Wahid Ooi, Author at BikesRepublic.com

CGK Apologises to Thai Government – Is it Enough?

GCK (Chopper Garage Kelantan) has apologised to the Thai government
Marshals caught on video stopping traffic
What are the potential repercussions?

Last year, we had just checked into our honeymoon suite, freshened up and were in the midst of renting a scooter for some gallivanting until we saw the news on TV: “Malaysian biker shot dead” in Hatyai. (Click here for the coverage.)

We cancelled our plans for the scooter that evening, although we knew we were just being too careful. But how could we be sure since we’re now in another country where conversing with the locals was not as easy? Whose cultures and sensitivities are different from ours?

The Thai police acted quickly and caught the shooter. The reason of the shooting was because he didn’t “like the way the (Malaysian) rider rode.”

I was also in Phuket two months prior to the shooting, first for the Phuket Bike Week and then back in Phuket again on a ride a week later.

We were covering the festivities at the bike week when a video captured by a Thai driver on his dashcam had made rounds in Facebook, showing a group of Malaysian bikers stopping traffic at an intersection for their riders in their group to pass. He was courteous in his comments however, hoping this doesn’t repeat the next time.

But on the next trip to Phuket two weeks later, we had this one guy who raced against every Thai who overtook him. His reason, “no-face” to lose against the 100cc scooters on his 1000cc naked sportbike. Additionally, there were a few others who couldn’t stop harassing young Thai ladies on their scooters from the moment we crossed the border, all the way to Phuket, and back. We warned these buffoons, but habits die hard, right? I won’t be riding with them any longer, that’s for sure.

I thought it’s all buried and done.

Then this video showed up on Channel 7 News in Thailand, just a few weeks ago.

Recorded on another Thai driver’s dashcam, it showed four Malaysian riders blocking an intersection for their buddies to blow past the red lights.

A firestorm of criticism blew up in social media. Non-bikers called these guys a whole bunch of undesirable names, and some even criticized all Malaysian bikers. Bikers also joined in the fray in criticizing those chumps, partly in attempt to distance themselves from that selfish act.

Stopping traffic by marshals, unless by police riders, has already been outlawed in Malaysia by the authorities, but what in the world were these cretins thinking when they did so in Thailand?

They’ve not only sullied the reputation of bikers, but the nation’s as a whole.

But even then, there were those who defended the indefensible, by claiming that the Thais drive without manners at our border towns. But hey, did they stop traffic for their friends to pass? Were there videographic proof?

I’ve met those drivers on the road many times and yes, they were FAST. But they didn’t stop traffic, race with the locals or harass our adiks and aweks, did they?

Let’s face it, we’ve seen how belligerent some mat sallehs can be in the way they treat the Thais or any populace of developing countries, but at least they don’t stop traffic the way these guys did.

We’ve even ran into members of the Bandidos MC during Phuket Bike Week, a 1-percenter bike group (means outlaws) bike group with affiliations to the Hell’s Angels, but they didn’t stop traffic for their buddies, did they?

The offending “marshals” were part of a group from Choppers Garage Kelantan (CGK). They have since done the right thing and handed a letter of apology to the Thai consulate to Malaysia. (Click here for the report on MyMetro.)

But what about the repercussions? Is it so easily solved? I wonder if the apology was picked up by Thai networks at all.

The Thais are among the most hospitable people in the world. Most, if not all, are genuine in their welcoming attitude, correctly earning them the title The Land of Smiles. Go to places like Buriram or Chiang Mai and they’d wish you everytime they see you. School kids smile and wave when they see you riding a big bike. Restaurant owners welcoming you into their premises with the wai and a bow of the head, as if you were the king.

Tourism contributes up to 10% and beyond to the Thai economy and the locals know this. Most turn a blind eye towards the uncouth “traditions” of some tourists. The cops also tend to be more lenient towards visitors.

In recent times, Chinese tourists have taken over as the majority to visit the kingdom. According to Association of Thai Travel Agents website (click here for more details), the Chinese constituted to 59.29%, equivalent to 2,576,129 visitors, from 1^st January to 30^th September this year alone. But their failure to observe and adhere to local traditions have driven the Thais to respond in kind. Chinese tourists now have to be driven into Thailand.

Malaysians contribute a smaller number of visitors to the kingdom. 26,723 made their way across the border in the same period, but even then, the Thais still regard us Malaysians as friends from afar. They’d usually ask, “Where are you from?” and cheer up when we mention, “Malaysia.”

But if we kept treating them with a sense of us being the master race, what’s to stop us being treated like the Chinese and Middle Easterners before this? Or see our entry requirements tightened or being harassed by the Thai authorities?

Or worse, stare into the barrel of a Beretta 9mm.

What do we want to be? Do we want to be bikers who are cultured, learned, courteous? Or do we want to be modern-day barbarians on steel horses? If anyone chooses to the be the latter, please do so after you lose those Malaysian number plates and whatever other thing that will identify you as a Malaysian.

May this episode be a lesson.

Fake GIVI Rainsuits Seized in Raid

A total of nearly 500 fake GIVI rainsuits were seized in a raid this morning
The raid was carried out by KPDNKK officers with representatives from GIVI Asia Sdn. Bhd.
The business owner sells the counterfeit products online

Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, 4th October 2017 – A raid was carried out by the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism (better known as KPDNKK – Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan), under the jurisdiction of Tuan Haji Wan Mohd. Yusof bin W. Taib, Chief Enforcement Officer of the KPDNKK for the state of Wilayah Persekutuan.

Trustees of the GIVI brand had tipped off KPNKK after finding the suspect selling fake GIVI rainsuits on the 11Street.com online shopping platform.

KPDNKK proceeded to stake out the business owner’s modus operandi since May 2017, discovering that he had stored the fake GIVI rainsuits at his personal premises before transferring them to the rented warehouse in Kepong where they will be dispatched to the respective customers.

A total of nine uniformed KPDNKK officers descended upon the warehouse at 11am, which they found locked by with a keycard access. The GIVI representatives who were present identified themselves to the workers at the premises but were refused entry. The business owner showed up 15 minutes later and was requested access by the KPDNKK officers.

Upon gaining entry, the officers called upon the GIVI representatives to identify the products, at which point the business owner became belligerent and cut off the power supply, in an attempt to make off with the fake products through the backdoor. He even tried to provoke the parties by threatening that he had gangsters in two cars on standby to intervene.

A negotiation ensued among the officers, GIVI representatives and the businessman, resulting in the fake GIVI rainsuits being seized and a hefty fine issued.

The owner will be charged under Sec. 8(2) of the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 (Akta Perihal Dagangan 2011), pertaining to counterfeit goods with intellectual property infringements.

Under the Act, the business owner stands to face a fine of up to RM10,000 per item, or a jail sentence of not more three years, or both; for the first offence.

A total of 445 pieces of fake GIVI rainsuits were seized, worth RM22,500 on the market.

As a piece of advice: Buy GIVI goods from GIVI Point concept stores or official GIVI dealers. Please follow GIVI Malaysia’s official Facebook page (click here) to identify the original items. And remember, if a product is too cheap to be true, it usually is.

Top Motorcycle Designers (Part 3) – David Robb

David Robb – Father of the F 800 series and R 1200 GS

David Robb was born in Boston, raised in Japan, and influenced by California. He graduated with honors from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California; whose other graduates included the current BMW Motorrad’s Head of Vehicle Design, Ola Stenegärd; Willie G. Davidson who’s the grandson of William A. Davidson, co-founder of Harley-Davidson; and one Miguel Angel Galluzzi.

Robb started out in Chrysler, then over Audi before joining BMW’s auto division in 1984, under another famous name, Chris Bangle. Bangle was the (in)famous for the controversial design of the E65 BMW 7-Series. It was Bangle who asked Robb if he take BMW’s motorcycle designs into a new direction.

When Robb took over in April 1993, BMW Motorrad had sold only 30,000 motorcycles worldwide. There were 19 models at the time, “They were all doing the same thing. Let’s quit copying ourselves,” Robb said in an interview.

What followed was an explosion of motorcycles that went on to become the stalwarts of the company, including the K 1200 RS, K 1200 R, R 1200 C, C1 (enclosed scooter), F 800 S, F 800 ST, F 800 R, F 800 GS and of course, the world’s bestselling motorcycle, the R 1200 GS.

It was Robb who also penned the S 1000 RR superbike, which took sport riding fraternity by storm.

BMW Motorrad sold almost 104,286 motorcycles in 2011, the year Robb retired.

Besides riding, Robb loves to fly and has even competed in aerobatic planes.

Robb’s brothers have interesting careers too, although unrelated to the motorcycle industry. Doug is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for Hoobastank, while Tom was a bodyguard for Metallica.

Click here for Part 2: John Britten

Click here for Part 1: Fabio Taglioni

BMW R nineT Urban G/S Test & Review – Return of an Icon

The BMW R nineT Urban G/S is based on the rnineT platform
It harks back to the iconic R80G/S which won four Paris-Dakar Rally races
Accessibility, practicality and unconventional styling are its key points

“Wahid,” said Shaz in her sweetest voice, “You need to work on article about adventure riding.” That made the office lights turn in circles around me. Sure, I’ve ridden off-road and attend motocross training at Oh Kah Beng’s Most Fun Gym (MFG) from time to time, but to write about it was something else.

But lo’ and behold, a little research unearthed a whole treasure throve of amazing stories regarding the Paris-Dakar Rally.

This legendary rally raid event (now Dakar Rally or just The Dakar, and had moved to South America from Africa) which started in 1979 features classes for motorcycles, quads (ATVs), cars and trucks.

The Dakar isn’t quite like the type of rally we’re used to seeing in the World Rally Championship (WRC) where the competitors fly through 2km-long Special Stages (SS) to stamp the fastest time.

Oh no. Compared to The Dakar, WRC looks like a kiddy kart ride on the rooftop of a shopping mall.

The Dakar required competitors to cover 800 to 900 kilometres per day in tough conditions. Less than 30 percent consists of road stages, while the rest are offroad – crossing over dunes, mud, camel grass, rocks and a whole bunch of other terrains that are difficult to even walk on, plus who knows of dangers the desert lie in wait for the unfortunate soul. There were even competitors who vanished without a trace. The total distance over the rally ran up to 10,000 kilometres. To finish is akin to winning in itself.

It didn’t come to be called The World’s Toughest Rally for nothing.

Anyway, as I scrolled through the long list honours, two particular letters jumped out at me. “G” and “S”. More specifically, “BMW R80G/S.”

You see, motorcycles of the time were divided clearly into their respective roles; it was either fully road-going or off-road. The road-going motorcycles offered touring capabilities such as longer range, ability to haul luggage, and comfort for two. On the other hand, if you wanted a motorcycle that could handle Alpine dirt paths, desert tracks, sandy roads or the forests, it’s one which was stripped out of all the touring accoutrements. There was nothing in between.

BMW Motorrad made the bold decision to fill this void with a motorcycle that could do it all. The Reiseenduro (touring enduro) segment was born. (Reise means “a change of location” in German, while duro means “to endure” in Spanish.)

To cut a long story short, BMW Motorrad presented the R80G/S to the world press in Avignon, France on 1^st September 1980. The “G/S” moniker stands for Gelände/Straße (off-road/road). BMW Motorrad promoted the R80G/S with the phrase, “Sports machine, touring machine, enduro… Welcome to a motorcycle concept with more than one string to its bow.”

The R80G/S also broke several engineering grounds, including how its 800cc Boxer-Twin was mated to a single-sided swingarm which carried the driveshaft, called the “Monolever.” (The “Paralever” was introduced in 1987 on the R80GS and R100GS.)

So, the R80G/S was the Adam of all adventure-touring motorcycles, including the current R 1200 GS.

BMW joined the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1980, and rider Jean-Claude Morellet finished fifth on the R80G/S. That result had shown the G/S’s potential and encouraged BMW to commit everything in 1981, resulting in Hubert Ariol winning 3 hours ahead of the next competitor, while Morellet came home in fourth. A non-factory G/S with little modifications finished in seventh.

BMW won again in 1983 in the hands of a diminutive Belgian rider by the name of Gaston Rahier, ahead of Auriol. Rahier would go on to win his second Paris-Dakar rally in 1984 with R80G/S.

Four Dakar victories in five years. That’s why the R80G/S is an icon.

Let’s time travel back to 2017.

The 2017 BMW R nineT Urban G/S was formally launched in Malaysia during the BMW Motorrad Malaysia’s Nightfuel event in Penang. (Click here for our coverage.)

Built upon the modular BMW rnineT platform (click here for our test and review), its styling harks back the R80G/S, so it does look retro. But is it just a heritage bike?

BMW Motorrad Malaysia had prepared a unit for the ride up to Penang to cover the event, but since we were sharing different bikes among other members of the media, I only got to ride the Urban G/S from Tian Siang Motorrad in Ipoh.

Getting off the manic S 1000 R naked sportbike/streetfighter, the R nineT G/S was a great change of pace, and of physical and mental aspects.

Compared to the S 1000 R’s plethora of features, the rnineT Urban G/S makes do with single large speedo with a small LCD screen embedded in it, there’s no ride mode (although ABS is always on), no electronic suspension settings, no quickshifter, no howling inline-Four.

But it does have the 1170cc “Oilhead” Boxer-Twin, with 110bhp and 116 Nm of torque!

It started up with a roar and a “very” noticeable kick to right; similarly when you blip the throttle. This thing’s alive it’s is telling you to get going.

The handlebar behind that classic “windshield” put me in a straight up riding position. The seat was coloured like the R80G/S Paris-Dakar Edition’s and was flat. The footpegs were slightly forward like those on an enduro.

Letting out the clutch, the Boxer’s flat torque took over and pulled away smartly. There’s no rush, the engine note was relaxed, lazy even.

Out on the North-South Highway, we decided to punch it as we reached the winding road leading to the Menora Tunnel. The engine’s steady rumble turned into a roar, mixed with a warble from the airbox underneath the tank and BRRRAAAAP from the single exhaust. The exhaust was loud enough to warn other vehicles out of the way.

The suspension might be basic and lack adjustability but both ends handled well as we swung through those corners at high speeds. They also soaked up the bumps from the red speed-breaker lines painted across the lanes, without the bike threatening to go wide.

We switched bikes again when we stopped for fuel at Gunung Semanggol, and I got the K 1600 GT tourer this time. But I jumped on the chance to ride the Urban G/S again on our way to the Nightfuel venue.

Penang’s traffic was clear when we left G. Hotel at Gurney Drive, but it was a total gridlock when we reached the coastal highway leading to the old Penang Bridge. It was so bad that even small bikes found it hard to get through. Sep would later say, “It looked like a scene from a disaster movie. It’s like everyone in Penang was running away from a catastrophic event!”

I managed to hook on to the back of a group of local R 1200 GS riders as they blazed a trail by using the motorcycle lane. It was here that I truly appreciated the R nineT Urban G/S’s agility. It was stable while cutting lanes at crawling speeds even at full handlebar lock. Helping along was the progressive clutch lever and engine’s smooth, low down torque. The brakes were strong and progressive, without being too aggressive.

We hit the clear past the bridge. Then the heaviest rain came down out of nowhere!

My riding gear had gotten wet on the way into Penang and I’ve left them to dry back in the hotel, so I was in my long-sleeve BMW GS Trophy T-shirt and, I’ve got the DSLR hanging in the rain! There’s only one thing left to do.

GUN IT!

I pushed past 130, 140, 150km/h while the rain slammed onto my skin like cold needles from the left. Yet, the R nineT Urban G/S remained stable. With my head slightly down behind the screen, knees and elbows tucked in, there was surprisingly little wind blast.

I parked at the first space in sight when I reached the event ground (in first place, just like Rahier, I’d like to think) and ran inside. It was only during the launch that it occurred to me that I was riding the country’s first registered BMW R nineT Urban G/S with such abandon.

Anyhow, an acquaintance in Penang met up with me later that night and we rode into town.

Penang’s roads seemed to have deteriorated somewhat and they were bumpy everywhere. Ridden at speeds of 60km/h above, the R nineT Urban G/S’s suspension glided over the bumps and potholes, but they felt a little stiff below that speed. So ride faster! Still, the pillion didn’t complain about being bumped around, since she’s much lighter than me.

Back in Kuala Lumpur where the traffic moves at a faster rate and the roads are wider, the R nineT Urban G/S had no trouble with whatever road surface it encountered. Big bumps and potholes were taken while standing up on the pegs, and they felt like road pimples and dimples. I was fully in tune with the bike by then and riding felt very natural.

Additionally, true to its Euro 4 rating and BMW Motorrad’s principle of building economical bikes, the full tank of gas from the Tapah R&R lasted for two more days of urban riding.

Conclusion
The BMW R nineT platform was created to spawn more variants and it was truly refreshing to have the R nineT Urban G/S as a stablemate. It still does retain resemblances to the iconic R80G/S and it positively handled the touring aspect very well. While we didn’t take it offroad, the R nineT Urban G/S met the challenge of rough city roads with aplomb. That is why there’s “Urban” in its name.

Honestly, I wasn’t too enamored with it initially but having discovered its character and that it shared the R80G/S genes turned me into a believer.

Besides that, the BMW R nineT Urban G/S is further customizable to your personal tastes – the Lac Rose Concept being an example – letting it stand out from the sea of cookie-cutter styled bikes.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE
Engine type	Air/Oil-cooled, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder, horizontally-opposed (Boxer) Twin
Compression ratio	12.0 : 1
Bore X Stroke	101 mm X 73 mm
Displacement	1170 cc
Fuel system	Electronic intake pipe injection
Maximum power	110 bhp (81 kW) @ 7550 RPM
Maximum torque	116 Nm @ 6000 RPM

TRANSMISSION
Clutch	Single dry plate clutch, hydraulically actuated
Gearbox	Constant mesh, 6-speed, shaft drive

CHASSIS
Front suspension	43mm telescopic forks, 125mm travel
Rear suspension	Single central shock absorber adjustable for preload and rebound damping. 140mm travel
Front brakes	Two 320mm floating discs, Brembo four-piston radially-mounted calipers
Rear brake	Single 265 mm disc, Brembo two-piston floating caliper
ABS	BMW Motorrad ABS, front and rear
Front tyre	120/70-R19
Rear tyre	170/60-R17

FRAME & DIMENSIONS
Frame	Three-part frame consisting of one front and two rear sections; load-bearing engine and transmission; rear set frame removable for single rider
Swingarm	Cast aluminium single-sided swingarm with BMW Motorrad Paralever
Trail	110.6 mm
Rake	28.5 degrees
Wheelbase	1527 mm
Seat height	850 mm
Dry weight	209 kg
Fuel capacity	17 litres

Buy Shell Advance Oil on Lazada Malaysia and Meet Jorge Lorenzo

Buy Shell Advance motorcycle engine oil on Lazada Malaysia and you could Meet Jorge Lorenzo
Online shoppers stand to win exclusive meeting with the Ducati rider, MotoGP™ tickets and Oakley eyewear
Contest period from 3-29 October 2017

Buy Shell Advance Oil on Lazada Malaysia and Meet Jorge Lorenzo. Bikers nationwide can now purchase the complete range of Shell Advance motorcycle oils in full convenience from the Shell Malaysia Official Online Store on Lazada Malaysia, the leading e-commerce platform in the country.

Every purchase of the officially-sourced Shell Advance motorcycle oil will be delivered right to the customer’s doorstep in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. You can visit the Shell Malaysia Official Online Store on Lazada Malaysia by clicking here.

In conjunction with Shell Advance’s online debut and the upcoming 2017 Shell Malaysia MotoGP™, online shoppers and avid fans of MotoGP™ will have a chance to bag exclusive giveaways* with purchase of Shell Advance products:

From 3-20 October, purchase one pack of Shell Advance and two cans of Monster Energy Drink via Lazada Malaysia and be in the running for the Grand Prize of a special invitation to an exclusive meet-and-greet session with Ducati rider Jorge Lorenzo on 25 October 2017. Only 100 lucky winners will enjoy this privilege. The First Prize is one (1) Hillstand ticket and a welcome kit at Sepang International Circuit (SIC) for 150 lucky winners while 20 winners will take home the Second Prize of one (1) limited edition Monster Recon backpack each.
Also from 3-20 October, purchase any of one pack of Shell Advance Ultra or Ultra Scooter and receive one (1) Hillstand ticket and a welcome kit at Sepang International Circuit (SIC), on a first-come-first served basis
From 25-29 October, purchase one carton of Shell Advance Ultra with PurePlus Technology or Shell Advance AX7 for a chance to win a pair of Oakley eyewear personally autographed by Jorge Lorenzo.

Shell Lubricants General Manager for Malaysia and Singapore, Baljit Singh, said that the company’s continued collaboration with Lazada Malaysia following the successful launch of Shell Helix passenger car motor oils in August was further proof that it was working hard to meet their customers’ needs.

“We are now providing convenience to bikers all over the country who want nothing less than complete protection for their bikes’ engines that only Shell Advance can offer. Buying from the Shell Malaysia Official Online Store, you can ’outride’ any unpredictability or uncertainty about the quality or authenticity of the product. Best of all, you could be rewarded with a memorable meeting with the Ducati’s Jorge Lorenzo or tickets to the Hillstand at SIC that has been reserved exclusively for Shell this year,” he said.

Baljit also expressed delight that Shell Advance and Shell Helix products through its Shell Malaysia Official Online Store will be part of Lazada Malaysia’s Online Revolution shopping extravaganza this coming 11 November 2017.

The annual event is the biggest online shopping fest in Southeast Asia. Themed ‘Shop the Universe’, shoppers in six countries can look forward to millions of products from around the world at ‘out-of-this-world’ prices. This year, for the first time, the offerings will include genuine, officially-sourced Shell Advance motorcycle engine oils and Shell Helix passenger car motor oils.

“We are thrilled to extend our collaboration with Shell Malaysia with the introduction of the Shell Advance range of motorcycle oils on our platform. Bikers across Malaysia can now enjoy unparalleled access to genuine products online with just a few clicks of the button. We look forward to the introduction of more products and services at the Shell Malaysia Official Online Store even we gear ourselves for the our biggest campaign in November, the Online Revolution,” said Hans-Peter Ressel, Chief Executive Officer of Lazada Malaysia.

Please click here to visit the Shell Malaysia Official Online Store on Lazada Malaysia.

You may also click here for our recent 3000km test and review of the Shell Advance Ultra with PurePlus Technology SAE 10W-40 Fully Synthetic engine oil by clicking here.

Kawasaki Versys-X 250 – Most Affordable Adventure Bike for Beginners?

The Kawasaki Versys-X 250 offers the fun of adventure-motorcycling at a great price
It is also designed with features for adventure riding
It should appeal not only to beginners but also to seasoned riders

The Kawasaki Versys-X 250 has come a long way from when adventure, adventure-touring, dual-purpose bikes that were big, tall, powerful beasts; runaways from the dunes of the Paris-Dakar Rally. Anyone remember those mighty 750cc and 900cc V-Twin DP (dual-purpose) bikes in the 90’s? Well, those were the granddaddies of adventure motorcycles.

The motorcycle class in the Paris-Dakar Rally (now Dakar Rally) had started out with competitors on smaller, single-cylinder bikes but as an arms war pushed the factories and riders to gain the upper hand against each other, the bikes became bigger and heavier, and of course more powerful. The single-cylinder, enduro-based bikes that were sold to the public and modified to race, gave way to purpose-built machines that were then sold afterwards as replicas.

However, with the increase in speed came increased number crashes and fatalities in the world’s toughest rally. That had the organisers knocking back the multi-cylinder format to single-cylinder bikes to cap the speeds, first from 690cc and to 450cc since 2011.

On the road, ironicaly, it went the other way in terms of engine capacities. Most true adventure and adventure-touring motorcycles in the market are being dominated by middleweight (750cc to 80cc) to open-class (1000cc and above) models.

The open-classers are not cheap for most motorcycle enthusiasts, unfortunately, ranging from around RM80,000. The middleweights on the other hand, are usually priced from RM50,000. Engine power range between 70bhp to 160bhp.

So, how about the Kawasaki Versys-X 250? (You may also click here for our First Impression and click here for our full on-road review.)

1. Smooth Power
Riding in the rough is not all about outright speed. Average offroad speeds are typically 30km/h, the fastest top speed being approximately 60km/h. Anything above that is for the pros, or if you’ve signed your last will and testament.

Let’s face it, most of us aren’t full-time or even part-time motocross or enduro riders.

The Versys-X 250 produces 33.5bhp and 21.7 Nm of torque, with a wet weight of 173kg, for a 5.2kg/bhp ratio. Comparing it to the Kawasaki KLX250 enduro, the KLX250 produces 23bhp and 21Nm of torque, but weighs only 136kg wet, for a 5.6kg/bhp ratio. They are actually very close to each other.

Why the lower horsepower on the KLX? Because too much speed in the rough isn’t necessarily a means to an end. Just like the big Dakar bikes of yesteryears.

For the Kawasaki Versys-X 250, beginners would appreciate it, pros would find it interesting.

Not only that, the throttle response is smooth and benign at the initial opening.

2. Controllability

Riding offroad is all about the ability to handle a bike that’s on the edge of tyre adhesion, besides being able to point it where you want it to go.

Sure, the bigger bikes have more electronics but they are still heavier, taller and may have too much power for the rough for most riders to handle.

Smooth and predictable power delivery and throttle response is super important.

Controllability stems from acceptable power, smooth power delivery, lightness, narrowness of the bike, long-travel suspension and especially for beginners, an acceptable seat height.

3. Lightweight

The motorcycle will jump, drop, slide, squirm under you as your ride offroad. Soon, your arms, leg, back, and core muscles will start to feel “The Burn.”

Now imagine if you’re riding a 200+kg bike while all that’s happening.

Not fun.

Your body and mind might give up soon enough, followed by a spill. Talk about putting a damper in your enthusiasm for the ride.

Let’s cite an example: This writer has ridden in ankle-deep sands in South Africa. While most participants chose the 1200cc adventure-tourers, this writer opted for a much smaller and lighter 660cc enduro. Soon, every single 1200cc rider crashed in that section except for one, but this writer got through without a single scratch. And that sand was nothing compared to the sand dunes of the Tenerife desert!

Having ridden the Versys-X 250 offroad afterwards, it’s the perfect bike for the job.

4. Slender Body

Having a narrow midsection where the seat joins the tank is an important design factor. As covered in our offroading tips article last week (click here to read), you need to stand up.

As you stand, your legs ought to be parallel to the bike’s vertical profile, instead of being splayed outwards like on a cruiser. That way, you could help to steer the bike by pushing down with your legs, or clamping onto the midsection to stabilize the bike on the faster straight sections.

The Versys-X 250 does have a narrow midsection, but there’s also a bonus.

Notice how the fuel tank slopes precipitously downwards toward to seat? That’s for the rider, especially us of Asian heights, to push our upper weight forward onto the front wheel. The sloping tank means there’s much less likelihood of it upper cutting the rider in the groin, should the bike hit a bump.

5. Long-Travel Suspension

As with adventure motorcycle convention, the Versys-X 250 has 130mm front and 150mm rear suspension travel. The front wheel is 19-inches in diameter. That combination equals a relatively spacious ground clearance of 180mm.

A long-travel suspension means there’s more “space” for the suspension to absorb hits from the ground, especially on rough “no roads” to deliver a smoother, less jarring ride for the rider.

6. Low seat-height

Although adventure bikes are generally tall, the Versys-X 250 features a low-seat height of only 815mm to accommodate beginners and us of shorter stature.

Being able to touch a foot down in while riding offroad is reassuring especially for beginners, but it’s also something which has to be done while cornering. The quicker the foot touches down means the less the bike has to lean into a corner, consequently the less chance of the tyres sliding out from underneath.

Back on the road, the lower seat height also contributes to security when the bike is at standstill or crawling through traffic.

7. Practicality

Bikes of this nature are practical and the Kawasaki Versys-X 250 is no different. But since it’s a smaller capacity bike, it has a slender profile with tall a handlebar. Coupled to its lack of weight and you have a great urban bike. Being slim with the tall handlebar means you could filter through traffic without much worry, while being lightweight means its agile.

Plus, since the bike is comparatively tall, it gives you a better field of vision ahead of the traffic all around you.

8. Touring Capability

Because the Kawasaki Versys-X 250 is an adventure bike, it has much room for luggage. Throw on a pair of GIVI panniers and a top case and voila! You’ve got yourself an adventure-tourer (just like the Versys-X 250 we reviewed here).

The liquid-cooled, four-valve per cylinder, DOHC, 249cc, parallel-Twin engine is also fuel efficient. Throughout our testing, we’ve extracted between 260 to 300km from the 17-liter fuel tank.

Top speed is a little above 150km/h and that’s fast enough for most applications.

Conclusion

In closing, the Kawasaki Versys-X 250 is the recommended for those who want to embark on the wonderful journey into adventure-riding. However, because it is practical, lightweight and agile, it should also appeal to seasoned road riders who want to try out the rough stuff. But remember that it’s also a very capable roadbike.

The enjoyment of adventure-riding shouldn’t need to be done on expensive machinery only, evidenced by the Versys-X’s wallet-friendly price tag of only RM23,789 (with GST). Truly the only kind in the Malaysian market.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	Liquid-cooled, DOHC, 8-valves, parallel-Twin
Displacement	249cc
Bore x Stroke	62.0 mm x 41.2 mm
Compression ratio	11.3 : 1
Fuel system	Electronic fuel injection, 28mm with dual throttle valves
Maximum power	33.1 bhp (24.7 kW) @ 11,500 RPM
Maximum torque	21.7 Nm @ 10,000 RPM
Front suspension	41mm telescopic forks
Rear suspension	Bottom-link Uni-Trak gas-charged shock, adjustable for preload
Front brakes	1 x 290 mm petal disc, 1 x balanced actuation dual-piston caliper
Rear brake	1 x 220 mm petal disc, 1 x dual-piston caliper
Frame	High-tensile steel backbone
Rake	24.3 degrees
Ground clearance	180 mm
Seat height	815 mm
Fuel capacity	17 litres
Curb weight	173 kg

Honda Riding Assist-e Concept

The Honda Riding Assist-e Concept is a self-balancing electric motorcycle
Shares the same frame with the Honda Riding Assist
The rider does not need to put a foot down at standstill

The Honda Riding Assist-e Concept at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show.

Honda had earlier previewed the Riding Assist concept (click here for our coverage) but that was powered by a gasoline engine. However, both the e-bike and petrol engine bike were built upon the Honda NC700 frame.

Riding Assist in Honda’s term means that the bike keeps itself upright when stationary at the traffic lights without needing the rider to put a foot or feet down to balance it. Also, the bike keeps itself upright at slow speeds, possibly a good feature for tackling u-turns. But that doesn’t mean you can’t fall off it.

Interestingly, the self-balancing feature was built by Honda’s robotics division. Honda have long been developing robotics and humanoid walking robots like the ASIMO in year 2000 was a prime example.

the Honda Riding Assist-e uses an electric motor mounted under the seat which sends power through a driveshaft to the rear wheel, like that on Honda’s VFR series. A radiator sits behind the electric motor. However, the self-balancing technology doesn’t use gyroscopes.

That’s as much as we know about the Honda Riding Assist-e at the moment, until it is fully unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show on 25th October 2017.

In any event, the Honda Riding Assist-e and Riding Assist look production-ready and it’ll be interesting to see if Honda can bring them to life.

In our opinion, attention should be paid to electric bikes or e-bike as more and more countries around the world and our region are pushing towards the full banning of new gasoline-powered vehicles in favour of electric vehicles, within the next decade or so. But do not fear electric vehicles as electric motors transfer immediate torque without lag, unlike gasoline engines.

Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki are 2017 WorldSBK Champions

Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki are 2017 WorldSBK Champions
12th win of the season for Johnny Rea and KRT
Rea is the first rider to score three successive WorldSBK championships

Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) are 2017 WSBK champions after blitzing the field in Race 1 at the Magny-Cours Circuit in France, with two rounds and five races to go.

Rea charged into the lead from pole positioned and pulled clear of the pack, and continued to put the hammer down throughout the 21-lap race in treacherous wet-drying conditions. This latest win gave him the 12th victory of the season, making him the first WorldSBK rider to win three successive titles.

Jonathan Rea charged to an excellent victory at the Magny-Cours circuit in France on Saturday to secure a historic third consecutive WorldSBK title, crossing the line over 16 seconds ahead of second placed Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), with Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) finishing third.

It was a truly gritty ride from Rea’s teammate Sykes as the Yorkshireman returned to action with a third place result, having had surgery on a finger injury less than two weeks ago – after a Portimao crash. Sykes completed the podium after just losing out on second place to Melandri in the final stages of the race.

Five seconds off the rostrum positions was Leon Camier who had another excellent ride for MV Agusta Reparto Corse. Another 19 seconds back on his compatriot Camier was Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) who rounded out the top five.

Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) and Leandro Mercado (IODARacing) were sixth and seventh respectively, whilst Davide Giugliano (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) was the eighth rider home.

Early in the race there was a crash for Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), which also saw Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team) go down, but remarkably Dutchman Van der Mark fought back to finish ninth, ahead of Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

Race 2 at the Pirelli French Round will get going at the 4.411km Magny-Cours track at 7pm Malaysian time on Sunday.

Nicky Hayden’s Accident Investigation Report Released

Nicky Hayden was knocked down by a car in May this year
He passed away five days afterwards
The case’s investigator put blame on both sides

Nicky Hayden is still very much missed by the motorcycle racing fraternity, his fans (many of them here in Malaysia), and the lives of those he touched outside the paddocks.

The world was shocked to the news of him being hit by a car while he was out cycling near the Misano Circuit in Italy, on 17th May 2017 (click here for our report). He was transferred to the ICU of a hospital outside Rimini, also in Italy. Get well wishes poured in, inundating Facebook and websites. Everyone were positive he would fight through the episode, just like how he had fought through so much adversity on the track.

But this was one race Nicky could not win, succumbing to his serious head injuries five days later (click here for our report). Everyone was crushed by the news.

The case has been under investigation by the local prosecutor, and the findings of the has been made public.

The investigation took account statements from the driver, eyewitnesses, and CCTV footage. Fault had been apportioned both parties, which meant both Nicky and the car driver were at fault. 70% of the blame went to the driver, for excessive speeding, and 30% to Nicky Hayden, for failing to stop fully at the intersection’s stop sign.

The 30-year-old driver struck Nicky while driving at 70km/h in a 50km/h speed limit zone.

Accidents are more often than not the result of a combination of circumstances, and very rarely that any one party is 100% accountable.

The case will now head to a Italian criminal fault and lawyers are sure to argue on the comparative fault between Nicky Hayden and the driver.

The driver faces a five to ten years sentence in jail, as he is charged with vehicular homicide.

In our personal opinion, please look out for cyclists and give them a wide berth. It’s not easy for them to spot other vehicles when they’re tucked into that riding position. Use your horn and approach carefully.

Biker Stories (Part 2) – The Wave

You know The Wave. Not the Mexican Wave but the Biker Wave.

You’re riding along on a quiet country road.

You take sharp deep breath and sigh in relief to get away from your office and boss which you named “The Gulag” and “Jong Un” respectively in your phone. Let’s not get to the Mrs.

As you ride under a natural canopy formed by overhanging branches, you wonder how nice it would be if other bikers, your brethren, had ridden here and admired such beauty. You make a mental note to share this route on Facebook later.

With that positive thought in mind, you notice quaint houses dotting the roadside every few kilometres, but they all seem empty. You haven’t seen a car or a motorcycle for the last 20 kilometres, come to think of it. Not a soul except for birds darting among the branches. Some loneliness, or a pang of guilt, perhaps?

A few more kilometres down the road and you spot a group of bright lights heading up the hill towards you. You smile in your helmet.

As your draw near, you notice they are riding the same model as yours, perhaps it’s a same-make ride. So, you take your left hand off the handlebar and wave.

The leader looked straight on as he passes by, as if he doesn’t want to acknowledge seeing a ghost. Slightly irritated, you keep waving nonetheless, but the rest of the group did the same too!

Langsinyeri!!!

You start to question yourself. Are my bike and I cloaked in an invisibility shield? Was it because they didn’t notice my hand because of the black gloves? Am I in Padang Mahsyar and my soul continues to ride?

That episode has left you seething under your helmet for the next 10 kilometres, swearing their pistons would seize. Or a solar flare shorted out their ECUs. Or the same flare blew out their GPS and send them riding in circles.

The above scenario isn’t unique to a just one occasion, it’s now happening everytime I go out on a ride.

Everyone waved at each other when I started biking in the 80’s, regardless of what either party rode; be it a sportbike, cruiser, tourer, dual purpose, even small bikes.

More and more bikers don’t acknowledge each other these days, although when riding on the same model, what more when encountering others on different makes. It happens even when we’re side by side at the traffic lights. Or worse, they’d return your wave by flipping the middle finger. Adoi.

I’m not being annoyed because of not being acknowledged but are people so full of themselves these days? Are they trying to say, I own a large capacity motorcycle, thereby I’m an elitist, therefore another person isn’t supposed to be on one? But hey, I bet they pound their chests about “brotherhood” and “sisterhood” at biker meets. I’ve often noticed male bikers waving to lady bikers without reservation, though. Tsk tsk!

When one biker waves at another, it might also be because he’s trying to warn you about the dangers that lie ahead. Watch out, there are potholes on the road. Or slow down, there’s taik lembu in the next corner.

Well, I continue wave at other bikers. But I don’t wait around for their response anymore.

BMW R nineT Review – You Have the Power

BMW rnineT Review – You Have the Power
The BMW R nineT is meant as a base for customizing
But the BMW rnineT Pure is a “whiter” canvas

I’ve loved liked rock and heavy metal music since I was in school.

“Trendy” schoolmates were more or less divided into two camps. In one corner, were the Canto-Poppers who adored Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, Alan Tam, et al. They were easily distinguishable in their baggy Ali Baba pants and shirts.

In the other corner were the Mat Rock (rockers) who headbanged to Search, Lefthanded, BPR, Wings, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, Bon Jovi, Guns ‘N’ Roses. Their hairs were “slightly” longer (or thicker if they can’t keep it long), high-top shoes, tight shirts, and especially low-cut pants so tight they couldn’t bend their knees more than 10 degrees.

Yes, I was definitely in the second group.

Then in 1991, Nirvana released their revolutionary record: Nevermind. Rock music was suddenly turned on its head. Gone were complex arrangements and guitar solos of rock gods such, replaced by the basic, guttural, rebellious sound of grunge.

Grunge soon led to NuMetal and all other sub-genres such as Industrial Metal were born. The German band called Rammstein is the leader in Industrial Metal, popularized through their song Du Hast (You Have).

But I could never get the song. No, I’m not referring to my illiteracy of Deutsch but the whole arrangement and direction of it.

I guess I’m firmly locked into old school (like in the movie School of Rock).

BMW Motorrad have long attempted to capture a solid foothold in the retro market, not from lack of heritage since BMW Motorrad had many iconic motorcycles in past years. There were so many, in fact! The modern BMW R nineT, however, harks back to the 1973 R90S. The R90S was the bike which won the inaugural AMA Superbike Championship in 1976, ridden by Reg Pridmore.

With BMW Motorrad’s 90^th anniversary looming 2013, the German firm needed a motorcycle to commemorate this important milestone, and they wanted an old-school, air/oil-cooled boxer-twin engine, housed in a roadster form.

The BMW R nineT was designed by the current BMW Motorrad Chief Designer, Ola Stenegard and his team. Stenegard had penned the basic looks of the model and then spoke to renowned motorcycle designer Roland Sands (he of RSD) to fine tune the final design.

In fact, Stenegard is a classics, customs and café racer enthusiat through and through, although he also penned the S 1000 RR.

So, the resulting BMW R nineT was not only a homage to past icons but also became a blank canvas for further customization.

However, BMW Motorrad had released the R nineT Pure some months ago and it has since been the whitest canvas for customization. (Click here for our report.)

Which begs the question: What is the R nineT we tested here?

Well, I’d personally like to call it a ol’ skool roadster with a modern twist.

It hads the lines of a classic in the tank and short seat, but it also had all modern details such as the intake snout, adjustable forks, radially mounted Brembo calipers, ABS and Paralever rear suspension set up.

From the seat, you come face-to-face with the dual analog dials set in handsome polished aluminium bezels. There is a small LCD screen at the bottom of each dial. Controls on the handlebars are minimal, consisting of just one extra INFO button besides the customary ones. There is no RIDE or POWER mode, although ABS is standard and non-switchable.

The handlebar is really wide, almost like that of the R 1200 GS, but set further ahead of the long fuel tank. The relatively short seat has a novel feature. the subframe underneath it supports it completely, while the bars attached to its bottom part from behind the swingarm pivot acts to carry the passenger’s footpegs can be fully removed. This is surely a feature for customization.

Seated firmly on the bike, the engine comes on in loud BRRAOOM! while kicking to the right as if someone had knocked into the left side of the bike. It’s the same when you rev the engine at standstill – the bike kicks to the right, courtesy of the 11170cc, Boxer-Twin “oilhead” engine’s torque. It was disconcerting at first, but it soon charmed its way in as part of the bike’s character.

Dumping the clutch had the bike taking off to the tune of the characteristic Boxer engine roar and boom of the dual megaphone-style Akrapovic exhausts. The stock exhausts are already quite loud and soulful by BMW’s standards. I always found myself grinning when I grabbed big fistfuls of throttle, just to hear them sing like Anthrax’s rhythm section. They gave the bike a distinctive and more importantly a fierce presence in traffic, surprising road users into giving you way.

Keep twisting the throttle and the 110 Bavarian horses kick out 119 Nm of torque to the ground, giving the rider’s body a full taste of what it means by heavy-metal torque. The engine kept pulling and pulling, all the way to the redline.

But the time it hits 6000 RPM, you’re doing 140km/h and you got to hold on tight as speed picks up quickly , lest it’s like being blasted off the stage by the sound system at Manowar’s concerts.

In the handling department, the R nineT is relatively agile (despite its big rake and trail, and long wheelbase) but also stable in long, high-speed corners. The beefy upside down forks are the traditional set up without BMW’s signature Telelever . That equates to feeling every signal the front tyre sends your way in terms of grip level, lean angle, road surface character, braking pressure.

The rear suspension uses BMW’s ubiquitous Paralever single-sided swingarm to tame the Boxer-Twin’s torque through the shaft. The rear shock is adjustable for preload and rebound damping but there isn’t a need to do so, as the stock settings are already well-calibrated.

The front brakes are strong and a two-fingered pull usually put too much retarding force, causing the bike to pitch forward hard. Rolling off the throttle calls up a good deal of back-torque to assist in emergency braking, too.

Combining the engine’s character and handling traits equals an experience like Ritchie Blackmore’s orgasmic guitar solo in Highway Star.

Charging through traffic was all a matter of utilizing the engine’s torque, brakes and wide handlebar. Overtaking a long row of cars was just a twist of the wrist away. Steering was just a small tap on the handlebar. Stopping was a finger pull ahead. It was like listening to Paradise City: Calm one moment, before everything bursts into exhilaration.

Besides functionality, the R nineT has already given a set of good looks. It looks beefier hence more aggressive. That, the white and blue badge and its distinctive voice had people staring at it everytime. I could only imagine how a customized R nineT would have people flocking over in droves.

So, what is the R nineT?

It’s a standard bike which rides like a naked sportbike, but charming as an old school sportbike like the R90S (how I wish I could ride one!). In musical analogy, it’s like old school rock mixed with new rock for a different experience. To be frank, as I’ve mentioned earlier, I’ve never liked Rammstein’s Du Hast. But I came to appreciate it after testing the BMW R nineT, because like the song, it has a rebellious edge. It could well be BMW’s hooligan bike. Yes, it does, even for a BMW.

Perhaps it’s best to sum up the BMW R nineT in German.

Du hast die leistung (You have the power).

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE
Engine type	Air/Oil-cooled, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder, horizontally-opposed (Boxer) Twin
Compression ratio	12.0 : 1
Bore X Stroke	101 mm X 73 mm
Displacement	1170 cc
Fuel system	Electronic intake pipe injection
Maximum power	110 bhp (81 kW) @ 7550 RPM
Maximum torque	119 Nm @ 6000 RPM

TRANSMISSION
Clutch	Single dry plate clutch, hydraulically actuated
Gearbox	Constant mesh, 6-speed, shaft drive

CHASSIS
Front suspension	46mm upside down fork, 120mm travel
Rear suspension	Single central shock absorber adjustable for preload and rebound damping. 120mm travel
Front brakes	Two 320mm floating discs, Brembo four-piston radially-mounted calipers ABS
Rear brake	Single 255 mm disc, Brembo two-piston floating caliper
ABS	BMW Motorrad ABS, front and rear
Front tyre	120/70-ZR17
Rear tyre	180/55-R17

FRAME & DIMENSIONS
Frame	Four-section frame consisting of one front and three rear sections; load-bearing engine and transmission; removable pillion frame for single rider
Swingarm	Cast aluminium single-sided swingarm with BMW Motorrad Paralevel
Trail	102.5 mm
Rake	25.5 degrees
Wheelbase	1470 mm
Seat height	785 mm
Dry weight	208 kg
Fuel capacity	18 litres