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MotoGP 2018: Johann Zarco Back on Track?

Johann Zarco’s form seemed to have dropped after his crash at Le Mans.
Some speculated that success had gone to his head.
But he had just fought back to finish 2^nd fastest during the post-Czech GP tests yesterday.

Johann Zarco had a great start to the MotoGP 2018 season, when he finished 2^nd twice in four races and well ahead of the factory Movistar Yamaha team.

But after the heartbreaking crash at Le Mans in front of his countrymen, his form had a taken a dip somewhat. The sudden drop in performance even prompted his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 boss, Herve Poncharal, to state that Zarco had suddenly been basking too much in the MotoGP limelight and life in the fast lane, especially after meeting his current girlfriend. Others speculated that he might have contemplated about his mortality after the crash. These riders risk their lives and limbs for the sake of our entertainment, after all.

Poncharal knew the crash at Le Mans was different to any other and Zarco had dropped down the order, finishing 10^th in Italy, 7^th in Catalunya, 8^th in The Nederlands, 9^th in Germany and 7^th again in the Czech Republic races.

“I’m happy about the race, a good race, good pace, and we were able to fight at the beginning,” said an upbeat Zarco. “The soft rear tyre was a good choice, I’m happy for that, it helped me to fight at the beginning. Maybe I could have overtaken more riders at the beginning, but it was difficult. In the race I tried to do the best I can, and in the end for sure the tyre was getting used and it became a little bit more difficult, not because of the tyres just because we’re working on the bike to find the best feeling,” said the 2-time Moto2 champion when interviewed by MotoGP.

But if the results of the just-completed post-Brno tests were anything to come by, Zarco certainly hasn’t lost his motivation and certainly not his skills. With the help of his team on the 2017-spec Yamaha YZR-M1, the Frenchman completed a punishing number of 71 laps and emerged 2^nd fastest overall.

Zarco continued, “Now we are coming back on good things, from the Saturday we are quite fast, not enough to be on the podium but I understood good things this weekend so, I’m pretty happy and when everything isn’t perfect I’m taking points and that’s the main thing at the moment.”

He was honest about the dip in his performance, too, “… maybe in the last races I was racing like a guy who is going to buy the bread every morning. Now I can ride the Yamaha well and the answer is yes, I’m happy.”

A happy rider is a fast rider. The next round is at Austria this weekend, from 12^th August 2018.

BMW HP4 Race ready to rock its first race at Ulster GP

The Ulster GP is happening this weekend where the BMW HP4 Race will compete in its first event.
Held every year at the Dundrod Circuit in Northern Ireland, the Ulster GP is known as the world’s fastest road race.
Tyco BMW and their rider, David Johnson, will have the honours of racing the BMW HP4 Race for the very first time in competition.

As far as road racing goes, there the amazing Isle of Man TT aka “The World’s Most Dangerous Race” and then there’s Ulster GP aka “The World’s FASTEST Road Race”. The boys at Tyco BMW is a renowned name in the road racing scene and come this weekend, they will take out the BMW HP4 Race into its first official competition. (more…)

2018 BMW S 1000 RR test & review – “German Masterpiece”

The 2018 BMW S 1000 RR is considered the pinnacle of superbikes born and bred by BMW Motorrad.
The latest evolution has gained many awards including wins at the Isle of Man TT.
With 199hp and BMW’s latest electronics package, any superbike enthusiast will fall head over heels for this German masterpiece.

Let’s get one thing straight. People buy, own, adore superbikes for their super sexy looks, balls-off-the-wall performance, and the crowds they gather every time they’re parked in a public area or blasting down the front straight in Sepang. There are many to choose from in the Malaysian market today and the one that remains to be one of the most popular has to be the BMW S 1000 RR. (more…)

Triumph TR6 Trophy from The Great Escape on Display

The scene of Steve McQueen’s character jumping over the Stalag Luft III fence on a motorcycle is immortalised in The Great Escape.
The bikes used in the shooting were actually Triumph TR6 Trophies.
One of the bikes is now on display at the Triumph Factory Visitor Experience facility.

The 1963 film, The Great Escape, had always been lauded as one of the best war movies of all time. But that scene of Steve McQueen’s character nicknamed “The Cooler King” jumping over the POW camp’s 12-ft. high fence on a Triumph TR6 Trophy turned The Great Escape into one of the best bikie movies, too.

There were actually three bikes used in the movie; they were all Triumph TR6 Trophies, dressed up as BMW R75s used by the Wehrmacht (German Army) as there were very few running R75s around at the time and the escape scene needed a bike that’s lighter, faster and handled better. The TR6R Trophy fitted the fill to perfection so the producers got a few and prepared them spec- and aesthetic-wise for the film.

However, all three Triumphs disappeared after filming, just as both the Easy Rider bikes in 1969 (and you thought missing jet engines was impossible). But this particular bike was traced to being sold to a farmer, who used it… of all things… to herd cows. You’d probably imagine him yelling “There is no escape!” to his bovine subjects.

Dean Shepherd bought it from another farm worker who inherited it after the farmer’s demise and restored it to its original state in the film.

The Great Escape bike is now displayed at the Triumph Factory Visitor Experience near Triumph Motorcycles Ltd.’s HQ in Hinckley, Leicetershire. It will then be displayed at the Salon Privé Concours de Elegance at the Blenheim Palace near Oxford. According to Auto Classics, the bike will be entered into the Class B event for exceptional motorcycles built between 1940 and 1979. (Please click on this link to learn more about the visitor centre.)

Triumph Motorcycles will open Visitor Experience Centre and factory tour

Bikes Republic will be travelling to the UK to visit Triumph Motorcycles Ltd.’s HQ and the Triumph Factory Visitor Experience in October this year, and we truly, sincerely, hope to see The Great Escape TR6 Trophy there! (Otherwise our Editor will throw a tantrum.)

The TR6 Trophy has a soul successor in manufacturer’s current modern classic lineup in the shape of the Bonneville Street Scrambler. It was so fun to ride that we swore we were overcome by the visions of Steve McQueen’s jump and were tempted to jump it over a few roadside railings. Just kidding.

(Please click on this link to learn more about The Great Escape and the Triumph Bonneville Street Scrambler.)

TESTED: Triumph Street Scrambler – “Escapism”

Oh, one more movie trivia before we end: Chris Pratt’s character rode the Street Scrambler in 2015’s Jurassic World.

Ten Things Motorcyclists Should Never Do (Part 1)

Being silly on a motorcycle will lead to bad things, eventually.
Always ride with logic rather than being emotional or fearless.
Good riders always think of what’s ahead rather than the spur of the moment.

In putting together this “Ten Things Motorcyclists Should Never Do” list, we looked back on another article we’ve written on the ten most common mistakes made by riders, regardless of whether they are newbies or veterans. But I’m sure you could agree that the list wasn’t fully er… full, since we covered only ten items at one go.

Our way of life is fun because it gives us the opportunity to critique our own riding from time to time, as part of our journey to be a better rider and enjoy the sport for as long as we could ride. We hope that you, our brothers and sisters in arms, take a look at our safety tips from time to time.

So, the Ten Things Motorcyclists Should Never Do:

1. Ride when less than happy

While riding is definitely a form of therapy, it isn’t advisable to do it when your head is still playing images of the fight you had with your boss or spouse. The margin of arriving safely on a motorcycle is very thin, unlike if you were driving, so you need to pay 100% attention to your riding. So, take a moment to cool down before you decide to ride up to Gohtong Jaya.

2. Insisting on right of way

Every rider knows that we’d lose if we choose to be insistent against bigger vehicles, be it our fault or otherwise. Yet, many of us still fight against other road users when the red mist descends. Truth is, I do get angry at idiotic drivers at times but there’s no point in ending up being crushed to hamburger on the road. Let them go because karma will deal with them, Insy’Allah.

3. Lingering in blindspots

Lingering in the blindspots of other vehicles (including other motorcycles) is one of the most dangerous thing to do in traffic. The other vehicle may swerve into you since the driver doesn’t you’re there. We Malaysian motorcyclists are a lucky lot since there is no law against traffic filtering and lane splitting, so let’s use that privilege effectively. Just remember to keep moving at a pace no more than 40 km/h faster than the traffic around you.

4. Trusting other road users explicitly

Are you sure others are giving you way? Do you think they realize you’ve stationary at the junction? It’s always best to ride with a certain level of paranoia. While one may argue doing so takes some of the joys out of riding, being safe beats hitting the ground. Or a car.

5. Not knowing your limits

There’s a simple gauge to this. If you constantly feel stressed out that you almost hit a car or running wide in corners, you are over your limits (lack of training, notwithstanding). Read up on riding tips or better yet, seek out some advanced training to unlock your limits correctly. In the meantime, slow down.

Smoked Garage MT777 Triumph Daytona 675R

Smoked Garage is based in Bali, Indonesia and are famous for café racers.
They rebuild this Triumph Daytona 675R into a café racer.
The bodywork, radiator shrouds, fender, subframe are all carbon-fibre.

Hailing from Bali, Indonesia, Smoked Garage is one of the best motorcycle customizers. You only have to take a look at this MT777 carbon covered, café road racer, which started out as a 2014 Triumph Daytona 675R to be convinced.

Nicko Eigert, Smoked Garage’s boss described the project, “It all started when my good friend Maruli Tampubolon came to the workshop and asked us to build his dream bike.” With a Daytona 675R at hand, Nicko suggested they give the bike a classic racer twist.

They decided to work on the bike’s proportions to give an impression of having an extended swingarm, without actually installing an aftermarket item to throw out the stock Daytona’s sweet handling.

As with most builds, the Smoked Garage team stripped the entire bike down and trimmed the subframe. What was left of the subframe was then wrapped in a carbon-fibre shell to house a small battery and the electrics. The trimmed subframe provided space for only one seat and achieved the team’s plan for an extended swingarm look.

Having sorted out the rear end, it was time to work on the rest of the bike. A retro half-fairing was installed in place of the Daytona’s original full-fairing. Although it looks classic, the new fairing is made of carbon-fibre. The choice of going carbon was due to a number of criteria such as Maruli’s insistence of a black colour scheme and weight reduction. The black stuff was also used for the radiator shrouds and front fender. The fuel tank remains aluminium but covered in a carbon fibre shell.

The exhaust was allocated some attention, evidenced by the triple exhaust tips.

Moving down to the rolling stock, the stock 17” cast wheels were replaced with 16” spoked rims, which serves to reduce the bike’s ride height.

Finishing touches include gold pinstripes to offset the carbon fibre’s black and Maruli’s family’s family crest.

This build firmly shows that not only vintage or modern retros could be customized to be café racers.

Pictures from returnofthecaferacers.com

Bikesrepublic

Latest News

Johann Zarco’s form seemed to have dropped after his crash at Le Mans.

Some speculated that success had gone to his head.

But he had just fought back to finish 2nd fastest during the post-Czech GP tests yesterday.

The Ulster GP is happening this weekend where the BMW HP4 Race will compete in its first event.

Held every year at the Dundrod Circuit in Northern Ireland, the Ulster GP is known as the world’s fastest road race.

Tyco BMW and their rider, David Johnson, will have the honours of racing the BMW HP4 Race for the very first time in competition.

The 2018 BMW S 1000 RR is considered the pinnacle of superbikes born and bred by BMW Motorrad.

The latest evolution has gained many awards including wins at the Isle of Man TT.

With 199hp and BMW’s latest electronics package, any superbike enthusiast will fall head over heels for this German masterpiece.

The scene of Steve McQueen’s character jumping over the Stalag Luft III fence on a motorcycle is immortalised in The Great Escape.

The bikes used in the shooting were actually Triumph TR6 Trophies.

One of the bikes is now on display at the Triumph Factory Visitor Experience facility.

Being silly on a motorcycle will lead to bad things, eventually.

Always ride with logic rather than being emotional or fearless.

Good riders always think of what’s ahead rather than the spur of the moment.

1. Ride when less than happy

2. Insisting on right of way

3. Lingering in blindspots

4. Trusting other road users explicitly

5. Not knowing your limits

Smoked Garage is based in Bali, Indonesia and are famous for café racers.

They rebuild this Triumph Daytona 675R into a café racer.

The bodywork, radiator shrouds, fender, subframe are all carbon-fibre.

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But he had just fought back to finish 2^nd fastest during the post-Czech GP tests yesterday.