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  • BMW Motorrad Malaysia telah membawa acara Nightfuel ke Pulau Pinang.
  • BMW Motorrad Malaysia turut melancarkan motosikal BMW R nineT Urban G/S, S 1000 RR, R 1200 GS Rallye, dan K 1600 Bagger yang baru.
  • Walaupun hujan lebat, ratusan pengunjung telah menghadirkan diri.

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  • BMW Motorrad Malaysia brought Nightfuel to Penang.

  • BMW Motorrad Malaysia launched the new R nineT Urban G/S, S 1000 RR, R 1200 GS Rallye and K 1600 Bagger.

  • Hundreds showed up despite the heavy rain.

One of the best parts of motorcycling is the lifestyle. Now, while the word “lifestyle” usually describes fashion, a motorcycling lifestyle goes deeper than the superficial.

A motorcycling lifestyle encompasses loving the motorcycle you own, loving to ride whether going solo or with your buddies, strengthening the bond amongst your riding buddies while making new ones, and many more latent personal reasons. It’s a way of life, regardless of your level of passion and to what lengths you express that passion.

But there is one inescapable aspect of every biker’s life and that’s the weekly get-together, called TTS for Teh Tarik Session, among Malaysian bikers.

That’s why BMW Motorrad Nightfuel roadshows play an important role to not only showcase that lifestyle but also to present it as part of BMW Motorrad’s “Make Life a Ride” way of life. Featuring “friendly gathering, food and music,” attendees can be assured of the best TTS in their calendar.

BMW Motorrad Nightfuel visited Penang on 9th September 2017 and it was the first outside of the Klang Valley. The event site was situated just off the on-ramp to the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge (better known as “The new Penang Bridge.

There were already hundreds of bikes when we arrived, consisting of BMWs and a good number of other brands, as well.

Pretty girls smiled sweetly and welcomed us at the BMW Motorrad Nightfuel registration desk despite the heavy rain blowing into their tent. Kudos, girls. Each participant received a BMW Motorrad dry bag and ticket for the lucky draw. There was already a long line for the food – typical of us Malaysian bikers!

In the main pavilion, tables and chairs were laid out to surround the centre stage, flanked by BMW motorcycle display stands. The Penang channel and bridge provided the breathtaking backdrop.

Head of BMW Motorrad Malaysia, Owen Riley, welcomed attendees and launched BMW Motorrad Nightfuel Penang.

One of Malaysia’s most famous sessions band, NRG, made sure everyone got rocked by expertly belting out famous hits such as Highway To Hell, Highway Star, Sweet Child O’ Mine, Sejati, among others.

Speaking about the food, the row of stalls served iconic Penang street food such as ais kacang, cendol, Penang assam laksa, rojak buah, char koay teow, and satay. There was also a mini BBQ. The laksa was among the best this writer has ever tried (I had three bowls!).

There was also a Ride & Style Shop operated by Auto Bavaria Penang which sold BMW Motorrad riding gear and paraphernalia.

The site was buzzing with high octane activity, despite the rain still crashing down. Many more motorcycles continued to appear through the maelstrom.

Soon enough, it was time to launch the new bikes, starting with the updated S 1000 RR superbike. Although the engine and design are untouched, the new S 1000 RR now features ABS Pro for more secure hard braking in corners. It is priced from RM 106,900.

Next was one the most anticipated motorcycle, the new R 1200 GS Rallye. Priced from RM 105,900, the GS has been redesigned with new radiator flanks. The engine remains the same (why fix something not broke), backed up by six comprehensive Ride Modes.

The night continued with more great food and music as old friends hung out together and made new ones. A few rounds of lucky draws were held as BMW gave away a few amazing gifts such as sets of Lego R 1200 GS.

The other two bikes were unveiled soon afterwards.

The R nineT Urban G/S harks back to the design of the R 80 G/S of yesteryears but with a modern twist. Built upon the R 1200 engine and R nineT’s frame, the Urban G/S is given longer travel suspension, tapered handlebar, 19-inch front wheel, and the classic headlight fairing to complete that classic enduro look. It is priced from RM 87,900.

Soon, it was time to unveil the main star of BMW Motorrad Nightfuel Penang – the K 1600 Bagger.

As what BMW Motorrad Malaysia’s Product Specialist said during the presentation, a bagger means a cruiser which features touring gear and luggage. Built on the K 1600 engine and touring frame, the K 1600 B uses the platform’s impressive size and is given a sloping tail end to great effect, turning it into a beautiful motorcycle which only the best customizers could dream of building. But don’t be fooled by its size: The K 1600 series consists of superbly agile motorcycles! Priced from RM 159,900, it is not cheap for most of us, but that pricing is competitive when compared among high-end baggers in the market.

The Nightfuel party carried on until late and we bid our goodbyes. As mentioned before, this was the first BMW Motorrad Malaysia’s Nightfuel outside of the Klang Valley and it turned out to be the best. Not even the big storm could derail is status.

Well, rain is part of the biker’s lifestyle.

Click here for more on the new models launched during event.

PICTURE GALLERY

  • Our editor falls at turn two of the Sepang International Circuit.
  • Result of a combination of too much speed and too much throttle.
  • He walks away unharmed thanks to top of the line helmet and quality leathers.
  • BMW S1000RR escapes unharmed too, except for a few scratches and such.
  • The worst hurt is editor’s ego.

So it has happened. As I write this, the muscle and tissues in my left elbow are sending neurocell-sized nuggets of information back to my brain telling it that something is not right somewhere. I feel the soreness every time I move it.

My left shoulder also has a sore point that irritates every time I lie down. My right shoulder, which has just recently fully healed after dislocating it a few months ago, has been aggravated again and I wish I could just unplug it, store it away in the closet to let it heal and plonk it back in place once it is better.

CSS coaches were always on hand to teach and would shadow you from behind when riding on track, so they can comment on your riding style.

My head though feels the same way it felt when I got into a fight with a guy twice my size and got a fistful of anger on the left temple. I don’t remember much about what happened after that, but if you have ever got into a fight you had no chance of winning but stupidly wanted to anyway, perhaps then you would know how my head feels.

That is a quick summary of how my body feels after my first ever superbike crash at the Sepang International Circuit.

Feel the bike grip and only then get on the throttle gently, but still a lot to learn about riding style.

I have crashed on bikes before and have suffered the customary road rash, cuts, bruises, and all that jazz. But crash on a superbike in a controlled environment with tens of other, more experienced bikers looking you on? Nah, never done that before. It was embarrassing, painful, and it hit my ego right where it hurt most.

But I am glad that it happened the way it did.

After entering a corner, look for the next point where you want the bike to be at. This requires a lot of eye training.

See, there is one cold hard fact about motorcycling – if you decide that you are going to ride a motorcycle, there is a contract which you subconsciously sign – that you accept the fact that you will crash. It is not a matter of if you will crash, it is a matter of when and how hard you crash. And so my time had come to pay dues to that contract.

Just a few milliseconds away from meeting the tarmac, you can see the front wheel beginning to slip away in this photo.

So what happened? Lets start from the top, I was attending the world famous California Superbike School (read about my experience at the best riding school here) which aims to teach bikers correct riding techniques and lets you explore the limits of a motorcycle in a safe environment like Sepang Circuit. Of course they let you do the speeds you normally would on a circuit like Sepang, but they insist on top notch safety so that means only the best riding gear is allowed and every thing that can make it safer has been put in place already – like only being allowed to use four gears instead of the full six to limit your speed. And riding marshals, who are light years faster than CSS students, just to keep your on track behaviour in check.

The front slipped away, sending me to a hard introduction to the tarmac.

But I didn’t crash at 200km/h with the bike exploding into pieces and me sliding gracefully away into the gravel trap ala Iannone. None of that cool stuff.

It was day two of training at the CSS and they had just thought correct sitting techniques and how to take the perfect corner. And then we were sent out to practise.

Thank goodness for bike sliders that saved the bike from further damage.

So here I was at full gallop down the main straight, my thighs gripping the tank of the BMW S1000RRR that BMW Motorrad Malaysia, the sponsor of the CSS, had loaned me. It is one of the most advanced bikes ever to be made, featuring electronics that are able to decide how much traction you have, how much brake force is applied, and even tells you you your lean angle so you can see how far away you are from Marquez’s 68 degrees. It is engineering perfection on two wheels.

First comes the shock, next comes the will to try taking the corner repeatedly until you get it right.

Moving on, the school apparently doesn’t like you knowing how fast you are riding so had blacked out the speedometer with tape. And then came the braking point so I squeezed hard on the brakes for turn one. Felt the front grip with zero drama, leaned the bike down for the corner, smooth on the throttle as I felt the edge of my shoe just scrape the tarmac. I let it continue scrapping since it had sliders on it already. Then I picked up the bike and pointed it towards the entry of turn two.

Lots of track side help. Coaches were great too.

One of the main learnings from the CSS is that you cannot force a bike to do two things at once. You either take a corner with very little but consistent throttle input, or you get on the throttle when the bike is already upright. You cannot take a corner and get on the throttle at the same time. But that’s what I did.

Shark Race-R Pro helmet saved the day by absorbing the impact rather than transferring it to the head. Weighs just over a kilogram with superb padding.

The bike was already at a beautiful angle, the onboard computer displayed 51 degree lean angle. It’s not much but I was feeling quite proud of myself with that angle, and just when I thought I had felt the rear tuck in to grip right at the apex, I got on the throttle and – BANG! My helmet met the tarmac hard as the front tyre washed away, pulling the bike away from under me, forcing me into a helpless barrel roll down turn two.

The Shark Race-R Pro is constructed of exotic materials, and works to absorb any impact and keep it away from the rider’s head. Worked beautifully for us.

My body did a quick diagnostics check and my mind was still trying to register what had just happened. There was no bike behind me as the school ensures there’s plenty of space between two riders. You are in shock for a few seconds. Intoxicated with adrenalin, all I really wanted to do at that point was to go out and try doing it again and again till I perfected it.

Keeping the visor locked was a good idea. You can obviously see that it was being dragged on the tarmac.

It was a classic error of judgement, rookie mistake, but I am thankful it happened. I mentally analysed my mistake and realised I was a bit too aggressive with my approach. Ever watched Youtube videos of humans interacting with wild animals? The humans are always gentle, careful but yet comfortable with the animals. You apparently handle a bike the same way – gently, carefully, comfortably. I took the corner too quick and got on the throttle too fast, feeling motivated by two days worth of advance training that thought me new things.

Never underestimate the quality of your track leathers, this Furygan riding suit worked perfectly without a single tear at the seams.

The S1000RR survived with a bent gear lever, some scratches on the engine bay and a worn out slider. To BMW Motorrad Malaysia, thank you for the loaner and apologies for returning it the way I did. But maybe signing me up for more lessons at CSS might help too?

Getting your knee down doesn’t necessarily make you faster, in fact sometimes it slows you down, but it sure as hell looks good in photos.

I also want to thank Shark Helmets Malaysia for providing me their top of the line Race-R Pro Guintoli replica helmet. Constructed of carbon/aramid fibres, the helmet was initially designed for top level riders in MotoGP, WSBK and Moto2, and so was made to protect at the highest levels. It worked exactly the way it was supposed to, absorbing the hit rather than channeling it to my head.

Mostly cosmetic damage to the suit thankfully.

The Furygan suit and gloves I was wearing were the only defence I had against painful road rash, so imagine the relief of having your skin intact even after you had rolled across the road twice. The suit is made of 1.4mm water repellent race-spec Brazilian cowhide, so to that cow that sacrificed it’s skin to save mine, thank you.

Furygan gloves did their job rather well too, not only protecting the hands but the wrists too. Our editor walked away without a single scratch on him.

Back at the pits and feeling sheepish about everything, the other riders and coaches at the CSS were quick to share their stories of how they crash at least twice a year. A guy sitting next to me at the debrief session shared how he fell twice in turn one and once in turn two, all in the same day. Then someone reminded me of the many MotoGP riders who had fallen at the same corner. So even the best fall too. And that made me feel really good about myself for working up the guts to truly exploring the edges of my capability. I found my edge, now I just have to learn to toe the edge without falling off. Again.

  • The CSS is one of the oldest motorcycle riding schools in the world.
  • The coaches are certified and teach you everything they learn from the founder of the CSS – Keith Code.
  • Courses span two days and you learn 10 drills that improve your riding.
  • Our editor claims that his riding has improved by at least 50% after attending the CSS.
  • But ended up falling down at turn two and the end of the second day, read that story here.

Learning never stops and if you stop learning, it likely means you’re dead. I can’t remember who said that, but it is the cold hard fact about life and everything that goes with it, including riding a motorcycle.No matter what sport or activity it is, even the world’s best will end up getting schooled eventually. Remember Valentino Rossi at his peak? He was the greatest. Everyone thought he was the best of all time and no one would ever race a motorcycle better than him. Then came Lorenzo with his Spanish aggression and pulled the World Championship rug right under Rossi’s feet. Not too long after came Marc Marquez with his elbow scrapping style and showed the seasoned veterans how primitive they were.

But fact is, even though Marquez is one of the all time greats, in due time, another rider who is perhaps just a couple of years old now, will someday make his debut and show us the impossible. Rossi? A spent force some say.

Learning never stops, and if you think you know it all then chances are you know nothing. And for motorcycle riders, that’s why riding schools like the California Superbike School exist – to coach us and to teach us the collective knowledge of years and years worth of coaching tens of thousands of students all over the world. It is the go to source of knowledge for bikers. The al-Qarawiyyin for our kind.

The California Superbike School (CSS) was established by a guy named Keith Code who started training riders back in 1976. An accomplished racer and a self described researcher, writer and educator, Keith’s CSS runs all 12 months of a year all around the globe, including Malaysia just recently.

It wasn’t the first time the CSS has been in Malaysia. The school has been offered here since the early 2000s but the last time it was here was back in 2006. So back again after 11 years, Bikes Republic was invited to attend the school by BMW Motorrad Malaysia – the sponsor for the school.

From the moment you reach Sepang International Circuit, ground zero for the school, to the point you leave, everything flows smoothly and there is a proper system to disseminate all that information.

The day starts at 730am on both Saturday and Sunday with a collective brief for everyone before you are disbursed into your own group. There’s a group for level one and level two riders, and another group for the more advanced level three and four.

There is a total of four levels to go through to officially graduate the CSS. But no matter how experienced you are or how many championships you have won, if you want to be coached by the CSS, you always have to begin from level one. We were signed up for level one and two which took place over the course of two days.

Level one and two starts with a classroom session, and that’s where they teach you the drills for about 20 minutes before letting you out on the bike for another 20 minutes to practise what you just learnt.

For the track practise sessions, BMW Motorrad provided us the ballistic new S1000RR to test our new found knowledge on. But despite all that superb electronics designed to keep you safe, a manic engine and trick suspension, we were kept in check by the constant shadow of the on-track instructors who follow you from behind to watch your riding style. After watching you ride, they will then overtake you, tap the back of their bikes with their hands to indicate to you to follow them, and will then proceed to show you how to do it right. So to test the full potential of the S1000RR, one of the greatest superbikes ever, we could not.

The first drill of the day in level one was Throttle Control, and the golden rule from this drill is smooth throttle inputs, always. You cannot expect a bike to do two things at once, you can either make it turn a corner, or you can make it go faster by giving it more gas. But to ask it to do two things at once is trouble. Unless of course you are smooth and consistent with your throttle. Turn One of Sepang Circuit for example requires you to brake heavy after the long straight, then turn into the corner. And only once the bike is settled in do you gently get on the throttle, hold it in place, and give it the full squeeze treatment once the bike is upright. Gentle throttle control will get you through any corner just fine, as we found it.

Drill two is mastering the Turn Points and the correct lines around corners. This is important to understand the entry and exit points of a corner. It is generally understood that all riders have their own riding style and the turning points of a corner varies from rider to rider. But there are three attributes that describe the ‘good line’ of a corner – 1) Good Throttle Control. 2) One Steering Input because too many inputs upsets the balance of the bike. 3) Straighten the bike as quickly as you can to be able to get on the gas early and explode out of the corner with as much speed and traction available. These are the basics of every corner, no matter what your Turn Point is.

The third drill is Quick Steer, and this is where they explain how your bike has two basic functions – changing speed and changing direction. The trick is to get comfortable with your bike and minimise the amount of weight you have on the handle bars. This is of course done by pushing your butt right back against the seat, and pushing your calf up by the balls of your feet to clip your thighs to the tank. Your torso then takes on the task of resisting the braking and cornering forces. By keeping weight away from the handle bar and the front tyre you are allowing the front of the bike to be as natural as it was designed to be, and that means you can better steer with minimal counter steering. And if you are wondering why you would need to counter steer on a bike, simple, because that is how a bike turns – push on the left handle bar to turn right and push on the right handle bar to turn left. So if you need to perform a Quick Steer maneuver, then the trick is to simply push harder at either end of the bar and this forces the bike to change directions quicker. Handy in fast switchback corners or when avoiding something on the road.

Mind you we had 20 minutes to practice everything after each tutorial. And usage of the track was limited to only the north track of the Sepang Circuit.

The final two drills of level one are Rider Input which teaches you that the less busy you are on a bike, the better it performs. So minimise all your squirming around in the saddle and the bike will perform as it is supposed to, and the less tense you are on the bike the easier it is to steer it. The final drill is Two Step Turning. This is where your eyes play the most important role simply because you, whether you notice it or not, unknowingly steer where your eyes are looking. Ever heard of Target Fixation? It is the most dangerous thing a biker can do and you can read about it by clicking here.

So by training your eyes to look at the Turning Point of a corner, you subconsciously point the bike towards it and turn when you reach it. And as soon as you locate the Turning Point, you need to look out for the next point you want to be. The idea here is to keep your bike steering to the first Turning Point, while your eyes are already searching for the second point. This takes practise and is not that easy, but once you learn to detach your sight from where the bike points to, your riding somehow becomes smoother and predictable.

Level two of the CSS took place the next day with the same morning route – a collective brief for all groups, and then tutorials for those who had finished level one the day before and have returned to study level two.

At this level, the drills changes from understanding your bike to using the environment around you to your advantage.

Reference Points was the first drill and it basically means to use a visual cue to mark the beginning of an action, like using one of the many marshall posts which are located around the circuit to mark braking or accelerating points. It provides a smooth flow of information through your eyes and helps you overcome target fixation as you consciously look for reference points around the circuit.

For example, I personally found the end of the curb at turn five the ideal point to pick the bike back up and aim towards the inside of turn five so I clip the apex just right. That’s how reference points work, it has a value to it, you just need to decide what that value is. That value may be braking, accelerating or cornering. We were told that there are generally three or four reference points per corner, one point that tells you when to roll of the throttle, another point tells you to brake, another to corner and the last one tells you to go full squirt.

One drill that really opened my eyes and improved my track riding was Change Lines. This drill encourages you to try different lines around the circuit. After years of riding on the same track we usually get stuck to the same old points to brake, steer and accelerate, but this drill wants you to try different braking points, corner entry points and accelerate points. You will be surprised at how well some other lines work than what you are used to, but of course there are some that end up being really bad too.

The second drill of the second day was called Three Step, and it is an evolution of the Two Step drill we learned back in level one. In the two step drill we are thought to look for two points – a braking point and a entry point. In Three Step, the aim is to look for a point to brake, another point in the middle of the corner representing the ideal point to place the bike in for a neat exit, and the third is of course where you want to be when you exit the corner.

The third drill is the ultimate solution to target fixation, it is called Wide Screen View of Track. The objective of this drill is to look at everything ahead of you rather than at just a single point. By looking at what lies around you, you better understand threats and dangers, and with practice, you will be able to recognise and avoid situations before they even happen. This is a tricky skill to master as it involves training the eye to look past what it would normally look at, but with time and practise, the Wide Screen View will help your riding. There is just one golden rule here, speed narrows down your Wide View and that is no good on road and track. So practice practice practice.

The final drill of the day is called Pick Up. Ever noticed how MotoGP riders will sometimes pick up their bikes while they are still hanging off in a fast corner? There are a few reasons why they do that. One of it is speed, because the faster you get your bike upright the quicker you are able to get on the throttle. A bike that is upright creates more drive than a bike which is still in a corner. Then there is the need for traction, especially in the wet or slippery corners. The Pick Up also helps with correcting a slide. But in a competitive race, the Pick Up is important because it helps manage tyre wear. Obviously a tyre wears down more quickly when it is managing a corner and trying to create grip to lay down more power, so naturally a tyre will be less prone to wear when it is upright. So there you have it, try to Pick Up your bike as soon as you can, and you can do this by managing your upper body. Keep your upper body in the turn, and simply use your hands to counter steer the handle bars to pick the bike back up. That’s the best way to do it.

So that’s that then, a total of 10 drills to learn over two days and two levels. The next time we attend the CSS it will be on to level three and four. But in all honesty, I would personally prefer to attend level one and two all over again simply because there is so much knowledge passed down that I would like to spend more time learning it and perfecting it before attending the following two levels. The knowledge is precious to say the least and the coaches are so good at what they do that you can’t resist but give them a tight hug at the end of it all. I did have a minor fall at the end of day two, but that’s a different story which you can read about here.

Not all of these coaches are racers, but not all racers make good coaches, just a few of them, but all of them understand the techniques thought in the CSS and deliver it the way Keith Code wanted it to. The aim is to create better riders and Steve Braugey, one of the main coaches at the CSS said it best, “we improve human beings, we just happen to do it with motorcycles.”

A special thank you goes out to BMW Motorrad Malaysia for inviting us to attend the CSS, it was a dream come true. The BMW S1000RR was perfect throughout the practice sessions and never put a wheel wrong. The onboard electronics and rider aids truly make you feel like a hero. At RM104,900, it is arguably the best and most advanced sports bike you could buy, and financing it is easy with BMW Credit which lets you own the bike for as low as RM1,395 a month. Click here for more information on the BMW S1000RR.

The Praëm BMW S1000RR is one exquisite retro-modern custom race bike.

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DSC_1064

BMW Group Malaysia expands Motorrad line up by introducing the BMW S1000XR and R1200RS –from RM112,900 and RM101,900 respectively.

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The new BMW S 1000 RR (2)

BMW Group Malaysia introduces 2015 BMW S1000RR and R1200R during inaugural BMW World Malaysia 2015 + updated post-GST price list released.

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In conjunction with the first ever BMW World Malaysia, BMW Malaysia yesterday introduced the latest S1000RR and the much awaited R1200R. Two of the most loved bikes in the world.

The S1000RR is powered by a water and oil cooled, four-cylinder, 999cc engine. The lightweight engine produces 198hp at a screaming 13,500rpm and 113Nm of torque at 10,500rpm. It offers super advanced electronics to for maximum performance and safety, and is hailed as BMW’s Panigale killer. (more…)

According to a German Motorrad accessories specialist, this is what the upcoming BMW S1000-based sport tourer will look like. (more…)

BMW Motorrad’s rumoured S1000RR-based sport touring bike has indeed become fact after one prototype was spotted recently undergoing road tests. (more…)

Rumour has it that BMW Motorrad is working on a new sport-tourer model based on the brand’s S1000RR supersports. (more…)

Bavarian two-wheels sub-brand BMW Motorrad have released images and details of its updated 2014 model line up. Besides the facelifts, optimised equipments list, and new paintjobs, other notable highlights include a new special K1600 GT ‘Sport’. (more…)

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