Good news for Kawasaki owners, potential or current ones as Kawasaki Motors Malaysia (KMM) had just signed an MOU with insurance company, Tokio Marine for the first ever bike company backed road side assistance service.
The program, Kawasaki RoadAssist will be able to aid riders to get back on the road from simple inconveniences such as aflat tyre, ran out of fuel or flat battery to major problems such as mechanical failures or even an accident.
According to KMM Director and GM, Jeffrey Lim, the service will be available to the rider or whoever is riding the covered bike, 24hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year in West Malaysia and certain parts of Sabah and Sarawak.
“All the rider needs to do is call the Kawasaki RoadAssist toll free number and the situation will be assessed and assistance is dispatched to the rider immediately,” explained Jeffrey.
The program is targeted to start on the 20th of April and interested owners can get more information about it at any Kawasaki authorised dealers.
The Sepang International Circuit (SIC) today unveiled its programme for the upcoming 2015 Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysia Grand Prix™ taking place from 27 to 29 March 2015. Launched by the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib, the programme aims to make the second round of the 2015 FIA Formula 1 World Championship a wholesome family affair this year. Also present were SIC Chairman Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir, PETRONAS Senior General Manager for Group Strategic Communications Liz Kamaruddin and SIC CEO Dato’ Razlan Razali.
“In conjunction with the Malaysia Year of Festival 2015, we were inspired to make the F1 Grand Prix programme one that celebrates the position of the race as an event that is firmly embedded in the public consciousness. After 17 years, we firmly believe that many Malaysians look forward to the race, even if they only watch it at home or enjoy photo opportunities during our annual F1 Grand Prix roadshow. Indeed, we are focusing on the family-theme to draw them out of the living room into the high-octane atmosphere of the circuit itself. F1 fans no longer need to choose between quality family time on a weekend and watching the race. They can now enjoy an outing with their family and friends to Sepang on race weekend itself. The earlier start time of the race at 3pm, plus the earlier end for the after-race concert combined with affordable tickets further contribute to making the event attractive for all ages,” said Tan Sri Mokhzani. (more…)
After the launch of the Suzuki V-Strom, V-Strom XT and Gladius yesterday we were given a chance to sample the three bikes on the Shah Alam Go-kart circuit.
Not the best circuit to test a big bike as it was designed for more agile go-karts but it did give us a sneak peek to what the bikes are all about.
First up was the V-Strom, the seat doesn’t feel too tall for an adventure style bike, at least for this 176cm tall rider.
Handle bar reach is just nice, not too far forward nor too close to the rider with a straight up seating position. At first the bike did feel a bit on the heavy side but generally ok as soon as you get going.
The Europeans with their bigger build love this bike as they throw it around the corners but being smaller, us Asians will find the V-Strom a bit bulky on slow speeds.
As mentioned the track was made for go-karts thus it was only possible to get more than second gear,, but for the shifting that we managed it was smooth with a nice clutch operation.
Power wise the 650 V is lovely, with good low end and mid range torque, just a bit of throttle input and the V-Strom jumps into action and its an easy engine to regulate between slow and medium speeds.
The brakes feels ample for the speeds we were riding it, very grabby but still linear brake feel.
Next was the V-Strom XT, biggest difference was the spoke-wheels with 19” up front and 17” on the rear. Generally this would usually meant sluggish turn ins, it was there, almost unnoticeable but very liveable.
A good compromise between a smaller and more agile 17” wheel or roll over anything but sluggish to turn 21”.
Something did irk us though and it was the ABS, having a 19”spoke wheel meant the V-Strom XT have a more off-road orientation, however it was not possible to switch the ABS off nor did Suzuki say that the ABS is off-road friendly. A question we will answer as soon as Suzuki lend us a unit to be ridden on more familiar roads.
Moving on it was the Gladius’s turn, close one eye and you might be forgiven to think its and Italian bike with those Trellis frame and V configuration engine, just with a bit more organic lines.
Low seat means this bike feels a bit more manageable for smaller riders, slightly forward riding position suits the bike’s characteristics.
It was small and nimble enough that we were able to get a bit more speed into the corners as compared to its to larger brothers, the V-Strom and V-Strom XT.
While it was too soon to tell there was a definite deference in engine response or was it just because it’s a lighter bike.
Quality with material and fitment feels and looks good on all three models, the only thing that we did feel was a bit off was the side mirrors on the V-Strom being slightly shorter to the handlebar.
The three bikes are definitely something you should check out if you are going for that class.
The first three days of MotoGP 2015 testing have just come to an end at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.
Essential information was drawn from the “three days” of testing for the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini. The new RS-GP showed good potential which now needs to be completely refined. Compared to the previous version, which was developed on a base that the Aprilia Racing Department knew very well, the changes are such to require further checks.
Romano Albesiano, Aprilia Racing Manager had this to say about the first tests at Sepang: “I can confirm what I said yesterday. The initial results are definitely positive, considering the fact that the new RS-GP is taking its first steps and that Aprilia’s return to MotoGP is a year ahead of schedule to fully develop the project during the course of the sport season. In order to grow we need to get into the mix with our rivals right away in race conditions, bearing in mind the difficulties that such a demanding new project will inevitably face.”
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Suzuki Assemblers Malaysia Sdn Bhd further broadens their product line up with three mid-range models this morning with the Gladius 650 ABS, the V-Strom 650 ABS and the V-Strom 650XT ABS.
While all three are 650cc models, each caters to a different segment with its own unique appeal based on the rider’s desires.
Starting with the V-Strom 650, its powered by a liquid-cooled 645cc V-Twin engine said to feature a good low and mid-range power with the dual throttle valve giving quick and linear throttle response.
It is coupled to a 6-speed transmission that have been tailored for active sporty rides with 1st through 5th gear ratios, while keeping highway cruises comfortable with a tall top gear.
Holding things together is a lightweight and rigid twin-spar aluminum-alloy frame and swingarm and suspension wise its equipped with spring-preload-adjustable 43mm-stanchion-tube front forks and link-type rear suspension with rebound stepless damping adjuster as well as a spring preload adjuster.
Stopping power comes from dual 310mm-disc brakes for the front and on the back its 260mm-disc brakes complete with ABS system.
While sharing the same configuration and engine there are enough differences between the two V-Strom versions that it caters to a slightly different type of riders.
The V-Strom 650 ABS can be said to excel at being the “Sport Tourer” while the V-Strom 650XT ABS is the “Sport Adventure” machine.
The V-Strom 650XT ABS has more adventurous styling with a distinctive front beak with integrated air ducts and wire-spoke wheels, 19” up front and 17 on the rear and it takes tubeless tyres.
And then you can make it look more adventure ready with a long list of original accessories starting with top and side cases which are available in plastic and in aluminum. The side cases fit close to the bike’s centre of gravity for rider-friendly handling.
The plastic top and left side cases are each big enough for a full-face helmet. The side-case carriers can be detached using quick-release screws to keep the bike slim.
And thats not all, you also have the accessory bar, an aluminium under guard, a chain guard, LED fog lamps, touring windscreen, knuckle covers and low and high seats, centre stand, a 12-volt accessory socket, an alarm kit, and a handlebar satnav bracket.
Last and not least of the three is the Gladius, the engine is about the same, a liquid-cooled 645cc V-Twin but with slightly different tuning for a more spirited riding experience.
While the V-Strom sits high and mighty, the Gladius seat is just 785mm off the ground but for taller riders they can opt for an optional higher seat that adds 20mm to the seat height.
Front and rear suspension feature adjustable spring pre-load, allowing the rider to adapt the bike to suit them.
The Gladius comes in gray, blue and mat black options, while the V-Strom variants come in white, gray, red and blue.
Basic Sales Price for V-Strom 650XT ABS is RM43,900, V-Strom 650 ABS is RM41,900 and Gladius 650 ABS is RM39,900.
Other bikes already in the Suzuki showroom are the HAYABUSA 1300, GSX1250FA, GSX-R1000 ABS, V-STROM 1000 ABS and the GSR750.
The FIM Asia Road Racing Championship is set to kick off its highly anticipated 20th season as the championship promoter released its 2015 race calendar that will see six rounds take place in five countries across Asia with Japan no longer hosting two rounds.
Sticking to traditions, the opening round takes place at Sepang, Malaysia (April 16-19) followed by the Sentul Circuit in Indonesia (June 4-7) with the mid-season round hosted in Japan at the historical Suzuka Circuit (August 27-30).
The only revision to the race calendar is that the Thailand and Qatar round have been switched around in the second half of the season. FIA-grade approved Buriram Circuit that held the penultimate round in 2014 will now stage the fourth and final round from the 27 to 30 August and second to sixth December respectively.
Meanwhile the floodlit Losail Circuit in Doha, Qatar that held the grand finale for the past five seasons will now host the penultimate round (September 30 – October 3). (more…)
The lineup is complete for the team that will take Aprilia into its rookie year in the 2015 MotoGP World Championship. Following the announcement of Alvaro Bautista earlier, joining him will be Marco Melandri who has officially been signed, fresh from the conclusion of the 2014 Superbike season. In that season with Aprilia Racing, Melandri took 6 wins and another 5 podiums that contributed significantly to Aprilia’s World Superbike (WSBK) Manufacturers’ title win.
Romano Albesiano, Aprilia Racing Director says, “With Marco Melandri the last piece of the puzzle has been put into place for Aprilia’s participation in next year’s MotoGP season. These have been very intense and exciting days where in just a few hours we went from the last round of Superbike at Losail to this new adventure in MotoGP. We are very pleased to announce Marco’s signing because this completes our team in the best way possible on the eve of a great challenge: with Melandri we now have an all-Italian bike-rider duo. We are moving into MotoGP a year ahead of schedule on wings of enthusiasm because of the double world Superbike championships we have just won. We moved our schedule up because we want the most demanding tracks and the most competitive championship in the world to gauge the quality of our work. Aprilia’s 54 world titles, the hundreds of wins on tracks all over the world give proof of technical skills and a winning attitude that deserve the limelight of the most prestigious stage.”
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The FIM Asia Road Racing Championship is set to kick off its highly anticipated 20th season as the championship promoter released its 2015 race calendar that will see six rounds take place in five countries across Asia with Japan no longer hosting two rounds. (more…)
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