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Cargo Ship Hit Bridge, 20 Vehicles Plunged into River

A cargo ship hit a bridge and causing it to collapse, in Baltimore, USA. Reports estimated some 20 vehicles plunged into the river below.

A video making rounds on the internet showed the ship, Dali, losing power twice hence losing control. It was also apparent in the video that there was a large pall of black smoke from the ship’s smokestack when it came back to life after blacking out the first time, presumably due to the vessel’s pilot attempting to slow it further by hitting reverse in full power.

However, the Dali collided with one the Francis Scott Key Bridge’s supports, causing the bridge to snap in several sections.

There were also reports that the pilot aboard the ship had radioed a mayday to the port authorities stating that the ship was out of control. Unfortunately, authorities did not have enough time to respond to the emergency by shutting down traffic and clearing the bridge.

A pathway map published in The Virginian Pilot showed that the ship had travelled at a a mere 7 knots (13 km/h).

The tragedy occured at around 1.30am, local time, fortunately hours before the busy morning commute.

Search and rescue efforts are being carried out, but so far, only two people from a construction crew had been pulled out of the chilly water with six still unaccounted for.

The Dali left the Port of Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka under the Singaporean flag. It is owned Synergy Marine Group and owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd. but chartered by the Danish shipping conglomerate Maersk to carry their customers’ cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were on board.

Opened in 1977, the bridge is named for the writer of America’s national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner” and is a major roadway spanning the Patapsco River.

All pictures by AP.

Does Synthetic Oil Cause my Engine to Leak?

One of the biggest question asked among motorcycle owners is, “Does synthetic oil cause my engine to leak?”

The question is especially asked for those who own high mileage bikes (and cars), above 200,000km. But does it really happen?

What is synthetic oil?

To recap, a synthetic oil means its base oil was made from some source other than petroleum. “Base oil” on the other hand, refers to the origin of the oil before additives are added to it. There are several sources for synthetic base oils including PAO (polyalphaolefin) and ester.

A mineral base oil originates from refined petroleum, so synthetic base oil was synthesised.

The origins of this myth

The earliest synthetic engine oils were made from ester and entered the market in the early 80s. Prior to that, engine oils were mineral based.

1. Synthetic oil cleaned out sludge left by mineral oils

Sludge is that ultra sticky brown to dark brown goo, seen in poorly maintained and/or old engines. Once sludging has set in, getting them out is no easy task, even for the engine flush.

This sludge blocks gaps and holes in oil seals, stopping the oil from leaking.

Now, synthetic oils have better flow, detergence, and anti sludging properties which went ahead and cleaned out that sludge that stopped the leak. Therefore, the engine began to leak, when it was already waiting to leak in the first place.

It was not the oil’s fault, because a diligently maintained engine, regardless of age, is not supposed to leak at all.

2. Ester

Ester has some great properties such as resistance to high heat. However, the earliest ester-based synthetic oils were said to have caused oil seals to swell and break.

Oil producers have since overcome this by using better additives to counter that side-effect. This can be seen partly in oil service standards as it progressed from the earliest SA to SN, SN+, SP, SP+ now. The API service standard corresponds to an oil’s compatibility to the latest engine tech.

3. Synthetic oils have even sized molecules

Petroleum consists of many substances and that cannot be refined out completely. Some molecules are small, some are medium, and some are large.

As such, larger molecules will clog all the niches in the engine, including places or gaskets that have actually leaked. So when synthetic oil is used, it seeps through these gaps.

Conclusion

So, go ahead and use synthetic engine oil. I have been using it in my motorcycle and car, which both have gone above 200,000 km will no ill effect.

Husqvarna’s Global Sales Dropped in 2023

Husqvarna had been performing well in terms of sales since its acquisition by Pierer Industrie AG in 2013. So it is surprising and perhaps perplexing that Husqvarna’s Global Sales dropped in 2023 – the first time in a decade.

They recorded selling a total 47,008 units worldwide, representing a -1.2% drop.

The largest decrease was recorded in India, followed Latin America (-13.9%), China (-10.6%), and the ASEAN region (-8.7%).

However, the brand continued to grow in non-Asian regions, especially in new markets such as Slovenia (+119%) and Cyprus (+58%). Another two countries that registered double-digit sales were Ireland (+33%) and Spain (+19.1%). Sales in the European continent grew +7.7%, overall.

There was also a +2.0% increase in North America.

The figures were revealed by the Motorcycles Data website. The track new vehicle sales according to registrations (going to customers) rather that vehicles invoiced (sold to dealers by manufacturers). However, they only track sales in 80 countries instead of the using the figures provided by the manufacturers.

About Husqvarna

Husqvarna was founded in 1689 in the small town of Huskvarna in southern Sweden, now the city of Huskvarna, Småland province. Husqvarna was originally a mechanical company, producing guns for the Swedish army. In 1903, the company entered the motorcycle industry with its first product, the Husky.

Husqvarna was acquired by Italian motorcycle company Cagiva in 1987 and became part of parent company MV Agusta Motor. A group of managers and engineers in Husqvarna were unhappy with the future under Cagiva. They founded Husaberg AG, a new motorcycle manufacturer in Sweden and later acquired by KTM AG.

In 2007, BMW Motorrad acquired Husqvarna in a deal worth €93 million. But in 2013, the Swedish motorcycle company changed hands again when Pierer Industrie AG bought all shares of the company from BMW Motorrad.

In 2013, the shares and patent rights of the Husqvarna brand were sold by Pierer Industrie AG to KTM AG, Husqvarna Motorcycle GmbH has since been established.

There are also Husqvarna branded power tools, but these are in a separate entity to Husqvarna motorcycles.

Singapore’s Former Transport Minister Handed 35 Graft Charges

Singapore’s former Transport Minister S. Iswaran was handed eight more charges taking the grand total to 35 charges today.

The additional charges involved allegations of obtaining valuable items worth about SGD18,956 (RM66,582.50), in the capacity of a minister from an individual who had dealings with the Ministry, said the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

According to the charge sheet, the items included bottles of whiskey, golf clubs and a Brompton bicycle worth SGD$7,907.50 (RM27,784).

The business transaction involved a contract between Lum Chang Building Contractors (Lum Chang) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA), for the addition and renovation of Tanah Merah Station and the existing viaduct.

The firm had also secured multi-billion dollar civil, building and infrastructure projects in Singapore including being the prime contractor for the Bukit Panjang station along the Downtown Line.

The case has gripped Singapore, as a major Asian financial hub that prides itself on a squeaky-clean government rarely involving corruption.

Iswaran, 61, denies the charges according to local media reports.

He was initially arrested in July last year and alleged to have obtained kickbacks worth S$384,340 (RM1,349,813.96) from property tycoon Ong Beng Seng, partly to advance Ong’s business interests.

Charge sheets show the favours included tickets to football matches, musicals, a flight on Ong’s private plane and tickets to the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix. Iswaran was advisor to the Grand Prix’s steering committee, while Ong owns the rights to the race.

Marquez-Bagnaia Clash a Racing Incident says Stewards

The FIM Stewards had decided that the clash between Marc Marquez and Franceso “Pecco” Bagnaia at the Portugese MotoGP was a racing incident. As such, no penalty will be handed out.

The incident saw Bagnaia losing the front of his bike underneath Marquez, thereby taking both of them out of the race, with just 3 laps to go.

While he accepted the FIM Stewards’ decision, Marquez also felt it was at the ‘very limit’ of such a description, on the grounds that Pecco had made a ‘mistake’ in launching the ‘optimistic’ re-pass attempt.

The incident occurred moments after Marquez had outbraked the fading factory Ducati rider for fifth place into the Turn 5 hairpin at the Algarve Circuit in Portimao. As the Spaniard then drifted slightly off line at the apex, Bagnaia retaliated by diving for the gap but the pair promptly collided and crashed.

What Marquez said:

“Just an impact on the shoulder, but nothing important,” said Marquez, who remounted to finish in 16th and out of the points.

“But it was a mistake because we were fighting for 5th, 6th position. Two more points, two less. And he was suffering a lot with the tyres, especially with the rear tyre. So in the end, when 3 laps remain, you know that you will lose the position, so it’s not necessary to come back in that aggressive mode. But, he decided like this. The consequence to Ducati is 0 points.”

Changed to New Car as Old One Often Breaks Down – Sanusi

The Kedah Menteri Besar explained that he changed to a new car because the old one often breaks down. According to him it is or official use.

Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md. Nor said that the high cost of maintenance and repairs of the previous car made it no longer worth using. He also said the state government has never bought a car for the Menteri Besar since May 2020 and he has only used cars bought by the previous Menteri Besar.

“Those two old Mercedes-Benz used to break down in the middle of the road, sometimes tilted to one side, sometimes lifted due to suspension problems.

“They have reached a stage that is no longer economical, but we continued to repair it because they looked like they were still good but it costs up to RM50,000 to repair.

“The new car is not a luxury car, it’s ordinary… if I want to buy it myself, I have money, I can buy two.

“It’s not very expensive, but the government has already bought it. Those who are jealous will buy it when they become the Menteri Besar,” he said.

Previously, the issue of the Korean-made Hyundai Palisade sports utility vehicle (SUV) priced between RM368,888 to RM399,888, which was used by Muhammad Sanusi with the registration number KCX8, went viral on social media.

Muhammad Sanusi said, the purchase of that type of car is based on his needs because it is more rugged and suitable for his tens of thousands of kilometers of travelling a month.

“If you look at my movements as menteri besar, you cannot will give up and not follow. I travel tens of thousands of kilometers a month, so I have to have a tough car,” he said.

Suzuki Returns to Suzuka 8 Hour with Something Different

Suzuki returns to the Suzuka 8 Hour endurance race, albeit with a difference. The Japanese manufacturer had announced their departure from the sport but has decided to participate in the prestigious race using sustainable fuel for their GSX-R1000.

The Suzuka 8 Hour is part of the FIM Endurance World Championship calendar, and features an Experimental Class within the race. This category is meant for motorcycles that do not conform to engineering norms. However, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 for the race does conform to norms but will use a fuel that is only partly of non-fossil origin.

Instead, the factory will use the Elf Moto R40 FIM, which consists of 40% bio-sourced fuel. Interestingly, the Suzuki MotoGP team had begun using the fuel during their last season in the championship in 2022, as stipulated by FIM and Dorna for the class.

The fuel may does not seem to cause any drop in performance as demonstrated in the first 2024 MotoGP race in Qatar, where some bikes were 14 seconds faster than those in 2023.

Suzuki has not confirmed their rider lineup, as yet. Their long-time endurance championship winning rider, Sylvain Guintoli has since signed with the BMW Motorrad Motorsport WorldSBK team as a test rider.

Suzuki will enter the race under the Team Suzuki CN Challenge banner, also a departure from their long-time Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki partner. However, Yoshimura Japan will continue to be the factory’s technical partner and seeks to use the platform to develop sustainable technologies in areas such as the muffler, tyres, oil, fairings, and brakes.

The 2024 Suzuka 8 Hours is scheduled for 19 July 2024.

Decision to Resume Search for MH370 this May

The decision to resume the search for MH370 will be known this May. The decision will be made after the meeting with Ocean Infinity.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said he will personally meet with representatives of the seabed exploration firm to discuss the contract and the proposed search mission. His ministry has already made an appointment with Ocean Infinity for them to present a proposal.

The Ministry of Transport will then propose to the Cabinet after that.

Anthony Loke also emphasized that the search principle is “no find, no fee”. This proposal needs to be approved by the Cabinet because there are financial implications and promises if the plane is found.

Ocean Infinity previously searched the Indian Ocean from 2017 until the search mission was called off in 2018.

But in early March, the company based in Texas, United States claimed to have new scientific evidence about the final location of MH370.

Loke said that, so far, his side is waiting for a proposal from Ocean Infinity first, especially the focus of their search, before any decision is made.

Flight MH370 carrying 239 passengers and crew disappeared on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, before it was announced to have ended up in the Indian Ocean.

Case of Police Officer Killing Student Transferred to High Court

The case of a senior police officer who allegedly caused the death of a student was transferred to the Ipoh High Court, for a criminal procedure hearing.

The senior officer who holds the rank of Assistant Superintendent (DSP) is accused of killing a Form 5 student who was also a candidate for the SPM examination on 5 December 2023.

Magistrate S. Punitha allowed Deputy Public Prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz’s request to transfer and try the case in the High Court, in accordance with Section 177A(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

However, the date for the case to be mentioned in the High Court has not been decided.

On December 18 last year, Mohd Nazri was accused of causing the death of Muhammad Zaharif Affendi Muhd Zamrie, 17, at Jalan Taman Jati 1, near SMK Jati, in the Kinta district, here, between 12.05pm and 12.40pm, last December 15.

In the tragic incident, Mohd. Nazri, who was waiting to pick up his wife who is a teacher at the victim’s school, got angry when he heard Zaharif revving his friend’s motorcycle engine.

Nazri is alleged to have chased the victim for a distance of one kilometer before hitting the victim with his car, causing serious injuries to his chest and stomach. The victim’s sister, who is a nurse, was near the accident area and administered CPR to her half-conscious brother.

Unfortunately, the victim was declared as deceased by the ambulance team that arrived later.

The accused’s wife said that her husband was “hot-tempered and couldn’t listen to people revving motorcycles.”

Offences under Section 302 of the Penal Code which calls for the death penalty, or imprisonment for a minimum of 30 years and not exceeding 40 years, and if not sentenced to death shall also be punished with no less than 12 lashes of the cane.

F1 is Four Times Dearer than MotoGP – KBS

The Ministry of Youth and Sports (Kementerian Belia dan Sukan/KBS) informed that organizing F1 (Formula One) is four times more expensive than MotoGP (World Motorcycle Championship). In fact, MotoGP is cheaper than Formula E too.

Its minister, Hannah Yeoh, said the expenditure was RM53.2 million for the organization of MotoGP, while F1 required a capital of around RM228 million. For Formula E (Formula Electric), the cost is estimated at around RM120 million.

“Although everyone says organising this is good, organising that is good, we have to look at affordability and people’s interest in the sport.

“Why MotoGP? As I said, 182,000 visitors will come and the Sepang International Circuit needs this MotoGP event,” she said.

Hannah said this during the closing session of the debate on the KBS Supplementary Supply Bill 2023 in the Dewan Rakyat, today.

Hannah added, there are parties trying to organize F1 without the government’s knowledge even though they bid and got the right.

“After bidding, they came to see us and said we have received the bid and want money to organize (F1). So it is not fair for the government if there is a party that bids without getting approval,” he said.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: So does the government bear all the expenses of organizing MotoGP? Often not because there are corporate companies that will sponsor the event. For example, Shell hosted the Shell Malaysia MotoGP from 2022 to 2023, and Petronas will take over as the main sponsor from this year. There are also other sponsors apart from the main sponsors. However, they did not disclose the amount of money they sponsored.

KTM Drops Toby Price as Factory Rally Rider

KTM drops Toby Price as factory rally rider. Price is a two-time Dakar Rally champion, both times with KTM.

The legendary Aussie rider said that the Austrian factory dropped him after the the 2024 Dakar Rally. “Everyone has been asking me about what events I’ll be riding in this year, but in some personal news, KTM has decided to not renew my contract so Dakar 2024 was my last event with them,” he announced on social media.

This sad news marks the end of a 14-year racing career with KTM. KTM drafted him in 2010 when he competed in Australian rally championships. Price went on to a successful career in North America and Europe with KTM, then to Dakar in 2015. He won a stage and finished third overall on that very first attempt.

He came back even stronger the next year and dominated the rally and took to the overall victory. He was the first Australian to achieve the feat.

Price would repeat his performance in 2019 but again, in another amazing circumstance, he did so with a broken wrist!

However, results had not been the same since then due to Honda’s resurgence. Price took two podiums and a last stage win in 2022, with no overall wins. Honda overpowered KTM in 2024, pushing Price to a fifth place finish. And KTM decided to axe him after the rally.

Price continued, “I do feel like I’m still in my prime and going out there fighting for wins, especially at Dakar so it’s unfortunate to not have that opportunity to do it in 2025 but I’m really appreciative of the support they gave me in my career,” says Price. “We’ve been able to do some great things together like win two Dakars and get a couple podiums, a World Championship and our success in Australia too.”

He has natural talents and has many fans the world over. This writer also met him during the KTM 790 Adventure Media Launch in Morocco and he is a very nice, down to Earth bloke. We are sure that many factories will now court him and we wish him the best.

KTM 790 Adventure and KTM 790 Adventure R Test & Review

Modenas Ninja ZX-25RR Launched (from RM36,500)

The up-specced Modenas Ninja ZX-25RR has been launched in Malaysia. The launch was announced by Edaran Modenas Sdn. Bhd. (EMOS), the wholly-owned subsidiary of Motosikal dan Enjin Nasional Sdn. Bhd. (MODENAS), today.

The Modenas ZX-25R SE has enjoyed a good reception from Malaysian motorcycle enthusiasts and continues to sell well, mostly due to its howling inline-four engine, amongst other things. It is no slouch either, pushing out 46.3 hp (34.5 kW) and 22 Nm of torque.

On the other hand, the ZX-25RR version brings a better suspension system to the table, as per Kawasaki/Modenas tradition, for example the Z900 vs. Z900 SE.

The highlight of the Modenas Ninja ZX-25RR is the rear suspension, consisting of a Showa Horizontal Back-Link BFRC (Balance Free Rear Cushion) Lite gas-charged monoshock. It offers compression and rebound damping in addition to preload adjustments, plus a top-out spring. So, better customisation according to rider weight, riding style and riding environment.

Its front suspension retains the same Showa 37mm SFF-BP (Separate Function Forks-Big Piston) forks, adjustable for preload.

Other features include the advanced electronics and rider aids, including Kawasaki Traction Control (KTRC), and riding modes. Kawasaki Quick Shifter (KQS), Assist & Slipper Cluth are retained.

Apart from those, both models also feature the TFT dash with Bluetooth connectivity via the Rideology app. Riders can sync music, make and receive calls, as well as navigation.

The Modenas Ninja ZX25-RR is available in two colours, namely the traditional Lime Green, and the additional Ebony. Recommended Retail Price (RRP) is RM36,500 (not on the road). It will be available at Kawasaki All-Star Dealer showrooms by end March 2024.

For more information about the Modenas ZX-25RR and Kawasaki’s complete range of motorcycles, please visit http://www.kawasaki.com.my. You can also contact their Toll-Free Line at 1-800-880-008 or reach out to their WhatsApp Careline at +6019-570 8135.