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Kawasaki J125 makes global debut

Less than a year after Kawasaki launched its first ever scooter (the J300), the brand has unveiled its second scooter – the J125 in Spain earlier this week.

Powered by an all-new water-cooled single cylinder 125cc four-stroke engine which produces a claimed 14bhp and 11.5Nm of torque, the J125 weighs 182kg and competes directly with models like the Suzuki Burgman and Yamaha X-Max 125.

Inspired by the J300, the J125 looks quite similar to its bigger sibling, and comes with under-seat storage big enough for a single full face helmet and A4 briefcase.

It is said that the scooter also comes with a small glove box at the front which has a 12v power outlet.

According to Kawasaki, ABS and an anti-temper anti-theft ignition switch is offered as standard.

All set to make its UK debut in January 2016, there has not been any official announcement on whether the J125 will be introduced here in Malaysia.

Rare Brough Superior barn find worth RM2.2 million!

As far as classic bikes go, no other name carries its weight in gold as much as the famed Brough Superior marque. Famed for hand-building motorcycles, sidecars and motor cars for the wealthy elite from 1919 to 1940, the British marque’s motorcycles were dubbed by many as the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles in its heyday.

Founder George Brough, who was a famed British motorcycle racer, had a clientele list that many would envy as it included the likes of Lawrence of Arabia and George Bernard Shaw. In its 21-year history, Brough Superior successfully developed 19 bike models and produced 3,048 units before operations ceased, but reports suggest that only less than a third of those still exists in the hands of collectors today. However, a recent barn find in a village on Bodmin Moor, England, is about to increase that number, albeit slightly.

Dubbed the ‘Broughs of Bodmin Moor’ collection, a series vintage motorcycles were found partly buried under dust and machinery. At least three complete bikes were found including a rare four-cylinder version of the Brough Superior – one of only eight known to be built and the last to be accounted for. Also in the mix was an ultra-rare Brough Superior 750cc BS4 that features a peculiar twin rear wheel layout.

Experts have stated that this is perhaps the greatest motorcycle discoveries of recent times as their existence was thought to be mythical prior to being found. Adding to that is the fact that this could also be the last un-restored collection of Brough Superior motorcycles to be found.

With that in mind, it is easy to see how the ‘Broughs of Bodmin Moor’ collection was given an estimated value of £340,000 in its entirety – that’s roughly RM2.2 million. Leading this is the twin rear wheel model, which has been valued between £80,000 and £120,000 (approx. RM518,000 – RM777,000). Besides its rare layout, this particular bike’s value skyrocketed thanks to the fact that it once belonged to Hubert Chantrey, a friend of George Brough.

The collection is expected to meet its £340,000 estimated total value when each bike goes under the hammer with specialist auction house Bonhams April next year. Additionally, you can view the complete collection and details in this press release issued by the auction house online.

‘Broughs of Bodmin Moor’

Source: Bonhams via Visordown
Images: Bonhams via DailyMail

Ural joins scrambler bandwagon

Scramblers have been all the rage lately, and believe it or not, even Ural is in on the action.

Presented at the recent EICMA show in Milan, Ural has fitted knobblies to its anachronistic Ranger sidecar outfit, renaming it ‘Scrambler’ and has given the bike a grey-and-yellow paint scheme.

The company mentioned that it plans to sell only 20 of them in by end of 2016.

It is said that since it’s based on the Ranger, it’s two wheel drive (the sidecar wheel is driven as well as the bike’s rear wheel), it has more off-road credentials than a lot of the other recent ‘scrambler’ launches, and the hefty tubular steel nudge bars around the side car mean it can probably stand up to some beating, even if the weight of them isn’t likely to help performance much.

For those of you who are wondering if this news is any relevant to our market, Ural is expected to make its presence known in Malaysia very soon, so, stay tuned for more updates.

Victory unveils Combustion Concept in New York

Having unveiled the Ignition concept at last month’s EICMA show in Milan, Victory Motorcycles revealed another concept yesterday, called the Combustion concept at the ongoing New York International Motorcycle Show.

Powered by the brand’s Project 156 liquid-cooled 1200cc 60-degree V-Twin engine and chassis just like the Ignition concept, the Combustion was built by Zach Ness of Victory’s long time collaborators, Arlen Ness Motorcycles.

Looking quite close to being production-ready, the Combustion is said to have taken inspiration from muscle cars with a focus on high horsepower and low weight.

According to Victory, the Combustion uses the same rear suspension and swingarm as the Ignition, but the former’s fork is less beefy and not inverted like the previous concept’s front suspension.

Custom features included knurled grips, Wright spoke wheels with billet hubs and rims, custom-painted Brembo radial calipers and beveled brake rotors.

Gary Gray, Victory’s product director said, “This new engine offers the most versatility in American motorcycling. Both of the concepts – Ignition and Combustion, are intended to show what this motor is capable of in very distinct, visual forms. While the bikes are different, the powertrain is capable of delivering the performance in both cases.”

Victory says that the Combustion is its final 1200cc concept, following the Ignition and the Project 156 bike that raced at Pikes Peak.

Naza World launches Ducati Cambodia

Malaysian automotive conglomerate Naza World Group of Companies marked a major milestone this weekend when it announced the launch of Ducati Cambodia.

Not only a milestone for Ducati as it marks its debut into the Cambodian market, the launch also marks Naza World’s second success with its ASEAN region business expansion after Vietnam. This is also perhaps a follow up to the firm’s previously announced entry into the ASEAN nation with its Naza Bikes brand.

Ducati Cambodia operates out of its newly opened flagship showroom, dubbed Ducati Phnom Penh, located in the heart of Phnom Penh city at No 96, St 110, Russian Boulevard, Sangkat Teok Laak 1, Khan Toul Kork.

Measuring 2,700 square feet, the showroom is fully primed with Ducati’s modern service facilities complete with the brand’s special tools, diagnostic equipments and original spare parts as well. 18 full-time and fully trained employees are tasked at manning the centre, promising the same high standards of sales and after-sales services that the brand is known globally for.

File Photo: Scrambler Ducati @ Thai Motor Expo 2014

In conjunction with the brand’s entry and new centre launch, Ducati Cambodia also marked the launch of the Scrambler Ducati range as well. All four variants, which being the Scrambler Icon, Scrambler Classic, Scrambler Urban Enduro and the Scrambler Full Throttle, were introduced into the Cambodian market with the launch of the Ducati Cambodia.

Ducati Cambodia can be contacted via phone at +855 23993 933, email via info@ducati.com.kh, or alternatively via its official Facebook pages ( Ducati Cambodia Facebook / Scrambler Ducati Cambodia Facebook ).

Flagging-off from Melbourne with Hadi Hussein

Hadi Hussein is a 44-year-old Johorian purist (JB), a former disaster-deployment expert and a well experienced humanitarian by profession.

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New Honda superbikes rumoured for 2017

Rumour has surfaced indicating that Honda are working on two new superbike models bound for release in 2017. Credible sources are indicating that the two new models will likely come in the forms of a heavily updated CBR1000RR Fireblade, followed by an all-new RVF1000 model with a V4 engine configuration.

The twelfth generation Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade as we know last underwent an update in 2014 where it received a slight increase in power with mildly revised rider ergonomics, plus the addition of a racier ‘SP’ variant as well.

Sources report that if it is green-lit, the next CBR1000RR will be based on the current bike, but will sport a revised exterior with high chance of a revised new electronics package to stack up against its rivals. Furthermore, the rumour also indicated that the updated CBR1000RR will remain rather road-focused instead of being a machine for track use.

As for the RVF1000 model, the rumour did suggest that Honda would develop it as a proper track machine. If green-lit, the V4-powered new RVF1000 will see Honda likely targeting the likes of the new Yamaha YZF-R1, Aprilia RSV4 RF and the Ducati Panigale R.

However, Honda will likely take some time in figuring out the right specification and pricing for the new RVF1000 as how it was for the controversial RC213V-S road-legal GP bike. Based on recent leaked patent and design files, the new RVF1000 V4 will likely resemble closely to the aforementioned road-going GP bike besides sharing a similar V4 powerplant.

Honda would likely build the RVF1000 using cost-effective parts from the RC213V-S like its cast-aluminium frame whilst also retaining much of street-legal GP bike’s basic elements and design solutions. However, this rumour sounds somewhat slightly far-fetched as compared to the updated CBR1000RR rumour. Honda remains coy about this particular V4 project, so it is a case of waiting and seeing if this materialises.

Sources: Asphaltandrubber and MCN

Pedrosa and Marquez test the Honda NSR500 GP bike

In an effort to give thanks to its workforce and fans, Honda recently held its annual “Honda Racing Thanks Day” at the Motegi circuit in Japan.

The event saw Honda’s top stars being given opportunities to test some of the brand’s most iconic machines on the circuit, including both cars and bikes.

The biggest highlight of the event was of course, the presence of Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez, who had the chance to take Honda’s special NSR500 two-stroke Grand Prix machines to the track for the first time.

They were also given the chance to test Honda’s NSX supercar, as well as racing go-karts and CBR250s against other stars like F1 drivers Fernando Alonso, Takuma Sato, and Toni Bou, Suzuka 8-hour winner Takumi Takahashi, Hiroshi Aoyama and Kosuke Akiyoshi, as well as ten drivers from the Super GT series.

Speaking after testing the NSR500 Grand Prix bike, Pedrosa pointed out that his experience on the bike will be a special one, as this was the first time he had got his hands on one.

“It’s been a really good weekend! I had the chance to have some fun and behave like a kid once again, playing with some very special toys! We drove some great cars and also had a chance to ride the NSR500, whilst enjoying ourselves with other riders and drivers,” he added.

Marc Marquez, on the other hand, said, “It was good to hang out together, talk about our seasons and see drive Honda’s new and old vehicles! I’d like to take this final chance to wish all our fans a very Happy Christmas as well”.

Video: 2016 Suzuki GSX-R 1000 in detail

After making its highly anticipated debut during EICMA 2015 last month, the new sixth generation Suzuki GSX-R 1000 superbike looks set to become a force to be reckon with. (more…)

Fernando Alonso rides MotoGP race bike

Fernando Alonso has been having a tough year in Formula 1.

It is bad enough that he could not extract the best out of Ferrari in the four years he was at the team, a feat Sebastian Vettel did so in just one year. Now the Spanish double world champion is having a torrid year at Mclaren.

There is news that he could take a sabbatical in 2016 or even race in the World Endurance Championship. But that may not be all.

Pictures have surfaced of Alonso taming the Honda RC213V, the same race bike that Marc Marquez raced in 2015.

But before you get all excited, you should know that it was all part of a program organised by Honda Japan as part of its annual end of season ‘Thanks Day’ at the Motegi race circuit. Alonso took on Marquez’s race bike, while Marquez straddled up to tame Honda’s new NSX Concept GT.