Wahid Ooi, Author at BikesRepublic.com

Hafizh Syahrin in MotoGP Without a Doubt

SIC and Hafizh Syahrin has confirmed the rider’s seat in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team.
Hafizh’s first outing on the Yamaha YZF-M1 during the Buriram Winter Test was positive.
There is one more Winter Test at Qatar from 1^st to 3^rd March before the start of the season.

21^st February 2018, Petaling Jaya – There are many ways to stir the sense of patriotism amongst the citizens of a country, sports being one of them. Malaysia has long have great motorcycling talents but they’ve never seemed to capture much limelight, until recently.

The Hafizh Syahrin “Pescao 55” saga has been put to the rest as the affable Malaysian hero’s place in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team for 2018 MotoGP has been confirmed without a sliver of doubt, as of 4pm today.

Speaking at a tea-time session with Malaysian journalists, Dato’ Ahmad Razlan Razali and Hafizh Syahmin made the announcement to a boisterous cheer, as patriotism took hold on everyone present.

When questioned, Hafizh said, “I tried my best during the Winter Test at Buriram. Most new riders to the premier class (MotoGP) would record times at least 3 or 4 seconds slower than the leader.”

“While I couldn’t promise great results right away, as there’s still much to learn, what I can promise Malaysia and my fans is that I will always continue to fight for the best possible results,” he continued.

Indeed, Hafizh isn’t a rider who gives up as he had shown in his past races.

Shifting from one team to another is always difficult and that’s why certain riders suffer when they do so. “The atmosphere in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team is very supportive and relaxed. They’ve been very supportive in providing guidance and advice. Even Johann Zarco has provided some advice.”

As for further testing and development, “I had to get used to the bike quickly. In some sense, the many electronic rider aids in MotoGP helps much more than it did in Moto2. However, the team will send me out for many more laps in the coming test (Qatar). That way, the team could run race simulations, allowing to learn more how the bike handles when the tyre performance drops off and the electronics.”

There’ve been rumblings in social media as to how Hafizh got the Tech 3 seat, ahead of riders such as Moto2 Champion Franco Morbidelli, and forerunners such as Thomas Luthi, Xavier Simeon, Takaagi Nakagami. To put it succinctly, it was speculated that SIC had paid for Hafizh’s seat. Perhaps, we shouldn’t think that far, as Occam’s razor applies in this case: “When all things seems to make no sense, the simplest explanation is the simplest one.” Those riders had signed to their respective teams before Jonas Folger’s announcement to drop out of MotoGP, paving the way for Hafizh.

Dato’ Razlan explained, “The sponsorships deals for the team had been finalized, so there’s no room for SIC to insert our branding. But Insy’Allah, we could do it in 2019.”

“It has always been SIC’s dream to put a Malaysian in every class. However, Hafizh’s entry to MotoGP is one year earlier than we anticipated and that saved us the money. Right now, SIC will take care of Hafizh’s personal costs during the season.”

Hafizh will be based primarily in Spain for the year, “SIC has set up training facilities for myself, Adam Norrodin and Zulfahmi Khairuddin there. I’ve contested in the Spanish CEV before Moto2 so there’s no problem for me there.”

So, will Hafizh’s participation in MotoGP draw in the crowds to the Malaysian MotoGP? “It definitely will,” said Dato’ Razlan, “We are expecting to see a 200% increase in the number of spectators.”

“We hope that with Hafizh’s involvement in MotoGP that especially young Malaysian motorcyclists will be inspired to channel their talents appropriately. With the right focus and determination, look at where one could reach,” added Dato’ Razlan.

At the end of it, come what may, Malaysians can proudly wave the Jalur Gemilang at SIC. Let’s also hope to hear Negaraku on the TV soon.

Triumph Thruxton R Test & Review

The Triumph Thruxton R is the flagship of Triumph’s modern classic lineup.
It takes on the form of a café racer, but with the race cowling it becomes a classic racer.
Priced from RM 83,900 (the race cowling and Vance & Hines exhausts are optional).

How many of us actually read the warning labels on the products we buy? I mean look at some of them, “Use Min. RON 95 UNLEADED FUEL only.” Or “Wear a helmet and safety gear when riding.” The more morbid ones state, “Improper use may result in grievous injury or death.”

Well, of course they sound like that, having been written in such way to avoid being sued for product liability. But, aw c’mon, none of them actually alludes to the excitement of riding; of how the bike would make you feel when you ride.

The reason I say this is because there exist bikes that’ll have you obsess over them. So excited over them that you want to just keep riding. So beautiful that it takes up all your attention, and you end up staring at the bike for hours and hours when you park it in your driveway (or living room).

Surely someone would come up with the hair-brained idea to hold the manufacturer accountable?

The Triumph Thruxton R has admittedly been around since Triumph launched their updated line of Bonneville modern classics in 2016. However, we felt that it’s the right time for a revisit, as other manufacturers have also released their café racers, putting them head-to-head with the Thruxton R.

Triumph had completely overhauled the Bonneville family from 2016 . The biggest updates, however, saw the addition of liquid cooling, a 270^o crankshaft replacing the traditional 180^o and 360^o, and the bikes branching into two capacities of 900cc and 1200cc. Different variations were then spawned from these two common platforms.

On the 1200cc side of the family, the engines feature two states of tune: HT for High Torque and HP for High Power. No prizes for guessing correctly that the Thruxton R gets the HP tuning.

Expanding on what Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia describes the café racer style, “(A) café racer is noted for its visual minimalism, featuring low-mounted handlebars, prominent seat cowling and elongated fuel tank (with) knee-grips indented in the fuel tank.”

It’s this visual minimalist that gives the bike it’s “proper” dimensions in the mind’s eye, eluding to something unadulterated in its purpose. The hornet tail-like seat cowling eludes to streamlining. Note that the Thruxton R comes with passenger footpegs and the seat is hidden beneath the cowling, however, you’d need to replace the seat if wish to carry a pillion for longer distances.

Getting on and grabbing the handlebars felt so natural. The handlebars appear low since they are attached below the top triple clamp, but they are actually cast to rise a few inches upwards, giving the rider a sporty crouch, rather than most café racers that stretch you out like a string of spaghetti i.e. butt high up, arms outstretched, chest on the tank. I would say the seating position is closer to the new Street Triple 765 RS.

Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia had fitted the optional upper cowling on this demo bike, turning it into a “proper” classic racer. Besides that, they have also installed a Vance & Hines full system exhaust. (As a side note, there are more than 300 items in Triumph’s accessories catalog.)

From the seat, your eyes meet a pair of classy and beautifully appointed analog gauges. There is an LCD screen in each of them, providing all the info you need, including tripmetres, fuel consumption, fuel range and a fuel gauge.

But the thing about Triumph’s modern classics is not just about the looks. They are thoroughly modern motorcycles, fitted with ABS, Triumph Traction Control (TTC) and power modes (RAIN, ROAD, SPORT). The headlights, daytime running lights (DRL), taillight and all signal lamps are LED.

Firing up the bike gave me a jump as the engine roared to life. These V&H pipes were definitely more vocal, rumbling at idle.

First gear engaged with a positive click, and we were off riding on the engine’s beautifully smooth torque, pulling away to a melodious “Braaaooooom.” But as soon as the right hand snaps the throttle open, the Thruxton R jumped forward without hesitation, accompanied by an almost ruffian-like BRRRAAAAOOOWPPP from the twin canons which drowned out all the sound of the world. Me, on the other hand, went “WHEEEEE!”

The Thruxton R was so easy to steer – left-right, right-left – as I avoided the bumps and traffic around Section 13, PJ. Mixed in with the engine’s propensity to pull anywhere in the rev range and that Symphony #1 from the engine and exhausts, it got additive within minutes. Why should one get addicted to hard drugs when you have the Thruxton R???

I had an appointment to meet Keshy for lunch at the Coliseum restaurant in Jaya 33, just some 300 metres away from the Triumph showroom, but I rode all the way to SS2 and Seapark before turning back to Jaya 33 – all subconsciously. The Thruxton R had just taken over my thoughts and actions!

And as if the planets, stars and nebulae were correctly aligned, we had an opportunity to ride the bike up Bukit Tinggi the next day on a TOP SECRET mission. I’d normally give the place a wide berth unless on smaller bikes. Ponder about it: Narrow road, sharp corners and chicanes, decreasing radius turns, dirt in the corners, etc. I understood how medieval torture felt like when I rode up there the last time on a 160-bhp naked sportbike.

It turned out to be a misgiving as the Thruxton R kept up with Triumph Tiger 800 XCx and Triumph Street Triple RS, even in the rain. All I needed to do was keep it in a gear higher, and rely on its agile handling and that wonderful midrange torque to punch out of the corners. Flicked it left, flicked it right, the Thruxton R exhibited neutral handling. It turned in smartly whether you coasted, trail braked, or kept the throttle slightly opened on your way in. The front end wanted to tuck under in a few very slow corners but adding some throttle cured it. It wasn’t the bike’s fault, I had pushed downwards onto the handlebars in all that excitement.

Talking about the throttle, I kept in SPORT in the rain because I could’ve sworn that my right hand was connected directly to the throttle bodies (they mimic the beautiful vintage Amal carbs, by the way). Then again, riding in the rain in SPORT mode isn’t unique to the Thruxton R. I’ve done so on the aforementioned Tiger 800 XCx and Street Triple RS. I can attest that Triumph motorcycles have the best throttle “feel” and response. A direct-feeling and predictable throttle response brings confidence to the rider; and riding enjoyment is a direct consequence of that confidence. You don’t want to go into a corner and have an abrupt throttle response either scaring you or messing up your intended line, right?

I guess I shouldn’t have second-guessed the Thruxton R’s ability to handle corners like the way it did. The entire Bonneville lineup (both 1200s and 900s) are fundamentally good handling bikes already, so since the Thruxton R is equipped with fully-adjustable Showa Big Piston Forks (BPF) and Ohlins shocks that made it handle like a dream. There’s only so much one could do if the base bike has terrible handling, and adding the best suspension will not guarantee that you could turn a water buffalo into a thoroughbred race horse. The Thruxton name is hallowed, but I personally refer to the Thruxton R as the “Bonneville RS.”

Anyway, if going uphill at Bukit Tinggi was challenging, coming down was outright hairy in the rain as gravity “assisted” in adding more speed than I intended. I was so thankful for that handling, Brembo Monoblocs and ABS. A single finger pull on the brake lever was enough to modulate the brakes into the turns. The Triumph Traction Control (TTC) kept the rear front sliding like a supermoto.

Down Karak Highway, as was when we rode up earlier, the chassis didn’t care if the road was smooth or bumpy, or if was painted with those dreaded red lines: The bike held onto the chosen line. There’s one particularly long right-hander and the bike just blew past everything on while on its side. It may look vintage, but it didn’t run like a vintage.

But it wasn’t only about going fast. The Thruxton R was equally as happy when trudging along at 50-60 km/h in the city (time to let people ogle at the bike). Like I mentioned earlier, the engine just purrs along when ridden at a steady throttle. On the highways, 3800 RPM in sixth translates to 120 km/h; and that’s the best range to ride in as it’s close to the peak torque of 112 Nm at 4950 RPM. And no, unless you’re chasing a 1000cc superbike (which isn’t a smart thing to do anyway), the engine doesn’t run out of breath quickly although its 97 bhp peak power arrives at 6750 RPM. But what those figures do reveal is how flexible the engine is. Just give throttle at any time and the bike takes off. The Thruxton R could hit 220 km/h really quickly.

In the few days I had the bike, I discovered just how characterful the Triumph Thruxton R really was. It’s got the pose and the poise, plus everything in between. It’s got all that one would want of a bike: Rideability, looks, sound, confidence, practicality and some touring capability (since it’s comfortable), handling, safety, reliability, even low fuel consumption. It did what I wanted it to do and then some.

What about shortcomings? The ride mode defaults back to ROAD when you switch the ignition back on. Honestly though, that’s not a problem, but I had to mention this because I’m forced to find something amiss with the bike, lest I be blamed as being biased. The curse of being a motojournalist, sigh… (Rolls eyes.)

For me personally, it’s been thirty years since I felt this excited. That was when I rode my very first bike out of the shop.

As for you, our Dear Readers, if you’ve never ridden a Triumph or ever felt convinced about the brand, one single ride on this bike will have you going Bri’ish in a hurry.

However, I recommend that the Test Ride Indemnity Form or a sticker on the bike ought to include a statement, “The manufacturer and/or dealer will not be held accountable for increased heart rate, dryness of mouth, palpitations, sleepless nights and obsession to own one (or more) resulting from the test ride. Giggling like a school girl is entirely a personal choice.”

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE
Engine type	Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, DOHC, 8-valves, parallel-Twin, 270^o crank
Compression ratio	11.0 : 1
Bore X Stroke	97.6 mm X 80.0 mm
Displacement	1200 cc
Fuel system	Multipoint sequential electronic fuel injection
Maximum power	97 bhp (72 kW) @ 6,750 RPM
Maximum torque	112 Nm (82.6) ft.-lbs. @ 4,950 RPM
TRANSMISSION
Clutch	Wet, multi-plate assist clutch
Gearbox	6-speed
CHASSIS
Front suspension	Showa 43mm USD Big Piston Forks (BPF), adjustable for preload, compression damping and rebound damping, 120 mm travel
Rear suspension	Öhlins dual shocks with piggyback reservoir, adjustable for preload, compression damping and rebound damping, 120 mm travel
Front brakes	Dual 310 mm floating discs, dual four-piston radially mounted Brembo Monobloc calipers
Rear brake	Single 220 mm disc, two-piston Nissin caliper
ABS	ABS standard, swtichable on/off
Front tyre	120/70-ZR17
Rear tyre	160/60-ZR17
FRAME & DIMENSIONS
Frame	Tubular steel cradle
Swingarm	Two-sided aluminium, clear powdercoated
Trail	92.0 mm
Rake	22.8 degrees
Wheelbase	1415 mm
Seat height	810 mm
Dry weight	203 kg
Fuel capacity	14.4 litres

PICTURE GALLERY

On the record: Paul Stroud – Chief Commercial Officer, Triumph Motorcycles Ltd.

Triumph Motorcycles’ Chief Commercial Officer, Paul Stroud, was in town recently.
He was present during the official unveiling of Triumph supplying engines to Moto2.
We talked about Triumph Motorcycles’ support to Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia, Moto2 and other plans to grow further.

As you may already know, Triumph is turning over a new page in their storied history when all Moto2 teams start using their engines beginning the 2019 season. To come from just a handful of bikes when John Bloor resurrected the brand in 1983. to where it is now, with almost every new model winning an award or accolade is no mean feat.

The first bike from the “new” Triumph at Hinckley. 1991 Triumph Trophy 1200.

If you’ve ever been to the Triumph Motorcycle dealerships in Malaysia (in Petaling Jaya, Penang, Johor Bahru, Kuching), you could tell that it all boils down to the hard work of dedicated individuals as part of a greater team to put the brand on the Malaysian and international motorcycle industry’s map. In fact, it was also due to this type of philosophy when we visited Triumph’s factory in Thailand (it manufacturers the bikes, not assemble).

But what makes Triumph tick between the principal and local distributor? When YBhg. Dato’ Razak Al-Malique Hussein, the CEO of Fast Bikes Sdn. Bhd. a.k.a. Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia asked if we’re interested to interview Paul Stroud, the Chief Commercial Officer of Triumph Motorcycles, we said “Yes” before Dato’ could finish his message.

First and foremost, please refer to the link below on Triumph sealing the deal to be Moto2’s sole engine supplier, and that’s Mr. Stroud during the presentation.

Confirmed: Triumph to replace Honda as Moto2 engine supplier!

Interviewer (INT): Is this your first time in Malaysia?
Paul Stroud (PS): Yes, this is my first time in Malaysia, representing the company (Triumph Motorcycles). We have a team of people including a Regional Manager who works with the rest of the world’s sales division and visits Dato’ Razak on a quarterly basis.

INT: Do you like what you see in Malaysia?
PS: Yeah, absolutely. The dealership here in Malaysia sells more than 200 motorcycles per annum so that puts it into the Top 20 internationally. They’re doing a great job and that’s one of the reasons why I’m here.

INT: What do you see the potentials in the Malaysian market?
PS: I can give you that answer in another 3 to 4 hours’ time (laughs). We’ve seen tremendous growth here. We’ve launched 19 new motorcycles in the last 2 years, and we honestly see some good opportunity for Dato’ Razak and his team at Triumph Malaysia. We already do well and it’s really about how do continue to grow our sales here in this great country.

INT: What do you look forward to on this trip?
PS: The main purpose of the visit it to see the operations here, to get a better understanding of the opportunities that are open to the brand here. You can really only do that by actually visiting the country and meeting the people who are responsible for representing the brand.

Bikes Republic (BR): Triumph is working on mid-sized (400cc) bikes (with Bajaj). Do you see a potential for those in Malaysia?
PS: Ultimately there’s opportunity but it’s very, very early in the development of that strategic partnership, so until we’re much further through… we’ve just signed the contract with Bajaj; we’ve signed the letter of intent, we’re working through the contract with them and then we’ll start to understand the opportunities for Triumph motorcycles made by Bajaj outside of India.

BR: Now that Triumph will be the exclusive engine supplier for Moto2, will that bolster Triumph’s sportbike family?
PS: The sportbike market has been coming down since the recession and now internationally represents a very, very small part of the market, so I don’t see, honestly, our relationship with Moto2 effectively, genuinely, influencing the growth of that segment. But more interesting for Triumph is that it will take Triumph to a whole new range of customers who just don’t know about us today. We have great bikes like the Street Triple, Speed Triple, supersport motorcycles and without question our relationship with Moto2 will put those bikes on the map. That’s really exciting for us, to be honest, because we are have great bikes; we just need to tell more people about them. Our relationship with Moto2 will also give the bikes a whole new level of credibility and will give us exposure to a completely different customer grouping.

INT: Will Triumph ever be involved in MotoGP too?
PS: It’s difficult to predict that but what I can share with you is the dramatic increase in traffic to our website when we announced the relationship with Moto2. Our website traffic, specifically to the Speed Triple over the weekend increased by more than 30%. On the Street Triple sales year over year, are up by 13-14%. It’s too much to connect these dots but it will certainly a lot of interest to the Triumph brand.

BR: With so many models being launched, is the production capacity being upgraded?
PS: We have two centres of production – we’ve got one in Thailand, and one in our headquarters in the UK. We’ve plenty of capacity to support the growth of the Triumph brand. The overall production has increased in both plants because fundamentally the production is relative to the motorcycles that we produce in each of the plants. In the Thai plant we produce all the Bonnevilles, the Street Triples, and also the Tiger 800. Those models are growing and therefore production within Thailand has grown but over in the UK we’ve just launched the new Speed Triple, Tiger 1200 and therefore our production volume is also growing.

Dato’ Razak added at this point, “Triumph is very responsible. Their manager will come and visit us at least three times a year. It augurs well for the brand and customers, actually because there’s a real interest in how we are doing and how they can help us move forward, rather than just sell number; and now we have a very welcomed visit by Paul.”

INT: Are there any plans for Triumph to develop a bike based on your participation in Moto2?
PS: In fairness of respecting the contract between Triumph and Dorna we’re really not allowed to do anything other than just to talk about our relationship but be sure that fundamentally we’ll be very proactive in promoting our support and engine supply to the championship.

INT: Is there a plan to run an official Triumph Moto2 team?
PS: No, there’s no benefit in doing that because fundamentally our engine powers all of the grid. To be honest, if we have a team in the championship, other teams may question us why that was the case.

BR: How involved in Triumph Motorcycles (UK HQ) in working together with the distributors in different countries, in terms marketing, branding?
Dato’ Razak: The kind of support we’re getting from Triumph is more than I would’ve imagined. We have a manager who’s interested to know what the market is like other than just pushing numbers. If Triumph were just pushing numbers I don’t think we’ll be sitting here today and chatting further because it’s an entire experience. This is the kind of support Triumph gives us.

In terms of marketing, of course we would like to see more brand awareness globally which they have taken a step forward with Moto2. That’s a major step forward and people are starting to ask about Triumph. So, that’s a major step forward but when it comes to where they (Triumph UK) are the competition is a lot bigger. You’re talking about an EUR80 billion company, for example, which we are taking on. We are taking on a company which is generating EUR80 to 90 billion a year – their marketing budget is huge. We can’t expect to get the same kind of marketing exposure, but we do our best, and I think what’s coming up from Triumph right now is more than what we expect and hopefully it’ll be more than what we expect (laughs).

PS: Just adding to that, the direct national contact works with Dato’ Razak and his team to try and help and facilitate, to move the brand, grow the brand in Malaysia. Also importantly to ensure where there are questions, where there are challenges, and that the company responds quickly to those challenges. The organization is here to support everybody within the team.

Looking from Dato’ Razak’s perspective is what’s critical to him. One form of support is that he has a constant stream of fantastic motorcycles from which to develop his business. As I’ve said earlier we’ve launched 19 new motorcycles in the past 2 years and I can’t keep up with all the 5-star reviews. Just recently we launched the (new) Tiger 800. That motorcycle had 5-star review after 5-star review. The Speedmaster, we just launched in California, that motorcycle (also) had 5-star review after 5-star review. The Tiger 1200 – they are Press in Europe that’s not in the UK – I’m hastened to add, found that motorcycle as the equal to the BMW R 1200 GS. So, that’s what we also bring to the partnership because that’s incredibly important because that gives ourselves a product platform which to grow and give our customers a wonderful experience.

INT: What’s the best-selling Triumph in the UK?
PS: Tiger 800 range. The best-selling Triumph single model internationally is the Bobber.

Rimba Raid @ Janda Baik 2018 a Rousing Success

Rimba Raid @ Janda Baik 2018 was held over the 10^th to 11^th February weekend.
It saw a total of 60 participants from Malaysia and Singapore.
Competitors were judged on their ability to tackle different situations.

Somehow, I didn’t mind being lost. It’s already almost 10am but the air was still crisp and cool, as a mist surrounded me, the village houses, farms, all the way up the hillsides. This is a part of Janda Baik that I’ve seen for the first time.

A few kilometres up the road, I came up face-to-face with large white tents and RIMBA RAID beach flags. A RELA personnel waved me onto a dirt road. I passed a family with three children sandwiched between their parents. As I kept riding up that trail, campers, tents and families with young children came into view, and a nice smoky aroma of BBQ wafted in the air.

After being to other parts of the country, Rimba Raid (which literally translates to “Jungle Raid”) was back, this time in Janda Baik. For the city folks, Janda Baik is one of the most idyllic picnic and recreation sports, consisting of streams surrounded by hills. Genting Highlands is practically a stone’s throw away.

Rimba Raid (the organizer) had picked a beautiful location in the already beautiful Janda Bike area. The trail formed the floor of a valley between two steep hills – think of it as the bottom of a “V” – with a stream running parallel to it. The hills formed a funneled through which a cool breeze blew through the locale throughout the duration of the event, keeping temperatures tolerable despite the bright sunshine. Additionally, Janda Baik spans an area which is 400 to 600 metres above sea level.

And here, parked on both sides of the dirt road were more than a hundred adventure motorcycles of every brand or every size, which included those of the competitors. Manufacturers Ducati, KTM, Kawasaki, BMW Motorrad erected their pavilions and offered test rides to competitors and spectators alike. BMW Motorrad even had a section for foot massage!

Mixed in with the manufacturers were the tents belonging to accessories and riding gear makers Wunderlich and Touratech.

Since this was my inaugural time covering Rimba Raid, I was surprised to find that the participants were competing on big bore adventure bikes. It turned out to be “formula” of the event when I interviewed Dato’ Capt. Nik later, “I do a lot of road biking (which) became very mainstream, but I do a lot of offroad biking, as well. Getting to the trail was difficult so that’s why I use a big DP (dual-purpose motorcycle) to play on the trail,” explained Rimba Raid CEO Dato’ Capt. Nik Huzlan. “(That way) I don’t have to use a trailer and all that. As I travelled I felt that this must be shared.”

Also according to him, while there are many offroad events in Malaysia already and the numbers are picking up, there is yet one which caters to large-capacity adventure motorcycles. “We are looking forward to holding an event for 250cc bikes at Mat Daling, but as of now we started with bikes 650cc and above.”

Hence there were mainly BMW R 1200 GS and GS Adventure, F 800 GS, F 700 GS, F 650 GS; followed by KTM 690 Enduro, 990 Adventure, 1190R Adventure, 1290 Super Adventure R; a few Triumph Tiger 800s; Yamaha XT1200Z Super Teneres; Honda Africa Twin, NX6750, NC750X; a Husqvarna 701 Enduro; Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled.

Outside of the BMW Motorrad GS Trophy and the KTM Malaysia Weekend Adventure with Chris Birch, this would be the first time I’d get to bear witness to riders competing on these beasts of multiple brands.

“Frankly, I was quite surprised that these owners would actually risk their RM 150,000 pride and joy, some even just 2 months old in the jungle,” said Capt. Nik with a laugh, when I told him about my excitement of seeing the likes of the BMW R 1200 GSA splashing through the streams.

The bikes were still shiny at this point. Capt. Nik called for the riders to congregate as he walked them through the different challenges, called “Sections.” The aptly named sections (Obstacle Course, Rimba Rhythm, Sumpit, Jalan Salah, Bridge & River, and Twilight Zone). Sections will test the riders on different aspects of motorcycle control and utilizing the capabilities of their machines.

More and more families with their young children in tow kept showing up. The kids were wide-eyed in excitement from seeing these beautiful big bikes and riders dressed in brightly-coloured riding gear. Malaysian adults don’t typically show their excitement but at Rimba Raid, they pointed to that bike over here, over there, another one, the next one, and on and on.

Returning to the main area, Capt. Nik called it: “The competition starts now. Riders please go ahead and choose which Section you wish to compete in.”

I was surprised.

Most competitions (apart from the GS Trophy qualifiers) have all riders complete one discipline at a time. Not so with Rimba Raid. “If we queue everyone up at one test at time it’s just going to take too long,” explained Capt. Nik. In my personal opinion, however, that offered a great chance for a competitor to mentally prepare himself; by taking on a challenge that he’s confident about first would boost his confidence when attempting the harder stuff. Well, that’ll be my approach, anyway.

Excitement started to mount as riders hurriedly donned the rest of their riding gear and went through their personal routines. Game faces replaced carefree laughter and grins. The roars of Boxer twins, V-Twins, triples, parallel-twins, singles reverberated off the hillsides.

The spectators’ kids shrieked in glee, their parents grinned. Everyone not competing lifted their phones and not cameras to shoot pictures.

Riders went in both directions as they sought out their preferred Section. But the stream crossings drew the largest crowds. Why not? They always produce the best drama.

At the first crossing, riders rode on a wooden bridge to the far bank, up the slope on a short trail, drop back down into stream and up the other side. Putting a foot down or dropping it means a penalty as well as losing time.

The water looked calm and shallow, inviting even, but as soon as the first rider went in, it suddenly dawned on everyone of how deep it actually was! It came up to just below the front fender. He made it about halfway before the front deflected to one side and down he went for a swim.

The marshals helped to lift the bike back onto its wheels. The rider started his bike and gave it full throttle. A jet of water shot out of the exhaust like from an angry powerboat. At the near bank, the front wheel went into deep soft mud and down he went again. The marshals helped him up again and he spun his rear wheel up the slope. The crowd cheered.

The next rider tried to just gun it through. But either the water acted as a speedbrake or he had hit a rock, because he practically dove into the river, like a platform diver. The marshals came in to help again, and again and again.

It’s not all doom and gloom of course, as there were participants who made it through without dropping it into the river. One, on a Triumph Tiger 800 XCx ran straight through, eliciting a loud cheer from the spectators. So did defending champion, Bee Wong on his trusty KTM 1190 Adventure. They just held a steady throttle, stood up looked all the way up the river bank and up they went.

I got so absorbed with all the action and drama here that I had forgotten the other Sections, until Capt. Nik came by and pointed upstream, “If you think this crossing is tough, you should go see the one over there. It’s a 70% failure rate.”

I hurried over. A humungous crowd had already gathered, spread out all over the banks and down to the boulders jutting out of the stream. The water was much shallower but there were so many underwater rocks. Sure enough, many got caught out. They either dropped it or had their front wheels wedged in by the rocks.

The participants needed to cross to the opposite bank, turn back around and park up a slight slope before a wooden foot bridge. They then run across that bridge to the control tent and back again to their bike, to ride back across the stream.

One by one they went down. A number got past on the out trip only to drop it a couple of metres away from the bank. They tried it all: Speeding, riding slow, up off the seat, on the seat. It didn’t matter what bike they rode, that stream was kicking butts and taking names.

Soon, it was Bee Wong’s turn. He blasted down the slope, into the water and was up on the other side faster than it could register in anyone’s mind. He performed the other parts of the test flawlessly. The crowd had started to cheer him on as he remounted his KTM for the return trip. He hit the water like a jet ski on nitrous and… he went down! A loud “AWWW!” went up. He remounted quickly and got up the bank. But that mistake had thrown the competition wide open. Bee Wong is a superb rider and had won Rimba Raid many times over.

Adjacent to Section 5 was Section 6, which is a trail ride. Scoring is based on the fastest time. The starting point of the trail was easy – a flat, gravel road – before giving way to mud and deeper, softer mud. The participants climbed up hill before descending down a slippery path that’s littered with deep sunken portions that could swallow whole bikes. The image of a Venus Flytrap entered my mind when I saw those holes. It’s a great test of the rider’s ability to think ahead and anticipate, rather than to just react.

As the festival broke lunch, spectators’ children dunked themselves in the cool stream, while their parents picnicked on the bank. Being so far upstream, the water here is especially clear and cool. The stream of cool air kept blowing through the valley. What a great place.

The competitors sat together to talk about the day’s progress. It didn’t matter what brand of motorcycle they rode, everyone spoke, laughed and cringed as friends, while they analyzed what they went through or to gain a few tips from those who had cleared other sections.

Once proceedings resumed, competitors went to back the Sections they have yet to complete.

Over at Section 1, a rider moved a ripe and aromatic durian from the top of a bamboo pole to another. He stopped a couple metres later and was handed a blowpipe to shoot darts into a target. He then rode ahead to the finishing line where he needed to balance his bike at near standstill, on a patch of wet mud.

My ears caught the soundwaves of boisterous laughter. Over that laughter and shouts was the signature exhaust note of a BMW 1200cc Boxer engine being blipped aggressively. It came from the Time Attack section. As I made my way over I saw an oil-cooled R 1200 GSA being ridden expertly around that tough course. But what caused the laughter and shouts was this guy running next to the rider, pulling on his arms – in an effort to slow him down! It was among the funniest things I’ve ever seen in my 30-odd years of riding. (I got there too late to shoot pictures or video. Sigh.)

While the activities carried on, groups upon groups of bikers visited the Rimba Raid grounds throughout the day, some to lend support to their friends who were competing, some to spectate. Whatever their intention, no doubt everyone went away impressed and in awe.

Virtually every manufacturer present provided test rides. KTM provided the KTM 1050 Adventure on knobbies (incidentally the very same bike I rode during the KTM Weekend Adventure with Chris Birch). Kawasaki showcased their Versys 650, KLX150, and probably their centerpiece lightweight adventure bike, the Versys-X 250. BMW Motorrad’s centerpiece was the new G 310 GS.

As the action wound down, the riders retreated to their tents. A few took the opportunity to swim in that very stream that claimed their bikes or their buddies’. The foot massage therapists had brisk business. Sustenance was provided throughout the day by Rimba Raid exclusively for the competitors, as did food trucks and a catering service called Teddy… (do try their grilled German sausages and mini pizza if you ever ran into them).

The organizer and riders later went out on a Night Recce to ride the trail for the next day’s test, before returning to the camp site for dinner.

Day Two saw the competitors leaving the camping grounds for the trail section. “This is where they are tested on their fitness and stamina.” They were separated into groups of 20 to complete the section. Having 60 riders of different skill levels and on machines of different capabilities would have probably been “morbid.”

The results from Day One (which constituted to 40% of the overall score) and Day Two’s were tallied at the end of the day.

Finishing third was Syed Hafiz Bin Syed Sheikh, from Singapore. In second was Bee Wong, who relinquished the coveted #100 yellow number plate to his brother Alex Wong. Browsing through the results, it’s apparent that the competitors have to be good overall. However, given some of the tough sections, to participate in Rimba Raid is itself a great achievement, hence every participant apart from the winner received a competitor’s medal as a token of appreciation, regardless of their finishing positions.

To conclude, the Rimba Raid is the one of – if not the – most fun non-professional offroad competition and event that I’ve had the pleasure to experience. To the spectators, the atmosphere, the proximity to the action, and the sight of heavy (read: expensive) adventure bikes being hammered in the rough was an unprecedented experience. As for the competitors, they had something to achieve while having fun at the same time. Sometimes there’s just no way of gauging your riding capabilities unless you measure it against your peers’ – in a controlled environment, of course.

Of course, there were a few gripes from the competitors, but Capt. Nik said it best that Rimba Raid is still new and they’re still learning and evolving. In my humble personal opinion, Rimba Raid has the immense opportunity to grow into a premier offroad event.

Oh, by the way, am now itching to enter the next Rimba Raid. Anyone care to loan me a bike?

PICTURE GALLERY

Motorcycles Allowed on Federal Highway Due to Bike Lane Works

The Works Minister has confirmed that motorcycles are allowed on the Federal Highway due to bike lane upgrade.
His clarification was in response to a press article about bikes “invading” the highway.
The works are slated to be completed in April 2018.

We recently highlighted a press article by the Malay Mail, questioning about motorcycles on the Federal Highway and the lack of apparent enforcement.

Motorcycles on the Federal Highway – “What choice do we have?”

That Malay Mail “report” had induced a firestorm of finger pointing especially by drivers against motorcyclists. Truth is, as we already knew, parts of the motorcycle lane were closed for construction.

And that’s exactly what the Works Minister, Ybhg. Dato’ Sri Haji Fadillah Bin Haji Yusof clarified.

According to the Minister, the Public Works Department (PWD or more well known as JKR) has been carrying out upgrading works on an 8.1-km stretch on both sides of the Federal Highway from Kota Darul Ehsan to Kelab Gold Subang. The upgrade is slated to be completed by April 2018.

As such, motorcyclists are allowed to use the main carriageway i.e. Federal Highway itself.

However, he added that Section 79(2) of the Road Transport Act 1987 stated that any motorist or even pedestrian who did not comply to traffic directions and signs is liable to a fine of not less than RM300 and not more RM2,000.

This statute has been set aside for the moment due the upgrading works and the traffic police and other relevant enforcement agencies have been informed of such work. It’s good to know that the authorities are being fair in this matter. But, please do not assume that we are allowed to ride the entire length of the highway outside of the motorcycle lane. We know the motorcycle lane is dangerous but the law’s the law.

He didn’t elaborate on instances where motorcyclists were forced to abandon the motorcycle lane due to flooding, however.

While we laud The Malay Mail’s effort in bringing such issues to light, we are still wondering if The Malay Mail had actually requested clarification with the relevant authorities first before publishing that particular “report.” It would’ve have been more constructive instead of being damning towards the plight of motorcyclists.

Research Found Drivers Twice as Unlikely to See Motorcycles

Does it seem to you that some drivers think motorcycles are invisible?
Research found that it may be largely due to the way the human brain works.
So, what can we do to overcome it?

Scientists have confirmed that the human brain could sometimes fail to register an object in plain sight and that a driver is twice as unlikely to see a motorcycle.

We published a few articles about road safety and touched on why it seems that some car drivers treat motorcycles as being transparent on the road. We also mentioned that it most probably has to do with the human psyche of “selective looking;” as in looking out for other cars and larger vehicles, but filtering out motorcycles, instead. (Please click on the link below to read more). That was partly based on assessments on ourselves when we drive and or after speaking to drivers who have never ridden a motorcycle.

8 Things Drivers Don’t Understand About Motorcycles

Having set their minds to look out for other cars, they’d cut across when they don’t see one. They’d not only pull out in front of you on a motorcycle, but they’d do the same in front of anybody: Other cars, trucks, bicycles, men, women and children, cats and dogs, etc.

Coincidentally, a report published in the Reader’s Digest lately highlights what researchers called inattention blindness as being a factor in contributing to motorcycle accidents that involve other vehicles. The phenomenon denotes the brain’s inability to recognise certain objects or situations that may be right in front of the eyes and explains why the driver claimed to have looked but not see the motorcycle.

The researchers, led by psychology professor at the Australian National University in Canberra, Dr. Kristen Pammer, PhD, suspects that this type of accidents are not attributable to the motorcycle’s size and visibility. She said, “When we are driving, there is a huge amount of sensory information that our brain must deal with. The frequency of (these type of) crashes suggests to us a connection with how the brain filers out information.”

Dr. Pammer and her colleagues tested the theory on 56 volunteers. They were told to look at photos that were taken from a driver’s perspective, including one that include an unexpected object – either a taxi or motorcycle. The volunteers then assessed whether it was a safe or unsafe driving situation. No surprise, it was found that the volunteers were twice as like to miss seeing the motorcycle compared to the taxi. Follow-up experiments were also conducted, concluding with similar results.

Dr. Pammer hopes to use her study to train drivers to be more conscious of motorcycles on the road, “By putting motorcyclists higher on the brain ‘radar” of the driver, hopefully drivers will be more likely to see them.”

We’re not trying to grandstand on our own articles, but we also iterated that we hope that you, our faithful followers, help to share the message to car drivers.

Now that we know the cause, are we to allow ourselves to be the victims of inattention blindness of others? Definitely not, correct? Besides that, it’s not only that drivers are prone to inattention blindness; it happens to some motorcyclists as well. You’d usually see them drifting slowly from side to side; or just putting along at slow speeds in the overtaking lane – being completely oblivious to the world. Khayal (daydreaming) kills, buddy.

Ten Ways Motorcyclists Annoy the Public

Here are a few tips to make it out in one piece:

Always ride with full attention and at reasonable speeds in traffic. That also means having your fingers and feet cover the controls in anticipation, as opposed to riding with one hand on the handlebar, for example.
NEVER trust other road users explicitly. If you’re a fair to good rider, never expect their skill levels to yours.
Wear gear that improve your visibility to increase the chances of you being seen.
Always keep in mind that a wayward road user may cross your path at any time.
Keep your head and eyes up. Scan the road in front of you with a wide view, in addition to looking as far ahead as possible.
Be especially suspicious and proactive when you see a car behaving even just a fraction differently from those around him i.e. starting to creep to either side of the lane, or slowing down abruptly, etc.
Use the horn! Using the horn doesn’t make you a sissy. It saves your life!
Learn to brake and steer in emergencies.
And lastly, we repeat: Always ride with full attention and stop worrying about that MU game.

5 Essential Upgrades for Your Bike

You’ve had your motorcycle for some time and it feels somewhat humdrum.
Or you just want to add a dash of style to show who you are.
Here are 5 essential upgrades you may want to consider for your bike.

You’ve had your bike for a year now from when it was new. You feel that you’ve known its ins and outs by now and it may start to grow a little “routine.” How about spicing things up with these 5 Essential Upgrades for Your Bike?

*NOTE: We’re leaving out the performance bits as road safety is of the utmost importance. Besides that, upgrading or modifying certain hard parts of the motorcycle may void its warranty. Please keep your upgrades street legal.

1. Tyres

Changing the tyres is the easiest way to upgrade your bike’s handling.

The stock tyres may make your bike turn slower, so it’s now time to look for a pair that has a pointy profile. Or if you want more comfort for long distance touring – you fit a set that has softer carcass and/or sidewalls.

However, it’s safest to match the type of tyres to the type of your bike, for example, sport tyres for your sport bike, sport-touring tyres for you sport-tourer and so forth.

2. Exhaust

While some riders may agree to do so or otherwise, replacing your exhaust system uncorks the bike’s exhaust symphony. Most motorcycles these days are Euro 4 compliant and sound more like household appliances than glorious mechanized engineering.

An added bonus may also result in “loud pipes save lives,” although we don’t recommend non-street legal pipes.

3. Luggage

Unless you ride a maxi scooter, it goes without saying that there’s absolutely no useable space in the bike for carrying even a rain suit.

Sport-tourers and adventure-tourers are obviously the easiest types of bikes to install luggage, including a pair of panniers, a top case, tank bag, fairing bags. Mounting choice is limited for sportbikes, generally, but one could always fit a tankbag. Cruisers (non-baggers) look good with leather saddlebags.

Having a good luggage system lets you ride comfortably as you don’t have to lug your stuff on your back despite amounting to only a few items, compared to how much you could actually bring along in your luggage system.

4. Suspension

Even the best suspension on road bikes is compromised to suit different riders, in terms of weight, riding style, riding environment, comfort vs. performance, etc.

Why not unlock your bike’s handling capabilities by getting the suspension worked on? You don’t have to replace the forks and shock to Öhlins, as you have their internals recalibrated/upgraded with cartridge kits to suit your taste and feel like a star rider.

5. Bling

Accessorize, that’s what!

Add on bits and pieces of CNC jewelry to your ride to set it apart from the crowd. There are endless possibilities here, from the large parts such as handlebars and windshields, to rearsets, lighting systems, seats, to the little stuff such as turn signals, GPS holders, bolt and nut accents, you name it!

Motorcycle manufacturers are now producing and promoting “official” or “factory” accessories these days, pictured in mouthwatering detail in beautiful catalogues. They’re typically pricier than third-party accessories, but they had usually been tested extensively on the manufacturer’s own bikes before being sold to the general public.

2018 Moto2, Moto3 Valencia Test: Zulfahmi Khairuddin and Adam Norrodin Hampered by Weather

The 2018 Moto2 and Moto3 pre-season tests got underway at Valencia recently.
All three days were hampered by rain and subsequently cold track.
Malaysian riders Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Moto2) and Adam Norrodin (Moto3) spent time adapting to their machines.

Malaysian Moto3 and Moto2 riders found the going tough during their respective class’ pre-season tests.

The three-day test session held at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain saw rain and subsequent cold weather, hampering the quest for racking up more track time and faster laps.

Moto2

Returning rider, Zulfahmi Khairuddin, now riding for the SIC Racing Team saw his track time cut down just three 70-minute sessions and completing only 72 laps in total over three days.

There were nine sessions (three per day) for each class. In Moto2, the first day was a total washout. No riders went on track in Session 1. Sessions 2 and 3 saw only Dominique Aegerter riding for 12 and 14 laps, respectively.

The weather stayed more or less the same on the second day. Session 4 saw only five riders posting very few laps, with Isaac Vinalez completing the most number of laps at 20. The next closest riders Stefano Manzi and Jorge Navarro completed only 7 laps apiece.

All riders saw action in Session 5 and 6 but posted times slower than the normal pace.

Session 7 on Day Three was another washout and only Mattia Pasini went out riding, completing a token 4 laps. All riders rode in Sessions 8 and 9, however, just the days before, no one put in a large number of laps to be of true meaning.

Test sessions in good weather usually see riders completing many more laps as they work on setting up their bikes.

It was a learning experience for Zulfahmi as he adapts to the Kalex, having been roped in to replace Hafizh Syahrin at almost the 11^th hour.

“The first day was rain and the second day we did only a few laps to check the bike and get a feel for the bike,” said Zulfahmi.

Zulfahmi continued, “The hardest part for me is getting used to the tyres; we are now working on the engine braking to make me more comfortable to brake harder.”

Zulfahmi Khairuddin – Picture from MotoGP.com

Riders need time to adapt to the characteristics and limits of new tyres, especially when they make the switch from road-legal race compound tyres to full-on race tyres. Race tyres may provide more grip, but it remains as potential grip if the rider could not find the way to make them work i.e. keeping them in the optimal working range.

He remains optimistic and cheerful, however, “It’s fantastic to be going to Sepang next week because the weather is so much better than in Europe right now.”

Team Manager, Johan Stigefelt said, “This test was the first time riding the Moto2 bike for Fahmi; a week ago he didn’t know he would be here, so of course it’s quite nerve-wracking for him to have a complete new bike and new crew around him.”

Moto3

As with Moto2, the Petronas Sprinta Racing team’s riders Adam Norrodin and Ayumu Sasaki (from Japan) saw rain disrupting their plans. Only four riders completed a few laps throughout the day.

Day Two’s Session 4 in the morning saw only four riders completing 4 laps each; while 17 out of 24 riders went on track in Session 5.

All riders finally went on track in Session 6, which saw Sasaki posting the 11^th fastest time, while Adam was way back in 24^th.

Day Three was almost the same, having full participation in Session 8, only. The most lap completed was a measly 30.

Both riders crashed due to cold tyres and Adam injured a finger. “It’s been quite a frustrating first test with the weather being so cold! We couldn’t ride at all on the first day because of the rain and then even when it stopped it was too cold to get any real heat in the tyres,” he lamented.

About the last day, “Today it has been sunnier but still so cold, so when we went out I just concentrated on getting used to the bike again.”

“Today has been a better day,” said Sasaki, “it’s been a lot sunnier but still very cold.”

Both teams will head home to the Sepang International Circuit for private testing from

Brake System: How it Works (Part 3 – Caliper Mounting)

Radial brake caliper mounting is all the rage nowadays.
But the “normal” axial-mounting is still present.
What are the benefits of mounting the caliper radially?

To rehash, we’ve seen the basic principles of the brake system in Part 1, about how the pressure from your fingers is transferred into fluid pressure, resulting in braking force.

Brake System: How it Works (Part 1)

Next, we took a look at how the ABS system works in Part 2, in order to allow for maximum braking force while avoiding the wheels from locking up.

Brake System: How it Works (Part 2 – ABS)

Continuing the series, we also checked out tips on how to choose the correct brake pads for your bike in Part 3.

Brake Systems (Part 3): Padding Your Brakes

Therefore, let’s now examine the methods of mounting the front brake caliper to the motorcycle, or more specifically, about the radial mounting arrangement that’s all the rage these days. Yes, so popular they are that even lowlife thieves couldn’t resist them.

Axial master cylinder

One, the traditional type is the “axial” master cylinder, found on almost all motorcycles with front hydraulic brakes from small to large.

In this arrangement, the master cylinder’s bore is perpendicular to the lever’s travel, seemingly elongated to the left side viewed from the top. A protrusion on the end of the lever pushes the plunger in cylinder, forcing brake fluid into the calipers.

Radial master pump

The second and more recent type is the radial master cylinder. The master cylinder’s bore is parallel to the brake lever’s movement, looking more directly fore-and-aft when viewed from the top.

What’s the difference between the two? Other than a different type of piston movement, the radial master cylinder provides a better feel at the lever for what the brake is doing. The radial master cylinder is more rigid as there are fewer moving parts.

Axial-mount calipers

With the advent of radially-mounted brake calipers, this format has gone on to be called the “normal mounting.” The caliper is mounted to “bosses” cast into a fork’s bottom tube, with bolts that run parallel to the wheel axle.

There isn’t anything wrong with this type of mounting. However, custom brackets need to be fabricated should one want to install a larger brake disc. Other than that, there may exist a little torsional flex for lateral movement, although it’s hardly perceptible when ridden on the streets.

Radial-mount calipers

In this setup, the caliper is still mounted to bosses cast into the lower fork legs. However, the bosses are cast to allow bolts to be fitted directly from the rear, instead of from the side, and perpendicular to the wheel axle.

Being mounted this way means there is virtually no deflection because the braking forces are on the same plane as the brake disc’s rotational forces.

What are the benefits of radially-mount calipers?

First and foremost, being mounted from the rear means all the rider needs to do is install spacers and longer bolts when switching to a larger disc, instead of having to custom make a mounting bracket.

There is a myth surrounding radially-mounted calipers as having more braking power. Want us to be honest?

As we highlighted in Part 1, “brake power” is defined by the amplification of brake fluid pressure, in relation to the size of the master pump’s piston and caliper pistons’ sizes.

What radial mounting does though, with the lack of deflection, provides for a crisper feel when braking, i.e. better braking feedback, and in turn allowing for better modulation of the front brake.

Where it’s usually more important for the track than the streets.

8 Things Drivers Don’t Understand About Motorcycles

Speaking to car drivers, most don’t understand motorcycles.
It’s mostly due to their limited knowledge about the motorcycle’s limitations, rather than having bad intentions.
It’s our responsibility as bikers to share this knowledge with other road users.

We wrote about how us as motorcyclists could annoy car drivers earlier. Those examples we cited were due to extreme instances on the rider’s part. Truth is, whether we accept the fact or otherwise, while there are many bad car drivers, there are equally bad motorcyclists. That’s why we’ve decided to put together this article of 8 Things Drivers Don’t Understand About Motorcycles.

Being humans, we always relish upon our own perspectives while being apathetic to those of others. We can’t please everyone, of course, since we’re sharing a public facility but we have to always remember about others. It’s when we don’t that we become an annoyance to others. (Compare ourselves to Japanese road users. No, don’t refer to Tokyo Drift.)

Ten Ways Motorcyclists Annoy the Public

From this apathy stems misgivings about others, including some car drivers who don’t or worse, refuse to understand what motorcyclists have to go through. This is especially applicable to drivers who have never as much as ridden pillion on a motorcycle, hence they do not understand a motorcycle’s limitations.

And it’s usually this bunch who spell trouble for us motorcyclists. A note to car drivers: We are not attempting to put you down through this article. On the other hand, we hope that you understand the plight of motorcyclists.

1. Motorcycles can stop instantly

This is by far, the worse misconception about motorcycles.

Cars drivers see us and still pull out with mere 2 metres to spare, without factoring in our closing speed. They base their impression on how they could brake in their cars and apply it to motorcycles.

While it’s true that motorcycles are smaller and lighter, hence could stop in distances that’ll shame 99% of cars out there, the key here is stopping safely in a short distance. Sure, we could just clamp down on the brakes, but we’re likely to skid out or tip over due to stopping dead too abruptly.

2. Motorcycles can avoid anything

Besides thinking that we could stop in time, drivers often pull out in front of us with the impression that we could avoid them.

Yes, a seasoned or trained rider may be able to avoid the car, but where do we avoid to if there’s no space? Into oncoming traffic?

What about riders like pakciks and makciks on old bikes? Do car drivers actually think they have the capability to do so?

3. Motorcycles can brake in the middle of corners

We’re coming up to a corner, occupying the overtaking lane (that’s the right-most lane, ahem) to pass traffic.

But just as we approach 10 metres behind the car on the right side, the driver decides to pull out into the right lane to overtake the vehicle in front of him, effectively cutting us off. That leaves us with no choice but to apply hard braking while being leaned over for the corner.

Cars can brake hard in a corner and still track through as they’re not that prone to weight transfer. On a motorcycle, hard braking in the middle of the corner will result in either 1) The bike standing straight up and overshooting the corner; or 2) The front tyre skidding and dumping us on the ground (low side).

To car and other vehicle drivers, please set up your pass BEFORE the corner. It’s called looking and planning ahead.

4. Crossing the line between lanes

Speaking about corners, we are mystified as to why certain drivers have to put the inside portion of their vehicles into the lane beside him while negotiating corners. Some even have the mindless attitude to sweep past all three, even four lanes from the right-most to the left-most and drift back out to the right-most to make a simple CURVE, much less a corner.

This is especially prevalent on twisty highways like Karak or mountain roads like those near Genting Highlands or Cameron Highlands. What? You’re driving Formula One? Does a Formula One or any racecar driver round corners by leaving his lane? His car becomes an expensive lawnmower if he did!

If a vehicle operator couldn’t keep his vehicle in the same lane while cornering, it means he couldn’t control his vehicle effectively. Think it looks cool? No, it looks dumb.

To be fair, this applies to some bikers too.

5. Motorcycles are slow

Really?

Speed is relative. It means while a car turtles along in a traffic jam at 10 km/h, a scooter travelling at 40 km/h is 30 km/h faster.

Out on the highways, motorcycles normally travel from 80 km/h and all the way up. The closing rates are much faster and it only takes a split second for a motorcycle to reach the car ahead.

It’s not that we’re the kings of the road, but we’d like to implore drivers to please look closely to determine our speed and closing rate before deciding to pull out.

6. Motorcycles are invisible

That leads us to vision.

In fairness, it’s how the human psyche works. Our minds can get stuck in the mode to scan for what we chose to focus on.

A driver first thinks, “Ada keter tak? (Got other cars or not?)” When his mind replies, “Takde keter, boleh jalan (No car, can move),” he will turn out in front of you, only to be surprised to find a bike honking at him or worse, having the motorcyclist fly into his car. His response will invariably be, “There wasn’t a bike. I don’t know where he came from,” although we had been there at all time.

This could still happen despite us wearing a bright jacket or being covered with bright LEDs from head to toe.

If you’re reading this, we need to condition our minds to scan for everything on the road, including all different sorts of vehicles, pedestrians, cats and dogs.

7. Not checking the mirror and surroundings

Mirrors aren’t there just for the vehicle to pass road homologation, they’re there to spot other vehicles and road users. So use them.

Also, we should inculcate the habit to glance past our shoulders before switching lanes. Another vehicle could occupy the vehicle’s blindspots. A quick glance over the shoulder allows one to determine if the sides are clear.

8. Not signaling

For the information of car drivers, while the turnsignal switch on a motorcycle is placed next to the left thumb, reaching for it is relatively harder than flicking the signal stalk in a car. Yes, I drive too!

This is because riders with small hands and short fingers need to stretch the thumb to get at the switch, while having a finger or two on the clutch lever, while the last two holding the handlebar to control the direction of the bike, at the same time!

In a car, a driver could just flick the signal stalk at will with any of or all his fingers. So, there’s really no excuse why car drivers don’t signal!

Other bad habits

9. On the phone!

How many times have we seen drivers swerving all over the road because they were busy updating their Facebook or talking so intently on their mobile phones?! Where’s the enforcement?!

Conclusion

These are just a few among many things that are dangerous to motorcyclists. Sure, we could always blame “That stupid driver” but the obligation is on ourselves to ride intelligently in order to avoid becoming the victim of others’ impertinence. Remember that we motorcyclists always come out worse in the event of an accident, regardless of whose fault it is.

Through this article and others to come, we hope that each of us would take a little time to advice our car driving acquaintances and family members on the limitations of motorcycles. That’s more constructive than jabbering away at social media portals that post about road accidents and end up fighting with complete strangers and trolls.

With enough determination, let’s improve road safety for everyone, Insy’Allah.

Octane: What it Truly Means (Part 2)

We’ve covered on how a fuel’s octane rating affects your engine.
Now we explore on how its octane rating is actually determined.
Truth is, there are many ratings being used but Malaysia only publishes the RON rating.

We’ve covered on what petrol octane means and what it helps with in yesterday’s article. (Please click on the link below to read more.)

“Octane”: What it Truly Means (Part 1)

To reiterate, the higher a fuel’s octane rating, the more it resists self-ignition when it’s being compressed in the ignition chamber. Self-ignition or more correctly known as pre-igntion caused engine knock which could destroy the engine in a matter of minutes.

But how is the octane number derived and how is the octane increased? It surely isn’t an arbitrary number picked out of the sky, right?

The name “octane” is actually one of a family of hydrocarbons (HC) resulting from the refinery process of crude oil. When the crude is “cracked” (broken down into different types of substances), different lengths of hydrocarbon chains are were produced. These are then separated and blended to form different fuels, such as methane, propane, butane, among others.

Methane consists of a single carbon atom. Propane has three carbon atoms chained together. Butane has four, pentane with five, hexane with six, heptane has seven and octane has eight carbon atoms.

The top diagram is for 100% octane, while the bottom is for heptane which is 0% octane

Octane is a family of colourless liquids that boil at approximately 125 ^oC. A member of the octane family, 2,4,4-trimethyl pentane which we now call “iso-octane” is used a reference standard to determine the tendency of gasoline or LPG to resist self-ignition.

A test engine is used to measure the octane rating, by comparing to a mixture of iso-octane and heptane. The mixture of the two types of HCs by volume is the octane number of the fuel, i.e. 95% iso-octane and 5% heptane means 95 octane.

The test engine, known as a Cooperative Fuel Research engine is a specialist single-cylinder with a bore and stroke of 82.5 mm and 114.3 mm respectively which equates to 612 cc, with a variable compression ratio from 4:1 to 18:1. The piston has four compression rings and one oil control ring. Both the head and cylinder are one piece and can be moved up and down to obtain the desired compression. It has a four-bowl carburettor, allowing for quick switching between the reference fuel and samples.

Knock is detected by using a magnetorestrictive sensor in the combustion chamber and measured on a “knockmeter.” A complete system costs in the regions of USD 200,000 and is made by only one specialist Waukesha Engine Division of the Dresser Industries in Wisconsin, USA.

This is how it works. The CFR engine is turned at 600 RPM and technician will test the sample fuel corresponding to the iso-octane/heptane mixture’s knock resistance properties. The octane rating called RON (Research Octane Number) is produced, it’s tested in a controlled environment.

However, if we go on further, a certain rating doesn’t mean the gasoline has only the corresponding mixture of iso-octane and heptane, as fuels commonly contain other HCs and additives. Because of this, as some fuels are more knock-resistant than pure iso-octane, the RON could go above 100.

Racing fuels, avgas (aviation gasoline), LPG and alcohol based fuels such as methanol may have octane ratings higher than 100. Octane boosters such as additives include MTBE, ETBE, iso-octane and toulene. Tetraethyllead or more commonly known as just “lead” was once used widely as an additive, but has since been banned as lead is poisonous to the environment and humans.

There are however, other fuel octane ratings, one of those called Motor Octane Number. Testing is similar to that for the RON rating. However, the engine is run at 900 RPM, the fuel is pre-heated, engine is run at higher speeds and ignition timing varied to determine the fuel’s knock resistance. Depending on the fuel’s composition it’s MON rating may be between 8 to 12 octane lower than RON, although there isn’t a direct link between the two.

Because of RON and MON ratings, certain countries require petroleum companies to specify the Anti-Knock Index (AKI) or more commonly, (R+M)/2. The United States and Canada are among some countries who specify this rating on the pumps. It’s also called Posted Octane Number (PON) (which is sometimes mistakenly called “Pump Octane Number”).

Display at a typical gas pump in the U.S.

There is also Observed Road Octane Number (RdON) which is produced from testing petrols in real-world multi-cylinder engines at full throttle. First developed in the 1920s, it’s still reliable until today. As you may have envisioned, early testing was performed on cars on the road. As digital and other technologies advanced further, testing has moved onto dynanometers in environmental controlled quarters for consistency.

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Wahid Ooi

Tech 3 will not continue as Yamaha’s satellite team in 2019.

Team principal, Herve Poncharal says he’s been a offered a special deal.

Poncharal did not reveal any further details.

SIC and Hafizh Syahrin has confirmed the rider’s seat in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team.

Hafizh’s first outing on the Yamaha YZF-M1 during the Buriram Winter Test was positive.

There is one more Winter Test at Qatar from 1st to 3rd March before the start of the season.

The Triumph Thruxton R is the flagship of Triumph’s modern classic lineup.

It takes on the form of a café racer, but with the race cowling it becomes a classic racer.

Priced from RM 83,900 (the race cowling and Vance & Hines exhausts are optional).

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

PICTURE GALLERY

Triumph Motorcycles’ Chief Commercial Officer, Paul Stroud, was in town recently.

He was present during the official unveiling of Triumph supplying engines to Moto2.

We talked about Triumph Motorcycles’ support to Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia, Moto2 and other plans to grow further.

Rimba Raid @ Janda Baik 2018 was held over the 10th to 11th February weekend.

It saw a total of 60 participants from Malaysia and Singapore.

Competitors were judged on their ability to tackle different situations.

PICTURE GALLERY

The Works Minister has confirmed that motorcycles are allowed on the Federal Highway due to bike lane upgrade.

His clarification was in response to a press article about bikes “invading” the highway.

The works are slated to be completed in April 2018.

Does it seem to you that some drivers think motorcycles are invisible?

Research found that it may be largely due to the way the human brain works.

So, what can we do to overcome it?

You’ve had your motorcycle for some time and it feels somewhat humdrum.

Or you just want to add a dash of style to show who you are.

Here are 5 essential upgrades you may want to consider for your bike.

1. Tyres

2. Exhaust

3. Luggage

4. Suspension

5. Bling

The 2018 Moto2 and Moto3 pre-season tests got underway at Valencia recently.

All three days were hampered by rain and subsequently cold track.

Malaysian riders Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Moto2) and Adam Norrodin (Moto3) spent time adapting to their machines.

Moto2

Moto3

Radial brake caliper mounting is all the rage nowadays.

But the “normal” axial-mounting is still present.

What are the benefits of mounting the caliper radially?

Axial master cylinder

Radial master pump

Axial-mount calipers

Radial-mount calipers

Speaking to car drivers, most don’t understand motorcycles.

It’s mostly due to their limited knowledge about the motorcycle’s limitations, rather than having bad intentions.

It’s our responsibility as bikers to share this knowledge with other road users.

1. Motorcycles can stop instantly

2. Motorcycles can avoid anything

3. Motorcycles can brake in the middle of corners

4. Crossing the line between lanes

5. Motorcycles are slow

6. Motorcycles are invisible

7. Not checking the mirror and surroundings

8. Not signaling

Other bad habits

9. On the phone!

Conclusion

We’ve covered on how a fuel’s octane rating affects your engine.

Now we explore on how its octane rating is actually determined.

Truth is, there are many ratings being used but Malaysia only publishes the RON rating.

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There is one more Winter Test at Qatar from 1^st to 3^rd March before the start of the season.

Rimba Raid @ Janda Baik 2018 was held over the 10^th to 11^th February weekend.