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

TMC Dumont – Flying Too Low

The TMC Dumont was built around a Rolls-Royce aircraft engine.
It rolls on a pair of 36-inch hubless wheels.
It won the Best of Show accolade at the 77^thDaytona Bike Week.

If you want to see what creativity… well, more like eccentricity, audacity and insanity in the automotive world, look no further than motorcycles. The TMC Dumont illustrates that point to a tee.

The TMC Dumont was built by Tarso Marques and his team. The Brazilian raced for the Minardi team in Formula 1 from 1996 to 2001. It was Malaysian driver Alex Yoong who replaced him in 2001 with three races to go.

F1 career aside, Marques ventured into custom motorcycle building.

The bike looks stunning enough with the those massive 36-inch hubless wheels alone but do spare some amazement for the engine. That’s because it’s a Rolls-Royce Continental V6 aircraft engine which punches out 300 bhp.

The Dumont makes true the adage of a motorcycle consisting of nothing else but an engine and two wheels. The rider sits behind the engine between his legs and in front of the unshielded rear tyre. Its entire chassis sits just a couple of inches above the ground. Hope there’s not speed bump ahead…

Yes, we also wondered where the brakes?

While it may be as practical as using a samurai sword to shave, the custom world heaped praises on the TMC Dumont. In fact, it was conferred the Best of Show award at the 77^thDaytona Bike Week.

Who says being eccentric doesn’t get you places?

View this post on Instagram

”TMC DUMONT” My good friend @tarsomarquesoficial represents Brazil at Daytona bike week -2018. He really show all how to do it! He is a big inspiration source when it comes to show that nothing is to hard enough to achieve. Keep it up brother! . #tmc #tmcdumont #daytonabikeweek #daytonabikeweek2018 #rollsroyce #custombike #hubless #hublesswheel

A post shared by Niki Norberg (@niki23gtr) on Feb 24, 2018 at 7:12am PST

PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team – Malaysia’s First MotoGP Team Launched!

The PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team was launched today.
It is Malaysia’s and Southeast Asia’s first MotoGP team.
The team riders are Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo.

PETRONAS are fielding teams in MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 championships in 2019. The MotoGP team is formally called PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team (PETRONAS Yamaha SRT), while the Moto2 and Moto3 teams are named PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team (PETRONAS SRT). (more…)

Troubleshooting Suspension Symptoms (Part 3) – Compression Damping

We’ve put together a troubleshooting suspension symptoms guide.
A troubleshooting guide is easier to remember and use.
We conclude the series with compression damping.

We provided a guide on troubleshooting preload adjustment and rebound damping previously. We shall deal with compression damping in this last part.

What is compression damping?

To recap, compression damping is opposite of rebound damping. It controls how quickly the wheel travels upwards when it contacts a bump in the road.

Think of compression damping as the resistance when the spring is squeezed.

Too little compression damping (Front)

The front dives excessively under braking.
Pitches the motorcycles weight on the front wheel when braking making the bike hard to turn it in or causing the handlebar to “waggle.”
The forks can bottom out and hit the bump stops when hitting sharp bumps.
The rear end of the bike feels like “coming around” when the front brakes are jabbed hard.
Steering feels vague and mushy (lack of feedback) similar to too little rebound damping.

Too much compression damping (Front)

The forks feel very hard when the wheel contacts the bump.
Every ripple and bump on the road are transmitted directly to the chassis and the rider. Big bumps could deflect the wheel completely off the road. (Conversely, too little compression will have the wheel travel all the way up before punching the front end off the road surface.)
May cause the front end to ride high in some cases.
While dive is reduced while braking hard, the front wheel can become loose when braking over uneven road (as the suspension does not absorb the bumps).

Compression damping is adjusted by the screw in the middle

Too little compression damping (Rear)

The rear end tends to “squat” or “sit down” too much during acceleration, causing the bike to run wide (the front end is pushed up causing lack of traction from the front tyre).
Hitting bumps and dips at speed causes the rear shock to bottom out.
Chassis balance is over-affected by large dips (for example sunken road surface at Sungai Koyan).
Steering becomes difficult and erodes confidence.

Too much compression (Rear)

Ride is harsh and it gets worse the faster you go. However, too much rebound damping causes the rear to feel even harsher.
Too much compression causes rear tyre to hop over bumps, especially when decelerating.
Bigger bumps will kick the rear end of the bike up and the rider off the seat.

Conclusion

So, there you have it.

Always “mark” the factory settings before you start and note them down. For example, turn the compression damping to fully minimum and count many clicks to get there. Then, turn it to maximum, noting the number of clicks. Finally, turn it back to the original position and start from there.

Our advice is to adjust one parameter at a time, say start with rebound damping before moving on to compression damping. Adjusting everything all at once will confuse you.

Another advice, do not go to the maximum unless you really, really need to (for example poor quality forks). Having a little less of something may actually gain you more in terms of enjoyment.

Lastly, please do not think you need to add more preload/compression/rebound just because you ride faster. You can do so at the track but that does not necessarily mean going all the way to the maximum. Conversely, adjust what is necessary to allow the bike to work for you, not vice versa.

JPJ Issues Arrest Warrants to 40,000 Motorists over AWAS

JPJ has blacklisted and issued arrest warrant to 39,311 motorists for not settling their AWAS fines.
98,850 summonses were issued after the installation of 45 AWAS cameras in September 2018.
Traffic offenders have 60 days to settle their summonses or be dragged to court.

The JPJ (Road Transport Department) is making serious demands into unpaid AWAS (Automatic Awareness Security System) summonses.

According to Bernama, 98,850 summons notices were sent out after 45 AWAS cameras were installed in September 2018. However, only 10,876 of the summonses were settled as of 21^stJanuary 2019.

As such, the JPJ proceeded to blacklisting 39,311 motorists with unpaid summonses. Worse, arrest warrants were also issued to them.

JPJ Director General Datuk Seri Shaharuddin Khalid said, “Traffic offenders have 60 days to settle their summonses beginning the date the summonses were issued. JPJ will take the cases to court for prosecution (upon expiry of the 60-day period).”

He added that 39,358 drivers were prosecuted in court as of December 2018.

The Director General also said that the department plans to implement four more AWAS cameras at the Menora Tunnel after the Chinese New Year this year.

Our recommendation to our readers is to quickly check in portals such as https://www.myeg.com.myto see if have outstanding summonses. While you may be able to appeal to lower your fines in court, you may also run the risk of being fined higher. Plus, no one enjoys having the Police showing up at your doorstep or workplace to serve the warrant and arrest you.

2019 Yamaha YZF-R25 Launched by Hong Leong Yamaha Motor

Hong Leong Yamaha Motor launched the 2019 Yamaha YZF-R25 lightweight sportbike today.
It features a new styling and bodywork, inspired by the MotoGP YZR-M1.
The 2019 bike is mechanically unchanged, apart from upside-down forks.

Hong Leong Yamaha Motor (HLYM) launched another eagerly-awaited model, the 2019 Yamaha YZF-R25.

The first-generation YZF-R25 (R25) found popular standing among many Malaysian motorcyclists. Sales was kept going despite being in the market since 2015. HLYM sold thousands of R25s since its introduction.

That is why there are many R25 owner clubs in Malaysia. In fact, thousands will show up for official convoys, including the annual ride to the Malaysian MotoGP.

The 2019 R25 features a new bodywork and styling, mimicking its larger YZF-R6 brother. Indeed, it’s easy to mistake the new R25 for the new R6 due to the multifaceted fairing, new aggressive headlights and taillight, and tail-section. The headlights and taillight are LED.

However, the engine and frame remain unchanged, although the 2019 model features upside-down forks.

Yamaha claims the new R25 gets an 8 km/h increase in top speed.

Highlights

Aggressive, MotoGP YZR-M1 inspired styling.
249cc, liquid-cooled, 8-valve, parallel-twin engine.
The engine produces 35.5 bhp at 12,000 RPM, 22.6 Nm at 10,000 RPM.
Updated LCD instrument display.
New upside-down fork front suspension for chassis rigidity and feedback.
Rear shock absorber with preload adjuster.
New LED headlights and taillight.
New 3-in-1 main switch inspired by Yamaha big bikes.
14.3-liter fuel tank.
166 kg wet weight.

HLYM will announce the 2019 Yamaha YZF-R25’s price at a later date. It is offered in two colours: Metallic Blue and a new Matt Red.

The bike was launched at HLYM’s annual Dealer Conference in Genting Highlands.

2019 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT Launched by Hong Leong Yamaha Motor (from 58,888)

Hong Leong Yamaha Motor launched the 2019 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT sport-tourer today.
It is an evolution of the “standard” MT-09/Tracer 900 and with many revisions.
Its GT name reflects the Gran Turismo spirit of a performance tourer, which carries its rider over long distances in speed and comfort.

Finally! The 2019 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT was launched by Hong Leong Yamaha Motor today.

After months of waiting the middleweight sport-tourer, three-cylinder Tracer 900 GT is here. The bike is the next step in the evolution of the Yamaha Tracer 900, and it carries more features over the “standard” Tracer. As the GT (Gran Turismo) name suggests, Yamaha promises the bike to carry the rider over long distances with more comfort while at speed.

But the GT is not just a kitted-out standard Tracer 900. Instead, Yamaha has carried many revisions to arrive at the GT.

Highlights

847cc, inline-three-cylinder, crossplane crankshaft, engine.
The engine produces 115 bhp at 10,000 RPM, 87.5 Nm at 8,500 RPM.
Quick Shift system.
Adjustable windscreen.
Cruise Control system.
New Thin Film Transistor (TFT) instrument display (no more “TV screen” from the old Super Tenere).

Fully-adjustable front suspension.
Adjustable rear shock absorber with new remote preload adjuster.

YCC-T Yamaha Computer Controlled Throttle (ride-by-wire throttle).
D-Mode ride modes with integrated Traction Control System (TCS) and ABS.

60mm longer swingarm to keep more weight over the front wheel.
30mm longer passenger footpegs for more comfort.
Narrower handlebar.

Comfort seats.
Full-LED lighting all-around.

The 2019 Yamaha Tracer GT is priced at RM 58,888 (basic selling price with SST but not on-the-road). Its competitive pricing will place it as a serious contender of the Malaysian middleweight sport-touring market.

The bike was launched at HLYM’s annual Dealer Conference in Genting Highlands. Keep following us today as HLYM will also launch the 2019 YZF-R25 tonight.