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

Thai Motorcycle Market Shrinks in 1st Half of 2024

The Thai motorcycle market, which had boomed for the last three years, begins to see a drop in the first half of 2024.

Industry players reported that they delivered 904,135 motorcycles in the first six month of the year. While that is a huge number compared to us in Malaysia, it was actually a -9.9% drop compared to H1 2023. Thailand is the world’s sixth largest motorcycle market.

The country’s economy is now seen as the weakest in the region due to what the Bangkok Post calls “over-consumption.” The demand for consumption has stripped the supply of cash from income, leading to inadequate domestic liquidity.

The president of Honda Thailand, Yuichi Shimizu said that, “High household debt that stands at 91% of GDP and weak consumer purchasing power caused people to be more cautious about spending. They are worried about the current economic situation.”

It was hoped that 2024 will see the economy rally again, but it is not to be. The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) has reduced its 2024 growth forecast for Thailand’s economy to 2.2%–2.7%, down from the previous forecast of 2.8%–3.3% predicted in November 2023. The outlook for 2024 is weaker than previously projected due to dimmer export and public investment prospects.

As such, market leader, Honda saw a -7.5% drop, while their arch rival, Yamaha lost -12%. Piaggio, in third saw a large -34% drop, and in fourth, GPX saw a precipitous hit of -62.2%.

However, electric motorcycles are seeing a sustainable growth. Honda and Chinese are well positioned to exploit this sector. Having sold 13,600 units thus far, Honda expects to sell a total of 30,000 units in 2024, up from 21,000 in 2023. In fact, the company is planning to have at least 44 battery swapping stations and increase their share in the motorcycle rental sector.

Somkiat Chantra to MotoGP in 2025

Thai rider, Somkiat Chantra will move to the MotoGP class in 2025.

The news was a source of pride for the people of Thailand as he is the first rider from that country to take part in the premier class. Somkiat, 25, has been recruited as a rider for the LCR Honda satellite team, replacing Japanese rider Takaaki Nakagami.

“Going to MotoGP has always been my dream, and I will finally make it happen.

“I am determined to learn, give my best, and enjoy this new adventure. It will be difficult, but I will give my best,” Somkiat said in a statement.

Somkiat has won two races in Moto2 since making his debut in the class in 2019 and finished last season sixth in the riders’ standings.

He is currently 10th in the championship this year with 64 points from 11 races.

New CFMoto 675 NK Prototype Spotted

A CFMoto 675 NK prototype was spotted wearing camouflage in China.

It could well be the naked version of the recently launched CFMoto 675 SR-R sportbike. The 675 SR-R is the manufacturer’s first three-cylinder engine. As such, the new bike is expected to carry the 675 NK name.

The naked prototype looks to share similar if not the same chassis as the sportbike’s, such as the swingarm mount, aluminium swingarm, upside-down forks. All in all, the bodywork looks strikingly similar to the old Kawasaki Z1000 and Ducati Streetfighter. The engine’s power ought to be the same as the sportbike, namely 95hp, too. Other features should include TFT screen, quickshifter, ABS, traction control, LED lighting, and so forth.

The CFMoto 675 NK will put it in the same company with the Triumph Trident, Honda CB650F, Suzuki GSX-8S, Kawasaki Z650, Yamaha MT-07, among others.

We look forward to the bike to be revealed at the EICMA 2024 show, and the fully production ready version in 2025.

Jalan Masjid India not Considered Unsafe Zon

Authorities said that it is not yet time to gazette the location of the sinkhole on Jalan Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur as an unsafe zone.

Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Razarudin Husain, said in order to do so, he would need to submit an application to the National Security Council (MKN) to declare the area a disaster zone.

“Although this incident is not considered a disaster, the actions of the police including the fire department and related agencies as well as Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) seem like a disaster.

“Following the detection of the second location of the sinkhole, I have ordered the 1.4 kilometer long route on Jalan Masjid India to Jalan Raja Laut to be closed.

“The closure involves a route that has five culverts and instructions related to the matter have been issued to the Chief of Police Dearah Dang Wangi and the Chief of State Police,” he said.

Commenting further, the closure only involves the route in question and does not involve other areas.

“Businesses are not closed either. Transactions are still going on as usual. The path to the sewer is only about 50 to 70 meters,” he said.

Earlier the media reported that the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) detected an object that was stuck about 80 meters between the location of the clear ground and the second sewer.

JBPM Deputy Director General (Operations), Datuk Ahmad Izram Osman, said the findings were obtained through detection by two Detection Unit (K9) dogs, Denti and Frankie, who were brought down to the scene yesterday afternoon, in addition to camera detection.

Yamaha PG-1 Revealed during 2024 Yamaha GenBlu Carnival

The Yamaha PG-1 adventure moped was revealed during the 2024 Yamaha GenBlu Carnival. Attendees and the media also had the opportunity to test ride the bike.

The bike, which Yamaha says the name stands for “Playful Gear 1” is built on an underbone chassis, but with long travel suspension. It is not unlike the mopeds modified for off-road racing, colloquially called “cub cross” in Malaysia. Doing so puts the Yamaha PG-1 in the same category as the Honda CT125 Hunter Cub/Trail and Aveta Ranger Max Explorer.

Powering the PG-1 is a 114cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine which produces 6.6kW (8.9hp) at 7,000 RPM and 9.5Nm at 5,500 RPM, and mated to a four-speed transmission. This very engine (and possibly transmission) is shared with the Yamaha EZ115, which was previously known as the Lagenda 115.

The features that turns it into a go-anywhere motorcycle are 190mm ground clearance, 90/100-16 inch knobby tubed tyres on both ends, and a straight up handlebar. The fuel tank has a 5.1-liter capacity, and wet weight is claimed to be 107kg (pretty light).

The fork tubes have accordion-type covers, while a round headlight and taillight complete the off-road look.

A nice feature is the split seat, which allows for easy refuelling underneath the rider’s seat, while there is some storage space underneath the pillion’s seat. The rider’s seat height is 795mm.

Hong Leong Yamaha Motor is set to launch the Yamaha PG-1 officially on another date, but they have announced the recommended selling price of RM6,998.00. It comes in two colours, namely Casual Beige and Forest Green.

Yamaha PG-1 Photo Gallery

Cardo Packtalk Pro Arrives in Malaysia – RRP RM2099

Cardo occupies the top rung when it comes to motorcycle communicators and they are continuously moving the goal posts in terms of features and innovations. Well, good news is, the much-awaited Cardo Packtalk Pro has arrived in Malaysia. It sells at a recommended retail price of RM2,099.00.

Its arrival was announced by the official distributor in Malaysia, Sinar Puncak Sdn. Bhd. during the launch event at Backroom Coffee.

Key features:

The Cardo Packtalk Pro features a crash detection chip. The chip continuously measures and records acceleration, angular velocity, and abnormal motion. As such, the unit will call for help should the rider become incapacitated.

New 45mm JBL speakers for what Cardo says offers the best experience in sound quality.
Auto ON/OFF feature which automatically powers the device on and off based on certain conditions to prolong battery life.

Talk time is up to 13 hours, while charging to full takes up to 2 hours. Additionally, a 20-minute fast charge provides up to 2 hours of talk time for those “Oh no! I forgot to charge it moments!”
Cardo’s much-vaunted Dynamic Mesh Communication (DMC) group communication feature supports up to 15 users.

There is a 2-channel connectivity, one for the mobile phone and GPS, while the other supports Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity and pairing to the bike’s TFT.
All these features and more (including built-in voice commands) are housed in a slick matte black IP67-rated casing.