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

Bikesrepublic

Latest News

Tenneco Inc. to Own Majority Stake in Öhlins Racing A.B.

Tenneco Inc. will buy a majority stake in suspension specialist Öhlins Racing A.B.
Öhlins founder Kenth Öhlin will remain with the company.
The deal will be finalized in 2019.

Tenneco Inc. will own a majority stake in premier suspension specialist Öhlins Racing A.B.

While many of us may not be familiar with Tenneco’s name, the American company owned the Marzocchi suspension brand. Tenneco shut down Marzocchi in 2015 before selling it to VRM, an Italian automotive company.

The deal is worth $160 million (RM669 million). The minority stake will remain with founder Kenth Öhlin. Industry observers consider the amount a premium. However, Teneco aims to lead the suspension industry, no doubt through Öhlins’s research and development in electronically controlled and semi-active suspension (CES).

Brian Kesseler, co-CEO of Tenneco said, “Öhlins’ technology team will allow us to rapidly grow our product offerings for current and future customers, as well as help us win a larger share of business in developing mobility markets.” He also added that the Öhlins team plays an important part of the new Aftermarket and Ride Performance company.

Öhlins currently employs 340 personnel in its R&D sit in Sweden. They have branches and subsidiaries worldwide are in Thailand, Sweden, Germany, USA. Öhlins practically holds a monopoly in the motorcycle road-racing scene, thereby etching the into road riders’ psyche. (Öhlins supplies suspension systems for cars, also.)

We expect the acquisition to close in the first quarter of 2019. Kenth Öhlin will continue to provide strategic and technological vision to the company, however.

“Ride for Sight” – Mohd. Adib to Ride from Penang to China

Mohd. Adib will ride from Penang to China for charity.
The proceeds will go to the St. Nicholas’ Home, Penang.
St. Nicholas’ Home, Penang provides care for the visually-handicapped.

“Ride for Sight” will Mohd. Adib ride from Penang to China for charity from 20^thNovember 2018.

The ride seeks to assist the St. Nicholas’ Home, Penang. St. Nicholas’ Home provides assistance for the visually handicapped from ages 6 through 77 irrespective of religion, race and background. They provide programs such as handicraft workshops, handing out low vision aid perscriptions, aftercare and job placement service, home for the elderly blind, among many others. There is also a multi-handicapped program caters to those who are afflicted with other afflictions in addition to being visually-handicapped.

This is why Mohd. Adib’s calls the ride “Ride for Sight.” The ride will take approximately 27 days to complete.

“My ride kicks off on the 20^thNovember 2018 and end on 15^thDecember 2018.The route I will be riding is from Penang – Thailand – Golden Triangle Border (Myanmar, Thailand & Laos) – Shangri-La – Tibet – Kunming – Laos – Thailand and back to Penang,” said the thirty-year-old Mohd. Adib.

The rider is no stranger stranger to overland rides on his Yamaha FZ150i. Among his achievements were:

Solo ride around Peninsular Malaysia in 2013.
Solo riding in the 7 Nations Expedition which covered Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Laos and Myanmar in 2016.
Taking part in the Colombo Bike Week in Sri Lanka in 2017.

Mohd. Adib is raising funds for St. Nicholas’ Home through the sale os exclusive T-shirts. He will donate 10% of each sold to the home. The shirts are available through Mohd. Adib’sand Kembara Jiwa’sFacebook pages. Price for the T-shirts are RM50 (short-sleeved) and RM60 (long-sleeved).

Mohd. Adib can also be reaced at 016-4734748 for further information.

Honda CB125M Concept – The ultimate mini-moto

The Honda CB125M Concept was presented during the recent EICMA 2018 show in Milan.
The mini supermoto was unveiled alongside its adventure bike sibling, the Honda CB125X Concept.
Some of the specs fitted on the Honda CB125M Concept are 17-inch Marchesini wheels, Pirelli slick tyres, and an SC-Project exhaust.

The introduction of the Honda CB125X Concept 125cc adventure bike was presented during EICMA 2018 in Milan together with its super mini-moto sibling, the Honda CB125M Concept. When it comes to making the base Honda CB125R even more enticing, the folks over at Honda Europe R&D department came up with this particular baby. (more…)

GIVI Malaysia Launched Blog and GIVISTA Community

GIVI Malaysia has launched a blog space and GIVISTA Community.
The blog highlights products, lifestyle and trivia.
The GIVISTA Community highlights GIVI users’ activities.

GIVI Malaysia has launched a blog in their website and a GIVISTA Community in Facebook recently.

It is of no doubt that GIVI is world famous for their products. However, one may not be aware of just how extensive they are. The company has products for motorcycles of all types and engine capacities, from scooters all the way to the open-class adventure-tourers.

As such, the two new platforms provide up-to-date news and information about the latest products. However, there are certain differences between the two.

GIVI Malaysia’s blog at http://www.givi.com.my/blog.phpnot only features the latest products but also a mix of articles. You may find write-ups on practical applications for the products, first-hand accounts of using them and other trivia such as the company’s involvement in motorsports.

The GIVISTA Community Facebook page on the other hand is as the name suggests, is where a community of GIVI users share their experience, rides and most of all their love for GIVI products. One may also find the latest updates on GIVI Malaysia’s activities, for example, invitation to convoys.

You may also visit www.givi.com.myand https://www.facebook.com/givimalaysia/for more information.

BMW Motorrad Returns to 2019 World Superbike Championship (WorldSBK)

BMW Motorrad is returning to the 2019 World Superbike Championship (WorldSBK).
The manufacturer will enter the 2019 BMW S 1000 RR.
Tom Sykes and Markus Reiterberger are the team’s riders.

BMW Motorrad announces their return to the 2019 World Superbike Championship (WorldSBK).

BMW is the one manufacturer that’s glaringly missing from WorldSBK. Their last effort was with the GoldBet BMW team which was disbanded after 2013. Their riders were Marco Melandri and Leon Haslam.

The new team will be racing the recently-launched 2019 BMW S 1000 RR. The bikes will be developed and prepared by BMW’s factory in Munich together with the Shaun Muir Racing Team.

BMW Motorrad announced 2013 WorldSBK Champion Tom Sykes and European Superstock 1000 Champion Markus Reiterberger as their riders.

The championship should heat up next year with BMW’s re-entry with the new S 1000 RR. The new bike is new from ground up with emphasis on higher power and compactness. While the stock production 2019 S 1000 RR produces “only” 204 bhp compared to the new bike from Ducati, you can bet that the racing S 1000 RR will be up there among the top runners.

There is hope among racing fans that WorldSBK 2019 will see the end of four-time and current champion Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki’s domination of the series. A one-horse race is never a spectacle.

2019 Honda CBR650R Introduced at EICMA 2018

The 2019 Honda CBR650R makes its appearance at EICMA 2018.
Honda has dropped the “F” designation and made the bike more aggressive.
We hope Honda could maintain the new bike’s price like the CBR650F’s.

The 2019 Honda CBR650R was unveiled next to the CB650R Neo Sport Café at EICMA 2018.

Notice that Honda has dropped the “F” designation for the 2019 650cc models, so it will be less confusing. But it isn’t just a name change.

We tested its predecessor earlier this year. We called the 2018 CB650F “Between Two Worlds” as it combined sportiness with everyday practicality.

2018 Honda CBR650F Test & Review – “Between Two Worlds”

The new bike continues this legacy, but Honda has updated it in more ways than one.

Starting from the engine, the 2019 650cc, DOHC, inline-Four sees upgrades identical to the CB650R. The updates include works to the engine, fueling (ECU), and higher rev limit. The revisions yield nearly 5% increase in power (from 90 bhp to 95 bhp) and improved torque delivery. Additionally, there is a 6kg reduction in weight. That equals an 8% improvement in power-to-weight ratio.

The riding position of the 2019 bike is more aggressive. The clip-on handlebars are moved 30mm to the front and lowered. The footpegs are 3mm rearward and 6mm higher. Seat height remains at a comfortable 810mm.

The 2019 CBR650R has a new styling which looks pretty much like its CBR1000RR bigger brother, too.

We have a feeling that the 2019 CBR650R will fill the void left by the Honda CBR600RR. Honda will definitely have a winner if they could maintain the 2019 CBR650R’s pricing in the range of the 2018 CBR650F.

We only wish it has a quickshifter.