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Many dream of racing, of racing wheel to wheel, shoulder to shoulder and stepping onto the top step of a podium.

And there is no doubt that there are many who go at it alone, who managed their racing adventures all by themselves.

But many just don’t know how to do it.

Others think it is too expensive, while a few think it is better to do it on the streets.

A couple of weeks ago, I came across a comment on Facebook that sparked a bit of curiosity and the motivation for this article. It was a comment that went something along the lines of “you’re a one man racing team, bro.”

And I thought, “wow, that is so true of a guy called Kishore Singham.”

The name may be reminiscent of a moustachioed Bollywood hero that beats up villains for breakfast and then again for dinner.

But Kishore is loved by many, including his competitors, and is not new to the local racing scene.

And so that comment proved to be the spark I needed to revive a column we started some years ago but dwindled away in the many pursuits of ours – the Most Interesting Biker.

Kishore says motorcycles have been a part of him since he was five years old.

“It has always been a passion of mine since I was five. I loved motorcycle racing and count Wayne Rainey, Gardner, Doohan and Schwantz as my idols,” he says.

He was 10 when he got his first taste of the track life when his mum took him along to a Saturday night track day at the old Batu 3 Track. “Back in 93, 94 and 95, I spent every Saturday night at the track with my mum. In 1995, I also attended my first Grand Prix at the Batu 3. But unfortunately, I never got the chance to ride a motorcycle around Batu 3 as I was still too young.”

“I started riding a motorcycle when I was 11 years old. My neighbor used to lend me his old Honda C70 for me to go around the neighborhood. That’s before my mum found out and told him to never let me ride again. After that, my mum made me a deal. She said she would pay for my license and half a bike if I scored two A’s in any subject. Next thing you know, I had a motorcycle license and a Yamaha RXZ which I bought for RM3,000 back in the year 2000.”

It was soon after that that Kishore started his track riding career, and it all began on a Aprilia RS125 two-stroker.

Kishore fondly remembers the first day he raced, “I really had fun at track days, but it was not until 2014 that I raced for the first time at the IMF Supermoto event in Bukit Jalil. I raced a bone stock Pitster Pro and really enjoyed it. That was when I caught the racing bug.”

When asked how difficult it is to start a career in motorcycle racing, Kishore sounded cautious during the Zoom interview, he explains, “It is pretty tough to start off motorcycle racing, you need to know the proper people and you need supportive parents. My mother never encouraged me to become a racer, but she never stopped me either, she always used to tell me not to take unnecessary risks, but congratulated me when I brought home the trophies.”

“It is also an expensive hobby, but there are ways you can save. I raced at MSF and that just costed me RM7,000 for an entire season not including the bike of course.”

“ I spent RM35,000 buying a Kawasaki ZX6, it is almost stock except for a slip on exhaust, an upgraded air filter, and that is it. It still has the stock brake pads, stock frame and standard fairings.”

“I also only changed the tyres on the first and last race during the entire five race season. I managed 75 – 80 laps on used tyres and that includes practice and qualifying. And I still managed to clock a lap time of below 2:30. That’s how I saved money and made my racing more affordable.”

He says racing is like a black hole that sucks in all your money, but the sense of accomplishment is incomparable. Kishore does not have any financial sponsors, but has sponsors that help him in other ways.

“I am lucky in a way, I have Kratos Motorsport that gives me a good discount on KTEC suspension bits, and I have a buddy called Ayun who runs a gym and gives me a subsidized fees so I can keep in shape for races, and of course there is Chia Motor who always helps me out where ever they can to keep my bike running in perfect condition. So I don’t have major financial support, but I have good friends that keep my racing going.”

But even so, Kishore still is a one man racing team as he does everything from transportation to race preparation by himself.

On a race weekend he leaves home at 6am and rides his race bike to the track. He arrives in time to prep the bike up for the weekend and for scrutineering and rider briefing. After that he does whatever he needs to the bike and it is game on from there.

When asked what his best memory in motorcycle racing was, he says it is the day he won the KTM Supermoto Championship, “I beat the other guy by just one point. I was disadvantaged but gave it everything I had to secure the championship by a single point. That was the best ever”

“But the worst memory I have was when I high-sided at MIMC in Melaka. I suffered a slight concussion and lost 10 minutes of my life. This was back in 2016-2017 and I woke up at the back of an ambulance, not knowing what had happened. That is 10 minutes of my life I am never getting back.

What advise does he have for upcoming racers?

“Don’t give up. Just go out and do your best and always open for your mind to learning something new and also always have an open mind when racing so you are able to make changes in a blink of an eye.”

Kishore’s Wishlist:
1. That the current pandemic ends soon.
2. To have impacted peoples live in a positive way.
3. To add more time on track and bikes in the garage.

Know anyone who is an Interesting Biker? Email us at info@bikesrepublic.com and we will be happy to feature him or her.

After months of waiting, finally, the Milwaukee based company officially launched the 2021 Pan America.

The Pan America is available in two variants; the Standard comes in Vivid Black and River Rock Grey while the Special in Vivid Black, Gauntlet Grey Metallic, Deadwood Green and the two-tone Baja Orange and Stone Washed White Pearl.

Engine

 

The all-new Pan America is powered by a Revolution Max 1250 dual spark VVT that produces 150hp @ 9,000rpm and 127Nm @ 6,750rpm.

According to Harley-Davidson, the unit is built from the ground-up in an effort to improve the weight distribution.

Specifications

The Pan-America Special is packed with a beefy 47mm inverted fork with trick semi-active suspension, including Adaptive Ride Height adjustment.

The Adaptive Ride Height works by adjusting the seat height accordingly, which we think a very innovative move by Harley-Davidson.

The suspension automatically drops the bike down to 855mm once you come to a stop before returning to 890mm once you are on the move, simple yet practical for many.

The rear shocks are handled by a linkage-mounted monoshock with automatic electronic preload control and semi-active compression and rebound damping.

The braking is done by radially mounted, monoblock, 4-piston calliper at the front and dual rotor, floating, tower-mounted at the rear.

The standard and Special comes with a full colour 6.8″ TFT touchscreen display, full LED Light setup, cornering ABS, lean-sensitive traction control, cruise control and hill control which put the Pan America as the most technologically advanced motorcycle coming out of Milwaukee.

As far as an adventure motorcycle goes, Pan America offers a 21L tank with a weight of 258kg for the Special and 245kg for the standard.

BMW Motorrad received huge applause when they launch the retro-styled muscle cruiser R 18 last year.

The R 18 is powered by the biggest boxer engine ever built and offers a wide range of features and accessories.

BMW Motorrad did not stop there, instead, they introduced two more variants; the first debuted in October last year with tall windscreen and saddlebags, while the second variant was spied with a batwing fairing and expected to launch in a few months.

However, French publication Le Repaire des Motards had a chat with BMW Motorrad’s head, Dr Markus Schramm, regarding its future plans.

While Schramm evaded some of the more in-depth questions, he did disclose that it is logical to follow up the R 18 with a smaller size cruiser.

We have yet to get our hands on the new R 18 due to the current pandemic. Nevertheless, we are excited at how BMW Motorrad is pushing for a classic-styled cruiser.

The BMW R 18 Frist Edition is currently available in Malaysia for RM149,500.

To increase every ride safety, Ducati, in collaboration with Dainese, introduces the Ducati Smart Jacket, a revolutionary sleeveless vest with an integrated D-air® airbag.

The versatile jacket inflates in a uniform along the entire surface, thus creates a shield that wraps the rider’s body and guarantees protection during collision or accidents.

According to Ducati, the vest offers protection equal to that of seven Level 1 back protector.

The smart jacket is not just a ‘wearable’ airbag, it also comes equipped with an electronic control unit capable of reading data 1,000 times per second.

The electronic control unit detects autonomously dangerous situations such as sliding, high-siding of a rider, rear-end collision, impact with another object or stopped-vehicle impact, and activates the rider’s protection system.

The vest is available in both men and women version and easily foldable to be stored in a bag, and has a 26-hour battery life that can be charged via any USB socket.

Ducati Smart Jacket is priced at RM4,299 and available at Ducati Malaysia.

Aveta just launched the VS110, priced at RM3,588 (on-the-road) for budget-conscious customers in Malaysia.

The VS110 is the fourth budget motorcycle introduced after the DY90, RX110 and Ranger 110, with the manufacturing is done here in Bukit Raja, Klang.

Weighing at only 83 kilograms, the Aveta VS110 is powered by a 113cc single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that produces a respectful 6.5hp at 8,000rpm and 6.8Nm at 6,000rpm.

Other features:

  • 4L tank
  • telescopic fork
  • rear twin shock absorber

The Aveta VS110 comes in four colour options, Cyan Blue, Blue, Red and Black.

The Bimota Tesi H2 is already a stunning machine, but somehow the people in Rimini, Italy, decided to spice things up for 2021 by announcing a Carbon Edition.

The question is, what is the difference between the standard Tesi H2 and the Carbon Edition?

Like the name, it is the same mouth-watering motorcycle, but the Carbon Edition is limited to only 250 units, and it comes in a black colour scheme with carbon fibres features.

The limited-edition Tesi H2 still packs with the same 230hp Kawasaki H2-derived engine but looks more menacing with the carbon fibre trims.

If you have some money to burn and seeking excitement post-Covid-19, the Tesi H2 Carbon Edition is priced at GBP60,000 (RM339,675).

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