A Russian moto-blogger was killed while he steered the motorcycle with his feet and texted on his phone.
Artem Boldyrev was riding with the bike in cruise control, while he sat in the passenger’s seat and steered with his feet and texted.
It was reported that his bike collided with a car on the highway.
We feel sad and even upset at times when hear about deaths in our riding community. But we don’t know how exactly we should feel about this case. A well-known Russian moto-blogger was killed while he steered the motorcycle with his feet and texted on his phone.
Artem Boldyrev shot to “fame” by performing stunts while reviewing motorcycles. He uploaded a video of himself riding a Victory Vision full-dress tourer last year, steering with his feet while perched on the passenger’s seat.
Given Russia’s appalling driving habits, it was an accident poised to happen.
He was riding a BMW K 1600 GTL and managed to send a video of his act just moments prior to the fatal crash. (Some mass media said “Harley-Davidson.” Jeez, learn something about motorcycles, will you guys.)
His last and not-so-famous words were, “Most problems arise due to the fact that I don’t give a f***…”
Boldyrev wasn’t the first Russian vlogger to perish. The “sexiest Russian motorcyclist” Olga Pronina was killed two years ago in a high-speed crash on her BMW S 1000 RR.
Our message is this: Please stop stunting for cheap publicity on public roads.
Registration is now open for the GIVI Rimba Raid 2019 at Janda Baik.
The event will be held from 26th to 28th July.
Some 150 entries are expected for this event this year.
After last year’s massive success, the GIVI Rimba Raid 2019 returns to Janda Baik. The event will be held from 26th to 28th July and registration is now open for competitors, camping spectators and hotel spectators.
Before we go further, let’s recap on 2018. Rimba Raid was held in two locations namely Janda Baik and Mat Daling.
Rimba Raid Janda Baik featured a “test” style format where competitors navigate different sections and tests on Day One; scoring points accordingly. On Day Two, the rode through a short-distance rally in the surrounding jungles. 60 competitors signed up.
At GIVI Rimba Raid Mat Daling round, on the other hand, the format was that of a 120-km jungle rally on Day One and a jungle enduro/sandbank race on Day Two. A total of 105 participants from 10 countries including Malaysia took part.
A whopping number of 150 entries are duly expected this year.
It was also at Mat Daling that GIVI became the official sponsor of the event. Other vendors included BMW Motorrad Auto Bavaria, Ducati Malaysia, KTM Malaysia, Red Bull. There’s bound to be even more this year.
Looking back, Rimba Raid stalwart Dato’ Captain Nik Huzlan started the series as the first off-road event for dual-purpose enthusiasts with machines above 650cc in Malaysia. That is why one could see heavyweights such as the BMW R 1200 GS, KTM 1090/1190 Adventure, Ducati Multistrada Enduro, et al bash it out in tough conditions.
As the event became more and more successful over the last few years, so does its reputation. So much so that the Thai competitors held a qualifying round in their country to determine the “representatives” to this year’s edition.
Along with the popularity came the need to expand the series to cover more types of bikes. Instead of being lumped together wholesale, they are now divided into three categories. A class for quads and ATVs is also added this year.
Speaking about grouping and classes, Rimba Raid splits the field into the Main Race (200 competitors), Enduro (50 participants) and Quads (20 participants). They are split further into sub-categories such as Class A, B, C, Quad/Side-by-Side (buggy), Enduro Open, Enduro Veteran, depending on motorcycle power-to-weight ratio, suspension travel, wheel size, recommended service intervals.
Success also started to attract pro riders such as Malaysian MX and Asian Supermoto Champion Gabit Saleh, 2004 Dakar Rally winner Mateo Graziani, Malaysian trial rider Acoi Pangkolo, multiple Rimba Raid winner Bee Wong and many more.
Left to right: MG, Gabit, Capt. Nik
The location will also play a vital role in the success of GIVI Rimba Raid 2019. Dato’ Capt. Nik has developed the Rimba Valley Motor Campsite into a true eco destination. Nestled in a valley, there’s fresh air to clean out your city lungs a mere 55km away from Kuala Lumpur and a stone’s throw from Genting Highlands.
The Ducati Streetfighter V4 Pikes Peak prototype finally breaks cover.
It wears the “pixelated” paint scheme used for prototypes.
The bike will be raced at the prestigious “Race to the Clouds” Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) on 30th June.
Ladies and gentleman, after months of speculation and nail-biting, the Ducati Streetfighter V4 Pikes Peak prototype finally breaks cover.
Truth is, we were also surprised by how it looks, specifically in its “paint” scheme. It wears the “pixelated” scheme we usually see on test bikes that are designed to cloak the prototype’s lines. For that matter, Ducati says that this prototype suggests “how the bike will eventually look.”
The bike doesn’t look highly modified from Panigale V4 from which it is based on. It appears that Ducati stripped the bodywork off, replaced the clip-ons with a tapered handlebar and installed a different headlamp cowl. But look closer and you’ll find winglets on the radiator cowls.
However, it is definitely a potent package, provided that they didn’t retune the 1103cc Desmosedici Stradale engine. That’s 213 hp and 124 Nm in standard tune, but adding the Akrapovic race exhaust brings it to 226 hp. We repeat: A 226 hp naked bike, yo!
As speculated earlier, Ducati decided to debut the Streetfighter V4 prototype at the “Race to the Clouds” Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) on 30th June. The PPIHC is the prestigious race which allows naked sportbikes. Carlin Dunne will resume his duty as Ducati’s factory rider, and you can be sure that they will aim for not only the win but a new outright record.
“The Streetfighter V4 will be one of the stars of the Ducati World Premiere 2020,” declared Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati. “Streetfighter V4 is the Panigale for road riding; so there was no better stage than the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb for what will be the highest performance Streetfighter ever put into production.”
Druid Motorcycles broke another new ground with the Druid Sorcerer Hybrid and Sorcerer XEV.
The Sorcerer Hybrid combines state-of-the-art battery, AC electric motor and a 2-cylinder petrol engine to produce 230 hp.
But both Sorcerer Hybrid and Sorcerer XEV utilize Druid’s latest A.I. platform.
Druid Motorcycles broke another new ground with the Druid Sorcerer Hybrid and Sorcerer XEV. Druid calls it a total success in delivery bike-to-bike cloud connectivity.
But what’s even more mouth-watering is the prospect of a powerful new bike. The Sorcerer Hybrid combines state-of-the-art 14 kWh battery, AC electric motor and a 2-cylinder petrol engine to produce 230 hp. It even has a range of 200 miles (approximately 322 kilometres). Now you can have a part electric motorcycle which does sound like a petrol-powered one.
Druid Sorcerer Hybrid
It’s not just all brawn and no brains, though. The bike utilizes the Druid Prophet A.I. (artificial intelligence) system. It continuously reads ride data in real time while learning algorithms adjust the bike for weather, hills and riding styles to optimize performance.
The prophet A.I. platform was developed hand-in-hand with engineers and mathematicians from Trencin Polytechnik Institut, a leading European university in the area of A.I. and space science.
Druid Prophet AI
“Druid is our dream of powerful and intelligent motorcycling come true.” says founder and lead designer Milan Svoboda. “I came to America years ago with only a vision. Today those ideas take shape and form the beginning of a new reality.”
The Druid Sorcerer Hybrid and Sorcerer XEV will be available for pre-order this May starting at a launch event in Austin, Texas. VISIT DRUID MOTORCYCLES for updates.
KTM CEO Stefan Pierer is still adamant about buying the Ducati brand off the Volkswagen Group and has added Triumph Motorcycles to his list.
He wants to create a “unified European motorcycle brand.”
KTM is currently No. 4 and aims for No. 3.
KTM CEO Stefan Pierer is still adamant about buying the Ducati brand off Volkswagen AG and has added Triumph Motorcycles to his list.
That’s his ultimate view, but there’s a premise to the entire story.
KTM has just surpassed Harley-Davidson as the biggest motorcycle manufacturer outside Asia. The former sold 261,000 motorcycles in 2018, some 35,000 more than the Motor Company did. However, KTM only raked in USD 1.75 billion compared to Harley’s nearly USD 5 billion as the latter’s bikes were much more expensive.
Yet, KTM is still the fourth largest manufacturer in the world behind Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki. Honda sold a whopping 20 million motorcycles last year, making even Yamaha’s 5.4 million look paltry.
KTM CEO Stefan Pierer – PHOTOGRAPHER: MICHAELA HANDREK-REHLE/BLOOMBERG
Pierer knows that the Japanese’s volume is due to the number of different types and models available in different countries. This was the reason why KTM linked up with Bajaj to produce smaller capacity motorcycles.
But the man doesn’t want to stop there and set a target of reaching 400,000 units by 2022 globally. That target ought to demote Kawasaki as the world’s third largest motorcycle manufacturer.
In that sense, he felt that he should buy Ducati and Triumph and uniting the three brands as a triumvirate to form “a united European motorcycle company.” In saying so, he mentioned Ducati and Triumph’s 2018 sales of 53,000 and 61,500, respectively. “We’re saving ourselves in Europe,” he added. He didn’t mention that BMW Motorrad sold 165,566 units, though. Triumph’s not for sale, definitely.
Jefri Adzman Bin Aksan, younger brother to Malaysian celebrity Datuk Afdlin Shauki has passed away today.
It was reported that Jefri was hit by a green Perodua Myvi while riding his Vespa in Kota Damansara.
The crash caused massive brain hemorrhage.
Jefri Adzman Bin Aksan, younger brother to Malaysian celebrity Datuk Afdlin Shauki has passed away today.
The sad news was confirmed by actor, director and producer Afdlin today.
It was reported that a green Perodua Myvi hit Jefri while riding his Vespa at the three-way junction outside the Petronas petrol station in Kota Damansara. Afdlin explained that Jefri had wanted to buy some things from the Petronas station near his home. It’s also believed that the Myvi sideswiped Jefri’s Vespa, causing him to crash. Passersby rushed him to the hospital in Kota Damansara.
The fall caused massive a hemorrhage in his brain. He went through a four-hour operation to remove the blood clot from his brain and was listed as critical. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries today.
It wasn’t clear if the car driver stopped or ran away after the collision. However, Afdlin had appealed for witnesses or anyone with a dashcam recording to come forward through his Instagram Live post.
His message read (translated): I would like to ask for assistance from anyone who recorded in their dashcam or witnessed my brother’s accident with a green Myvi at the location. Please DM (direct message) me if you have more information.
We pray that Datuk Adlin and Jefri’s family stay strong during this difficult moment and convey our deepest condolences to them. Al-fatihah.
