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Francesco Bagnaia “Very happy but very angry” after Motegi Domination

Ducati MotoGP factory rider, Francesco Bagnaia said he was “very happy, but very angry” after dominating the weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix, held at the Motegi Ring. “Pecco” as he is more popularly known, had qualified on Pole, grabbed the Sprint race win, before going on to win the main race on Sunday.

Pecco had been suffering the entire season as he found himself struggling to adapt to the Desmosedici GP25. More specifically, he had complained of front-end issues which robbed him of his braking strength, and feel, besides understeering (the front going wide). As such, he arrived in Japan without a single podium in the past 10 races.

But it all changed after Ducati offered some ‘unconventional’ changes in the Misano post-race test.

“In the test in Misano, I was riding 0.7 faster, so quite a huge difference,” Bagnaia said in Japan.

“I’m very happy about today, but I’m also very angry about this weekend, because maybe we could’ve done it earlier, maybe after one or two grands prix.

“We just struggled a bit during the season, but finally the test in Misano gave us the possibility to try things that have helped me a lot. Some specific [things] that have helped me also in other situations.

“So, super-happy about it, finally we found it.”

When asked what were the changes that Ducati made, Pecco circumvented the question with a vague answer, possibly because he was instructed to do so: “Honestly, I’m just a rider and I’m just here to push. Sometimes when I push, I’m 20th. And sometimes when I push, I win. It’s not only a matter of me.”

“We tested different things in Misano, different things that we already had. But we never had the chance to really try this season.”

The visible change was the GP24 rear seat aero. It was also rumoured that Bagnaia had an older swingarm, forks and perhaps ride-height device. The engine cannot be changed due to the rules, but the end result is that Bagnaia appears to have finally rediscovered the feeling of last year’s GP24.

“This weekend I was riding my bike and not fighting with it,” he said on Sunday evening.

“It was much easier for me to brake hard, enter fast into the corners, and without having that much movement, that much locking, that much understeering.

Pecco’s win had also opened up an entire chapter of conspiracies, regardless if it is true or otherwise, about Ducati being ‘preferential’ toward Marc Marquez, who is Pecco’s teammate and had secured his 7th MotoGP in Japan after coming home second in both the Sprint and Main races.

Police are Hunting 20-odd Motorcyclists Who Surrounded and Damaged a Car

The police are now actively hunting for approximately 20 motorcyclists who acted violently, surrounding, punching, and kicking a Perodua Myvi in an incident. The recording had gone viral on social media.

In the harrowing incident near the Batu 13 Toll Plaza, Puchong, the driver of the car, a 52-year-old security guard, was forced to endure a fearful moment when his car was surrounded by the group of road thugs.

Serdang District Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Muhamad Farid Ahmad, said the victim came forward to make a police report immediately after the incident, which occurred around 4 am.

“Police are now conducting an investigation to identify the actual cause of the incident.

“It is estimated that approximately 20 motorcyclists were involved in this case, and efforts to track down and arrest all of them are underway,” he said in a statement today.

According to him, the case is being investigated under Section 427 and Section 279 of the Penal Code. Section 427 of the Penal Code pertains to the offense of mischief that causes damage to property. Section 279 of the Penal Code, meanwhile, concerns driving recklessly or dangerously in a manner that endangers the safety of road users.

He said the police advise the public not to make any speculations that could jeopardize the investigation, besides calling for witnesses to come forward and provide information.

Through the 29-second recording, the car driven by the complainant was seen surrounded by a group of motorcyclists near the Batu 13 Toll Plaza.

In the recording, motorcycles were seen moving close to both sides and the front of the car, as if trying to surround and block the vehicle’s path.

One of the motorcyclists was also seen punching the driver’s side window before kicking the door on the same side, causing the driver to slow down the car to avoid a worse incident.

The situation clearly showed a tense atmosphere and a threat to the car driver, who was trapped in the middle of the group of motorcycles.

The Honeymoon is Over for Traffic Offenders – Warns Police

The Kuala Lumpur Police said the ‘honeymoon’ period for traffic offenders in the capital city has now ended, following a one-month advocacy program conducted by the Kuala Lumpur Police through Op Law Compliance (Op PUU).

Kuala Lumpur Police Chief, Datuk Fadil Marsus, said they will begin full enforcement action by issuing immediate summonses to stubborn and non-compliant road users starting October 1st. They will not compromise, given that the previous advocacy period seemed to have no profound effect on a large portion of the public.

“The statistics during the advocacy campaign, which began on September 6, are very concerning, with nearly 70,000 advocacy notices issued in focus areas around the capital.”

“This is what’s worrying; in less than a month, nearly 70,000 advocacy notices were given. This shows that many are aware they are committing offenses, but still defy and intentionally violate the rules,” he said when interviewed on the Selamat Pagi Malaysia program broadcast on TV1 today.

Among the most frequently detected offenses were causing traffic obstructions, such as double parking, stopping on white lines and pedestrian crossings, running red lights, and not wearing or improperly fastening helmet straps.

“This enforcement is not a ‘flash in the pan’; instead, it will be conducted continuously, 24 hours a day, throughout the year, across all of Kuala Lumpur.”

“All personnel from every district in Kuala Lumpur will be mobilized. This operation will not have an end date; it will continue indefinitely until we see a positive change in the public’s attitude,” he said.

Commenting on modern approaches, Fadil said they would continue to use the power of social media to expose traffic offenders to raise awareness and provide lessons to the public.

“We will use all social media platforms as much as possible. Let the message get through, and let those who are wrong know their actions are being watched. Perhaps through this method, a sense of shame and awareness will arise,” he emphasized.

He said the ultimate goal is to educate the public and change the culture of law compliance, starting with the most basic rules.

“We want to make the citizens of Kuala Lumpur an example, where our level of law compliance is on par with developed nations. It must start now, not tomorrow,” he said.

Marc Marquez is 2025 MotoGP Champion

Marc Marquez has become the 2025 MotoGP champion, which is also his seventh time winning the championship title.

Marc finished the main race at the Motegi circuit in Japan in second place behind his factory Ducati teammate, Franceso “Pecco” Bagnaia. They also finished the Sprint race on Saturday in the same positions.

However, Marc only needed to finish the race with a points tally exceeding that of his brother Alex Marquez, who rides for the Gresini Ducati team, to become champion. In the end, Marc has collected a total of 541 points so far, 201 points ahead of Alex who is in second place overall. Alex can no longer catch Marc, even though there are still five rounds remaining.

Marc’s championship means it was a 2,184-day wait for him to become world champion again. The last time he became champion was in 2019, before he broke his right arm in 2020. After that, he underwent four surgeries to treat it, and also suffered more than 100 crashes on the track while struggling with his bike when he wasn’t 100% recovered.

This race win in Japan is the second this year for Bagnaia, after he struggled throughout the season to adapt himself to the new Ducati GP25 bike. He finally received advice on his bike setup from former Ducati rider and also former world champion, Casey Stoner, thus enabling him to win both races in this round.

2026 Kawasaki Z1100 SE and Z1100 Revealed

It has been some years since the last Kawasaki Z1000 was sold – way back in 2020, to be exact. And it is back, and bigger as the 2026 Kawasaki Z1100 SE and the Z1100.

Well, the new bike retains the Sugomi look of the previous model, but the giveaway that it is the new model is a “sleeker” exhaust silencer. But yes, it is still big in order to satisfy the Euro 5+ emission standard.

Good news is the new Z1100 boasts some revisions under the skin.

Highlights

The new engine has new pistons, valve springs and cams.
It produces 134 hp at 9,000 RPM and 112.5 Nm at 7,600 Nm, clearly indicating that it is meant for street riding.
The gearbox is now equipped with a slip and assist clutch.
There is now a ride-by-wire throttle, which in turn allows for ride modes and cruise control.
An inertial measurement unit (IMU) takes care of lean sensative ABS and traaction control.
A new 5-inch TFT screen with Bluetooth connectivity is also fitted.
As for the variants, the 2026 Kawasaki Z1100 SE boasts gold coloured Showa forks, Öhlins S46 monoshock with remote adjuster at the back, Brembo monoblock calipers with steel-braided brake hoses, and topped off with a different paint scheme.
Kawasaki claims that both variants weigh the same, although a little heavy at 221 kg.
The standard edition if offered in Ebony/Metallic Carbon Gray, while the SE is available in Metallic Matte Graphenesteel Gray/Metallic Matte Carbon Gray with green wheels.
UK prices for the 2026 Kawasaki Z1100 SE is £12,699 (RM71,872.780) and the standard 2026 Kawasaki Z1100 is £11,099 (RM62,817.23).
The main rival of the bike should the Honda CB1000 SP, which retails for £9,999 (RM56,591.54) in the UK, and RM69,999 in Malaysia.

2025 Honda GL1800 Gold Wing 50th Anniversary Arrives in Malaysia

The Honda Gold Wing celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025 and the maker had launched the special edition colourway to celebrate it. And now, the 2025 Honda GL1800 Gold Wing 50th Anniversary has arrived in Malaysia.

The bike was formally launched by Boon Siew Honda (BSH) today. BSH also handed over the first units to their respective owners.

First launched in 1975 as the GL1000 flat-four, the Gold Wing has grown over the years to the current 1833cc flat-six. The last complete update was in 2018 which saw it gaining girder forks and Honda’s DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission).

Both the 2025 Gold Wing standard and Tour variants have received updates – including two new paint finishes influenced by models of the past. Amongst them is a combination of Eternal Gold and Bordeux Red Metallic, which draws inspiration from the 1988 GL1500 variant – with unique badging also marking the special birthday.

Apart from that, the exhaust system has an additional O2 sensor, and tweaking the ECU to make the 124.7hp engine meet the Euro5+ regulations. Buyers can choose between the manual transmission and DCT options.

Further nods to the milestone include a Gold Wing emblem on the key and seven-inch TFT display, which come complete with 50^th Anniversary and ‘Since 1975’ emblem.