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

Harley-Davidson Merchandise No Longer For Sale On Amazon As Part of New Revamp

According to reports online, Harley-Davidson products are no longer available for sale on the biggest e-commerce site in the world – Amazon.

The decision seemingly came from the HD boardroom, and CEO Jochen Zeitz has confirmed the news.

So why would Harley-Davidson take such a step? Wouldn’t selling on Amazon make it easier for consumers and fans of Harley-Davidson to buy its merchandise?

Well, by removing all of its merchandise from Amazon, Harley-Davidson has basically ensured that only Harley-Davidson and its dealers benefit from the company’s apparel and range of motorcycle kits, which is a business that is said to be more profitable than the motorcycles.

“We want to have a fully integrated, digital e-commerce business with our dealers,” Zeitz said to The Detroit News. “Amazon was not really something that got our dealers into the mix.”

By removing its products from Amazon, Harley-Davidson is basically ensuring that its fans and customers continue to buy directly from dealers, and subsequently ensuring its dealers continue to make profits.

This strategy is part of CEO Jochen Zeitz’s turnaround strategy dubbed “Hardwire”, which is designed to strengthen the brand and its pricing power.

Harley-Davidson is not the first major brand to pull its products off of Amazon, Nike too pulled its sneaker and apparel range from Amazon two years ago.

Read the full report on The Detroit News here.

Royal Enfield Himalayan Updated for 2021 – Here’s what you should know!

The Royal Enfield Himalayan does not need an introduction. Though Malaysians may not see lots of them on the road or perhaps never at all, but fact of the matter is the Himalayan has brought a mountain of success to Royal Enfield.

Every since its introduction back in 2016, the Himalayan has been the go to bike for those looking for an affordable, fuss-free, comfortable and most importantly, capable dual-purpose motorcycle.

And now, for 2021, it has been updated with small but serious features that make it a lot more capable and environmentally friendly.

The 2021 Himalayan still uses the same 411cc single-cylinder SOHC air-cooled engine as before that still produces 24.3bhp@6500rpm and 32Nm of torque. The difference now? It is Euro5 compliant which means it is read to be sold in more markets around the world.

The same steel cradle frame has been carried forward unchanged, as have the 41mm forks at the front and the same straightforward monoshock rear.

The most obvious change is the new shape of the Himalayan’s signature front-mounted luggage mount frames, which also double as brackets for the headlights and instrument panel. It features a more subtle appearance now and sort of blends into the overall design of the bike than before.

Royal Enfield has also updated the seat, making it more plush and comfortable for long distance rides than before.

And the most important chance is the inclusion of the Royal Enfield “Tripper” navigation system which made its debut late 2020 on the Royal Enfield Meteor.

It comes in the form of an extra instrument panel bolted to the right hand side of the fuel gauge.

We have not seen it in action as yet, but some motorcycling sites are calling it “neat solution.”

It leverages the processing power of the rider’s smartphone, and acts as a display for Google Maps-based navigation. You simply key in your desired route and destination via a dedicated phone app, and live directions are displayed on the GPS display’s tiny screen with arrows telling you where to go and a distance countdown telling you how far away the next turn is.

And also new for the 2021 Himalayan is a new range of colors that include a new camp-style ‘Pine Green’, ‘Granite Black’, ‘Gravel Gray’, ‘Mirage Silver’ and two-tone ‘Lake Blue’ and ‘Rock Red’ versions.

There is no news yet on when the new Himalayan will be on offer in Malaysia.

Lane splitting increases your chances of getting into an accident by 12%

Lane filtering or lane splitting is so engrained in the Malaysian motorcycle culture that it is hard to imagine riding a motorcycle without splitting lanes.

Can you imagine if that did not happen? Your Grab and Food Panda delivery orders will take much longer, and Malaysian roads would just be so – weird – if all bikers stuck to riding behind cars instead or riding in between them.

But this so called “accepted behavior” is not necessarily safe. In fact it does not need mega hours of research to tell you that lane-splitting is extremely risky. But that is what we are about to get into here – a detailed study on the safety of lane splitting.

A five-year experiment conducted by the Federation of European Motorcycles Associations (FEMA) and assessed by the Centre for Studies and Expertise on Risks, Environment, Mobility and Planning (CEREMA) found that lane-splitting caused a 12% increase in motorcycle crashes in areas where splitting was allowed.

And the areas where lane-splitting was not allowed, actually saw a decrease of accidents by a whopping 10%.

But then again, this is not something that needs an in-depth study, any biker that rides everyday can tell you that lane-splitting is very dangerous. And there are thousands of videos that show you what can happen when lane-splitting is done wrong.

But the purpose of this study is to protect motorcyclists.

French motorcyclists organisation, “Federation Francaise Des Motards En Colere’ which literally translates to “Angry Bikers Federation” was involved in the study from the very beginning and was one of the organizations that helped set up guidelines for lane splitting. And it found that with proper training of young drivers as well as setting up of guidelines for lane-splitting, the act of lane-splitting itself had a positive impact.

And even though the results were not satisfying, but with proper guidelines and training of both riders and drivers, lane-splitting can be made safe.

But don’t expect such a thing to every be introduced to Malaysia in the near future – lane-splitting is so engrained in our riding culture that it would take generations to make it safer through training.

You can read the full report here.

Bajaj To Introduce Pulsar RS400 Later This Year?

Bajaj Auto is planning to expand the current Pulsar range to target more significant demographics.

Based on latest reports in India, Bajaj is looking to launch its top of the line Pulsar RS400 later this year.

Even though the “rumours” were squashed last year, it looks like the Pune-based manufacturer is going ahead with the plans after a great response with the Dominar 400.

The RS400 will be powered by the same liquid-cooled, 373.2cc engine that powers the Bajaj Dominar and KTM 390 and produces 41hp and 34.5Nm.

Meanwhile, Bajaj is also looking to launch a Pulsar 180 naked sports motorcycle based on the semi-faired 180F.

It will be powered by a single-cylinder, air-cooled 178.6cc engine that generates 16.6hp and 14.52Nm and mated to a 5-speed gearbox.

MOTOGP: Joan Mir To Maintain His #36 For Title Defence

2020 MotoGP World Champion, Joan Mir, will head into the 2021 season with his usual #36.

The Suzuki rider opted to stay loyal to his current #36 instead of using the #1 after winning the title last season.

“The number will be the same as always, the loyal one, #36.

“I think it would have been awesome to use the #1, a unique experience and a dream.

“But I believe that 36 is the number with which I’ve worked hard, and it has taken me to where I am now, winning two world championships [MotoGP and Moto3],” he explained.

The #1 was last seen in 2012 with Casey Stoner at Repsol Honda, while Marc Marquez and Valentino also kept the usual numbers with 93 and 46, respectively.

2021 MV Agusta Brutale And Dragster RR Launched With Major Updates!

MV Agusta has officially revealed the updated Brutale RR, RR SCS, Rosso and Dragster RR for 2021.

The two triple-cylinder naked sportsbike have received extensive updates mostly focusing on the engine, frame and suspension.

The 798cc engine on the Brutale and Dragster are now Euro 5, thanks to the reworked done with the counter-rotating crankshaft to reduce friction.

The crankshaft and conrod now use micro-bored bearings, which require less oil than the conventional bearings, which leads to a lower amount of work the oil pump needs to do, which subsequently reduced energy wastage.

Other improvement includes a new electronic control unit, reinforced clutch and 3rd-generation EAS semi-automatic transmission.

Both the motorcycle also received a redesigned frame that is now stiffer with the bikes also boast new suspension setup as standard including a more comfortable seat and a steering damper.