Amirul Azreen, Author at BikesRepublic.com

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Amirul Azreen

KTM To Expand The 390 Adventure Range – New Variant Spied

The KTM 390 Adventure was well-received ever since its global introduction at 2019 EICMA.

Despite the success two years later, the Austrian manufacturer actually ran multiple test mules of different designs, one of which includes a rally variant similar to KTM’s 450 Rally.

The test mule features a taller front section, with an instrument console and handlebar-mounted higher compared to the production 390 Adventure.

In the latest development, reports in India suggest that KTM is ready to roll out the production version of the 390 Rally.

The Rally edition is expected to offer better ergonomics, control and balance, especially in off-road conditions.

Spied photos show a taller clear windscreen to enhance riders’ protection against dirt and debris and improve riding ergonomics.

However, major parts appear largely the same as the stock 390 Adventure including the 373cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine that makes 43hp and 37Nm.

It is worth noting that the upcoming Rally variants will feature a new off-road mode that was recently introduced on the 2022 KTM 390 Adventure.

Riding on a steel trellis frame, the 390 Adventure utilizes WP APEX 43mm USD front forks and WP APEX monoshock at the rear.

Despite the rugged looks, the Rally editions are expected to maintain the 19-inch front and 17-inch rear alloy wheels with the option to upgrade to wire-spoke wheels from KTM Powerparts.

Meanwhile, the braking system comprises of ByBre 320mm disc at the front and 230mm at the rear. Bosch dual-channel ABS is offered as standard.

FIRST LOOK: 2022 SYM Husky ADV 150

Along with the adventure motorcycle segment, the urban adventure scooter is also showing an upward trend.

Taiwanese scooter company, SYM is the latest manufacturer to join in the fight with the all-new 2022 Husky ADV.

With 150cc displacement, the Husky ADV is a direct competitor to the Honda ADV 150 which is priced at RM11,999 in Malaysia.

The liquid-cooled, single-cylinder SOHC engine on the Husky makes 14.4hp @ 7,500rpm and 14.5m @ 6,000rpm as compared to the Honda’s 14.6hp and 13.8Nm.

Nevertheless, the Husky ADV boast some interesting features, which includes a large 15-litres tank, bigger than its cousin, the SYM Maxsym TL500 that offers a 12.5L tank.

The Husky is also equipped with a full LED light setup including a neat-looking DRL (daytime running light) and a full-colour TFT instrument display that features an auto-dimming function.

It also comes with a conventional suspension setup, with telescopic forks at the front and mono-shock at the rear.

Braking is done by a 260mm front disc and 233mm rear disc paired to a dual-channel ABS as standard.

2022 KL Raticosa 500X Debuts In Italy – 48hp, 43Nm

Let’s be honest. The adventure bike segment is booming; hence you see every manufacturer racing to the drawing board trying to create the most appealing ADV machine on the planet.

MV Agusta is among the latest manufacturer making a bold step into the segment by introducing two new adventure machines, the Lucky Explorer 9.5 and Lucky Explorer 5.5, at EICMA 2021.

The Lucky Explorer 5.5 is MV’s strategy in providing a more affordable and accessible motorcycle for the customers.

This is achieved by a joint collaboration with Qianjiang Motorcycle, the same company that owned the Benelli brand.

The 5.5 is powered by the same parallel-twin engine found in the Benelli TRK 502 but with an increased bore and stroke.

Apart from notable brands following the same move, the smaller manufacturer is also moving in the same direction, particularly in Europe and Asia.

The Brix Venturi 500 and Colove 500X are several bike brands that can be easily recognized as Honda’s CB500X clone.

The newest addition to the party is the KL Raticosa 500X, another ADV bike that actually shares the same engine configuration as the Honda CB500X.

This means the Raticosa 500X is equipped with a 471cc liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine that makes 48hp and 43.3Nm.

Despite the similarities, Honda never actually agreed to the cross-sharing platform, but somehow the CB500X engine can be found on more than a few bikes available in the market.

Nevertheless, like every typical adventure motorcycle, the Raticosa 500X features adventure-ready specifications, including a long travel suspension, inverted forks and dual-purpose tires.

The bike also features 19-inch front wheels and 17-inch rear wheels, fully-adjustable Kayaba forks, Kayaba shocks and Nissin callipers.

With a seat height of 820mm and a kerb weight of just 178kg, the Raticosa 500X looks promising to be the next popular and affordable adventure bike in Europe alongside the Benelli TRK 502.

OFFICIAL: 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 Specs And Detailed Photos Revealed

Triumph Motorcycles has officially launched the all-new Tiger 1200 and marked the British firm big step into the adventure-touring segment.

The construction of the new Tiger 1200 focused solely on creating lighter and much powerful ADV bikes with class-leading handling and specs on and off-road.

At the centre of the building is an all-new T-Plane crank engine that was previously introduced on the Tiger 900 range.

The all-new 1160cc powerplant now makes 147hp @ 9,000rpm (8.5hp increase than the previous generation) and 130Nm @ 7,000rpm (8Nm up).

Interestingly, the Tiger 1200 also features GT and Rally editions with the addition of new Explorer versions that boast a 30L fuel tank, higher-spec kit and added electronics.

The Tiger 1200 GT and GT Pro features semi-active Showa suspension and gets a 19-inch front and 18-inch rear cast aluminium wheel.

While the Tiger 1200 Rally and Rally Pro are equipped with 21″ front and 18″ rear tubeless rims for superior off-road handling and ability.

However, the Explorer variant boasts an innovative blind spot detection system like the one available on the Ducati Multistrada V4 and KTM 1290 Super Adventure S including a substantial 30L fuel tank.

The entire range of the new Tiger 1200 is expected to arrive at worldwide dealerships sometime in 2022.

Toprak Razgatlioğlu WorldSBK Yamaha R1 Replica Breaks Cover

Yamaha Europe is celebrating Toprak Razgatlioğlu WorldSBK championship victory with a very special, limited edition YZF-R1 World Championship Replica.

Limited to just 21 units worldwide, the bike is produced jointly between Yamaha Europe and Crescent Racing PRO SHOP.

The extremely limited track machine makes 205hp at the rear wheel, an increase of 20hp over the standard R1 thanks to the inclusion of the Akrapovic race exhaust system and a special GYTR race ECU.

The bike also features Marchesini lightweight rims and Öhlins factory-spec suspension that helps to trim down more than 26 kilograms of weight than the stock R1.

Braking is done by a special race tune Brembo brakes for the ultimate on-track performance.

Other special features include:

limited edition badging and technician-signed build identification
limited edition cert signed by Razgatlioglu and Team Principal Paul Denning
VIP passes for two to a 2022 WorldSBK event of choice
1-on-1 rider coaching day
signed piece of riding equipment used by Razgatlioglu

BMW To Enter Middleweight Sportsbike Segment?

Yamaha and Aprilia have rewritten the middleweight sports bike segment ever since the introduction of the YZF-R7 and RS660.

Despite coming with a host of electronics and aggressive riding ergonomics, both the RS660 and R7 offers accessibility and affordability.

This triggers digital designer Oberdan Bezzi to envision other entries in the class, including a digital rendering of the Honda CBR656RR and Suzuki GSX-R660R.

This time around, Bezzi envisioned another middleweight sports bike from the Bavarian factory which he named as BMW F 702 RR.

Despite portraying the F 702 RR as a mid-size machine, the overall layout of the motorcycle is heavily inspired by the BMW S 1000 RR.

However, Bezzi redesigned certain aspects of the bike including the fairing and trellis subframe.

The design concept also includes a light alloy frame, high-spec suspension and top-shelf braking components.

While the design itself is exciting, we couldn’t really see BMW working on such a platform in the near future. However, considering the middleweight segment is growing, the opportunity for BMW Motorrad to produce their version of a mid-size bike is always relevant.

Suzuki Hayabusa Now Comes In Pearl Brilliant White For 2022

The Hamamatsu Factory has just added a new colourway for the 2022 Suzuki Hayabusa.

The iconic sports bike is now available in pearl brilliant white with metallic matt stellar blue accents and chrome trim.

According to Suzuki, the new paint job now joins the existing black and range, and matt silver with red colour trim its global launch.

Nevertheless, the third generation Hayabusa continues to offer the same electronic suite and specs for 2022 which includes 10 lean angle-sensitive traction control modes, lean angle-sensitive ABS, three power modes, a quickshifter, cruise control and a speed limiter.

All of its electronic can be accessed via a full-colour TFT display.

The revamped Hayabusa also features new pistons, conrods, crankshaft and camshaft which aimed to boost performance in the lower and mid rev ranges.

The all-new ‘Busa has also landed in Malaysia for a price of RM111,200.

BSA Motorcycles New Gold Star 650 Breaks Cover At Motorcycle Live

The Motorcycle Live 2021 event witness the revived BSA Motorcycles unveiling a brand-new Gold Star 650.

The bike now features dual-overhead cam, single-cylinder engine and was proudly on display at the company’s booth,

According to Classic Legends CEO, Ashish Joshi, the new Gold Star 650 features a Euro5 compliant engine and is expected to roll out to dealers by spring 2022.

Despite no further details, Joshi confirmed that the Gold Star 650 is just the beginning of a long line of retro-style bikes it plans to produce in the near future.

However, while upcoming BSA motorcycles will retain the same design language of classic bikes but the company will incorporate modern technology and emission requirements.

Interestingly, reports suggest that the Mahindra-owned company will also venture into the possibility of developing electric motorcycles.

Honda Working On Another 1100cc Parallel-Twin Motorcycle, Scheduled For 2023

Honda has filed a new patent in Japan that bears a striking resemblance to the Honda 1100 Rebel.

According to Japanese publication, Young-Machine, the upcoming 1100cc motorcycle likely to replace the outgoing CB1100 .

Looking at the overall layout of the new motorcycle, the upcoming 1100cc likely built around a tubular steel frame.

The current CB1100 has been in the market since 2011 and Honda has recently introduced a final edition to marked the end of the motorcycle.

Since the previous CB1100 did not received an updated engine to meet the Euro5 requirements, it’s only fair for Honda to revamped the CB1100 range with an all-new 1100cc parallel-twin engine.

According to reports, the new motorcycle will get the same 1,084cc parallel-twin engine from the Africa Twin including the dual-clutch transmission (DCT).

Young Machine even showcased how the next-gen CB1100 could looked like and even named it as GB1100, in-line with the naming of the recent GB350.

CONFIRMED: Bimota Working On An All-New Touring Motorcycle

After the successful unveiling of the new 2022 Bimota KB4 and KB4 RC motorcycle at EICMA 2021, the Italian firm has confirmed that a touring-oriented machine is already in the pipeline.

The confirmation came from Bimota’s CEO himself, Pierluigi Marconi.

“We are developing something new with a Tesi chassis and we will see it either next year, or the year after.

“Until now, Tesis was only made for the sports segment. We’d like to put the Tesi name to… adventurers, tourers, and bikes like that,” he said.

Bimota recent success has relied so much on major stakeholder Kawasaki who supplied the Tesi supercharged engine taken from the Ninja H2.

According to reports by MCN, the upcoming touring capable motorcycle will utilize the same Euro-5 compliant 998cc engine from the recently updated 2022 Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX Se.

However, it is yet to know whether the new motorcycle will also adopt Bosch radar sensor technology that features adaptive cruise control and blind-spot detection recently introduced on the H2 SX.

Meanwhile, Kawasaki Motors President Hiroshi expressed his continued support for Bimota.

“Kawasaki Motors will continue to supply engines and other key components and through our global network.

“We plan to support in whatever way we can to expand this glorious Italian premium motorcycle brand,” he said.

(Source: MCN)

Norton Motorcycles Unveils V4 Cafe Racer Prototype

Norton Motorcycle is set to expand its 1200cc V4 range with the all-new V4CR.

After the successful launch of the V4SV Manx and Carbon edition back in October, the revived Norton Motorcycles is scheduled to unveil the V4CR Prototype at the Motorcycle Live happening this weekend until December 12.

According to the TVS-owned company, the V4CR is the first prototype to be compeletly crafted from the new Norton headquarters in Solihull.

Sharing the same 1200cc V4 engine from the V4SV, the V4CR also makes 185hp and 125Nm.

However, the rear frame on the V4CR is shorter than the V4SV and it also features a carbon fibre fuel tank and body panels while the frame and swingarm are constructed from billet aluminium.

Norton CEO Dr Robert Hentschel claimed that the V4CR prototype represents the company next big step in strategic growth.

The Shop That Has It All – Sheng Fatt Motor of Penang

It is said that variety is the spice of life, and no where can it further from the truth (other than the obvious) than when shopping for motorcycle accessories and gear.

No one likes to travel to some place only to be offered limited options.

Ever walked into a helmet shop and walk out disappointed because they only offered a single brand and helmet type? It’s quite frustrating.

So then, let us tell you about a shop that is rumoured to be the most well stocked motorcycle shop in northern Malaysia.

It’s called Sheng Fatt Motor and it is located just a stone throw’s away from Komtar, on Penang Island.

It is so close you could almost have a regular conversation with someone standing on the Komtar side of the street.

So to debunk the myth, we decided to visit it ourselves.

Admittedly, we had visited it some years ago when it was first starting out.

It was a very different story back then, but a colourful story right now.

The shop, which also houses the Ducati Penang showroom and official merchandise area, also displays Aprilia and Moto Guzzi models.

That’s because Sheng Fatt Motor is the official dealer for Ducati, Aprilia and Moto Guzzi in northern Malaysia.

In fact, the company is also the company behind Harley-Davidson of Penang, which is located in Juru but is an entirely different story altogether. That’s context for you.

So we will say it here – it is true that Sheng Fatt Motor of Penang Island is very well stocked.

They offer 12 different brands and all of them original items. No pirated crap here.

The shop is the official outlet for Alpinestars merchandise and as such offers quite an impressive range of Alpinestars gear such as shoes, tshirts, riding suits, gloves, jackets and adventure gear.

They also offer GIVI merchandise, KYT helmets, Ixon riding gear, Five gloves, and even Quad Lock phone mounts and accessories.

Besides a vast array of helmets from Arai, ARC and HJC, Sheng Fatt Motor is also the only shop in northern Malaysia that is able to offer a customised fitting for Shoei helmets.

We learned that for a limited time, you can enjoy a customised fitting of any Shoei helmet that you purchase from Sheng Fatt Motor.

Why bother? Because there is nothing more comfortable than a helmet that perfectly hugs your head with zero pressure points. You should try it.

But besides that, the shop also prides itself in the fact that it is one of the only (or perhaps the only) shop in Penang that can “service” your helmet for you.

So this is how it works – you can send your helmet of whichever brand to Sheng Fatt Motor, they will then carefully take apart whatever it meant to be taken apart, wash it properly, dry it, and put it back in place properly.

And you have to admit that our helmets could do with a proper in and out wash. So why not let the pros handle that.

Sheng Fatt Motor is fast becoming the place to hang out and shop in Penang, not just for its product diversity but also because it has something for every type of biker no matter what bike they ride.

Want something today and pay for it later? Done. There is an easy payment program for every single item for sale in the showroom. Talk about convenience.

And if you can’t get to Penang, Sheng Fatt can come to you.

The company has an active social media and e-commerce team so you can check out their Facebook page here, and their Shoppee page as well as their Lazada page.

Looking for that GIVI rain jacket or looking for that custom Shoei? Or perhaps you want that latest Scandinavian riding bag from Point 65 that is well known for giving you perfect lumbar support and spine protection.

Give them a visit or call the team at Sheng Fatt Motor at 019 662 8932 or 04 227 8932.