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2018 Bajaj Dominar 400 launched – Canyon Red & Glacier Blue!

Bajaj Auto has revealed the 2018 Bajaj Dominar 400 in India which comes in two new colours; Canyon Red and Glacier Blue.

The Dominar 400 which is powered by 373cc single-cylinder engine is expected to arrive in Malaysia sometime in the first quarter of 2018.

Bajaj also introduced an updated 2018 Bajaj V15 with a brand new rear seat and back rest.

Bajaj Auto has just launched their latest 2018 Bajaj Dominar 400 yesterday in India. Their top of the range flagship model now comes in two new colour schemes which are Canyon Red and Glacier Blue. Bajaj Dominar 400 fans can still get the bike in Matte Black option although the other colourways have been dropped out. (more…)

2018 Ducati Panigale V4 expected to arrive in March

The 2018 Ducati Panigale V4 is expected to arrive on Malaysian shores as early as March 2018.

Bookings are already open for all three variants from the base Panigale V4, Panigale V4 S up to the limited edition Panigale V4 Speciale.

Ducati Petaling Jaya is also organising its first Ducati Red Weekend on 13 and 14 January 2018 where you can know more about the V4 or any other models on sale.

According to some news that has been travelling in the World Wide Web, folks are getting super excited on the arrival of the 2018 Ducati Panigale V4. Based on reliable sources, the Italian manufacturer’s first full production four-cylinder superbike is expected to arrive in Malaysia as early as March 2018. (more…)

MotoGP 2018: No airbag racing suit? No race!

The MotoGP 2018 season will see all permanent riders wearing an airbag racing suit if they wish to compete in the race categories.

All racing suits must be fitted with an airbag system that will provide protection for the shoulders and collarbone.

This is a good move considering the manufacturers will invest more on airbag system which in turn will be made more available for consumers.

A very interesting update has just been confirmed by the folks over at MotoGP where beginning of the 2018 season, all riders must wear a racing suit equipped with airbag systems. The rule applies to each and every rider across all three categories (MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3) except for wildcard riders. (more…)

How Does a Four-Stroke Engine Work

An internal combustion engine needs to combust air and fuel to produce mechanical power.
The air/fuel mixture needs to be inducted, compressed, combusted and extracted.
Here’s the basics on how a four-stroke engine works.

Recently while testing the Triumph Street Triple RS, I had someone ask me if the bike was a three-stroke. There was another occasion when I had a small argument with another person who insisted that the KTM 1290 Super Duke GT was a two-stroke. I wouldn’t give a second thought if those guys were motorcycle neophytes, but they were riders, and it happened many times over many years. What happens if it’s a BMW K 1600 or Honda Gold Wing? Do they have six-stroke engines?

It seemed like this phenomenon has been rampant for the last twenty years in our country. OMG.

There are two common types of power cycles for gasoline engines: Four-stroke and two-stroke. Let’s see how a four-stroke works. There’s also the rotary engine and Atkinson cycle engine, but they’re uncommon.

First and foremost, an internal combustion engine needs to combust fuel and air. The force from this combustion is transferred to mechanical energy. Hence, a four-stroke engine takes four distinct strokes to produce the power to move a vehicle.

Let’s take a look at the basics.

1: INTAKE

Also called suction, this stroke begins with the piston at top dead centre (TDC), as it travels downwards toward bottom dead centre (BDC). The intake valve opens and the piston travelling downwards causes a negative pressure (vacuum) in the cylinder, sucking in the fuel/air mixture and filling the cylinder.

2: COMPRESSION

As the piston travels back up from BDC to TDC, the intake valve closes and traps the fuel/air mixture inside the cylinder. The piston compresses the mixture in preparation for combustion.

The crankshaft will have travelled 1 full, 360^o revolution (1 RPM) when the piston reaches TDC.

3: COMBUSTION

Also known as ignition or power stroke. The sparkplug (or sparkplugs) fire, igniting the compressed fuel/air mixture. The pressure raises by 3200 to 5000 kPa (32 to 50 bars), and the temperature by 600^o Celcius.

The compression pressure forces the piston back downwards to BDC, creating the mechanical work (kinetic energy) to turn the crankshaft.

4: EXHAUST

Also known as outlet stroke. The exhaust opens as the upward movement of the piston pushes the burned gasses out past the exhaust valve, into the exhaust port and exhaust pipe.

The crankshaft completes two full revolutions when the piston fully reaches TDC. A four-stroke engine needs two RPM to produce mechanical power. Thus if you hold 10,000 RPM for one minute on the tachometer, there are 5000 power strokes in that one minute. Yes, that’s how hard the engine is actually working.

As we mentioned above, this are the basics of how a four-stroke engine works. There are other little details that we will discuss in the future, such as ignition timing which actually emits the spark before the piston fully reaches TDC, so forth.

Back to the opening story, no, there is no three-stroke or six-stroke engine. The answer I commonly use is, “It’s a one/two/three/four/six piston, four-stroke engine.” Or just show them this article.

PGM V8 – Meet the 2000cc V8 monster naked bike from Australia

The PGM V8 is the latest 2000cc V8 monster naked bike that has been created in the land obsessed with V8 power, Australia.

Pat Maloney created the PGM V8 after retiring from a successful life in Superbike World Championship and Formula 1.

The engine is created by joining two Yamaha YZF-R1 engines together which generates a powerful 334hp and 214Nm of maximum torque.

In a place where the general population and motorheads are almost obsessed with the V8 engine configuration, it’s not a surprise when someone decides to stuff it into a motorcycle chassis. That’s exactly what happened a couple of years back when Pat Maloney created the PGM V8 which is arguably one of the world’s most powerful production motorcycles. (more…)

What You Need to Know When Choosing Tyres

Tyres are the best way to improve your bike.
But how do you determine the best tyres?
Here are a few points to consider plus tips.

We’re overstating the obvious here, but tyres are definitely the most important component on your motorcycle. Tyres not only determine the bike’s handling, but also translates to rider safety, confidence, comfort, and fuel consumption in the overall picture.

But what are the factors you should base your choice on?

COMPROMISE

Do realise that all tyres are a compromise between mileage vs. wear, slow-speed vs. high-speed handling, stability vs. quick-turning, and many more aspects. A tyre that is popular in racing championships such as MotoGP and World Superbike may not suit your riding style or the mileage you have in mind.

That’s because different brands and even the models offered by one brand have different characteristics. For example, Bridgestones generally have hard sidewalls and round profiles compared to Metzelers and Pirellis that have softer sidewalls and round profiles. However, while the Pirelli Supercorsa ‘s profile is rounded, the Pirelli Angel ST sport-touring tyre is triangulated.

Firm sidewalls provide lots of feedback to the rider, but may not provide the confidence and comfort to some riders when the road gets bumpy. Conversely, soft sidewalls are more compliant, thereby providing more confidence over bumps at the expense of some feedback.

Furthermore, certain tyres are made to slide early as a signal to rider who’s nearing the limit (although there’s still much traction left). I personally like this characteristic because I don’t have to second guess the tyres’ limits, especially when riding in the rain or on wet roads. Certain riders may find it disconcerting or terrifying to have their tyres sliding around.

PROFILES

A triangulated profile gives the sensation of quick steering and willingness to lean into a corner. Additionally, a triangulated profile provide better side grip due to bigger contact patches. However, these type of tyres may not feel as stable when riding in a straight line and hard braking.

A round profile tyre offers more stability when running straight and during hard braking, sacrificing quick turning and flickability, hence feeling more neutral. Besides that, round profile tyres allow the rider to maintain his chosen line with comparative ease.

Again, the question: Which one?

It depends on your riding style, preference (read: brand) and skill level. My personal choice is the triangulated profile as I like the extra agility when commuting. But it’s also because of my preference to turn into corners later on the streets (to allow me to see further through corners), which requires me to flick the bike in quickly. Conversely, I prefer the round profile tyre on the track where the corners are set in place and since there’s no need to cilok through traffic.

COMPOUNDS

One undying tyre myth is that stickier race tyres allows riders to go faster. While this certainly applies to the track, it isn’t so on the streets.

As most already know, rubber becomes more pliable when it’s heated up, allowing it to conform to the “peaks” and “valleys” in the road surface. This heating and cooling cycles also alter the tyre’s character, turning the compound harder and harder over time.

Race tyres are made just for that: Racing. They perform at their optimum levels once or twice and then discarded. Race tyres are also designed to withstand more heat due to the extreme speeds; cornering, acceleration and braking forces; and abrasion before they finally degrade. For this reason, they need more time and aggressive riding to get them up to working temperature.

That in turn makes them unpractical for street use, as riding like a madman everywhere is just plain impossible, not to mention dangerous even if one is able to.

Besides that, dry race tyres don’t have much tread or even at all to handle rain, or other dirty conditions on public roads. Wet weather racing tyres on the other hand uses ultra-soft compound that’ll destroy itself in less than 60 km when ridden in the dry.

In this case, you should just go ahead and fit street compound tyres that’ll provide good mileage and still could be occasionally used on the track. As we discussed above, street compound tyres need very little time and aggressive riding to get them working properly.

Tyre technologies have advanced so much that even sport-touring tyres provide better grip for 90% of all the riders out on the streets. The Bridgestone T30 Evo, Pirelli Rosso Corsa, and Pirelli Angel ST, Michelin Pilot 4 are pretty good examples. You’d be surprised what some skilled riders could do with these tyres. Let’s be honest with ourselves here. Most of us couldn’t outride the capabilities of modern sport-touring tyres.

On the other hand, it’s not wrong to fit supersport tyres if that’s your cup of tea. However, do consider if your riding or intended riding consists mostly of daily commuting on the highway, with just the occasional weekend lemang ride and rarely to never on the track. It may make more sense if commute between Ulu Yam and the city, but how about rainy days?

TYRE AGE

A tyre’s production date is stamped on the sidewall and you may see something like “3017.” The first two digits denote the production week, while the last two denote the year. In this case, the tyre was produced on the 30^th production week in 2017.

Never buy tyres that are six years old or more, including second hand ones.

Speaking of used tyres, I’ve met riders who complained that their used tyres were terrible and couldn’t understand why many other riders swear by them.

Remember the earlier discussion about heat cycles? It’s safe to assume that second hand tyres have gone through a few heat cycles before being put up for sale. The chemicals in the tyre will “outgas” leaving behind a tyre that’s pretty much unlike a fresh tyre anymore, despite looking new and has deep treads.

Apart from that, because each rider has a different riding style or skill, a tyre will take on the characteristics as the direct result. Yes, you may say that tyres have “memory.” This is also one of the few reasons why we feel “different” on a friend’s identical bike.

Again, it’s not wrong to use second hand tyres, but do not compare them to how they would be when new.

BREAKING IN NEW TYRES

Breaking in, or running in, new tyres should be done with some thought.

A tyres need a few repeated heating and cooling cycles to stabilize its chemical compounds. Additionally, how you break in a tyre will determine how it would perform further into its life. Too much stress early in a tyre’s early life will have it hardening quicker. As such, don’t be too gentle or greedy in breaking in your tyres during the initial 300 km.

TYRE PRESSURE

Sometimes manufacturers would overinflate the tyres of the bikes leaving the factory for storage and transportation. There are dealers who don’t check for this when they deliver the bikes to customers, leading the new owners to believe that new tyres should be overinflated.

Truth is, it’s always best to refer to the bike manufacturer’s recommended pressures. (Ironic, eh?) We’ve posted this question directly to Pirelli during a recent Pirelli tyre clinic and they recommended so as well.

You may increase the tyre pressures when carrying a passenger and luggage, but again, your motorcycle manufacturer has recommendations for these scenarios. Just fill up according to the pressures usually stated on the swingarm for the respective scenarios.