Kawasaki Malaysia has a unique way of providing some fun for owners of Kawasaki motorcycles.
Every Sunday, the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer encourages its owners to meet up at the Kawasaki headquarters in Glenmarie Shah Alam.
There are no pre-planned rides, nothing glamorous. Riders just meet at the HQ and decide what they want to do on that day. They decide where to ride and what to do at that point itself.
The bike maker works with various Kawasaki clubs like the Z250 club, Z800 club and the Versys club to bring owners together. But that doesn’t mean only owners of a certain bike are allowed to come; every Kawasaki owner is encouraged to come together.
We had a chance to witness this camaraderie for ourselves last Sunday. About 30 Kawasaki riders came together at about 830am not knowing where they were going or what the plans were, they just showed up.
After everyone showed up, it was decided that the group was going to ride to Sungkai, Perak for lunch and return back before 3pm.
From the HQ, the group rode to a nearby ‘mamak’ restaurant for breakfast, which was paid for by Kawasaki Malaysia.
On the safety front, Kawasaki Malaysia provided marshalls to help ensure everyone’s riding within limits.
All riders were encouraged to bring full riding and safety gear, but those who did not were not turned away, just advised on the need for proper riding gear especially for long distance rides.
Kawasaki Malaysia is one of the few manufacturers that actively engages its owners and customers to go on weekend rides. Kudos to the company for this amazing effort.
Want us to feature your story or go riding with you and your group? Email us at info@bikesrepublic.com and we will try to be there. Ride safe.
The Kawasaki J300i is an export model scooter built by Taiwanese based motorcycle manufacturer, Kymco. It is built for long commutes and is perfectly comfortable and adapted to life on the move in vibrant cities. We covered 160 kilometres with it during the test ride organised by Kawasaki Malaysia, but hardly felt the distance, and I am not even trying to sugar coat anything here. The J300 is a handsome looking scooter and tops that off with plenty of party tricks.
So what is it really?
If you have heard that the new J300 is based on a Taiwanese scooter that is already on Malaysian roads, you would have heard correctly. Kymco first introduced the Downtown 300i in 2011, and that is what the Kawasaki J300 basically is, but redesigned and repackaged of course.
Kawasaki has re-engineered the design of the J300 to keep it within the Ninja design family, but the platform, engine, brakes and suspension are all from Kymco. This rebranding exercise is not a bad thing as some would imagine. The updates to the J300 to keep it unique from the Downtown 300i are all brilliant, but most of all buyers will benefit from Kawasaki engineering and know how, as well as its well-known aftersales service.
How is it like?
Comfortable, a delight to ride but a little cramped for long legs. Other than that it is brilliant. The ride began in Putrajaya to Sungai Pelek to Morib, Teluk Panglima Garang then back to Palm Garden hotel. A 160km loop with a good mix of bad roads, curves, highways and traffic – all of which are situations the J300 is designed to excel at.
And excel it did. The big seat is plush and comfortable with a tad bit of back support from the heightened rear seat; the pillion sits taller than the rider. Handling is swift and nimble thanks to a 13-litre fuel tank that is placed at the bottom of the frame, and a seat height of just 775mm from the floor, which lowers the centre of gravity, giving better low speed control at the same time.
But space is cramped, as it is on the Kymco Downtown 300i – which is fine if you are only going to be running around town, but it could be a pain if you want to munch some distance with the J300.
However, the scooter makes up for that with some nifty storage space. There is a cubbie hole near the handle bar that lets you store your phone (an iPhone 6 Plus can fit in there), house keys and a fat wallet at the same time. The under seat storage area is capable of holding a few loose items like gloves or a water bottle, and a full face helmet together with a half shell helmet as well, so there is no lacking in storage space.
Handling is light and nimble with an upright sitting position that makes it easier to control the bike with your hips and thighs.
What about the engine?
The J300 is powered by a 299cc, liquid-cooled, SOHC with four valves engine which gives 27.2 hp at 7,750rpm and 28.7Nm of torque at 6,250rpm. And the whole package is connected to a CVT transmission with a centrifugal clutch.
299cc engine develops 27.2 horsepower and gives instant power without any lag.
Scooters usually suffer from a lag in power delivery, like an elastic band that first has to be coiled before releasing its power, but not the J300. Power is surprisingly instant and smooth, but some more torque would have been nice for accelerating away from about 120km/h, though I doubt many J300 riders will find themselves in such a situation.
Exhaust system looks like it has been designed after a jet engine.
So is it comfortable?
Yes! Very! Too comfortable perhaps because it was difficult to stay focused on the road ahead, though I suspect I could have had too much coffee before getting on the bike. The suspension is managed by a 37mm telescopic fork up front, and a twin shock, 5-way adjustable with preload at the rear.
The seat is big, plush and very comfortable, though taller riders may find it a bit too low.
It does a beautiful job at soaking up the bumps and combine that with a plush soft seat, you get perfection.
Front brake is a 260mm petal disc with a twin piston caliper gripping the disc. ABS is for the rear brake and comes as standard.
It looks big, how are the brakes?
Easy peasy. The braking system consists of a single 260mm petal disc with a dual-piston caliper up front, and a single 240mm petal disc with a dual-piston caliper at the rear. It comes standard with ABS and having tested the ABS system, I must say that it is not one of those systems that violently shakes the brake lever, rather it sends gentle pulses to your fingers to tell you that the system is working, and that it is okay to take an evasive manoeuvre if you have to. ABS is for the rear brakes only.
The meter panel is clear and well lit, blue hue makes it easier to see at night.
So should you buy one?
RM31,489 with GST is a lot of money considering that the Kymco badged version of the same bike is priced at around RM24,000 before GST. But then again, it comes backed up with Kawasaki’s aftersales service which is available throughout Malaysia. Can’t say the same about the Kymco though.
The Kawasaki J300 is only available in Black and White in Malaysia.
Being so comfortable and with a cruising speed of around 110km/h, it is the perfect scooter for those who live around the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, or any other city for that matter, and have to commute to the city and back daily.
From left: Encik Awalludin Mohammed Lip, Assistant General Manager of Kawasaki Motors Malaysia, Dato Jeffrey Lim, General Manager/Director of Kawasaki Motors Malaysia, Mr Satoru Akitsu, Technical and Factory Controller of Kawasaki Motors Malaysia.
There are other pleasant touches like a 12V power socket to charge your electronics, a foldaway cargo hook for when you want to “bungkus balik” your food, and plenty of cargo space.
Under seat storage fits a full face helmet and a half shell helmet at the same time with enough space for jacket, gloves and a water bottle.
It is not the most athletic in terms of size for when you want to squeeze past traffic to get to the traffic lights, but it makes up for that in so many other ways. So if you are looking at something to beat the traffic with and want something reliable and comfortable, yes you should buy the Kawasaki J300.
National racer Zulfahmi Khairuddin excited and ready take on the season-opening World Supersport Championship race in Phillip Island, Australia. (more…)
The anticipation for the soon the be launched BMW G310R is getting hotter. So hot that dealers are already accepting bookings for the new entry level BMW in anticipation of increasing demand.
A post on mudah.my by a dealer of BMW Motorcycles has welcomed a 20% downpayment on the 310R with deliveries expected to begin in June this year.
As for the price, there has been no clear indication of that but there is word from a recent dealer conference that prices are set to begin from RM25,000 up till RM30,000 with a long list of accessories set to take those prices up higher should you wish to do so.
We know that the G310 will eventually spawn a mini sports adventure touring model similar but much smaller from the BMW GS. There will also be a full sports model similar to the RR (read about it here) and the regular naked model we see in the pictures here.
The official launch event is said to be happening sometime in March.
Once introduced, the new G310R model will take on the likes of the KTM 250 and the 390, Kawasaki Z300, the Yamaha MT-03 and others.
The G310R will be the most affordable BMW motorcycle ever, and is powered by an all-new 313cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine with four valves and two overhead camshafts together with electronic fuel injection.
It outputs 34hp at 9500rpm and 28Nm of torque at 7500rpm. We had an informal introduction with the G310R in Milan late last year, you can read all about it by clicking here.
You can also view the official video of the BMW G310R below:
As you might have heard a couple of months ago, Kawasaki has updated the ZX-14 for 2016 with an updated engine to keep up with the strict European emission regulations.
This is due to the fact that the ZX-14 was one of the bikes that did not match the emissions standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
So, with a few tweaks to the powerplant, the bike is now ready for the European market. However, the bike’s maximum output, which stood at 210.7hp in the outgoing model, has been decreased to 199.9hp.
The latest EPA test data shows the model has a ‘new’ version of the 1441cc engine with a three-way catalyst rather than an ‘oxidising’ cat. Along with peak power, carbon monoxide emissions have also been lowered.
Set to be available in two variants (ZX-14R and the ZX-14R Performance Sports) for 2016, notable changes include the new instrument cluster with LCD displays with dot-pattern background, black and white interchangeable displays, Brembo M50 monobloc brake calipers with Brembo radial-pump master cylinder, stainless steel brake lines, Ohlins TTX39 rear shock absorber, as well as Akrapovic exhausts.
Uncertain about his future in the WSBK World Superbike Championship, rider Leon Haslam is all set to make a return to the MCE British Superbike championship in 2016.
Sources say that the 32-year-old will be teaming up with JG Speedfit Kawasaki, and will ride alongside James Ellison and Peter Hickman.
It is said that this will be the first Haslam will be riding a Kawasaki machinery in his career. And with a brand new bike closely developed with the factory team of Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes, it could be the chance that Haslam needs to finally bury his demons in the domestic series.
Although no official announcements have been made, Haslam did mention that he was looking at BSB options, and that interesting offers have already been made by certain parties.
Less than a year after Kawasaki launched its first ever scooter (the J300), the brand has unveiled its second scooter – the J125 in Spain earlier this week.
Powered by an all-new water-cooled single cylinder 125cc four-stroke engine which produces a claimed 14bhp and 11.5Nm of torque, the J125 weighs 182kg and competes directly with models like the Suzuki Burgman and Yamaha X-Max 125.
Inspired by the J300, the J125 looks quite similar to its bigger sibling, and comes with under-seat storage big enough for a single full face helmet and A4 briefcase.
It is said that the scooter also comes with a small glove box at the front which has a 12v power outlet.
According to Kawasaki, ABS and an anti-temper anti-theft ignition switch is offered as standard.
All set to make its UK debut in January 2016, there has not been any official announcement on whether the J125 will be introduced here in Malaysia.
Kawasaki (Motors) Malaysia Sdn Bhd (KMSB) continues to develop motorcycles to meet customers’ demand around the world including Malaysian market, even with the weakened Ringgit and economic deterioration in China. (more…)
After our extensive launch report, you’d think you already know everything you need to about the new and massively upgraded 2016 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. However, Kawasaki doesn’t think so, explaining its newly released video below that details the brand’s flagship superbike in all its glory.
To cut things short, what Kawasaki have done was essentially taking the vast input from its World Superbike Championship (WSBK) team’s riders and engineers in the superbike’s development, resulting in the creation of one of its most potent machines ever.
You could say that the new ZX-10R has leaped ahead of its predecessors significantly, and you could perhaps measure that in lightyears if needed. But, lets not forget the 2016 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R’s core mission, which is to grant the Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) with a strong machine to defend its WSBK title in the coming years.
The full upgrade package starts with an uprated powerplant that’s caged within a revised chassis that boasts built-in resonance chambers and a longer swingarm. The follow up to that is the redesigned exterior with improved aerodynamic stability as well.
However, one of its most critical new gains lies in its generously upgraded electronics, the icing of said cake though being the Bosch IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) that ties all the systems together.
Then comes some of the impressive new hardware starting with the production bike debut of the adjustable Showa Balance Free Front Fork system featuring gas-charged tubes. Complementing those further are the adoptions of new radially mounted Brembo monobloc calipers up front that grabs a pair of larger 330mm rotors that is tasked with the bulk of arresting this superbike to a halt.
Check out the video from Kawasaki we posted above and revel in this precision instrument of speed and aerodynamic in all its green glory. Alternatively, you could also read our extensive report here.
