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Permatang Pauh MP Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan raised the issue of employing sexily-dressed female models in MotoGP because it contradicts against Islamic teachings and the Rukun Negara.

He requested the Ministry of Youth and Sports (Kementerian Belia dan Sukan/KBS) to stop the practice during the Debate Session of the Supply Bill (RUU) 2025 at the Committee Level for KBS at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday (November 27).

We recently watched the Sepang 2024 MotoGP competition in early November.

So I would like to raise the issue that apart from the event being well-executed, there are several things that could be improved.

I want to share about the issue of the tradition of displaying sexy female models throughout the event.

If we see it as contradicting the teachings of Islam and our fifth Rukun Negara, which is Modesty and Morality, it is very inappropriate for a motor sport that is enjoyed by men and is popular with various levels of society to be presented with such things, and many visitors even complained,” he said.

Therefore, he requested KBS to take the matter seriously, such as taking action to improve the issue of alcohol delivery during Formula One (F1) races, previously. (Formula One has also stopped the service of umbrella girls for several years. – Editor.)

So I request that KBS take this view into account as we have done before.

If we look at the F1 sports category, there was a ceremony where alcohol was given on the podium, but in recent years, before SIC was not activated, we have seen that alcohol was not given.

This is a good thing and may be practiced in our country, especially in the issue of conspicuous women,” he said.

Earlier, Muhammad Fawwaz also agreed to the cooperation agreement signed between the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) and Petronas.

I agree with the agreement between SIC and Petronas to work together for three years to reduce SIC’s dependence on the government.

In fact, the string of these agreements if we see many vibrant programs being implemented at SIC,” he said.

The Indonesian motorcycle market maintains its upward momentum, after seeing a slight reduction in the first half of the year. The first half had closed with a 0.9% reduction in motorcycle sales, but rebounded by 4.1% up to October.

The upswing was the result of the Indonesian government’s commitment to electrify the country’s vehicles. In April 2024, the government committed U$455 million to subsidise the purchase of electric motorcycles aiming to cover the purchase of 800,000 new electric motorcycles and the conversion of 200,000 combustion engine motorcycles into electric ones. The subsidy program provides an IDR 7 million discount on the purchase of electric motorcycles. Hence the segment has increased by 96.6% this year.

The Chinese EV leader Yadea was quick to capitalise on the opportunity and invested heavily to produce electric scooters and motorcycles in Indonesia.

The inaugural vehicle delivery ceremony, held on March 14th, 2024, in Cikarang, Bekasi, Indonesia, marked a monumental milestone for Yadea’s expansion efforts in the Southeast Asian region.

Situated in Bekasi, West Java Province, the Yadea Indonesia production base encompasses a sprawling  28,000 square meters, boasting state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technologies, and an annual production capacity of 300,000 units.

KTM’s parent company, Pierer Mobility AG has failed to source for a cash infusion of at least €100 million, and as a result, KTM AG is now insolvent. The company has entered ‘self-administration’ in order to stave off bankruptcy. In other words, they are working on a reorganisation plan with their creditors within a 90-day timeframe.

As part of the restructuring efforts, Pierer Mobility outlined plans for KTM that involve scaling back production and gradually reducing surplus inventory. These measures aim to diminish the output of the company’s Austrian facilities by over €1 billion in the coming two years.

The impact on Pierer Mobility’s stock was severe, with a further 45% decline to 6.9 Swiss Francs. All in all, their stock has plummeted by 88.1% from its previous high of 95.00 Swiss Francs on 14 January 2022. This marked the steepest single-day decrease in the company’s history.

KTM’s problem began when they increased production to cater for the market demand post-Covid-19 pandemic. However, it soon became apparent that their production had grossly outstripped demand, leaving dealers with excess stock. To exacerbate their woes further, there is currently an industrial crisis across Europe, coupled with a decrease in the demand for motorcycles due to rising costs of living.

Some pundits have also pointed out the quality issues faced by the LC8c engine platform, which powers the 790 and 890 ranges.

Pierer Industrie AG, the parent company of Pierer Mobility, which is co-owned by Stefan Pierer and Bajaj Auto Ltd. of India, has been seeking to restructure its debt.

On Monday, the company approached its creditors with a request to prolong the maturity of nearly €250 million ($262 million) of its liabilities.

KTM CEO Stefan Pierer said alongside newly appointed Co-CEO Gottfried Neumeister: “Over the past three decades, we have grown to become Europe’s largest motorcycle manufacturer.

We inspire millions of motorcycle riders around the world with our products. Now we are taking a pit stop for the future. The KTM brand is my life’s work, and I will fight for it.”

The enthusiasm of our employees is our most important competitive advantage,” Gottfried Neumeister added. “Their passion is the reason why KTM is globally synonymous with peak performance.

We build our motorcycles reliably and robustly for every race, for every terrain. Now it’s about making the company robust. Robust for the future. So that we can quickly focus again on what we do best: building the coolest motorcycles in the world.

Despite Neumeister’s positive tone, a separate statement released by Pierer Mobility on the same day stated that the company expects KTM to end the 2024 financial year with a negative net financial outlook said to be in the ‘very high’ hundreds of millions.

Since 1992, KTM has grown from 160 employees and a production volume of 6000 bikes, to over 5000 employees and the capability of producing 1000 motorcycles per day. As such, further job cuts are expected.

Suzuki Q1 and Q2 2024 worldwide sales has increased, so much so that the maker has adjusted their forecast higher for the entire year.

Suzuki sold 523,000 bikes in Q1 and 499,000 bikes in Q2 this year, compared to 479,000 in Q1 and 494,000 in Q2, 2023. Should the trend continue, Suzuki will see a 4.5 percent increase in revenues, 10.4 percent increase in profits, and 4.9 percent rise in global motorcycle sales.

The manufacturer’s annual sales has been increasing steadily since 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. They had sold 1,535,000 motorcycles that year, 1,634,000 in 2021, 1,859,000 in 2022, and 1,912,000 in 2023. So, the higher projections for FY 2024, given their current performance should see sales above the 2,000,000 mark.

Breaking performance down by region, Asia continues to be the best performer by notching up 1,225,000 sales from 2020-2023. The Asian countries which saw the biggest sales during the same period were India with 557,000 units, China (374,000), and the Philippines (136,000). Other Asian countries contributed 158,000 of sales, altogether.

Suzuki hopes that the new 2024 Suzuki V-Strom 250SX which we reviewed recently will strengthen their sales in the Asian region.

 

 

 

The updated 2025 BMW F 900 R and 2025 BMW F 900 XR have been announced. Both feature lower weight, improved ergonomics, upgraded suspension, and revised aerodynamics. Most of the changes went to the XR sport-tourer variant.

With both variants based on the same F 900 platform, they share several features and components. The different being that the F 900 R is a ‘roadster’ in BMW’s terms a.k.a. naked bike, while the F 900 XR is a sport-tourer, hence the ‘X’ designation.

Highlights
  • The 895cc, parallel-twin, with 270° cranks is now Euro 5+ compliant but remain unchanged, including its peak power output of 105hp at 8,500 RPM and 93.0Nm of peak torque at 6,500 RPM.
  • Engine power is channelled through an anti-hopping slipper clutch, but now with the aid of the MSR Engine Drag Torque Control electronic aid to reduce engine braking at while downshifting at higher RPMs.

  • Both variants receive upgraded 43mm upside down, fully-adjustable forks. However, the R variant has 135mm, and the XR has 170mm of fork travel.
  • The monoshock at the back of each variant is adjustable for preload and rebound damping only. Owners can opt for the Dynamic ESA suspension.

  • The wheels are cast aluminium and borrowed from the S 1000 R, reducing 1.8kg on both ends. Lighter wheels means lesser unsprung weight allowing for quicker handling, faster acceleration and deceleration.
  • Speaking of weight reduction, a new, 800g lighter battery. All in all, there is a 3kg weight reduction for both the 2025 BMW F 900 R and 2025 BMW F 900 XR.

  • Other revisions include the lights, now featuring turn signals that also function as the brake lights.
  • The headlight now features Headlight Pro functionality as standard, with additional LEDs that light up inside corners while cornering.

  • Ergonomics on F 900 R have been revised to provide a sportier riding position. There is an optional sport seat to raise the ride height from 835mm to 860mm. There is also an optional 780mm low seat, which added to an optional low suspension results in a seat height of 760mm.
  • A for the F 900 XR, the windscreen is reshaped and handguards are fitted as standard. There is an optional 30mm higher windscreen through the Premium Package.

  • Electronic features include the two standard Road and Rain ride modes. The optional Ride Modes Pro adds Dynamic Mode as part of the Premium Package. Dynamic Traction Control and BMW Motorrad ABS Pro are included as standard, as is Dynamic Brake Control, which improves braking by suppressing any throttle input under deceleration.
Colour options and prices

Base price of the 2025 BMW F 900 R starts from USD8,995 (RM40,187.04), and comes in three colour options called Snapper Rocks Blue Metallic; Style Sport: Racing Blue/Light White (+USD695/RM3,105.06); Triple Black: Black Storm Metallic (+USD235/RM1,049.84).

Base price of the 2025 F 900 XR starts from USD12,370 (RM55,261.97) and is available in Racing Red; Style Sport: Racing Blue/Light White (+USD375/RM1,675.37); or Triple Black: Black Storm Metallic (+USD275/RM1,228.65).

As far as we know, there are numerous Benelli fans in Malaysia, although we have not seen many new Benellis on the road these days apart from the odd Leoncino. So, will this 2025 Benelli Tornado 550 sportbike be a hit?

The 2025 Tornado 550 is the uprated model after the Tornado 500 prototype was teased at EICMA last year.

As such, it sports a new 554cc parallel-twin, claimed to produce 56hp at 8,250 RPM and 54Nm at 5,400 RPM, and is Euro5+ compliant. So, it is not shared with the Leoncino 500 nor the 502 range. There is of course a six-speed gearbox, but there is no mention of a slipper clutch.

The frame is no other than tubular steel, with yes, none other than Marzocchi forks. These are 41mm and fully adjustable. The monoshock at the back is bolted directly to the swingarm and is adjustable for preload and rebound.

Brakes consist of dual 320mm discs up front, both clamped by four-piston Brembo monobloc calipers (not the usual Benelli-branded ones). Dual channel ABS is standard. Wheels on both ends are 17-inch, made from aluminium alloy. Seat height is a low 790mm. The bike’s weight was not announced, too, but we hope it will be light unlike how hefty other Benellis are.

The bike  is equipped with several electronic features including a 5-inch TFT colour screen with smartphone connectivity for navigation, music streaming, and phone call management.

The Benelli Tornado 550 will be available in 2025 in three colour options called Midnight BlackTech Silver, and Gres White.

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