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

Kawasaki-Yamaha Begins A Joint Research To Develop Hydrogen Engine

Kawasaki and Yamaha have joined forces together with Mazda, Subaru and Toyota to discover the use of hydrogen fuel in internal combustion engines.

According to reports, Yamaha is in charge of internal components and parts, combustion studies and output performance, while Japanese ignition company Denso focused on developing direct injection injectors and spark plugs.

However, Kawasaki is miles ahead of the rest, considering the Japanese marquee already had an eye on hydrogen fuels since 2010 and is set to finalise the product by the end of the year.

Kawasaki already has a static engine that can run on hydrogen gas.

Interestingly, Honda and Suzuki will also join the project later.

Dominar Rides Returns With First Ride to Ipoh

The Dominar Rides takes over from the popular ‘Explore The Unexplored’ that took place in 2018 and 2019. It has been rebranded to follow suit with similar Bajaj organised rides taking place all over the world.

The first ride recently took place in Ipoh, Perak and is set to continue all over Malaysia.

The Meet-Up

The first edition of ‘Dominar Rides’ returns with a group of 16 riders taking on a 440km ride to Ipoh, Perak and back to KL.

The ride is part of Modenas initiative to encourage Modenas Dominar 400 and UG owners to properly enjoy the capabilities of the ‘sport-tourer motorcycles.

Riders met up at Circle Café in Kelana Jaya for breakfast before they were briefed on the day’s programmes and routes.

The Ride

The convoy begins at Circle Café and we make our way to North-South Expressway led by a dedicated ride leader who was supported by a sweeper, a support car and a paramedic.

The first stop was at Tapah R&R for refuel and refresh before heading to Ipoh for lunch.

Despite being a wet week, the ride to Ipoh was fortunately dry with the riders showcasing impressive alertness and attention during the ride to Ipoh.

The Arrival

The convoy arrived at Meru Valley Golf & Country Club for lunch and the riders were served various local delicacies and desserts.

Since the group of riders consist of both the old and new-gen of Dominar, the group took the time to mingle and exchange remarks about their motorcycles.

The Test Ride

After lunch, the owners of the Dominar 400 were given a chance to test ride the latest Dominar 400 UG, which was provided for by Modenas.

The riders then shared their thoughts on the new Dominar and collectively agree that the new-gen motorcycle is definitely the best affordable 400cc bike money can buy at the moment.

Up Next

The Dominar Rides is set to take place all over the country with a series of 10 rides planned. The next ride will head to Janda Baik for a spot of barbecuing and river wading as well as more test rides planned.

Transport Expert Wants Killer ‘Kapcai’ To Be Phased Out

Wan Argyl Wan Hassan, a former head of policy and planning at the now-defunct Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), suggest that ‘kapcai’ (slang word for underbone motorcycle) should be phased out from the market.

“In Malaysia, the ‘kapcai’ is a killing machine that has caused a lot of deaths – at an average of 4,100 deaths a year over 12 years – and this is a loss in productivity to the country,” said Wan Argyl during a talk show on Astro Awani, recently.

He also mentioned that the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) findings showed that the country suffered a massive economic loss of RM18.15 billion from the deaths of motorcycle users from 2015 to 2017.

“This is a huge loss to the country. Do we still want to have this kind of motorcycle on the road,” he added.

According to statistics by the federal traffic police, a total of 79,916 motorcyclists were killed in road accidents from 2001 to August this year, while motorcycle users accounted for 70.2% of road fatalities up to August.

Meanwhile, Wan Argyl also highlighted that due to the nature of ‘kapcai’, the vehicle is also popular among underage kids.

“This kind of motorcycle is light and easy to handle, so young kids use it in rural areas to go to school or buy groceries. We need to think whether or not we want to maintain this type of motorcycle or slowly phase it out,” he said.

Two years ago, during the National Road Safety Council annual meeting, a senior police officer requested that the transport ministry draft a long-term policy to introduce a new licensing category for motorcyclists aged 16 to 25 to ride only small engine capacity scooters or low-powered electric motorcycles.

(Source: FMT)

MotoGP: Ducati Conquers Final Race, Rossi Says Goodbye To Illustrious Career

The 2021 MotoGP season ends with tons of emotion as the season concludes at Valencia.

Francesco Bagnaia puts in another sensational performance to lead a Ducati 1-2-3 while Valentino Rossi finishes tenth in his final MotoGP race.

Despite making history with Jorge Martin and Jack Miller for the first-ever all-Ducati MotoGP podium, Bagnaia’s only focus was on his mentor and big brother, Rossi.

“It was incredible! The only way possible to celebrate him was to win with this helmet, and to have Vale (Rossi) on the top of the podium with me made me so happy.

“This year, we have grown a lot. Next year I think we are ready to start the season fighting for the world championship.

“But now the only thing is to celebrate Vale, and I would like to be there with him in his garage already.

“Vale for us (academy riders) is a friend, a big brother, and he helps us a lot every time,” said Bagnaia.

Rossi concludes his 25 years career at the world championship with 372 races, 199 podiums, 89 wins and nine world titles.

It was a beautiful sight at the end of the race as the 42-year old rider was given a standing ovation by the crowd and was also congratulated by the entire grid.

While the attention was mainly on the Petronas Sepang Racing Team rider, KTM’s Danilo Petrucci also says his goodbye to MotoGP as he is confirmed to represent the Austrian team at next year Dakar Rally.

Meanwhile, Remy Gardner was crowned as the Moto2 World Champion despite finishing the race at tenth place.

Title contender and teammate, Raul Fernandez did his best to win the final race of the season however Gardner only needed a top 13 finish to secure the title.

The 2022 Ducati Streetfighter V4 SP Is Your Secret Carbon Fiber Fixation

Frankly, we thought that the Ducati Streetfighter V4 S was just too powerful for the road and too scary for inexperienced riders like us.

The V4 engine is a screamer with 205hp, yet here we are with a lighter version of the Streetfighter range, the not so subtle 2022 Ducati Streetfighter V4 SP.

Dressed in carbon fibre components, the V4 SP weighs at just 196kg, 3kg less than the Streetfighter V4 S.

The BST carbon fibre wheels are 1.4kg lighter than the forged aluminium fitted o the Streetfighter V4 S, and it also features Brembo Style R front brake callipers.

The Streetfighter V4 SP is also equipped with Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 that offers adjustable damping capabilities while on the move according to the rider’s riding style.

Nonetheless, the lighter V4 SP makes 208hp and 123Nm @ 9,500rpm from its 1,103cc Desmosedici Stradale engine. However, the SP gets slightly better treatment, thanks to the STM-EVO SBK dry clutch, which helps improve anti-hopping even in the most aggressive shift.

Other exciting features include:

aluminium CNC machined footpegs
carbon front mudguard
lithium-ion battery

2022 Ducati Streetfighter V2 Breaks Cover – 178kg, 153hp

The latest episode of Ducati World Premier 2022 witnessed the unveiling of the new Streetfighter V2.

The idea behind the new V2 is simple, take the Ducati Panigale V2, strip the fairing and boom! The Streetfighter V2 is born.

This also means that the Streetfighter V2 is powered by the same desmodromic Superquadro 955cc engine that makes 150hp and 102Nm.

However, the Streetfighter V2 is in a more approachable form for street riding compared to the Panigale V2.

It also features a longer single-sided swingarm, fully adjustable Showa Big Piston front forks, Sachs rear shocks (also adjustable) and Sachs steering damper.

Meanwhile, braking is done by the same Brembo M4-32 monobloc radial callipers with 320mm disc available on the Panigale V2.

Despite entering the market as a subtle version of the Streetfighter V4, the V2 still carries the entire Ducati electronic package which includes:

ABS Cornering EVO with ‘slide by brake’ function
Ducati Traction Control (DTC) EVO 2
Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) EVP
Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) EVO 2
Engine Brake Control (EBC) EVO
three riding modes (Sport, Road, Wet)

Other exciting features include:

full LED headlights with DRL
4.3″ TFT display
Ducati Quickshifter
3-riding modes with 3-engine mapping

Despite not getting the iconic biplane wings as standard unlike its bigger siblings, owners can still get it as an added accessory that is designed to guarantee an additional downforce of 28kg at 265km/h.