Follow Up: Some Motorists Cry Injustice at NEA’s Ban on Older Bikes
With NEA’s recent ban on older motorbikes, owners of said bikes were distressed. Some had planned to pass down the older bikes to their children, some had wanted to use it as a long-term investment, some treated those motorbike as their prize possessions, even calling it their “pride and joy”. But few have ever thought of deregistering their precious bikes, which could almost be thought of as classic motorcycles at this point.
One such example is the case of Mr Joseph Tan, 45, whose bike was registered merely 3 days before the cut-off date state by the NEA (July 1st, 2003). As the owner of Facebook group ‘Custom Bikes Xchange’, Mr Tan has also stated on his Facebook posts that NEA’s “assumptions are greatly flawed” and the bikes’ value has been “reduced to a measly $3,500”, resulting in a “murder of all bikes registered across a 10 years period”. To counter this, Mr Tan is taking the opportunity of the event ‘Ride Sunday’ to protest the ban on older bikes. Although there are no news or organizers for this event in Singapore, he states that any motorists who wish to join him in his cause can follow his updates on the Facebook page ‘Custom Bikes Xchange’.
(For the reader’s reference, ‘Ride Sunday’ is a global event that takes place on the first Sunday of June annually. This year, it will be held on the 3rd of June in an effort to “create change through [the motorists’] passion of hitting the open roads, dirt roads and winding roads.” To find out more, visit their official website at https://www.ridesunday.com/!)
Meanwhile, other motorists are looking into whether they can convert their bikes to Classic status, and some are even considering exporting their motorbikes overseas so as to continue their hobby and maintain their vehicles.