A car in (again) Singapore rear-ended a stopped motorcycle.
But the driver blamed the motorcyclist.
The video has since gone viral.
A car rear-ended a motorcycle, sending the rider and machine to the ground, but the driver refused to admist his fault.
The incident happened in yes, Singapore again. The post in ROADS.SG Facebook page described the location at the Teban Market intersection to Teban Gardens Road.
From the video submitted by Lim YK, the motorcycle had stopped for a long time at the three-way junction. He was waiting for the incoming traffic to clear before pulling out.
Along came a car bearing number plate SLF5020K which bumped into the bike’s rear left, sending the machine down. Good thing the rider kept his brakes on otherwise he would’ve been shunted into the main road and into the path of an oncoming bus!
But the kicker was the car driver blaming the motorcyclists, saying that it was the latter’s fault and refused to acknowledge his own harebrained driving.
The video shared on the page has since gone viral with everyone saying nasty things about the car driver. Some theorized that he was on his handphone. There were also who charged that he anticipated the bike taking off.
In our opinion, this hints strongly about inattention blindness i.e. the motorcycle didn’t register in his brain at all.
Whatever it was, the car driver should be hunted down and summoned.
The Kawasaki Z900RS Café caters to the classic café racer look.
Changes are cosmetic while everything is shared with the naked Z900RS.
However, the riding experience was rather different.
“Café racers” originally bikes modified from stock which owners bring to cafés to show off. There were no Starbucks in the 60s and 70s but restaurants and cafés such as Ace Café were the haunt of modified motorcycle riders. That’s in London, but we have plenty of mamaks here, intead. However, are bikes the Kawasaki Z900RS Café factory fads to milk the nostalgia?
First off, the Z900RS Café is the factory café racer variant of the Z900RS modern classic. Kawasaki calls the latter the soul successor to one of the most iconic bikes of all time, the 1972 Z1.
Conversely, the Z900RS Café is the tarted-up version with a headlight cowling, windscreen, forward handlebar and stepped-up seat. Kawasaki has (officially) called it the soul successor to the Kz1000R which dominated the AMA Superbike series in the hands of Freddie Spencer, Wayne Gardner, John Pace and of coure, Eddie Lawson.
1982 Kz1000R
The Z900 RS Café shares everything else including the engine, suspension, chassis and electronics. The 948cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 16-valve engine produces 110 bhp at 8,500 RPM and 98.5 Nm of torque at a low 6,500 RPM.
The new handlebar puts the rider in a sportier riding position, hence more weight on the front wheel.
Firing up the engine let loose stirring “vroom” from the exhaust. To recap, Kawasaki made the exhaust system to mimic the note from the Z1. It even has that sound of a tuned inline-Four… “vroom… pause… vroom… pause”. Blipping the throttle returns a howl mixed with a growl.
The clutch take-up and throttle are still “eager.” Well, that’s a diplomatic way to say snatchy. You have to be vigilant otherwise the bike will just take off with your brain still sitting in the parking lot.
However, the sportier riding position lent a much better control over the front wheel. On the “standard” Z900RS, the front went light with hard acceleration.
Similarly, charging into corners was much easier on the Café. Now it’s not just sweeping corners but also those pesky sharp ones at intersections.
The suspension felt harsh and uncompliant at first, but it turned out that the previous tester had dialed in all the wrong settings. Imagine riding a bike with close to the forks adjusted to full compression damping and full rebound damping!
If that’s not enough, the rear shock had its preload set to the lowest (which gave the bike a low rear and high front akin to a cruiser). The shock’s rebound damping was also almost fully dialed all the way out. WTF!
Readjusting the suspension yielded a bike that’s easy to flick into corners and maneuver around traffic. Unfortunately, the rear suspension still hopped over sharp bumps. However, that wasn’t meant to say the bike’s suspension was bad. Instead, it as what we’ve always said that some Malaysian roads can be kidney-busting.
The inline-Four based on the naked Z900 is tuned for low-down and midrange torque, hence it shows especially when riding in heavy traffic. Filtering through at 60 km/h in fourth gear still leaves plenty of acceleration.
Blasting away was just a small throttle’s movement away, leaving everyting else to reverberate in the exhaust’s howl and burnt hydrocarbons.
Bad points? The fuel tank is old school as per the Z1 so it’s plenty wide between the knees. The uptick, though, it’s easier to grip it with your knees during hard braking and cornerning.
So, is the Kawasaki Z900RS Café merely a prettied-up bike? Well, depends on how you look at it. In our books, however, the revised riding position has made the bike much better. The snatchy throttle took lots of concentration at first, but you grow to manage it.
But its looks were definitely a head-turner. The headlamp cowling, plus the classic lime green paint with white stripe gave it that real old school Kawasaki look.
Just wished I had a Bell classic full-face and bomber leather jacket when I rode to Starbucks…
It’s priced from RM 72,372 (basic selling price inclusive of 10% SST).
Italian designer Oberdan Bezzi created this Aprilia Tuareg 900 concept.
The concept is based on the Shiver 900/Dorsoduro 900 the platform.
Aprilia is presently without a dual-sport model.
Aprilia is one manufacturer that’s missing a dual-sport model. That’s why Italian designer Obedan Bezzi created this Aprilia Tuareg 900 concept.
Aprilia used to boast a complete line-up in the catalogue, from 125cc right up 1000cc superbikes. But they’ve got only four volume production models now, all sport-based. Let’s see, there’s the Shiver 900 and Dorsoduro 900, besides the Tuono V4 1100 and RSV4 1100.
The Shiver 900 is upgraded from the Shiver 750 which was in the market for an incredible 15 years. Part of its longevity was its simplicity of operations and reliability. Yes, the Shiver 750 was one of the most reliable big bikes. It fills the role of a naked sportbike truly well.
However, Bezzi thinks it could be developed into a DP, merely by sticking to its current platform and adding long-travel suspension to it. A beautifully curvy bodywork completes the package.
The designer christened his creation aptly as the “Tuareg” after the semi-nomadic people who live in the Sahara Desert. Saying that the bike is fixes your wanderlust.
The 900cc V-Twin produces 93 horsepower and 89.5 Nm of torque, putting it squarely as a contender in the middleweight dual-sport segment. Its competition are the sublime Tiger 800, new BMW F 850 GS, and newer KTM 790 Adventure. So, his concept really does make sense.
So, will Aprilia take this as a cue? Another marque under the Piaggio umbrella, Moto Guzzi certainly did so with the V85 TT, after all.
Kawasaki Motors (Malaysia) launched the 2019 Kawasaki Z250 ABS and Kawasaki Z400 SE ABS.
Both are high-performance lightweight motorcycles.
They are priced very competitively.
The Kawasaki Z250 ABS and Kawasaki Z400 SE ABS were launched tonight. They are priced at RM 21,998.00 and RM 28,755.00, respectively.
The new models were launched during Kawasaki Motors (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.’s 30thAnniversary Gala Dinner. The guest of honour was Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Muhyiddin bin Haji Muhammad Yassin, the Home Affairs Minister of Malaysia.
2019 Kawasaki Z250 (From RM 21,998.00)
The 2019 Z250 is a facelift model to the previous Z250, to lengthen the model’s lifespan.
Highlights:
Following the Sugomi design concept, the bike has multiple slated panels.
The fuel tank is now more muscular.
New steel trellis frame that’s 4kg lighter, and inspired by the Ninja H2.
Wider handlebar for better leverage.
Raised tail section.
New LED taillight.
New LED headlight.
Semi-digital instrument panel (meter) inspired by the Z650.
Single front petal brake disc and petal rear brake.
Dual-channel ABS.
The engine is a 249cc, fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 4-valve, parallel-Twin.
It produces 37.7 hp (38.2 PS) and 23.5 Nm of torque
The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox with assist and slipper clutch.
Offered in Green colour scheme.
2019 Kawasaki Z400 SE ABS (from RM 28,755.00)
As with the Z250 which is the naked version of Ninja 250, the Z400 is the therefore the naked version of the Ninja 400.
Highlights:
The design also follows the Sugomi concept.
The fuel tank has muscular side panels.
New steel trellis frame that’s 4kg lighter, and inspired by the Ninja H2.
The handlebar and seating position is more upright hence more accessible to a wider range of riders.
Raised tail section.
New LED taillight.
New LED headlight.
Semi-digital instrument panel (meter) inspired by the Z650.
Single front petal brake disc and petal rear brake.
Dual-channel ABS.
The engine is a 399cc, fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 4-valve, parallel-Twin.
It produces 48.3 hp (49 PS) and 38 Nm of torque.
New fuel injectors.
The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox with assist and slipper clutch.
Watch as the motorcyclist applies his brakes just as the truck was starting to lose balance.
This is a great example of riding alert and smart.
Always ride alert and don’t daydream.
This happened in Thailand and watch as the motorcyclist brakes just in time for the truck’s container to tip over!=
The motorcyclist in the video was alert of his surrounds hence he applied the brakes as soon as he saw the truck going off-balance. He missed it with mere metres to go. Additionally, he looked around for other traffic and rode off to stop further down the road, instead of sitting pretty behind it and risk being rear-ended. Yes, he did all these despite the adrenaline pulsing through his veins.
We have often seen riders carrying on with their daydreams, possibly of dating Neelofah or Scarlet Johansson, and being completely oblivious of their surroundings. That’s how the suddenly find themselves right in the middle of the overtaking lane, being tailgated by a heavy vehicle.
Being inattentive also leads to prolonged reaction times. Needless to say, the outcome is usually not pretty.
So, be attentive and smart like this rider. It could be a matter of life or being pancaked into the road.
A car went into the motorcycle lane at the Woodland Johor Causeway and caused an accident.
The Singapore-registered car was seen reversing in the lane.
A motorcycle rammed into the rear left side of the car.
A car went into the motorcycle lane at the Woodland Johor Causeway and caused an accident.
The Singapore-registered car drove into the motorcycle lane and eyewitness reported that the driver attempted to reverse it back out. But a Suzuki GSX-R1000 was caught by surprise and hit the left rear quarter. The crash threw the rider a few metres away. A photograph showed that he was bleeding profusely from his left ankle.
No other detail was furbished if the car driver drove into the lane by mistake or otherwise.
Such occurrences have happened in Malaysia. Although rare, there were times when motorcyclists were surprised to find a car blocking their way in the motorcycle lane. Often, this was due to confused drivers who mistook the openings at highway on-ramps as the interchange.
This writer encountered a Hyundai Getz occupying the Kesas motorcycle lane, just after the on-ramps to Puchong and Bandar Sunway. When confronted, the driver asked for directions to Bandar Sunway. She then had to reverse her car along that lane while shocked motorcyclists pulled off the road.
The only thing we could do is be vigilant at all times and keep scanning the road as far ahead as possible.
