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

Victorious First Outing for Ducati Desmo450 MX

It was a victorious first outing for the Ducati Desmo450 MX in its competitive debut in the Italian Motocross Prestige Championship.

Alessandro Lupino rode the Ducati to the MX1 class pole position on Saturday. Lupino, a former MXGP (Motocross World Championship) Champion converted the pole position to a win in the first moto (first race) on Sunday. Unfortunately, he made a bad start in the second moto (second race) to finish in 7th. The result meant that he could only secure 2nd overall.

There is understandably a lot of vibe surrounding the Ducati Desmo450 MX. The Italian factory was able to “lure” former MXGP legend Antonio “Toni” Cairoli over from his long-time home, KTM to act as the development and test rider.

Also, the bike is an effort to diversify into another segment different from the expensive sport-oriented bikes they are synonymous with. We can look forward to a Ducati MX bike, and sure enough, an enduro in the coming years.

Apart from that, the single-cylinder 450cc engine is an interesting development, again, moving away from their multi-cylinder offerings.

It has to be said that Ducati is hot on the heels of another European factory – Triumph – in building dirtbikes. However, the latter’s TF 250-X is a 250cc machine and is now racing in the American Supercross series. It had achieved great results in its opening race, as well. Additionally, the Triumph is already on sale.

New Vehicle Sales Dipped in February

As expected, new vehicle sales dipped in February 2024 compared to January 2024.

According to the Automotive Association of Malaysia (AAM), there were 62,833 units sold in February 2024, compared to 65,499 in January 2024. It was a 4% decrease, due to the shorter month and shorter working days following the Chinese New Year holiday.

Of that number, 57,979 were passenger vehicles, while another 4,584 were commercial vehicles. When compared to the same period last year, a total of 56,443 passenger vehicles, and 7,128 commercial vehicles were sold.

Total sales as of February 2024 were 128,332 units, which is 13 percent higher than 113,729 units in the same period in 2023.

In terms of manufacturing, vehicle production rose 3% to 65,611 in February 2024 compared to 63,798 in February 2023.

Of that number, 61,935 units were passenger vehicles (up 3 percent from 59,843 units in the same month last year), while the remaining 3,676 units were commercial vehicles (down 7 percent from the previous 3,955 units).

New vehicle sales are expected to increase in March 2024, following fast deliveries by the company as the financial year will end on March 31, 2024, as well as various Hari Raya Aidilfitri promotional campaigns.

JDT Racing Team, Hafizh Syahrin takes First ARRC 2024 Podium

Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) Racing Team and Hafizh Syahrin took their inaugural podium finish in the FIM Asia Motorcycle Championship (ARRC) 2024, thereby achieving their hopes, yesterday. The first ARRC 2024 round took place at the Buriram International Circuit, Thailand.

Hafizh who rode a Ducati V4 R in the Asian Superbike 1000cc (ASB1000) class made up for the disappointment of failing to finish in Race 1 on Saturday. He had to withdraw due to technical problems on his motorcycle.

Regardless, he was able to ride consistently in Race 2. He was also able to lead the race at one stage, but was overtaken by Indonesian rider Andi Farid Izdihar (Honda Asia-Dream Racing with Astemo) to finish the race as the winner.

Andi’s teammate from Thailand, Nakarin Atiratphuvapa crossed the finish line in third place. Yuki Kunii (SDG Team HARC-PRO Honda Philippines), and another Malaysian rider, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (TKKR BMW Racing Team) rounded out the top five.

The first race witnessed Azlah Shah’s amazing performance. He had started from 7th place on the grid and was able to overtake every rider in front of him until catching he caught the leader Nakarin who was already quite far ahead. Azlan then overtook Nakarin on the 9th lap and led until the end of the race.

Behind Azlan, Andi was able to overtake Nakarin for second place, while the Malaysian rider, Md. Zaqhwan Zaidi (Honda Asia-Dream Racing with Astemo) jumped to third place.

FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2024, ASB1000 Overall Standings (Top 5)
Pelumba	Pasukan	Mata
1. Andi Farid Izdihar (INA)	Honda Asia-Dream Racing with Astemo	45
2. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (MAS)	TKKR BMW Racing Team	36
3. Nakarin Atiratphuvapa (THA)	Honda Asia-Dream Racing with Astemo	27
4. Md. Zaqhwan Zaidi (MAS)	Honda Asia-Dream Racing with Astemo	26
5. Yuki Kunii (JPN)	(SDG Team HARC-PRO Honda Philippines)	26

8 Vehicles Owned by Tobacco, Liquor, Cigarette Smugglers Confiscated

Eight luxury vehicles estimated to be worth around RM6 million were seized by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). All vehicles are owned by individuals who are allegedly involved in tobacco, alcohol and cigarette smuggling syndicates.

The vehicles consisted of two Lamborghinis, two Toyotas, and one Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, and Volvo each.

The vehicles were seized in a special operation around the Klang Valley carried out by MACC’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Division, since last Monday in collaboration with the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).

“The vehicles were seized from several individuals who held positions as company owners as well as middlemen who bribed officials in an enforcement agency,” according to MACC sources.

The syndicate is suspected of money laundering by using licensed money lending companies, money changers, and ‘ghost company’ business accounts.

The syndicate’s smuggling activities are believed to have caused the loss of tax revenue estimated at more than RM400 million.

They are also suspected of giving more than RM8 million in bribes to several individuals including civil servants to launch smuggling activities.

MACC AML Director, Datuk Mohamad Zamri Zainul Abidin confirmed the seizure of the vehicles and the arrested individuals were investigated under Section 17(a) and Section 17(b) of the MACC Act 2009.

CFMoto Ibex 450 – Will it Come Here?

The CFMoto Ibex 450 was launched last month in the US, and with a very attractive price tag to add. So, question is will it come here?

CFMoto first showed off the 450MT sport-tourer at EICMA in November 2023, and followed up by renaming it to the Ibex 450 soon after. The US market will receive it as a 2025 model.

By the way, an “ibex” is a wild mountain goat with thick long horns that are found in Central Asia and Ethiopia. So as the name suggests, the CFMoto Ibex 450 is a lightweight adventure motorcycle.

Highlights:

449cc parallel-twin engine, shared with the 450SS sportbike, 450NK naked bike, and the upcoming 450CL-C cruiser.
The powerplant produces 44 hp at 8,500 RPM and 44 Nm of torque at 6,250 RPM.
Being tuned for adventure and touring duties, that maximum power figure is 6 hp lower and peaks at 1,000 RPM lower compared to the 450SS and 450NK.
The engine also uses the now ubiquitous 270-degree crank configuration and dual counterbalancers.
Power is sent through a slipper clutch and six-speed gearbox.
The engine is carried by a chromoly steel tube frame.
Long travel KYB suspension provides a generous 203mm of travel.
Conversely, the seat height is only 820mm.
The front suspension is fully adjustable and the rear monoshock is adjustable for preload and rebound.
A four-piston, radially-mounted J.Juan caliper grabs a single 320mm disc in the front.
The bike rolls on spoked 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels.
Bosch ABS is standard for both fronts, but the rear can be turned off.
The traction control system is also governed by a Bosch ECU, and it can be turned off or off from the dash.
A 5-inch curved TFT display with smartphone connectivity, and wirelessly updated.
Other features include an adjustable windscreen, LED lighting, an aluminum skid plate, fold-away mirrors, and a USB-C charging point.

The bike was designed by Kiska, the same folks who designed KTM, Husqvarna, GasGas motorcycles, since CFMoto is in partnership with KTM anyway.

In closing, we do hope that this bike gets here since the adventure and touring market is still growing.

Heatwave Hits Peninsular Malaysia

It is official: The heatwave hits Peninsular Malaysia, no sooner than when the Meteorological Department of Malaysia (MetMalaysia) issued the warnings in the last days of February.

Pokok Sena, Kedah was issued a Level 2 heatwave warning yesterday. It was the second time the area has received the alert, following the first on February 28th.

Pokok Sena was hot (pun intended) on the heels of the entire state of Perlis which was issued a Level 2 alert on Friday. However, it was downgraded to Level 1 status yesterday.

Level 1 warnings were also issued for several areas of West Malaysia as advised by MetMalaysia as of 4.30pm yesterday:

Kuala Lumpur.
Kedah: Padang Terap, Sik, Baling, Kuala Muda, Pendang and Kota Setar.
Perak: Hulu Perak, Kuala Kangsar, Kinta, and Kampar.
Pahang: Raub, Temerloh, and Bera.
Selangor: Hulu Selangor.

A Level 1 alert is issued when temperatures at a particular location are between 35 and 37°C over 3 consecutive days.

A Level 2 warning is issued whenever temperatures hover between 37 and 40°C over three consecutive days.

Drought monitoring

According to MetMalaysia’s drought monitoring report on March 13, Chuping in Perlis, Kota Baru in Kelantan, Melaka and Sitiawan in Perak recorded moderately dry and very dry readings.

Chuping, the hottest town in Malaysia, recorded a sizzling 37.9°C for the entire February due to no rainfall. However, the highest temperature on record was 40.1 °C on 9th April 1998.

The National Water Commission’s war room site revealed that water levels at dams in Perlis and Kedah were at warning levels:

Perlis: Timah Tasoh dam was at 59.72% capacity.
Kedah: The Muda dam was at 47.8% capacity, BS Padang Saga (59.83%) and Malut (45.8%).
Penang: Air Hitam dam only at 37.7% capacity.
Johor: Sembrong Barat dam only at 35.23% capacity.

Advise for our fellow bikers

Please remember to stay hydrated and stop if you feel dizzy as that could be a sign of heat exhaustion or worse, a heatstroke. DO NOT take the symptoms lightly. Please refer to these tips on how to keep cool while riding in hot weather.

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Latest News

Victorious First Outing for Ducati Desmo450 MX

New Vehicle Sales Dipped in February

JDT Racing Team, Hafizh Syahrin takes First ARRC 2024 Podium

8 Vehicles Owned by Tobacco, Liquor, Cigarette Smugglers Confiscated

CFMoto Ibex 450 – Will it Come Here?

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Heatwave Hits Peninsular Malaysia

Drought monitoring

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