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Video: This is how you do the perfect stoppie

Wheelies are not too difficult to do, a good twist of the throttle and some clutch and brake management and you are on your way to a mesmerising few seconds of your front wheel kissing the sky.

Stoppies, braking hard enough to get the rear to pop up instead, are scary. It takes some amazing understanding of your bike’s braking power, but get it right and it is hugely rewarding. But before that you will have to fall a few times, guaranteed!

Not with this amazing gadget though, no more falling down! Check it out in the video below.

Brad Pitt expresses undying love for MotoGP

46-rossi-brad-pitt__gp_0011_1_0.middle — Photo courtesy of MotoGP.com

Many who witnessed the British MotoGP round last weekend would have noticed the presence of popular Hollywood actor Brad Pitt during the event.

Although it is normal for celebrities to grace MotoGP race events with their presence, not many are true fans of the race itself, unlike Brad Pitt, who expressed his undying love for MotoGP last week at the Silverstone circuit.

Speaking to ShortList, a lifestyle magazine in the U.K, Pitt said, “It’s just phenomenal. These guys are so poetic and beautiful, and yet they’re on the edge of complete and utter destruction. It’s incredible, incredible, incredible.”

“When I first started, wherever I was, I had to find an outlet who was going to broadcast it and at what time, including in the middle of the night. Now you can just go to motogp.com to watch it live. Nothing gets in the way of Brad Pitt watching the flag drop on race day: I’ll watch with whoever wants to watch with me, my wife, my kids – everyone’s welcome. But I’m definitely watching,” he said.

“I’ve always loved the bike. Over a car any day. These bikes are the ultimate – the space shuttles of the motorcycle world. I started watching a bit in the Nineties, the Mick Doohan years – the great Australian racer. But it wasn’t until Rossi’s time around 2001 that I came maniacal about it. I don’t think I’ve missed a race since,” Pitt’s admiration for the sport the same as even the most fanatical fan.

When asked about his championship predictions, Brad Pitt said that it is still too early, as the title race is still wide open between Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, and Marc Marquez.

When asked who his favourite rider was, Pitt said that he would always remain neutral, enjoying the sheer thrill of the racing itself: “I love Lorenzo, because his focus is absolute – this fighter pilot focus, He’s incredible. And then Rossi is just great. There’s a mythology around all the riders. They’re gladiators to us. These guys have to make decisions at 200mph in milliseconds. It’s just thrilling to watch.”

“You attach your life to it, and either it goes the way you want it to, or it goes against you. The gods are with you or they’re not. The millions of us who follow sports have had that experience. That ride of heartbreak and success, heartbreak and success, heartbreak and success. It’s hard to pull yourself away from that,” Brad Pitt is a MotoGP fan for life.

Pitt stars as a narrator of the upcoming MotoGP film – ‘Hitting the Apex’.

Chris Pfeiffer 5 greatest videos

German stunt riding ace Chris Pfeiffer announces retirement at age 45.

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Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show – Better than KLIMS?

Our friends at autofreaks.com recently attended the first installation of the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show 2015 (GIIAS). Though happening for the very first time, the new GIIAS featured a number of hot attractions, like the new Honda BR-V which is soon the be launched in Malaysia, and the stunning new Lexus LF-SA, which according to the editor of Autofreaks, Chris Wee, was so outrageous that it left him dumbstruck. (more…)

2016 Kawasaki Z1000SX gets slipper clutch and ABS

The 2016 Kawasaki Z1000SX has been revealed, and it gets a few subtle, yet important updates.

According to the company, the updates include the addition of a slipper clutch and ABS as standard, with no increase in price.

Besides the new technical additions, the sports tourer also comes in new colour options such as the Candy Plasma Blue, and a more aggressive green, similar to the Versys 1000.

The 2016 Kawasaki Z1000SX’s new assist and slipper clutch makes the lever 30 per cent lighter to pull, and reduces the tendency of the rear wheel to lock under engine braking following aggressive down-changes.

The Versys 1000 on the other hand, will come in new metallic grey and ‘metallic raw titanium’ options as well as the existing green scheme for 2016.

Special programmes planned to celebrate 25th Malaysian MotoGP

Sepang International Circuit (SIC) officially launched the 2015 Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix (Malaysia MotoGP) yesterday at the KL Hilton.

Set to be held from 23 to 25 October 2015, the race, which will be the 17^th round of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship, is also the 25^th edition of the Malaysia MotoGP.

“This is a very special year for the Malaysian MotoGP as it marks the 25th anniversary of the event, from 1991 at the Batu Tiga Circuit in Shah Alam to its move to Sepang International Circuit in 1999 until now. It was the first major international motorsports event to be held at the Sepang Circuit and is the longest running international motorsports event hosted in Malaysia. The Malaysia MotoGP also continues to excite fans, as we can see by the consistent growth in attendance. In the last five years, we recorded more than 120,000 fans over three days annually from 2010 to 2014. This year, fans can expect exciting activities to mark the silver anniversary of this race,” said Dato’ Razlan.

This year’s Malaysian MotoGP season will see many special activities such as the Mega Moto Carnival – Malaysia’s biggest auto carnival with 108 booths, a MotoGP Wall of Fame, exclusive 25th anniversary merchandise sale, social media contests, as well as popular recurring activities like the SIC Zoomers road show happening from 25 September to 18 October 2015.

Meanwhile, the race week will see new events including a MotoGP pre-anniversary party, stunt shows, a Riders Mini GP Race, a public pit lane walk, riders’ autograph session, safety car ride, grid walk and much more.

“Malaysian fans will have many opportunities to wave the Jalur Gemilang with pride when they cheer on the Drive M7 SIC Racing team as well as our other Malaysian riders, Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman in Moto 2, and five young talents in the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup (ATC) – Shafiq Rasol, Adam Norrodin, Helmi Azman, Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam and Azroy Anuar. Sports has a special ability to unify all Malaysians and we look forward to seeing Malaysians from all walks of life coming together to cheer on our riders and team,” he added.

For fans of Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez, they can enjoy a special experience with the tribune areas. The VR46 Tribune, the special seating zone for Rossi’s supporters will be located above Turn 1, also Rossi’s favourite stop to honour his fans after the race.

As for Marc Marquez fans, the Marc Marquez Tribune is located at the Main Grandstand’s Diamond zone, which sits above the starting grid, offering the best view of the circuit and all the action.

MotoGP Malaysia 2015 tickets are selling at RM212 for the Main Grandstand, RM 116.60 for the K1 Grandstand, RM84.80 for the F Grandstand and RM42.40 for the C2 Hillstand, all inclusive of GST. The three-day Premier Roving tickets, which allow fans to move around in all spectator areas, are available at RM318. This year, it includes a complimentary exclusive transfer service between the Welcome Centre, C2 Hillstand and F Grandstand for ticket holders.

Shell Advance Ultra limited edition packs launched

Shell Advance has launched its flagship product limited edition packs of its flagship product – the Shell Advance Ultra with PurePlus Technology, in conjunction with the upcoming 2015 Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix.

According to Shell, the limited edition packs will come in different collectible designs. While the Shell Advance Ultra 10W-40 will feature Malaysian Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup riders and Malaysian Moto3 rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin, the 15W-50 will feature the Ducati Corse MotoGP team. Both fully synthetic motorcycle engine oils retail at RM68.30 for a one-litre pack.

“Shell Advance Ultra with PurePlus Technology is the only motorcycle engine oil in the market that is made from natural gas. It is a result of our long involvement in motorsport that has enabled us to transfer cutting-edge lubrication technology developed for race tracks to products for everyday use on the road,” said Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd managing director Tuan Haji Azman bin Ismail.

On another note, Shell has also renewed its title sponsorship of the Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, having reached an agreement with Dorna Sports, the MotoGP rights holder, to support the FIM MotoGP World Championship and the Sepang International Circuit’s hosting of the Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix for the 2015 and 2016 championship seasons.

In 2014, Shell Advance also signed a three-year deal to become the title sponsor of the Asia Talent Cup. Tuan Haji Azman also expressed delight with the opportunity for Shell Advance to be involved in the development of young riding talents from Asia through SAATC.

Meet the 48-cylinder Whitelock Tinker Toy

Ever wondered which vehicle holds the world record for having an engine with the most amount of cylinders?

If your guess is that it is something huge, like a plane, a ship, or a tank, you’re up for a great surprise as the correct answer is – a two-stroke motorcycle. Yes, you read that right.

Meet the Whitelock Tinker Toy; a 48-cylinder motorcycle which was created by Hertfordshire Superbike Centre in the UK. Based on the 2 stroke Kawasaki triples, the Tinker Toy has 48 cylinders and a capacity of a massive 4200cc. It consists of 16 Kawasaki KH250 3-cylinder engines arranged in six banks of eight and is completely road-legal.

Believe it or not, the engine is so large it has a complete single-cylinder 2-stroke engine to serve as a starter motor.

According to the builder and owner of Hertfordshire Superbikes, Simon Whitelock, the insane motorcycle actually has 49 cylinders.

“The 48 cylinder lump is slightly harder to start than your conventional motorcycle engine, so instead of an electronic starter motor, we decided to use what we call a “donkey engine”- a little sub-50cc engine, which is started, and in turn that starts the 48 cylinder engine,” said Simon.

That said, we know that you would love to see the engine work and hear how it sounds, so here it is…

Honda Project 2&4 announced

Newly announced Honda Project 2&4 set to debut at Frankfurt Motor Show with hybrid car-bike creation.

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Harley-Davidson 2016 lineup unveiled

Harley-Davidson finally unveiled its much anticipated 2016 model year lineup last week, which will see the addition of a few new models, namely the Dark Custom Iron 883, Dark Custom Forty-Eight, the Softail Slim S, Fat Boy S, and of course, the return of the Road Glide Ultra.

Powered by the 883cc Evolution V-twin, the Iron 883 is intentionally raw and comes with clipped fenders, blacked-out powertrain and exhaust, drag-style handlebars and a solo tuck-and-roll seat cover. Other styling elements include a ribbed air cleaner cover and bullet-hole details on the belt guard, exhaust shields and front fender brace. Handling is improved by new cast aluminum black wheels with machined highlights that reduce unsprung weight by about 5kg. Ride quality gets a boost with a new cartridge-style fork and new emulsion rear shocks with progressive-rate springs and a threaded pre-load adjustment collar.

As for the 2016 Forty Eight, it rolls on a fat 130mm front tire suspended by a new 49mm cartridge fork and accented by a chopped fender. The classic 2.1-gallon peanut fuel features horizontal stripes, a throw-back to 1970s style that’s repeated in the seat stitching, slotted exhaust shields, rear sprocket and belt guard. New lightweight cast-aluminum wheels feature nine split spokes and a solid black finish with machined highlights. A side-mount license plate and combination stop/tail/turn signals keep the rear fender uncluttered.

And then we have the S Series limited-edition cruisers—the Fat Boy S and Softail Slim S, which are powered by the Screamin’ Eagle Twin Cam 110 engine. Restyled with minimal bright work, the new S Series models offer tough curb appeal, as well as electronic cruise control, ABS and the H-D Factory Security System as standard equipment. The Softail Slim S has a classic, lean bobber style, and its Twin Cam 110 features the Screamin’ Eagle Stage 1 high-flow intake with optimized jet-black over/under dual shotgun mufflers.

On the Fat Boy S, the Twin Cam 110 engine has the Screamin’ Eagle Ventilator intake and optimized jet-black over/under dual shotgun mufflers. It rolls on bullet-hole aluminum disc wheels and features a massive headlamp and nacelle, half-moon rider footboards and a classic five-gallon Fat Bob fuel tank. Slammed suspension and a low-slung seat put the rider just 24.25 inches off the pavement.

Following a two-year absence from the Harley-Davidson Touring line, the Road Glide Ultra has been updated with enhanced style, comfort and performance, all part of the multi-year, customer-led Project Rushmore product development effort. It features improved aerodynamics, optimized touring ergonomics and the power of the Twin-Cooled High Output Twin Cam 103 V-twin.

The 2016 Road Glide Ultra features all of the Project Rushmore enhancements, including a stout 49mm fork, Reflex Linked Brakes with ABS, sleeker fenders, lighter Enforcer cast aluminum wheels, improved instrument graphics and hand controls. Standard equipment includes cruise control and the BOOM! Box 6.5GT infotainment system with color touch screen, GPS and Bluetooth capability.

The Twin-Cooled High Output Twin Cam 103 engine combines air cooling and precision liquid cooling to maintain peak performance under the most demanding loads and riding conditions, with 10.7 percent more peak torque than the standard Twin Cam 103 engine.

Passenger accommodations are more generous and restyled luggage includes sleeker hard saddlebags and a new Tour-Pak shape that offers 4 percent more capacity than the previous design.