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Being Blind is Not Impossible for Azhar Ibrahim

Azhar Ibrahim was born blind but his disability didn’t stop him.
He has repaired motorcycles at his workshop for 10 years.
It was his love to hear motorcycle sounds that drove him.

It’s inspiring to see how some people have pushed through their barriers and thrive. Stories like this ought to spur us into action rather than wallow in excuses, because not being blind stopped Azhar Ibrahim from being a motorcycle mechanic.

Azhar was born visually impaired. He started loving to hear motorcycle sounds since he was seven and it drove him to start his own business. Now 36, he has operated his workshop for the past 10 years. He started repairing motorcycles after learning how from his friend in 2008.

Azhar started servicing motorcycles in front of his house, but the business took off after a number of friends and customers posted his story on Facebook.

He received an RM 11,000 aid under the Business Incentive Assistance Scheme for Disabled Persons in 2013 which enabled him to obtain more tools and build a proper workshop.

Many customers wondered how Azhar could perform under such disability but to him, “All I can say is I’m grateful for this gift from God. My mother didn’t raise me any differently from my siblings and I didn’t use a walking stick.”

While his workshop is located in front of his parents’ house, he lives along in the shop.

Azhar works along but gets his friends’ assistance to buy tools or spare parts.

He has this piece of advice, “To everyone out there, whether they have disabilities or not, keep going and never give up. We need to learn to be independent.”

Azhar’s workshop is located at Batu 6, Jalan Tanjung Tualang, Perak.

Source: The Star Online

Lightning LS-218 – 200bhp, 228Nm, 351km/h and It’s Electric

The Lightning LS-218 electric motorcycle is the world’s fastest production motorcycle.
It hit 351 km/h at the Bonneville Speedweek in 2010.
It finished more than 20 seconds ahead of a Ducati Multistrada 1200 at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 2013.

If there’s still any fear in anyone about electric motorcycles being slow, the Lightning LS-218 should not only bat those misgivings out of the ball park but launch it into Pluto’s orbit.

That is because the Lightning LS-218 boasts these figures: 200 bhp, 228 Nm, 351 km/h.

But it’s not just a bunch of fantastical numbers on paper.

Lightning brought the bike’s prototype to the Bonneville Speedweek in 2010. It beat out all other purpose-built Bonneville bikes by clocking 218 mph (351 km/h) and set the new record as the world’s production motorcycle, both gasoline- and electric-powered.

Hence, the bike became known as the LS-218.

However, Bonneville was all about straightline speed. The manufacturer wanted to build a bike that handles well, too.

Carlin Dunne on a Lightning LS-218 at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Photo credit Asphalt & Rubber

So, they entered the Lightning LS-218 in the prestigious Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) race. The bike charged up the 20-km (12.42-mile) long, 156-turn hill in 10 minutes, 00.694 second and decimated the record. The second competitor to cross the line was the Ducati Multistrada 1200 in 10 minutes 21.323 seconds. Yes, the Lightning finished the race more than 20 seconds in front. By comparison, the majority of electric bikes ran the course in the mid-12 minute range. The Lightning was the King of the Hill among gasoline and electric motorcycles.

A number of LS-218s have been delivered to customers since 2014 but they were still built in small numbers. But the American manufacturer has since expanded their distributor network and is now mass producing of the bike.

The Lightning LS-218 boasts great componentry throughout. The froks are from RaceTech with Öhlins NIX30 internals. At the rear shock is an Öhlins TTX36 shock. Both items are fully adjustable. Braking duty is handled by a pair Brembo GP4-RX calipers and Brembo 320mm T-Drive discs up front.

Other main concerns about electric motorcycles are the range and charging time. Lightning offers three options of battery packs. The 12 kWh pack has a range between 161 to 193 km, the 15 kWh option provides 193 to 241 km range, and a new 20 kWh pack offers up to between 257 to 290 km, per charge.

Charging time is as fast as 30 minutes on a DC fast charger, and 120 minutes on a level 2 charger.

Lightning says there are more models on the way.

So, there you go. Not all electric bikes are like those KFC Delivery scooters.

Modenas Dominar “Explore the Unexplored” Ride returns for Round 4!

Attention Modenas Dominar D400 owners from Southern Malaysia, Modenas wants you to join their next “Explore the Unexplored” ride happening this Saturday on 12^th January 2019! This ‘first come, first serve’ ride (via e-mail, details below) will start from Tebrau heading towards Mersing for a nice lunch (on them!) before making way to Kluang and back again. (more…)

Another Child’s Limb Trapped Due to Loose Clothing

A child’s limb was trapped at a motorcycle’s back wheel of a motorcycle.
His loose jacket was caught by the motorcycle’s rear wheel.
This was one of many motorcycle accidents resulting from loose clothing.

The nation was shocked by in June 2018 when a 5-year-old lost her arm. Another case followed in July when a 7-year-old girl lost her leg when I got stuck in the rear wheel of a motorcycle.

Yet another child had his limb stuck in similar fashion just hours ago in Bandar Sunway.

The boy was riding pillion on a motorcycle when the jacket he was wearing was entangled in the rear wheel. The force pulled him off the motorcycle, and his left arm into the space between the shock absorber and the wheel. Eyewitnesses reported that his jacket was too large, hence too loose for the boy.

Onlookers hurried to assist the stricken boy and managed to free him arm. He did not suffer further injuries, thankfully.

There have been many motorcycle accidents involving loose clothing of late. In September 2018, a 35-year-old man and his 69-year-old fell off their motorcycle when the pillion’s loose jacket was caught in the sprocket of their motorcycle. The former died on the spot due to head injuries.

Another child broke his arm in April 2017 when riding pillion with his mother.

Please ensure that your clothing is not too loose and securely fastened before your ride. The rider should always check if his passenger’s wearing proper safety gear and that they are secured.

Source: Harian Metro

Sayonara Suzuki GSX-R750 and GSX-R600

The Suzuki GSX-750 set the template for the modern superbike.
But Euro4 regulation has stopped it and the GSX-R600 from being sold in Japan and Europe.
There is no foreseeable replacement for both models.

The first “superbike” might have been the 1969 Honda CB750, but the real superbike in the true modern sense was the 1985 Suzuki GSX-R750.

There have been a number of iconic models along the model’s 33-year history. Suzuki contested in the World Superbike Championship and other race series around the world.

The 1985 “Slabside” laid down the foundation of what is to be the quintessential modern superbike: twin-spar aluminium frame, four-cyliner engine, fully-faired bodywork, and race replica graphics.

Three years later, Suzuki upgraded the GSX-R. It included the Mikuni BST36S carburetors which used vacuum operated slides. These slides resembled slingshots, hence the GSX-R750 “Slingshot” was born.

In 1992, the bike started to be water-cooled and became the WN (“W” for water). This was also the year when the sleeved-down GSX-R600 was launched.

The GSX-R750 SRAD (Suzuki Ram Air Direct) was introduced in 1996. It had an aluminium frame derived from the RGV500 GP bike. Suzuki put it on a diet resulting in a weight of only 179kg, which meant it was lighter than the GSX-R600.

2001 saw the K1, the first of the K-series.

While the bike did not find as much success in racing as the other brands, there was a steady stream of customers who knew that the 750 was the best compromise between the 1000cc and 600cc models.

Then, in 2003, the World Superbike Championship declared that all four-cylinder machines of up to 1000cc can compete in the series. The 750 started to fall by the wayside, but there were still customers driving its sales.

Other manufacturers kept building 750s for a few more years before abandoning them completely, yet Suzuki carried on stoically. It was probably that they wanted to maintain the heritage as the first manufacturer to begin the modern superbike revolution.

But no more. The 2018 GSX-R750 and GSX-R600 will not pass the Euro4 emissions standard. As with the Hayabusa, they are no longer available in Japan and Europe. They are being sold in USA until the end of 2019.

Unlike the Hayabusa, however, Suzuki has no plans for the replacement 750 and 600.

Sayonara, Suzuki GSX-R750 (and GSX-R600).

WHO: Thailand Deadliest Roads in Asia, India the Highest in the World

A World Health Organization (WHO) report highlighted that Thailand has the highest road accident death rate among Asian countries.
However, India saw the most killed in road accidents.
Road accidents is now the Number 1 cause of death for children and adults up to 29 years old.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published their annual Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018. In the report, Thailand still has the deadliest roads in Asia while India saw the greatest number of lives lost in traffic accidents.

Although published in 2018, the report provides data collected from 175 countries in 2016.

Thailand’s status as the second deadliest roads in the world has improved to eighth with 32.7 deaths per 100,000 citizens. A whopping 74.4% (16,178) of the 21,745 killed were drivers/passengers of 2-wheeled vehicles. Traffic accidents kill an average of 21,491 persons in the country each year.

Eight African countries and one South American nation join Thailand in the Top 10.

In terms of pure numbers, however, the Indian subcontinent saw an almost unbelievable 150,785 reported deaths. Conversely, the WHO believes many more fatalities were probably unreported and as many as 299,091 were killed on India’s roads. The country’s population of over 1.3 billion people had the effect of lowering the rate to 22.6 per 100,000.

By comparison, China has the second highest total number of reported deaths from traffic accidents at 58,022 among her 1.4 billion citizens. Again, the WHO believes that an estimated total of 256,180 were killed in 2016. China’s road death rate was 18.2/100,000.

Malaysia’s road death rate is still high but has seen much improvements at 23.6/100,000 with a total of 7,152 reported cases. There was no official number in the report, but it is widely believed that some 60% of all traffic-related deaths involve motorcycles.

Our neighbor Indonesia reported 31,282 traffic deaths in that year. Fatalities on two-wheel vehicles contributed 73.6% to the total figure. However, they have a low rate at 12.2/100,000 due to their large 261 million population.

The WHO added that traffic accidents are now the leading cause of death among children and adults up to 29 years old, and 8^thhighest among people of all ages. At 1.35 million deaths each year, more die in road accidents than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and diarrheal diseases. The situation is worsening and a person is killed every 24 seconds somewhere in the world.

Sobering thoughts for 2019.

Source: World Health Organization