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“Safety Activist” Recommends that Kapchais are Banned

A “safety activist” recommended that the government ban kapchais from Malaysian roads.
He suggests electric scooters be used as the alternative.
It’s because electric scooters have limited range and lower speeds.

A “safety activist” recommended to the government that kapchais should be banned from Malaysian roads, reports Careta.my.

Speaking at a Malaysia Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) event, Sharhim Tamrin said that the government should consider electric scooters as the alternative, as they have limited range and top speeds of around 80km/h only.

He said this based on his findings that countries like China and Taiwan have banned kapchais. (The two countries did not “ban” kapchais, instead they urged the use of electic scooters as fuel is expensive and China especially didn’t want their economy to depend on petroleum. – Editor)

“I have, informally, proposed this to a number of government agencies. I will also send a (formal) proposal to the government to ban kapchais,” he said during a forum at the event.

A similar proposal was forwarded by Works Minister Fadilah Yusof in 2013, on the grounds of safety. He called for kapchais to be banned from entering highways.

Shahrim also mentioned the trend of 15- and 16-year-olds who likes to ride fast. He also called motorcycle manufacturers to task for advertising motorcycles as performance machines, which would influence the owners to ride fast and some to modify their bikes to go faster.

Assistant Director of Enforcement for the Traffic Investigations and Enforcement Department of the Royal Malaysia Police concurred that the government should ban motorcycles below 250cc.

According to him, there were more car accidents last year compared to motorcycles, but it’s the latter that contributed to higher death rates.

New KTM RC 390 Spotted Undergoing Tests

A new KTM RC 390 was spotted undergoing road tests.
Introduced in 2014, it needs an upgrade/redesign.
The new bike may be introduced for 2021.

As we speculated, all manufacturers are hard at work to produce new models by 2020 and 2021. But one bike which has gone under the radar for a long time is the KTM RC 390.

The bike made huge waves and sold like hotcakes when it was introduced back in 2014. Soon, they were everywhere. There were also RC 390-exclusive racing series and some owners took it to track days.

The bike was last updated in 2017. But 5 years is a long time (maybe too long) for the model’s product cycle in that cut throat segment.

So, as with the KTM 390 Duke test bike caught testing months ago, a prototype RC 390 was also spied over the weekend.

According to RideApart, the new bike will debut in 2021.

Changes to the new bike is immediately noticeable as KTM redesigned the bike: the front fairing has a similar profile, but the rest of the bodywork are different. Even the rear seat is different and takes a contemporary design instead of the current single-seat look.

Also gone is the lattice work of the rear subframe. The handlebars appear to be mounted higher for more comfortable ergonomics.

The new bike will of course be Euro 5 compliant, but there are no details yet if there are any power upgrades.

New 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS on the Way

A new 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS is one the way.
Triumph released a teaser video.
The new bike will be Euro 5 compliant and will feature new updates.

It’s confirmed: A new 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS is one the way.

As with the impending launch of new models, Triumph released a teaser video of the new Street Triple RS. Test mules had also been spotted a number of months earlier.

The video shows a heart-pounding run up to a corner while being accompanied by the triple’s distinctive and awesome soundtrack.

What we know is the new bike’s engine will be Euro 5 compliant but what we don’t know is what state of tune the engine will take on. As in our earlier report, the exhaust collector will house two catalytic converters.

There’s much speculation (hope, actually) that it’ll be fitted with some of the stuff from, or at least learned, from Triumph’s role as the sole engine supplier to the World Moto2 Championship. The current engine produces 121hp and 77.3Nm of torque. Will we see a hike to 135 horses? Please, please, please!

There will surely be updates in other areas, too.

The twin headlamps will take on a new look, there may be slight changes to the swingarm, and there’s a big chance that the instrument cluster will feature GoPro control a la the Scrambler 1200 XE.

The Street Triple RS remains this writer’s favourite all-time bike, so it’s interesting how the new bike will turn out on October 7th.

Aprilia GPR 250 Launched in China

The Aprilia GPR 250 was unveiled in China.
Its 249.2cc, single-cylinder engine produces 26.5hp and 22Nm.
Will it come to Malaysia?

Somewhat unexpected, the Aprilia GPR 250 was unveiled in China rather than in the traditional European markets first.

Aprilia has a long history with 250cc sportbikes, harking back to the glory days of the 2-stroke RS250 for the road. The bike capitalized on their outstanding success in the world 250cc GP in the hands of riders such as Tetsuya Harada, Loris Capirossi, Max Biaggi and one upstart by the name of Valentino Rossi.

However, their attention seemed to have shifted since they built the 1000cc Mille superbike, which culminated in the 1000cc RSV4 and finally the most recent RSV4 1100. Aprilia’s current MotoGP effort lends further weight to the RSV4.

But apparently Aprilia had not given up on lightweight sportbikes. They debuted the RS660 concept at EICMA last year and now this, the GPR 250.

One look and it’s apparent that it’s influenced by the RSV4 in many respects: The twin headlamps, swoopy bodywork, large twin-spar aluminium frame.

The 249.2cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder, four-stroke engine is claimed to produce 26.5hp and 22Nm of torque. The manufacturer claims a 150kg weight.

That power is on par with other 250cc single-cylinder sportbikes such as the Honda CBR250R, KTM RC 250 and TVS Apache RR 310. By comparison, two-cylinder machines such as the Kawasaki Ninja 250 and Yamaha YZF-R25 produce in the regions of 39hp and 36hp, respectively.

The Aprilia GPR 250 is slated for the Indian market soon. We wonder if it’ll ever come into Malaysia.

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.