*If you don't feel like reading through this lengthy post, go ahead and read the last two paragraph for my conclusion on the bike.
Here are reasons why i love my bike:-
1. 30 ringgit lasts me 7 days of traveling 40km a day. That's basically a minimum of 280km for a full tank! And that's town driving, baby!
2. Gets me through traffic easy. Not counting Jalan Semantan, of course. But then again, that road is basically the portal to the abyss so i get it - it eats you up and spits you out only when it's done with you. But i digress.
3. I can park almost anywhere i want and this basically means parking right outside of KFC to enjoy my original recipe chicken in a split second! (Thigh please)
4. Sami Vellu can kiss my ASS! Take the shortest route to wherever for no toll cost!
5. I look awesome on it - so imagine me, already awesome on my bike; that's like awesome the power of 2 holy shit!
And to these ends, if any of you have the urge to break free from the confinement of your prison like car - but don't like to ride those small and noisy TZM or Cups; and neither are you endowed with the kings ransom it takes to buy even a middleweight bike - i present to you:
The NAZA Blade 250!Cheap without looking cheapo, and functions well... sorta.
The bike has been good to me so far - big enough to raise your ego sky high (seriously, i just can't help looking at myself when i pass by those reflective windows) and slim enough to cut through lanes ala too fast and too furious.
Here are something you might want to do before buying a bike.
If you're dirt poor, like me: con your little sister into buying your car that you still havent payed in full for and use that money to buy the NAZA Blade 250. If you have no gullible er i mean nice and understanding siblings, then you might want to opt for the NAZA loan, which makes a fool out of you in the longrun, but still kinda worth it, in my opinion.
If you have a little bit more money, unlike me: Buy the NAZA Blade 250, but please, please change the brakes, clutch, gearbox and wheels - both of them. Will get back to this later.
If you have a bit more than a little bit more money, also unlike me: Buy the NAZA Blade 600. An excellent bike that is in a league way higher than the 250. It's true, you don't need to change anything - it's perfect the way it is awesome gearing system, brakes, wheels... the works.
If you're filthy rich: Do yourself a favor and go buy a Ducati Monster. Lighter, faster, smoother and you can be my new best friend as well.
Now since al i have is the 250 Blade, let's talk about the 250 Blade yeah?
One main question i had before buying the bike was "What about the spare parts? Is NAZA reliable?" Well the NAZA i go to is pretty much reliable (the main HQ) but even if NAZA somehow closes all their shop, you won't find it hard to find spares. Can't find a Blade part? Go look for Hyosung Comet part! No Comet? Well there you go, a Suzuki part can fit! In other words: NO PROBLEM!
Then i was also looking into the maintenance of the bike. Well, it's practically your usual stuff... other than the chains that is. I don't know why but it has to be lubed all the time. It's like it's on a 24/7 menopause or something. Dries up just like that. And then again, you can't simply use any lubrication, you need to use one of them R-spec lubes. I found that out the hard way - when my chain just simply failed to function and falls apart. 12 bearings had broken over the time, apparently. Ah well, you live you learn right? Oh yeah, and don't ever forget to take out your keys from the ignition. Even if you feel like leaving it in (as a show of your confidence in you awesomity), do NOT leave it in the ON position. I did that once (awesomity) and after a mere hour, the battery had died on me. RM 6 to charge it up! Kah Ching!
Love the old fashion headlight.
But amongst all the question i had, i think the most important one was this: "What is the quality like?"
My answer now, after more than half a year experience with the bike is this:
The engine is great.
Yup, the bike has a great engine. What can you expect from the makers of the Suzuki engines right? Apparently Hyosung, the bike maker has been providing engines for Suzuki for ages when they went up and asked Suzy if they can go ahead and sell their own bike, pretty please - to which Suzy said sure, as long as it does not look like our design, which it didn't.
Yes the engine is lovely. And i'm not repeating this just to fill up space making this post longer, but the engine really is great. It purrs and runs perfectly. Lovely, lovely great engine.
Too bad about the rest of the bike.
My back brakes went kaput after a few months. Within that same few months, i suddenly can't go to Neutral unless the bike is moving or the engine is dead. Also, the chassis is kinda heavy for a 250 engine so you just KNOW that you can go faster than 140km/h (160 red line) if only the bike was a bit lighter. Oh and don't get me started on the wheels. Damn Shinko wheels. Apparently they put some sort of chemical to make the wheels last longer, not realizing that it has a high chance of making the rider's life last shorter. Yeah, it sticks well on a dry road but come some water, or god forbid, sad - you'll be riding with your life flashing past you. I've had incidents whereby the bike actually glided on a straight road. A straight road! Solution? Use it at your own risk and wait it out or buy a new set of wheels. However, I have read somewhere that you can file the wheels to get rid of the chemical thingy but by the time i read that, my wheels had become a bit more bearable.
So that's it. Great engine, awesome looks with low quality brakes, clutch, gearing system and wheels plus a chassis that's too heavy for the power of the engine.
It is quite cheap though - although this is what the price SHOULD be like for all bikes if it was not for the stupid Big Bike Tax here in good old Malaysia... So NO. It is not cheap. it's cheap when you compare to other bikes in Malaysia but the truth is, it's not cheap.
By the way, check out the third line on the warning sticker on the tank.
4. Do not be touched on muffler because it is hot.These Koreans are crazy.
All in all, despite the brakes, clutch and the wheels; i love my bike. It's a great bike for KL riding, cutting through lanes feel smooth and the pickup is powerful enough for that annoying traffic light that always changes to yellow as you get near it. Highway riding is OK, as it is heavy and stable enough so that you don't really fight the wind from your sides while riding. Even that twisty turn can be fun (just make sure it's dry!) and the bike is just a few parts change away from being one of the best out there on the road.
It's no Ducati, but it does it's job well enough to deserve a private name for you to call it fondly as you ride it. By the way, Sarimah is taken so get your own private name.
