Cruising for bruising

Lately, I found myself scanning the classified ads section of several dailies looking at the used vehicle section. More specifically, the section on used motorcycles. Much to the dismay of my wife, who made me promise to finish the restoration of my 1971 Camaro Rally Sport first before embarking on another project. After assuring her that I am merely looking around, "window shopping" so to speak, she let me continue my search.

I started to seriously consider getting my own bike after watching several motorcyclists scoot by while I sat in my car idling for 30 minutes in heavy traffic for what was supposed to be a short-distance drive. A bike would liberate me from this choking traffic and cut my commuting time by more than half. After weighing the pros and cons of motorcycling, I decided that a bike could be a cost-effective alternative mode of transportation. Besides, it could be fun.

I mentally listed the criteria for my future bike and decided that it should be small, simple and cheap. Small to squeeze into traffic gaps, simple to maintain and cheap to run and repair.

With these in mind, I initially considered scooters for their practicality and the convenience of their built-in storage space, but the machismo of riding a cruiser became more attractive and eventually won me over. After looking at several used cruiser and talking to their owners, I came to the conclusion that I do not have the time nor (more importantly) the money to commit myself to a full-blown restoration of a used bike. It was then that I decided to look into brand-new cruisers with single cylinder motors since they fall into the "small" and "simple" qualification of my future bike. I looked at several brands before I got enthralled with Kymco’s appropriately named Cruiser 125.

The Kymco Cruiser is a lightweight, low-slung street bike powered by a 4-stroke, air-cooled, overhead cam 125-cc single with capacitor discharge ignition and a built-in oil cooler. It has a long wheelbase (for a single-cylinder cruiser) at 1460mm, which guarantees a smooth and stable ride while the 6-spoke 18-inch front wheel and 15-inch rear wheel shod with 130/90 rubber provides a correct cruiser look with the right rake angle. With an overall length of 2183mm, the Cruiser is short enough to fit in all but the tightest traffic situations, while the orange/black/chrome color combination makes it look downright cool and visually arresting. The straight handlebar is a concession to the ergonomics of the bike, making steering a bit heavy at low speeds, but the style factor effectively overweighs this shortcoming. Attention to detail is quite high, as evidenced by the chromed side stand.

Riding the Cruiser is very easy. An electric starter cranks the engine to life, but a primary kick-start is also available, just in case. The engine, which makes 11.5ps at 8500rpm, idles smoothly and produces a distinct mechanical whine at higher rpm, which can be attributed to the overhead cam chain drive. There is a noticeable decrease in the vibration inherent in single-cylinder bikes due to the engine’s 4-stroke configuration. Power delivery is linear, and the controls fall well into hand. The clutch action is light and direct, the 5-speed transmission provides crisp shifts and acceleration is brisk.

When the need to rein in those horses arises, the front disc and rear drum brakes give sure-footed stopping power and excellent feedback. The low seat height is a blessing when you get caught by a stoplight and you need to plant your feet back on earth.

And one of the best down-to-earth features of the Kymco Cruiser is its acquisition cost. If you have spare cash burning a hole in your pocket, the bike will set you back by only P95,500, which is considerably lower than most of its competitors.

But if you opt to get the Cruiser through financing, S.C. Kymco Pilipinas has laid out an "Employee Livelihood Program" where you can get the bike without shelling out the downpayment. In this program, your company gets accredited by Kymco, and becomes your guarantor for the loan on the purchase of the bike. If and once you’re qualified, your loan is treated like a "salary loan" wherein the monthly amortization will be deducted from your salary by your company. Thus, the price of the bike is split into equal monthly payments at a financing term that is highly attuned to your salary bracket.

With the Cruiser for example, around P9,400 is deducted from your monthly salary if you choose to pay for it in 12 months. However, should you wish to pay for it in 36 months, the amortization is a low P4,200 monthly, which is P2,100 semi-monthly or just P140 a day. It’s like having your cake and eating it, too, albeit in affordable proportions.

And since this program comes at no cost to your company, your boss will find it difficult to say no since the company will also be helping its employees. He might probably consider getting a bike, too.

Convincing the spouse to agree to a new motorcycle, however, is a more difficult proposition. Now, where did I keep those candleholders, wineglasses, and long-stem rose vases?

(Note: Other Kymco products, such as the Kargador 150, Stryker 150, Top Boy 100, Apex Dink 150, People 150, Vivo 150, Bet&Win 250, Pulsar 125 and Spike 125 are also available through the Employee Livelihood Program. To have your company accredited, please call 821-8479 or 822-1052, fax 822-1054 or email [email protected])