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5 Reasons why Changing the Tyres is the Best Performance Upgrade

This writer has been riding motorcycles for nearly 40 years and he can safely tell you that changing the tyres to better ones is the best and immediate performance upgrade.

Bikers always talk about making their motorcycles go faster. It usually involves modifying the engine, changing the exhaust system, replacing stock parts with lighter ones, and even recalibrating or replacing the suspension.

In truth, a new set of good tyres can make all the difference, because your engine may gain 30 extra horsepower, but you are unable to explout this gain because the tyres are crappy.

1. Safety

This goes without saying. An old or bad tyre does not grip as well. It may hop over irregularities in the road, resulting in less grip on less than a completely flat surface. The compound may have already harden also making it less pliable to grip the road’s surface.

More critically, a sub-standard tyre also compromises braking performance which results in instability or worse, loss of traction. On bikes with ABS, you can feel the ABS being triggered prematurely. As such, you will compensate by applying less braking pressure, resulting in increased stopping distance and time.

2. Traction

Good tyres provide the necessary traction to maximize the engine’s power during acceleration and high-speed riding, optimise the brake’s performance, and help the suspension work better in all aspects. It also helps to pick the right type of tyres for the right type of motorcycle and riding, for example, sport-touring tyres when you want to ride your sport-tourer cross border.

3. Handling

This is another obvious advantage. Certain tyres may feel great when they are new, only to keep standing up in corners. A set of good tyres that fits your bike’s characteristics goes a long way in helping your bike steer better at all lean angles.

4. Comfort

An old tyre may have lost its elasticity, causing it to feel hard. Consequently, you can feel every bump it hits, leading to your hands going numb and your body feeling like you wrestled with a bear.

The caveat here is to find the best tyre for your bike and needs. Generally, Bridgestone has the hardest construction, followed by Michelin, then Pirelli, and the supple being Metzeler. It also depends on the type of tyre, for example, sport vs. sport-touring vs. dual-sport.

5. Confidence

A good, new tyre provides the necessary performance when it comes to all aspects of traction including steering feel, cornering feel and traction during braking. These aspects add to your confidence which in turn letting you feel more relaxed when you ride.

Conclusion

So, think about upgrading your tyres first the next time when you want to go faster. Plus, modifying your engine and other components costs a lot more money, will void your warranty (if your bike is still new), and may result in higher maintenance costs.

Good tyres offer a whole lot more and is a better value for your hard-earned money.

Why are Carbon Brakes only in MotoGP

Carbon brakes are only used in the top echelons of motorcycle (MotoGP) and automobile racing (Formula One).

But why do only MotoGP bikes use them?

In the beginning

Braking duties began with drum brakes, which gave way to disc brake systems. But these had several limitations including overheating because they are enclosed (despite the efforts of having air inlets), and needed to be adjusted manually as the pads wear. Also, the swingarm’s movements drag the actuation arm along with it i.e. applies the brakes when the rear compresses, and unloads when the rear jacks up.

MV Agusta was the first manufacturer to fit disc brakes to their bikes in 1965, albeit on a small scale, but it was the Honda CB750 in 1969 which popularized the disc brake for road bikes.

The disc brake offers many advantages as is self-adjusting as the pads and disc wear down, it does not influence the movements of the swingarm; it is self-cooling as the disc(s), caliper(s), and pads are exposed to air flow.

Consequently, brake makers started making them more and more powerful by upgrading the master pump, calipers, discs, and pads. The calipers started from containing a single piston, to two pistons, increasing to four, and even six at one point in time.

As power increased, riders discovered they could brake harder and harder. Likewise, motorcycle manufacturers introduced bikes that went faster and faster. The more aggressive braking did not give the disc enough opportunity to cool sufficiently, especially at the track. This resulted in the disc being warped like a dinner plate i.e. the braking track began to turn outside or inside away from the carrier. When this happens, the pads couldn’t bed themselves completely onto the braking track (where the pads contact the disc). For the rider, the brake lever kept coming backwards towards the handlebar. The disc warp may not be seen with the naked eye, but the effect is there.

Brake manufacturers overcame this by producing better materials for the discs and pads to promote faster cooling. However, bikes continued to get faster and faster, so once again braking power increased and riders braked even later and harder. The lever started coming back to the bar again!

How’s that for a solution creating another problem?

The beginning of carbon brakes

The answer came from the aviation sector. As aircraft grew larger and heavier, they had to land at higher speeds otherwise they would stall. They thus needing more braking power to stop them when they touched down.

Then there was the supersonic Concorde airliner: Its delta wings required higher landing speeds. The kind of forces needed to stop the plane would melt conventional steel brakes.

Hence, Dunlop developed the first carbon-reinforced brake discs and pads in 1969.

Use in competition

Formula One cars were also getting faster and faster, especially after Lotus engineer Colin Chapman discovered the benefits of aerofoils and fitted to the Lotus 49 in 1968. From then on, the cars gained more and more downforce – grip, in other words. Consequently, drivers soon found they were stomping their brake pedals all the way down!

Brabham decided to seek out Dunlop who had developed the brakes for the Concorde, resulting in the first Formula One car to be fitted with carbon brakes in 1976.

As for motorcycles, Wayne Rainey tried them on at the 1988 British GP and was impressed by their performance and went on to win the race. Carbon brakes was here to stay in the 500cc Grand Prix class.

Benefits of carbon brakes

Carbon brakes need heat to work, in other words, heat needs to be generated and stored in the discs for the system to work at its optimum level.

This is in direct opposite to steel or iron discs, which needs to cool down, otherwise continuous heat would soon warp them or even push them into the melting point.

The first carbon brakes needed the riders to apply some pressure on the front brake lever in the first few laps to keep the discs hot. But further research and development has resulted in the materials of today.

The latest system doesn’t require the rider to keep holding on to the bar to warm the brakes up. Instead, the riders only have to perform some hard braking during the Warm Up Lap. The discs will reach their operating temperature of 200 deg Celsius by the start of the race and would continue to work when kept between 200 deg to 800 deg Celsius.

But because they need heat to work, teams would swap them out for the venerable steel discs and sintered pads when racing in the rain. However, this changed when Bradley Smith finished in second place at the San Marino Grand Prix in 2015 with carbon discs and pads despite the rain. Still, it was due to the nature of the track which calls for heavy braking that manages to build up the required heat, whereas certain other tracks do not call for crazy braking.

The new brakes have much higher friction coefficiency and are so powerful that they could slow a bike from 355 km/h down to 90 km/h in less than 300 metres, in less than 5 seconds.

Another benefit of using carbon brakes is the lower unsprung weight hence reduced gyroscopic forces.

So, no wonder they cost USD 20,000 each!

But why aren’t they used in other classes?

Cost, hence the organiser Dorna and FIM decided that is would be best to mandate steel brakes for the other classes to encourage more participation. This is why carbon brakes are used only in MotoGP, while steel is the material in Moto2, Moto3, World Superbike and so forth. They were used in the 250cc class at one time but the Moto2 class has since reverted to steel brakes.

Can I use them on the streets (if one could afford them)?

No, it is too impractical for road use. There will be no way one could keep build up and hold the operating temperature in the discs in dry weather, what more when it rains and during the colder months. The only way to generate enough heat and retain it would be to keep the brake lever pressed at all times. On the other hand, steel brakes on road bikes work between -50 to 600 deg Celsius.

Besides that, the carbon discs last for only about 1000 kilometres.

The current carbon brake systems are all supplied by Brembo who had invested heavily into the technology.

Oxford Products Celebrates Best Start Ever in 2024

Oxford Products just celebrated their best ever start to a year, achieving record sales in the first half of 2024.

The company’s products catalogue is extensive – even “extensive” does not truly cover the entire range – which includes almost every motorcycle accessory apart from the mechanicals and electronics, to rider comfort. Oxford Products produces motorcycle covers, grips, replacement turn signals, mirrors, tools, tank grips, tyre pressure gauges, lever guards, battery chargers, earplugs, balaclavas, etc., etc.

Speaking to MCN, Managing Director, Henry Rivers Fletcher said, “The story of 2024 is one of stability. Gone are the ups and downs of recent years. Our sales this year have been much more consistent, our stock management much more accurate, our business practises more disciplined – all enabling us to run the business more efficiently.”

Founded in 1973 by Alec Hammond, the British brand had humble beginnings, with Hammond selling fibreglass boxes from the back of his van. From there, it has grown to offer thousands of products, boasting an annual turnover over £50m (RM 285,497,500).

Hammond added, “Like most businesses in the UK, if not the world, we have experienced some challenging, unpredictable, stormy times since March 2020. But for those of us old enough to remember, there have always been challenges. Recessions, political upheavals, energy crises, financial crashes. We’ve seen them all, but always had the right people with the right ideas, the tenacity, the creativity and the sheer willpower to turn adversity into opportunity and opportunity into success.”

He went on to promise more investment in the coming year.

Oxford Products are officially distributed by Hodaka Motoworld.

5 Stuff about the Kawasaki GPZ900R Ninja you May not Know

This article was probably best-timed for the first Top Gun film which came out in 1986, but hey, the internet was not born yet. But this author had just rewatched the film (for the millionth time) and felt compelled to write about the original Top Gun bike: Kawasaki GPZ900R Ninja.

Here are 5 interesting stuff you may not know about.

1. 6-year Top Secret Project

Kawasaki needed a bike to succeed the successful and iconic Z1. They needed something that is more powerful than what everyone else had in the market, as well as introduce a fresh design. The motorcycle world had headed into the early 80s by then, which was a decade of excess. Everything had to be more powerful and faster, and on top of that, with groundbreaking design.

Kawasaki worked on the bike over and over. No spyshots existed, especially since there was no internet back then. It stayed in secret better than the Darkstar aircraft.

Finally, it was released in 1984 to global acclaim.

2. The first Ninja

The GPZ900R was the first of Kawasaki’s bikes to wear the “Ninja” name to signify its handling and speed. Since then, all Kawasaki faired sportbikes and even sport-tourers from the ZX-250, to the nighty H2R utilised and utilises the Ninja designation.

3. The first DOHC 16-valve production bike

The engine followed the Z1’s 900cc capacity but it was given a DOHC 16-valve head – the first for a production motorcycle. It had liquid-cooling, too, but it was not the first bike to incorporate that feature.

The new features gave the engine a 115hp peak power output and took the bike to a 243 km/h top speed. That in turn earned the GPz900R Ninja the world’s fastest production bike title and laying down the gauntlet for other manufacturers to beat.

4. Tom Cruise wanted it in Top Gun

Ever noticed that Tom Cruise rides a bike in almost every movie of his? He had been a biker even before Top Gun and the Mission: Impossible series became famous. He knew about the GPZ900R and convinced the producers to include it in the movie which came out 2 years after the bike’s introduction.

5. Produced until 2003

The bike was so successful that it was produced until 1996 for the global market, but production kept going until 2003 for the Japanese market. That was a 17-year production run. Many classic bike aficionados are still seeking the bike.

Closing

The new Top Gun: Maverick movie had Maverick riding the Kawasaki Ninja H2, which is all good since it a continuation of the original Ninja and as the world’s fastest production motorcycle. But you just cannot take away the original Ninja’s clout, just like the first Top Gun movie.

Top 5 “Alamak” Moments for Bikers

We bikers are not immune to alamak moments too because we are simply human. Here are the Top 5 Alamak Moments for Bikers.

The word “alamak” is a Bahasa Malaysia word which we would utter when something goes wrong. Well, there are other curse words but they are unprintable here, so let us stick to this one. It is in the same vein as “blimey,” “oh crap,” “aiyah,” and many others.

1. The (broken) routine

Long-time riders have the “procedures” of getting for a ride down to a routine. But we sometimes get it all so wrong when there is too much to think about or a hot girl walks by. Or just getting old and senile like me.

It goes like this:

Walk outside.
Insert key in the ignition.
Gloves on.
Wait a minute… where is the helmet?
Alamak! It is in the house.
Remove gloves.
Dig into pockets for house keys.
Go inside house and grab the helmet.
Put helmet on.
Alamak! Forgot to put in the earplugs.
Never mind, am late already! Ride away like an angry hornet.
Realise there is the wind feels kind of er… breezy on your hands.
Alamak! Did not put on the gloves. In fact, where are the gloves???
Insert the most favourite curse words here.

2. Rain suit on or rain suit off

The Oxford definition of Sod’s Law is: The fact that things tend to happen in just the way that you do not want.

You check the weather app and says sunny all day, but you stuffed the rain suit into the space under the seat, anyway, knowing how fickle our weather is.

Breakfast was good and you are leaving. But the sunshine suddenly goes away as if you are under a full eclipse. You begin to hear patters of rain on the mamak restaurant’s roof. So, you rush out to the bike, remove the seat and pull the rain suit out. You pull on the rain suit, wear the helmet… and the clouds part and the sun comes out.

Ah nevermind, you ride off in the rain suit anyway and the sun began to get hotter and hotter. You are now sweating like an Eskimo in the tropics, wrapped up in clothes looking like a parachutist who missed his landing point and ended up on a motorcycle.

So, you decide to stop and take the rain suit off. Ah, what a relief!

Two kilometres down the road, the rain comes down again… Alamak!

3. The charge/non-charging device

The alarm clock rings and you get up quickly. Hey, it is the day for the big ride. You reach for your phone which you had plugged in all night. 12%. What the… Alamak! The switch was off!

But you dress up anyway. But just before starting the ride, plug the phone in, to be greeted with a the charging tone.

You reach your destination and take the phone out for pictures with your buddies. 5%.

Alamak!

4. The wayward earplug

I do not know about you guys, but I refuse to ride without earplugs. I used to refuse to believe in them until I tried them on and what a difference it makes.

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But… earplugs need to be inserted correctly otherwise they will wiggle their way out of the ear hole sooner or later. And it usually only happens in one ear, especially when you are riding at high speeds. Correcting it needs helmet removal, which follows removing the gloves. So, another alamak moment.

5. Unstrapped chin strap

You are enjoying the ride when you suddenly hear something slapping the side of the helmet. Alamak, you had forgotten to fasten the chin strap. The only way to fix it is to stop the motorcycle, and removing the gloves. Not going to happen when you are in the middle of convoy.

New Colours and Graphics for 2024 WMOTO RT1

Mforce Bike Holdings Sdn. Bhd. has released the latest edition of 2024 WMOTO RT1 with new colours and graphics.

The distributor says that the changes meet the needs of scooters fans for that stylish and elegant looks. Its technical specifications remain unchanged apart from and “improved” USB charging port located near the front storage pocket.

Highlights:

The WMOTO RT1 is powered by a 149.3cc, single-cylinder, 4-stroke engine which produces 11.5kW (15.4hp) of peak power at 8,000 RPM and 14.5Nm of peak torque at 6,750 RPM.

A Traction Control System (TCS) enhances rider safety especially on slippery roads.
Similarly, there is ABS as standard rider safety during emergency braking.

There is a TFT meter panel but Mforce did not mention if it features Bluetooth connectivity.

Lighting is all-LED.
A front dashboard camera with 1080p resolution as standard.

The three colours are called Sky Blue, White, and Matte Red. Base selling price remains at RM9,888, excluding insurance and road tax. Buyers can enjoy a two-year or 20,000km manufacturer’s warranty (whichever comes first), besides online genuine parts purchase service.

The 2024 WMOTO RT1 available now at all Mforce authorized distributors throughout Malaysia.