviews we saw on Google and Agoda, the check-in process was relatively slow. Officially, the check-in time was at 3 pm. I felt that it was true. We had to wait a long time in the lobby, and some of the staff were unsure what to do with the documentation. There was only two concierge staff, and I could feel that they were stressed.
We only managed to check-in at 5 pm – but that was because we requested a bathtub. A previous guest was staying in the room we were to stay in. The concierge offered us access to the pool and gym while waiting, but we were already hungry. We left our luggage and went for a late lunch around the area. The concierge claimed that she tried to call us on my mobile around 4 pm when we came back. But I did not receive any notifications whatsoever… but it’s okay.
We stayed in room 1008 (10th floor). We had a sliced view of the Singapore Flyer and the constructions along Nicoll Highway. Despite the construction works, we did not hear much of it – which was awesome!
Quality of Stay
We stayed in a One Bedroom Deluxe Suite with King Bed and had our request for a bathtub fulfilled. Only the Deluxe rooms (which were the cheapest) had bathtubs. However, not all of the Deluxe rooms had bathtubs —request for it, subject to availability.
The rooms were dated – a bit of the laminate on the walls was peeled, and the carpeted floorings along corridors were dirty. Some of the wall edges in the room were chipped. We weren’t very picky, but there has to be a refresh of the carpets.
What we loved was the kitchenette. That was the primary purpose of our stay! We had most of our meals here. Cooking with friends was a fun activity, especially when the current Safe Management Measures didn’t allow BBQ in public parks yet.
The kitchenette facilities and utensils were just enough for us. However, we noticed that one of the two induction stoves didn’t work. We never figured out whether it was faulty or deactivated due to a safety feature.
One highlight of our stay was the infinity pool. Located on the top floor next to the 24-hour gym, the pool faces the sunrise. So imagine me – pulling my friends up in the wee hours of the morning to go for a sunrise swim! Bonus points – we were the only ones on the top floor (gym and pool!).
Vicinity
I would recommend a stay here if you are a foodie like me. Located just a street away from the famed Arab Street, tons of food options are available. Note that the hours are shortened due to COVID-19, and none of the stalls are open 24 hours. The only open shops are 7-11… which is also right in the middle of the Arab Street area.
Food/Beverages to Try (in no particular order):
- The Dim Sum Place
- The Ramen Stall
- Zam Zam or Victory
- fika
- Bhai Sarbat
Would I stay here again?
For sure. I would book the same room type to enjoy the bathtub experience and cooking with family or friends. Or go with a significant other. The sunrise swim was a romantic experience.
I didn’t mind that the room type was on a ‘lower’ floor. Level 10 was high enough to see the surroundings. Even though our stay was during the weekdays, there were lots of people checking in. I cannot imagine what the service would be like during the weekends.
So yes, (cheaper) weekday stays!
My Class 2 Journey (COVID-19 Edition)
… And here it is. My final journey to get a Class 2 license in Singapore (which happened to be during COVID-19).