Motorcycle news, Motorcycle reviews from Malaysia, Asia and the world

Zontes Malaysia Launches Zontes ZT310-T, Zontes ZT310-R, Zontes ZT310-X and Zontes ZT310-X GP: Ten Quick Facts

Zontes Malaysia launched the Zontes ZT310-T, Zontes ZT310-R, Zontes ZT310-X and Zontes ZT310-X GP.
They are priced from RM
The manufacturer offers motorcycle high in innovation, latest technologies and top-notch performance at affordable prices.

After weeks of waiting, Zontes Malaysia lauched the new Zontes ZT310-T, Zontes ZT310-R, Zontes ZT310-X and Zontes ZT310-X GP.

As the names suggest, they are the latest entry into the country’s lightweight segment.

The maker knows that lightweight motorcycles are more accessible i.e. easier to ride and more affordable to a wider range of riders. However they also know that buyers demand motorcycles that are loaded with performance, innovation, technology, styling, quality, comfort, accessibility and practicality, but at competitive prices.

In all honesty, none of the pictures in the manufacturer’s website and those published here could reflect on the amazing high quality of the bikes. The welds on the frame, casting of the engine parts, paint quality and finishing, joints of the panels, material and finishing of every single component right down to the fasteners (bolts, nut, screws), the feel of the seat and handlebar, levers oozes the kind of quality to rival that of that European and Japanese manufacturers.

Really, no one could tell that the motorcycles are the “typical Chinese” motorcycle. Do make your way to Zontes Malaysia’s authorised dealers to check them out.

Anyway, here are here are ten quick facts about the Zontes:

1. What’s different about Zontes motorcycles?

The biggest difference is the amount of features loaded into the brand’s motorcycles. These features are usually only available on big bikes. Smaller motorcycles may have one or two of these features, but not all in one motorcycle.

2. So, what are these features?

The highlights are:

Futuristic, bold, unparalleled and unique styling.

Electrically adjustable windscreen (for the 310-T and 310-X).

Fully digital LCD display.

LED lighting for the running light, headlight, taillight and signal lights.
Smart lithium-ion battery ensure quick starting and reduces weight.
Dual-channel Bosch 9.1M ABS module (disengageable).

Two power modes: “E” for economy and “S” for Sport
Upside-down forks.

Nitrogen-filled monoshock rear suspension.
One-piece cast aluminium swingarm.

Lightweight aluminium allow wheels.
The high strength steel tube frame is utilized as the oil cooler.
Delphi fuel-injection management.
Dry sump engine lubrication.
Aluminium engine block for optimal cooling.

Fuel tank with galvanized liner to prohibit corrosion and blocked fuel system.
Anti-scald exhaust silencers. The silencers are not hot even after riding.

Electrically-controlled fuel filler cover.

Electrically-controlled seat lock.
USB charging port.
Keyless Control System for secure and ease of locking and unlocking the motorcycle.
Rear luggage rack.

3. Are all four models based on the same platform?

Yes, all four models are based on one engine, frame and chassis platform. Being so makes means parts should be easily available.

4. Tell us more about the Zontes ZT310-T

The ZT310-T is an adventure (ADV) motorcycle. It may look like a CTRL+C – CTRL+V job of the BMW R 1200 RT but look closer and you’ll spot many differences.

Distinguishing features include a large motorized windscreen, handguards, high-level mudguard and crash protection bars.

It is priced at RM 22,800 (basic selling price without road tax, insurance and number plates).

Zontes Malaysia is offering the first batch of ZT310-T with exclusive top box and panniers.

5. Tell us more about the Zontes ZT310-R

The ZT310-R is the naked sportbike in the ZT310 line-up.

Zontes knows that a naked sportbike needs to be have bold and extrovert styling. The most distinguishing features are the aggressive headlamp, taillamp and belly pan. The headlight combined with the radiator shroud give the impression of a robot out of the movie “Real Steel.” On the other hand, the taillamps are mounted flush in the tailsection, giving the bike a distinctive and aggressive appearance.

It is priced at RM 19,800 (basic selling price without road tax, insurance and number plates).

6. Tell us more about the Zontes ZT310-X

The ZT310-X is a sport-tourer. As such it needs a windscreen and fairing to shield the rider from the windblast and elements. A tall handlebar gives the rider a natural and comfortable riding position on those long rides.

It is priced at RM 20,800, while the ZT310-X GP is priced at RM 21,600 (basic selling prices without road tax, insurance and number plates),

7. Who and where is Zontes produced?

The Zontes is one of the brands produced by Guangdong Tayo Motorcycle Technology Co., Ltd. in China.

8. What is Zontes Malaysia’s mission

The official Malaysian distributor assured us that they will expand their dealer throughout the country, not only to sell the bikes but also to provide the best possible aftersales service.

9. Tell us more about the company

The company is a Sino-foreign joint venture and was founded in 2003 with a total investment of RM 1.6 billion (RMB 2.6 billion). Its facilities cover 400,000 square metres (40 hectres). Guangdong Tayo employs some 1,600 staff, with 60% of them holding college degrees and higher. The pillar of the manufacturer is innovation and quality. The company holds 256 patents for styling, 36 patents for innovation and 121 patents for utility models.

10. Are the motorcycles sold in other countries apart from China and Malaysia?

Yes, they are also sold in the UK and a number of European countries, South America, South Africa.

PHOTO GALLERY

BMW Motorrad Patents Bum Massager

BMW Motorrad just submitted patents for a bum massager for motorcycle seats.
The system ought to help motorcycle riders who ride long distances.
Hopefully, it will reduce the discomfort and distraction of numb bums.

Ever felt like your bum is going to split into four when you ride for long distances? Wish you were seated in your Ogawa at home? Well, BMW Motorrad just submitted the patents for a bum massager seat.

In the patent drawings published by Australian Motorcycle News, the system is elegant in its simplicity. Under the seat padding is an electric motor turns a shaft with lobes which looks uncannily like an engine camshaft.

Touring riders (us included) are most likely to welcome this option as we experience pain and numbness after riding for hours on end. Hopefully this will stop riders and us from standing up on the bike and massaging our backsides while riding on the highway.

Vehicle seats with massage option are not new. In fact, many car and even truck seats include the feature, including BMW cars. So, in true BMW fashion that brings many car functions to motorcycles, the manufacturer may just offer the option in their motorcycles.

Now, rather than riding a long distance for a massage, you can soon bring the massager with you. And oh, you can also leave your Ogawa and Gintell at home.

VIDEO: Ex-MotoGP Rider Nobuatsu Aoki Takes Suzuki Katana for a Spin

Ex-MotoGP Rider Nobuatsu Aoki takes the new Suzuki Katana for a spin in this video.
It’s the first full video of the bike since the teasers.
We’re still waiting for the news of when it will arrive and cost in Malaysia.

The new Suzuki Katana has aroused much excitement since it was unveiled at the 2018 Intermot show. And now, there’s a video of ex-MotoGP rider Nobuatsu Aoki taking it for spin.

In the video, Aoki is seen flogging the Katana through corners, blasting past fallen leaves to a beautiful autumn background.

Aoki then talks about the bike, engine, chassis, electronics. It is a Katana after all, so the “promotional talk” is forgiven.

“I couldn’t believe how much fun the bike is,” said Aoki in the video. “A proper engine in a proper chassis, and the riding position is fantastic. I was surprised how easy to ride it is.”

“The road surface is wet today and strewn with fallen leaves (one scene where he speeds through a huge drift of leaves on the road made me a little anxious), yet the traction control and ABS support the bike for easy riding with complete confidence.”

It’s a nice video to watch, since it’s the first full footage of the bike being ridden, as compared to the teasers. We get to listen to how it sounds like too. Wish the video was longer.

You can continue on to watch this video on the development of the bike, too.

On another note, Suzuki Assemblers Malaysia has confirmed that they will bring the bike to our shores. When and how much are other matters.

Aprilia and Gulf Team Up for MotoGP 2019

Aprilia and Gulf announced their partnership in MotoGP 2019.
Both brands welcome the new partnership.
The MotoGP 2019 season begins on 10^thMarch.

Aprilia and Gulf announced their partnership in MotoGP.

Aprilia has been making steady inroads towards the front in the premier motorcycle racing championship over the last two seasons; the riders were no longer confined to the rear or midfield. The Noale-based manufacturer made the jump into MotoGP after dominating the 125cc and 250cc world championships for many years. They also made forays into the 500cc world championship.

On the other hand, Gulf has had lots of presence in automotive racing. We’ve seen many top marques such as Porsche and Aston Martin sporting Gulf’s trademark light blue and orange livery for many decades.

The Gulf brand is already in Malaysia, and they are actually one of the world’s largest petroleum brands. They offer fuel retail (as in petrol stations) and lubricants to a wide range of automotive and industrial applications.

“The opportunity to move up into MotoGP, as a major partner of Aprilia Racing was a logical next step forward after World Superbikes,” explains Gulf Vice President International, Frank Rutten. “Aprilia is one of the most successful racing marques of all time while Gulf, of course, has a long history of success in motorsport. Making the move up to Grand Prix racing with a manufacturer that we know matches our ethos of quality, endurance and passion and our desire for progress.”

“We are delighted to be forging this new partnership with Gulf,” enthused Aprilia Racing CEO, Massimo Rivola. “It is an iconic brand with an impressive range of products and a great racing history. We look forward to writing the next chapter in this history over the coming years. I am very pleased to have Gulf working with Aprilia Racing in our upcoming MotoGP campaigns and it will be exciting to see these two great brands moving forward together.”

The Piaggio Group –for which Aprilia Racing is the technical flagship –is one of the world’s biggest motorcycle manufacturers, with more than 550,000 motorbikes per year sold across its brands, which also include Vespa, Gilera and Moto Guzzi, as well as Piaggio itself.

Gulf Motorcycle lubricants cover everything from scooters and small capacity motorcycles, to its dedicated range of Superbike oils. Gulf has long used motorsport as a means to help develop and test new product. This step into MotoGP with Aprilia Racing heralds a further drive towards superior-technology motorcycle product from Gulf, as it seeks to conquer new, emerging markets as well as to strengthen its position in existing markets.

Aprilia is concentrating hard on MotoGP development for 2019, looking to be regularly in the mix at the sharp end of the MotoGP field. To this end, in January, Piaggio brought in former Ferrari Sporting Director, Massimo Rivola to head up Aprilia Racing. With two new crew chiefs and a talented rider line up of Italian, Andrea Iannone, Spaniard Aleix Espargaro and Briton, Bradley Smith, Aprilia is putting more resource than ever before into making strides forward in this intensely competitive series.

The MotoGP circus just concluded the final pre-season test for the 2019 season at the Losail International Circuit yesterday. The race season kicks off at the same circuit on 10^thMarch.

A Foggy-Petronas FP1 Sells for RM167,149

A Foggy-Petronas FP1 was auctioned at RM167,149 (£31,275) in a retro show in England.
The bodywork was fully restored, and the bike is in running condition.
The bike was a homologation model for World Superbike Racing.

A Foggy-Petronas FP1 was sold for RM167,149 (£31,275) in England.

MCN reported that the particular bike has only 7km on the odometer and was sold at a retro show in Warwickshire. This unit came from 2003 but the bodywork has been restored to the original Petronas livery by the manufacturer.

We reported months ago about a batch of Foggy-Petronas FP1 acquired by a British race car firm, Lanzante. But the company did not reveal the number of units they have. They also insisted that their batch is not among the 129 bikes seized by Malaysian Customs.

MCN discovered 60 FP1s in a warehouse in Essex in 2010. Those 60 units plus another 69 were sold to Momoto in Malaysia and rebadged as the Momoto MM1. But they were soon seized by the Customs for not paying the import and excise duties. Momoto sued Petronas but there was no other news thereafter.

The Foggy-Petronas FP1 road-legal bike was made to homologate it for World Superbike racing. the Sauber Racing 899cc three-cylinder engine produces 127 hp at 10,000 RPM and 92 Nm of torque at 9,700 RPM. The bike is also bedecked with high-end componentry such as Öhlins suspension, OZ Racing wheels and Brembo brakes.

Glossary of Motorcycle Terms (A – B)

We put together a glossary of motorcycle terms for your ease of reference.
You may have heard of the terms and wondered what they actually meant.
We start with those under the alphabets A to B.

We often hear our riding buddies talk about “horsepower,” “compression ratio” or “aspect ratio.” Or you may have read them in our reviews and articles. But what do those terms really mean? That’s why we decided to put together this Glossary of Motorcycle Terms.

We decided to stick to the major components on a bike and stuff that are directly related to a motorcycle. We shall probably publish another glossary for other things such as types of tools, for example.

I took us many months to compile all these, so we hope you would take a look. Plus, it’s cool to be smarter, trust us. But do check back once in a while, as we will update it from time to time.

A

ABS

Anti-lock Braking System. The system prevents tyres from not rotating when hard braking pressure is applied. It allows the wheel to turn a certain degree, preventing skidding and enabling the rider to control the bike.

Airbox

Stores air pressure so there is always positive pressure when the throttle bodies’ and carburetor butterflies are opened. The airbox also contains the air filter.

AC

Alternate current. As opposed to DC (direct current), AC oscillates back and forth. The motorcycles stator (generator) produces AC, which is then directed through the regulator/rectifier to convert it into DC.

Alternator

Almost all motorcycles do not use alternators to generate a supply of electricity like cars do. See “stator,” instead.

Aspect ratio

Tyre’s nominal sidewall height as a ratio of the tyre’s width, in percentage. A 70 aspect ratio means 70% of the tyre’s width.

ATTGATT

All The Gears All The Time. That’s right, never ride without proper safety gear.

Axle

The metal shaft which holds the wheel up and links the both sides of the forks and swingarm.

B

Bash plate (also skid plate)

A piece of plating, in aluminium or steel which is mounted to the bottom of the engine’s crankcase. It protects the crankcase from being “bashed.” Usually found on adventure and off-road bikes.

Bash plate – Photo credit touratech-usa.com

Battery

Device which stores electrical energy. Batteries have come a long way from lead acid types to maintenance-free activated glass material (AGM) and lithium-ion types.

BHP

Brake horsepower. It measures the engine’s power output without any losses. Conversely, HP (horsepower) is measured by hooking the engine to a dynamometer. BHP is measured in a controlled environment without attaching anything to the engine. Hence, BHP figures are bigger. See also “horsepower.”

Bike

The other term for motorcycles, although it originated from bicycles.

Binders

No, we don’t mean the glue that hold the pages of a book together. See “brakes.”

Bleed

Act of removing air bubbles from hydraulic circuits, such as the brakes, cooling system, etc.

Block

See “engine block.”

Bore

Represents the diameter of the cylinder in which a piston travels. The bore and stroke determine the displacement/capacity of the engine.

Boxer (engine)

A Boxer engine has its cylinders mounted opposing each other, hence it’s also called “opposing twin” or “flat-twin” for two-cylinder machines such as the BMW R-series. The reason it’s called a “Boxer” is because the pistons appear like a Boxer extending his arm outwards and inwards. The Honda Gold Wing is a flat-Six, so you can call it a horizontally-opposed six-cylinder engine.

Brakes

The apparatus which helps you to set your speed, slow down and come to a stop. Almost all motorcycles now use hydraulic disc brakes, with just a few using the traditional cable actuated drum brakes.

Brake caliper

A brake caliper carries the pistons that push the brake pads onto the brake disc. There are a variety of types, such as the two-piston sliding pin and the latest four-piston “monobloc.” There was a brief flirtation with six-piston calipers but the concept has since been abandoned in the advent of better disc and pad material.

Brake disc

The disc is mounted to the wheel, thus brake forces that act on it slows down the wheel, hence the bike.

Brake fluid

The “blood” of the hydraulic brake system. It’s the medium which transfer the force from your fingers to the brake pads. Contained in the reservoir.

Brake hose

If the brake fluid is the blood of the system, the brake hose is the blood vessel that carries the fluid.

Brake master cylinder

It applies pressure to the brake fluid when the brake lever is squeezed.

Brake pads

The material which rubs against the brake disc or drum housing, converting kinectic energy to heat

Burnout

The act of keeping the bike stationery or near stationery while the rear tyre spins freely and pours out white acrid smoke. A sure way of shortening the lifespan of your tyre.

Butterfly

The “valve” which sits in the throttle body (fuel-injection) or constant velocity carburetor. Opening the butterfly opens the intake tract to a vacuum which pulls in air. In a fuel-injected system, the fuel-injector sprays fuel into the airflow. As for carburetors, the vacuum sucks fuel from the float bowl through jets that atomise the fuel.

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Latest News

Zontes Malaysia launched the Zontes ZT310-T, Zontes ZT310-R, Zontes ZT310-X and Zontes ZT310-X GP.

They are priced from RM

The manufacturer offers motorcycle high in innovation, latest technologies and top-notch performance at affordable prices.

1. What’s different about Zontes motorcycles?

2. So, what are these features?

3. Are all four models based on the same platform?

4. Tell us more about the Zontes ZT310-T

Zontes Malaysia is offering the first batch of ZT310-T with exclusive top box and panniers.

5. Tell us more about the Zontes ZT310-R

6. Tell us more about the Zontes ZT310-X

7. Who and where is Zontes produced?

8. What is Zontes Malaysia’s mission

9. Tell us more about the company

10. Are the motorcycles sold in other countries apart from China and Malaysia?

PHOTO GALLERY

BMW Motorrad just submitted patents for a bum massager for motorcycle seats.

The system ought to help motorcycle riders who ride long distances.

Hopefully, it will reduce the discomfort and distraction of numb bums.

Ex-MotoGP Rider Nobuatsu Aoki takes the new Suzuki Katana for a spin in this video.

It’s the first full video of the bike since the teasers.

We’re still waiting for the news of when it will arrive and cost in Malaysia.

Aprilia and Gulf announced their partnership in MotoGP 2019.

Both brands welcome the new partnership.

The MotoGP 2019 season begins on 10th March.

A Foggy-Petronas FP1 was auctioned at RM167,149 (£31,275) in a retro show in England.

The bodywork was fully restored, and the bike is in running condition.

The bike was a homologation model for World Superbike Racing.

We put together a glossary of motorcycle terms for your ease of reference.

You may have heard of the terms and wondered what they actually meant.

We start with those under the alphabets A to B.

A

ABS