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 11th 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 11th fastest time, while Adam was way back in 24th.
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.”
Adam Norrodin in the 2017 Argentina GP
“Today has been a better day,” said Sasaki, “it’s been a lot sunnier but still very cold.”
Ayumu Sasaki – Picture from MotoGP.com
Both teams will head home to the Sepang International Circuit for private testing from
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.
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.
Picture from MotorMadMan
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.
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.)
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?
From www.autoevolution.com
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.
Picture from www.allsingaporestuff.co
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.
From the movie Clueless
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?!
From motorcycle.com
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.
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.
The Waukesha CFR
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.
The SINPAR RON & MON Rating Unit
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.
Hong Leong Yamaha announces the new colours for the 2018 Ego Avantiz.
Price remains at a competitive RM 5,700 (incl. of 6% GST) but not on-the-road.
The new colours are available from this week.
The Yamaha Ego Avantiz automatic scooter has been enjoyed encouraging sales since its introduction in 2016. Compared to its bigger sisters, the NMAX and NVX, it offers a bike that’s even more accessible to daily riders. Additionally, being priced at an ultra-competitive price of RM 5,700, it represents a great value.
The Ego Avantiz may seem simple, however, it’s actually full of useful features such as the 125cc, four-stroke engine which features Yamaha’s proprietary Blue Core Technology package for more performance and fuel efficiency at the same time. And yes, the Blue Core Technology powers Yamaha’s bikes all the way to Rossi and Vinalez’s Yahama YZF-M1 MotoGP bikes.
Other great features of the Ego Avantiz include a large, 14-litre underseat storage compartment which is large enough for a jet-type helmet, parking brake, LED headlamp, and a finely tuned ECO riding indicator.
Now in 2018, Hong Leong Yamaha Motor Sdn. Bhd. (HLYM) has just announced the lineup of new colours for the Ego Avantiz, intended to create fresh excitement and appeal, besides enhancing the bike’s sporty appearance even more.
Named “Blue”, “Red”, and “Yellow,” the new graphics cover larger portions of the bike, rather than the previous streaks.
The new colours will be available from this week onwards.
Does a higher octane fuel guarantee higher performance?
What’s the relation between octane and pre-ignition?
We’re so used to listening to the term “high octane” especially when TV networks or event managers using that term to imply an exciting event: “Get ready for high octane racing at the Malaysia MotoGP!” the announcer screams.
It’s probably from this kind of “nurturing” that we mistakenly associate higher octane fuels with big performance.
But, does higher octane fuel really guarantee enhanced performance? How is a fuel’s octane, called Octane Number, rating determined, anyway?
We first need to understand about “engine knock.”
Let’s assume a cylinder fills with a volume of 650.5cc of fuel/air mixture from the intake stroke. The piston now rises back up to TDC for its compression stroke, squeezing that mixture into a smaller and smaller space of just 50cc (the piston crown is typically less than 1mm below the cylinder head). This is how we derive at an engine’s “compression ratio” as seen in the spec sheet. We divide the volume at BDC with the volume at TDC: 650cc/50cc = 13/1, denoted as a ratio of 13:1.
A higher compression ratio (higher cylinder pressure) is directly related to power and thermodynamic efficiency of an internal combustion engine, allowing it to extract more energy from a given amount of fuel.
However, the temperature of fuel/air mixture rises as it’s compressed, making it easier to combust efficiently. (In fact, diesel engines work by compressing air to extreme compression ratios, heating up the air enough to ignite when diesel is injected into the combustion chamber.)
With the pressure and heat building up, the fuel/air mixture may spontaneously combust before the spark plug emits its spark at the correct moment. This uncontrolled combustion, called pre-ignition, produces compression pressure waves that bounce back and forth in the combustion chamber, leading to an audible knocking or pinging. Left alone, engine knock is devastating to the engine, as the rising piston attempts to resist the force of the still expanding pressure of combustion, besides the abnormal heat produced. (Please be aware that “pre-ignition” and “detonation” are two different phenomenas.)
A dirty engine with a thick layer of carbon deposits on the piston tops and valve surfaces actually increases the compression ratio. Besides that, the heated carbon will contribute to local hotspots, further raising the chances of pre-ignition.
Modern engines are typically equipped with knock sensors. They send the information to the engine ECU which then alters the ignition timing, fuel injection timing or fuel/air mixture ratio, to combat the knock. Consequently, engine performance and efficiency suffers.
Bosch knock sensors
So how do we avoid engine knock without having the ECU knocking back on our enjoyment?
That is why the manufacturer of high performance motorcycles recommend higher octane fuels, in order to avoid pre-ignition and knocking, and the ECU from intervening.
Does that mean higher octane fuels mean higher quality? Not necessarily so, honestly. Most, if not all, petrol grades of the same friendly neighbourhood petrol brand may already contain virtually the same fuel-system cleaning, combustion enhancing, etc., additives.
A fuel’s octane determines its resistance to pre-ignition, nothing more.
So why do motorists swear to being rewarded with a better performance when they used higher octane fuels? Psychology? Maybe.
However, there are test data that reported increase in performance as a result of using higher octane fuels, such as those reported by Petron regarding their Blaze RON 100 petrol, recently. (Please click on the link below to know more.)
Again, a higher RON rating doesn’t make the fuel contain more energy. For the sake of enlightenment, MotoGP rules state the minimum of RON 95 to a maximum of RON 102.
It is due to the absence of knock, which implores the ECU to run the optimum fuel mixture injection timing and amount, and ignition timing among other factors, allowing the engine to produce a “better performance.”
Stay tuned as we explain the process of how the octane or the RON number we see on the pumps is determined, in the next edition.
The Rimba Raid Adventure Weekend is the latest event for the ASEAN dual-purpose motorcycle community.
It will be held this year from 10th to 11th February 2018 at Kampung Chemperoh in Janda Baik, Pahang.
There are already more than 100 confirmed participants.
From Rimba Raid Official Press Release
The Rimba Raid Adventure Weekend is the newest event for the ASEAN dual purpose motorcycle community and is expected to be one of the most exciting motorcycle events for both riders and spectators this close to Kuala Lumpur.
The team behind Rimba Raid – Mat Daling are pleased to announce their newest venture into the world of competitive off-road adventure motorcycling: the Rimba Raid Adventure Weekend – Janda Baik. Positioned just 45 minutes from the heart of Kuala Lumpur and a stone’s throw from the cooling elevation of Genting Highlands, Janda Baik is the ideal location to play host to over 100 registered participants from as far away as Singapore and Sarawak.
With a focus on enjoyable participation over aggressive competition, the Rimba Raid Adventure Weekend promises to cater for riders of all skill levels and ambition. Day 1 will test the riders bike handling skills on a series of shorter challenges designed to simulate real world scenarios encountered on the trail, including river crossings, conquering natural obstacles and evading potentially dangerous situations. All of these obstacles will be easily accessible for viewing by the general public.
Day 2 will be more of a private affair for the riders as they tackle the elements and terrain along an 11km off-road course designed to test both man and machine. Although access will be limited to spectators for safety reasons, competitors will be toughing it out through mud bogs, up rutted hills and across fast flowing rivers. Official event photographs will be made available after the event.
Picture from touringcouplerider.blogspot.com
Non-competitive riders have been given the chance to participate with over 90 camp sites currently being filled by the competitors and fans of the sport. Rimba Raid Managing Director, Dato’ Capt. Nik Huzlan said of the event, “What we want to achieve through the Rimba Raid event is exposure to all bikers of this style of riding and it’s great to see the skill level of off-road riding in Malaysia coming along in leaps and bounds as a result.” He added that ,“While the competition side of the event is great fun, it’s the participation of newcomers that really makes the event worthwhile.”
About Rimba Raid
Rimba Raid started off as a group of friends organizing off-road rides into out-of-the-way places in 2014. The Janda Baik Adventure weekend joins their annual Mat Daling ride/camp event as a way of promoting sustainable usage of Malaysia’s rainforest treasures and to develop a supportive community of like-minded dual sport enthusiasts in the region.
For more information about the Rimba Raid Adventure Weekend – Janda Baik, please visit the Rimba Raid Facebook page or contact Dato’ Capt. Nik Huzlan at 019 231 0005. See Addendum 1 for the event schedule.
Sky Sports broke the news of Hafizh Syahrin stepping up to MotoGP.
He will replace Jonas Folger in the Monster Yamaha Tech3.
Sepang Racing Team signs on Zulfahmi Kharuddin in place of Hafizh for Moto2.
In what seems like the convulated plot of twist of a Hollywood movie ã la Memento, Hafizh “Pescao” Syahrin goes into MotoGP for 2018.
Plot Twist #1
In an earlier news we reported that SIC Racing Team will run a Moto2 team with Hafizh Syahrin as the contracted rider, after the affable rider was unceremoniously dropped first by Petronas Raceline and then Petronas Sprinta.
That had almost ruled Hafizh out of the 2018 Moto2 Championship, until SIC’s Chief Executive Officer, YBhg Dato’ Ahmad Razlan Ahmad Razali threw in a lifeline by providing Hafizh a seat on the newly formed SIC Racing Team Moto2 bike.
Plot Twist #2
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider, Jonas Folger was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease called Gilbert’s syndrome, and had to be ruled out from this year’s MotoGP championship, which left the team boss, Herve Poncharal scrambling to locate a replacement.
Jonas Folger
Yonny Hernandez who was axed by the now Alma Pramac Ducati for 2018 got the tap and tested out the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 bike during the 2018 Sepang Official MotoGP Test just a few days ago.
Yonny Hernandez. Picture from MotoGP.com
That seemed like somewhat of a contradiction to what Poncharal said about being not keen to offer the seat to already contracted riders, after all, and Hernandez had already inked a deal with Pedercini Kawasaki to compete in the World Superbike Championship.
Consequently, the rumours circulated incessantly in the paddock that Monster Yamaha Tech 3 is still on the lookout for a rider during then entire duration of the Winter Test at SIC, and Hafizh’s name was mentioned.
In fact, Poncharal was sitting just a metre away from us in the Media Centre and had mentioned to his crew about his concerns regarding Hernandez. (He was speaking in French but with Hernandez’s name being mentioned amongst sighs kinda paints the picture.)
But, but, but, Hafizh Syahrin is already signed to SIC Racing Team, right? RIGHT?
Plot Twist #3
So ok, Hafizh Syahrin already has a confirmed seat in Moto2 this year.
Think again! Sky Sports MotoGP broke the news of Hafizh being signed on by Monster Yamaha Tech 3 and the internet went bananas.
SIC then announced a couple of hours ago that another Malaysian GP legend, Zulfahmi Khairuddin will ride for the team. He is already slated to start the Moto2 pre-season testing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain beginning 6th February.
Zullfahmi had raced in the 125cc GP from 2009 to 2011, and in Moto3 afterwards from 2012 to 2015, before moving to the Supersports World Championships for 2016 and 2017, riding a Kawasaki ZX-6R. His new team feels that he has the experience on 600cc racing machinery.
While SIC Racing Team didn’t exactly shed light about Hafizh Syahrin’s future, YBhg. Dato’ Ahmad Razlan had said before that he hopes Hafizh will eventually make the jump to the premiere class.
There’s no official word from Hafizh, either. Will there be a Plot Twist #4?
It’s another record year for BMW Motorrad’s worldwide sales in 2017.
The increase is attributable to the introduction of new models.
The new line-up includes bikes for almost every segment, including smaller capacity bikes.
Another year, another worldwide sales record for BMW Motorrad; their seventh in a row.
The German marque delivered a total of 145,032 motorcycles in 2016. In 2017, they delivered a whopping 164,153 units, for a 13.2% increase.
On the home front, BMW Motorrad Malaysia had debuted a large number of motorcycles in 2017, including the new S 1000 RR, S 1000 R, R 1200 GS Rallye, K 1600 GT, K 1600 B, R nineT Urban GS and the two models of the lightweight family, the G 310 R and G 310 GS.
BMW motorcycle sales grew by 5% in 2017 in Malaysia.
According to the BMW Motorrad HQ’s press release, the growth was driven by none other than the GS lineup, plus the S-series. The G 310 lineup has not only done well in the intended Asian and South American markets but similarly in Europe where they are especially popular with new riders.
In fact, the biggest portion of the brand’s growth was in Europe, which contributed 15% over 2016. Out of that figure, France grew by 24.3%, Italy by 17.3%, and Spain up by 17.6%. However, the largest growth was still seen in Germany which contributed a 7.1% growth.
What does the future hold for BMW Motorrad? BMW Motorrad Head of Sales and Marketing, Timo Resch said, “We expect to see further growth in sales for our vehicles in 2018, too. We are looking forward to the positive impulses generated by the launch of the completely new F 750 GS and F 850 GS, as well as the much anticipated C 400 X mid-size scooter. Expanding our urban mobility product range is a key topic for the future of BMW Motorrad.”
Mechanics could make your bike a dream or a nightmare to ride.
Manufacturers’ workshops are typically good.
There are good third-party workshops also, worth the little extra money.
All of us appreciate good mechanics but there are also downright horrible ones out there. Whether they’re improperly trained or just indifferent, we’ve had our fair share of bad ones through our long riding experience.
1. Fontaine de Motul
I love Italian and French food, and have an equal fondness for Italian and French motorcycle products, including engine oils. On this one occasion, I decided to go French, thereby opting for the Motul 300V Factory Line 5W40. It had cost me more than RM 130 per 1-litre bottle in 2006. Let’s pamper the bike a little.
After draining the oil incompletely because he never stood the bike straight up the entire time, the mechanic went ahead to start the engine and gave it full throttle immediately (rather than letting it idle first). A fountain of brownish-black liquid shot straight up the left side of his body and onto the workshop’s walls and ceiling.
He had forgotten to recap the oil filler.
Now he screwed the cap back on but he didn’t even bother to wipe the oil off, nor did he replace the oil that had sprayed out. Instead, he yelled to his supervisor, “Tukar minyak, siap (Oil change done)!” And you know what, the supervisor didn’t check and turned to me to say it’s done.
That’s not all. My bike needed 3.6 litres thus there should be enough to top up. “Mana itu minyak lebih (Where’s the extra oil)?” I enquired. He went back into the workshop, came back and reluctantly handed over an unopened bottle. “Apasal ini botol tarak bukak? Pon tak kasi balik (Why isn’t this bottle opened and why didn’t you return it to me)?” I yelled this time. “Dah cukup mah (Because it’s already enough)!,” he actually yelled back.
Well, of course it’s enough before the magical appearance of fontaine de Motul, because he hadn’t drained all the oil. In fact, the supposedly “new” oil looks all black! Why didn’t he inform me about the last bottle? Because he must’ve wanted to keep it for his own use on my expense.
2. Breaking the brakes
Time for new front brake pads.
The Senior Technician at the authorized workshop got it done and handed the bike back to me. “Please allow 300 to 500km for the new pads to bed in,” he advised.
Out onto the main road, I came upon the first set of traffic lights. The brakes gripped but the front lurched ahead a little with a loud CLUNK. I pulled over to the roadside and stopped. Another “CLUNK!”
I got off to inspect the bike and found the front brake calipers had jacked upwards, having pivoted on the top bolts! The bottom bolts and nuts were missing on both sides.
3. What, am I riding a lorry?
I remembered when the rear end of my Cagiva Mito EV125 seemed to have suddenly collapsed. I discovered that both rear wheel bearings were busted, causing the rear tyre to lean to the left. The cause? An overtightened wheel nut.
A buddy of mine bent the wheel nut spanner supplied with his Kawasaki ER-6n when he tried to loosen the nut to adjust his chain. He had just replaced the rear tyre.
I wonder why some mechanics are so lazy and love to use the pneumatic impact wrench to tighten bolts and nuts (removal is fine). Tightening the fasteners to specified torques isn’t difficult, but my enquiries at one particular workshop disclosed an alarming revelation: “Apa itu tok lench (What’s a torque wrench)?” So, they go on using the air wrench on almost any fastener – KTEK! KTEK! KTEK!
That’s not the end of the story, however, as the bolts/nuts would be so over-torque that even an pneumatic impact wrench couldn’t budge it the next time! They would then continue whacking at it until, congratulations, you’ve got yourself rounded nuts/bolts.
What the…..! Are we riding motorcycles or driving lorries?
4. Dances with forks, and….
I blew the oil seals on both forks on a trip up north and they leaked like overflowed sanitary napkins on the way back, so I decided to stop at a workshop that’s attached to a large motorcycle dealership.
The mechanic got work immediately. Everything went smoothly until he had to remove the bottom bolt to release the damper rod inside. Good workshop practice dictates that he should clamp the fork leg securely in a vice to remove the bolt, but noooooooo. He held the leg by hand then inserted a modified Allen key driven by – what else – the favourite pneumatic impact wrench into it.
The PROPER way of doing it
The strong twisting force of the air wrench meant that he couldn’t hold on to the fork leg hard enough, so the top of the fork (now at the bottom) danced all over the floor in a circle, deeply scoring the fork cap.
5. … clean it half-way
After he’s managed to release the bolts and drain the remaining oil, he took the parts away for cleaning and came back with clean fork pistons. But the damper rods were still dirty, yet he inserted them back into the forks legs anyway, and poured in the oil. Without measuring, of course.
Heck, he didn’t even check for debris when he refitted the seal housings and oil seals.
What a funny guy. I wondered if he soaps only one side of his body when he showers.
6. Into the red zone
When oil is drained out of the engine and refilled, the engine should be started and left to idle for 10 to 15 seconds to circulate the oil.
However, I’ve met plenty of mechanics who’d start the engine and rev it all the way to maximum revs right away! No, they didn’t blip the throttle, they just went WFO (wide full open) until it hit the rev limiter.
7. Overinflating the tyres
I wonder how many workshops ever calibrated their gauges.
It’s not wrong to inflate new tyres to seat the beads against the rim flanges, but the pressures should then be reduced to the recommended amount. They’d usually leave it as so, but the pressures are always too high even if they did check with their gauges.
8. Just charge it
Ooops. Battery’s about to “conk,” so let’s get a new one.
At the shop, the mechanic filled the acid into a new AGM battery, sealed it and mounted it into the bike right away.
Hey! He’s supposed to charge it first!
9. It goes the other way
Buy new tyres, happy that your bike will handle great again and that you don’t have be scared witless when it rains.
That’s if the mechanic mounted the tyre or tyres according to the rotational direction.
Does it surprise you that I’ve had more than one mechanic telling me, “Talak ploblem punya (It’s not a problem),” run a tyre against the intended rotation direction? When I insisted that it should be remounted, they usually throw a tantrum by brutally prying out the new tyre on a rough cement floor.
10. No problem became mo’ problems
I sent my bike into a manufacturer’s official workshop for a recall campaign. The bike was running good, had no issues and was clean. I wouldn’t want to look like an idiot who doesn’t take care of his bike right?
I went to pick it up after a couple of days later. The bike sounded great, was now responsive to throttle inputs and… wait a minute, where’s my voltmeter? I looked down through the fairing’s opening and found it hanging like a roast chicken at the Chicken Rice Shop.
Okay, nevermind. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I passed it off as maybe the double-sided tape must’ve lost its adhesion properties.
Further down the road, the fairing started flapping in the wind. Hey! They must’ve forgotten to tighten a few nuts on it!
When I got home, my wife opened the gate for me. She ran out and yelled, “Stop the engine!” I did. She said, “Look! The bike’s leaking!”
I peered down to see a pool of radioactive-green liquid. It was the coolant. We pushed the bike into the driveway, trailing Predator blood all the way. My initial thought was that they must’ve overfilled the expansion tank, but to my utmost horror, it was actually coming out of the coolant bleed bolt at the bottom of the coolant pump housing!
Conclusion
You’d most probably ask why I didn’t “sound” the mechanics when I saw their wrongdoings. Truth is, I’ve done that plenty of times before and most of them retorted, “Lu panlai, lu buat sindili loh (Do it yourself, if you’re so smart).” Therefore, these days, I’d save my frustration until the job is done then unload on them, usually with words pertaining to making babies and references to their elders.
I’ve been a regular at that famous motorcycle workshop at Setapak and now in Jalan Pahang for over 20 years now. Yes, they charge more but they adhere to correct workshop practices and take good care of their customers’ bikes. That’s before even mentioning about the wealth of experience and expertise under their belts. None of these horrors had ever happened there.
Certain manufacturers’ workshops are great too, especially in this age where aftersales service is a priority. They have the expertise and the correct tools to get the work done correctly
My advice is this: Unless if you want to start servicing your bike by yourself, look for one or a few where their employees perform their tasks with pride.
KTM Malaysia confirms direction from KTM HQ in Austria.
Affected are certain units in the 1290 Super Duke range.
KTM Malaysia is now working to identify the bike owners and will get in touch with them soonest.
Following the news of Brembo extending their recall to KTM, we’ve confirmation from KTM Malaysia that certain KTM 1290 Super Duke R and KTM 1290 Super Duke GT are included.
The recall is specifically for motorcycles that are fitted with the front Brembo PR16 master cylinders that are usually mated to the Brembo M50 Monobloc calipers.
The eminent Italian brake manufacturer has announced earlier with regards to discovering possible defects of the pistons in the master cylinders produced between 2015 to 2017, citing, “The anisotropy of the piston material, in addition to potential porosity introduced during the injection process, could lead to crack generation and thus potential component failure.”
The polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) piston may crack after repeated hard use at the racetrack or with frequent ABS intervention, or after a fall.
Brembo will replace the plastic piston with an aluminium one.
The affected KTMs are:
2015 – 2016 1290 Super R
2016 1290 Super Duke R SE
2016 1290 Super Duke GT
2017 – 2018 Super Duke R and 1290 Super Duke GT
Please be reminded that models not fitted with the PR16 master cylinder are not included in the recall. Similarly, those who fitted the specified master cylinder through the aftermarket channel aren’t affected.
KTM Malaysia advices owners of the above motorcycles to await correspondence from them, as they are working to identify the affected units. For more information, please call KTM Malaysia.
The 2018 Sepang Official MotoGP Test was an exciting premise to the season.
The bikes are much faster this year.
The results has a good mix of different bikes.
Three exciting days of the 2018 Sepang Official MotoGP Test is over.
Maybe the word “exciting” would be a stretch for those following reports from their offices or homes, since there’s no telecast except if you subscribed to the crazily expensive Videopass package on the official MotoGP website. But to us following from the trackside, paddock and Media Centre at the Sepang International Circuit, it was evident that we will have an exciting 2018 MotoGP season ahead of us.
First of all, the Top Three manufacturers of the series had their satellite teams running at almost, if not faster, times as the factory teams. If counted in Alex Rins, who’s making a return to Suzuki after being sidelined from much of 2017, that makes four different manufacturers in the Top 10.
Picture from MotoGP.com
There was certainly drama over the three days, especially in the afternoon sessions. While they ran race simulations earlier in the day (long stints out on track at race pace), the later sessions were when the teams and riders go out en masse for qualifying test runs. This was when most of the best times were recorded for the first two days: Dani Pedrosa’s penultimate lap on Day One, Vinalez’s and Rossi’s on Day Two.
It was a different story on Day Three, as eight of the top ten riders posted their fastest times earlier in the day when the track was cooler. This goes to show that the Michelins work around a certain track temperature range and start to “go away” when the heat picks up.
Indeed, Valentino Rossi who finished eighth fastest on the last day and ninth in combined times went on to say, “First of all, we tried everything and we have pretty clear ideas, but today was the most difficult day. We suffered a bit more because of a lack of grip and that made us lost a bit in positions.”
Rossi is 38 this year and still chasing that elusive 10th title. There’s been much talk if the flamboyant racer will continue beyond 2018.
Picture from MotoGP.com
The story of the 2018 Sepang Official MotoGP Test, of course, went to Jorge Lorenzo in his second year at Ducati. While many pundits claimed that the Majorcan will fail miserably in his new team, he had already started to show his prowess toward the latter part of the 2017 season.
With his fastest lap of 1:58.830, Lorenzo absolutely blew everyone away on the GP18 on Day Three, as being the first rider to ever head below the 1:59 mark. Has the Majorcan adapted to the machine or has Ducati made changes to fit his riding style? “The bike has improved and it’s more suited to my riding style and I can take profit of my strong points,” said Lorenzo. Unfortunately, the time will not be recorded as the fastest lap, as it happened during the off-season. Let’s hope he repeats it during race weekend.
Picture from MotoGP.com
Lorenzo is one of the only riders who still ride the “long arc” style compared to the “V-shape” line most MotoGP riders adopt.
The latter style was effectively used by Marc Marquez to guide his Honda RC-V to four MotoGP championships. He’d brake hard all the way to the apex of a corner, lift the bike up quickly onto the fatter part of the rear tyre and blast his way out, utilizing the Honda’s power. This was also because the Honda has a short wheelbase and taller centre of gravity.
Lorenzo’s style is the traditional out-in-out style used by many 250cc riders. Brake early, release and carry more corner speed. The Yamaha had suited Lorenzo’s style from the outset, being long and low. This was why he suffered initially when he moved to Ducati.
Dani Pedrosa had been giving Lorenzo and Ducati a run for their money throughout the tests. He did well to record his fastest time of 1:59.009, just 0.179 off Lorenzo’s. SIC has always been one of his favourite hunting grounds, having won here three times in the past. Will he challenge for the top throughout the season?
Picture from MotoGP.com
Cal Crutchlow has been doing well in the tests and finished third fastest with a time of 1:59.052. The Englishman had been testing the new Honda aerodynamics package alongside Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa.
Andrea Dovizioso came close to winning his first title and Ducati’s since Casey Stoner in 2007 last year. He had suffered a crash earlier in the day but still managed to pop in his fastest time of 1:59.169.
Picture from MotoGP.com
One of the biggest news was Jack Miller. Having had a couple of dreadful seasons (although he had one win in Assen, The Netherlands in 2016), Miller surprised everyone including himself at Sepang. Now riding the Ducati GP17 for the Alma Pramac Racing team, “Jackass” been in the top five of each day and posted a great time of 1:59.346. “The more I ride the bike, the more I understand it and get the feel for it,” he said.
Alex Rins was another welcomed sight in the top ten, finishing sixth fastest (1:59.348) on the Suzuki. Sidelined for much of 2017, he kept putting that blue bike in the top ten for the three days.
On the other hand, Maverick Vinalez seemed to have been inconsistent, apart from posting the fastest time on Day Two just ahead of his teammate Rossi. He ended Day Three eighteenth fastest, but seventh overall in combined times by merit of this 1:59.322 time from Day Two. He lamented, “Today it’s been difficult. I don’t know why we lost time, especially in the afternoon – in the morning it went quite well.”
What about Marquez? The defending champ had been testing everything that needed to be tested. The 2017 bike with the 2017 engine, then with the 2018 engine; the 2018 bike with and without the new aerodynamics. He came away eighth fastest but remains positive from the data gathered.
Picture form MotoGP.com
Rounding out the top ten on combined standings is Johann Zarco. Zarco had fired the first shot in the wet during the first day’s morning session. He had also tested the same aerodynamics package as the factory boys. But his fastest time of 1:59.511 clocked on the last day was only good for ninth of the day and tenth overall.
Picture from MotoGP.com
However, if we compared to the previous years’ results, 21 of 26 riders (excluding the four test riders) went faster than Jorge Lorenzo’s fastest race lap of 2:00.606 in 2015 (2016 was a wet race, 2017 was a dry race on a drying track.) Karel Abraham was the 21st rider on the timesheet with 2:00.574. The 26th and final rider, Yonny Hernandez who’s sitting in for Jonas Folger in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team, clocked his fastest lap at 2:01.223.
The off-season tests head to Buriram, Thailand starting from 16th February, which is incidentally Valentino Rossi’s 38th birthday, and Chinese New Year. Buriram is a circuit with long straights preceding the corners, somewhat akin to Motegi, placing great importance on hard acceleration and hard braking.
