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RCB Partners with Petronas Sprinta Racing and SIC Racing Team

Malaysian motorcycle accessories giant, RCB, has partnered with Petronas Sprinta Racing and SIC Racing Team.
The deal sees RCB as a technical partner for the rest of the 2018 season.
RCB is better known as Racing Boy among the biker community.

RCB has always been involved in sponsoring teams and riders in motorsports and they have inked a deal with Petronas Sprinta Racing as a technical sponsor for the remainder of the 2018 season, the SIC Racing Team website reported.

Many Malaysian bikers would be familiar with the name “RCB” or better known as “Racing Boy.” RCB is our own homeground accessories maker with an entire catalogue chock full of strikingly coloured motorcycle bling, ranging from anodized hand levers to alloy wheels to braking parts such as brake discs and calipers to electronic items like LCD instrument clusters.

You’ve probably also recall seeing the “RCB” logo on Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinalez’s Yamaha YZR-M1. (Please click on the link below to read more.)

Racing Boy introduces Race Ready Collection 2018 for 150cc motorcycles!

Well, RCB has always been involved in sponsoring teams and riders in motorsports and they have inked a deal with Petronas Sprinta Racing as a technical sponsor for the remainder of the 2018 season, the SIC Racing Team website reported.

The Petronas Sprinta Racing Team contests in the world Moto3 championship, fielding Malaysian Muhammad Adam Norrodin and previous Asia Talent Cup Champion, Ayumu Sasaki from Japan as their riders.

Moto3: Petronas Sprinta Racing ready for 2018!

RCB’s partnership also extends to the SIC Racing Team in Moto2 which has Finnish rider Niki Tuuli as the sole rider.

Meet Niki Tuuli, the NEW SIC Racing Team Moto2 rider!

“It’s important to have RCB as our Technical supplier for our team because as a team we’re always looking for technical parts to improve our performance. This partnership has allowed us to make the most of RCB’s R&D to develop some important components for our Moto2 and Moto3 machines,” said Johan Stigefel, Team Manager for both teams.

Bruce Lee, CEO of RCB said, “The Petronas Sprinta Racing Team members are professionals who are passionate with motorcycle racing. For this reason, RCB is delighted to be part of the team’s project. Together, we believe, both parties’ philosophies match in terms of passion, innovation and work ethics. We are very confident this new partnership will help us achieve great things together. We believe both parties will benefit with this partnership and look forward to achieving great results together.”

TechTOC with “Foreman” Oh: Your Chance of Being Coached by a Legend

Our new column, TechTOC with Foreman Oh seeks to assist you with your technical questions or issues with your motorcycle.
The winning question earns the sender a complimentary session at Most Fun Gym (MFG) worth RM300.
Prizes are also available for 2^nd and 3^rd placed questions.

We have been featuring the TechTOC with Foreman Oh column for a couple of weeks now and we’ve received a few interesting questions. Please click here for the first and here for the second column.

We’ve received many enquiries from our readers and followers in the past and although we attempted to answer every question, we couldn’t answer all due to our heavy schedule and time constraints.

But we now have “Foreman” Oh Kah Beng, also known as “KB” among his friends and “Sifu” by his students (us included).

We’ve featured KB and his current Most Fun Gym (MFG) motocross school extensively, as we discovered that riding in the dirt has immensely improved our riding skills. Please click on the link below about MFG.

Mastering All Roads by Riding Where There is No Road

As we’ve also written before, KB was the very first Malaysian GP rider, who raced on classic race bikes such as the two-stroke TZ750 against other GP greats such as Wayne Gardner and Ron Haslam. And won. Please click on the link below to read more about KB.

Most Interesting Biker –Oh Kah Beng

To refresh, KB has now been appointed as the Motorsports Consultant at the TOC Automotive College (TOC) due to his racing, wrenching and coaching background.

Not only that, the riders and even the mechanics of the TOC-HKM Toyo MSBK team are undergoing MX training at MFG in order to upgrade their skills.

So, since TOC and KB are providing motorcycle-based training, who better to answer your questions than the legendary Foreman Oh Kah Beng himself.

But it gets better, because in the interest of training more riders the fundamentals of handling a motorcycle:

The winning question receives a complimentary training session at MFG, coached by KB himself. Don’t worry about the motorcycle and equipment, as MFG will loan you the appropriate riding gear from head to toe and put you on the bike corresponding to your skill level. The package is worth RM300. Yes, absolutely free!
The 2^nd-placed question will win you 2 tickets to the 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK).
The 3^rd-placed question will earn you a coveted Most Fun Gym t-shirt.

Please send in your questions now (PM us at https://www.facebook.com/BikesRepublic/), but please be specific about the issue(s) you are facing, and include your full name and your city of residence. So, start typing!

Moto3 Rider Adam Norrodin to Ride at MSBK

The Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) 2018 is back with Round 2 during this 27^th, 28^th, 29^th July weekend at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).
Muhammad Adam Norrodin, Malaysia’s current World Moto3 rider, will be contesting in the 600cc Supersport Championship.
The TOC Desmo Cup 2018 Championship will also commence from this weekend.

Malaysia’s current World Moto3 rider, Muhammad Adam Norrodin, who is currently on MotoGP summer break, will put his time at home to effective use by taking part at the Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) 2018, which enters its much-awaited second round this weekend in Sepang International Circuit (SIC).

Adam will contest in the 600cc Supersport Championship. His participation in the national championship is made possible through the hard work of his racing friend and ZK Racing team owner, Muhammad Zulfahmi Khairuddin, who has flown the Jalur Gemilang in the 125cc, Moto3, Supersports World Championship and most recently, the Moto2 World Championship with SIC Racing Team.

“I am really looking forward to the weekend; especially with the opportunity to race side by side with my brother, Muhammad Ibrahim Norrodin under ZK Racing. I am using this event to prepare myself better for the second half of this 2018 Moto3 season. I would like to thank ZK Racing for this chance and I aim to make full use of this opportunity to do my very best for the best result possible,” Adam said when asked to comment on this weekend’s race.

Commenting on Adam’s participation, Zulfahmi said that it is truly an honour for his newly-formed racing team to have Adam and his SIC Racing Team mechanic, Habibtullah Fuad Mohamad in his team this weekend.

“I hope that my other riders will take this opportunity to learn as much as possible from Adam. Similarly, for the team crew, they can learn from Habib with his experience; preparing the bike for a very challenging world championship. Hopefully, everything works well and ZK Racing can achieve good results this weekend,” said Zulfahmi.

The MSBK enters its second round after a lengthy break with Round 1 held in mid-May. Apart from the Supersports Championship, which is run based on rules of the 600cc WSBK.

MSBK Round 2 will also feature the opening round of the Desmo Ducati and Round 3 of the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup apart from the traditional MSBK categories of the Superbike, Superstock and the Super 250.

After races at the Qatar Grand Prix in Losail and WSBK Thailand in Buriram, the Asia Talent Cup (ATC) is currently topped by Japanese youngster, Haruki Noguchi. He has a total haul of 95 points – courtesy of three wins and one second place after four races; holding a 25-point advantage over Australian Bill Van Eerde, who has 70 points. Mario Aji of Indonesia is third with 53 points. ATC is a junior development programme backed by the MotoGP worldwide rights holder, Dorna. Danial Shahril is the highest placed Malaysian in a field of 20 riders in 5th place; with a total haul of 35 points; trailing fourth placed Afridza Munandar of Indonesia by 13 points. Another Malaysian, Ibrahim Pawi – the younger brother of Moto2 rider Khairul Idham Pawi – is 15th in the championship standings with 14 points.

As for the TOC Desmo Cup 2018, it is organised by Desmo Owners Club Malaysia in collaboration with TOC Automotive College (TOC). The new season takes off this weekend for a three-leg championship this year. Riders in the competition are expected to be racing Ducati models such as the newly-launched Panigale V4, Panigale 899, Panigale 1299, Panigale 1199, Panigale 959, 848, 1098, and 1198. Each round will only feature a single 10-lap race around the 5.543-km MotoGP track.

The MSBK event officially opens this Friday with free practice sessions with qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday. Race 2 is on Sunday.

Fans can catch all the actions for free from the Main Grandstand. Fans can also purchase Paddock passes to access to the Paddock area and view from the covered rooftop of the Pit Building. The passes will be sold at the Paddock entrance. Fans can also follow the races LIVE on SIC’s Facebook. After the opening round of the MSBK, viewers have reached more than 417,813 people.

PIRELLI MALAYSIA SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP 2018

ROUND 2 – RACE PROGRAM

Friday, 27 July 2018

1130 hrs – 1200 hrs Idemitsu ATC Free Practice 1

1215 hrs – 1245 hrs Supersport Free Practice

Break / Friday Prayer

1415 hrs – 1445 hrs Super 250 Free Practice

1500 hrs – 1530 hrs Superstock Free Practice

1545 hrs – 1615 hrs Idemitsu ATC Free Practice 2

1630 hrs – 1700 hrs Superbike Free Practice

1715 hrs – 1745 hrs TOC Desmo Cup Free Practice

Saturday, 28 July 2018

0915 hrs – 0945 hrs Idemitsu ATC Qualifying

1000 hrs – 1030 hrs Supersport Qualifying

1045 hrs – 1115 hrs Super 250 Qualifying

1130 hrs – 1200 hrs Superstock Qualifying

1215 hrs – 1245 hrs Superbike Qualifying

1310 hrs – 1345 hrs Idemitsu ATC Race 1 (13 laps)

1415 hrs – 1445 hrs TOC Desmo Cup Qualifying

1510 hrs – 1550 hrs Supersport Race 1 (12 laps)

1615 hrs – 1645 hrs Super 250 Race 1 (8 laps)

1710 hrs – 1750 hrs Superstock Race 1 (12 laps)

1815 hrs – 1845 hrs Superbike Race 1 (12 laps)

Sunday, 29th July 2018

1000 hrs – 1040 hrs Supersport Race 2 (12 laps)

1105 hrs – 1135 hrs Super 250 Race 2 (8 laps)

1200 hrs – 1240 hrs Superstock Race 2 (12 laps)

1305 hrs – 1345 hrs Idemitsu ATC Race 2 (13 laps)

1415 hrs – 1455 hrs Superbike Race 2 (12 laps)

1515 hrs – 1555 hrs TOC Desmo Cup Race (10 laps)

Team DEL Michelin to Compete in 2018 FIM Asia Supermoto Championship

A new team will be competing in the 2018 FIM Asia Supermoto Championship.
Team DEL Michelin was set up by the series’ pioneer, Dato’ Eric Loo.
The team’s rider will be Simon Vilhelmsen, the 24-year old Danish who finished 4^th in the 2017 S-1GP Championsip.

As the momentum builds towards the start of the 2018 FIM Asia Supermoto Championsip season, Dato’ Eric Loo, the founder of the FIM Asia Supermoto and AAM Malaysian Supermoto Championships will operate his own team called Team DEL Michelin.

Simon Vilhelmsen flying high at Bukit Jalil – Pic courtesy of Asia Supermoto

Any spectator and rider would have seen a fast and high-flying Danish rider in action during the final round last year at Bukit Jalil. He was Simon Vilhelmsen, the 24-year-old who hails from Denmark and finished 4^th overall in the 2017 S-1GP championship.

The FIM S-1GP is the premier European supermoto championship. As there are no other FIM sanctioned “world” supermoto series, the S-1GP is considered the MotoGP for supermoto.

Dato’ Eric had always “imported” the world’s best riders in order for the Asian riders to gauge their own standards besides presenting a motivation to improve their skills. He had brought in Chris Hodgson, the 14-time British Supermoto Champion, among others in the past.

“Riders outside Asia aren’t allowed to compete in the FIM Asia Supermoto Series, actually,” explained Dato’ Eric, “that’s why we have the International Invitational Class.”

“But I would like to see our Asian and especially Malaysian riders going toe-to-toe with international riders to gauge their own levels and see how they stack up against international riders. Also, it’s a great opportunity for Asian riders to learn from those who are based in Europe as they (the latter) have lots of experience. So, Vilhelmsen is the best choice.”

Team principal Dato’ Eric Loo (hence “DEL”) is assures us that the team will compete in all five rounds of the 2018 FIM Asia Supermoto Championship.

On his decision to set up his own team, Dato’ Eric iterated, “We’re doing this to support the series. Seeing how it grew from just a few guys getting together to ride supermoto on the weekends to the stage of recognition it now enjoys, it’s only right that we continue to expand it.”

“I’d like to also thank our main sponsor, Michelin. We selected them because they have the best supermoto tyres. In fact, they make tyres specifically for supermoto racing.”

“We’d like to also thank our other main sponsors, Bike Nation and Wee Bikers. Bike Nation is now the official dealer for Husqvarna motorcycles in Malaysia and we are proud to be able to compete on one,” continued Dato’ Eric.

“Our co-sponsors are Ohlins, Tekmo, RK-Takagaso, MVD and Gaerne Boots. Thank you for your support.”

The 2018 FIM Asia Supermoto Championship starts on 11^th August in Bangkok, Thailand. Stay tuned as we bring you’re the coverage of this exciting series.

Ten Technological Advancements that Improved Motorcycles (Part 2)

Motorcycles are still getting more and more advanced.
However, there are a number of technological advancements that improved the motorcycle.
These have made motorcycling both more enjoyable and safer.

We published Part 1 of this article a few days ago (please click on the link below for the first instalment) and we are completing it today with Part 2.

Ten Technological Advancements that Improved the Motorcycle (Part 1)

If necessity is the mother of all inventions, that quote certainly applies to these technological advances. We can’t imagine what would the state of motorcycles and motorcycling be today if not for these advancements.

4. Electronic fuel injection

High power output, low fuel consumption and low emissions are desired by every motorcycle owner. But you can’t have them at the same time. Well, traditionally, anyway. However, while emissions standards are tightened ever more and fuel prices are on the rise, owners continue to demand more and more powerful engines.

Fuel injectors – from treperformance.com

Electronic fuel injection (EFI) is the answer. Electronic fuel injection systems only inject very specific amounts of fuel for specific requirements, as opposed to the carburetor. EFI is also used to regulate engine power and torque when attached to traction control and ride modes.

Cross section of a fuel injector – from www.diytrade.com

3. Ride-by-Wire (RbW) throttle

Ride-by-Wire throttle technology was first introduced on a road bike in the 2006 Yamaha YZF-R6, which Yamaha called YCC-T for Yamaha Computer Controlled Throttle.

The technology was adopted from Formula 1 racing, which in turn was developed from military fighter aircraft. RbW means that the throttle grip isn’t linked directly to the throttle bodies. Instead, signals of grip movements are sent to the ECU (engine control unit) which then governs throttle body openings and fuel-injection timings and amounts according to a host of parameters. RbW has also brought on other electronic rider aids such as ride or power modes to suit riding conditions, traction control, cruise control, wheelie control, engine braking control, cornering engine control and many more.

2. Electronic rider aids

As motorcycle engine power creep ever higher, electronic rider assistance such as traction control and ride modes become increasingly important. These systems harness the power of modern motorcycles, making the motorcycle safer and more fun to ride. Yes, electronic rider assistance systems are way smarter and faster acting that any of us. Electronic rider aids are derivatives of the Ride-by-Wire throttle and electronic fuel injection.

Ride modes on the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro

Since an RbW throttle isn’t connected directly to the throttle bodies, the ECU intervenes with the throttle openings, and/or the fuel injection timing and amounts when a loss of traction is encountered. The amount of electronic intervention is dependent on the selected ride mode or traction control level.

1. Pneumatic tyres

John Boyd Dunlop (yes, the very Dunlop) has wanted to create something like a balloon surrounding a wheel when his son complained of discomfort while riding his bicycle. His invented and patented his first pneumatic tyre in 1888.

It was also Dunlop who created the vulcanisation process to harder rubber.

John Dunlop with a bicycle fitted with pneumatic tyres – from progress-is-fine.blogspot.com

All other current tyre technologies such as as radial construction, multi-compound thread, tubeless lining, steel belting, etc. wouldn’t have been possible without the pneumatic tyre. And would’ve meant that probably none of these other technologies would exist without Dunlop’s invention.

That’s why the pneumatic tyre is the No. 1 technological advancement which improved motorcycles.

Modenas Dominar vs truck: Who do you think will win this showdown?

Priced at just RM13,788, the Modenas Dominar has proven to be a success story in Malaysia.
It is also hugely popular all around the world as it offers incredible value for money.
Comfortable and powerful, the Modenas Dominar is also incredibly well built as the photos below have proven.

When buying a bike, build quality is probably not up there on the priority list. Power, comfort, design, price and reliability will probably be the focus, and then build quality. But admittedly not always in that order.

Well, every once in a while though comes a bike that seemingly does it all and does it well. Enter the Bajaj Dominar 400, known locally in Malaysia as the Modenas Dominar.

It is a bike we rode in India last year and grew to be particularly fond of. It has a lively 373cc engine that gives you better power output than most bikes in its class. It also comes with Brembo brakes and an adjustable rear monoshock suspension. It features an LED headlight and a smooth-shifting 6-speed gearbox, in short, there is nothing much to complain about when it comes to the Dominar.

And then there is the build quality. Now quality is usually subjective as it is usually difficult to assess how well-built a bike is. Touch and feel is usually the only way to tell. But not anymore.

These photos have been circulating around the internet showing a Dominar that was rear ended by a truck. And as you can see, the bike won. If this is not a testament to the brilliant build quality of the Dominar, then we’re not sure what would be a good testament.

This accident supposedly took place in Kerala, India, and though we’re not sure who the photos belong to, we’re glad he or she posted them online. As is clearly visible here, the bike is stuck in the front grille and the front bumper of the truck, and that’s what is holding the bike upright.

Perhaps the owner got really lucky, but credit is due where it is deserved and we tip our hat to Bajaj for their solid build quality. Well done.

Bikesrepublic

Latest News

Malaysian motorcycle accessories giant, RCB, has partnered with Petronas Sprinta Racing and SIC Racing Team.

The deal sees RCB as a technical partner for the rest of the 2018 season.

RCB is better known as Racing Boy among the biker community.

Our new column, TechTOC with Foreman Oh seeks to assist you with your technical questions or issues with your motorcycle.

The winning question earns the sender a complimentary session at Most Fun Gym (MFG) worth RM300.

Prizes are also available for 2nd and 3rd placed questions.

The Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) 2018 is back with Round 2 during this 27th, 28th, 29th July weekend at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).

Muhammad Adam Norrodin, Malaysia’s current World Moto3 rider, will be contesting in the 600cc Supersport Championship.

The TOC Desmo Cup 2018 Championship will also commence from this weekend.

PIRELLI MALAYSIA SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP 2018

ROUND 2 – RACE PROGRAM

A new team will be competing in the 2018 FIM Asia Supermoto Championship.

Team DEL Michelin was set up by the series’ pioneer, Dato’ Eric Loo.

The team’s rider will be Simon Vilhelmsen, the 24-year old Danish who finished 4th in the 2017 S-1GP Championsip.

Motorcycles are still getting more and more advanced.

However, there are a number of technological advancements that improved the motorcycle.

These have made motorcycling both more enjoyable and safer.

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Prizes are also available for 2^nd and 3^rd placed questions.

The Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) 2018 is back with Round 2 during this 27^th, 28^th, 29^th July weekend at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).

The team’s rider will be Simon Vilhelmsen, the 24-year old Danish who finished 4^th in the 2017 S-1GP Championsip.