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The CIMA Motor 2023 expo in Chongqing, China, witnessed a remarkable introduction with the debut of the Victoria Simplee V7 motorcycle. 

Amidst a plethora of lesser-known Chinese brands, this new model stands out by carrying the legacy of a century-old German motorcycle manufacturer, Victoria-Werke.

This unexpected resurrection comes after the trademark rights to the Victoria Motorrad brand were acquired by a Chinese company, leading to the creation of the Victoria Simplee V7.

Victoria-Werke, a historic name in the world of motorcycles, originally commenced production in Nuremberg, Germany, in the year 1901. In its heyday, it was considered a prominent player within the German motorcycle industry, sharing the limelight with renowned brands like Zundapp, which has since transitioned its focus to electric bicycles. 

The Simplee V7, true to its heritage, prominently features the historic emblem, which includes an eagle and crowned human head, representing the coat of arms of Nuremberg.

While the historical influences are unmistakable, the 2024 Victoria Simplee V7 is undeniably a product of modern China. Aesthetically, the Simplee V7 represents a unique fusion of retro and contemporary design elements.

It avoids the classic motorcycle appearance and leans towards a neo-retro style. Key features include a prominent LED headlight, a distinctive fairing that extends to enclose the oil cooler, and a robust, bulky tail section.

That said, the Simplee V7 boasts a 700cc air and oil-cooled V-twin engine equipped with Bosch electronic fuel injection. This powerplant generates a modest 43.5hp and 50Nm of torque, attributed to an 82.6-millimeter bore and a 63-millimeter stroke.

On the technological front, the motorcycle incorporates a KYB inverted front fork and preload-adjustable rear shocks. Nissin braking hardware, complete with dual-channel ABS, ensures efficient stopping power. 

Additional safety features include traction control. However, given its relatively low power output and a substantial weight of 223 kilograms, this feature may prove superfluous. The motorcycle also offers a full-color 3.5-inch TFT display and the convenience of a built-in USB charger.

In the Chinese market, the Victoria Simplee V7 has been competitively priced at CNY25,777 that’s equivalent to RM16.7k. 

Liqui Moly has introduced a new product called the Motorbike Detailer, which functions exactly as the name implies. 

  • Liqui Moly to display the new Motorbike Detailer at the 2023 Motor Bike Expo in Verona. 
  • The new product not only add shine but also protects the paint for weeks. 

The German brand also officially announced its presence at the 2023 Motor Bike Expo in Verona this weekend. 

According to Liqui Moly, the ‘Motorbike Detailer’ helps minimise the effort required to achieve a good clean of your motorcycle without damaging the paint. 

That said, the product can protect the paintwork for “several weeks” after its application. Also, the Motorbike Detailer not only adds shine, it also tackles dirty jobs, including dust, paw marks and even bird droppings. 

The application is simple; the Motorbike Detailer is applied via a spray bottle. Interestingly, the product can be sprayed on dry and wet surfaces. 

Alongside the Motorbike Detailer, Liqui Moly also introduced a ‘Polishing Microfiber Cloth’. 

The Liqui Moly Motorbike Detailer and the Polishing Microfiber Cloth will be on display at the 2023 Motor Bike Expo in Verona, Italy, beginning today (27 January). 

Lumba jalanan haram kekal sebagai jenayah biasa di negara-negara di seluruh dunia, tetapi menurut seorang pakar psikologi trafik, “tiada penyelesaian sebenar” untuk masalah sejagat ini.

Presiden Persatuan Psikologi Lalu Lintas Jerman, Wolfgang Fastenmeier, mengatakan bahawa pendekatan pendidikan memang wujud, seperti “kursus kemalangan” di mana pemandu laju dimaklumkan tentang akibat kemalangan jalan raya.

Tetapi tidak jelas sama ada pendekatan ini membantu atau tidak`, profesor psikologi trafik Berlin memberitahu akhbar Mannheimer Morgen.

Kebanyakan pelumba jalan raya yang menyalahi undang-undang kelihatan hidup “dalam sejenis dunia selari”, kata Fastenmeier. “Mereka hanya mahu berlakon dan menunjukkan kelebihan mereka (yang hanya mereka rasa) berbanding orang lain.”

Jerman adalah antara negara yang bergelut dengan masalah lumba jalanan haram yang berterusan, dan denda dan juga sabitan pembunuhan berprofil tinggi tidak berjaya menghalang mereka daripada menggunakan jalan awam untuk menguji had kereta mereka.

Hukuman yang lebih keras juga selalunya tidak membantu pelumba haram, kata Fastenmeier.

“Hukuman hanya berkesan jika terdapat tingkah laku alternatif bagi pesalah untuk melanggar peraturan atau jika tingkah laku yang tidak diingini – dalam kes ini, memandu laju – tidak begitu tegas dalam kelakuan mereka,” katanya kepada akhbar itu.

“Tetapi itu tidak berlaku dengan pelumba. Sebaliknya, itulah yang mereka mahu lakukan.”

Pelaku kebanyakannya adalah golongan muda yang berasal dari latar belakang sosial yang sukar dan boleh mewakili sesuatu dengan kereta mereka “yang mereka tidak akan menjadi”.

Pada 2019, dua lelaki di Jerman disabitkan dengan kesalahan membunuh dan dijatuhi hukuman penjara seumur hidup oleh mahkamah di Berlin selepas perlumbaan jalanan haram yang mengakibatkan kematian seorang lelaki warga emas.

Perlumbaan sebegitu juga telah menyebabkan berpuluh-puluh kematian dan penangkapan yang tidak terkira banyaknya di Amerika Utara, manakala di Hong Kong polis kerap merampas kereta sport mewah daripada pelumba jalanan yang disyaki haram.

Di Vietnam, polis telah menggunakan senjata api untuk menjenamakan pelumba haram di jalanan Hanoi, di mana perlumbaan popular di kalangan belia tempatan dan selalunya bertepatan dengan acara sukan besar.

Daripada mengejar penunggang motosikal muda dan berisiko mengalami kemalangan, polis menggunakan senjata api untuk mengenal pasti pelumba selepas perlumbaan tamat dan orang ramai telah bersurai.

Di Malaysia pula, keadaan tidak jauh berbeza dengan kejadian baru-baru ini apabila empat maut dan tiga cedera parah akibat perlumbaan haram motosikal.

Oleh itu, pihak berkuasa seluruh dunia seharusnya mencari penyelesaian kepada masalah ini demi kebaikan masyarakat.

Noise complaints sees motorcycles banned on several German roads, prompting protest by German bike groups.

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Thousands of motorcyclists took to the streets to protest against riding bans and (motorcycle only) speed limits in Germany.

The protest took place in Nuremberg, Leipzig, Munich, Oldenburg and Cologne, also in Stuttgart.

Despite the large turnout, reports suggest that the protest was held according to the social distancing rules.

The demonstration was an effort to protest against the local council’s decision to slap a (motorcycle only) 50km/h speed limit on the B500 (one of the best riding roads in Europe).

Motorcycles were banned entirely from some roads, such as the L687 between Rönkhausen and Wildewiese, considered another scenic route among bikers.

According to reports, another protest set to take place in August.

(Source: Visordown)

  • A German court judge ruled that Sikh bikers in the country must wear helmets.

  • The decision was in response to an appeal for Sikh bikers to continue riding in their dastaar.

  • The judge cited safety concerns.

A German court has decided to rule that Sikh bikers are not exempt from the country’s helmet laws.

The ruling was in response to a Sikh man’s appeal that a helmet could not fit over his dastaar (the traditional turban worn by Sikhs).

Federal Administrative Court of Leipzig judge Renate Philip said that the law does not excuse a motorcyclist not wearing a helmet on grounds of religion. He also added that a helmet protects the rider and avoid head trauma. Additionally, riders who do wear helmets can assist others in accidents.

Several countries have exemptions for wearing a motorcycle crash helmet. Malaysia is one among other countries which includes India, the United Kingdom, et al.

Similar appeals have been made by the Sikh biker community in Australia in 2017, where even cyclists are required to wear helmets.

Over in the United States of America, the New York Police Department (NYPD) ordered the Sikh Motorcycle Club members to wear helmets during the Sikh Day Parade in 2017, although they rode a slow, parade pace. The club members decided to park their motorcycles and parade by foot. They cited that it served as a great way to educate children on riding with helmets.

Source: RideApart

Sumber imej: DEKRA

  • Kita sebagai para penunggang motosikal telah sedia maklum buat sekian lama bahawa pertembungan dengan papan tanda besi boleh mengakibatkan kecederaan yang serius atau pun kemalangan jiwa.
  • PBB dan Kesatuan Eropah telah mengesyorkan yang papan tanda buatan besi dan penghadang dibuang.
  • Negara Jerman menerajui usaha dengan menggantikan papan tanda buatan besi dengan buatan plastik.

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  • We motorcyclists have known for a long time that contact with metal road signs results in serious injuries or even fatalities.

  • The UN and EU have recommended that metal signs and barriers be removed.

  • Germany is taking the lead to replace steel road signs with plastic ones.

Apart from the steel barriers we see lining highways here, there are also steel road signs which are dangerous to motorcyclists. How many times have we seen bikers losing their limbs and lives after colliding with these “safety barriers”?

Many developed countries around the world are taking steps to replace their road barriers. Germany, on the other hand is taking the initiative to replace steel road signs with plastic ones, in addition to barriers. Check out the main picture of this article.

While we motorcyclists have long known about the dangers of crashing into a road sign, the German safety research facility DEKRA (seen this logo on Michael Schumacher’s cap) researched the hazard for quantifiable results. They found (no surprise) that motorcyclists are likely to be killed if they hit steel signs.

As such, they are advocating plastic road signs. Please watch the DEKRA video below.

The United Nations conducted a road safety survey and published a report in 2017. Among the recommendations are calls to remove roadside hazards that are proven to cause injuries and fatalities among motorcyclists. The 108-page paper by the World Health Organization found that motorcyclists are 15 times more likely to be killed compared to crashing where there is no hazard. The severities of injuries are also increased.

Hitting a steel sign post – Courtesy of Dekra

The Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations (FEMA) and European Union Road Federation (ERF) have also published a report called “Improving infrastructure safety for powered two-wheelers” which echoed the call by the WHO, which includes installing motorcycle protection systems on guardrails, maintaining skid resistance of pavement markings (i.e. lines) and ensuring that road surfaces are maintained.

Speaking about those hazards we need to point out that while our roads in Malaysia are actually quite good compared to our immediate neighbours but there are still much to improve for safety. Our observations are:

  • We’ve seen the new rolling guardrail barrier at a corner along the Karak Highway and hope more are installed.
  • The lines on the road are hardly “skid resistant” and are slippery even when dry.
  • While they highways are generally well-maintained, there still potholes that rival the craters on the moon.

We hope that the new Minister of Transport and the Road Transport Department will view these seriously.

Rolling guardrail in Korea – Courtesy of highways.today

 

  • Pusingan MotoGP Jerman menyaksikan Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) meneruskan penguasaannya di Sachsenring dengan kemenangan bergaya dari petak pertama.
  • Namun, Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) telah mencuri perhatian semua dengan persembahan yang menakjubkan di hadapan penonton tuan rumah, dan berjaya merangkul tempat kedua.
  • Pelumba rookie MotoGP itu memberikan saingan yang hebat kepada Marquez, malah berjaya mendahului perlumbaan pada satu ketika sebelum terpaksa berpuas hati di tempat kedua kerana kehausan tayar.

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The German MotoGP round saw Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) continue his domination at Sachsenring with a textbook win from pole position.

All the attention however was placed on second place finisher, Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) who gave an impressive performance in front of his home crowd.

The MotoGP rookie gave Marquez a run for his money and even managed to lead the race before having to pull back due to tyre wear.

The master of Sachsenring Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) extended his unbeatable eighth straight win at Sachsenring halfway through the 2017 MotoGP season. This eighth straight win also marked his impressive stat of winning all these races from pole position. The win also puts Marquez ahead of the 2017 championship with a total of 129 points. (more…)

We preview on what to expect at the bi-annual INTERMOT 2016 bike show that starts this week.

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Malaysian Moto3 rider Khairul Idham Pawi takes second career win in wet and dramatic German GP!

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