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

Get more “ONG” this Chinese New Year at Ducati Petaling Jaya with these Exclusive Promotions

Ducati Petaling Jaya is carrying out promotions for this Chinese New Year.
A number of Ducati models are offered with special deals.
Time to get your “ONG” on!

Ducati Petaling Jaya is sending more “ONG” your way this Chinese New Year with the Gong Xi Ducati promotions.

Do not miss these specials:

1. Panigale V4S

Purchase the world’s best-selling superbike of 2018 and receive an exhaust package*.

The Panigale V4S features groundbreaking engine dynamics, advanced suspension system and more electronica to make the Space Shuttle blush.

Of course, you could enjoy the rush of 213 Italian horses as you own the road and track.

What is a Panigale without that authentic Italian L-Twin roar, after all?

2. Mutistrada 1200 Enduro

Need to cure your wanderlust? Wonderful on the road and fully capable in the rough stuff, the Multistrada 1200 Enduro is the perfect medicine!

What’s more, its Testastretta DVT engine provides the punch so buttery smooth.

Purchase a Mutlstrada 1200 Enduro and receive an exclusive touring jacket and helmet!*

3. Scrambler 1100 Sport

The Scrambler has come of age with the Scrambler 1100 Sport. Gobs of torque, delivered smoothly through Ducati’s advanced ride modes and traction control system. Sweep through turns or trash it out in the rough and be awed by the fully adjustable Ohlins suspension system.

Purchase a Scrambler 1100 Sport and receive an exclusive exhaust package.* Time to liberate that sweet L-Twin soundtrack!

4. Hypermotard 939

The Hypermotard is essense of what a fun bike should be – extremely manoeuverable, highly chuckable and the propensity to monowheel all the way home.

Puchase a Hupermotard 939 and receive an exclusive leather jacket!*

5. Panigale 959 Corse

The Panigale 959 is a baby Panigale? No, it is a bike to be contended on its own. 158 bhp is not to be sneezed at.

The 959cc, Testastretta L-Twin produces a lively ride with that trademark Ducati soul.

Purchase a Panigale 959 Corse and receive an exclusive helmet!*

*All items are available in limited stock and subject to Terms & Conditions.

Honda Super Cub C125, Honda CB1100RS, Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP Launched

Boon Siew Honda launched the Honda Super Cub C125, Honda CB1100RS and Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP today.
They provide Malaysian motorcyclists with more choices in Honda motorcycles.
Boon Siew Honda also announced a positive 2018 with approximately 156,000 motorcycles sold.

Boon Siew Honda launched three more models to the Malaysian market today to kick off 2019. They are the Honda Super Cub C125, Honda CB1100RS, Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP.

Being of different segments, the additional models provide Malaysian motorcyclists with even more choices in Honda motorcycles.

Honda Super Cub C125 (from RM 13,999)

Honda started a revolution when they introduced the Super Cub C100 in 1958. The Super Cub has evolved over the last 60 years. By then, it had become the largest-selling motorized vehicle of all time with more than 100 million units sold worldwide.

The Super Cub is now back in the guise of the Super Cub C125.

While its styling is reminiscent of the original Super Cub, the new bike is thoroughly modern.

Highlights:

Unmistakable and unique styling.
Full LED lighting.
Honda SMART Key system.
Electrically locked seat.
Powered by a 125cc, air-cooled, fuel-injected, SOHC, single-cylinder engine.
It produces 9.1 bhp (6.79 kW) at 7,500 RPM and 9.98 Nm of torque at 5,000 RPM.
Front disc brakes with Nissin caliper.
Cast alloy wheels.

It is offered in Pearl Niltava Blue, Pearl Nebula Red and Pearl Shining Black.

Honda CB1100RS (from RM 75,999)

The CB1100RS harks back to the days when Honda’s inline-Four engines were the king. Specifically, it started with the CB750 in 1969, which was rightfully called “first superbike.”

Since then, Japanese motorcycles with multi-cylinder engines, round headlights, high handlebars, and bench seats became known generically as the UJM for Universal Japanese Motorcycle.

The UJM styling is timeless as Honda continued selling the CB line-up such as the sublime CB 400 Super Four VTEC and later the CB1100 over the years in many markets around the world. Except Malaysia.

Perhaps 2019 is the year to remember with the launch of this bike.

As with its predecessors, the CB1100RS looks like a 70’s bike but it a modern motorcycle in its essence.

Highlights:

LED headlight and LED classic taillight.
Seamless fuel tank.
Signature Honda DOHC valve cover.
Showa SDBV (Showa Dual Bending Valve) forks.
Twin Showa rear shocks with remote reservoir.
Radially-mounted four-piston front brake calipers.
Aluminium 17-inch wheels.
1140cc, air-cooled, 16-valve, DOHC, inline-Four engine.
It produces 88.5 bhp (66 kW) at 7,500 RPM and 91 Nm of torque at 5,500 RPM.

It looks like a torquey machine judging from the spread between maximum torque and peak power.

The Honda CB1100RS is available in Darkness Black Metallic and Matt Beta Silver Metallic.

Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP (from RM 114,999)

The “SP” version of the CBR1000RR Fireblade brings more fire to the table. It is endowed with more power, less weight and equipped with more technology compared to the “standard” Fireblade.

While other manufacturers kept pushing up the power output of their superbikes, Honda chooses to adhere to their “Next Stage Total Control” philosophies. You could say “What’s power without control?”

Highlights:

First Honda motorcycle equipped with Öhlins Smart Electronically Controlled suspension.
Compact, 16-litre titanium fuel tank.
Full Brembo brake system.
Quickshifter.
Cornering ABS.
Weighs in a t 195 kg, dry.
The 1000cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, inline-Four engine punches out 189 bhp (141 kW) at 13,000 RPM and 114 Nm of torque at 11,000 RPM.

The Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP is offered in HRC Tricolor only (no Repsol thank you very much!).

Ducati Panigale V4 was World’s Best-Selling Sportbike in 2018

The Ducati Panigale V4 was the world’s best-selling sportbike in 2018.
6,100 units were sold out of a total of 9,700 Panigales.
However, Ducati’s overall sales dropped 5% due to the slump in the American market.

Forget about the naysayers, the Ducati Panigale V4 proved to be the world’s best-selling sportbike in 2018.

In fact, Ducati was the leading sportbike manufacturer through selling 9,700 Panigale models. That figure corresponds to a 70% increase over 2017. Of those, 6,100 were the new Panigale V4 models. That is remarkable, considering the price of the bikes!

Hence, the Italian manufacturer now holds a 26% market share in the sportbike segment. Yes, 1 of 4 sportbikes is a Panigale.

On another hand, the Multistrada line-up also contributed to Ducati’s overall sales. 11,829 of the sport-tourers were sold in 2018. 6,569 of those were from the new Multistrada 1260 range – a 25% increase.

Unfortunately, Ducati’s overall global sales dropped by 5% to 53,004, which ended an eight-year streak of record sales. The reduction was due to the precipitous 9% drop in American motorcycle sales.

As such, America is no longer Ducati’s biggest market; handing over that title to Italy (4.5% up).

Other growing markets are China (up 23%), Spain (up 8%), Switzerland (up 2.2%) and Japan (up 2%).

The Italian manufacturer has 9 new models in 2019, all equipped with IMU-based traction control and cornering ABS. They are hoping the new bikes will drive up sales for the year.

MotoGP 2019: Repsol Honda Unveils 2019 Bike

Repsol Honda unveils the bike for the MotoGP 2019 campaign.
It was the 25^thanniversary of Repsol and Honda’s partnership.
Some “modifications” are seen on Jorge Lorenzo’s bike, although the 2019 bike has the exact same livery.

For those waiting to see the 2019 Repsol Honda bike were surely disappointed as the livery remains unchanged.

Many had expected a new colour scheme as the Spanish petroleum giant and Honda celebrate the 25^thanniversary of their collaboration. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the stale same-ol’-same-ol’ stripes.

However, there seem to be a few notable differences on Jorge Lorenzo’s bike (pictured above).

Polished aluminium frame and swingarm.
The fuel tank is extended at the rear. Lorenzo prefers to push his weight further back.
An extended seat stop.
Both bikes sport larger aerobodies.

The launch was held at the Sentul circuit in Indonesia. Current riders Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo were joined by past Repsol Honda champions Mick Doohan and Alex Creville.

L-R: Mick Doohan, Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo, Alex Creville

The Repsol-Honda partnership began in 1994 when Doohan won the first of his five world 500cc GP championship. Alex Creville won the 1999 championship when Doohan crashed heavily during qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez and retired.

Of course, both current riders spewed team savvy answers about how happy they are with the team, how they are confident in winning, yada, yada, yada.

Marc Marquez will be in action at the shakedown test from 1^stto 3^rdFebruary prior to the first 2019 pre-season testing from 6^thto 8^thFebruary. Both tests will be held at the Sepang International Circuit.

Heaven MC: A Malaysian Motorcycle Club With A Cause

Heaven MC, a club founded in 2015 is made up of predominantly Harley-Davidsons but is open to riders of all types of V-Twin powered motorcycles.
The President says it is a fun, non-profit motorcycle club.
The club mostly organizes local rides, but also rides to Thailand up to three times a year.

Motorcycle clubs (MCs) have been all the rage ever since the motorcycle was first introduced to the world. Case in point, the oldest motorcycle club in the world is the Yonkers Motorcycle Club of New York, which was founded in the year 1903, the same year that Harley-Davidson tried to sell its first models.

Since then, the world has seen the rise and rise of MCs either for leisure and socialization, or for criminal activities. Hells Angels, one of the most popular MCs in the world, immediately comes to mind when you put motorcycle clubs and criminal activities together in one sentence, but fact of the matter is, such MCs are the 1% of the world’s motorcycle riding community.

Malaysia too has a huge number of MCs, how many in total is unknown as there is no governing body that monitors and sanctions the MCs, but 100 clubs is easy if you consider the mopeds and scooter clubs.

One such club is the Heaven MC, a club founded in 2015 and is made up of predominantly Harley-Davidsons but is open to riders of all types of V-Twin powered motorcycles.

The club is headed by Nick Lum (top right), who took over as President in 2016 and is in charge of keeping the club’s 125 members occupied with weekend rides and such.

I had the pleasure of having a few brewskis with Nick last week to talk about the club he actively leads.

“The club only had 20 members when I joined with about 8 to 10 active riders. There was this one time where we organised a weekend ride but only me and this guy named Alex Locke showed up on Sunday morning. I remember us looking at each other and feeling clueless, and from then on Alex and I went out to actively recruit members,” said Nick that night at The Gasket Alley.

With a background in MNC marketing and the regional direct sales industry, Nick together with Alex, set out to to build and recruit members using the law of averages. “I knew that the more people we recruited, the higher the chances were of more people coming out to ride over the weekend. If we spoke to 50 people about Heaven MC and only 20% showed up over the weekend, that would be good enough for us as that is better than just two people showing up. These days we can easily get over 100 riders out for a ride, I would say we have done well,” explained Nick.

The 53 year old Nick is an active rider himself and owns a Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle, Road King Classic and a Street Glide CVO, and has gone through a number of Harleys in his riding career. “For me, riding a Harley-Davidson is akin to driving a Bentley or a Rolls-Royce. Not only are the bikes a symbol of status, but I also feel safe riding a Harley as I don’t need to ride fast to get satisfaction. Cars these days are way too expensive, a Harley on the other hand is also expensive for a motorcycle, but a lot more affordable and it changes your life.”

When asked about Heaven MC, the President says it is a fun, non-profit MC. The club’s most notables rides has been the inaugural ride to open the new Harley-Davidson PJ showroom where the club’s members were a part of about 500 Harley owners who rode together to celebrate the new showroom.

The club is open to all bikers who ride any type of V-twin motorcycle. There is no membership fees and everyone is welcome to join the weekend rides. The club actively supports events and community service and actively organizes fund raisers for any charity that needs it.

The club mostly organizes local rides, but also rides to Thailand up to three times a year. The club also recently held its annual CNY gathering to celebrate with their achievement and to share their upcoming plans. Harley-Davidson of Petaling Jaya also took part as a dealer to celebrate the annual event together with HOG of PJ to foster Harley-Davidson brotherhood. Anyone interested to join the club and its rides can get more information at the Heaven MC Facebook page.

Troubleshooting Suspension Symptoms (Part 2) – Rebound Damping

We’ve put together a troubleshooting suspension symptoms guide.
A troubleshooting guide is easier to remember and use.
We continue with rebound damping as most adjustable suspension systems are fitted with it, rather than compression damping.

We provided a guide on troubleshooting preload adjustment yesterday (click here for the article). Today, we continue with rebound damping (or “TEN” on Japanese suspensions).

What is rebound damping?

To recap, rebound damping controls the rate at which the spring returns to its original length after being compressed. Without rebound damping, the spring will re-extend too quickly, sometimes even further than its starting length. This is what causes oscillations – that wallowing or pogoing (pumping up and down) motion.

Think of rebound damping as a brake when the spring re-extends. The more rebound damping you add, the slower the wheel goes back down, and vice versa.

The rebound damping adjuster is marked as TEN (for tension) on Showa forks

Too little rebound damping (Front)

The forks feel exceptionally plush when riding straight up.
As the pace picks up, the front starts to feel mushy and you second guess what they tyre is doing (loss of feedback).
As you flick the bike into a corner, the front tyre starts to chatter and lose traction. You feel the front as unstable through the handlebar.
The bike does not want to stabilize after countersteering it quickly into corners.

Too much rebound damping (Front)

The suspension “packs down,” resulting in lack of traction especially on bumpy roads.
Ride feels harsh, opposite of too little rebound.
The front tries to wiggle or tank slap when accelerating hard out of bumpy corners.
Continuous bumps cause the bike to ride loose (loss of compliance).

The rear shock’s rebound damping adjuster is located just underneath the spring

Too little rebound damping (Rear)

The ride is extra comfortable when cruising but starts to wallow and weave when encountering bumps.
Poor traction over bumps under hard acceleration and the wheel starts to chatter.
The rear suspension pumps up and down (pogoing) resulting in the chassis pitching its weight back and forth. This is especially frustrating when you are riding a bike with a short-wheelbase.

Too much rebound damping (Rear)

Suspension compliance becomes poor hence feels vague.
Traction is poor over bumps under hard acceleration.
The bike tends to run wide when gas is added mid-corner as it forces the front tyre to lift.
The rear end of the bike hops and skip when the gas is chopped.

Stay tuned for Part 3 when we troubleshoot compression damping.

Bikesrepublic

Latest News

Ducati Petaling Jaya is carrying out promotions for this Chinese New Year.

A number of Ducati models are offered with special deals.

Time to get your “ONG” on!

1. Panigale V4S

2. Mutistrada 1200 Enduro

3. Scrambler 1100 Sport

4. Hypermotard 939

5. Panigale 959 Corse

Boon Siew Honda launched the Honda Super Cub C125, Honda CB1100RS and Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP today.

They provide Malaysian motorcyclists with more choices in Honda motorcycles.

Boon Siew Honda also announced a positive 2018 with approximately 156,000 motorcycles sold.

Honda Super Cub C125 (from RM 13,999)

Highlights:

Honda CB1100RS (from RM 75,999)

Highlights:

Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP (from RM 114,999)

Highlights:

The Ducati Panigale V4 was the world’s best-selling sportbike in 2018.

6,100 units were sold out of a total of 9,700 Panigales.

However, Ducati’s overall sales dropped 5% due to the slump in the American market.

Repsol Honda unveils the bike for the MotoGP 2019 campaign.

It was the 25thanniversary of Repsol and Honda’s partnership.

Some “modifications” are seen on Jorge Lorenzo’s bike, although the 2019 bike has the exact same livery.

We’ve put together a troubleshooting suspension symptoms guide.

A troubleshooting guide is easier to remember and use.

We continue with rebound damping as most adjustable suspension systems are fitted with it, rather than compression damping.

What is rebound damping?

Too little rebound damping (Front)

Too much rebound damping (Front)

Too little rebound damping (Rear)

Too much rebound damping (Rear)

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It was the 25^thanniversary of Repsol and Honda’s partnership.