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

Bikesrepublic

Latest News

Another Teaser for Supercharged Kawasaki Z Model

There’s a new teaser video for a supercharged Kawasaki Z model.
It gives further glimpses of the new supercharged naked Ninja H2.
Kawasaki will be a contender in the most powerful supernaked category.

There’s a new teaser video for a supercharged Kawasaki Z model.

This time, we get a small glimpse of how the new model will look like. The footage shows a sharp front with Kawasaki’s “River Mark,” supercharger, air intake, and so forth.

There is also a new TFT screen. We could see that the new bike will include cruise control, besides the required traction control and ABS.

We could only guess how the entire bike will look like at the moment but it won’t be long until the official unveiling on 23rd October. That date happens to be the beginning of the Tokyo Motor Show.

Kawasaki uses the “Z” designation for naked bikes in their line-up. Hence the new supercharged “Z” model is the naked version of the Ninja H2. As the 2019 Ninja H2 produces 231HP, we could only wait with bated breath to find out how much power will this bike make. This is the chance for manufacturer to claim the supernaked title. That honour is currently held by the 2019 KTM 1290 Super Duke R, whose engine produces 177 HP and 141 Nm of torque.

Ducati will also unveil their new Streetfighter V4 on the same date in their Ducati 2020 World Premiere. Based on the Panigale V4 which punches out 214 HP, Ducati is also on the path to introduce a contender for the most powerful supernaked.

The fight is on!

Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki Crowned WorldSBK Champion Five Times in a Row

Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki has won the 2019 WorldSBK title – their fifth in a row.
Rea won Race Two at Magny-Cours while Alvaro Bautista crashed out again.
Rea is now the rider who has won the most WorldSBK titles.

Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki has won the 2019 WorldSBK title – their fifth in a row.

Rea won Race Two at Magny-Cours, France, enabling him to pull clear of closest challenger Alvaro Bautista on the Ducati V4 R. Rea had entered Race Two with a 100-point lead over Bautista and needed a victory and a hope that the latter does not score to put the title chase beyond contention.

Somehow and true enough, Bautista crashed after tangling with Toprak Razgatlioglu. Toprak had overtaken Bautista but the rear tyre of his bike lost traction and slowed, causing the Spaniard to ram his bike. Both riders went down and out of the race.

But it wasn’t an easy win for Rea as he had to battle Michael van der Mark for the win. Rea fought hard and his determination netted him the win that he needed.

It was his 12th win of the 2019 season. But winning the title fives times in a row set the record as the first rider to do so, besides being the first rider to win the title five times. Carl Fogarty held the previous record of four titles, albeit separated by a seasons in between.

The victory will also become one of the most famous comebacks in racing history. Bautista had destroyed the entire field with 11 consecutive wins when the season began and held a 64-point lead.

But Rea kept up with a metronome-like consistency, finishing second in ten of those races and another in third behind Bautista. Then Rea fought back to post wins in Imola and Jerez. Bautista crashed in Race 2 at Jerez and that was when everything started to unravel.

The Spanish would eventually crash six times in total, first blaming the bike but went quiet about what was actually the problem. Then he inked a deal with Honda, and is now embroiled in a war of words with Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali.

Rea kept up the pressure by winning races and finishing on the podium when he couldn’t, and look at where he is now.

Makes for a great movie, don’t you think?

Going the Distance for Love – Not!

A man had his motorcycle confiscated in a roadblock.
He had ridden 200km to visit his fiancée.
He was riding without a license and his bike had “fancy” number plates.

Love makes us do silly things, does it not?

A man’s desire to visit his fiancée saw him willing to ride more than 200 kilometres but was stopped just short of his destination.

The 22-year-old man who works as a mechanic was stopped in a joint-forces roadblock at the Alor Gajah-Melaka-Jasin road.

Director of Melaka Road Transport Department (better known as Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan – JPJ) Muhammad Firdaus Shariff told Harian Metro that his officers found found the mechanic had ridden without a valid license and his Yamaha Y15ZR was using “fancy” number plates. When queried, he told the officers that he was on his way to visit his fiancée.

The JPJ then confiscated the motorcycle.

The Director also revealed that the massive joint operation inspected 654 vehicles, and a total of 389 summonses were issued. The sting consisted of 146 JPJ, Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK), Royal Customs Department, Immigration Department, Road Safety Department and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

Back to the question: How far are you willing to go for love? Have you ridden out in the middle of the night just because of your loved one merajuk (is sulking)?

Piaggio Loses Intellectual Property Case Against Zhejiang Zhongneng

Piaggio lost their Intellectual property case against Zhejiang Zhongneng (marketed as Znen).
The Italian manufacturer claimed that one of the Znen scooters copied the Vespa LX.
The European Union Intellectual Property Office didn’t think so.

It’s an understatement to say that many of Chinese motorcycle manufacturers blatantly infringe upon the intellectual properties of others, although a number are moving in their own direction. Such was the case of Piaggio & C. SpA versus Zhejiang Zhongneng Industry Group Co. Ltd.

Piaggio accused Zhejiang Zhongneng of copying the Vespa LX and brought the case to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

The Italian manufacturer stated that they have been in business since 1945, while the Chinese company started producing their line of scooters since 2005 (marketed as Znen). As such, the former was cited for imitating the LX’s lines in their product.

The EUIPO didn’t see it that way, however. They stated that it’s easy to distinguish between the two scooters. The Vespa LX’s classic lines are curved, while Zhejiang Zhongneng’s F9 are more boxy in appearance, hence there’s no mistaking one for the other.

Consequently, the court dismissed Piaggio’s claim as it would mean that the Chinese manufacturer did not infringe upon Piaggio’s intellectual property.

Check out the Znen’s website here. The disputed model isn’t listed anymore. The case had been pending since 2014, anyway.

Truth is, all modern step-through scooters were influenced by the Vespa. It was the brand which featured a bodywork which covers all the mechanicals. The designer did so to isolate the rider from being splashed by water, dirt and oils from the engine.

Two Students Invent Fingerprint Bike Starter

Two teen students invent a fingerprint bike starter system due to high cases of motorcycle theft.
Instead of a key, the owner’s registered fingerprint is required to start the bike.
It was a final year project for the two college students.

Two teen students invent a fingerprint bike starter system due to high cases of motorcycle theft.

The two 19-year-old students of Kolej Vokasional Bachok (Bachok Vocational College) Wan Amiruddin Wan Amran and Adeeb Aideen Mat Yusof built the system for their final year project in their Electronics Technology Diploma course.

Speaking to Harian Metro, Wan Amiruddin said that it took them six months to produce the system including building the prototype and testing it on a motorcycle.

The system can be installed in both motorcycles and cars.

Current motorcycle starter systems (those without chips embedded in keys) can easily be accessed by thieves. Thieves only need to twist the lock to start position and press the starter button.

Wan Amiruddin and Adeeb Aideen – Photo credit Nor Amalina Alias for Harian Metro

On the other hand, the fingerprint system requires fingerprint identification in order to allow the engine to be started.

The system uses the open source Arduino software which can include voice recognition and LCD display. The fingerprint scanner was imported from overseas. It’s attached directly to the engine without a need for an external battery source or charging.

The students said that they have already received orders from the collegemates and lecturers. They will also register the device’s intellectual property soon.

Source: Harian Metro

Modenas Pulsar NS160 and Modenas Kriss MR3 Launched

The Modenas Pulsar NS160 and Modenas Kriss MR3 were launched today.
The Pulsar NS160 shares the same frame with the NS200, compared to the Pulsar 150.
The Kriss MR3 continues with the Kriss MR2’s success.

The Modenas Pulsar NS160 and Modenas Kriss MR3 were launched today.

Both bikes expand Modenas’s offerings in the Malaysian lightweight motorcycle market, giving buyers more choices.

Modenas Pulsar NS160 (from RM7,577)

The Modenas Pulsar NS160 is the upgrade from the Pulsar 150. It shares styling elements of the NS200, apart from its narrower tyres, 240mm front brake disc, and engine.

Its 160cc, single-cylinder, oil-cooled engine delivers 14.8hp and 14Nm of torque. That power is channelled through a five-speed transmission. The engine is secured to a perimeter frame from the Pulsar NS200.

The chassis consist of telescopic front forks and a gas-charged monoshock at the back. The split five-spoke wheels are mounted with 80/100 front and 110/80 rear tyres. Disc brakes handle braking on both ends and is supplemented with a single-channel ABS.

The Pulsar NS160 is seen as the entry level model, compared to the NS200. It offers better affordability in the naked style of the Pulsar NS200. It may prove to handle better and nimbler than the NS200 due to its lighter weight, while still retaining the Pulsar NS200’s chassis. Modenas brands the model as the obvious upgrade from kapchais.

Modenas targets to sell at least 1,500 units of the Pulsar NS160.

Highlights:

Four-stroke, 160cc, single-cylinder, oil-cooled, fuel-injected, SOHC engine, with Digital Triple Spark Ignition (DTSi).
Fuel-injection system is supplied by Bosch.
The engine produces 14.8hp (11.05kW) at 8,500 RPM and 14Nm.
5-speed gearbox.
Nitrox gas-charged rear shock.
LED lighting for headlights and turn signals.

The bike will be available from October 2019 and is priced from RM7,577.