2018 has marked the return of Kawasaki modern classic motorcycles with the introduction of the 2018 Kawasaki Z900 RS and Z900 RS CAFE.
After years of having the Kawasaki W900 as their only heritage option, Kawasaki returns with two of the most anticipated modern classic bikes for 2018.
Both the Z900 RS and Z900 RS CAFE are expected to show up across showrooms worldwide early next year.
The past decade has shown that Japanese company Kawasaki proving itself as one of the major powerhouses of the world when it comes to manufacturing motorcycles. Not only do they have one of the most diverse selection of motorcycles that’ll cater to any motorcycle enthusiast but also some of the best the world has ever seen. (more…)
Motonation’s roadshow and carnivals concluded today (3rd December) at PICC.
The event drew the interest of a large number of corporations, vendors and clubs.
The winners of the AMD World Championship for Custom Bikes has been concluded.
The winner of the Bakat Besi competition has also been determined.
The event’s lucky draw winners will be announced on this Friday (8th December).
1st – 3rd December 2017, Putraja International Convention Centre (PICC) – The Motonation 2017 roadshow that has been touring the country for the past few months came to a grand conclusion over this weekend.
From having just a few vendors and vehicles being displayed at the initial shows, the event at PICC was certainly grand – occupying the main concourse, multiple halls, and all of the outdoor areas – featuring everything pertaining to the automotive lifestyle, regardless is directly or indirectly influenced.
That meant different family members could occupy themselves with different activities and attractions, while not bore the others.
For example, while the main display areas were occupied by automobiles, motorcycles and related products, there were smaller vendors who sold watches, sunglasses, toy motorcycles and cars; JKJR was present to convey the message on road safety, there was a dance competition, and outdoor concerts featuring local bands such as the infamous Indy-band, OAG. There was also a vendor who displayed their awesome feat of completing a replica Harley-Davidson Evolution engine completely from Lego blocks! Tayman Chua decided to show his airbrush skills by “tattooing” visitors – FOC!
The major players in the automotive industry were present, including Petron, X-1R, WD-40, Modenas, Shell, Brisk, Audi, Ricoh, etc.
Besides the specialist car and motorcycle customizers such as Eastern Bobber, Beautiful Machines MC, FNG Works, The Rusty Factory, Taymen Airbrushing and many, many more.
Speaking of Modenas, the competition based on their motorcycles, called Bakat Besi saw FNG Works’ creation winning the contest, with a novel creation which even carried a skateboard.
Besides that, run for the first time in Malaysia, Motonation had invited Neil Blaber of AMD Magazine to judge the custom bikes in the running to representing Malaysia during the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building 2018. In the end, it was Eastern Bobbers’ ultra-radical entry which won the ticket to Intermot, beating the entries by Beautiful Machines by a whisker.
The event started slowly on Friday, before picking up on Saturday and had the crowds packing into the halls and outdoor areas on Sunday as the news got out.
There was a trial riding demonstration by Acoi Pangkolo Riders on Saturday evening, while today saw pocket bike races.
Motonation is also holding a lucky draw for ticket holders to the event, which the Grand Prize is an Audi A3, iPhones, iPads, amongst other great prizes. The winners will be announced this Friday.
There were of course voices of criticism, as the event areas were too spread out over such a vast area, besides other teething problems, but do remember that this is only Motonation’s first year in the automotive event segment and being able to draw the massive number of prestigious corporations, vendors, motorcycle and car clubs, hold a custom motorcycle competition is more than commendable. Motonation will learn and will improve for the next one.
Day Four of the GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017 took the GIVI Explorers to Phnom Penh.
The GIVI Explorers stopped at the 800-year-old bridge in Kampong Kdei.
They got a taste of some truly chaotic traffic with vehicles buzzing around everywhere.
Phnom Penh, 15th November 2017 – As we GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017 Explorers had breakfast and prepared our bikes for the next leg of the adventure in Siem Reap, the rain came down on us.
We pondered if the occasion has finally arrived to test the new GIVI rainsuits (made specifically for this GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017). One of the Thai marshals, Nok (full name: Sitthithat Ritthikraironnaka), consulted his weather radar app, and informed us that it was only a passing cloud that’s headed away from out travel route.
We hopped our bikes as soon as the rain subsided, as we had been delayed for an hour. Today’s destination was Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, 315 kilometres away.
Again, we rode through the slightly chaotic urban Cambodian traffic before breaking clear and opening up in the countryside. Much of Cambodia is very flat, with rice paddies on both sides of the road. The rain had turned the roadside laterite into mud and some of it had been thrown onto the road surface itself, so we took it easy.
We were actually travelling south, adjacent to the great Tonle Sap Lake to the west (on our right) but heavy foliage and built up areas obscured our view. Shame.
There were many cows grazing and chewing on their cud serenely right up on the road shoulders. It panicked me a few times initially as I’ve grown wary of livestock crossing the road back in my wife’s kampong in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, prompting me to stick my leg out to warn the other Explorers behind. But it had been unnecessary as the ones in Cambodia stayed off the roads. “Cows here are much smarter,” remarked Giorgio Dalla Rosa, GIVI Vietnam’s Factory Manager, when I recounted the experience to him.
By the way, speaking of the word kampong, villages in Cambodia are incidentally called the same as we do in Malaysia, for instance Kampong Kdei, Kampong Thom, and so forth.
We rode 63 kilometres out before the marshals called for us to pull off the road on another ornately designed bridge, similar to the one we saw at Bayon yesterday. Just as well, the heat and humidity had returned after the downpour.
Known as the Kampong Kdei Bridge, and officially known as Spean Praptos (some called it the Naga Bridge), it was also built in the 12th century during the reign of that Jayavarman VII guy, the same King who commissioned the construction of the temples we visited in Siem Reap.
The bridge was one of the world’s longest corbeled stone-arch (same building technique at the temples in Angkor) bridge and one of the few Khmer Empire’s bridges to have survived to today. The stone railings on both sides end with carved articulated cobra heads.
Anyway, we noticed a few locals shooting pictures of us with Nikon DSLRs as we maneuvered our bikes to park along the bridge, and as soon as we got off, the same ladies were already there with the pictures they shot and mounted, “Photo, photo, Sir? 5 dollars.” Wow! Their speed was even more impressive than their enterprising spirit!
However, the locals (without DSLRs) had also come out en masse to greet us. Well, more like to witness this group of bikers on big bikes attached with all sorts of space-aged equipment visiting their kampong.
It was heartwarming to see the children smiling in all their innocence when we waved at them.
Later, we watched as a mini bus unloaded a crowd of loud tourists (no prizes for correctly guessing where they’re from) before commencing with our own photography and drone video session of the convoy crossing the bridge.
We then continued on our way riding on a wet dirt road. I love offroad riding.
Image courtesy of GIVI Explorer
The GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure continued on its way after lunch. It was a great break from the Cambodian humidity, that’s for sure, as we gulped down jugs of water. Credit also need to be given to the Thai support guys as they would invariably bring in hot water and coffee for the Explorers.
We were greeted by heavy traffic in the form of mopeds and scooters, a few with more than two occupants onboard. The riders tend to overtake each other without checking what’s behind them, and I noticed none of them actually looked in their rearview mirrors, not once. So why do they have mirrors…? Well, nevermind.
We maneuvered around them as best as we could, but we were just as unaccustomed to them as they were to us. They’d cut pass our front wheels as if we weren’t there. On the other hand, we were worried about them being unaware of us having side cases and panniers – the local riders may think we’ve passed them and end up being hit by a box.
The Explorers got away safely and arrived at Phnom Penh Hotel, but a few of us went back out to shoot pictures for GIVI. With just four riders in the group, we rode in a super tight four-ship formation, preventing ourselves from being cut off.
We stopped at a beautifully opulent temple complex, all the main buildings seemingly encased in gold, starting from the gate itself.
Image courtesy of GIVI Explorer
But the best thing was watching Pietro Ambrioso, GIVI’s Official Photographer at work, shooting the photos for GIVI’s official catalogs and website.
We rode back to the hotel, witnessing how luxury SUVs cut into traffic, pushing plebs aside. But we were told that the traffic in Cambodia so far is only a warm up for the main event: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
It was here that I saw how the GIVI cases looked like after riding through the weather. They were more or less encased in mud, but no water nor soil got in. Thank God, ‘cos my laptop’s in there!
A few Explorers took to the riverside for some nightlife while many chose to rest for tomorrow’s ride into Vietnam.
We’ve featured the review of the Modenas Pulsar NS200 and Pulsar RS200 recently (click here to read the story), and came away impressed with both bikes.
However, aside from the official tests, we at Bikes Republic would voice our opinions to one another about certain bikes we’ve tested.
All of us love the Pulsar RS200 for its contemporary racy looks and presence, but truth is, our hearts are torn between both bikes. This writer however, fancied the naked Pulsar NS200 (stands for Naked Sports).
Sure, it looks Plain Jane next to the RS200, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t ooze its own appeal. On its own, the Pulsar NS200’s looks does hold its ground, especially when we looked at the riding shots.
Firstly, the rider figures more prominently on the naked bike. Strange as that sounds, but personally, a bike ought to emphasize that the rider and bike both make up as one entity when riding. You couldn’t have one or the other. Naked bikes, standards, streetfighters and classics have always appealed to me because of that.
Mid-life crisis? I don’t think so, as I’ve always loved the unadulterated looks of bikes that expose their mechanical parts since I was a kid.
Secondly, I personally figured that performing maintenance on the Pulsar NS200 is easier. I could get to the sparkplugs, oil filter, oil sump, front final drive sprocket, etc. so much easier because I don’t have to get around the bodywork of the Pulsar RS200.
Thirdly, and this is really my personal opinion, I’ve found out through time that motorcycles that don’t appeal to me on the basis of love at first look tend to have me liking them for a much longer period of time. The Pulsar RS200 truly looks great, make no mistake, however, the Pulsar NS200 has kept my attention longer, for some reason. It’s more like liking someone’s personality over looks.
Fourthly, there’s less cosmetic damage to concern about when you own a naked bike. That applies to either a crash or the accumulated abuse by careless mechanics when they removed and reinstalled the fairing. Not one fully-faired bike of mine has lasted its lifetime without missing fairing fasteners, causing them to flare open or even dropped a panel.
Fifthly, the naked Pulsar NS200 lends itself better to customization. It’s already a naked bike, so you don’t have to feel the pinch about having to store the fairings somewhere. A set of clip-on handlebars with bar-end mirrors, racing rearsets would make the bike look the proper streetfighter. Or go beyond conventions by stripping everything down and turning it into a bobber or a scrambler or a classic.
Sixthly, the Pulsar NS200 has a slimmer cross-section, which means it’s much easier to scythe through KL’s crazy traffic.
But, but, but! What about wind protection? Ah, that’s an easy fix. Just install a windscreen and you’re done!
So there you go, my own opinion on why I prefer the naked Modenas Pulsar NS200.
Oh and have you heard? Modenas is giving away free motorcycles for the Bakat Besi design contest. Stand a chance to win that and other amazing prizes, more information here.
Modenas Malaysia had recently launched the Bakat Besi: Peraduan Reka Bina contest (translated vis-a-vis as Metal Talent), Malaysia’s inaugural talent search program for motorcycle design and engineering. (No, it’s not a talent show for heavy metal bands, sorry guys.)
Motorcycle builders, mechanics, students and enthusiasts standa chance to build a career out of their passion for designing and building motorcycles. The first instalment of the program is Bakat Besi: Peraduan Reka Bina (Metal Talent: Design and Build) which seeks to unearth the appropriate talents.
There has never been a lack of creative talents here in Malaysia. Instead, they are hidden from mainstream view due to either lack of continuous exposure or mainly just because these builders are driven by their passion alone.
But what Bakat Besi: Peraduan Reka Bina aims to do is to bring these talents to the fore, with the opportunity to put their motorcycle design and engineering skills on the table, and to ultimately build a source of income for themselves and seeding the creativity of the Malaysian motorcycle industry.
The contest is divided into two categories. The first, called Bina Sifu, groups of 12 top builders (shown above) in Malaysia to customise the latest Modenas V15, Pulsar RS200 and Pulsar NS200. Modenas is the main sponsor of the Bakat Besi: Peraduan Reka Bina and they are sponsoring those bikes.
The 12 participants will be divided into six teams, consisting of a builder and constructor in each, and an RM10,000 budget is allocated to each team for the build. Entries will be judged on the grounds of aesthetics, performance and commercial value. The winner will receive a cash prize, a new Modenas motorcycle, and perhaps most importantly a production contract.
In the second category called Reka Sifu, contestants will submit their conceptual designs of a Modenas motorcycle or sticker designs. The entries will be judged by a panel, besides the public on social media.
The panel of judges will score 60% of the total points, while the remainder will be determined by the public.
As the Bina contest will be filmed, the public will gain exclusive insights to the design and build processes. The series consists of nine episodes and will be aired on Modenas’ official YouTube channel.
For more information on the contest, please log on to www.r8der.my and follow Bakat Besi: Peraduan Reka Bina on R8DER’s Facebook page.
Watch the video below for more information regarding Bakat Besi!
The Kawasaki Test Ride Roadshow will visit Sungai Petani, Kedah from 1st to 3rd December 2017.
The location is at the Amanjaya Mall, Sungai Petani, from 10am to 6pm.
There are many activities besides the test rides to look forward to.
Fancy test riding your dream Kawasaki? The Kawasaki Test Ride Roadshow, dubbed Close to You, will visit Kedah from 1st December 2017 (Friday) until 3rd December 2017 (Sunday). The event will be held at the parking lot of Amanjaya Mall, Sungai Petani, from 10am to 6pm.
This is your best opportunity to test ride the wide range of Kawasaki’s superbike models, which include the fun and go-anywhere Versys-X 250, the high performance and fierce-looking Z900 Special Edition ABS, the revolutionary-styles Z650 ABS and the quick yet rider-friendly Ninja 650 ABS. The Kawasaki Test Ride Roadshow aims to share the unique experience of the performance, comfort and versatility of Kawasaki’s motorcycles firsthand with the general public. Who knows, you may discover a bike that best fits your style and be amazed by its performance.
As with all Kawasaki Motors Malaysia’s (KMBS) programs, safety is the highest priority. Hence, riders must be aged 18 years and above, holds a valid motorcycle license. Please be dressed in long pants and closed shoes (slippers and sandals are not allowed) should you wish to test ride the bikes.
Each rider who test rode the bikes will also receive a lucky draw coupon (valid only for the corresponding day of the event) for a chance to win exciting prizes.
Apart from the test rides, KMSB has lined up many activities that will surely appeal to every visitor.
KMSB will also display a number of Kawasaki superbikes including a replica of the World Superbike Championship (WSBK) winning ZX-10R. It’s racing sister ZX-10R had won the WSBK in 2013, 2015 and 2016. (Kawasaki had also won the 2017 WSBK title but the replica is not present yet.) KMSB will also display the world’s fastest production motorcycle – the supercharged Kawasaki H2 – which has hit 400 km/h.
Besides that, Kawasaki superbike owners will enjoy the luxury of having their pride and joy inspected and services during the event. Highly trained Kawasaki Exclusive Service Centre (KESC) personnel will provide free consultation and advice.
Additionally, Bikers Gallery will be displaying and selling their latest range of products at great offers and packages during the event.
The Kawasaki Test Ride Roadshow is part of KMSB’s program ito reach out to Kawasaki’s new and existing customers, and the public at large. Visit the KMSB website and Facebook page for more information. Mark your calendar and let the good times roll!
