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Habits to Excel in the Automotive and Motorsports Industries

There are certain habits to be successful in the automotive and motorsports industries.
Here we spoke to Harun Zainal, one of TOC Automotive College’s Trainer in the Superbike Technician Course.
Do you have what it takes?

It’s just like reading the book “Millionaire Success Habits.” There should exist certain habits to be successful in the automotive and motorsports industries, too.

We decided to speak to Harun Zainal, a Trainer in the Superbike Technician Course at TOC Automotive College.

Bikes Republic: Surely TOC Automotive College welcomes every student. But what do these students need in order to excel?
Harun Zainal: First of all, it’s passion and patience, especially in motorsports. It’s because we don’t know how our team will be. A team is made of different personalities and attitudes, so we need to be strong.

Other than that, as a technician, we should love to look at machinery in motion. We can’t take it when we see a broken or motionless vehicle. In motorsports you want to see the vehicle become faster.

It is the technician’s mission in making that vehicle go faster. But how do we do that? You need to work with the team.

There must also be a willingness to learn. There’s no such thing as you stop learning in the industry. There is always something new that you will learn. You learn at every single race.

Bikes Republic: What make motorsports tough?
Harun Zainal: It’s not just about making the vehicle go fast. We need to learn about the regulations and make it work within that set of rules. Not adhering to the rules means disqualification. (Getting DQ’d wastes everyone’s effort, time and money – Editor.)

Bikes Republic: What kind of motorcycle racing is TOC involved in?
Harun Zainal: TOC is involved in racing the Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK), the TOC-Ducati Desmo Cup and Malaysia Speed Festival (MSF).

We supply the pit crew to these teams involved (so the students may learn).

Bikes Republic: How about the TOC students who are graduating? What qualities should they have when entering the workforce?
Harun Zainal: Based on my own experience, it’s not about the salary, it’s about loving what you do. It’s about having a vehicle running optimally.

To me a technician is like a motorcycle or car doctor. You should not think about money, instead you should focus more on helping people. That shouldn’t only apply to my students, but also to all the technicians in the country.

Bikes Republic: There are many workshops that still lack in proper workshop practices. Does TOC inculcate the correct workshop practices?
Harun Zainal: Yes, of course. We already teach the students about proper workshop ethics from their very first classes on the first day. It’s about training up self-discipline good attitude.

We hope that they could spread this culture among other technicians. I think a big number of workshops are gradually beginning to change their ways.

Vehicle owners are increasingly aware about sending their vehicles to workshops that are clean, have proper tools, etc. This is a good culture. I can foresee that the workshops in our country will head towards being better in the next few years.

Please click here to find out more about the TOC Automotive College. Please click here if you are interested in the Superbike Technician Course. TOC has a programme called Bina Bakat to assist potential students in need of an education loan.

TOC Automotive College can be reached at (+603) 7960 8833

Boon Siew Honda Introduces New Colour for 2019 Honda X-ADV

Boon Siew Honda rolled out a new colour for the 2019 Honda X-ADV.
The X-ADV is a cross-platform motorcycle.
It features a 750cc engine and Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT).

Boon Siew Honda introduced a new colour for the 2019 Honda X-ADV line-up called Matt Moonstone Silver Metallic. It complements the present Grand Prix Red and Matt Bullet Silver colours.

The Honda X-ADV is a groundbreaking cross-platform motorcycle. It incorporates a number of features that are only found in individual motorcycles in the body of a scooter.

First up, the liquid-cooled, 745cc engine produces 54 bhp (40.3 kW) and 68 Nm of torque. It means that the bike isn’t a run-of-the-mill scooter.

Secondly, it is equipped with Honda’s proprietary Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT). The DCT is a 6-speed manual gearbox but can be operated in Drive and Sport full-automatic modes or in fully manual model.

Thirdly, the X-ADV has a Gravel model for off-road riding, hence the knobby tyres. There’s no other scooter which boasts such capability. The front wheel is a 17-inch unit for tackling the rough.

With such engine power and capabilities, the Honda X-ADV makes for both a practical daily commuter and long-distance tourer. We have ridden the bike all the way to Kuantan and back in comfort. The adjustable windscreen it tall in its highest adjustment, keeping windblast off the rider’s torso.

The underseat storage compartment is large and supplemented by cubby holes up front.

The new colour is available from December 2019 onwards at Honda Big Wing Dealers. The Honda X-ADV is priced from RM 63,229 for standard colours and from RM 65,499 for special colours.

Boon Siew Honda Announces New Colours for the 2018 Honda Rebel 500

The Honda Rebel 500 is a lightweight cruiser.
The engine is punchy and smooth, making the bike accessible to most riders.
Boon Siew Honda has introduced two new colours to the range.

The 2018 Honda Rebel 500 lightweight cruiser gets new colours, as announced by Boon Siew Honda.

The Rebel 500 made its debut in Malaysia in 2017. Many have taken a liking to it since then. Priced from just RM 32,399.00, it represents a great value for money.

It is a good-looking bike by any account. Styled like a bobber with a wide front wheel, owners can look forward to customizing it to their hearts’ content. The 471cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-Twin engine provides punchy torque yet linear in its response.

Being small in size also means the bike is accessible to a wide variety of riders. The Rebel 500 features a seat height of only 690mm and a kerb weight of just 191 kg.

Front and rear disc brakes take care of braking duties. The rear Showa shocks are adjustable for two-step preload.

Boon Siew Honda have added new colours to the 2018 Honda Rebel 500 range. The new colours are Matt Axis Grey and Pearl Cadet Grey. The existing Graphite Black and Millennium Red are retained.

The new colours are available from December 2018 onwards at all Honda Big Wing dealers.

(Click on this link to read our full review of the 2017 Honda Rebel 500.)

TESTED: 2017 Honda Rebel 500 – “The Practical Bobber”

2019 Aprilia Shiver 900 – More Updates

The are more updates for the 2019 Aprilia Shiver 900.
There’s a new exhaust, ECU, TFT display and colours.
Will it come to Malaysia?

We’ve ridden the Aprilia Shiver 750 in many occasions. We came away impressed with its handling, performance, reliability and value for money. But none of the new Aprilia Shiver 900 made its way to Malaysia. We hope that will change now that Aprilia is under a new custodian.

The Shiver 900 enters its third year of production in 2019 (introduced in 2017). As such, the Noale-based manufacturer updates it for the new year, although not by much. Why change perfection?

First of all, there is a new exhaust system to liberate gasses more efficiently. Engine power remains unchanged at 95 bhp and 89.5 Nm, but the real gain is in smooth throttle and predictable engine response.

The Aprilia Shiver 750 was the first production motorcycle fitted with a Ride-by-Wire throttle. The Shiver 900 continues this legacy, hence the inclusion of ride modes. However, the 2019 model gets the Marelli 7SM ECU (which is shared with the RSV4 and Tuono 1100 V4). It allows adjustment of traction control levels or turned off entirely.

ABS is a standard Continental dual-channel unit but there’s no IMU-based cornering ABS. The 4.3-inch TFT dash (same as the RSV4 and Tuono’s) now features multimedia connectivity, music and navigation.

The 2019 model is offered in Challenging Red and Innovation Dark colours.

Used 2017 Suter MMX 500 Two-Stroke for Sale

The Suter MMX 500 is a two-stroke, V-Four racebike built between 2017 to 2018.
It is a real two-stroke racer, designed from the ground up.
The company built only 99 MMX 500.

This writer needs a new year resolution soon. I ought to stop smoking. Well, that was before I came across this used 2017 Suter MMX 500 two-stroke racebike for sale on a site which lists rare sportbikes.

We reported about the Suter MMX 500 before (please click here for more details). To rehash, Eskil Suter and his bunch of guys who thought about giving up smoking 2T exhaust fumes but never did. So they built this bike.

This isn’t some donor engine stuffed into the company’s frame like a Christmas turkey, either. The MM X500 is THE real thing. (Suter is a frame specialist and used to race in Moto2. They made the BMW S 1000 RR HP4 Race’s swingarm.)

The V-Four engine actually displaces 576cc, compliments of its undersquare (long-stroke) 56.0 x 58.5mm (bore x stroke) cylinders. Suter chose the arrangement to provide the bike more midrange punch. The engine is based on the Swissauto/MuZ500 raced by Suter in 1998 and 1999. It has two counter-rotating crankshafts.

Electronics and fuel injection are modern items. All the better in trying to tame a 195 bhp beast which weighs only 127 kg. Otherwise, the rider would be launched into lunar orbit!

Got USD 115,000 lying around? Of course you do. Just forget about sending your kids to college or university and sell the house. They’re just small sacrifices compared to this bike. Only 99 were ever built.

As for my new year’s resolution, forget about giving up smoking. I should comb more sites like this one!

Source: raresportbikesforsale
Pictures: raresportbikesforsale

Jarvish Offers X and X-AR Futuristic Helmets

Jarvish is a helmet maker from Taiwan.
The firm offers the X and X-AR futuristic helmets.
Both are technology packed, with the X-AR including cameras and HUD.

Jarvish, a helmet maker from Taiwan is offering two technology-packed and futuristic helmets via Kickstarter.

The two helmets called X and X-AR are made of carbon fibre. According to the them, they have been supplying the original product to the public and hundreds of police officers in Taiwan.

Both models feature a built-in 2K camera up-front but there are differences in other features. Audible directions are available in both helmets and the features are rider voice activated.

The key features of the X-AR model include a heads-up-display (HUD) which shows speed, weather information and navigation via the Jarvish app. Data is stored on a removable 16GB memory card. The rider can insert up to 256GB. Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities are also available. The battery lasts up to four hours.

According to Jarvish, the features allow the rider to concentrate on the road with distraction.

The two Jarvish helmets comply to the ECE 22.05 standard. The helmets are expected to be available through Amazon. The X-model is expected to cost £500 while the X-AR should cost £1000.