Another motorcycle launched last night was the 2025 CFLite 250NK, with an attractive selling price starting from RM9,888.00.
It is a lightweight naked/roadster from CFMoto, sharing the silhouette of its bigger NK cousins. There are some similar design cues of the KTM 250 Duke, too, since CFMoto shares the same design agency, Kiska, with KTM.
Highlights:
249cc, single-cylinder, DOHC engine which produces 27.5hp (20.5 kW) at 9,750 RPM and 22 Nm at 7,500 RPM.
Suspension consists of telescopic forks in front, and a monoshock at the back.
A single 292mm brake disc up front, serviced by a 4-piston caliper.
The rear brake uses a 220mm disc, with a sliding 1-piston caliper.
Dual-channel ABS is standard.
12.5-litre fuel tank.
158 kg curb weight.
795mm seat height.
LED lighting.
Type-A and Type-C USB chargers.
The 2025 CFLite 250NK is available in Bordeaux Red, Nebula Black, Nebula White, and Zephyr Blue.
The 2025 SYM ADXTG 400 adventure scooter that we tested in Taiwan recently has been officially launched in Malaysia. MForce Bike Sdn. Bhd. set its selling price from RM29,888.
The bike boasts a whole range of features that would rival some bigger motorcycles, not to mention its peers in the same category.
The Singaporean Maserati driver who allegedly caused the death of a Malaysian motorcyclist had pleased not guilty in a Malaysian court. The 27-year-old man caused the fatal accident along the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link Expressway in Johor, on 9th May.
The driver, Irshad Abdul Hameed, a civil servant in Singapore made his plea after his charge was read out in court. He was accused of driving his Maserati dangerously and causing the death of A. Vasanthraj, 32, at 6.40 pm on that day.
Thus, he was charged under the Road Transport Act 1987 for reckless driving which caused the death of another individual. If found guilty, he could face up to 10 years in jail and fined up to RM50,000 as this was his first offence under the Act.
The court set a bail at RM12,000 and revoked the defendant’s driving license. He is also required to check in at the nearby police station once a month.
Irshad was travelling towards Johor initially, but made an allegedly illegal u-turn towards Singapore. However, the car crashed into a metal barrier, causing the latter to protrude into the right-most lane.
The deceased could not avoid the barrier and crashed. He was confirmed dead on location due to severe head and leg injuries.
Irshad’s two lawyers insisted that their client did not attempt to make an illegal u-turn. Instead, the car had suffered problems causing Irshad to lose control and hit the barrier, and ended up stalling on the opposite side of the road.
Local motorcyclists who arrived later on the scene were said to have confronted Irshad and his passenger, besides vandalising the Maserati.
The Honda CB350RS generated plenty of excitement when it was launched in Malaysia. Here it was, a handsome, big(ger)-cc, and possibly more importantly, affordable motorcycle for the masses. But of course, the main draw was its looks – who would want to ride an ugly bike, eh? (Ok, ok, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.)
What is the Honda CB350RS?
It is a modern-retro motorcycle, parked in the 350cc-400cc segment. Its design harks back to the standard motorcycle of the 60s and 70s, but is actually packed with contemporary features.
Power is provided a single-cylinder, OHC, air-cooled engine.
It produces a maximum power of 20.7 hp (15.5 kW) at 5,500 RPM and maximum torque of 30 Nm at 3,000 RPM.
Again, as usual with Hondas, torque is the main importance for street bikes.
The engine is mated to a assist and slipper clutch, then to a constant mesh, 5-speed transmission.
Fuelling is via PGM-FI injection.
A semi-cradle steel tube frame holds everything together.
Front suspension consists of non-adjustable telescopic forks, while a pair of shock absorbers are at the back.
19-inch front wheel, 17-inch rear wheel.
Braking is via a 310mm disc up front, and a 240mm disc at the back.
The instrument panel has a round, analog speedometer with an embedded LCD screen.
The LCD screen displays data such gear position, fuel level, odometers, fuel consumption.
LED lighting.
15-litre fuel tank.
Honda claims a lithe 178kg kerb weight.
As you can see, it is a (very) simple motorcycle and holds true to the adage of having an engine, a fuel tank, a handlebar, a seat, and two wheels. Purity of form and function.
Riding the Honda CB350RS
The first thing that surprised us in this day and age of Euro5+ regulations was the relatively loud exhaust. Not ear-splitting loud, but definitely a soulful rumble which you can hear in our video. Turn up the revs and it sounds even better but not the kind you get from modified exhausts. Cool.
The dimensions of the bike felt so right when we first climbed on. Small around the “waist” (where the seat meets the tank), low seat height, handlebar in the right position. Its low weight shone through even before we began moving. The bike was easy to push around while we were in the saddle. That was a plus point.
There was nothing to fiddle with like ride modes or power settings, apart from changing the odometer to real-time fuel consumption. Getting on a motorcycle and riding off immediately never gets old.
Its engine was pretty smooth, despite being a single-cylinder. Torque came in gradually, while the bike picked up speed handsomely. No tachometer? No problem, because we could feel the engine’s power tapering off as it revved past peak power. Hence, we never once ran into the limiter.
Gears 1 thru 4 were evenly and spaced closer together, but changing into 5th took us aback. We were accelerating quickly until we came upon the rising on-ramp to a highway. Snicking into 5th, the engine’s rev began to drop and the bike slowed down. Ah okay, so 5th is an extra tall, overdrive gear for long distance cruising and fuel saving. Indeed, we saw 5 litres/100 km while cruising at 130 km/h.
Then again… it does not mean that the bike could not be ridden with a little aggression, as it loved to corner due to its short wheelbase and low weight. And with low weight comes higher mid-corner speeds, reaped through a smoother corner entry style, rather than being chucked in.
Helping this was the suspension which proved to be nicely compliant even over potholes. Those forks look rudimentary but Honda did a great job of giving them street-oriented damping rates. But the rear shocks truly stood out we did not even remember running over bumps or through potholes.
One last thing, it may be a 350cc engine, but it started to run out of breath around 120 km/h. However, remember that trying to see the top speed on this bike is truly missing the point. The Honda CB350RS is built for riding around in a relaxed manner for you to destress after a long day/week. We did not give a toss about rempits revving at us or flying by. We were one with the bike in a state of zen. The engine’s maximum torque is higher than its maximum horsepower which made it easy to ride in the city, while 5th gear allows you to cruise on the highway. We like.
Conclusion
Simple motorcycles such as the Honda CB350RS reminds us of what motorcycling has become. Sure, modern motorcycles are better as they embody new technologies, but we do feel that these advancements have robbed some of the bikes’ pure soul along the way. Some may say that they would get bored of such simple motorcycles but we gravitate to them instead because we have grown somewhat enamoured with overly complex motorcycles. For example, forgetting to set the ride mode from RACE or SPORT to RAIN while it pours would result in a white-knuckled ride.
Let us not forget that it is a good-looking bike with some quaint details such as the old school fuel tank cap. It even has the classic Honda crankcase covers.
So, at just RM20,500, the Honda CB350RS is a wonderful little machine we would love to ride day in, day out, while leaving the 200hp superbike for the track, or Africa Twin for the weekends. Hey, you may even find yourself riding the CB350RS only, after a while.
The Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE SUPERBIKE 10W-50 engine has just been launched in Malaysia.
Selecting an engine oil for your pride and joy is no easy task. The market is inundated with tens, if not hundreds, of brands that offer different grades for different types of motorcycles, and different budgets. Even we, despite our experience, find it overwhelming at times.
And, of course, each oil is advertised along the lines of the five main functions of engine oil i.e. 1) Lubrication, 2) Cooling, 3) Cleaning, 4) Prevention against oxidation, 5) Sealing. Not forgetting terms such as superior performance and so forth.
Anyhow, you purchased the oil and tested it on your motorcycle only to find it being “meh,” to say the least. The engine felt sluggish and lazy to accelerate besides sounding noisier (it got worse as the oil wore), seemed to be running hotter, gear changes required the strength of King Kong’s foot, pulling the clutch lever required Conan’s hands, etc. We were exaggerating a little, but you get the idea.
Thinking back to the copywriting, it seems like something was lost in the translation between the technology of the oil to how it performs in the real world. Yes, we have been there, too.
Introduction
However, we have experienced oils that performed as they were advertised, sometimes even better. We found that it came down to well-established brands (no, we were not paid to say this) because they pay a lot of attention to research and development in the real world.
One such brand is Castrol, who have been in business since 1899. It has to be said that the company’s name was derived from castor oil which was added to the company’s early lubricants. Castor oil is a more complex ester compared to general ester. And if you were brought up on two-stroke motorcycles, you would know a famous Castrol product called “Castrol R40.” R40 was added to 2T oil to provide superior protection against seizing (“engine jam” in layman terms).
The classic Castrol R40
Moving to the current day, the company has just launched the Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE SUPERBIKE 10W-50 engine oil. Its specs are:
Type: Fully synthetic, ester based
Viscosity grade: 10W-50
Wet clutch certification: JASO MA2
Service code: API SN
Viscosity Index: 169
The most important, yet unfortunately the most overlooked and misunderstood factor above is an oil’s Viscosity Index (VI). It is the measure of how the oil film stays intact when subjected to heat. The higher the VI, the more the oil can stand up to heat without thinning out too much. Hence, 169 is a good.
Additionally, the Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE SUPERBIKE 10W-50 oil has a 5-in-1 formula, for extra benefits, namely:
Excellent acceleration.
Excellent protection.
Enduring performance.
Smooth riding.
Keeps engine cool.
Before you dismiss these points as mere advertising, they were actually tested on the streets and the results verified.
Excellent acceleration
Proven through a 30-second full-throttle acceleration test. Being on full-throttle is hard on any oil, let alone 30 seconds. To illustrate this point, a superbike takes much less than 30 seconds to cover the Sepang International Circuit’s front straight on full throttle.
Furthermore, Castrol measured distance of the bike running on CASTROL POWER1 ULTIMATE SUPERBIKE 10W-50 and found that it was 8 meters ahead of key competitors during the test.
Excellent protection
Let us not forget engine protection should not be compromised for performance. An excellent oil needs to protect the engine parts from wear and tear, and this oil was found to provide over 50% more wear protection than standard oil.
Enduring performance
Nobody wants an oil which stays good only for the first 1000 kilometres (sometimes even less!), only to break down soon after. A good oil should see its performance degrade gradually up to the engine’s service interval. The formulation in CASTROL POWER1 ULTIMATE SUPERBIKE 10W-50 helps the engine to maintain its starting viscosity and keep the engine cleaner for longer.
Smooth riding
The new lubricant is JASO MA2 rated, which is the highest clutch friction performance rating. This provides a smooth ride by maintaining the right friction level to prevent clutch slippage. Even after 3,000km, the oil kept its MA2 rating, ensuring smoother rides.
Keeps the engine cool
Remember what we said in the previous article? Despite the advent of liquid-cooling, oil remains as the engine’s essential cooling medium as it circulates where coolant cannot reach such as the piston and rings themselves, valvetrain, crankcase, transmission, clutch. This is one aspect in which viscosity index plays such an important factor.
And, we would like to add that ester has that ability from the outset, which was why Castrol chose to use it as the base oil.
Castrol subjected the new lubricant to mileage accumulation tests on a 300cc and 1000cc bike, and found the oil temperature remained stable throughout the test.
The CASTROL POWER1 ULTIMATE SUPERBIKE 10W-50 was tested among 10 Malaysian bikers for over 2000 kilometres before it was made available to the market. Their testimonials include:
Smoother clutch engagement.
Smoother gear changes and better gear synchronisation.
Much quieter when shifting through gears.
Riders rated acceleration 85 out of 100 with a noticeable boost in performance.
All riders will recommend it.
Conclusion
So there you have it, a new oil called CASTROL POWER1 ULTIMATE SUPERBIKE 10W-50 in the market made by a trusted lubricant specialist. It delivers superior performance and protection at the same time. Talk about having your cake and eating it.
Finally, it is here: The 2025 Honda CB1000 SP. It was launched at the recent Malaysian Autoshow 2025.
Also known as the CB1000 Hornet SP, this model is differentiated from the Neo Sports Café CB1000R. As such The Honda calls the former a bike with a streetfighter stance.
Highlights
1000cc, liquid-cooled, 16-valve DOHC inline-four delivers 155 hp (115.6kW) at 11,000rpm and 107Nm of torque at 9,000rpm.
A gain of 5.4 hp (4kW) and 2Nm is achieved through the addition of a Revolutionary Controlled (RC) valve in the 7.1L exhaust muffler, compared to the earlier versions.
Fuel is managed via PGM-FI (Programmed Fuel Injection), supported by a 17L fuel tank.
Multi-plate assist & slipper wet clutch, and 6-speed transmission.
