We’ve featured the review of the Modenas Pulsar NS200 and Pulsar RS200 recently (click here to read the story), and came away impressed with both bikes.
However, aside from the official tests, we at Bikes Republic would voice our opinions to one another about certain bikes we’ve tested.
All of us love the Pulsar RS200 for its contemporary racy looks and presence, but truth is, our hearts are torn between both bikes. This writer however, fancied the naked Pulsar NS200 (stands for Naked Sports).
Sure, it looks Plain Jane next to the RS200, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t ooze its own appeal. On its own, the Pulsar NS200’s looks does hold its ground, especially when we looked at the riding shots.
Firstly, the rider figures more prominently on the naked bike. Strange as that sounds, but personally, a bike ought to emphasize that the rider and bike both make up as one entity when riding. You couldn’t have one or the other. Naked bikes, standards, streetfighters and classics have always appealed to me because of that.
Mid-life crisis? I don’t think so, as I’ve always loved the unadulterated looks of bikes that expose their mechanical parts since I was a kid.
Secondly, I personally figured that performing maintenance on the Pulsar NS200 is easier. I could get to the sparkplugs, oil filter, oil sump, front final drive sprocket, etc. so much easier because I don’t have to get around the bodywork of the Pulsar RS200.
Thirdly, and this is really my personal opinion, I’ve found out through time that motorcycles that don’t appeal to me on the basis of love at first look tend to have me liking them for a much longer period of time. The Pulsar RS200 truly looks great, make no mistake, however, the Pulsar NS200 has kept my attention longer, for some reason. It’s more like liking someone’s personality over looks.
Fourthly, there’s less cosmetic damage to concern about when you own a naked bike. That applies to either a crash or the accumulated abuse by careless mechanics when they removed and reinstalled the fairing. Not one fully-faired bike of mine has lasted its lifetime without missing fairing fasteners, causing them to flare open or even dropped a panel.
Fifthly, the naked Pulsar NS200 lends itself better to customization. It’s already a naked bike, so you don’t have to feel the pinch about having to store the fairings somewhere. A set of clip-on handlebars with bar-end mirrors, racing rearsets would make the bike look the proper streetfighter. Or go beyond conventions by stripping everything down and turning it into a bobber or a scrambler or a classic.
Sixthly, the Pulsar NS200 has a slimmer cross-section, which means it’s much easier to scythe through KL’s crazy traffic.
But, but, but! What about wind protection? Ah, that’s an easy fix. Just install a windscreen and you’re done!
So there you go, my own opinion on why I prefer the naked Modenas Pulsar NS200.
Oh and have you heard? Modenas is giving away free motorcycles for the Bakat Besi design contest. Stand a chance to win that and other amazing prizes, more information here.
Modenas Malaysia had recently launched the Bakat Besi: Peraduan Reka Bina contest (translated vis-a-vis as Metal Talent), Malaysia’s inaugural talent search program for motorcycle design and engineering. (No, it’s not a talent show for heavy metal bands, sorry guys.)
Motorcycle builders, mechanics, students and enthusiasts standa chance to build a career out of their passion for designing and building motorcycles. The first instalment of the program is Bakat Besi: Peraduan Reka Bina (Metal Talent: Design and Build) which seeks to unearth the appropriate talents.
There has never been a lack of creative talents here in Malaysia. Instead, they are hidden from mainstream view due to either lack of continuous exposure or mainly just because these builders are driven by their passion alone.
But what Bakat Besi: Peraduan Reka Bina aims to do is to bring these talents to the fore, with the opportunity to put their motorcycle design and engineering skills on the table, and to ultimately build a source of income for themselves and seeding the creativity of the Malaysian motorcycle industry.
The contest is divided into two categories. The first, called Bina Sifu, groups of 12 top builders (shown above) in Malaysia to customise the latest Modenas V15, Pulsar RS200 and Pulsar NS200. Modenas is the main sponsor of the Bakat Besi: Peraduan Reka Bina and they are sponsoring those bikes.
The 12 participants will be divided into six teams, consisting of a builder and constructor in each, and an RM10,000 budget is allocated to each team for the build. Entries will be judged on the grounds of aesthetics, performance and commercial value. The winner will receive a cash prize, a new Modenas motorcycle, and perhaps most importantly a production contract.
In the second category called Reka Sifu, contestants will submit their conceptual designs of a Modenas motorcycle or sticker designs. The entries will be judged by a panel, besides the public on social media.
The panel of judges will score 60% of the total points, while the remainder will be determined by the public.
As the Bina contest will be filmed, the public will gain exclusive insights to the design and build processes. The series consists of nine episodes and will be aired on Modenas’ official YouTube channel.
For more information on the contest, please log on to www.r8der.my and follow Bakat Besi: Peraduan Reka Bina on R8DER’s Facebook page.
Watch the video below for more information regarding Bakat Besi!
The Kawasaki Test Ride Roadshow will visit Sungai Petani, Kedah from 1st to 3rd December 2017.
The location is at the Amanjaya Mall, Sungai Petani, from 10am to 6pm.
There are many activities besides the test rides to look forward to.
Fancy test riding your dream Kawasaki? The Kawasaki Test Ride Roadshow, dubbed Close to You, will visit Kedah from 1st December 2017 (Friday) until 3rd December 2017 (Sunday). The event will be held at the parking lot of Amanjaya Mall, Sungai Petani, from 10am to 6pm.
This is your best opportunity to test ride the wide range of Kawasaki’s superbike models, which include the fun and go-anywhere Versys-X 250, the high performance and fierce-looking Z900 Special Edition ABS, the revolutionary-styles Z650 ABS and the quick yet rider-friendly Ninja 650 ABS. The Kawasaki Test Ride Roadshow aims to share the unique experience of the performance, comfort and versatility of Kawasaki’s motorcycles firsthand with the general public. Who knows, you may discover a bike that best fits your style and be amazed by its performance.
As with all Kawasaki Motors Malaysia’s (KMBS) programs, safety is the highest priority. Hence, riders must be aged 18 years and above, holds a valid motorcycle license. Please be dressed in long pants and closed shoes (slippers and sandals are not allowed) should you wish to test ride the bikes.
Each rider who test rode the bikes will also receive a lucky draw coupon (valid only for the corresponding day of the event) for a chance to win exciting prizes.
Apart from the test rides, KMSB has lined up many activities that will surely appeal to every visitor.
KMSB will also display a number of Kawasaki superbikes including a replica of the World Superbike Championship (WSBK) winning ZX-10R. It’s racing sister ZX-10R had won the WSBK in 2013, 2015 and 2016. (Kawasaki had also won the 2017 WSBK title but the replica is not present yet.) KMSB will also display the world’s fastest production motorcycle – the supercharged Kawasaki H2 – which has hit 400 km/h.
Besides that, Kawasaki superbike owners will enjoy the luxury of having their pride and joy inspected and services during the event. Highly trained Kawasaki Exclusive Service Centre (KESC) personnel will provide free consultation and advice.
Additionally, Bikers Gallery will be displaying and selling their latest range of products at great offers and packages during the event.
The Kawasaki Test Ride Roadshow is part of KMSB’s program ito reach out to Kawasaki’s new and existing customers, and the public at large. Visit the KMSB website and Facebook page for more information. Mark your calendar and let the good times roll!
It now obtains real-time information from other motorcycles, rather than automobiles.
The developer has said the app will be able to send motorcycles through smaller roads that are inaccessible to cars.
Community-based navigation and traffic app, Waze, has just introduced a motorcycle feature.
Waze is the favourite navigation app among the majority of drivers the world over. It sources real-time data from other drivers before being processed and relayed to other users. For example, if the route you are travelling on experiences a slowdown, the crawling speeds affecting other Waze users will be construed as a traffic jam. The app will then attempt to reroute you through another faster route.
Waze was created as a social navigation tool, after all.
Traffic jam in Penang. Notice the 1 km/h speed!
However, the app has always been based on automobile data since its inception. This creates some problems for bikers as we are able to squeeze through traffic, for instance. Consequently, the estimated time of arrival (ETA) presented to us bikers are virtually incorrect.
Also, motorcycles are able to get through smaller streets and lanes as opposed to automobiles. The new feature should be able to guide us through these shortcuts. We hope it covers motorcycle lanes, too.
To activate the motorcycle feature in, go to Settings, followed by Navigation, the click on Vehicle Type and select “Motorcycle.”
Settings -> Navigation -> Vehicle type -> Motorcycle
We will put it to the test soon and see if it works, and hopeful that it does not send us into a “Waze Daze.”
The GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017 visited Angkor Wat on Day Three.
The Explorers visited the Tomb Raider Temple (Ta Prohm), Bayon and Angkor Wat.
We discovered the history, culture and unfortunate violence which enveloped Cambodia.
Siem Reap, Cambodia, 14th November 2017 – The GIVI Explorers (participants) took a break from riding today. As with every edition of the GIVI Adventure, there is one day allocated for an excursion to the main highlight of the ride. It was the Kruger National Park in 2015, when I last rode with the group, but for today, it was one of the Wonders of the World – Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat and the surrounding temple ruins in the Angkor region have been one of the main highlights in this year’s GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017, underlining Joseph Perucca, GIVI’s Overseas Operational Director’s philosophy about the GIVI Explorer’s spirit of adventure, exploration, discovery and learning about new histories, peoples and cultures. In fact, all the logos on our GIVI and Hevik riding gear and motorcycle equipment featured the pictogram of Angkor Wat prominently (among other famous structures).
GIVI had contracted a local tour operator to assist and guide us through the day. We boarded two mini busses after breakfast for the ticketing centre, not far from our hotel in Siem Reap (pronounced See-em Re-ap).
The guide on the bus presented some quick facts about Cambodia, and he was unambiguously affected by the Khmer Civil War between 1970 to 1975 and the subsequent Khmer Rouge (Red Khmers as in Communist Khmers) regime’s reign of terror between 1975 to 1979.
When the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975, the regime’s leader Pol Pot called it Year Zero. Teachers, merchants, artists, intellectuals, professionals or anyone who wore glasses were purged, and all culture and traditions were erased to be replaced from ground up with an agrarian society. Schools, factories, banks, currency and even hospitals were closed. All religions were outlawed – the minority Cham Muslims were fiercely exterminated and as many as 25,000 Buddhist monks were executed. The atrocities escaped any form of humanity and even infants were not spared. Official figures of the genocides vary but it is estimated that as many as 3 million Cambodians were killed or missing (from a population of 8 million at the time).
For many, it was the end of the world as if Satan had come up from Hell.
The sign says it all. Good thing we didn’t visit the “Killing Fields”
The Khmer Rouge was deposed when their former allies Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1979, but the collapse of society, and loss of educators and guidance had taken the country back many decades, making the country one of the world’s poorest. There are still millions of landmines and unexploded ordnance uncleared in Cambodia.
There are still many mines and unexploded ordnance to be cleared in Cambodia but the efforts are ongoing
But! There’s a ray of hope.
It’s not even 10am and there was already a large crowd at the ticketing counter. The tourism industry is picking up in Cambodia and the government has plans to replace the current airport in Siem Reap to a larger one, 60km outside the city.
There were a few options for the number of days allowed to visit he sites, each with different pricing. For a one-day excursion, the price was USD 37. Yes, it’s expensive to us Malaysians due to our weak currency, while the GIVI Explorers from other nations happily paid up.
Check out the prices. But the funds go to the restoration and conservation of the ancient ruins
There isn’t just one large temple complex in Angkor i.e. Angkor Wat, instead there were tens of them scattered around an area collectively called Angkor Thom.
We boarded the buses again and headed to Ta Phrom, or better known as the Tomb Raider Temple, being the location for the movie. Built in circa 1186 CE, as part of King Jayavarman VII’s program of construction and public works, it was constructed for his mother and served as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university.
UNESCO has included Ta Prohm (and the other sites) on the World Heritage list since 1992. Conservationists came to the consensus that Ta Prohm should be left largely in the state that it was discovered. Still, much work have been done to stabilize the complex and provide access to the influx of tourists. As such, wooden walkways, platforms and roped railings have been built to avoid further damage.
The most distinctive feature of Ta Prohm is by far the trees growing out of the ruins, their roots coiling over the stones like reptiles.
Also, there’s an intriguing carvings here which seemed to resemble dinosaurs. Yes, dinosaurs. Experts say otherwise.
Remember I mentioned landmines? There was a band playing traditional Khmer music outside and the ensemble were the victims of those weapons.
As we alighted the buses for the next location, it suddenly dawned on me how lucky we Malaysians are. We battled the communist insurgents from the end of World War 2 all the way into the late 80’s, but we didn’t have a major civil war which wiped out everything. Let’s keep it that way, shall we?
Some of the peddlers here followed us around trying to sell their goods, and they even dropped the prices from US Dollars all the way down to Thai Baht, just so that they could make at least one sale. They weren’t trying to get rich, instead it was just for that one evening’s dinner for their families.
We drove a short distance to Bayon Temple.
We were blown away even before we entered the walls as we crossed the Siem Reap River on the ornately decorated bridge leading to the Victory Gate.
Bayon was a contrast to Ta Prohm. While the latter was almost overgrown by large trees, Bayon sits out in the clear and its rich decorations were apparent even from a distance. Known as the state temple for King Jayavarman VII, there were multitudes of serene and smiling faces on the towers that jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around the central peak.
We noticed a great number of corridors throughout the complex.
Bas-reliefs were a combination of mythological, historical and everyday scenes. There were depictions of the once-proud Khmer Army marching out to battle. Khmer was once an empire, (known officially as the Angkor Empire) encompassing modern-day Laos, Thailand and parts of Vietnam and Myanmar. And where was the capital of this empire? You got it, Angkor.
The weather was turning very humid and wore many of us down, so we headed back to the busses ahead of time. It was time for lunch.
We exited via the West Gate and decided to stop for pictures.
Most of the large restaurants in Siem Reap contain the name “Tonlé” or “Tonlé Sap” after the Tonlé Sap River and annually inundated Tonlé Sap Lake. Food items invariably include steamed rice, freshwater fish, fresh tropical fruits and morning glory (kangkong), although these major restaurants also offer foods from other countries at separate stalls.
It was a quick lunch as we rushed back to the main attraction: Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat was built in the early 12th century, predating Ta Prohm and Bayon, by King Suryavarman II and completed by Jayavarman VII. It’s the symbol of Cambodia, featured prominently on the nation’s flag. Angkor Wat is actually its modern name, meaning “temple city” in Khmer. It is in fact the largest religious monument in the world, covering 1.6 million sq. m.
Other little-known facts:
It was constructed out of up to 10 million sandstone blocks.
Each block weighed up to 1.5 tonnes.
The entire city of Angkor used more stones than all the Egyptian pyramids combined.
Angkor occupies an area much larger than modern-day Paris.
Unlike the pyramids whose rocks were quarried 0.5 km nearby, those for the Angkor complex came from 40 km away at Mount Kulen.
The original stone causeway leading into the complex was closed for restoration works, so visitors had to cross the 190m moat on a pontoon (floating) bridge. The whole area was teeming with thousands of tourists.
As we approached the outer wall, it became clear just how impressive was the feat of putting this monument together. Those were huge stone blocks and they were somehow lifted into place. There were galleries that ran the length of this outer enclosure, supported by square pillars. The spaces between them were decorated with lotus rossettes.
Going past the wall brought us face-to-face with the long stone walkway to the central structure.
There were libraries on each side, a large pond, lush gardens (where a couple was having their pre-wedding shoot), although most places were under heavy vegetation.
From this walkway, the towers and overall form of Angkor Wat was starting to take shape as those we see in pictures, except that the palms on either side have since grown taller, obstructing some of the view.
But before seeing those towers up close, one has to go through a huge complex of galleries. In here, the remnants of artwork painted on the ceilings showed how beautiful this place would have been at its zenith. There were inscriptions and bas-reliefs on almost every column, but they reflected different scenes on each separate wing.
The central tower represents Mount Meru, the home of the gods. The flanking towers symbolizes the peaks of the mountain, while the wall and moat represents the mountain range and ocean respectively.
As we walked up the staircase into the central structure, we noticed that it was steel. We peeked underneath and discovered that the conservationists or authorities had installed these steps over the ancient stone steps to protect them. Good move!
A few Explorers queued up to climb the central spire but the line was so long, most of us decided to explore the temple by ourselves.
The GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017 Explorers tried to take in a much as they could but it soon became apparent to us that there was just too much to absorb from this single visit, what more when other tourists keep walking past us while we were trying to study something or photograph them!
The guide advised us that the best way to study these structures is to visit early in the morning. Angkor Wat is open from 5am, while the others are from 7.30am. Good tip!
We didn’t have much time to discover more since we were short of time and the humidity was difficult to bear. We exited Angkor Wat, feeling that there’s still much to see and experienced at this magnificent location.
We looked behind to see the evening sun shining across the whole main façade of the monument, turning it gold! (Angkor Wat differs from other structures as it faces west.)
We left with heavy hearts, yet we were thankful that the GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure Ride 2017 had actually brought us to one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Dinner that night was at another large restaurant and we didn’t miss the traditional Apsara dance show this time! One could see that it was heavily influenced by Hinduism, which predated Buddhism.
We called an early night as we’re riding to Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, tomorrow.
The just-completed KMOG Borneo Ride 2017 was truly memorable in many ways. it covered cities and villages, great roads and broken roads, mountains and sea, heat and rain, as the participants encountered excitement and exhaustion.
But as of every ride, it’s not only the journey or destination that truly makes a mark, it’s also the people and what they experience on their bikes. That’s right, rides or convoys as we like to call them in Malaysia, is what motorcycling is about.
It’s also worth mentioning the hard work and dedication put in by members of KMOG (KTM Malaysia Owners Group) and KTM Malaysia in ensuring the success of the ride.
So here is a collection of our favourite photos to relive the KMOG Borneo Ride 2017. It’s a shame that we could not follow the ride to its ultimate destination in Kuching, Sarawak.
The KMOG Committee members awaiting the arrival of participants and more importantly, the bikes!Among the hardworking KMOG and KTM Malaysia crewKudos to this McDelivery rider (in GIVI rainsuit) who sent the food in heavy rain!These guys have many kilometres of touring experiencePretty Sabahan girls welcomed us to the dinnerSelfie!All smiles as the participants were welcomed with traditional bead necklacesCouldn’t wait to the ride to beginOng Soo Yong delivering the ride’s briefingThe KTM factory racing shirt was signed by KTM’s factory riders and presented to Soo Yong, who put it up on lucky drawParticipants visited the Tip of Borneo 2nd November – by bus – as the bikes have yet to arriveGroup photo at the special plaqueOne for the momentThe current may be a bit rough but it was clearGroup shot with the cove in the backgroundI’m the Queen of the world!We’re here!Great view of the sea from the rocks belowDown at the coveThe Milky Way (our home galaxy) is visible on clear nights
Romantic settingThe third and final container of bikes arrived just as returned to the hotel!The guys got right to workUp and over!Outside the hotel at KundasangPhillip Ho and his roaring 900R AdventureMount Kinabalu. Note the evidence of landslides due to the 2015 Ranau earthquakeGroup photo before continuing on the rideStopping at the Sabah Tea Plantation for tea……and picturesAt a restaurant in SepilokThe owner of restaurant treated us to the UFO cakeAt the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation CentreThese guys couldn’t help monkeying aroundWefie timeWe were told to stay out of this guy’s wayWaiting for feeding timeThe orangutan is waiting to be fedStopping fuel on the way to TawauStopping for lunch in TawauGot hammered by heavy rain just after we left TawauStopping to fuel up the 990R AdventuresStill time for a wefieVisiting the looOutside Keningau after a 12-hour and 600km slogRiding over the famed Crocker Range not far from KeningauComing off the Crocker RangeRefuelling at Kuala Penyu before lunchA great view should not go to wasteKuih KelupisWe were welcomed by a traditional bandButod (sago tree weevil larvae) – a local delicacyA group photo before we moved onOn the ferry to LabuanA group shot on the ferryThe quicker way to Labuan, locals call these boats “flying coffins”Full view of the ferry like the one we boardedThe marina behind the hotelAnother great setting for a KTM
The Kawasaki ZX-10R has been dominating the WSBK Championship.
It has been built with winning the championship from the outset.
The 2018 Ninja ZX-10RR revealed at EICMA seeks to continue the dominance.
There’s much to learn from the cut-throat world of racing. Almost every modern-day technology on a motorcycle available to the public was trickled down from racing. That applies not only to sportbikes and race replicas but also to all types of motorcycles from the tyres up.
Motorcycle frames, chassis, engine power delivery, materials, and the way they look, were born out of the necessity to trump the competition in races and ultimately championships.
There are two premier racing classes in the racing world, namely MotoGP and World Superbike.
The motorcycles that race in MotoGP are thoroughbred prototypes, meaning they do not share similarities with motorcycles that are available to the buying public, although the technologies may soon find their way to road-going models.
The World Superbike Championship (WSBK) on the other hand, is production based. But what does that mean?
Being production-based means the machines racing around the world on weekends must be based on bikes that are available to you and I when we visit the bike shop. To be eligible for WSBK competition, the manufacturer must produce a certain amount of motorcycles similar to the one they’d be campaigning with – this process is called “homologation”. The minimum number of homologation models to be produced depends on the total output of the manufacturer – the bigger they are, the more homologation models they have to produce.
While the racebikes aren’t 100% stock, they are much closer to production machines than one might think, since they have to conform to certain stipulations laid out by WSBK. Among them: Frame design and dimensions (therefore chassis dimensions such as rake, trail and wheelbase), the engine’s cylinders’ dimensions, throttle body size, and bodywork dimensions and look must not be altered.
Thus, in order for their bikes to be competitive on the track, manufacturers must create homologation specials that are already imbued with high performance – or shall we say, ready to race. Think of the difference between the standard ZX-10R and ZX-10RR Racing and you get the picture.
2017 ZX-10RR
It’s not only customers who reap the enjoyment of these engineering marvels. Because it truly goes both way as they are also beneficial to the riders too.
Kawasaki has won the World Superbike Championship five times times, including four in the last five years (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, plus the first in 1993).
Scott Russel
Kawasaki for one is a manufacturer who’s never afraid to push engineering boundaries.
Tom Syke’s 2013 championship-winning ZX-10RR had actually been carried over from 2011. The 2013 model is well-known for its exceptionally linear power delivery, great handling, good ergonomics and advanced K-STRIC traction control electronic package. That meant Sykes and co had something good to work on from the beginning. The ZX-10RR’s 998cc was in fact so good that Colin Edwards’ CRT MotoGP team used it in 2013 MotoGP season.
Tom Sykes in Donington Park, 2013
Sykes was close to defending his title in 2014, but ultimately losing out to Sylvain Guintoli by an agonizing six points due to a single retirement in Malaysia.
The 2015 Ninja ZX-10R wasn’t changed much in terms of hardware, testament to how well it was designed from the outset. It was this year that Jonathan Rea won his first WSBK crown, in his first full season on a Kawasaki. Rea amassed a total of 548 points at season’s end, 132 more than the next rider, Chaz Davies on the Ducati.
Jonathan Rea, 2015
Kawasaki revamped the Ninja ZX-10R in 2016, after taking cues from both factory riders Rea and Sykes. Project leader, Yoshimoto Matsuda even said that his team wasn’t looking at the aesthetics so much as improving the bike’s mechanicals.
The engine had gone on to develop 197 bhp, while weight was reduced to 205 kg. The crankshaft and primary gear were lightened to reduce inertia. The steering head was moved 7.5mm closer to the rider for better control. The swingarm was elongated by 15.8mm to put more weight on the front wheel and reduce wheelies. Both the steering head angle and swingarm pivot are adjustable.
2016 Ninja ZX-10R
Rea went on to dominate the 2016 season and successfully defend his title.
Jonathan Rea, 2015
For 2017, Kawasaki brought back the Ninja ZX-10RR in Winter Test black and single seat. The biggest change was to the engine, where the new cylinder head was designed to readily accept the high lift cams in the race kit. Only 500 units were built.
2017 Ninja ZX-10RR
On the track, Rea decimated the field to win his third successive title, to become only the second rider to have achieved the feat.
Jonathan Rea at Assen, 2017
Kawasaki has also revealed the 2018 Ninja ZX-10RR during EICMA (complete with snowflake logos). Again, because the bike is already so good, almost no changes were made except for cosmetic ones. Will Rea and Sykes dominate again in 2018? It’ll be unwise to bet against them.
2018 Ninja ZX-10RR
That’s the main appeal of the Kawasaki ZX-10RR, as it’s made to dominate on the track from the time it went out of the factory’s doors. As such, customers will get their hands on the best sportbike in the world.
X-1R Octane Booster helps when the petrol station has run out of higher octane petrol
Or when you’ve filled in petrol with lower RON or if you can’t trust what you’ve filled.
Always carry a bottle or two when you go touring be it in Malaysia or across the border.
As we toured for eight days in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam during the GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017 (click here for our coverage), we had to stop regularly for fuel. Both Cambodia and Vietnam has RON 95 fuel these days and modern service stations in their major cities but out there in the countryside, some of the stations were downright dodgy-looking. I asked the station attendants for RON 95 or 95 octane and they replied, “What is octane?”
While we do not want to doubt the quality of their fuel, since no one would bring along a fuel quality tester during tours, but how could we be certain? But how about if the wrong fuel was filled?
We filled up at one station just before descending the mountain at Bokor, Cambodia and the Versys 650 I was on started to stumble and sputtered everytime I opened the throttle. It would also back fire through the exhaust or spat through the throttle bodies when I shut the throttle, right before the engine flamed out. I needed to shift down everytime I wanted to overtake or speed up.
Adding further to the confusion was the mix of different bikes during the tour. There were Kawasaki Versys 650s, Suzuki DL1000 and DL650 V-Stroms, Honda CRF1000 Africa Twins, a BMR F 800 GS and a BMW R 1200 GS.
The Suzukis have been reprogrammed to run on the minimum of RON 91 (despite the compression ratio remaining unchanged), the Hondas and BMWs on a minimum of RON 93 and the Kawasaki… well, no one’s sure about the Kawasaki’s minimum RON requirement so we could only assume it’s RON 95, as what’s recommended in Malaysia.
But we hand over our bikes to the marshals for a group refueling – meaning all bikes were refueled from the same pump – everytime we stopped, so while one fuel works for certain bikes, it may not for the others. The fuel type was all written in Khmer so I wouldn’t know what went into the tank.
There was also speculation that water may have entered the tank since we rode under the rain for hours for a few days in a row, or water was present in the fuel at the station. But the engine was still misbehaving everytime after filling up.
Using a fuel with too low octane (RON) is bad for the engine, as it could lead to the phenomenon known as “knocking” or “pinging.”
How does that happen?
Let’s first consider a low octane fuel. A hot combustion chamber in an engine will have “local hotspots,” usually on the cylinder wall or piston top. As the piston rises, the fuel-air mixture is compressed causing the latter to heat up, leading to the mixture detonating in more than one location as the spark plug emits a spark. The soundwave from this detonation bounces throughout the combustion chamber, causing a loud pinging or knocking sound that’s audible to the rider, hence the name knocking or pinging.
Knocking is bad, because combustion at those hotspots will erode the metal. Also, imagine the pressure from the combustion trying to push down on the piston, connecting rod and crankshaft while the piston is still rising.
A higher octane fuel combats pre-detonation, until the fuel-air meets the correct temperature administered by the spark plug.
Thankfully, there’s a simple solution.
I’ve been on many long-distance tours and I never failed to bring along X-1R’s Octane Booster for assurance. The main ingredient of the Octane Booster is nitroglycerine, the fuel used in pure from in Top Fuel dragsters. The product was a companion not only during rides across the border but also on any trip within Malaysia, by the way.
I dropped some Octane Booster into an almost full tank when we stopped for pictures. One bottle treats up to 75 litres of fuel, thus a third of a bottle is enough for a 22-litre tank.
The ticking noises from the engine disappeared within a few kilometres. As I was assigned as an assistant marshal, quick blasts of speed wass necessary and I was thankful that I could now do so without the engine sputtering and cutting out.
From then on, the engine ran smoother than before. Besides that, fuel mileage picked up from below 300km per tank to close to 320km per tank.
I’ll share another experience.
I rode with the Aprilia Riders Group to Phuket two years ago.
During a stop, an RSV4 rider and another on a Tuono V4 had mistakenly filled RON 91. These are high performance machines so they require petrol with higher RON rating.
Again, the X-1R Octance Booster came to the rescue! They didn’t suffer any problem after adding the product.
So, the lesson is this. Always bring along a bottle wherever you go.
The GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017 ride got on the road today.
The GIVI Explorers (participants) rode out of Pattaya City, Thailand into Cambodia.
The convoy stopped in the ancient city of Siem Reap.
13th November 2017, Siem Reap, Cambodia – The GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017 epic ride has finally started today, leaving Thailand behind for the neighbouring Cambodia.
I said “finally” because Ismadi and I have ridden into Thailand since the 9th, hence it was time to release all that pent-up energy.
Participants were allocated their bikes last night after dinner. The convenience of having large-capacity GIVI side and top cases, besides tankbags and other storage accessories was not lost upon us, as we could carry virtually anything be brought in for this ride, with much space to spare.
We got together for the final briefing before the ride began. The 25 participants were split into four groups, each led by a Marshal. “Assistant Marshals” were also picked to help, especially at stop lights to keep the riders from straying and losing their way.
There were two support vehicles, one carrying tools, drinks and essential gear, the other as a medical vehicle.
We rode out of Pattaya and headed to the Thai-Cambodian border town of Sa Kaeo, 209 kilometres away.
The ride out was smooth, with traffic getting thinner and thinner the further we got away from the city. Thankfully, the day was overcast although it was still humid. Excitement and the freedom of the open road was apparent among the riders, smiling and laughing everytime we stopped.
For me who’s grown accustomed to Thailand, the scene at the Sa Kaeo border crossing kind of took me by surprise. There were many people pulling on large wooden carts in and out of Cambodia and poverty shows.
Anyway, the border crossing was painless as Trans Asia, the tour operator contracted by GIVI, had assured so well in advance.
We got our passports stamped and signed the paperwork for all the 25 bikes within 30 minutes and we were in Cambodia, although we had to stop at the Immigration Office a kilometer away for the officials to verify the details of the bikes we rode in.
We were advised repeatedly about what to expect in Cambodia, and how different it would be to ride here compared to in Thailand. We were told to watch out for Cambodian traffic, particularly how chaotic it would be. Traffic in this country is lefthand drive, by the way.
The road was rough at the border crossing but it was actually pretty smooth as we travelled further into the country, heading to our hotel in the ancient city of Siam Reap, 212 km away.
Traffic was thin, but true enough, bikes, car, trucks, even pedestrians will cross everywhere without looking closely. They’ll also pull out onto the road without thinking twice. We kept the group as tight as we dared to avoid being cut off.
The scenery in the countryside was natural and beautiful. Lush rice paddies stretched into the horizon like a green, plush carpet.
Our pace was much slower than in Thailand, although steady. It was dark when we reached Siam Reap, but the Aspara Angkor Hotel was thankfully not too far into the city.
We freshened up for dinner at a large restaurant called Tonle Sap not far away. Here, there was a large selection of cuisines, Cambodian, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean.
We split up as a group headed back to the hotel rest, while the rest visited the Night Market and Pub Street.
This is Siam Reap’s nightlife centre. There’s everything from pubs, restaurants, massage parlours, small hotels, bazaars, street food and just about everything else.
We soon called it a night, more than elated that Day One of the GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017 has been a success.
Today is the start of an epic journey through Indochina.
The ride starts at Pattaya, Thailand through Cambodia and Vietnam.
Day saw the distribution of riding gear and motorcycle allocation.
12th November 2017, Pattaya City, Thailand – The GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017 has begun!
Day One was reserved as the day of arrival of the participants, consisting mainly of GIVI dealers from across the globe. There is a record number of entries this year, an increase from the previous years’.
The GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017 is carried out under the GIVI Explorer banner and as the name implies, GIVI Explorer means riding through new and exotic locations around the world, discovering the land’s diverse beauties and cultures along the way.
It is also a platform for GIVI dealers to experience the usefulness and reliability of GIVI’s product line firsthand in the real world. Being designed to be great is one thing, but to actually use them under rain or shine, in various tough conditions is the most meaningful experience (more on this later).
Most participants flew into either airport in Bangkok and were then transferred to The Bayview Hotel in Pattaya City.
In the meantime, the GIVI crew were overworked at X-Speed, one of the largest motorcycle accessories and workshop Pattaya, in getting the motorcycles ready. Working hand-in-hand with them were the boys and gals at the shop.
They had to install different types of side cases, top cases, crash bars, spotlights, windscreens, tankbags, handguards, phone and GPS mounts, any many more within three days on the 21 participants’ bikes, plus another 3 of the marshals’.
GIVI’s Ismadi Ishak and I had ridden out of GIVI’s HQ in Bukit Beruntung on the morning of the 9th first to Songkhla, then to Chumporn and finally arriving in Pattaya on the 11th.
The fleet of bikes for the GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017 consisted mainly of the Kawasaki Versys 650s and Suzuki DL650 V-Stroms. There were also the Honda Africa Twin DCT, BMW R 1200 GS LC (Joseph Perucca, GIVI’s Overseas Operational Director’s bike), and the Yamaha TDM900, Suzuki DL1000 V-Stroms and Triumph Tiger 800 XCA ridden by the marshals.
Participants had started arriving at The Bayview Hotel from morning, hence the customary riding gear and accessories distribution session began at 2pm.
There appeared to be no unhappy participant during this session, evident from their broad smiles. Well, no surprise here, since we received a Santa Claus-sized bag full of gear! It was like the New Year, Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Vesak Day, Deepavali, Christmas all rolled into one. We were provided with the latest:
GIVI HPS 40.5 X-Fiber helmet.
Hevik riding jacket.
Riding pants.
Hevik technical riding shirts.
A GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017 event polo shirt.
An event T-shirt.
Hevik summer gloves.
Bucket (fisherman’s) hat.
Rainshoes.
Under-helmet skull cap.
A balaclava (made of silk!).
Trekker fluorescent orange vest.
Hevik lumbar support belt (which looks like a weightlifter’s belt).
A set of Prime rainsuit.
A set of Comfort rainsuit.
Why two sets of rainsuits? Remember we mentioned about using the products in the real world? The Prime rainsuit is an experimental model, so who better to act as testers than us GIVI Explorers, embarking on the GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017?
That’s not all, as was with the ride in South Africa two years ago, a questionnaire on the motorcycle equipment and riding gear MUST be completed and handed back to GIVI as the basis for further research and development.
With the handover done, we prepared for the Welcome Dinner. Everyone was elated to meet their friends from the previous GIVI Explorer adventure rides, greeting each other with loudly and hugs. I can’t lie – I was very happy to see the familiar faces again.
The food was awesome, as always on GIVI’s adventure rides, but we also had our eyes on the final 2017 MotoGP round in Valencia, Spain.
We cheered on the Ducati Team and of course Andrea Dovizioso on his bid to claim his first world title, besides Cal Crutchlow. We were heartbroken when both Ducatis crashed out. (Ducati is also sponsored by GIVI.)
So, we came back to the matters pertaining to the GIVI Golden Triangle Adventure 2017, which was the welcoming speech, programme and safety briefing.
Tomorrow (13th November) we’ll be riding to Aranyapathet, Thailand which is one of the border towns with Cambodia, before crossing into the latter country and onwards to Siem Reap.
We were told to be extra vigilant when travelling through Cambodia as the traffic in Cambodia could be chaotic, but everyone was just excited to be riding under the GIVI Explorer banner again.
Hong Leong Yamaha Motors Sdn Bhd (HLYM) has released two brand news colours for their 2017 Yamaha NMAX scooter.
Called just “Blue” for one scheme and “Black” for the other, justifiably adds two more to the colourful family, while the older colours will cease being produced.
Price remains the same at RM 8,812.14 inclusive of 6% GST (without road tax, insurance and registration.)
Since its maiden launch in 2016, the Yamaha NMAX scooter has gone to become the best-selling automatic scooter in Malaysia. (more…)
Day Five of the KMOG Borneo Ride 2017 took us from Keningau to Labuan.
We rode over the Crocker Range and on to Menumbok for the ferry to Labuan.
Labuan is the end of the first leg.
Keningau, Sabah, 5th November 2017 – We had thought we’d be allowed to sleep in today after yesterday’s “adventure”, but we were told the briefing will be at 7am.
The early flag-off time was because we had planned to ride over the Crocker Range in the early hours when it was covered in mist and possibly fog. Needless to say, riding here was an item in my bucket list.
I’ve heard much about riding across the Crocker Range from riding enthusiasts, so I dragged my ragged body out of bed at 6am into the bathroom to freshen up for breakfast. If anyone thought being a motojournalist is easy, consider the fact that I had slept at 4am in order to work on the previous day’s story. Plus, the food from last night’s dinner didn’t seem to be on agreeable terms with my stomach.Anyway, breakfast done, we loaded up our bikes for this beautiful day. But everyone took their time, no doubt still feeling the effect of yesterday’s hammering.
It seems that the Crocker Range was just in Keningau’s backyard (no wonder it was so cold in the middle of the night). We had travelled less than 10km before the road started climbing into the hills – and corners(!).
The road here was beautiful, a stark contrast from what we have ridden on so far. The road surface was smooth and grippy, but more importantly and surprisingly, the corners were positively cambered.
I’m sure everyone in the KMOG Borneo Ride 2017 smiled as we started sweeping through the curves, cool breeze in our helmets and through our riding gear.
We reached a vantage point and shot photos with the KMOG Borneo Ride 2017 banner. Hills in the yonder were clearly seen. The mist had started to lift.
We had so much fun covering this route that it was over before we had warmed up, especially for me on the 1290 Super Duke GT, and it was its natural home. It’s the first time I’ve switched to the SPORT Ride Mode and SPORT Damping.
With the cinnamon city (Keningau means “cinnamon” in the local dialect. It’s where the spice is grown and exported) and Crocker Range behind us, the heat started coming back first gradually, then to very hot. Yet, I didn’t feel sleepy or stuffy because the air around Borneo is pretty fresh.
We rode on until it was time for lunch. Pauline from Borneo Excursions had caught back up with us at Kuala Penyu town and we were led to Jonathan Freddy P. Bagang’s home at Kuala Penyu. Jonathan is Penang’s Director of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia.
There to welcome us was a gamelan band and members of Jonathan’s family and friends, who had prepared a special lunch, which Bear Grylls would’ve been elated.
The lunch was special alright, which included what the locals called butod, the larvae of the sago tree weevil (beetles). These giant larvae were white in colour giving the appearance of monster maggots. They were alive and wriggling in a dish. There was another dish beside that had them fried in soy sauce. It’s a delicacy around here and a 100% source of protein.
Also shown to us was a large Horlicks jar containing a cow’s stomach, mouse deer embryo, pangolin embryos and other “stuff” soaked in a colourless liquid. That liquid turned out to be rice wine. The family had kept that recipe for 50 years, topping up the wine when it ran low.
Of course, there were other dishes too, including vegetables, fowl and fish. Fresh fruits were especially tasty, no doubt due to being grown in places of low pollution. I downed cup after cup of Sabah tea and Tenom coffee.
Jonathan’s neighbours Raineh and her husband also came by to assist and they invited the participants to take part in their traditional Sumazau dance performance.
Soon it was time to say goodbye. KMOG President Ong Ten Sun presented KMOG Borneo Ride 2017 memorabilia to Mr. Jonathan and family.
We rode on to the Menumbok Ferry Terminal and spent some time awaiting our turn to board the ferry to Labuan. It was quite a wait as the ferry operates on fixed intervals.
The ferry was large and could fit all 38 bikes at one go, and still had room for other large vehicles. There was an air-conditioned deck for passengers above the vehicle deck, where most of the participants retreated to.
The ferry ride took one-and-half hours. As we got closer to Labuan, we could see many ships of different fit outs, but the majority serving the oil and gas industry at Miri. Our hotel, Billion Waterfront, was situated right next to the sea.
Dato’ Chia Beng Tat, Chief Executive of KTM Malaysia had joined us for dinner that night. We sat at the table with Captain Ganesan, the tough pilot set a Guiness World Record by riding his motorcycle continuously for 5600 kilometres over four-and-half days straight! He had also ridden 1,500km from Kuching to Kota Kinabalu for the KMOG Borneo Ride 2017 briefing on 1st November! We are not worthy!
Labuan signaled the first leg of this epic journey, and it was also the location where a few of us had to say goodbye to the rest of the participants. I had to fly home on the 6th to prepare for another engagement on the 9th. The group stayed over for another night before departing to Miri through Brunei.
At the time this article went “live,” they had arrived safely in Miri.
The KMOG Borneo Ride 2017 had been an astounding success on many fronts.
Firstly, it provided an important activity for KTM motorcycle owners to experience the KTM lifestyle firsthand. Secondly, it would’ve extinguished any doubt about the reliability and capabilities of KTM’s motorcycles to not only the owners themselves but also to the world at large, since not a single bike broke down. Thirdly, it provided an enjoyment unlike any other, as participants experienced every aspect of riding and the environment in which they rode through. Fourthly, participants experienced the many wonders of Borneo, in terms of the roads, weather, environment, sights, culture, people, food.
But most of all, the KMOG Borneo Ride 2017 participants experienced the freedom of being on the road (and also off) on the orange-coloured machines from Austria.
