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Hanoi is the World’s Most Polluted City

The capital of Vietnam, Hanoi is classified as the most polluted city in the world.

The city was shrouded in a thick haze of pollution yesterday that made it difficult to see tall buildings and caused the city’s nearly nine million residents to breathe poisonous air.

Hanoi has often been ranked among the most polluted cities in the world, in recent years. It is partly due to extensive construction and fumes from the large number of motorbikes and cars that cross the capital daily.

Carbon emissions from coal plants in the north and open burning for agricultural purposes are exacerbating the problem.

Last month, dozens of flights were affected when a thick haze enveloped Hanoi and produced a spike in air pollution and reduced visibility. Weather forecasters have issued regular warnings of thick haze, especially in the mountainous regions of northeastern Vietnam.

The World Bank’s latest report on air pollution says 40 percent of residents in Hanoi are exposed to concentrations nearly five times higher than WHO-defined safe guidelines.

The city also ranked first on air monitoring website IQAir as the most polluted city in the world since late yesterday afternoon.Pollutant levels are recorded at PM2.5, which are cancer-causing micro-particles small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs. It is classified as ‘very unhealthy’ and exceeds 24 times the annual guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO says a number of serious health problems are linked to air pollution exposure, including stroke, heart disease and lung cancer.

Prototype Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 Breaks Cover

Remember we posted earlier about the Husqvarna Vitpilen 901? It turns out that we were off the mark as the prototype Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 was revealed, instead.

Previously, there was a previous teaser video which prompted the 5th March “full edit” video. It showed a bike being taken through its paces on a frozen surface, complete with spiked tyres. Still, it confirmed the arrival of a bigger Svartpilen/Vitpilen.

Husqvarna Vitpilen 901 is (Finally) Coming?

The new video called “A tale of dirt and ice” shows the prototype Svartpilen 801 in its entirety on a frozen lake and flattrack oval.

Husqvarna says the bike will weigh some 181kg, although it was not revealed if this is the dry or kerb weight. The engine, which is the LC8c shared with 790 Duke, produces 103.6 hp. That is actually slightly more than the 790 Duke’s 103.3 hp.

Husky is now owned by the Pierer Mobility Group, who in turn owns KTM, among other brands. Thus, it is safe to assume that this coming bike shares the same underpinnings with the 790 KTM, as with other models in the Husqvarna lineup. Examples are the Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 401.

As such, the twin-cylinder LC8c engine will be attached to a steel frame. The same type of swingarm also appears in the video. The main difference here is the subframe, most likely to facilitate flattrack riding in the video. And of course, the WP Apex forks since WP Suspension also belongs to Pierer Mobility.

On the electronics front, the bike may well include Supermoto ABS mode which allows the rider to slide the rear wheel. The rider in the video can be seen performing such stunt. We can look forward to a TFT screen with multimedia connectivity, traction control, quickshifter, and so on as with the 790 Duke.

Husqvarna says, “The all-new middleweight model has been engineered to deliver a powerful combination of performance, agility and contemporary style to take riding to even greater heights.

“The versatility of the Svartpilen 801 is enhanced further by state-of-the-art electronic rider aids, including Easy Shift [an up/down quickshifter] for seamless gear changes, as standard.”

So what is next? The full world reveal will be on 19th March 2024 so stay tuned! And of course, a Vitpilen 801 will surely follow in the near future.

Brembo Opens a Factory in Thailand

Brembo opens a factory in Thailand. The preeminent Italian braking provider is the latest in the host of automotive brands to set up their production facilities in the kingdom.

Brembo’s investment is said to be worth €40 million (RM 205,148,217.88) with the aim of supplying to the Southeast Asian market. As with other manufacturers, the facility is sited in Rayong, just east of Pattaya. It will focus on braking systems for manufacturers in Thailand. They will employ approximately 150 people with operations expected to being in the first quarter of 2025.

The move is seen as a wise one, given the hotbed of motorcycle usage in the region, consisting of motorcycle-centric countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Malaysia. It remains to be seen if Brembo will supply the products from this factory to the wider Asian region such as India, China and Japan.

Brembo’s products are considered the best in the industry and used almost exclusively by premium motorcycles. But Brembo’s acquisition of J. Juan and producing the ByBre brand opens up to a wider market.

As mentioned earlier, Brembo joins a long list of both manufacturers and component suppliers with facilities in Thailand. Motorcycle brands like BMW, Ducati, Kawasaki, Triumph have factories in Thailand that cater to the Asian and in some cases, the global market. On the other hand, virtually any popular car brand has production facilities in that country. The same can be said for component manufacturers such as Bridgestone and Michelin.

So, the question is: Will Brembo parts will be less expensive after 2025?

MotoGP 2024 season, 42 Races over 9 Months

The MotoGP 2024 season will reach a new milestone. There will be 42 races in 21 Grands Prix over a period of 9 months. It is the longest MotoGP season in history.

This high number of races includes Sprint races which made its debut in 2023. It would have been 44 races this year had not for the cancellation of the Argentinian Grand Prix.

The season also marks the entry of the Kazakhstan Grand Prix, to be held at the new Sokol International Circuit. The GP is set to take place from 14-16 June.

The MotoGP 2024 season will kick off with the Qatar GP at the Lusail International Circuit this year, as per tradition. It begins just next week from 8-10 March.

The Grand Prix of the Americas will now be the sold GP in either American continent after the Argentinian pull out.

There is the usual three-week summer break after the German GP in July, before recommencing in the UK in August.

The Malaysian MotoGP round will be held from 1-3 November. The season concludes at the Valencia GP in Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

It will be interesting to see how the season pans out given the riders and teams were already complaining about too much racing last year. Many riders were also absent from the main races due to injuries picked up in the Sprint races.

In terms of the world championship fight, we can expect to witness a three-cornered clash between the two-time defending champion Francesco (Pecco) Bagnaia, Jorge Martin, and the previous 6-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez. All three ride Ducati machines which are the best bikes in this championship.

Martin is the closest competitor to Bagnaia throughout the 2023 season and the title of champion was only decided in the last round. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez is in his best physical condition since his injury in 2020, besides leaving Honda who is experiencing difficulties.

Apart from them, Bagnaia’s teammate Enea Bastianini may also play a role in deciding the champion, if he is not also fighting for the throne.

Red Bull Heir Escape Murder Charges, Thai Former Police Chief to be Charged

Thai Public Prosecutor is set to prosecute the country’s former police chief for allegedly helping the heir to the Red Bull energy drink company avoid murder charges. The suspect is accused of killing a police officer in a hit-and-run accident in 2012.

Thailand’s former Police Chief, Somyot Poompanmoun and seven other officers were charged with dereliction of duty and helping certain individuals to avoid punishment.

Somyot, 69, is accused of using his position as a member of the Parliament’s legal committee to help Vorayuth Yoovidhya. Somyot, however, denied the allegations to the Thai media.

Vorayuth was accused of crashing into a policeman, Wichien Klanprasert with his Ferrari and dragging the victim’s body for tens of meters. Vorayuth then fled the scene. The accident occurred when the former was 27 years old in 2012.

Vorayuth avoided eight court summons related to the case before the authorities issued an arrest warrant five years after the incident. He has since fled abroad and his current whereabouts are unknown.

In 2020, the Thai Police said they will investigate why the criminal charges were dropped. The decision was made after public outcry to the dropping of the case.

Vorayuth’s late grandfather, Chaleo Yoovidhya was the founder of Krating Daeng energy drink (for the local market initially), who eventually became one of the founders of Red Bull (for the global market) along with Dietrich Mateschitz.

Forbes ranks the family as the second richest in Thailand with a net worth of US$33.4 billion (RM159.55 billion).

Bike isn’t Powerful Enough? How About a 230bhp Turbocharged Yamaha MT-10?

We sometimes hear things like “My bike isn’t powerful enough,” followed by, “What should I do?” Dropping in a big bore piston kit, hot cams, bigger injectors, dumping the stock exhaust for a free-flowing unit, plugging in a racing ECU are some of the ways. But that is kind of meh, is it not? But one method that is now pretty much overlooked these days is a turbo kit, like this turbocharged Yamaha MT-10.

The stock MT-10 is already doing a healthy 158 hp. Let us see what the guys at Australia based Purpose Built Motor did to this one.

They began by bolting a turbo kit to a stock MT-10 engine which has a 12:1 compression ratio, with 7 psi of boost pressure. But as the host said, they found signs of overheating and undue stress on the pistons when they pulled the engine apart. Why? One simply does not run a turbo with 12:1 compression ratio! So in the end, they scaled it back to 9.5:1 by using a CP-Carillo pistons and conrods for better reliability.

They also asked a specialist to fabricate an custom intercooler to cool the boosted air down before it enters the engine. This creates two benefits: A cooler charge (fuel/air mixture) is denser and contains more oxygen molecules; and, keeps the engine from overheating. There are two fans, one large and the other smaller, behind that intercooler which the rider can switch on or off when he needs it.

Speaking of oxygen, ducting air from the airbox will not be enough, what more the plumbing to the turbo, so the guys installed an intake with a DNA filter right above the turbo’s compressor. It sits underneath the rider, between the swingarm and the rear seat’s underside.

The exhaust system is of course customized, with the turbo’s wastegate fitted externally. The main exhaust pipes lead from the turbo’s impeller to a silencer, while another shorter pipe is for the wastegate to dump overpressured gas.

Purpose Built Motor also installed a longer swingarm to keep the front end down, rather than having the turbocharged Yamaha MT-10 wheelie over backwards!

What does all this achieve? Dyno tests showed 230 bhp, running on 10 psi turbo boost pressure. Er… that was with the exhaust silencer’s baffles installed. It hit 260 bhp when they removed the baffles. And remember, virtually all manufacturers print their horsepower numbers by dyno’ing their engines at the crankshaft output shaft without the transmission, so this MT-10’s power output should be betwen 260 to 290 hp if printed on a brochure!

So, fast enough for you, sir?

Husqvarna Vitpilen 901 is (Finally) Coming?

The Husqvarna Vitpilen 901 has been teased for so long that most do not even remember that they did so.

But now, Husqvarna has posted a teaser for the full “video edit” on 5 March 2024. The 30-second snippet was posted on Husqvarna’s Instagram and Facebook accounts. The 5 March video could well be the teaser to another teaser, but hey, we may just see if it is definitely a Vitpilen (cafe racer) or Svatpilen (scrambler).

The current video shows a bike ice racing with tyres using screws as spikes. The front headlight was teased which looks akin to the Norden 901. Another shot briefly show the (aftermarket) exhaust silencer rising underneath the rear seat a.k.a. the 890 Duke. There is a shot of the front end, which shows off the WP upside down forks and Husqvarna-branded brake caliper. The rear end looks like a Duke, alright.

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Of course, Husky being under the Pierer umbrella means it will share the underpinnings of the 890 Duke. That means the LC8c parallel-twin engine which kicks out 121 hp and 99 Nm. Other features will pretty much include the PASC clutch, Supermoto ABS, Ride Modes, Motor Traction Control, TFT screen. Optional extras may well be Quickshifter+, Track Mode, KTM MyRide communication suite, among others.

The Husky lineup has several nice models to choose from but they are missing a big-bore naked retro sportbike. So, that is where the Husqvarna Vitpilen 901 will fall into. However, there is no Vitpilen without a Svartpilen. As such, we can look forward to two new Huskies hitting the roads soon!

CFMoto 450SR S Launched in Europe

CFMoto has launched a racier version of the 450SR, called the CFMoto 450SR S.

It is powered by a 46.3bhp, 449.5cc parallel-twin engine with a 270-degree firing order (to mimic that of a 90-degree V-Twin). There are twin balancers to check engine vibes. Other features include those already on the 450SR such as winglets, and full colour TFT dash, but the main distinction here is a single-sided swingarm.

While sharing the same platform as the SR, updates to the new 450SR S further include an underslung exhaust, winglets, a bigger 240mm rear brake disc, and beefier 37mm upside down forks with damping adjustment. As with its sibling, that engine is installed in a Chro-Moly chassis which weighs just 11kg when combined with the subframe.

CFMoto claims a kerb weight of 179kg. The tank holds 14 litres of fuel, with the manufacturer claiming up nearly 300km of range.

Braking power is provided by Brembo on both ends, supported with ABS.

A five inch curved TFT dash allowing you to control the traction control, and mobile connectivity. There’s also automatic headlights and an ESS emergency braking feature, which flashes the rear stop light to alert other road users of hard deceleration.

Will the CFMoto 450SR S be heading to Malaysia? We hope so!

2024 Yamaha MT-09 Breaks Cover, Officially

The updated 2024 Yamaha MT-09 has been revealed.

The MT-09 is one of the best-selling naked motorcycle the world over by offering performance, low weight, styling (albeit controversial) in an affordable package. Yamaha is not resting on their laurels, hence updating it for 2024 with improved technology, new chassis components, and styling tweaks. Oh, it has some aural features too.

The most obvious update is its styling after the last exercise in 2021. However, the last updated headlamp unit was not warmly received. It was either you loved it or hated it.

Gone is the bug-eyed cyclops headlamp for 2024. Now, a rectangular LED projector headlight takes its position, while flanked with two LED positioning lamps. In fact, the entire headlamp unit has changed to which Yamaha says is more harmonious with the fuel tank.

Speaking of the tank, Yamaha has also reworked its styling to be sharper with more defined edges for a better riding position. As for those speaker vents, yes, they do emit sounds. Not your favourite songs, however, instead they allow more induction howl to come through from the air intakes. The airbox itself features revised intake trumpets to cut back on high frequency sounds while maintain a linear throttle response.

Other revisions include a new radially-mounted Brembo front brake master cylinder, revised riding position, new rear brake and gear levers, split seats (finally), revised fork settings, and new rear shock linkage to provide a better feel when cornering.

The 2024 Yamaha MT-09 sells for £10,100 in the UK.

Is a Triumph Tiger 660 Rally in the Works?

A Triumph Tiger 660 Rally may be in the works to complete the 660 triple lineup with an adventure model.

Triumph is the master of building different models based on an existing platform. Case in point: The 400cc singles, 900cc and 1200cc twin-cylinder Bonnevilles, the 850cc, 900cc and 1200cc Tiger triples, and the best-selling 660 triples.

The fourth platform has already spawned three models, namely the Trident 660, Daytona 660, and Tiger Sport 660. The Trident is a roadster or more commonly called a naked. The Daytona is a fully-faired sportbike. And lastly the Tiger Sport 660 is a sport-tourer. Thus, a Triumph Tiger 660 Rally adventure model is glaringly missing from the lineup.

The Hinckley, UK based manufacturer is aware of this. The 700cc adventure segment is being hotly contested due to great demand. Motorcycle buyers crowd to this segment as it sits between the smaller capacity bikes and the heavier and more expensive models. Rivals include the Aprilia Tuareg 660, Honda XL750 Transalp, KTM 790 Adventure, and of course, the Yamaha Tenere 700.

Fanning this rumour is Triumph Motorcycles Mumbai with a post in their Facebook page pointing to a reveal at the 2024 EICMA motorcycle expo. This may of course be over-enthusiasm and taken with with a pinch of salt, but Triumph is aggressive as usual in populating each segment. Only thing that remains to be seen if the final bike will have Rally and/or Rally Pro designations.

Yamaha YZF-R1 and Yamaha YZF-R1 M to be Dropped

The Yamaha YZF-R1 and Yamaha YZF-R1 M will be dropped from production.

Its pending demise was confirmed in the Yamaha UK official website:

“Yamaha Motor Group, have taken the decision not to develop an EU5+ version of the R1 or R1M instead focussing on other mid-term business and product strategies that will provide future opportunities.”

It means Yamaha follows Suzuki’s decision to axe their own 1,000cc GSX-R1000R sportbike. While shocking, it is not completely surprising as manufacturers shift toward producing more accessible and affordable motorcycles. Yamaha themselves have done so when they debuted the YZF-R7 based on the MT-07 and are launching the YZF-R9 based on the MT-09.

There are several factors that we can think of:

Developing an engine to meet the ultra-tough Euro 5+ emission standard will require huge resources for what may be diminishing returns. Yamaha may continue sell their existing Euro 5 compliant R1 and R1-M until 2025, though.
The R1 has had a great run since its inception in 1998, being the Yamaha superbike that broke the Honda CBR900’s dominance. However, it did not enjoy the sales volume as other superbikes such as the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R/ZX-10RR, BMW S 1000 RR (being a BMW), and Ducati Panigale in recent years.

The majority of riders have shifted to the more accessible and versatile sport-touring, dual-sport, adventure motorcycles. These bikes can go anywhere, carry the rider and passenger in comfort, move luggage, and can be mounted with all sorts of accessories.

The current and upcoming crop of superbikes are getting to a stage where riders need superhuman abilities to unlock their full potential. They are not only more powerful and faster, but have handling abilities well beyond the skills of at least 80% of motorcycle riders out there.
Road conditions the world over are not getting much better and the majority will never match the condition of dedicated race tracks. Trying to ride a sportbike on public roads as if they were racetracks will only prove disastrous.
And of course, the price. ‘Nuff said.

However, who knows if it returns as the Euro 6 compliant Yamaha YZF-R1 and Yamaha YZF-R1 M later in the decade.

Ducati Streetfighter V4 S Supreme Edition – A Supreme Statement

The Ducati Streetfighter V4 S already rules the roost as the most powerful non-aspirated hypernaked beast, with 208hp on tap. But the trend of cooperation with automobile manufacturers and lifestyle product makers certainly ups the style quotient to 11. Check out this Ducati Streetfighter V4 S Supreme Edition.

The apparel maker Supreme does not shy away from making bold statements. Hence the liberal use of their famous screaming red and white logos and colours on the bike.

Needless to say, it turns a er… head turning design to something extremely loud. One cannot miss the huge Supreme logo draped over fuel tank from one side to the other, plus another logo on the tail cover just to remind the rider that this is not his cousin’s Streetfighter V4 S. And oh, the wheels are painted in white without forgetting the Supreme logo, too.

Additionally the buyer may go the whole nine yards and complete the look with an Arai Corsair-X (known in Malaysia as the RX-7X) helmet, also resplendent in Supreme’s colours. This limited edition helmet was made exclusively for the Ducati Streetfighter V4 S Supreme Edition.

Mechanical and electronic aspects and features remain unchanged, including the aforementioned beasty Desmosedici Stradale V4 engine that kicks out a whopping 208hp and 133.4 Nm of torque.

The chassis consists of electronically controlled 43mm fully adjustable Öhlins NIX 30 forks up front and an Öhlins TTX 36 electronic rear shock. The anchors are twin Brembo Stylema Monoblock calipers in front (finished in red) and a floating caliper at the rear.

The entire electronic suite is featured here such as cornering traction control, wheelie control, slide control, launch control, and all sorts of other “controls” as expected of a high performance Ducati.

There is no word yet on how much the bike will sell for and availability in which markets.