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2020 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin Breaks Cover

The 2020 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin has broken cover.
The bike was unveiled in Europe ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show.
Changes centre on the engine, ergonomics and electronics.

Just as we were waiting for the 2020 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin to be officially launched at the Tokyo Motor Show next month, the bike has broken cover in Europe.

The styling looks just like the photos leaked most recently. The new bike retains its predecessor’s silhouette but with a number of differences. The “goggle” headlights have been restyled to look more aggressive, the “nose” carrying the headlights is higher, the handlebars are taller, and the seat is slightly lower.

Speaking of seat height, height can be adjusted to a lower position and there will also be a low seat option. Honda will also offer a higher seat for taller riders.

The main subject is the new engine, of course, which sees displacement bumped to 1,084cc. the bigger capacity brings a 7hp increase to 101hp from 94hp. Torque is rated at 104.4 Nm. The increase in capacity is necessary in order to produce higher power while expelling lower emissions.

Other updates to the engine include direct fuel injection with twin-spark plug combustion chambers; aluminium cylinder sleeves; redesigned cylinder heads; new ECU settings; revised valve timing; split radiators.

Honda claims that the new bike is lighter than the outgoing model: The manual gearbox version weighs 226kg while the DCT-equipped version tips the scales at 236kg.

In terms of electronics, the 2020 Africa Twin includes six riding modes: Tour, Urban, Gravel, Off-Road and two user settings. There is a new 6.5-inch TFT screen (set horizontally now) with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, wheelie control and Bluetooth connectivity. Honda has also added cruise control (yippee!).

The manual gearbox version retails for USD14,399 in the USA.

PHOTO GALLERY

Yamaha YZF-R15 Monster Energy GP Edition Coming to Malaysia – From RM12,618

The Yamaha YZF-R15 Monster Energy GP Edition is coming to Malaysia.
Its livery is exactly as the Yamaha MotoGP works bike’s.

The recommended basic selling price is from RM12,618.

The Yamaha YZF-R15 Monster Energy GP Edition is headed to Malaysia. The livery is derived directly from the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP works team.

Yamaha has always transferred their MotoGP liveries to their motorcycles in many markets including Malaysia. That started long ago with the 135 LC, then the Y15ZR, YZF-R25 and now the YZF-R15 (R15).

The Monster Energy GP edition was launched in the UK on the YZF-R125 months ago and it was high time for our turn.

What makes it special this time is the Monster Energy livery which was replicated by enthusiasts on their own. It was said that the Monster Energy sponsorship in MotoGP was brought along by Valentino Rossi. The energy drink sponsored him since the Movistar days.

The bike is mechanically identical to the standard R15. We found the standard bike good enough already anyway, so there’s no sense in disturbing its equilibrium.

However, to those who’ve not ridden the R15, the upside-down forks, chassis and 155cc VVT engine produce a lively and entertaining ride. You could even knee down in corners if ridden well.

The recommended basic selling price is from RM12,618 (not including road tax, insurance and number plates).

Sikh Riders from Santana Riderz Malaysia Club Rides 16,000km to Raise Fund for Children with Cancer

A group of 17 Sikh riders from the Santana Riderz Malaysia Club will ride 16,000km to Pakistan.
The objective is to raise awareness and funds for children with cancer.
The ride is conjunction with the 550^thanniversary of Guru Nanak Devji, founder of Sikhism.

A group of 17 Sikh riders from the Santana Riderz Malaysia Club will ride 16,000km to Pakistan in order to raise funds for children with cancer.

The ride will see them travelling through five countries, and will raise awareness and donations for child cancer patients of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia. The convoy is held in conjunction with the 550^thanniversary of Guru Nanak Devji, founder of Sikhism.

The ride is slated to be flagged off from Gurdwara Sahib Polis at Jalan Balai Polis, Kuala Lumpur on 25^thSeptember 2019.

They will then ride through Thailand, Myanmar, and India and finally arriving in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan. Nankana Sahib is the birthplace Guru Nanak Devji.

“We hope we’ll be able to ease the hardship of families who are suffering both emotionally and financially. (That is) in line with the theme of our ride ‘Sarbat Da Bhala’ which means blessings for everyone irrespective of race or religion,” said club president Jas Pall Singh.

He also added that the club chose NCSM because they aim to help the children regardless of race, religion and background.

On top of fundraising, the group also planned a “550 Trees Planting Project.”

You may contribute to the funds through this websitehttps://www.peoplegiving.org/campaign/5-takhts-ride-to-india-for-cancer-charity-ride-2019.

Benelli 502C, Benelli 150S, SM Sport 110E Launched

Mforce Bikes launched the Benelli 502C, Benelli 150S and SM Sport 110E.
The Benelli 502C is a middleweight cruiser while the Benelli 150S is a 150cc standard road bike.
The SM Sport 110E follows the success of the SM Sport 110R.

Mforce Bikes Sdn. Bhd. continued with launched over the weekend, this time with the Benelli 502C, Benelli 150S and SM Sport 110E, after unveiling the new SYM JET14 200 and SYM MIO 110.

Benelli 502C

The 502C is the manufacturer’s foray into the middleweight sport-cruiser market, with a styling that resembles the Ducati Diavel.

Features:

Foot forward pegs and controls.
750mm seat height.
500cc parallel-Twin engine which produces 46.9 hp (35 kW) at 8,500 RPM and 46 Nm of torque at 5,000 RPM.
Electronic fuel injection with dual 37mm throttle bodies.
Benelli’s trademark steel trellis frame with steel plates.
41mm diameter upside-down forks up front and monoshock at the back.
Dual 260mm brake discs up front.
21-litre fuel tank.

The bike is available in Metallic Red, Matte Black and Metallic Black. It’s priced from RM31,588 (excluding road tax and insurance).

Benelli 150S

“The Benelli 150S prowls the streets of the dense urban jungle and stalks back roads, day and night,” according to them. Aside from the National Geographic reference, the 150S is a 150cc standard street bike.

Features:

149.88cc B3SP triple spark-plug engine.
The SOHC engine utilizes electronic fuel injection and produces 15.5 hp at 8,300 RPM and 12.5 Nm of torque at 7,000 RPM.
“Track-derived” and “GP-styled” (although Benelli doesn’t race) twin-spar chassis.
Upside-down forks and monoshock suspension.
260mm front brake discs.
LCD digital display.

It’s available in Lava Red, Space Black and Nixon Green. Priced from RM8,588.

SM Sport 110E

(No picture of the bike because the photos could not be downloaded from the press release.)

The SM Sport 110E means there’s an entry in the kapchaisegment for the distributor. According to the press release, the bike is a “110cc supercharger that saves especially on fuel usage.” Talk about overhype.

Features:

109cc single-cylinder engine which produces 6.0 hp at 7,500 RPM and 7.0 Nm of torque at 5,000 RPM.
Carburetor fueling system with CDI.
Tubeless tyres.

Available in Ocean Blue, Lava Red and Carbon Black. Priced from RM 3,488 (excluding SST and other fees).

Team Malaysia to Represent South East Asia in BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy Oceania 2020

Team Malaysia will represent the South East Asia region in the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy Oceania 2020.
The finals will be held in New Zealand.
The riders qualified for their spots in the team yesterday.

Team Malaysia will represent the South East Asia region in the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy Oceania 2020 in New Zealand.

Mohd. Zulfakar, Chan Kiang Wei and Norizuan Abdullah had come out tops during the Malaysian qualifier round on the previous day. They beat out a field of more than forty riders which includes some of the most experienced and talented off-road riders on various BMW GS models.

The three riders became Team Malaysia. Thailand now has their own team.

The South East Asia slot has been revised for the upcoming even. Instead of having three different riders of nationalities in one team, the region will be represented by a team of riders from a single country.

Hence, Team Malaysia had to compete against the teams from Indonesia, the Philippines Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam in today’s SEA Qualifiers.

As with the previous GS Trophy qualifications, the organizer set up many different types of challenges, trials and tasks for the riders. While some of these challenges appear pointless to the casual observer, they varied in terms of difficulty and speed to test the riders’ skills and proficiency in overcoming them. That said, the GS Trophy is never about speed, and instead focuses on rider skill, his understanding and control of the machine, being calm under pressure, ability to adjust to different situations, besides physical and mental toughness.

The most memorable tasks were pushing a gym ball with a rake while the rider controls only the clutch; transferring as much water as possible from one point to another; a slalom around wooden blocks (topped with plushie sheep) while riding up and down slopes; 180o zig-zags (the ground underneath the tyres had different characteristic); coming down a slope while transferring motorcycle tyres from one pole to another; and a deep water crossing.

To keep things fair, the organizer altered the tasks and course. Therefore, the Malaysian riders has to perform all-new tasks today together with the other teams.

Each team was required to perform team tasks as one unit, as well as being sent out as solo riders. The points were later combined.

Speaking of points, the GS Trophy’s scoring system looks at who has the least penalty points. Each mistake is awarded penalty points, thus the team which accumulated the least amount of mistakes win.

The day started out with the Indonesian, Philippines and Vietnam teams putting in some solid riding and teamwork. As the GS Trophy becomes more and more famous and popular, the riders trained hard.

But as the day wore on, the Malaysian riders started to edge ahead.

In the end, Team Malaysia came out tops by scoring 185 points, ahead of Indonesia and the Philippines who tied for second with 230 points each.

Moving forward, the team members will now train together to build a coherent unit.

We hope to bring you continuous updates when the event kicks off in New Zealand, so stay tuned.

PHOTO GALLERY

Mforce Bikes Holdings Launches SYM JET14 200 and SYM MIO 110 – from RM7,888 and RM5,688

Mforce Bikes Holdings Sdn. Bhd. launched the SYM JET14 200 and SYM MIO 110 scooters today.
The JET14 200 is equipped with ABS.
The MIO 110 features a large storage space.

Mforce Bikes Holdings Sdn. Bhd. launched the SYM JET14 200 and SYM MIO 110 scooters today.

SYM scooters are already known in the Malaysian motorcycle market. Mforce are hopeful that these two new models will continue the brand’s momentum.

SYM JET14 200 (from RM7,888)

The JET14 200 is an evolution and updated from the previous SYM JET14 125.

The new bike is equipped with ABS, and a 260mm front and a 220mm rear brake discs.

Its engine features electronic fuel injection which is Euro 4 compliant. According to Mforce, the bike is designed for “great performance, comfort and style, and is very practical for daily riding in the city.”

It’s available in Cedar Brown, Jet Black and Steel Gray, and priced from RM7,888 (excluding SST and other fees). The bike is covered by a two-year, 20,000km warranty.