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Ducati Panigale V4 was World’s Best-Selling Sportbike in 2018

The Ducati Panigale V4 was the world’s best-selling sportbike in 2018.
6,100 units were sold out of a total of 9,700 Panigales.
However, Ducati’s overall sales dropped 5% due to the slump in the American market.

Forget about the naysayers, the Ducati Panigale V4 proved to be the world’s best-selling sportbike in 2018.

In fact, Ducati was the leading sportbike manufacturer through selling 9,700 Panigale models. That figure corresponds to a 70% increase over 2017. Of those, 6,100 were the new Panigale V4 models. That is remarkable, considering the price of the bikes!

Hence, the Italian manufacturer now holds a 26% market share in the sportbike segment. Yes, 1 of 4 sportbikes is a Panigale.

On another hand, the Multistrada line-up also contributed to Ducati’s overall sales. 11,829 of the sport-tourers were sold in 2018. 6,569 of those were from the new Multistrada 1260 range – a 25% increase.

Unfortunately, Ducati’s overall global sales dropped by 5% to 53,004, which ended an eight-year streak of record sales. The reduction was due to the precipitous 9% drop in American motorcycle sales.

As such, America is no longer Ducati’s biggest market; handing over that title to Italy (4.5% up).

Other growing markets are China (up 23%), Spain (up 8%), Switzerland (up 2.2%) and Japan (up 2%).

The Italian manufacturer has 9 new models in 2019, all equipped with IMU-based traction control and cornering ABS. They are hoping the new bikes will drive up sales for the year.

MotoGP 2019: Repsol Honda Unveils 2019 Bike

Repsol Honda unveils the bike for the MotoGP 2019 campaign.
It was the 25^thanniversary of Repsol and Honda’s partnership.
Some “modifications” are seen on Jorge Lorenzo’s bike, although the 2019 bike has the exact same livery.

For those waiting to see the 2019 Repsol Honda bike were surely disappointed as the livery remains unchanged.

Many had expected a new colour scheme as the Spanish petroleum giant and Honda celebrate the 25^thanniversary of their collaboration. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the stale same-ol’-same-ol’ stripes.

However, there seem to be a few notable differences on Jorge Lorenzo’s bike (pictured above).

Polished aluminium frame and swingarm.
The fuel tank is extended at the rear. Lorenzo prefers to push his weight further back.
An extended seat stop.
Both bikes sport larger aerobodies.

The launch was held at the Sentul circuit in Indonesia. Current riders Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo were joined by past Repsol Honda champions Mick Doohan and Alex Creville.

L-R: Mick Doohan, Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo, Alex Creville

The Repsol-Honda partnership began in 1994 when Doohan won the first of his five world 500cc GP championship. Alex Creville won the 1999 championship when Doohan crashed heavily during qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez and retired.

Of course, both current riders spewed team savvy answers about how happy they are with the team, how they are confident in winning, yada, yada, yada.

Marc Marquez will be in action at the shakedown test from 1^stto 3^rdFebruary prior to the first 2019 pre-season testing from 6^thto 8^thFebruary. Both tests will be held at the Sepang International Circuit.

Heaven MC: A Malaysian Motorcycle Club With A Cause

Heaven MC, a club founded in 2015 is made up of predominantly Harley-Davidsons but is open to riders of all types of V-Twin powered motorcycles.
The President says it is a fun, non-profit motorcycle club.
The club mostly organizes local rides, but also rides to Thailand up to three times a year.

Motorcycle clubs (MCs) have been all the rage ever since the motorcycle was first introduced to the world. Case in point, the oldest motorcycle club in the world is the Yonkers Motorcycle Club of New York, which was founded in the year 1903, the same year that Harley-Davidson tried to sell its first models.

Since then, the world has seen the rise and rise of MCs either for leisure and socialization, or for criminal activities. Hells Angels, one of the most popular MCs in the world, immediately comes to mind when you put motorcycle clubs and criminal activities together in one sentence, but fact of the matter is, such MCs are the 1% of the world’s motorcycle riding community.

Malaysia too has a huge number of MCs, how many in total is unknown as there is no governing body that monitors and sanctions the MCs, but 100 clubs is easy if you consider the mopeds and scooter clubs.

One such club is the Heaven MC, a club founded in 2015 and is made up of predominantly Harley-Davidsons but is open to riders of all types of V-Twin powered motorcycles.

The club is headed by Nick Lum (top right), who took over as President in 2016 and is in charge of keeping the club’s 125 members occupied with weekend rides and such.

I had the pleasure of having a few brewskis with Nick last week to talk about the club he actively leads.

“The club only had 20 members when I joined with about 8 to 10 active riders. There was this one time where we organised a weekend ride but only me and this guy named Alex Locke showed up on Sunday morning. I remember us looking at each other and feeling clueless, and from then on Alex and I went out to actively recruit members,” said Nick that night at The Gasket Alley.

With a background in MNC marketing and the regional direct sales industry, Nick together with Alex, set out to to build and recruit members using the law of averages. “I knew that the more people we recruited, the higher the chances were of more people coming out to ride over the weekend. If we spoke to 50 people about Heaven MC and only 20% showed up over the weekend, that would be good enough for us as that is better than just two people showing up. These days we can easily get over 100 riders out for a ride, I would say we have done well,” explained Nick.

The 53 year old Nick is an active rider himself and owns a Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle, Road King Classic and a Street Glide CVO, and has gone through a number of Harleys in his riding career. “For me, riding a Harley-Davidson is akin to driving a Bentley or a Rolls-Royce. Not only are the bikes a symbol of status, but I also feel safe riding a Harley as I don’t need to ride fast to get satisfaction. Cars these days are way too expensive, a Harley on the other hand is also expensive for a motorcycle, but a lot more affordable and it changes your life.”

When asked about Heaven MC, the President says it is a fun, non-profit MC. The club’s most notables rides has been the inaugural ride to open the new Harley-Davidson PJ showroom where the club’s members were a part of about 500 Harley owners who rode together to celebrate the new showroom.

The club is open to all bikers who ride any type of V-twin motorcycle. There is no membership fees and everyone is welcome to join the weekend rides. The club actively supports events and community service and actively organizes fund raisers for any charity that needs it.

The club mostly organizes local rides, but also rides to Thailand up to three times a year. The club also recently held its annual CNY gathering to celebrate with their achievement and to share their upcoming plans. Harley-Davidson of Petaling Jaya also took part as a dealer to celebrate the annual event together with HOG of PJ to foster Harley-Davidson brotherhood. Anyone interested to join the club and its rides can get more information at the Heaven MC Facebook page.

Troubleshooting Suspension Symptoms (Part 2) – Rebound Damping

We’ve put together a troubleshooting suspension symptoms guide.
A troubleshooting guide is easier to remember and use.
We continue with rebound damping as most adjustable suspension systems are fitted with it, rather than compression damping.

We provided a guide on troubleshooting preload adjustment yesterday (click here for the article). Today, we continue with rebound damping (or “TEN” on Japanese suspensions).

What is rebound damping?

To recap, rebound damping controls the rate at which the spring returns to its original length after being compressed. Without rebound damping, the spring will re-extend too quickly, sometimes even further than its starting length. This is what causes oscillations – that wallowing or pogoing (pumping up and down) motion.

Think of rebound damping as a brake when the spring re-extends. The more rebound damping you add, the slower the wheel goes back down, and vice versa.

The rebound damping adjuster is marked as TEN (for tension) on Showa forks

Too little rebound damping (Front)

The forks feel exceptionally plush when riding straight up.
As the pace picks up, the front starts to feel mushy and you second guess what they tyre is doing (loss of feedback).
As you flick the bike into a corner, the front tyre starts to chatter and lose traction. You feel the front as unstable through the handlebar.
The bike does not want to stabilize after countersteering it quickly into corners.

Too much rebound damping (Front)

The suspension “packs down,” resulting in lack of traction especially on bumpy roads.
Ride feels harsh, opposite of too little rebound.
The front tries to wiggle or tank slap when accelerating hard out of bumpy corners.
Continuous bumps cause the bike to ride loose (loss of compliance).

The rear shock’s rebound damping adjuster is located just underneath the spring

Too little rebound damping (Rear)

The ride is extra comfortable when cruising but starts to wallow and weave when encountering bumps.
Poor traction over bumps under hard acceleration and the wheel starts to chatter.
The rear suspension pumps up and down (pogoing) resulting in the chassis pitching its weight back and forth. This is especially frustrating when you are riding a bike with a short-wheelbase.

Too much rebound damping (Rear)

Suspension compliance becomes poor hence feels vague.
Traction is poor over bumps under hard acceleration.
The bike tends to run wide when gas is added mid-corner as it forces the front tyre to lift.
The rear end of the bike hops and skip when the gas is chopped.

Stay tuned for Part 3 when we troubleshoot compression damping.

Taxi Slammed into Motorcycle, Killing 11-Year-Old

A taxi slammed into a motorcycle, killing an 11-year-old girl and injuring her older brother.
The accident happened in Bangsar early this morning (23^rdJanuary).
We do not know what actually transpired, but we recommend that all motorcyclists ride with a sense of paranoia that other vehicle drivers do not see us.

A taxi slammed into a motorcycle, killing an 11-year-old girl.

According to The Star, 11-year-old Athierah Batricesya was riding pillion with her 18-year-old brother along Jalan Maarof, Bangsar at about 7am.

A taxi then rammed into them at a junction, throwing both occupants onto the road. Athierah suffered severe head injuries and passed away on the spot, while her brother received bruises to his left leg. The girl has been sent to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital for a post-mortem.

Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department head, Assistant Commissioner Zulkefly Yahya confirmed the accident when contacted by the newspaper. He also said that Athierah was a student at Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Bandaraya.

“The taxi driver was unhurt. The case falls under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1087 for reckless driving,” he added.

We do not know what actually transpired this fateful morning, but we as motorcyclists must always have a 360-degree awareness around us at all times. Always ride with a sense of paranoia that no other vehicle drivers see us, much less stopping or giving us the right of way.

2019 Triumph Thruxton TFC Launches Triumph Factory Custom Line-up

The 2019 Triumph Thruxton TFC breaks cover.
It also kickstarts the Triumph Factory Custom (TFC) range.
The Thruxton TFC is not just a repainted Thruxton R.

Triumph Motorcycles have launched the eye-popping and stunning 2019 Triumph Thruxton TFC. In doing so, Triumph formally launched their Triumph Factory Custom range at the same time.

The Thruxton TFC prototype was spotted undergoing road tests just earlier this month. But here it is, ready to turn heads and melt the toughest moto-hearts like diamonds to ladies.

At the same time, the Triumph Factory Custom creates custom bikes without the owners voiding warranties, having the bike butchered, spaghetti-bowl wiring, and ending up with impractical and unrideable Frankensteins. It means TFC bikes will hold their values, if not appreciate.

Styling highlights

Carbon fibre racing “bubble” cowl, front fender, seat cowl, heel guards and exhaust silencer.
Details included billet top triple clamp, tinted windscreen, leather seat with stitching, billet oil filler cap.
LED headlight and taillight.
Blacked out colour scheme with gold pinstriping. (Remember JPS, anyone?)
Triumph didn’t just take a standard Thruxton R and repaint it, instead, the Thruxton TFC features a whole list of upgrades.

Performance upgrades

Lighter engine components, high compression pistons, revised ports, higher profile cams, Vance & Hines silencer add 9.8 bhp to 105 bhp. Torque is up at 115 Nm.
Weight is dropped to 198 kg with the carbon fibre bodywork, besides the revised engine internals.
Additional weight loss came from the aluminium engine cradle rails, removal of the rear mudguard, and lighter battery.

Handling upgrades

Fully-adjustableÖhlins NIX30 forks, an upgrade from the Showa BFF.
Adjustable Öhlins piggyback rear shocks.
Brembo M4.34 Monobloc brake calipers.
Updated ride modes, traction control and ABS.
Metzeler Racetec RR tyres.

Special package

Only 750 will ever be built. Each bike is individually numbered.
TFC handover pack and certificate signed by CEO Nick Bloor.
Personalised custom build book.
TFC motorcycle cover.

We can’t wait to see the bike when it arrives at Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia! The “standard” Thruxton R is already the best cafe racer we’ve had the pleasure to test, so we can’t imagine how the Thruxton TFC is like!