SINGAPORE — To the layman's eye, Mr John Han's Honda S110 looks like any other motorcycle with its red-hued body and black trimmings.

But to its owner, the 42-year-old machine holds many fond memories of the past, and his family.

The 39-year-old bike enthusiast inherited the two-wheeler from his father after the elder Han passed away in 2004.

This family heirloom, however, could be carted off to the junkyard under a new rule announced by the National Environment Agency (NEA) last Friday (April 6). The agency's latest initiative to curb carbon emissions states that motorcycles registered before July 1, 2003, will no longer be allowed on roads from July 1, 2028, and must be exported or scrapped.

"I'm the second owner," said Mr Han proudly as he showed TODAY the bike's red logbook, where his name is preceded by his late father's.

He recalled how his technician father had used the motorcycle as a "workhorse" to travel around the island to carry out service work for Singapore Telecommunications (now known as Singtel). His fondest childhood memories were from the times the father and son pair spent on the 105-cc motorcycle, and "We were very close," added Mr Han.

His dad also taught him all he knows about the machines and motorcycle riding, sparking off a lifelong passion for two-wheelers, in particular the old Honda.

Riding on his Honda S110 also brings back memories of times spent cruising through some of Singapore's kampungs. "We were going to my maternal grandmother's place…riding past old buildings, through small roads and deep into the kampong area…I knew they were going to be gone someday," said Mr Han, who works in the financial sector.

Unlike the villages that have since made way for modernity, he is determined to preserve his father's motorcycle, and his family's memories. With NEA's new rules, Mr Han's only solution to save the bike from the junkyard is to sell it an overseas buyer, or opt for the Classic Vehicle Scheme, a choice that is less than ideal for most vintage motorcycle collectors.

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'DEATH SENTENCE'

Mr Han and five other riders from an informal group of heritage bike enthusiasts spoke to TODAY this week about how NEA's regulation will impact them, and other collectors.

NEA figures indicated that older bikes emit up to 30 times more pollutants than new machines, and that they contribute 40 per cent of the total carbon monoxide emitted by motorcycles on the road.

The group felt that the NEA's data did not make sense, as they wondered how older motorcycles could contribute to a large percentage of carbon pollution.

"(These are) really rare bikes that you would hardly see on the roads," said Mr Lim Tian Hai, the owner of Kombi Rocks, a retro-style diner that features automobiles from the yesteryears.

They added that they hardly ride their bikes except for special events such as charity rides, weekend commutes, or the occasional night rides to "de-stress". Even then, they spend a lot of time and effort keeping their machines in pristine condition to meet annual inspections, which means that the engines would not emit a large amount of pollutants, said the owners.

On the other hand, Mr Andy Tan, who is part of the group, questioned if the "thousands of motorcycles" coming in daily from across the Causeway met regulation standards. "Who is going to regulate them?" he asked.

While the group agreed with NEA's efforts to curb pollution, they felt it could have been handled better. They said a dialogue session with the affected bikers would have been beneficial to help come up with a solution. Instead, they were given "no options, just a death sentence" for their bikes.

While they are part of a group of lucky owners that will be allowed to convert their motorcycles to the classic scheme, they felt doing so would diminish the heritage value behind the motorcycles.

"It is not just dollars and cents," said Mr Eddy Neo, 41.

"The black plate tells a story," he added, as he explained that it indicated a motorcycle was an "original Singapore-registered bike". Converting it to the classic scheme would make it hard to differentiate it from an imported classic, which would have the same registration plate. It is an important point to consider, Mr Neo said, given the recent conversations about preserving heritage, and developing Singapore's culture.

"It may not seem like a big thing to some, but it is about preserving history," said Mr Neo, who works in the marine industry.

He added that "everyone is trying their own ways" to raise awareness about the rich heritage behind the bikes, and reach out to the authorities for open-table talks "to come out with better policies" to preserve them.

If the NEA could prove to them that their vintage motorcycles caused a bulk of the pollution mentioned in the data, they would "accept their decision", said Mr Neo.

Responding to TODAY's queries, a NEA spokesperson said: "We have received feedback from some owners of motorcycles registered before 1 July 2003, and we will continue to address their enquiries."