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  • The Malaysian MotoGP theft case is now solved.

  • Six suspects were arrested.

  • Some of the items were sold to motorcycle owners who modified their bikes.

The Malaysian MotoGP theft case is now solved.

The Royal Malaysian Police arrested a number of individuals in raids in the vicinity of Sepang and Bangi. All six individuals are Malaysians, aged around 23 years old.

Chief of Police for the Kuala Lumpur International Airport District, Assistant Commissioner Zulkifli Adamsah told the press, “We made a series of arrests and raids between 3rd November to 12th December. Among the items recovered were four bags of different brands, 26 brake units, seven spanners, three dampers, two handle grips, two tyre warmers, two team black jackets, fourteen screws, six bottles of brake fluid, in addition to other items.”

“Initial investigations showed that one of the suspects owns a motorcycle workshop. He sells the stolen parts to motorcycle owners who want to modify their bikes.” The items were sold below market price. “For example, a brake caliper was sold for RM 600 when its real price could cost up to RM 1,000. Some of the loot were already installed on the suspect’s bike.” (We don’t know if it’s a typo in the press report or the police were misinformed: If a Brembo caliper for stock bike costs RM 3,000 to RM 4,000, it’s substantially more for a racing item. – Editor)

Two of the suspects has records for motorcycle theft and tested positive for methamphetamines. “Among the suspects were part-time workers who had access passes to the SIC area.

The theft occurred on 1st November 2019, involving five to six Moto2 and Moto3 teams, but it was the Angel Nieto team which suffered the most losses.

Source: Harian Metro

  • Honda gave an exclusive preview of the 2020 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade today.

  • The new bike is set to spearhead Honda’s challenge in production racing.

  • To rehash, it produces 215 hp and 113 Nm of torque.

Boon Siew Honda gave an exclusive preview of the 2020 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade today. The event is in conjunction with the 8 Hours of Sepang FIM Endurance World (FIM EWC) Championship round and announcement of the Honda Asia-Dream Racing team.

Designed to spearhead Honda’s assault in the WorldSBK, Endurance World Championship, and all other race series the world over, the 2020 bike is all-new.

Honda doesn’t like getting beaten. As such, it was designed and developed hand-in-hand with the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC).

Since production racing means that the bikes must not deviate much from er… production bikes, the road bikes have to be built to incorporate whatever “race winning” technology the manufacturer can cram in.

First and foremost, it’s a great departure from the road-friendly character of the CBR900RR all the way up to the 2019 CBR1000RR. Honda had specifically made it clear that this Triple-R is “track focused.”

To retouch, the new 999cc inline-Four shares the same 81 mm x 48.5 mm bore and stroke of the RC213V-S. That’s a 5.0 mm overbore and 6.5 mm understroke compared to the 76 mm x 55 mm architecture. This was done in the interest for more top-end power, something which Honda WorldSBK and EWC riders complained about lacking in the older model.

Other changes include DLC-coated camshafts that actuate finger-followers compared to the previous shim-under-bucket set up. Honda claims that this reduces drivetrain friction by 35% and inertial weight by a whopping 75%. A timing gear on the crankshaft turns the camchain, hence camshafts in the opposite direction of the crankshaft in order to reduce inertia.

The new connecting rods are titanium, halving the weight of the old chromoly steel ones. New forged pistons are made from another type of aluminium alloy that are 5% lighter. The piston skirt is coated with Ober while the pin clip grooves are coated with nickel-phosphorous.

There are other changes as well, in fact too many to list. But all these changes and new stuff lets the engine liberate 215 hp at 14,500 RPM and 113 Nm of torque at 12,500 RPM.

Please go to this article for more technical details: 2020 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade Debuts

Honda’s test riders are currently hard at work in adapting the bike to WorldSBK and EWC duties.

There are two models, of course – one base and the high-spec’ed SP version. No news yet of when it’ll be available in Malaysia, but we expect it to be officially launched something between May to August 2020.

  • The Yamaha Sepang Racing Team will start from pole position at the 8 Hours of Sepang inaugural FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) race.

  • Riders are Hafizh Syahrin, Franco Morbidelli and Michael Van Der Mark.

  • The race starts at 1pm tomorrow.

The Yamaha Sepang Racing Team will start from pole position at the 8 Hours of Sepang inaugural FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) race. The team consists of riders Hafizh Syahrin, Franco Morbidelli and Michael Van Der Mark. Syahrin and Morbidelli are MotoGP riders, while van der Mark rides for the factory Yamaha WorldSBK outfit. The team’s #21 Yamaha YZF-R1 is prepared by YART and shod with Bridgestone tyres. They are competing in the premier Formula EWC class.

Morbidelli on the #21 Yamaha YZF-R1. Photo credit FIM EWC

Such a great means the team is poised to gain victory in their “home” race. A win would make up for Morbidelli’s disappointment of finishing in 5th after qualifying second fastest in the Malaysian MotoGP. Besides that, it’ll be a great confidence boost for Hafizh Syahrin as well after being dropped by the Red Bull KTM Racing Tech 3 MotoGP team for 2020.

Hafizh Syahrin and Morbidelli in the pits. Photo credit FIM EWC

The second qualifying session started at 7pm yesterday. The FIM EWC uses combined qualifying times to determine the grid positions. The 10 fastest goes through to the Top 10 Trial shootout, which is like the Superpole format. The teams then put forth their fastest rider for a single flying lap to determine grid positions 1st through 10th.

Thailand’s Somkiat Chantra of Honda Asia Dream Racing set the gauntlet by posting an eye-popping time of 2m 05.440s. That took the team from 9th to 1st. One of Somkiat’s teammate is Malaysia rider Zaqhwan Zaidi who took part in the Suzuka 8 Hours in July.

But Morbidelli, the current MotoGP rider for the Yamaha Sepang Racing Team struck back with a 2m 04.647s lap. The Italian’s effort was a valiant fight given an early crash.

Qualifying third was the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team, who were previous champions in the series.

The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team did well again to qualify in 4th. Remember, this is only their first season in the FIM EWC since 2015.

By contrast, the championship leading Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) ended qualifying in 11th.

Read: Up close with the BMW S 1000 RR FIM EWC race bike

The Superstock class saw titanic battles for the starting grid up and down the field. In end, it was the Japanese team Tone RT Syncedge 4413 BMW who prevailed, just beating out French based Moto Ain. The former was team were the fastest at the Suzuka 8 Hour, while the latter was last season’s FIM Endurance World Cup winner.

The race starts at 1pm on Saturday. Be there!

Read: 10 Points about the FIM Endurance World Championship and 8 Hours of Sepang

  • Mahindra & Mahindra CEO Anand Mahindra recently called his company’s motorcycle business a “product failure.”

  • He also said that the company should’ve never gotten into the motorcycle business.

  • This is despite owning classic brands like Jawa, BSA and Yezdi.

Indian automotive conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra CEO Anand Mahindra recently called his company’s motorcycle business a “product failure.”

“We knew our dream well and we had the right things, but how to win is where we went wrong. We should have never gone to the commuter bike side.”

While it isn’t shocking about the revelation, such a public outburst by a company’s CEO was certainly so.

But wait, Mahindra makes motorcycles, too? Yes, they do, however under a subsidiary called Classic Legends. And Classic Legends has since bought the Jawa, Yezdi and BSA classic brands.

The company had relaunched the Jawa brand late last year, but many customers have yet to receive their bikes. The manufacturer tried to talk its way out by quoting the “cult desirability” of the brand. What’s that got to do with the long wait times, we wonder.

Analysts are calling out Mahindra for their lack of direction and seem to be throwing out ideas helter-skelter in the hopes they at the public will buy into. But when they do bite, like in the case of Jawa, the company balks in producing the bikes.

Anand even boasted about the bikes being sold out until September 2019.

If that’s not enough, nothing has been done so far for the iconic BSA brand since its purchase in 2017(!).

Is it surprising then to see that Mahindra sold only 4,004 bikes in the entire FY19?

  • We were given access to the BMW Motorrad FIM Endurance World Championship Team’s pit.

  • There we saw the BMW S 1000 RR endurance racer.

  • The 8 Hours of Sepang FEWC race is happening this weekend.

BMW Motorrad announced that the new BMW S 1000 RR will be entered in the FIM Endurance World Championship last year, just prior to the start of the 2019-2020 season.

The decision seemed to have justified itself when the team finished third overall in the season opener at the 24-hour Bol D’or race in France.

We’ve published an article on some of the technical rules for the FEWC, but of course, who wouldn’t want to see the bikes up close? Well, we were given access to the team’s pits and bikes, thanks to BMW Motorrad Malaysia.

Read: 10 Points About the FIM Endurance World Championship and 8 Hours of Sepang

First of all, we were surprised how “open” all the teams were in FEWC. There was no giant separators to hide the insides of the pits, bike parts were in the open, riders walked about nonchalantly without being mobbed.

Walking into the BMW pit, there were fuel tanks on top of a transport case. These tanks feature extensions underneath and to the rear. The rear portion is placed under the rider’s seat. A 24-litre capacity is allowed in FEWC so the teams need extra space to store all that fuel.

But sitting right there in the middle was a stripped out 2019 BMW S 1000 RR. It was sitting on paddock stands without its wheels, seat cover and fuel tank.

Since refuelling need to be lightning quick, all teams use the dry break refuelling system. There are those with two couplings, the rest are with single couplings. Why two holes? Air from the tank exits through one hole while fuel flows through another. Doing this speeds up  the fueling process.

Team manager Werner Daemen greeted us and went on to explain about the bike. (Greeted by a team boss? Never happened in MotoGP.)

There are pitstops for fuel, tyres and rider change (and also crashes). As such, every attachment on the bike is made for quick release. Both wheel axles/spindles needed only three turns to be extracted. Consequently, tyre swaps take only 3 seconds!

The footrests, foot pedals, clip-ons and levers are also quick release systems. Their cable and hose attachments have quick-release couplings that can be twisted on and off.

Looking at the handlebar, there’s a button which says “START.” Yes, the bike’s starter is in place. That’s because riders will line their bikes on one side of the track, then run over from the opposite side. They then have to start their bikes and get going. This endurance tradition lives one.

Daemen pointed out the brakes. The team uses Nissin brakes instead of the usual Brembo. We’ll leave the good/bad arguments to the riders but it shows that there’s room for other manufacturers to shine in the FEWC.

We noticed the gorgeous swingarm. A closer inspection showed that it’s made by Suter, who were once involved in Moto2 racing.

Suter also makes the swingarm for the BMW S 1000 RR HP4 Race, but the swingarms on these race bikes were custom made.

We walked over to the other two bikes. One was crashed yesterday and the rider suffered some shoulder injuries.

Here, we could look right into the engine compartment. The huge airbox was still attached and the ECU sits atop it. The ECU is available to BMW customers who wish to race in endurance. However, instead of unlocking more of the engine’s power, it’s programmed to provide better fuel efficiency and engine reliability. Endurance racing is about strategy and who can be the fastest on a consistent basis, rather than an all-out horsepower battle like in MotoGP.

The rep explained that the riders love the new BMW S 1000 RR engine as it produces a lot of midrange torque. He says that this is due to the BMW ShiftCam variable valve timing/lift system.

It’s this midrange grunt that propels the bike and rider out of corners, not top-end horsepower. If you look at SIC’s layout, there are only two areas that require high horsepower i.e. the rear and front straights, while the rest are made up of short “chutes” leading into other corners. In fact, the torque helps the bike to build speed much quicker when exiting corners, translating to higher speeds down the straights. Remember our article?

Read: Torque vs. Horsepower: What’s the Difference

It has to be said here that the FEWC is a production-based series. That means the racebike must be essentially be the same as the homologation street bike. It also means that the engine architecture and capacity; frame design and material must be exactly be the same.

The FIM scrutineered the bikes and stamped the parts such as the frame.

As we mentioned before, the FEWC is where a proper tyre war takes place. This is where Dunlop, Bridgestone and Pirelli duke it out to produce the best tyres in terms of grip and durability.

The overall objective of all these rules is to encourage manufacturers to produce bikes and products that the buying public can benefit from.

The second round of the season is now in Malaysia at the Sepang International Circuit. Called the 8 Hours of Sepang, the race will play the role as the qualifier for the Suzuka 8 Hour season-finale for “part-time” teams. It means that these teams will compete alongside the regular teams of the FEWC.

So do make your way over to the Sepang International Circuit for this grand event. More details on the SIC webpage.

  • Here’s your chance to test ride the latest Harley-Davidson, Moto Guzzi and Triumph motorcycles.

  • It’s happening during the 8 Hours of Sepang weekend.

  • The test rides will be conducted on Saturday and Sunday.

Here’s your chance to test ride the latest Harley-Davidson, Moto Guzzi and Triumph motorcycles, and it’s happening during the 8 Hours of Sepang weekend. You can test ride them on both Saturday and Sunday.

We know and understand that motorcycle test rides are difficult to come by so this is the best opportunity for you.

In fact, you’d experience why Harley-Davidsons are the premier cruisers. Harley is the longest-running motorcycle manufacturer, renowned for building bikes that break conventions, and fully embodying the spirit of individuality.

Should Moto Guzzi Malaysia bring along the the new Moto Guzzi V85TT, you’ll see why it’s now one of the best-selling dual-sport motorcycles. It had endeared itself into the hearts of many around the world for its character, accessibility and practicality. Besides that model, the modern classic Guzzis are renowned for their character.

Over at Triumph, you’d find out why the worldwide fans commend the bikes as being supremely rideable, characterful and fun. The Bonneville line-up may look classic, but their engine and handling traits make them a joy to ride. The Street Triple shows how a light, nimble and powerful bike is unadulterated pleasure; while the Tiger 800 set the standard on how dual-sport and adventure bikes should be built.

As we mentioned earlier, the test rides are happening during the 8 Hours of Sepang this weekend.

The event is the inaugural installment of the FIM Endurance World Championship to be held in Malaysia. Featuring the world’s top endurance teams and riders, it’ll be one massive race event that all Malaysian motorcycle enthusiasts and the family will enjoy.

Read: 10 Points about the FIM Endurance World Championship (FEWC) and 8 Hours of Sepang

In fact, it gets better than that because it’s a double-header which includes the World Touring Car Races (WTCR).

*Motorcycles available for test rides are subject to weather conditions and may change.

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