Motorcycle news, Motorcycle reviews from Malaysia, Asia and the world

Bikesrepublic

Latest News

Bajaj Auto Ltd Set to Grow its Market Share

Bajaj Auto Limited is going all out to capture the entry-level and 110- to 125cc segments.
They are doing so by selling their bikes at aggressive pricing.
The lower pricing brought about lower profit margins but Bajaj hopes to make up through sheer volume sold.

Although Bajaj Auto Ltd’s push for higher market share has consumed their profit margins, the world’s sixth largest and India’s second largest manufacturer remain unfazed.

Bajaj is pushing for a larger share of the Indian motorcycle market through aggressive product pricing, according to Mint. “Aggressive product pricing” could be construed as the cheapest two-wheelers in India.

Competition for motorcycle sales is expected to peak in the next few months with the coming festive season. Most of the exponential growth is expected from rural areas where consumer spending sentiment is on the rise.

Bajaj seeks to increase the 110- to 125cc category in addition to their sub-100cc entry-level segment, said Kevin D’sa, Bajaj’s President of Finance said. The company intends to achieve 20% domestic market share this fiscal year and sees 25% as the long-term goal.

“We want to expand the bottom of the pyramid and take the entry-level segment share to 45% to 50% from 33% at present,” he said, adding that the new 110- to 125cc motorcycles are expected to debut in the last quarter of this fiscal.

According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Bajaj Auto Ltd’s market share in the three months to June had expanded to 16.27% from 13.96%, compared to a year ago.

Bajaj’s plans to conquer both segments are likely a sore thumb in the eyes of their rivals Hero MotoCorp Ltd., Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. and TVS Motor Co. Ltd. who had lost marginal market share to Bajaj last quarter.

Investors were disappointed with Bajaj Auto’s announcement of lower than expected June quarter earnings (due to lower profit margins). They expect to witness a downtrend in profit margins for the next six to eight quarters if there are no further price cuts.

Bajaj Auto Ltd is also the technical partner to KTM Motorrad AG in building the lower capacity KTM Duke models. The Indian manufacturer has also exported the Pulsar 150, Pulsar 200 and Dominar 400 models to Malaysia.

Zaqhwan Zaidi and Honda Asia-Dream Racing Team Celebrates P7 at Suzuka 8-Hours Endurance

Zaqhwan Zahidi and his teammates steered their Honda Asia-Dream Racing Team to a well-deserved 7^th place.
They finished ahead of many works factory teams.
The results meant they finished on position higher than they did in 2017.

Malaysian rider, Zaqhwan Zaidi and this Honda Asia-Dream Racing Team teammates Tory Herfoss from Australia and Andi Farid Izdihar of Indonesia achieved an incredible 7^th position at the prestigious Suzuka 8-Hours endurance race over the weekend.

Troy Herfoss, Zaqwan’s teammate – Courtesy of fimewc.com

Suzuka circuit typically plays host to the final round to the FIM Endurance World Championsip (EWC). Since the circuit is Honda-owned, the Honda Asia-Dream Racing Team’s result was even sweeter.

Honda introduces Honda Asia-Dream Racing team with Zaqhwan Zaidi!

But it was not easy as it seemed. The 5.821-km Suzuka Circuit is challenging in itself, featuring corners upon corners that lead into one another in combination with slow and fast sections, forcing the riders to be on top of their game without places to rest. Now throw in 63 other bikes into the mix.

If having to contend with that many man and machine on the track and pits wasn’t enough, the weather played tricks on the field this year by being unpredictable at best. There were top-class riders who crashed when they caught out by a rainstorm.

In fact, the circuit was lashed by a typhoon which brought 170 km/h winds with it the night before, but repair crews worked through the night to fix the damaged facilities. (Respect to the Japanese for their hardwork.)

Start of the Suzuka 8-Hours – Courtesy of fimewc.com

“It’s a lot harder this year due to unpredictable weather,” said Zaqhwan afterwards. Honda Asia-Dream Racing team manager, Zulhelmi Ahmad said he noted that the weather had impacted the team’s temperament, but it didn’t sway them from their determination of achieving a Top-10 position at the finish.

“It’s not an easy feat to get P7!” exclaimed the joyful 23-year-old Zaqhwan Zaidi. The team had started from 12^th on the grid.

However, the aforementioned Zulhelmi Ahmad, who is also Boon Siew Honda’s Motor Sports manager, admitted that he has mixed feelings about the results, “I can’t say that I am delighted with the result today as we failed to reach our full potential.” The team could’ve finished on position higher if not for a botched pit stop. “But we cannot ignore the fact that the team did better this year in terms of overall timing and we finished one position above (last year’s P8),” he continued.

The Honda Asia-Dream Racing team finished the tough race with a total time of 8h00m:05.666s compared to the winner’s time of 8h00m:01.728s, with just 4 laps down. They will definitely do better next year.

The signature ferris wheel at Suzuka – courtesy of fimwec.com

Before we end, and before anyone starta slagging off the 7^th place result and the Suzuka 8-Hour Endurance race, let us provide some background.

The Suzuka 8-Hours endurance race actually began in 1978 for prototype TT-F1 (Tourist Trophy Formula One) motorcycles, but as superbikes became more and more popular through the years, the FIM scrapped the TT-F1 class altogether to the benefit of a production-based race.

Also called the Suzuka 8-Hours, the race is an immense event all by itself, usually attracting between 85,000 to 100,000 race fans.

As such, motorcycle manufacturers pay lots of attention to the race and they will field top riders from MotoGP, World Superbike, All-Japan Superbike, and among other prestigious championships around the world to pair up as teams of 3 riders each. Check through the Suzuka 8-Hours history and you’ll come across great names such as Wes Cooley, Mike Baldwin, David Aldana, Fred Merkel, Wayne Gardner, Wayne Rainey, Scott Russel, Aaron Slight, Doug Polen, Noriyuki Haga, Colin Edwards, Mick Doohan, Carlos Checa, Casey Stoner, Jonathan Rea, and even Valentino Rossi (in 2001 when he partnered Colin Edwards to win the race).

Rossi at 2011 Suzuka 8-Hours – Courtesy of LAT Images

So what Zaqhwan Zaidi said is right, to come home in 7^th ain’t easy, given the level of competition. The Honda Asia-Dream Racing team had actually finished behind F.C.C. TSR Honda France, who are the 2018 EWC Champion and one of the regulars in the GP scene; while finishing ahead of the Moriwaki and Yoshimura Suzuki works teams.

FCC TSR Honda France – Courtesy of www.honda.co.jp

The problem with many racing series around the world, apart from MotoGP, is due to lack of telecast in mass media, resulting in most people being misinformed. But keep in mind that it doesn’t mean the race isn’t prestigious if it isn’t televised.

Anyhow, let’s celebrate our national rider, Zaqhwan Zaidi and Honda Asia-Dream Racing team’s great result. We hope there will be more from the likable rider and team.

Meet the first ever Harley-Davidson Adventure bike, the Pan America, confirmed for production!

Harley-Davidson has confirmed that it will be producing an adventure bike to take on BMW, Ducati, Triumph and even Yamaha and KTM.
The bike is powered by a 1250cc engine from the Harley-Davidson Custom.
It will feature typical adventure bike features such as an aluminium belly pan, a chain drive and a neutral sitting position.

Wow, just wow. Wow again. Could anyone have ever imagined that Harley-Davidson would be producing something as radical and out of this world as this? Meet the Pan America, a dual-purpose bike by Harley-Davidson that has been confirmed for production.

Harley-Davidson’s have always stayed true to their design and heritage, and even when they built wild performance bikes, they still looked like a proper Harley. So it is good to see such an iconic brand breaking out of its self created mould and venturing past its comfort zone.

It is obviously an adventure-touring motorcycle, the likes of a BMW GSA or a Ducati Multistrada, this Harley-Davidson Pan America will probably be positioned upmarket to retain its exclusivity, but yet at the same time, be hardcore enough to take Harley owners to places they could never before venture into. Hello mud and sand and rocks and everything else that a Road Glide doesn’t like.

The Pan America is powered by the same 60-degree 1,250cc engine that is powering the also freshly introduced Harley-Davidson Custom. The engine may probably be tuned different to offer more pulling power typical of a dual-purpose motorcycle.

There are some other typical DP features here too, such as the trellis rear subframe, an aluminium skid plate, Brembo high-performance brakes, and a chain drive.

According to online reports but unconfirmed by Harley-Davidson, the frame uses a cast middle section that connects the swingarm and subframe with a large backbone. This then connects to the inverted fork. There is no information yet about the overall suspension package, but you can expect it to be comfortable.

Up front, the design of the bike is seriously unique. Love it or hate it, the blunt nose and long, horizontal headlight is typical Harley-Davidson, and the three-piece windshield is also adjustable.

Harley-Davidson has been making bikes that are able to comfortably crunch miles, so it is probably not too much to assume that the Pan America will probably be a very capable mile cruncher, considering the very wide and very flat seat.

As you can see from the promotional video below, the Pan America seems to be a very capable bike. And considering the fact that Harley-Davidson has massive resources and a very capable R&D department, the Pan America might just be seriously good at what it does from the get go. But whether or not it will be a true to form dual-purpose bike like the Yamaha Super Tenere or even the Triumph Tiger XCX remains to be seen.

New 1,250cc Custom Harley-Davidson confirmed: Could this be the new Sportster?

New Harley-Davidson Custom is part of Harley-Davidson’s plans for the next 5 years.
It is confirmed for production and could be introduced next year as a 2020 model year.
It is powered by a new 1,250cc engine.

We would be bluffing if we said we didn’t drop our jaws at what could be the all-new Harley-Davidson Sportster for 2020. It looks like something Wolverine would ride right into the heat of battle. Whatever it is, the new Harley-Davidson 1,250cc Custom is stunning.

It features the classic cruiser design lingo with a low and long stance that gives it a hardcore roadster like stance. And powered by a 1,250cc, liquid-cooled, V-twin engine, you can expect this bike to be quite a beast.

Harley-Davidson has not released much details besides this photo and some information regarding its engine such as the fact that the engine uses a 60-degree V configuration. The cylinder heads are also unusually large and our source suggests that the engine could feature a dual-overhead-cam valve train. Also from the photo you can tell that the cylinders do not have any fins for cooling, which means the engine relies on a water-to-air radiator to keep the engine running at its ideal temperature.

The engine may look visually similar to the 975cc unit powering the Streetfighter (click to read about the new Streetfighter), but the displacement is obviously different, suggesting that Harley-Davidson could be building two variants of the same engine.

Watch Harley-Davidson’s promotional video below, showcasing its past, future plans, and the 4 new models it plans to introduce next year.

Just like the Streetfighter, the engine is mounted inside a blacked-out tubular steel frame, with multiple engine-mounts located in front and behind the cylinder heads. The swing-arm has obviously been stretched and elongated to accommodate the massive 16-inch Pirelli tyre. The rear suspension is kept out of view but the front is obviously managed by an inverted fork with a 17-inch front rim kept in check by a pair of hydraulic disc brakes.

The sitting position appears to be a mix of performance and comfort, suggested by the forward-mounted foot controls and the tracker-style handlebars.

From the photo, you can also make out other aesthetic features such as the cable-actuated clutch, Fat-Bob style LED headlights, and dropped mirrors positioned beneath the handle bars.

Harley-Davidson has confirmed that it plans to introduce this bike as a production model in 2020 alongside the Pan America and Streetfighter.

Harley-Davidson Streetfighter to be unveiled in 2019?

New Harley-Davidson Streetfigher is set to expand on the American bike maker’s middleweight range of products.
It is the first model to be introduced as the 2020 range of bikes.
Powered by a new liquid-cooled 975cc engine.

It may still be over a year away, but Harley-Davidson has confirmed that this prototype will make it to production for the 2020 model year, which means the production version will be unveiled around the second or third quarter of next year.

Called the Streetfighter, the new Harley-Davidson is powered by a new multi-purpose engine that will power at least three other models.

The water-cooled V-twin engine has a capacity of 975cc and features a 60-degree V configuration with large cylinder heads that hide a pair of double overhead camshafts. As you probably already figured, this will help provide the power and performance that has come to be expected of modern Harley-Davidson’s.

The Harley-Davidson Streetfighter is said to utilise a tubular steel frame that is said to be similar to the new custom and roadster models. However, the massive swingarm is unique to the Streetfighter and is in charge of ensuring the bike is manoeuvrable in corners with masses of grip during fast-paced rides. You don’t expect a bike called Streetfighter to perform poorly around the bends now do you.

Though it may be different on the production model, but the prototype rolls on 17-inch spoke alloy wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Power 2CT tyres measuring in at 120/70-17 at the front, and 180/55-17 at the rear.

Keeping performance in check are a pair of cross-drilled discs up front with a radial-mounted Monoblock callipers from Brembo. The rear on the other hand is managed by a Harley-Davidson branded opposed-piston caliper and single cross-drilled rotor.

As is visible in the photos here, this prototype uses a belt final drive. While suspension set up consists of an inverted fork up front and a vertically mounted shock absorber at the rear.

The new Streetfighter is a more aggressive bike ergonomically with rear-mounted foot controls and a tallish handlebar with rearview mirrors perfectly integrated into the ends of the handlebar. And what is most visible here is the deep cutout on the fuel tank for the rider’s knees, giving riders something to grip on to with during heavy braking.

We will share more information about the new Harley-Davidson Streefighter as it becomes available.

2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) Round 2 Wrap-Up

Round 2 of the 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) came to an exciting conclusion with great races throughout the day.
There were also plenty of drama during all races.
The weather held through on Sunday at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).

As opposed to the previous day (Saturday, 28^th July 2018), Sunday started out bright and sunny for the final day of the 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) Round 2. Rain was forecast for the weekend, but the thick clouds had thankfully only surrounded the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) without encroaching its airspace.

Without Free Practice, the hectic schedule was bumped up to earlier times of the day. Also, the races for all classes were shifted to different times to break some of the familiarities the riders may have developed.

SUPERSPORT – Muhammad Helmi Azman’s weekend

The Supersport riders were the first to head out at 10am. The sun had heated up the tarmac enough for anyone to feel the radiating off it.

Muhammad Helmi Azman (#32) of SCK Rapido Hi-Rev Honda Racing had won Race 1 on Saturday and he was determined to do the same for today.

He shot straight out of his grid position into Turn One in front of the field, while national Moto3 rider, Adam Norrodin (#70) of SIC Junior ZK Racing Team was caught in a battle with 4 other riders.

Muhammad Helmi didn’t wait around and consolidated his lead by circulating 1.3 seconds per lap faster than the 2^nd-placed, and eventually recording the fastest lap time of 2:12.451. He only backed off with 3 laps to go.

Adam had fought his way up to 4^th and had to fight hard with Liam Taylor MacDonald (#37) from New Zealand. Adam eventually passed MacDonald and started to set fast times in an attempt to break free. This he did and held on to take the 2^nd step on the podium, 10 seconds behind Muhammad Helmi while MacDonald cross the line another 10 seconds behind Adam.

The heat took its toll on tyres as the bikes were visibly sliding around towards the end of the race.

SUPER 250 – Surya Narayana out

It was another exciting race to look forward to after the previous day’s hot track action. But it turned out to be even more frenetic than expected.

First, championship leader Surya Narayana (#9) from Indonesia suffered a mechanical problem, causing his bike to almost crash in Turn 8.

That set the field loose to set up their pace and battle hard among themselves. Surya’s Promax NJT IKBN Jitra Racing teammate Luth Harith B. Erwan (#71) rode hard and pulled away on the last lap by recording the fastest lap of the race the process to win by a mere 1.748 seconds in front of Jailani Kosman (#55). Muhammad Aiman Thiruddin followed home in 3^rd under a second behind Jailani (#72).

There some serious action down the field with riders showing each other with elbows and knees. Another rider was run off the track as they headed down the Start/Finish straight.

SUPERSTOCK – Amirul Hafiq Azmi’s revenge

Azroy Hakeen (#32) ran away with the previous day’s race, but it was not to be on Sunday.

He had a lightning start and was far ahead of everyone else after Lap 1 and it looked as if Race 2 was in his pocket.

Unbeknownst to him, Amirul Hafiq Azmi (#80) was making his way up the field after a poor qualifying spot. He picked off one rider after another but had to fight through from 5^th to 2^nd position. He then started to hunt down Azroy after dispensing with the others.

Amirul rode an incredible race and was on Azroy’s tail by the 5^th lap. However, the former shadowed the lead rider closely. It was apparent that Azroy’s speed was in Sector 1, as he opened up a gap everytime after they passed Turns 1 to 3, but Amirul would catch back up and started to force Azroy into a mistake.

The real chance came on the last lap as Azroy appeared to have braked too early for Turn Four. Amirul outbraked his rival and went straight into the lead and win. As a side note, the TOC-HKM Racing Team are the defending champions in this 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) series.

In 3^rd was Ahmad Khan who had to battle with 3 riders to finally earn his podium position.

IDEMITSU ASIA TALENT CUP (ATC) – Asian Teen Combat

If the World Moto3 Championship provided all the thrills during MotoGP weekend, the ATC probably had more of it. These plucky teens had no fear and the rode with their hearts on their sleeves. And oh, what a welcomed addition to the 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) it was!

There were numerous lead changes in Lap 1 alone, but Haruki Noguchi (#9) managed to break away when Australian Bill Van Eerde (#19) and Takuma Matsuyama (#11) started battling with each other. But Ven Eerde got the better of Matsuyama and took off, recording a blistering 2:18.890 lap time, leaving the latter to fall into the grasp of fast approaching Sho Nishimura (#3).

As Van Eerde chased down Noguchi, Nishimura chased down Van Eerde to set up a three-way battle for the win. The riders behind Noguchi must be thinking, “You can run but you can’t hide.”

Nishimura then pulled off an amazing pass on both riders to lead into Sector 4 of the last lap. With Noguchi and Van Eerde in a slipstream train, Nishimura hung on the left side of the backstraight leading to the final Turn 15, which would set up a tight, defensive line through the corner.

As they sat up to brake for the final turn, Van Eerde swung to his right to go back onto the normal racing line and swung into the corner. His audacious move served to block-pass Noguchi and put him directly in Nishimura’s slipstream as they blasted toward the finish line.

Van Eerde’s gamble worked as he slingshot past Nishimura to win by just 0.012 second, with Noguchi 0.102 second behind Nishimura for 3^rd.

This was why we decided to refer to ATC as “Asian Teen Combat.”

Also of interesting note, Van Eerde campaigned in a few Asian RC Cup races last year.

SUPERBIKE – The Azlan Shah Show

It was beyond doubt that Azlan Shah Kamuruzaman (#25) and Chia Motor PJ Kawasaki were the combination to beat in the Superbike category of the 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) category. Their experience and combination had netted them the championship lead from Round 1, and their domination continued into Round 2 by capturing the Pole Position and Race 1 win on Saturday.

Race 2 started with Azlan’s taking the holeshot from his closest rival, Rajini Krishnan (#67) from India into Turn 1. But Azlan missed his braking marker and almost ran into Turn 9’s gravel trap and allowed Rajini into the lead.

Azlan was still in 2^nd as they started Lap 2 but it was now Rajini’s turn to overshoot into Turn 9’s gravel trap, allowing Azlan to go past and he (Rajini dropped to 5^th place).

From that point on, Azlan turned in lap times in the low-2:10s, faster than everyone else.

In the meantime, Amirul Hafiq Azmi (#80) of TOC-HKM Racing Team fought up the field to hunt down Swiss rider Jonathan Serrapica (#48) for 2^nd position. Amirul passed Serrapica into Turn 7 on Lap 6.

Rajini had recomposed himself at this point and overtook Serrapica on Lap 8 and chased down Amirul and pass him Lap 9 into 2^nd position.

With Azlan nearly 20 seconds in the lead, it seemed that Rajini will come home in 2^nd. But alas, he ran off Turn 9 again on the very last lap and was passed by both Amirul who took 2^nd and Serrapica 3^rd places, respectively, to finish 4^th.

TOC DESMO CUP – Showcase of Thundering Twins

All six competitors started the race but two riders crashed out to leaving the four remaining riders to race it out.

in the end, Zulkiply Yahya (#12) prevailed to win, followed by Sarul Fahmi Mohd. Zaini (#11) in 2nd and Syamsul Bakhtiar Esa (#14) in 3rd.

The conclusion of the race wrapped up MSBK 2018 Round 2.

CONCLUSION

The 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship Round 2 saw some unforgettable action over the entire weekend. The addition of the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup and TOC Desmo Cup certainly brought lots more attraction and prestige to the series.

In the two-month hiatus, it seemed that many teams have improved their level by very much to make most of the races exciting affairs. The bikes were also visibly better prepared than in Round 1.

The Sepang International Circuit (SIC) had also tightened their security protocols for Round 2, after having too many friends and relatives of riders and teams in the paddock during the Round 1. There were incidences of young children running across the hot pit road during that race. A less crowded paddock also meant that the teams could focus more on their business.

But there are a couple of things we could gripe about.

There is still a lack of spectators. While the 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) is growing to a heady size, there was no official manufacturer support to garner more spectator interest. But it’s a chicken-and-egg story as the lack of spectators negates manufacturer interest, which ironically couldn’t bring about spectator interest, in turn. We hope that SIC and manufacturers could discuss for a more positive result in the future.
Photographers and media were forced to park their motorcycles far away from the media centre. We had to shoot pictures at the starting grid then run like madmen to catch the action at our preferred spots out on track. While we understand that this cuts down on wayward traffic within the paddock compound, it has forced us to miss potentially great shots of the riders rushing around the track on Lap 1.

Still, it was a great weekend as the weather held up for the races. Round 3 of the 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) is from 14^th to 16^th September 2018 at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC). See you there!