Tech 3 offers Hafizh Syahrin a Moto2 ride in 2020.
But the Malaysian is also hoping for an option in the PETRONAS SRT outfit.
Hafizh says that he will know by the Austrian GP.
There may be a silver lining for Hafizh Syahrin yet, now that Tech 3 has offered him a ride in their Moto2 outfit in 2020.
Tech 3 team principal Herve Poncharal confirmed the news recently, saying that the option is for Hafizh if he accepts. The Tech 3 Moto2 team also fields KTM bikes. However, unlike in MotoGP, the Moto2 bike uses KTM’s frame wrapped around the Triumph three-cylinder engine.
Poncharal said that he spoke to Hafizh a few races prior to announcing Brad Binder’s ascension to the MotoGP team. As such, Hafizh wasn’t entirely shocked by the news.
Hafiz, on the other hand, acknowledges Tech 3’s offer but is leaving options open. He looks to be more interested in joining the PETRONAS SRT outfit should a seat be available, instead.
“I speak (sic) to Herve, also I speak (sic) to Razlan (Razali, the PETRONAS SRT Boss). I cannot say 100 percent. I need to wait until maybe Austria, I will know where I go.”
Stepping back into Moto2 wouldn’t be so bad for Hafizh, since he’s now accumulated priceless experience in MotoGP. He’d been progressing well in Moto2 anyway, before he was picked to replace Jonas Folger in the Monster Energy Tech 3 Yamaha team in 2018.
Goh Brothers official workshops rolled out a special Service Clinic and Merdeka Campaign for Aprilia and Moto Guzzi owners.
The offer includes just RM 10 for an original engine oil filter.
Please visit the nearest Goh Brothers workshop for more details.
The official imported and distributor of Aprilia motorcycles in Malaysia, Didi Resources Sdn. Bhd. has rolled out a special Service Clinic and Merdeka Campaign for Aprilia owners.
The campaign seeks to care for Aprilia and Moto Guzzi owners in the country, letting them enjoy their pride and joy without as much as a worry.
As Juan Chow Wee, General Manager of Didi Resources put it, listening to customers goes beyond just selling motorcycles.
Through this special clinic, the official Goh Brothers workshops are offering the original engine oil filter from just RM 10. Together with semi-synthetic engine oil change, parts and labour, the cost totals only from RM 270 for an oil change service. (A big bike service at official service centres usually cost from RM 350 and upwards.)
The promotion is available at official Goh Brothers workshops (GBMC) in both Aprilia and Moto Guzzi official dealers.
Ownership and maintenance of large capacity motorcycles doesn’t necessarily mean high costs at official workshops. Do note that technicians are trained to carry out the job and only approved tools and machinery are used. Also, servicing at the official workshop prevents from voiding your motorcycle’s warranty.
There are formal procedures in importing helmets into Malaysia for distribution and sales.
This was why the Customs Department warned against self-importation.
The procedures are centred around motorcycle helmets being safety related items.
What started it all?
We posted an article some time back after a Royal Malaysian Customs Department poster was spotted at an airport.
The poster had warned that helmets without prior approval from the Road Transport Depart Malaysia (better known as “JPJ”) or SIRIM, and without the UN 22.05 (ECE 22.05) and/or SIRIM MS1 standard will be detained or confiscated outright.
That warning is specifically catered to travelers, but there are cases where individuals carry more than one helmet into the country. The Customs Department suspects that the helmets are for distribution and sales.
Moving away from that subject, let’s see how helmets are officially imported into Malaysia. To do so, we met with our long-time helmet partner, HJC Helmet Malaysia for further clarifications.
Mr. Ben Ng, Director of NKS Distributors (KL) Sdn. Bhd. They are the official HJC importer and distributor in Malaysia
Why are imported helmets regulated?
Helmet importation isn’t as simple as ordering the desired models then paying taxes when they arrive at the seaport or airport.
That we find is because many are unaware that helmets are considered safety items. “Motorcycle helmets pertain to safety and are therefore controlled items,” said the now-retired Director of JPJ’s Technical Department when we met him three years ago.
Being controlled items means that their importation needs to be regulated.
The Procedures
These steps are a summary of what’s required. There are many more intricate details that we left out because it’ll result in an article that’s way too long.
STEP 1
The importer, in this case HJC Helmet Malaysia (HJC MY), chooses the models they wish to distribute. For ease of this article, let’s pick one model say the new HJC i70.
HJC MY then prepares the set of documents with the help of the HJC headquarters in South Korea. The documents must state the specifications of the helmet i.e. material, and dimensions such as eyeport size, etc. Since the model was approved under the ECE 22.05 regulation, the manufacturer must also state which lab in which country approved it. TÜV Rheinland in Cologne, Germany carries out the tests for HJC helmets.
HJC MY is also required to provide one piece of the HJC i70 to JPJ for vetting.
STEP 2
HJC MY then hands over the documents to the JPJ’s Technical Department for vetting.
Additionally, HJC MY also needs to furnish the distributor’s details, model and its specifications, quantity to be imported.
The JPJ Officers will then vet through the documents by getting in touch with TÜV Rheinland, or other labs if other components such as the faceshield was tested somewhere else.
The important thing here is to establish that the HJC i70 was indeed tested in the same specifications and obtained the ECE 22.05 certification.
Once fully verified, JPJ will issue a Supporting Letter (Surat Sokongan) to HJC MY.
STEP 3
HJC MY then brings the Supporting Letter to the Royal Malaysian Customs Department. The Customs grants the importation and HJC MY pays the duties and taxes.
JPJ Warning
The JPJ has warned before that the “JPJ Approved” or “Diluluskan oleh JPJ” sticker is not allowed on imported helmets, despite the department’s approval of importation. Please take note!
Other points
As you can probably see, JPJ and SIRIM doesn’t allow exclusively DOT certified helmets into Malaysia. That’s because the DOT certification omits and has a different certification pathway compared to ECE 22.05 helmets. However, helmet is allowed if it has both DOT and ECE 22.05 certifications.
There are also officially imported helmets with both ECE 22.05 and SIRIM MS1 standards. This is unique to Arai helmets (as far as we know), as the Arai headquarters in Japan requires that every model imported to undergo local certification in every country they are imported into. Hence, SIRIM in Malaysia.
We’ll touch more on the different standards in a future article.
How does this affect you and I?
For one, we don’t have to sweat it about buying our helmets from overseas, and risking it being confiscated. The approvals and taxes have been settled by the importer.
Also, we can relax when stopped by a JPJ Officer at a roadblock. We can request that he checks with his superiors or the importer that the helmet was brought through legit channels.
The Aprilia Central Riding Club (ACRC) and Desmo Owners Club Malaysia (DOCM) held a “live” MotoGP viewing to celebrate their Italian motorcycle kinship.
Together, they watched the Czech MotoGP over the weekend.
On another note, Didi Resources is offering a special Service Clinic and Merdeka Campaign to Aprilia owners.
The Aprilia Central Riding Club (ACRC) and Desmo Owners Club Malaysia (DOCM) celebrate their Italian motorcycle kinship – or brotherhood, if you will – for the “live” viewing of the Czech MotoGP over the weekend.
Motorcycle brand loyalty can manifest in fierce tribalism, meaning loving whoever is riding the same brand while eschewing others. It’s not something bad per se, because it’s one of our basic human instinct to protect the clan we live in. (That’s the central theme of post-apocalyptic shows such as “The Walking Dead.”)
So, it’s definitely something to celebrate when ACRC and DOCM got together as one large biker community.
“The love for Italian motorcycles is something we all cherish. In this gathering organized by Shell, we gather our brothers and sisters from Aprilia to join us the Ducati Owners for MotoGP viewing to support our Italian race teams,” mentioned Gaddaffi Shazalli, Vice President of Desmo Owners Club Malaysia.
According to Juan Chow Wee, General Manager of Didi Resources Sdn. Bhd. (the official importer and distributor of Aprilia motorcycles in Malaysia), “To further strengthen the ownership experience, our doors are always open to various owner clubs to foster greater relationship among bikers and we believe the best biking lifestyle is from owners themselves.”
Juan also added that “listening to our customers” goes beyond just selling motorcycles. “As such, Didi Resources just rolled out a special Service Clinic and Merdeka Campaign for for Aprilia owners. We are offering the original factory oil filter at just RM10, and other important parts like brake pads and air filter at special prices.”
“We always believe in listening to our customers as they are important in improving how we do business, and today we roll out an after sales program to further reduce ownership cost and to ensure our owners get the best from our network in terms of quality.”
BMW Motorrad Malaysia recently celebrated their annual BMW Motorrad Night Fuel event held at the Malaysia. There were many highlights of the night which included the launch of the all-new 2019 BMW R 1250 GS, R 1250 GS Adventure, and the F 850 GS Adventure. We got our hands on the latest R 1250 GS and we’re here to answer the question; can you ride it on a daily basis? (more…)
The 2019 Yamaha YZF-R25 takes a cue from the YZF-R6 and YZF-R1 for its styling.
The updated suspension gives the bike much better handling.
However, the frame and engine remain the same.
We wondered how we’d receive the 2019 Yamaha YZF-R25 when we picked it up from Hong Leong Yamaha Motor in Sungai Buloh.
After all, the 2019 R25 is cosmetically new while retaining the same engine and frame. The front forks are now upside-down, but basically that’s it.
That’s until we rode it.
Styling
The Yamaha YZF-R6/YZF-R1 inspired styling certainly gave the bike a fresher look in the bike’s mid-lifespan (wish that could happen with humans).
The fairing looks simple in pictures but there are some pretty nifty details to admire. Additionally, it gives the look of a larger bike. The fuel tank was certainly updated and looked like it was lifted off the YZF-R1M.
Yamaha retained the styling of the old bike for the tailsection.
Instrumentation, electrics
There is a new LCD screen embedded behind the windscreen. It’s not exactly elegant but it provides the necessary data in an easy to read manner.
The headlamps have gone fully-LED.
Riding the 2019 Yamaha YZF-R25
It turned out that the forks aren’t merely there to look good. Yamaha seemed to have set the handlebars slightly more forward and down, which translated to a sportier poise. The previous YZF-R25 may look sporty, but it put the rider in a straight-up position.
We were surprised at how much better the new bike steers now. With more weight on the front wheel, there was better stability in mid-corner. Front tyre feedback and damping improved a lot as well.
The fuel tank helped a lot in cornering too. The edges supported our forearms much better when we hung off in corners.
We were surprised to find that the rear shock’s damping rate was revised as well. The old bike’s shock tended to squat and rebound, but the 2019 bike’s rear end stayed planted.
So now, you could really just pin the throttle slam the bike through fast corners with more confidence.
The engine’s character remains the same since it’s unchanged. Revs pick up progressively until the tachometer hits 6,500 RPM, pointing towards a fatter midrange rather than top-end power.
Speaking about power, perhaps Yamaha would draw more performance from the engine in the future. But we’ll have to see.
Conclusion
The 2019 Yamaha YZF-R25 is one handsome bike and handles pretty good. We would retain the frame and chassis if were building a Frankenstein 250cc bike. The engine needs more top-end rush but the midrange torque makes the bike easier to live with during the daily commute.
