HJC helmets just introduced the HJC RPHA 70 ST Wolverine.
The graphics feature the popular Marvel Comics character and his trademark slash marks.
The RPHA 70 ST bridges sport-riding and sport-touring helmets.
South Korean helmet manufacturing powerhouse, HJC has introduced the HJC RPHA 70 ST Wolverine.
The HJC RPHA 70 ST is intended to bridge the gap between sport riding and sport-touring. As such, it is one of the very few sport-touring helmets that obtained FIM certification. The certification means that you could wear the helmet in FIM sanctioned races.
Being a sport-touring helmet, the lid has all the features associated with long-distance touring including a drop-down sun visor, large vents and anti-fog insert.
The RPHA 70 ST is BikesRepublic.com and MotoMalaya’s official sport-riding and sport-touring helmet.
Now, HJC brings you another creation from their collaboration with Marvel Comics. This time, the Wolverine gets his own design.
The graphics features sharp eyes above the brow and the trademark triple slashes from the character’s claw.
Highlights of the RPHA 70 ST are:
Advanced P.I.M. Plus (Premium Integrated Matrix Plus) construction: carbon fiber and carbon-glass hybrid fabric for enhanced shock resistance.
Intake and exhaust top vents for maximum air circulation.
Rear vent switch for easy control of air flow.
Anti-fog smoke tinted sunshield deploys quickly.
RapidFire shield replacement system: quick, tool-less shield removal and installation.
Emergency cheek pads removal.
Multicool interior with advanced anti-bacteria fabric provides enhanced moisture wicking and quick drying.
Crown and cheek pads are removable and washable.
HJ-26 anti-fog lens prepared shield.
Includes anti-fog insert lens.
Glasses-friendly EPS design.
ECE 22.05 approved.
Official licensed Marvel product.
HJC Helmet Malaysia informed us that the helmet is on the way to our shores. Please follow their Facebook page for more information.
We rode the new Zontes ZT310-T, Zontes ZT310-X, Zontes ZT310-R.
We came away impressed by the build quality, ride quality and smooth power delivery.
Does this hark as the new standard for 300cc motorcycles?
What’s the best to convince someone to buy a product? Test it first. That’s especially true for motorcycles and we had the opportunity to test the Zontes ZT310-T, Zontes ZT310-X, Zontes ZT310-R on a trip.
If you haven’t heard of Zontes yet, let’s get you up to speed quickly.
The brand is one among a number marketed by Guangdong Tayo Motorcycle Technology Co., Ltd. Yes, it’s based in China. We’ve visited the factory and came away impressed at not only the scale of the operations, but the principles, ideas and diligence behind it all, too.
However, there may you out there who haven’t the opportunity, so that’s what this review is all about.
The Bikes
Zontes Malaysia arranged four bikes for us. Two ZT310-T adventure-tourer, one ZT310-X sport-tourer and the naked ZT310-R.
Zontes ZT310-X
The two ZT310-Ts were equipped with the aluminium top box and panniers. They are the same as what the customers will receive when they buy the bike.
The Ride
The plan called for us to ride from Petaling Jaya to Lemang To’ki at Bentong, Pahang, via the Karak Highway. There was a stop for photography after To’ki, before heading back.
Riding Impression
We found the seating position was very natural. The ergonomics made it easy to reach the handlebars, being seated in the correct position and a nice placement of the legs. It seems that the models were designed for Asians in mind.
Zontes ZT310-T
I drew the ZT310-T. The bike fired up quickly to a brisk idle, but it was so smooth for a single-cylinder engine. There was no gnashing or nasty noises. The twin exhaust tips emitted a nice growl instead of the typical single-cylinder staccato.
We needed only a very light pull of the clutch lever. Tapped in first gear – the gear shift was so light yet very positive.
The bike didn’t need you to slip the clutch to get going. There seemed to be plenty of torque despite being a single. I even tested rolling away by just releasing the clutch slowly without opening the throttle. The bike rolled forward without killing the engine.
A light flick upwards on the gear lever and second gear was in. Gear shifting was feather-light, requiring gentle pressure only. I was surprised and expected the gearbox to pop into a false neutral, but it didn’t!
The throttle and engine response was also very impressive. The bike pulled away cleanly each time and accelerated relatively hard in the first three gears.
But what truly impressed was the suspension. The rear shock provided a solid feel when we climbed on and didn’t squat under our weight. It didn’t feel “squishy” when hopped up and down, either. We feared that it might be too stiff – until we hit the first pothole.
I gritted my teeth as I neared the offending patch, but the forks soaked it up and the rear shock did so too. Unsatisfied, I sought out potholes and bumps on purpose and tried again. Nothing… no kick to the kidney or bottoming out. It meant that the suspension’s damping rates are well sorted.
As we continued our journey, we were supposed to ride the on the DUKE Highway directly to the Karak Highway. However, the lead marshal took a wrong turn and we ended up riding along Jalan Gombak. We had to encounter traffic light after traffic light. But it was a great experience as the Zontes bikes showed its character in urban riding.
First, the engine didn’t get overly hot when we stopped for long periods of time. The windscreens on the ZT310-X and ZT310-T worked flawlessly as we raised it and dropped it over and over.
Secondly, there was plenty of pull from the single-cylinder engine. Of course, we met plenty of LC135s and “Y-Suku” along this stretch but none of them could keep up. Even those with loud pipes.
We soon got onto Karak Highway and this was where we tested what almost every Malaysian motorcyclists’ favourite question, “What’s the top speed?”
The “robot’s” face
We gave the Zontes bikes full throttle through the gears, even up-shifted without using the clutch. The engine and exhaust gave a rather pleasant burble and roar as the bars filled the digital tachometer. There was relatively little vibration even at high RPMs.
We hit the advertised 165 km/h top speed. The ZT310-X had all three aluminium luggage on and it still hit 145 km/h easily, before pulling slowly to 151 km/h.
Sure, some may say the Y-Suku can hit 140 km/h, but that’s just part of the story. The Zontes 313cc engine has more torque and what matters is how quickly it reaches a given speed compared to a 150cc engine. To give you an example, all superbikes are limited to 299 km/h. But the supercharged H2 can reach that speed much quicker than any other superbike.
Understand?
All along the way, I still kept looking for bumps and ripples on the road to find a way to unsettle the suspension. It didn’t happen. At no point didn’t it feel clunky like some cheap, wooden suspension. Really impressive.
Along with the suspension, the handling was equally impressive. They needed hardly any steering input to turn! It was just like riding bigger kapchais. We suspected that the stiff steel frame also contributed to this. It was so easy to maneuver that I kept forgetting I had panniers on.
As for the brakes, it needed a harder tug than its contemporaries. But we found it to be good enough.
We took another blast back to our morning RV, which meant another round of engine torture.
All Zontes ZT310 models feature Bosch dual-channel ABS
But the engine sounded exactly the same after our mad ride. It didn’t seem to lose even a single drop of oil. All panels and fasteners stayed where they were, none came lose. The engine didn’t vibrate and cause numbness. We didn’t feel like we just wrestled with bikes that are hardly controllable. Not once did the bikes feel like they were going to disintegrate.
Conclusion
All four Zontes models held up to our abuse and the quality was as advertised. It may be difficult for some to believe since it’s a Chinese brand, but we were equally surprised to find that it was actually pretty good.
Left hand switch block
Of course, there were some rough edges, but remember that the ZT310 line-up is Guangdong Tayo’s first 310cc model and it was only launched last year. Since then it has sold more than 100,000 units in China alone, while more than 20,000 have been exported.
At the end of it, it’s something that we couldn’t complain about, given its price point while having so many good features. Additionally, the quality will give many established brands something to consider. Looks like they are the game changer for the lightweight segment.
Alvaro Bautista and Ducati maintained their 100% win record by destroying the field in Race 1 at Aragon.
Bautista finished the race 15 seconds ahead of Jonathan Rea on the Kawasaki.
His teammate Chaz Davies finished in 3rd.
Alvaro Bautista and Ducati maintained their 100% win record by destroying the field in Race 1 at Aragon. The Aragon track in Spain hosts Round 3 of the WorldSBK 2019 championship.
Not wanting to be bogged down in a bruising battle like in Race 1 at Buriram, Thailand, Bautista blasted into the lead as soon as the lights went out. He never looked back and was almost a second faster per lap. He would eventually cross the line 15 seconds clear of the second-placed man.
As with the previous MotoGP race in Argentina, Bautista left the rest to battle for second and third places in his wake.
Jonathan Rea – Photo credit WorldSBK.com
Reigning WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea on the Kawasaki fought his way up from 10thon the grid, only to find himself fighting hard against another two Ducatis for the runner-up position.
Chaz Davies – Photo credite WorldSBK.com
Bautista’s teammate Chaz Davies appeared to have finally come to grips with the new Panigale V4 R. He had been battling with Eugene Laverty on the satellite Team Go Eleven Ducati Panigale V4 R during the earlier part of the race, when Rea joined the party.
Alex Lowes – Photo credit WorldSBK.com
The trio swapped positions on and on until the final lap, when Laverty ran into the back of Davies. The come-together sent Laverty off the track and caused Davies to lose touch to Rea. Rea escaped to take 2ndplace while Davies brought his bike home in 3rd.
Behind them, Alex Lowes took his Pata Yamaha to 4thwhile Tom Sykes took the new BMW S 1000 RR to 5th.
ANALYSIS
It’s understandable that some are charging that Ducati brought a MotoGP bike to WorldSBK and voiced concerns over Bautista’s domination. But look at where the other Ducatis are. Bautista’s teammate Davies was in 3rdand Laverty almost took 4th. It’s more of how Bautista is able to interpret and unlock the bike’s full potential compared to everyone else. Plus, he’s probably so used to riding those beasts in MotoGP, so the Panigale V4 R is comparatively easy. We’re not saying that the Panigale V4 R isn’t fast, but every bike needs the rider to unlock its capabilities.
Tom Sykes – Photo credit WorldSBK.com
There’s talk of Dorna looking at curtailing the Panigale V4 R’s maximum revs in order to lower its maximum power. The WorldSBK rules provide for this, in order to keep the field close and exciting for fans. However, doing so would handicap not Bautista but the other Ducatis, too.
Tom Sykes did very well on the BMW S 1000 RR. The bike has a stock engine compared to the rest of the field’s. The exhaust, cams, ECU and suspension are standard like a SuperStock bike’s. It ought to go much faster with the race kit.
Hong Leong Yamaha Motor Sdn. Bhd. (HLYM) revealed the price of the 2019 Yamaha Y15ZR v2 today.
The recommended selling price is RM 8,168 (not inclusive of insurance, road tax and registration fee).
Certain dealers are taking deposits but do check to see when the bike will be available.
Hong Leong Yamaha Motor Sdn. Bhd. (HLYM) revealed the price of the 2019 Yamaha Y15ZR v2 today. The pricing follows the launch about a fortnight ago.
HLYM recommended basic selling price is RM 8,168 (not inclusive of insurance, road tax and registration fee). Customers will receive a sturdy Yamaha disc lock with reminder cable, free-of-charge.
The highly anticipated v2 (for Version 2) replaces its predecessor, the Y15ZR. The v2 still uses the same 150cc high power engine. However, there are a number of important updates to extend the model’s lifeline.
New features are:
New streamlined headlamp design with LED lighting.
Fully digital speedometer.
Wider front tyre size (90/80-17) for better handling, especially around corners.
Hazard lamp and passing lamp.
New graphics.
The new Yamaha Y15ZR is offered in four exciting colours:
Striking Cyan.
Storm Blue.
Blazing Red.
Dynamid Gray.
Certain authorized dealers are already taking bookings. However, do check to see when the bikes will arrive. New Yamaha models are known to sell out even before they hit the dealerships!
The four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers namely Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha will work together to develop motorcycle batteries.
They should be working on battery swapping technology to overcome long charging times.
Yamaha is already working with Gogoro in Taiwan for battery swapping.
The four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers namely Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha will work together to develop motorcycle batteries.
The joint effort is to combat the bane of current electric motorcycles: Charging times. Make that long charging times. As such, they should be coming up with a solution to swap low-power or depleted batteries with fully charged ones.
Their solution should be similar to Gogoro’s, which is currently in operation in Taiwan. Electric bike riders visit a charging station, pull out the depleted battery in their motorcycles, insert it into the charging station and swap it for a fully-charged one.
Yamaha is already working with Gogoro on this solution in the island state.
Gogoro first entered the Taiwanese market in 2015. Since then, 750 GoStations have been installed, catering to some 17 million battery swaps. The company is targeting 3,000 stations, ultimately.
Honda and Yamaha are the strongest players in the electric motorcycle sector among the four manufacturers. But with the dateline for electric vehicles looming on the horizon, Kawasaki and Suzuki need to hustle in producing their own electric bikes. Most European countries will revert to new electric vehicles only in a decade or so, while phasing out fossil fuel vehicles.
Malaysia, without a doubt is still lagging far behind. Currently, only luxury cars are hybrid or electric. Consequently, the infrastructure is built by these manufacturers to cater for their own cars.
Motorcycle charging or battery swapping stations? Forget about it. The Malaysian government ought to step this up quickly.
Honda is developing a system to cool or heat the seat.
The rider can control how hot or cool.
It may be implemented in the Africa Twin or Gold Wing.
While some may laugh at the prospect of having heated grips in this hot and humid Malaysian weather, Honda is building a seat warmer/cooler system.
In a patent filing by Honda, the diagrams show pipings leading from the front and radiator of the bike to the bottom of the rider’s seat. The inlet for the cool air circuit is placed at the front of the bike. The heating circuit, on the other hand, starts from the radiator.
The rider can choose between cooling or heating, or mixing the cold and hot air to his preference. Operations are by a button mounted on the handlebar.
The way we see it is that the cooling function will definitely be a plus after parking the bike under the blazing sun.
The Honda seat temperature system should be implemented in models such as the Gold Wing tourer and the Africa Twin dual-sport bike.
Do we really need a seat or heated grips in Malaysia? Trying riding in the rain.
