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2019 Yamaha NVX with Improved Suspension and New Colours

The 2019 Yamaha NVX features improved suspension and new colours.
Its rear shocks now have remote reservoirs.
The 2019 model is available from mid-December 2018 onwards.

Hong Leong Yamaha Motor has released the 2019 Yamaha NVX.

There is no doubt that we have seen many Yamaha NVX on the road. Malaysian scooter enthusiasts love it for its aggressive looks, performance, handling and of course, convenience. We have personally encountered heavily modified ones that could keep up with big bikes on the highways.

We tested the bike back in August 2017 and had so much fun on it. Please click this link for the review.

TESTED: Yamaha NVX – “Hoot of a Scoot”

Most of the fun results from the Blue Core Technology engine. Blue Core is Yamaha’s performance and fuel economy “package.” It consists of Variable Valve Actuation (VVA), optimized cooling efficiency, Start & Stop system, amongst others. The bike is certified as an energy efficient vehicle (EEV). The 2019 model also retains the 5.8-inch LCD meter panel and SMART key features.

The 2019 model is now equipped with rear shocks with remote reservoir. This type of shock absorber means there is more oil or gas stored in the reservoir. As the oil circulates back and forth between the shock body and reservoir, it is kept cooler thereby providing a more consistent damping performance. Additionally, it makes the bike look sportier!

The 2019 Yamaha NVX comes in three new colours called Race Blu, Fiery Red and Active Yellow with new graphics.

It will be available from mid-December 2018 and priced from RM 9,988 (basic selling price but not on-the-road).

2019 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup Grid, Regulations, Schedule Confirmed

The 2019 Enel MotoE World Cup grid, regulations and schedule have been confirmed.
18 riders will take part in the inaugural series.
There are five rounds next year.

The 2019 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup grid, regulations and schedule are confirmed.

Next year’s MotoE championship is the inaugural international electric motorcycle racing competition. It is set up in view of electric vehicle rulings in the coming two decades.

The FIM has published the full 2019 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup 18-bike grid, regulations and schedules.

Motorcycle

All riders will ride the same Energica Ego Corsa.
Battery capacity approximately 20 kWh.
Battery power 120 kW (160 bhp).
Maximum speed 270 km/h.
Brembo brakes, Ohlins suspension, Marchesini wheels.
Michelin tyres.
The motorcycles are identical but certain parts are adjustable to riders’ preferences.
All bikes are charged with solar panels supplied by Enel.

Race Schedule

FP1 and FP2 practice sessions on Friday.
Qualifying on Saturday.
Race on Sunday begins before Moto3 race.
The inaugural season features five rounds at Jerez, Le Mans, Sachsenring, Spielberg and Misano (two races).

Sporting Regulations

MotoE riders are not allowed to race in any Grand Prix class during the five dates.

Tyre regulations

Michelin are supplying one front and rear slick, plus one front and rear wet tyres per race weekend.
Total tyres per year will not exceed four front and five rear slicks, plus three front and four rear rain tyres.

Teams and Riders

LCR – Randy de Puniet, Niccolo Canepa
Angel – Nico Terol, Maria Herrera
Avintia – Xavier Simeon, Eric Granado
Pramac – Josh Hook, Alex de Angelis
Tech3 – Kenny Foray, Hector Grazo
Gresini – Matteo Ferrari, Lorenzo Savadori
Pons – Sete Gibernau
One Energy Racing (SIC) – Bradley Smith
Intact GP – Jesko Raffin
Ajo – Niki Tuuli
SIC58 – Matteo Casadei
EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Mike de Meglio

2019 BMW S 1000 RR Features Hollow Stem Titanium Valves

BMW Motorrad reveals that the 2019 BMW S 1000 RR uses hollow stem titanium valves.
The hollow core lightens the valves.
Lighter valves allow higher RPM ceiling reliably.

BMW Motorrad reveals that the 2019 BMW S 1000 RR uses hollow stem titanium valves.

Everyday Life of Valves

Engine valves are subjected to some of the harshest environments inside an engine. Compared to pistons, they are not lubricated by engine oil hence they are not cooled by it. The valve head – the surface which faces the combustion chamber – is exposed to extremely hot combustions gases of around 700^oC.

If that’s not tough enough, each valve is slammed open and then slammed shut multiple times within a space of time. At the 14,200 RPM redline of the old S 1000 RR, each valve is opened and closed at 118 times persecond. The 2019 S 1000 RR is equipped with ShiftCam and has its rev limit increased to 14,600 RPM, on the other hand. Each valve now opens and closes 122 times per second at maximum revs.

How Does a Four-Stroke Engine Work

As light as valves are compared to the heavier reciprocating parts of the engine, they are still subjected to almost 5,000G of forces. That 5000 times their own weight.

Enter the Metal of the Titans

So, how do you reduce those forces resulting from inertia? Lighten the valves, of course. But how do you lighten something without compromising its strength? The answer was titanium. Titanium has the best strength-to-density ratio among all metallic elements.

Titanium valves are not new. They’ve been around from a few decades and were used in extensively in racing car engines before being adopted as aftermarket products for motorcycles in the mid-90’s. Since then, many manufacturers have utilized titanium valves in their high-performance models.

However, they still have mass and subsequently inertia when in motion. The engine needs more energy for the cam lobes to force the valves to open. The results are power wastage, lower maximum revs and lower reliability.

When Less is More

That’s why BMW Motorrad decided to fit hollow-stem valves to the new S 1000 RR.

But again, hollow stem valves aren’t new.

Car manufacturers have used hollow stem valves filled with sodium since the 70’s. Aftermarket valve specialist Ferrea Racing Components have been making titanium ones for many years.

Ferrea Racing Components hollow stem valves

However, the 2019 S 1000 RR has the distinction of being the first production motorcycle to use titanium hollow stem valves.

How are They Made?

A valve is made of two parts. The stem and base are then friction-welded into a single piece.

BMW bores out 2mm in the centre of the 5mm diameter valve, before welding them. BMW says the process is a secret.

Heaven MC Supports Harley-Davidson of Petaling Jaya in 3Damansara

Heaven MC attended a Harley-Davidson Petaling Jaya (HDPJ) event in 3Damansara.
HDPJ has a showcase in the 3Damansara Mall.
President of Heaven MC Nick Lum confirms their love to support events.

Motorcycling lifestyle needs both the dealership and its customer base to support one another. A failure at either end will inadvertently spell the end of the brand’s presence. This is why Heaven MC showed their support to the Harley-Davidson of Petaling Jaya (HDPJ) showcase at 3Damansara Mall.

The riders of Heaven MC first met up at Harley-Davidson of Petaling Jaya in The Gasket Alley for some breakfast before riding a short distance to 3Damansara Mall. There, there were provided a preferred parking space. The presence of the bikes and riders gave shoppers the opportunity to view not just the Harleys but also the lifestyle that comes with the brand.

HDPJ also made it possible for us to speak to Nick Lum, the President of Heaven MC.

“The focus of Heaven MC is to support public events, for example, launches, weddings, and so forth, to provide the ‘boom’ effect to the public.”

“Heaven MC has been around for three-and-half years. We noticed wherever the group goes on Harleys, there is a lot of publicity and people would look at the group. Putting that into marketing perspective, there’s impact.”

“We were invited by HDPJ to bring 25 to 30 bikes to show the impact to the public. We did the last event for Skybar in Traders Hotel three weekends ago during MotoGP. The crowd was really excited when they saw Harleys coming. In short, the Harley brand, the soul, the sound, the looks, the culture attract public (attention), so it works. Conventional events as we know (are with) balloons, clowns, fireworks, firecrackers, dancers… To me those are conventional events.”

“As a club, Heaven MC found that it’s a better reason to ride (rather than) going around to eat every weekend.”

“Charities are good but there are so many other clubs doing it already, so we do it once a year.”

“So far so good (for Heaven MC). We have about 120 registered members. We can get up to 25 riders on average with short notice. Given enough time, we can confidently get 50 to 60 riders to join the ride or event. However if the organizer wants a bigger impact, we can invite our friends in other bike clubs to join forces to bring it to 80 to 100 bikes, easily.”

“The biggest impact for Heaven MC was when Harley-Davidson of Petaling Jaya opened. We joined forces with HOG PJ and managed to put in 500 bikes for the launch event. That was a success. It basically gave us the confidence to hold any other future events.”

“If you need our support during our events, you can look up Heaven MC. We are friendly.”

There you have it. It’s good to have bikers who attend events to lend support to them, while having some fun themselves. But as Nick said, don’t worry, these are friendly bikers.

2019 Triumph Bonneville Speed Twin Unveiled

The 2019 Triumph Bonneville Speed Twin has been introduced.
It features a high-performance engine and handling, with retro looks.
It is inspired by Triumph’s first high-performance bike, the 1937 Speed Twin.

The 2019 Triumph Bonneville Speed Twin breaks cover after being first revealed to dealers during the Global Dealer Conference in October.

The 2019 Bonneville Speed Twin is inspired by the original 1937 Speed Twin – Triumph’s first high-performance parallel-Twin. As such, the new bike is an uprated Bonneville T120.

But it isn’t the case of just slapping on new parts on a T120. Its styling is from the new 2019 Street Twin, but the Speed Twin combines the practicality of the T120 and performance of the Thruxton R.

Triumph pays lots of attention towards how their bikes handle. Consequently, the Speed Twin receives a new frame which was based on the Thruxton R. The front is suspended by cartridge forks. The rear twin shocks are adjustable for preload. Wheels are lightweight 17-inch aluminium shod with Pirelli Rosso Corsa 3 tyres. Four-piston Brembo calipers take care of front braking.

Its seating position is more upright than the Thruxton, but sportier than the regular T120. The ergonomics may look aggressive, but the seat is only 807mm tall.

Powering the bike is the 1200cc High-Power (HP) engine but it has been updated, as well. Triumph revised the engine by adding a magnesium cam cover, new clutch and side cases. The updates yielded a 2.5kg weight saving. Overall, the Speed Twin is 10kg lighter than the Thruxton at 196kg, dry.

There’s now 96 bhp and 112 Nm of torque. The Speed Twin also features ride-by-wire throttle, three riding modes, traction control and ABS.

There is no pricing yet, so stay tuned!

Azlan Shah Heads to Asia Superbike 1000 (ASB1000) in 2019

Current MSBK Champion Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman moves to Asia Superbike 1000 (ASB1000) in 2019.
He will join the quickly expanding ONEXOX TKKR Racing Team.
ASB1000 is the premier category in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship.

Current Malaysia Superbike (MSBK) Champion, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman will contest in the Asia Superbike 1000 (ASB1000) class in 2019.

The ASB1000 class is considered the premier category of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC). Its rules are based widely on the World SuperStock 1000 series.

Azlah will team up with ONEXOX TKKR Racing Team. The 34-year-old will ride a BMW S 1000 RR.

“Azlan is one of the best riders we’ve got in Malaysia right now. It was amazing to me that he had not been snapped up by any of the factory teams yet, so we jumped on the chance to have such a high-calibre rider in our team,” said Bobie Farid, Team Principal of the ONEXOX TKKR Racing Team.

“No other rider can equal the depth of experience that Azlan will be bringing with him” said Bobie, referring to Azlan’s long and successful racing career that had taken him from the Malaysian Cub Prix Championship to the top of the Asia Road Racing Championship and subsequently to the Moto2 class of the MotoGP.

ONEXOX TKKR Racing Team is very active in the local motorcycle racing scene. Come 2019, they will field entrants in every class of the Malaysian Cub Prix Championship as well as the ARRC. The team is also weighting on entering the Spanish National Championship (CEV).