The Honda Neo Sports Café 650 concept was unveiled at the Paris Motorshow.
The model follows in the footsteps of the CB1000R and CB250R.
No word yet on if it will make production but watch out for EICMA 2018.
The Honda Neo Sports Café 650 concept was unveiled at the Paris Motorshow after the introduction of the CB1000R and CB250R as part of the Neo Sports Café line-up.
In naming the range Neo Sports Café, the bikes feature post-modern twists on the café racer theme. Replacing the previous CB1000R, the styling was a bigger departure. The pointy headlamp made way to a massive round headlight with a distinctive circle LED. There is also a wide radiator in front of the engine. The new bike’s silhouette are rounder and softer for a retro feel.
Now here comes the 650. From the looks of the four swooping exhaust downpipes and the cylinder block that’s tilted 60o forward, the engine has to be from the CB650F we tested not long ago. The twin silencers look aggressive, too.
The headlamp has been replaced with a round unit and the cowls flanking the fuel tank have been removed. The result is a dramatic-looking bike – even better-looking than the 1000cc model, in our books.
Is Honda hinting on replacing the CB650F? The introduction of the production model should debut at EICMA in November.
Omar Jumiran from Eastern Bobber is now competing in the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building 2018.
The championship is currently taking place at the Intermot Show in Cologne, Germany.
Omar and his creation “Bone-X” has made the Top 10 as this article is published.
Omar Jumiran of Eastern Bobber fame won the custom bike show at Motonation 2017, earning him a place at the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building 2018 (AMD). The AMD is part of the prestigious Intermot Show in Cologne, Germany.
Omar’s entry in Motonation was called, “Bone X,” a radical custom framed bike built around a 1967 AJS single-cylinder engine. Apart from the engine, the parts on the bike were entirely self-fabricated and welded without the benefit of CNC machining or robotic TIG welding. But the most radical aspect has to be the suspension, featuring a centre-steering hub front end and a plunger-type rear end. The spring and shocks are located on top of the frame’s backbone in order to suspend both ends.
Omar Jumiran had been dreaming of entering the AMD for the past 30 years and now his dream has come true, thanks for Motonation who fully-sponsored his entry and trip to Germany.
The veteran builder had seven months to fully prepare his bike, spending some RM 80,000 in the process. Bone-X was shipped out from Malaysia in July and arrived safely in MalProC Germany’s (Motonation’s group of companies) warehouse. The bike was delivered to the competition last Tuesday among entries from 45 countries.
Organized by AMD Magazine, the judging system in the AMD is unique as it is known as “Peer Group Review.” As the term suggests, the competitors themselves plus a few carefully chosen custom industry VIP judges and past competitors review other competitors’ entries, thereby ensuring open, honest and fair judging.
AMD’s intention is to reward motorcycle design and engineering quality, with the premium on originality and hand-craftmanship. All builders are required to provide a “Run Test Video” to be eligible for competition.
Bone-X is entered in the “Freestyle” category as it does not conform to other classes such as “Custom Harleys,” etc.
Omar and Bone-X have made the Top 10 when this article was published. He has done Malaysia proud regardless of where he finishes, but let us put together our prayers and wish him the best.
The new engine produces 38.2 bhp – the most powerful 250cc, four-stroke roadgoing engine.
It is priced from RM 23,071 (basic selling price).
Testing the 2018 Kawasaki Ninja 250 kinda reminds me of having my favourite tomyam.
However, the first I’d do when it’s served is to locate and remove the cili padi (called “bird eye chili” in English, but that doesn’t sound good as a title, does it?). Then again, I’d sometimes miss a little flake and chewed it. Oh, the horrors! How could something so little cause so much “excitement”?
Being used to bigger bikes, my initial inclination was, “Beautiful bike, but how fast can it go?” Okay, let’s come back to this later.
I’ve always referred to the 250cc segment as the “Game of Thrones” category. Being the most affordable higher capacity motorcycles after sub-200cc bikes, manufacturers fight tooth and nail for a piece of the pie. Yes, Kawasaki wants to dominate this sector, hence the 2018 Ninja 250 is new from the ground up.
First, the design. Kawasaki are styling their bikes to reflect a family identity. As such, one could very well mistake the new bike for the ZX-6R or even ZX-10R at first glance.
There are plenty of sharp angles at the front alone, especially on the “chin spoiler” below the headlamps alluding to more downforce at high speeds. The fairing flares outwards by the time it reaches the knee cutouts, making the bike look like a bigger capacity model.
The 249cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, eight-valve, parallel-Twin is all new and has been tuned to produce 38.2 bhp at 12,500 RPM and 23.5 Nm of torque at 10,000 RPM. It’s apparent that the engine is a screamer. The assist-and-slip clutch is retained.
Other changes include:
Reworked radiator fan shroud which directs hot air away from the rider.
Improved ergonomics.
Single 310 mm floating disc clamped by a 2-piston caliper.
41 mm telescopic forks.
14-litre fuel tank.
164 kg wet weight.
The seating position was sporty beyond doubt. The clip-on handlebars may look tall but it feels much lower when you’re seated on the bike; due to the compact fuel tank which puts you right up front. Such arrangement is good for mass centralization. The clip-ons are also angled downwards for a more comfortable riding position at high speeds.
The new engine is much quieter when idling, too. Gone is the loud ticking from the valvetrain of its predecessor. Blipping the throttle sends the needle flying up the rev counter.
First gear in, added some throttle, clutch out and… CLACK! The engine cut out. Lucky for me no one was looking. You need to slip the clutch a little more to get going.
Acceleration was much, much smoother than I had anticipated. But the engine felt rather benign below 5000 RPM. More gas then. The rev counter’s needle swung up, up, up and the bike took off when it hit 8000 RPM. The exhaust note changed to a howl, accompanied by a guttural growl from the airbox underneath the tank.
Once, I let rip on the Ninja 250 to teach an MT-07 rider a lesson he won’t soon forget. Pinning the throttle, the “Little Red Chili” picked up speed surprisingly quickly for a 250, until we hit 179 km/h with 1000 RPM before the redline. Mr. MT never dared to re-approach.
I related the experience to fellow journalists and one guy who’s smaller and lighter than I am recounted that he hit 192 km/h!
That’s almost unheard of for a stock 250cc four-stroke road bike.
Of course, none of that speed would mean anything if the bike couldn’t handle.
Steering was close to being effortless and you could swing the bike from side to side even while accelerating at full throttle. Yet, it was uncannily steady like a long wheelbase big bike in a straight line.
The suspension’s well-tuned for the war on corners. Here’s a tip: To maximize the Ninja 250’s corner speed, brake early followed by early brake release.
The slipper clutch’s nicely tuned to provide a degree of engine braking but it still allows the bike to freewheel into corners. Yes, like a two-stroke. Fun!
Riding a lightweight bike such as the Ninja 250 in traffic is a breeze as the bike changes directions quickly. The brakes are pretty strong, too. Another thing which I appreciated was the lack of hot air from the engine cooking certain organs. I do want another child, you know.
So, back to “Beautiful bike, but how fast can it go?” You see, the 2018 Kawasaki Ninja 250 isn’t about just top speed. Instead, Kawasaki has done a great job in reinventing the sporting 250 by infusing awesome handling and speed seamlessly, and wrapped in a beautiful bodywork.
And yes, small things can cause great excitement, just like the “Little Red Chili” here.
Auto Bavaria BMW Motorrad organized a convoy for r nine T owners to the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride 2018 in Melaka.
Thirty riders took part in the ride.
There were also other fun activities besides the ride for the participants.
Auto Bavaria BMW Motorrad organized a ride to Melaka to participate in the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride 2018 (DGR) over the weekend.
Most bikers ought to know what the annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride advocates by now. Motorcycle convoys are held on a single day all over the world to bring awareness and raise funds for research in men’s health issues. This is why participants consisting of men and women dress up in their best attires to ride their motorcycles.
The event has grown to such gigantic proportion that it has become a permanent schedule in every biker’s calendar. In Malaysia, DGR 2018 was held in nine cities namely Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Melaka, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuantan, Miri, and Sibu.
While DGR’s message is about serious health issues, that doesn’t make it less fun. In fact, Auto Bavaria BMW Motorrad has been taking part in the event for the second year running in Melaka.
The ride was specially organized for BMW r nineT owners, since the r nineT range is BMW’s heritage line-up. “BMW r nine T owners, they very unique people so we want to create a memorable experience for them where they enjoy themselves and contribute to DGR,” explained Faisal Mustafa, Motorrad Manager at Auto Bavaria.
Faisal Mustafa welcoming the participants
“The r nine T is about heritage, lifestyle and emotional motorcycling so DGR bodes well for the owners.”
We assembled at Auto Bavaria’s (AB) showroom in Glenmarie, Shah Alam on Saturday morning, 29th September 2018.
A light breakfast was served. The AB crew loaded our luggage into the support van as the participants chatted with each other over “Nasi Lemak AB” which was apparently a hit among AB customers.
A ride briefing was held afterwards. The r nineT’s assembled consisted of every variant except for the Racer. The model was designed to be customized and not one was 100% identical as the other. (Including mine which was the r nineT Scrambler with a fuel tank covered by signatures.)
We rode out onto the highway and headed south. AB’s crew also rode along on their personal bikes in support of the convoy and DGR.
Soon, it became clear that the AB crew had worked hard to plan the ride as we proceeded onto the Seremban – Port Dickson highway. The route was clear today despite being a weekend. The convoy lead even signaled the participants to ride freely, if they so wished.
We turned west toward and Ayer Kuning and Linggi as we got near Port Dickson to ride along the coast. We stopped at an old two-storey shophouse with the classic Singer signboard for a few photos, before continuing passing famous places such as Masjid Tanah.
This route had a good mix of straights and corners, covered by smooth asphalt. The village view on both flanks of the road was interesting and cool air still hangs around the trees despite the sun beating down on us.
The participants showed plenty of restraint and discipline along the way. There was no show-boating, dangerous riding, holding up traffic, etc.
We soon reached a small “kedai makan” called Anjung Santai at Pantai Puteri where we stopped for lunch. As with traditional eateries in our country, it was built in the compound of a house and family operated. If you crave Melaka’s “asam pedas,” forget about those big and crowded restaurants in town because Anjung Santai’s beats them hands down.
Anyway, we ended up eating a little too much and then worried about feeling sleepy for the rest of the way. We were pleased to learn that the eatery was just 1.8km away from Shah’s Beach Resort.
We checked in and were given plenty of free time to rest before reassembling for some fun and games.
AB had organized a “slow ride contest” in which the slowest rider wins. A G 310 R was provided as the competition vehicle. The winner recorded 30 seconds to cover the 50m path. The fun part was listening to the guys teasing their buddies who were riding.
“We wanted the riders to have fun together,” says Hasrul of AB. “The best way is to organize some fun and games. A ride is boring if we just get to a place and give everyone free and easy time. There’s camaraderie that way.”
Dinner followed soon after. AB had chosen the resort as it was some ways out of Melaka’s city centre for the sake of some peace and quiet, which was a great choice. But riding into town on Saturday night was going to be a challenge. But have no fear because AB had enlisted the assistance of the traffic police and marshals to escort us all the way to the Nonya Kitchen restaurant at Jonker Walk.
Dinner consisted of traditional Baba and Nonya cuisine. Prizes were handed over to the contest winners after dinner. We were then given free time to roam Jonker Walk or whatever activity we chose.
Some took to riding around the city for photos, some went shopping, others went to Hard Rock Melaka, while some rode back to the hotel for some well-earned rest.
We reassembled early the next day (Sunday, 30th September) for the DGR ride. The riders both men and women must’ve been truly excited about DGR as they were already dressed by 8am!
We rode to the Straits Werks Café in downtown Melaka, opposite Masjid Kampung Hulu which is one of the oldest mosques in Malaysia, for the start of DGR Melaka 2018.
As with every DGR, it appeals to all sorts of bikes and we witnessed classics, customs, sportbikes, nakeds, retros, etc. all in one place. The ride was flagged off by the Governor of Melaka.
BMW r nine T owners, regardless if they rode up with AB or otherwise, looked out for each other and started to ride in one large group of oil-head German Boxers. The collective sound of 30 air-/oil-cooled Boxers resembled that of squadrons of piston-engine fighter aircraft.
Holding DGR in Melaka presents its own unique set of challenges, the main one being the weekend traffic as out-of-towners (such as us) flood into the historic city. The roads around the historic sites will surely be packed as will the roads leading in to the city.
Therefore, DGR 2018 in Melaka was different as we ran the loop without stopping unlike the previous year and this year in other cities.
We rode from Straits Werks Café, past Stadthuys, Hard Rock Café and the entrance to Jonker Walk, down to Klebang and turned back. Done within an hour. And yet there were drivers who shoved their cars into the middle of the convoy when the police escorts weren’t in sight.
The weather was way too hot by the time we got back and the participants were definitely feeling the effect underneath their suits and vests. We adjourned quickly back to the hotel to freshen up before checking out from the resort.
AB presented another round of prizes to the owners of the best-looking r nine T and best dressed male and female DGR participants.
We rode back the way we came and stopped at Alor Gajah for lunch for the famous cucur udang near the town’s main roundabout. It was good!
The convoy participants separated from that point as a few were headed to different places, including to the DGR in Kuala Lumpur.
One last group shot
In conclusion, it was one the best rides I’ve ever had the pleasure of joining. Credit has to go to the hardworking (read: overworked) Auto Bavaria Motorrad crew who organized the ride. It has to be said that a successful ride represents only 10% while the other 90% was the work that went into organizing it.
The hardworking crew of Auto Bavaria Motorrad
“Organizing rides in Melaka is always difficult. The (traffic) jam, finding parking spots, trying to keep the convoy together, but I feel satisfied with the ride because they riders had enjoyed themselves; that’s our main objective. This ride was planned two months ahead, especially on choosing the route, marshaling and safety. I am also thankful to have a great and supportive team,” said Faisal in closing.
The ride was also made enjoyable by the r nine T owners themselves as they were a happy and fun-loving bunch. They rode and enjoyed it together as a unit. Their personalities are reflected in their choice of bike.
Eight members of the Kawasaki Versys-X 250 Community (VEXCOM) have set on a journey towards Southern Thailand.
The road trip was organised to promote Kawasaki’s entry-level bike off-road capabilities.
The one-week trip is also hoped to create more interest in owning their very own machine and joining the VEXCOM family.
A total of eight brave and adventurous Kawasaki Versys-X 250 owners are currently on an epic journey towards Southern Thailand. Called the VEXCOM Road to Southern Thailand, the Versys-X Community (VEXCOM) members pushed off from the Kawasaki Motors Malaysia HQ last night located in Glenmarie, Shah Alam. (more…)
Triumph has updated the 2019 Triumph Street Scrambler.
Updates range from chassis to engine to cosmetics.
The update ought to make the bike even more fun.
The 2019 Triumph Street Scrambler was also launched alongside the 2019 Triumph Street Twin at Intermot 2018.
The updates will definitely up the fun quotient over the current and already super fun Street Scrambler, which is the soul successor of the TR6 Trophy used in the classic movie The Great Escape.
The 900cc, liquid-cooled, 270o crank, parallel-Twin engine is shared with the Street Twin, hence it reaps the benefit of a 10 bhp increase, along with the flexibility of a higher 7500 RPM rev ceiling.
Other updates to the engine include lighter magnesium cam cover, dead shafts and balancer shaft, in addition to a torque assist clutch which reduces lever effort and also results in a more positive feel.
Braking power has also been increased now that the bike features a Brembo 4-piston front caliper. The forks are cartridge type and spaced wider for better control. Triumph also offers an optional tyre pressure monitoring system.
Triumph updated the electrical system too, by adding an immobilizer, LED taillight and USB charging socket.
Power modes, traction control and ABS are standard. The ABS is switchable should the rider take the bike off-road.
The 2019 Triumph Street Scrambler’s has also been given new aesthetics without altering its overall look. There is a new speedometer, seat cover and number board panels and graphics.
As with the Street Twin, Triumph also offers an Inspiration Kit for the Street Scrambler. Called “Urban Tracker,” the kit includes a 25-litre pannier and mounting kit, Vance & Hines exhaust, CNC black oil filler cap, black handlebar brace, number board kit, black bench seat and dresser bar kit, headlamp grille and bezel, high level front mudguard and sump guard.
