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Kingz MG Calls on Harley-Davidson of Petaling Jaya (HDPJ)

As part of their recognition of Harley-Davidson owners and groups, Harley-Davidson of Petaling Jaya plays host to their rides and activities.
The latest group to congregate at HDPJ was Kingz MG on their ride to the East Coast.
HDPJ supported the ride by providing technical support and Lucky Draw vouchers.

The setting of Harley-Davidson of Petaling Jaya (HDPJ) has truly benefitted Harley owners. As part of a service to owners, HDPJ played host to Kingz Motorcycle Group (MG) as a stop on their wide-ranging ride over the Malaysia Day weekend, from 14^th to 16^th September 2018.

The ride is part of a larger event called Eat, Travel, Ride International 2.0. The program is sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, among others. The ride covers Kuala Lumpur, Pahang and Terengganu.

Kingz MG’s riders began the ride at the KL Tower and proceeded to Muzium Negara (National Museum) for a photoshoot and rode to HDPJ afterwards for another round of photoshoot.

HDPJ supported the ride by providing a support truck and technical personnel in addition to Lucky Draw vouchers for the ride’s annual dinner when the group reaches Kuala Terengganu. HDPJ Assistant Director, Chris Ruxton presented the group a plaque as a sign of support for the brotherhood.

It was a straight shot to Cherating for lunch before hooking up with Iron Head MG in Kemaman, Terengganu. The group stopped for the night at Marang.

Other activities planned for the ride were stops and photoshoots at unique attractions in the East Coast such as the Masjid Kristal (Crystal Mosque), Pantai Penarik, lunch at KT Durian Burung, an orphanage, Pantai Monica, all in Terengganu.

The total ride distance is 460 km, return. There were more than one hundred participants, not counting those from Iron Head MG.

PICTURE GALLERY

Naza Premira Introduces Vespa 946 (RED), Sprint Carbon and Sei Giorni

The three new Vespa models embody style, character and heritage.
The Vespa 946 (RED), Sprint Carbon and Sei Giorni caters to riders who seek specific characteristics.
All three models are available at Naza Premira and authorized dealers nationwide from September 2018.

The official Vespa distributor in Malaysia, Naza Premira has introduced three limited edition, stylish and exclusive Vespa modesl: The 946 (RED), Sprint Carbon and Sie Giorni.

Vespas are the expression of uniqueness, a distinctive lifestyle and Italian elegance. From the brand’s interpretation, Vespas are “Not for Everyone.”

The three new models are distinctively catered for different niches for those who seek different flavors instead of cookie-cutter volume production bikes. The exclusive Vespa 946 (RED), Vespa Sprint Carbon and Vespa Sei Giorni are available for viewing from September 2018 at selected authorised Vespa dealerships and outlets nationwide.

Vespa 946 (RED): For those who crave uniqueness and style

This model is the all-red special version of the 946. It has to be said that the 946 is uniquely styled while still retaining the Vespa DNA. Apart from that, the 946 (RED) also has safety features such as dual disc brakes, dual-channel ABS, and Piaggio Group’s proprietary traction control system called Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR).

The 946 (RED)’s bodywork is steel and complemented by aluminium components such as the mudguard and side covers that house the engine, transmission and other mechanical parts.

The bike is powered by a modern and eco-friendly 150cc, single-cylinder, three-valved, four-stroke engine, which is fuel efficient, emits very little emissions and quiet.

It is priced from RM 66,000 and available only in red.

Vespa Sprint Carbon: For sporty riders

The Vespa Sprint Carbon combines sporty personality and innovative technologies to invoke riding pleasure without sacrificing the heritage of vitality and youthfulness of the vespino.

It is lightweight and small while being both comfortable and protective. Being lightweight makes the bike extremely agile which is perfect for youths and those young at heart to enjoy around town.

The body is made entirely of steel. It also features a rectangular headlight and large 12-inch aluminium-alloy wheels. There is a USB socket inside the leg shield backplate compartment.

The Vespa Sprint Carbon is powered by Piaggio’s new and modern i-Get 150cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine which provides good performance, lower operating costs, high fuel efficiency and lower noise. The engine conforms to the stringent Euro 4 standard.

ABS is standard.

The Vespa Sprint Carbon is priced from RM 17,400 and is available only in black.

Vespa Sei Giorni: For those who seek travel and adventure

The original Sport “Sei Giorni” was made specifically for the “Sei Giorni Internazionale di Varese” competition in 1951. The bike went on to win 9 gold medals.

As such, the new Sei Giorni is the spiritual heir of the great bike. Made in limited numbers, each bike has a “Special Edition” plate bearing a serial number.

The bike is designed with characteristic elemets such as the “faro basso” low headlight position on the front fender, a handlebar which mimics the original, exposed metal pipe, and a black number plate. It also has a seat which mimics the single rider racing seat of the Sei Giorni but it is capable of carrying a passenger.

The Sei Giorni is powered by Vespa’s most powerful engine – a 300cc, single-cylider, 4-valve, liquid-cooled, EFI unit which produces 20.9 bhp (15.6 kW) at 7750 RPM.

As part of the GTS range, the Sei Giorni has a large helmet compartment and comfortable seats for long distance riding. It is also equipped with a USB port and front LED turnsignals that perform as daylight running lights.

This model is available only in green and priced from RM 38,000.

BMW R 1250 GS Boxer Engine with “Shift Cam” Technology Illustrated

It has been rumoured that the new R 1250 GS will be powered by a new Boxer engine with variable valve timing.
A promotional video has surfaced online confirming the rumors.
The video also illustrates how the “Shift Cam” technology works besides the look of the new GS.

It was hotly rumoured that the new 1254cc Boxer engine in the new 2019 BMW R 1250 GS will feature variable valve and cam timing but there was no concrete proof. But now, a promotional video has surfaced online which illustrates the new Boxer engine with “Shift Cam” technology, courtesy of Motocular.com.

The system aims to provide the best acceleration along with high power gains, while maintaining smooth power delivery, and lower fuel consumption as well as exhaust emissions to meet the tough Euro 5 standard.

To achieve those targets, the BMW Shift Cam system is simple, utilizing an intake camshaft with two cam profiles and a mechanical shift gate at one end.

At low engine loads (lower RPMs), the shift gate engages the camshaft and locks the low lift and short duration cam lobes over the finger followers. That way, both intake and exhaust vavles shut quickly for less overlap, promoting low-end torque.

Conversely, at high engine loads (higher RPMs), the shift gate… er… shifts the camshaft to present the high lift and longer duration cam lobes. Consequently, the intake valves shut later for more valve overlap timing, raising the engine’s power output.

It is the best of both worlds. (You may read more about valve overlap in this article.)

The new Boxer is claimed to produce 136 bhp and 143 Nm of torque, up from 125 bhp and 125 Nm of the present 1176cc engine.

Valve cover of the new engine – Courtesy of motocular.com

Besides seeing how the new engine works, the video also revealed how the 2019 BMW R 1250 GS will look like.

As we have reported earlier, the new engine may also power the entire Boxer-engined line-up. The R 1250 GS and new models should make their first official appearance at the Intermot show in a few weeks’ time.

Moto Guzzi Unveils V85 TT Official Pictures

The Moto Guzzi V85 TT replaces the cancelled Stelvio 1200.
The photos of the production version show that it is off-road capable.
The production V85 TT should appear at EICMA in November.

Moto Guzzi has finally unveiled the V85 TT adventure bike’s official production model photos.

The V85 concept was unveiled at EICMA 2017 to much anticipation as it seeks to replace the Stelvio 1200 which had been cancelled as it could not meet the Euro 4 emissions standards.

The production V85 TT looks remarkably similar to its EICMA concept, with only small changes. While Moto Guzzi did not release the bike’s specs, we could draw a few conclusions from these pictures.

Firstly, it surely looks more off-road capable that the V7 III Rough. We could see the headlamp mounts have been beefed up.

Apart from that, the handguards also carry the mirrors. Moving to the back, the rear portion of the subframe has fewer joints in its latticework. The production version’s exhaust canister is also larger and painted in black, besides having a heat shield next to the passenger’s footpeg.

The shape of the fuel tank is the same, although the paint scheme’s striping is diagonal instead of being horizontal.

The front brakes consist of twin discs clamped by radially-mounted, four-piston Brembo calipers.

The engine should be a new 850cc unit, said to produce 79 bhp, compared to the V9’s 850cc engine which produces 53.6 bhp.

The V85 TT will feature a fully-digital LCD instrument display. There is a compass bearing surrounding the screen. We wonder if it is merely decorative? (Please refer to the photo below).

What intrigues us is the two-helmet symbol in the display. The bike does not seem to be suspended by electronically-adjustable suspension, so that symbol could only mean integrated Bluetooth connectivity between the rider and passenger.

The smartphone symbol points towards Piaggio’s app which integrates with the bike to show upcoming service, locating the bike in a parking lot, locating the nearest petrol station and helping to call pre-stored emergency contacts.

Going further, notice the rain symbol and the word “PIOGGIA”? Pioggia means rain in Italian and it looks like the bike has ride modes and a ride-by-wire throttle.

BMW G 310 RR Makes Public Appearance

The fully-faired BMW G 310 made its appearance at the BMW Motorrad Days in Japan.
The concept looks like a smaller S 1000 RR, clad in carbon-fibre.
BMW should show off the production model at Intermot and EICMA.

It looks like the BMW G 310 range will gain a sportbike, called the G 310 RR.

The BMW G 310 R (roadster) and G 310 GS (adventure) versions were launched to a great reception, not only in Asia where they were first intended but also in Europe and the Americas. Heck, we even saw many G 310 GS entered in the recent GIVI Rimba Raid Mat Daling and they performed well. What is missing from the line-up though is the sport version.

While it has been rumored for some time that the German manufacturer is working on a G 310 RR, they have been very secretive about it, hence there were little news and pictures to reveal the bike.

Well, BMW has dropped a bomb on us. The fully-faired version made its first appearance at BMW Motorrad Days in Japan.

As evident from the photo, the G 310 RR concept’s styling is heavily influenced by its popular sportbike sibling, the S 1000 RR, including the headlamps and the sinewy fairing on the right side complete with the trademark shark gills. Yes, we are sure some may even all it the “Baby S.”

The exhaust has been moved from the side to underneath the seat, and all the bodywork is in carbon fibre.

Speaking about carbon fibre, we do not think the material will be used in the final production bike. Still, having one more entry to the 300cc single-cylinder in the market will definitely light up the lightweight sportbike wars.

The production model should make its debut at the Intermot show at the earliest, or EICMA in November. Let us hope the production model looks as great as this concept!

Mini Cub Prix KBS launched to support grassroots racing development

The Malaysian Cub Prix has officially launched the Mini Cub Prix KBS racing series.
The one-make pocket bike racing series is in collaboration and support from the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The aim is to develop the grassroots racing level from young talents aged 6-12.

The Malaysian Cub Prix Championship together with the massive collaboration and support from the Malaysian Ministry of Youth (KBS) has officially launched the Mini Cub Prix KBS, a pocket bike one-make race series aimed at developing young talents age 6-12. (more…)