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UCLEAR AMP GO Bluetooth Helmet Audio System Initial Review

The UCLEAR AMP GO helmet audio system connects via Bluetooth.
It worked seamlessly throughout our initial testing.
It is also very attractively priced at just RM 600.

Being used to having a Bluetooth in-helmet headset for three years, I could never ride comfortably without one. Having one makes riding a whole lot more entertaining and relaxing, if not the convenience while on-the-go.

Of course, there are many “Bluetooth helmet audio system” maker these days, so choosing the right one saves you money and aggravation.

From our neighbours in Singapore is UCLEAR Digital. The Malaysian and Singaporean distributor, Hodaka Motoworld provided a couple of sets of the flagship AMP GO system to try out.

First and foremost, it was apparent that the UCLEAR had simplified the AMP GO. A set consists of:

Control unit.
Pair of Boost Plus stereo speakers.
Permanent helmet mount.
Temporary helmet mount.
Two Velcro pads.
USB charging cable.
Quick Start Guide.

However, there is no microphone boom nor “button” microphone, as they are stereo and built into the speakers.

The sets were provided to us at the right time, as we rode the three variants of the four-cylinder BMW S-Series bikes to Cherating for a company getaway.

Installation was very easy and straightforward, even for first-time users, as there were fewer parts to fuss about. The control unit was equally easy to mount as it was just a clip.

Pairing via Bluetooth to our phones was easy and especially fast, considering that the iPhone’s iOS is finicky about connecting to non-Apple devices. Pairing the two control units for intercom communication was also fast and easy.

The speakers were loud(!) as soon as we streamed music from our phones. But it’s not just about being loud, there was plenty of bass, treble and clarity – we could hear each word and each note with the helmet on the table. This is important especially when riding at speed and with earplugs in.

With the BMW S 1000 R at hand, I tested the UCLEAR AMP GO from slow city speeds to (crazy) high speeds right away. The sound level stayed consistent throughout, as the volume is controlled seamlessly according to ambient sounds i.e. it increases when your speed rises and decreases when you slow down.

The three buttons on the control unit were also easy to feel through our gloves. I’ve tried doing so through thin summer gloves and thick full-leather racing gloves.

During our ride, Keshy was about 200 metres ahead of me on the S 1000 XR, when one of us mistakenly activated the intercom function while travelling at nearly 200 km/h. Although there was wind noise (there’s bound to be at this speed!), we could still hear each other’s voices clearly, showing that the unit’s auto noise-cancelling feature worked. Besides that, our concerns about not having a boom microphone were allayed, as the AMP GO triangulates our voices’ sweet spots to deliver clear speech.

UCLEAR advertised that the AMP GO has a maximum range of 200 m, so I let Keshy ride further and further ahead. We only broke contact when he was a dot on the horizon, but we were conversing again almost as soon as we were back in range. The intercom function can connect up to four units.

Apart from that, I could hear the music clearly at all times, even through the Alpine MotoSafe Tour earplugs (also available from Hodaka Motoworld). These special earplugs filter out harmful noises such as roaring and whistling wind noises but allows conversations, traffic and your motorcycle’s engine sound through.

We thought we had escaped from the rain during our ride, but a wall of rain awaited us as soon as we passed the Gombak Toll Plaza. It was so heavy that it overwhelmed my helmet’s anti-fog insert within minutes, rendering me almost sightless. However, the UCLEAR AMP GO kept going and not a drop of water got inside through the cable connector port.

We’ve since ridden around with the UCLEAR AMP GO without fail and it dawned on us that its battery lasts a long time. I only had to charge my unit after we had ridden to and returned from Cherating, plus another four days of commuting and riding. Even then, there was still 5% to go.

Any shortcomings?

The audio kept cutting in and out while riding in the city after the initial installation (perhaps due to interference). However, I discovered that the unit required a firmware update after I downloaded the app (called CLEARLink). It has never cut off again after the update.

Speaking of the app, while you do not need it for music streaming and phone call functions, it is best that you download and install it in your phone. The app allows you to check for the latest firmware and provides total control over the configurations of the unit, such as auto volume, bass boost, voice answering, and more. You can also find the full owner’s manual there.

In conclusion, we love the UCLEAR AMP GO. It’s easy to install, simple to use, has great audio, connects to our devices quickly, the intercom works as claimed, weatherproof, and long-lasting power.

But there’s one important advantage of the UCLEAR AMP GO. With all its great features and functionality, it is attractively priced at just RM 600. That is unbeatable for a top-of-the-line Bluetooth helmet audio system.

Visit Hodaka Motoworld to get yourself a set. You may also visit Hodaka Motoworld’s Facebook page see more products.

UCLEAR AMP GO TECHINCAL SPECIFICATIONS

Bluetooth:	V4.2 (BR/EDR/BLE), Class 1
Profiles:	HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP, Intercom
Group Intercom:	Full duplex up to 4 users
Range:	Up to 200 metres per user
Battery:	3.7V lithium-ion
Talk Time:	Up to 10 hours
Standby Time:	Up to 400 hours

Review: Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron 1200 – The lean, mean corner carving machine

The Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron 1200 is the latest addition to the popular Sportster family.
It builds on the Iron 883 but has a bigger 1202cc engine that offers over 30% more power.
With tall mini-ape handlebars, mid-set foot pegs and a big 19-inch front wheel, the Iron 1200 is an absolute brute when it comes to corner carving fun.

The Harley-Davidson Sportster is the oldest continuously produced motorcycle. It has been in production since 1957, and though a lot has changed, park new and original together and you will still be able to pick out some similarities through 60 years of evolution.

This is something the geeks in product development call ‘product continuation’, it is the retention of the DNA of a particular model so it can develop and evolve but yet stay true to the original. Sometimes in design, sometimes in purpose.

But the Sportster is special because it is one of the few motorcycles that is perfectly adaptable to being multiple versions of the same bike.

And that is what has made it immensely successful, because it can be a bike to ride up to the mountains or go touring with. It has spawned variants that were absolutely devilish in corners yet perfectly friendly for newbies to get started with.

The popularity of the Sportster grew at about the same time as the Triumph Bonneville’s, the Norton’s and the Enfield’s. The rise of today’s modern retro machine is considered to be a revival of this era, and the Sportster Iron 1200 is the perfect salute with its classic styling.

Fast and stylish with radical chopper styling, the Sportster Iron 1200 we rode in Croatia is everything Harley-Davidsons were meant to be from the start, fast and stylish.

To the uninitiated, the Iron 1200 may look just like an Iron 883 with taller mini-ape handle bars instead of the usual flat-bend handle bars on the regular Iron. But the Iron 1200 is not just the same motorcycle with a bigger engine, it is very much its own motorcycle.

It has plenty of style to begin, it could have been on the cover of U2’s Achung Baby and would have fit right in with the AMF-era tank stripes.

And just like the original Sportster intended, the Iron 1200 is brilliantly fun in corners. It shares the same chassis as the Iron 883 so it has the same frame, wheels, suspension and just about everything else. In fact, despite the fact that the it has a bigger engine and taller handle bars, it manages to be less than a kilogram heavier than the Iron 883, which is a feat by itself.

So the two are clearly siblings, just with different characters. You sit with your fists in the wind, the mid-set foot pegs giving you a perfectly adapted peg-scrapping sitting position, and the big 19-inch front wheel makes this Sportster one of the best handling in its class. It also has an amazingly comfortable seat, much much more comfortable than the 48 Special.

But it is that engine that suddenly makes this Sportster Iron everything it should have been right from the start. The Iron 883 was great but it was also very much an “entry-level” model at one point of time so it felt limited when it came to performance. The Iron 1200 obviously built around the fun package of the 883, but with heaps more fun.

So it all begins with a new air-cooled evolution engine which has 30% more capacity than the 883 and produces about 100Nm of torque. The engine is connected to the same 5-speed gearbox as the 883 though with different gear ratios. As with most Harley-Davidsons, the best way to ride the 1202cc engine is just to leave it in a higher gear and ride the mountain of torque is offers through the corners. Of course, you could bang down the gears and catapult out of corners too. Either way the Iron 1200 is happy to oblige.

But as fun as that sounds, there’s an unnerving feel as you get on the throttle though. Just as the bike piles on some speed, the front goes into a mini-wobble as the bike squats on maximum acceleration. It is not very noticeable but it is there everytime you blast out of a corner.

And matching all the fun and power is some fantastic handling. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t have fun with Harley-Davidsons because the Iron 1200 is brilliant in corners. Purists will love the fact that it does not come with a lot of electronics like ABS (optional) and traction control. And the entire meter cluster has been flushed down to the bare necessities, giving you only the most important information. And don’t let that headlight cover fool you, it sucks at deflecting the onslaught of wind, the Sportster Iron 1200 is still very much a city bike than it is a highway cruiser.

But despite the new herculean engine, the brakes and suspension are the same as the Iron 883, which means the same dual-piston calipers front and rear with a single disc keeping you in check. But this just means adjusting your riding style to allow for more foot-peg scrapping fun as you get to carry more speed into corners.

And because there is no electronic interference to control the wheel from slipping, you have to be gentle with the throttle, ask for too much and you risk lighting up the rear on exit. Which can be fun in experienced hands, but scary for the rest.

We spent the entire day literally carving up mountain roads, scrapping foot pegs on both the Iron 1200 and the new Sportster 48 Special (which we will get to in a later article). There is no doubt that the Iron 1200 is one of the greatest Sportster’s to date, just a pity that it has not made it to the Malaysian market as yet, but when it does, pay attention as only a few bikes have the talent to back up good looks, and this Iron 1200 is more than just talented.

Do you prefer a bigger bike? How about something like a Road Glide? Click here to read our review and to watch a video on it. Or do you prefer the classic styling of the Street Glide? We rode that too! Watch our video review here.

Terminator 2 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Auctioned for USD 500,000

The iconic Harley-Davidson Fat Boy from the movie Terminator 2 was put up on auction recently.
It fetched a price higher than it was estimated.
The Fat Boy arguably became famous after its appearance in the movie.

Remember Terminator 2: Judgment Day?

The movie began like one of those bar jokes: A T-800 walked nude into a bar.

Anyway, he scanned the patrons one by one, while they stared at him in bewilderment. He picked out a biker dude and delivered one of the ballsiest lines in Hollywood, “I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle,” demanded the T-800 said in a thick Austrian accent (SkyNet must’ve been programmed by Hitler, such). In the ensuing bar fight, the bike gang got a beat down, ending with the biker donating his clothes and motorcycle… willingly.

He walks out the bar and scanned the bikes parked outside, picking out a Harley-Davidson FLSTF Fat Boy. The T-800 gave it a smoky burnout and powerslid away (called “drift” these days), to George Thoroughgood’s iconic song, “Bad to the Bone.”

That very motorcycle was ridden by Arnold Schwarzenegger himself in the movie and was part of the “Icons & Legends of Hollywood” auction recently. Against an estimated sale of between USD 200,000 to 300,000, it sold way over at USD 480,000.

The Fat Boy had been launched in 1990, just ahead of the movie’s release in 1991. As a result, the Fat Boy became of Harley’s best-selling models until this very day. Even Harley’s employees attributed the bike’s success to the movie, which was itself one of the highest grossing movies of all time.

Later in the film, the bike was also part of one of the most thrilling and hence iconic vehicle chase scenes of all time, when Arnie’s character, the T-800, rescued a young John Connor on a Honda XR from being crushed by the T-1000 on a big rig tow truck.

Also listed among the items on auction was the “punk” leather jacket worn by Arnie’s character in the film, along with all the bloody bullet holes. It sold for USD 24,000!

Hasta la vista, baby.

Dovizioso, Lorenzo to Battle Against Bayliss, Davies

Factory Ducati MotoGP riders Andrea Dovizioso and Jorege Lorenzo will race against other riders in The Race of Champions.
The race will take place during the World Ducati Week 2018.
The event takes place from 20^th to 22^nd July 2018.

Ducati has lined up a Race of Champions past and present during the 10^th World Ducati Week (WDW).

The race is slated to run from 20^th to 22^nd July 2018, on the historic Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Twelve riders including current works Ducati MotoGP riders Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo, will line up against Troy Bayliss, Marco Melandri, among others. Besides them, Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller will also take part in the race.

By “race,” we meant a real race, as the riders will go through free practice, qualifying and all the way to the podium.

Ducati fans are in for a real treat as all riders will ride specially-prepared and limited-edition Ducati Panigale V4 S.

The World Ducati Week is an annual celebration for Ducati owners. It consists of a myriad of activities to celebrate the Ducati brand, including stunt shows, rides on the track, competitions such as engine disassembly and assembly, Ducatistas parade, Scrambler Village, Monster Village, Ducati Service, DRE Safety Academy, DRE Enduro Academy, Ducati factory and Ducati Museum visit at Borgo Panigale, and much more.

Please visit https://www.ducati.com/ww/en/experience/world-ducati-week if you are interested in joing the event.

Self-riding Motorcycle to Test Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous (self-driving) cars are beginning to come into the market.
They perform rather well in real-world conditions but how were they tested?
With a motorcycle, amongst other things.

On our recent company trip, which was actually a ploy to review three BMW motorcycles, an associate drove the Volvo XC60 as the backup car. Well, the trip served as an opportunity to review of the car, too.

The BMW S 1000 bikes were awesome, nonetheless, but what piqued my curiosity was the Volvo’s autonomous function. In other words, it could drive itself. It traced the road’s demarcation lines on the shoulders and centreline, and it braked all by itself when there was a car stopped in front of us. Now, that may sound ho-hum to you car guys, but to bike geeks like me, it was straight out of a sci-fi movie. (Or maybe I should read more news than technical journals.)

Volvo Car M’sia Launches All-New XC60! [+Videos]

It was reported months ago that a self-riding (riderless) motorcycle was developed to allow the testing of autonomous cars in controlled environments.

But before we proceed further, let’s rewind a bit.

The self-riding motorcycle, a BMW C1 “urban mobility” scooter was co-developed by AB Dynamics and AutoRD. AB Dynamics are among the leading suppliers of automotive test systems, and were responsible in integrating their onboard robot controller, while AutoRD carried out the mechanical integrations.

AutoRD BMW C1 self-riding motorcycle – Courtesy of bennetts.co.uk

A motorcycle is of course different from slow-moving pedestrian and cyclists, as motorcycles accelerate and maneuver rapidly, such as when filtering and splitting lanes. That produces a challenging environment for autonomous cars.

Thus, in order to test, AB Dynamics equipped a motorcycle to ride itself. Having no rider onboard avoids risking a person’s health, while still providing the full performance envelop to test a car’s autonomous systems.

But in the interest of motorcyclist safety, did the test bike replicate real world scenarios? Did the bike just go straight? Did it swerve around? Did it cut across lanes without signaling? Did it run the red light?

One lucky guy, Thomas Moore, who is Sky News’s Science and Medical Correspondent was given the opportunity to try out the autonomous BMW C1.

According to Moore, the bike swayed from side-to-side before picking up speed. Sensors detect the direct and speed, which then instructs the automatic steering to instantly correct the bike. However, the ride was smooth and the bike could lean into a corner without falling over.

A BMW C1 was used as it has a roof to mount more equipment – Courtesy of autoreview.ru

AutoRD Engineer Toquil Ross-Marting said, “A computer can do a better job than a human because it (the computer) is always concentrating. (A human is always) thinking about what you are going to do when you get to the office or whether you are running late.”

“That’s where the bike will improve the safety for commuters,” he added.

That kind of sounded suspiciously like autonomous urban taxis are in the works, too.

Oh, one last thing. There was no report of it running the stoplights. Do check out the video below.

Study to be a Certified Superbike Technician at the TOC Automotive College

Make a career out of your passion with the superbike technician course.
The new course by TOC Automotive College aims to prepare students with the knowledge to maintain almost any type of superbike.
The course offers a balance of class room studies and real-world experience.
And there is also a financing programme that aims to make the course affordable for all.

There’s no better way to become a certified superbike technician than enrolling at the TOC Automotive College.

Their latest 18-month Superbike Technician Course offers nothing but the best of both knowledge and real-world experience.

With over 70% of hands-on learning, becoming a certified superbike technician has never been easier or more fun.

There comes a time in everyone’s lives where there’s a great need to learn or improve oneself. The best method always goes back to education but what’s better is a combination of valuable knowledge and real-world experience. That’s exactly what you can expect when you pursue your studies at the TOC Automotive College.

There are many comprehensive automotive-related programmes suited to anyone and everyone regardless of their skills. Armed with just the passion and strive to succeed, anyone can become a certified technician upon completing their studies over at TOC.

Their latest Superbike Technician Course is a program where anyone can become a certified superbike technician in the shortest time possible whilst ensuring the highest levels of quality. Their three-level programme covers 18 months of comprehensive superbike knowledge from installation, maintenance, repairs, and motorcycle parts replacements.

This particular course offered by TOC is the first of its kind to provide extensive exposure to real-world working scenarios and workshop conditions. Through their many industry partners particularly the Malaysia Motorcycle and Scooter Dealers Association (MMSDA), valuable work experience can be collected through a wide variety of brands and manufacturers for all those who enrol for TOC’s Superbike Technician Course.

Those of you who are sceptical about the programme will be glad to know that they are highly-recognised by the Ministry of Education (MoE). Combined with the fact that the course is majorly focused on hands-on learning rather than books and exams, you can be sure that the end-product of the TOC Automotive College is nothing but the highest of qualities.

Worried about financing your journey to becoming the next top certified superbike technician? Fret not as TOC offers low upfront payment to begin the course together with easy monthly loan payments once you enter to working world after graduation. Thanks to their very own TOC Bina Bakat (Building Talents) program, future superbike technicians can start their training with up to 100% loan.

There are three different levels to complete the 18-month program. Each six-month level comprises of three months of building skills and knowledge at the college itself and the other three months for ‘Industrial Training’ over at any of the workshops stationed to gain real-world experience.

The first level covers the basics of motorcycle workshop safety, application of related study, basic metal works and introduction to motorcycle technology, plus many more. Level 2 focuses on repairs and maintenance of engines, transmission, chassis, services, and maintenance.

The final level dwells deeper into the world of motorcycle electrical system, performance, overhauling, and more. Combined with the fact that the TOC Automotive College has a wide variety of superbikes from major manufacturers hailing from Japan and Europe, becoming a certified superbike technician armed with the best qualities is easily done thanks to folks over at TOC.

All in all, there’s really no valid excuse you can give if you want to become one of the greats in the world of superbikes. Rest assured that the TOC Automotive College has got you covered through every step of the way. All you need to bring to the table is just your passion and willingness to commit your time as well as effort and TOC will take care of the rest.

Click here to know more about TOC’s Superbike Technician Course.