Tay Kheng Soon is a veteran Singaporean architect.

The 76-year-old previously headed the Singapore Institute of Architects, and is an adjunct architecture professor at the National University of Singapore. He was also former chairman of The Substation and founding Chairman of the Singapore Planning and Urban Research group (a group of cool dudes who came together in the 1970s to think of crazy ideas for Singapore as a whole).

Tay also happens to be a motorcyclist. On his Facebook page, he recently posted a number of photos of himself with his motorbikes over the years, like this one:

Pictured here, notes Tay in a comment on his photo, is a Honda Gold Wing 1000cc, circa 1970.

But more importantly, we're talking about Tay and his motorcycles because of a comment he posted describing what it is like to ride a motorcycle in Singapore, in the wake of the latest Budget announcements of hugely-hiked additional registration fees (ARF).

In case you're not already aware, here's the breakdown in one image:

As a consequence, we've already seen from the latest COE bidding exercise that motorcycle COE prices have gone up, alongside all the others. Tay himself, in a status he posted on the issue, called it a "punishment meted out fair and square to bike owners as it is to car owners".

"Bikes of all types whether 'luxury' or ordinary are not only efficient transportation, they are a joy in an increasingly joyless life. The State will reap what it sows eventually — hatred. So sometimes it is wise to stay the administrative hand on the jackpot machine. This is one such time."

Here's his Facebook post in full:

But what we want to highlight is this beautiful description he left in a comment on his status, reflecting on the experience of motorbike-riding that, well, only motorcycle aficionados can identify with:

In it, Tay argues that the experience of riding a motorbike teaches a person

- heightened senses and alertness,

- how to be road-savvy and street-smart,

- the effect of urbanisation on island temperatures, just to name three benefits,

But on the whole, it's just a really lovely description that makes us really want to go out and get a bike ourselves to experience it... or maybe not, given the new charges and restrictions on COE supply. Ah well.

Guess those of us who don't ride just have to content ourselves with imagining how awesome it must be. Here's his comment in full, with paragraphing and minor punctuation added for clarity:

"Those who sit in cars don't know the joys of riding a motorcycle. Riding keeps the senses wide awake as you move through 360space with the wind in your face and the hum of your smooth running bike. You are one with the machine, it's every mood you feel. You are constantly scanning well ahead and back to the road surface nearby, your eyes dart to the rear mirrors on left and right to anticipate the movement of other vehicles, you read the body language of all other vehicles, you expect the unexpected. You anticipate foolish moves by others. If you stand on your rights you don't survive. Suddenly some idiot driver may cut in. You curse the idiot. To survive you have to be savvy. It's a lesson in life every young person should do.

No one understands temperature variations a biker does. When you ride past trees you feel the temperature go down. When you pass by the nature reserves you really understand the heat island effect of urbanisation when you experience blessed coolness. These are the joys of biking the desk-bound and MRT-delivered people never know. That's is why they can abstractly punish bikers for the loophole they enjoy which must therefore be taken away in shared misery. Little do they know what sin they commit when they kill little by little the few joys left."

Anyone else suddenly feeling a little sad?

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More on the latest budget measures on motorcycles:

Motorcycle blogger-enthusiast calls Budget 2017 motorcycle measures “daylight robbery”

All you need to know about the 2017 Budget Statement in 3 minutes

Top photo from Tay Kheng Soon's Facebook page