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HTC MC “Rock to Rock Ride 2019” Hands Over Ambulance for Batu Ferringhi

HTC Motorcycle Club (HTC MC) handed over a new ambulance to the Malaysian Civil Defence Force.
The handover was carried out together with the Malaysian Association of Hotels, APM and state Public Works, Utilities and Flood Mitigation Committee Chairman.
The ambulance is one part of HTC MC’s charity drive during their “Rock to Rock Ride 2019.”

The HTC Motorcycle Club (HTC MC) handed over a new ambulance to the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (Angkatan Pertahanan Awam – APM) during their “Rock to Rock Ride 2019.”

It’s no doubt that Malaysian bikers are charitable and sympathetic souls below that tough and sometimes wild veneer. Virtually all large convoy events are not without stopping at a home of two to provide charity along the way.

But HTC MC did something which not only benefitted a number of charity homes, instead it may save some lives of an entire community.

Dubbed “Ambulance for Life,” the project sought to bring faster emergency medical response to the Teluk Bahang and Batu Ferringhi area.

Prior to this, ambulances have found their way blocked when they travelled from the Penang General Hospital to the Batu Ferringhi and Teluk Bahang areas. These two areas are prime tourist destinations and are prone to heavy traffic. Moreover, there is only one approach on a narrow coastal road. As such, they would usually arrive between 45 minutes to one hour after the calls were placed.

On top of that, the emergency personnel need to render emergency care to the patient, load him into the ambulance and fight through traffic again to reach the hospital.

Therefore, stationing the ambulance in the area would cut down on response time to the benefits of the community.

The handover was completed out on Wednesday (11^thSeptember 2019) at the Hard Rock Hotel Penang, together with the state’s Public Works, Utilities and Flood Mitigiation Committee Chairman Zairil Khir Johari; Khoo Boo Lim, the Chairman of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Penang Chapter; HTC MC members; and APM deputy chief commissioner Norhafifi Ismail and deputy director Mohd. Huzaimi Raup.

Funds for the RM185,000 ambulance were contributed by a number of parties. According to MAH, Hard Rock Hotel Penang had raised RM70,000 while the Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, Golden Sands Resort, Bayview Beach Hotel and Angsana Hotel donated RM10,000 each; and the Holiday Inn put up RM5,000. Members of HTC MC made up the balance of RM60,000.

Besides launching the ambulance, HTC MC handed over cheques to several charity homes while Hard Rock café hosted the children with great food and refreshments.

The event was a part of HTC MC’s annual “Rock to Rock Ride.” As the name suggests, the members rode from one Hard Rock Café to another, starting from the one in Penang to Kuala Lumpur and finally Melaka.

Club members rode to Penang from all over Malaysia to Penang for the convoy’s flag off.

It was in Penang that the participants were given their event t-shirts and patches.

The ride was then officially flagged off on Thursday (12^thSeptember) morning. Instead of taking the main roads through Penang island, the route was changed to the coastal road from Teluk Bahang to Bayan Lepas. This way, it spared everyone from struggling through heavy traffic and intersections. It was a great idea as it also allowed the riders to keep riding and enjoying the great views around the back of the island.

These guys may be riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles, but they did great to negotiate the tight and rough roads. More importantly, there was no “heroics” going on and everyone rode well within their limits. The marshals likewise didn’t push the riders to ride faster.

Everyone reached Hard Rock Café Kuala safely that evening. Once again, the HTC MC and the restaurant hosted charity homes, together with another round of cheque presentation.

The club rode to Hard Rock Melaka and Desaru the next day (Friday, 13^thSeptember). They visited an orphanage in Kota Tinggi on Saturday (14^thSeptember) before pushing on to the Desaru Bike Week.

The ride ended today (Sunday, 15^thSeptember). It was an epic run of riding and providing to the betterment of the lives of others.

PHOTO GALLERY

Suzuki GB to Restore Barry Sheene Race Bikes

Suzuki GB is set to restore three iconic Barry Sheene race bikes to their former glory.
All three were brought back to the UK after Sheene emigrated to Australia.
The liveries were seen on almost every Suzuki for a long time.

Suzuki GB is set to restore three iconic Barry Sheene race bikes to their former glory.

The restored bikes will be displayed as well as started at the Motorcycle Live trade show in England.

The three bikes consist of the 1978 XR27 RG500; a specially-built XR23A RG500 bored to 652cc for the 1979 Trans-Atlantic and F1 Championships; and a 1984 DAF Trucks liveried and Harris-framed XR45 RG500. The DAF bike was Sheene’s final GP bike.

MCN reports that all three bikes have been shipped from the racer’s family home in Australia. The XR23A and XR45 were refurbished through Suzuki’s Vintage Parts program.

The two will then be started up at the show while the X27 will be displayed together with Sheene’s 1976 and 1977 world GP winning XR14s. The latter bikes were also restored through the Vintage Parts program in 2017.

Suzuki GB aftersales marketing coordinator Tim Davies says it’s a special moment for Suzuki as the three bikes return to the UK after Sheene and family emigrated to Australia.

The livery on Barry Sheene’s race bikes were the most iconic for Suzukis for a long while until the Kevin Schwantz and Lucky Strike involvement in the late-80s.

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R Confirmed for Indonesian Market

The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R looks confirmed for the Indonesian market.
It will feature a new 250cc inline-Four engine.
It may also be the most powerful 250cc four-stroke sportbike.

The rumours of a 250cc inline-Four Kawasaki sportbike has been gaining steam over the past months, but now it’s confirmed for the Indonesian market and called the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R.

The present two-cylinder 250-, 300- and 400cc parallel-Twins are relatively new platforms for Kawasaki. The manufacturer had favoured four-cylinder engines for the longest time, up to the ZXR-250 in the late 1990’s.

The ZX-25R ought to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in October.

Further rumours say that the new engine will produce 59 hp, which ranks it above all other current 250cc bikes in the market. However, do expect to see that gain in the upper realms of the rev range. We can expect a screamer since each cylinder is just bigger than 70cc.

The question now is how much the bike cost in the Asian market will. As for us in Malaysia, it’s also a matter if and when the model will make to our shores. It’s already got a number of points that Malaysian motorcyclists will like i.e. Not needing to upgrade their license to “Full B,” for one. Besides that, we gather, there are many fans of the inline-Four’s exhaust note, compared to that of a parallel-Twin’s.

Photos of 2020 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin Leaked!

Picture of the 2020 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin have emerged.
They were part of submissions for certification in Australia.
The regular and Adventure versions have slightly different looks.

Here’s how the 2020 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin looks like.

The grayscale photos were part of the file submitted for vehicle certification documents in Australia and shared by Motorcyclist.com.

2020 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin Adventure

The details also confirmed the speculation that the engine will be enlarged to gain more power in face of stifling Euro 5 regulations. It’s learned that displacement goes up to 1084cc from 998cc, bringing power output to 101 hp at 7,500 RPM. Motorcyclist didn’t disclose the torque figure.

Honda is offering the bike with their proprietary dual clutch transmission (DCT) and manual gearbox.

2020 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin Adventure – rear view

Perhaps more importantly, the low-resolution photos show that the manufacturer has reworked the bike’s styling. The dual headlights and distinctive radiator flanks are retained but updated.

The Adventure version retains the “google headlamps” and has a taller windscreen and aluminium panels as on its fuel tanks’ flanks. The side panels are also different but there is a large passenger grab bar and luggage rack at the back.

The regular, non-Adventure model, on the other hand, looks to be more streamlined and the headlamps are made more angular than the current model. There’s noticeably fewer details than its Adventure counterpart.

2020 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin – rear view

The new Africa Twin may be launched at the Tokyo Motor Show in October or EICMA in November 2019.

Source: Motorcyclist.com

All-New 2020 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade to Debut in October?

A German magazine reported that the all-new 2020 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade will debut in October 2019.
The date puts it at the Tokyo Motor Show, instead of EICMA.
The new bike may prove to be the world-beater in WorldSBK.

A German magazine reported that the all-new 2020 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade will debut in October 2019.

If what Speedweek magazinesaid was true, the bike will be introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show instead of at EICMA in November.

Lending credibility to the rumour is rider Alvaro Bautista purportedly signing a two-year deal to ride for the HRC factory team in WorldSBK from 2020. There was “news” that the bike he will ride is the all-new CBR1000RR.

The Honda CBR1000RR is the best-handling and easiest to ride superbike we’ve tested thus far but the current model is lacking in top-end horsepower, at least on paper, anyway. However, superbike buyers are always looking at the specs sheets and the CBR’s 189 hp “isn’t enough” when compared to its peers.

As such, the new ‘Blade may have the most powerful naturally-aspirated roadgoing inline-Four.

It may also feature the “active aerodynamics” shown in a patent filing. The system features ECU-controlled winglets in addition to “aerobodies” seen in MotoGP.

The news should bode well for the WorldSBK team, as well. The riders are at the deep end of the field, finding themselves outgunned and unable to mount any serious challenge to the top runners.

Honda and CBR1000RR Fireblade fans will likely rejoice at the news too.

Alvaro Bautista Back to MotoGP with KTM?

Alvaro Bautista is rumored to return to MotoGP to ride with KTM.
The rumors came to light despite another rumor linking him to Honda in WorldSBK in 2020.
Which way will he go?

Spanish rider Alvaro Bautista is rumored to return to MotoGP to ride with KTM.

Bautista was earlier rumoured to be moving to the Honda’s HRC factory team and remain in WorldSBK 2020. It was also heavily speculated that he will be riding a new Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade. Honda is expected to unveil the all-new bike at the Tokyo Motor Show this October, and the team will be based in Barcelona.

He had migrated to the WorldSBK for the 2019 season, riding the new Ducati Panigale V4 R for Ducati Corse. However, his form fell by the wayside despite having dominated the field earlier in the season by winning 12 races in a row.

His relationship with the Italian team soured since then. Alvaro then revealed that he would be leaving the team at the end of the season but did not mention where he was going to. His boss, the Ducati Corse Sporting Director, Paolo Ciabatti confirmed that the rider has signed a two-year deal with a “rival manufacturer.”

But now as KTM is searching for a rider to fill the vacancy left by Johann Zarco in the factory Red Bull KTM Racing Team, Bautista’s name came to the fore.

The question was brought up during the Tank Slappers podcast. Motorsport.com Global MotoGP Editor Oriol Puigdemont and Autosport’s Motorcycle Racing Correspondent Lewis Duncan discussed the compelling possibilities.

Please click on the link below to listen to the podcast.

Listen to “Shock MotoGP return for World Superbike sensation?: Episode #3” on Spreaker.