Motorcycle news, Motorcycle reviews from Malaysia, Asia and the world

BSA To Make Grand Comeback In December

The news broke last week that the British marquee is set to make an official comeback to motorcycle manufacturing.

The Mahindra-owned company will be making its first appearance in December at the Motorcycle Live event in the UK.

Apart from the official comeback, BSA has confirmed that the company will also unveil a new production model which was previously caught undergoing testing last week.

“Over 100 years since the first BSA motorcycle hit the road, BSA is back – and the stage is set at Motorcycle Live for us to showcase our new motorcycle for the first time, as well as paying homage to the models that stamped an indelible mark on the world of motorcycling,” said BSA in a statement.

Mahindra bought the global rights to BSA in 2016 and has also brought back two defunct motorcycle brands, Jawa and Yezdi.

New SYM Maxi-Scooter Promises More Power – 26HP, 26Nm

Taiwanese scooter manufacturer, SYM Motors has expanded its product range with the new 2022 SYM Joyride 300.

The new Joyride 300 is the company latest response to the growing demand for maxi-scooter around the world.

According to SYM, the new model combines compactness, agility, safety and convenience making it the ideal choice for customers wanting a flat floor cruiser.

Interestingly, the Joyride 300 will replace the outgoing EVO 200.

The 2022 SYM Joyride 300 makes 26hp @ 8,000rpm and 26Nm @ 6,000rpm from its 280cc liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, single-cylinder engine.

The Joyride 300 rides on a 15-inch front and 14-inch rear wheel but can be upgraded with 16-inch front and rear wheels.

Interestingly, the maxi-scooter get a host of modern features which includes:

LED lighting
LCD instrument
keyless system 2.0
adjustable windshield
under-seat storage
glove box
quick charge 2.0

The new Joyride 300 is expected to arrive in Europe and Asia by early next year.

2022 Kawasaki H2 SX SE Adds Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind-Spot Monitoring

Kawasaki has updated the H2 SX with more touring-focused abilities for 2022 with a new Advanced Rider Assistance Systems (ARAS).

The 2022 H2 SX SE now features adaptive cruise control, collision detection, and blind-spot monitoring, which helps smooth out traffic.

This is done by treating the H2 SX to the same Bosch radar system adopted by Ducati, BMW and KTM.

Adaptive Cruise Control – Helps maintains the distance to the front vehicle according to rider preference (Near/Medium/Far) with the speed max out at 160km/h.
Forward Collision Warning – If the following distance to the front vehicle closes suddenly, the warning is triggered, and a visual warning is delivered.
Blind Spot Detection – The rear-facing sensor will detect oncoming vehicles from a hard-to-see location and deliver the info via LEDs located in the mirrors.

All of the new features can be accessed via a new 6.5″ full-colour TFT screen which can be connected via Kawasaki’s new smartphone app called Spin.

Meanwhile, Team Green has also upgraded the KECS electronic suspension with Showa’s Skyhook technology that actively adjust rebound damping in real-time.

The updated H2 SX also features better lean-angle thanks to an upgraded Bosch 6-axis Fi-ECU that monitors chassis orientation.

Other exciting upgrades include:

Vehicle Hold Assist
Kawasaki Intelligent Proximity Activation Start Smart master key (KIPASS)
wider seating
USB charging port
heated grips

Nevertheless, the H2 SX continues to deliver 228hp and 137.3Nm @ 9,500rpm from its supercharged 998cc, liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, DOHC 16-valve in-line four engines.

However, the motorcycle might have lost out its iconic supercharger intake noise as Kawasaki added a resin intake silencer explicitly designed to reduce the noise.

Fantic New Adventure-Ready Caballero 500 Explorer Breaks Cover

Italian manufacturer, Fantic has officially unveiled the Caballero 500 at EICMA.

The new adventure-ready motorcycle will join the already available 125cc and 250cc variants.

According to the Italian firm, the Fantic Caballero Explorer makes 40hp and 42Nm from its 449cc single-cylinder engine and sends its power to the rear wheel via a 6-speed manual transmission.

Meanwhile, the Explorer also features an adjustable long-travel inverted front fork and a rear monoshock with an external reservoir.

The motorcycle also comes equipped with a high fender, high-mounted exhaust pipes, and circular headlights to complete the ‘adventure’ look.

Other exciting features include:

luggage carrier with side pannier rack
fly screen
upswept handlebars
two-up saddle

According to Fantic, the new motorcycle will hit European showrooms in Q1 2022.

Royal Enfield Newest Factory In Thailand Begins Operation

Royal Enfield is set to ram up its production in Asia as the company has begin its factory operation in Chachoengsao, a province located east of Bangkok,Thailand.

The new facility would not only serve the local market but also other major South East Asian region.

Interestingly, the Indian-owned company has already started things going by developing a small-displacement motorcycle in cooperation with Thailand motorcycle company GPX.

According to the Indian firm, Royal Enfield plans to ship its motorcycle as a CKD model for assembly which includes the Himalayans and the 650 Twins (Interceptor and Continental GT).

“We are very happy to announce the commencement of operations at the CKD assembly plant in Thailand.

“A testament to our commitment to the region and the market potential, and to our growing community of riding enthusiasts, this facility will enable us to efficiently cater to the growing demand in this region, and also become the hub for the rest of Southeast Asian markets,” said B. Govindarajan, Executive Director Royal Enfield.

2022 Ducati Panigale V4 Breaks Cover – New SBK Gearbox, 215.5HP

Ducati 2022 model release continue by unveiling the updated 2022 Ducati Panigale V4.

The Borgo Panigale factory has made numerous improvements for the Panigale V4, aimed at refining the riding ergonomics and power.

Visually, the 2022 Panigale V4 gets a redesigned winglet, and despite appearing smaller, it produces the same 30kg of downforce at 270km/h.

Ducati also improves the engine heat distribution by revamping the belly pan, which now features two air slots on either side and a series of air slits at the bottom.

Despite the minimal changes, the improved cooling efficiency pushes the Desmosedici Stradale peak power to 215.5hp @ 13,00rpm and 123.6Nm @ 9,500rpm.

Other major changes include getting the SBK gearbox from the Panigale V4 R, whereby its first, second and sixth gear is made taller to allow for better gear transition. The new transmission also helps the Panigale V4 to achieve an extra 5km/h top speed than the 2021 Panigale V4.

Nonetheless, replacing the stock exhaust with a full-system Akrapovic race exhaust will help bump the peak power to 225hp and reduce the weight by 5kg to 190.5kg from its 195.5kg curb weight.

The new Panigale V4 also gets a 5mm longer suspension travel front fork which is said to help improve the front-end feel.

Meanwhile, the Öhlins semi-active suspension available on the 2022 Ducati Panigale V4 S now adopts Öhlins NPX 25/30 pressurized fork, which is fitted into the Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 event-based electronic control system.

The pressurized system managed the compression in the left leg of the fork with a 25mm piston, while a 30mm piston managed the extension in the right leg.

The swingarm pivot was also raised by 4mm to increase the anti-squat effect during acceleration.

Interestingly, to help the rider’s ergonomic, Ducati has made big changes to the fuel tank shape and material to allow riders to have better grip during braking and turning.

Ducati has also restyled the 5″ TFT display that now features two LED shifter lights at the top.