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Petronas Motosports Carnival going on from now till Sunday @ KLCC – MotoGP rider Ben Spies dropped by!

October 19, 2011 at 11:31 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Bikes, Local News

This is the MotoGP week, where the world’s finest riders make their annual visit to Malaysia. And in conjunction with the race this Sunday at Sepang, Petronas, sponsor of Yamaha Factory Racing, has something special in the city. The Petronas Motorsports Carnival is happening in the open area between the KLCC mall and the fountain, near Chinoz and Dome.

We braved the big jam caused by the rain to pay the carnival a visit. Reaching at 5.30pm, I already saw a long line for the autograph session with Yamaha rider Ben Spies, who would appear half an hour later. Unfortunately, the 27-year old American rider’s star teammate Jorge Lorenzo couldn’t make it to Malaysia.

The 2010 champ crashed in warm up in Australia and had to undergo surgery. Fortunately, the surgeon was able to save the nerves and tendons of Jorge’s injured fourth finger, as a result no functionality will be lost in either the finger or the hand. A get well soon book was at the signing session – before everyone got Spies’ signature, they put theirs in for Jorge. Sweet. Petronas will make sure that the book reaches the recovering rider.

While waiting for the star to appear, I killed time by browsing the booths of Petronas (plenty of nice merchandise for sale) and Yamaha. Tried out the Augmented Reality game as well, and realised that I was completely hopeless at it. Petronas Motorsports has an online version as well – click here to play.

The Petronas Motorsports Carnival happens till this Sunday, and besides the Augmented Reality game, activities include a trial bike showcase, fashion and dance shows and daily trivia. The bikes of Spies #11 and Lorenzo #1 are also on display. Here are some pics from our visit.

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UMW launches Repsol automotive lubricants in Malaysia

October 19, 2011 at 2:18 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Bikes, Cars, Local News

The name Repsol is no stranger to the biking community and to those who follow MotoGP. I have to admit that I haven’t been following the premier bike series for a long time, but I fondly remember my favourite rider Mick Doohan battling it out with the likes of Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz. The Aussie rode a Repsol Honda, the same team that just powered Casey Stoner to the 2011 MotoGP title.

Well, for those scratching their heads, Repsol is an oil and gas company from Spain with principal operations in Latin America, Middle East and North Africa. The brand is market leader in its home market and Argentina, and is quite big in South America. It operates in 30 countries and its products are available in 60 nations across the globe.

Repsol is now officially available in Malaysia courtesy of UMW Lubricants International (ULI). The principal agency agreement with Repsol was signed in November last year at the Valencia MotoGP race. Since its introduction here in June 2011, ULI has imported over 530 tonnes of lubricant oil for passenger vehicles, motorcycles and diesel engines.

ULI will start blending lubes according to Repsol specs at its Shah Alam plant from January 2012. The manufacturing of Repsol branded products has also begun at Lubritech’s plant in Guangdong, China. Lubritech is part of the UMW Group. Sales of Repsol lubes are expected to reach 20,000 tonnes per year within Malaysia and China by 2015. Locally, ULI is hoping to capture at least 3% market share bu end 2012. Promo activities will start from this weekend’s MotoGP race at Sepang.

UMW also handles the Pennzoil lubricant brand in Malaysia. Repsol will be positioned above the American brand.

“We would like to position Repsol as a premium quality lubricant. Given its long time association with MotoGP, we are going to aggressively promote Repsol products for the passenger vehicle market. We will appoint nationwide distributors and dealers, and target to have more than 200 outlets by the end of 2011,” said Datuk Syed Hisham Syed Wazir, President and Group CEO of UMW Holdings Berhad.

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Naza World brings in Indian Motorcycles – not from India!

October 18, 2011 at 10:17 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Bikes, Local News

There’s a new bike brand in town, and it’s Indian Motorcycles. Funny name, but think American Indian instead of India. Indian Motorcycles is an American brand focusing on easy riders and has a 110-year history of making two wheelers and was once the best selling brand with introduction of the first V-twin motorcycle in 1907. Currently, it’s more niche than mass and produces limited numbers from North Carolina, USA.

Harmony Fabulous Sdn Bhd (HFSB), a company under Naza World, launched the brand at last weekend’s Bikepalooza 2011. HFSB is the sole distributor of Indian Motorcycles for both Malaysia and Singapore markets. Dato’ Razali Ibrahim, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports officiated the launch.

HFSB is introducing four Indians locally, and they are the Chief Blackhawk and Chief Blackhawk Dark (Special Edition), Chief Vintage, Chief Classic and Chief Dark Horse. The Indian Chiefs are powered by a 1,721 cc air cooled pushrod PowerPlus engine with electronic fuel injection, linked to a six-speed transmission.

The Indian Chief models are priced from RM225,000 to RM285,000, inclusive of three years free maintenance. A dedicated Indian Motorcycles showroom next to Naza Automall PJ is in the works and due for completion by February 2012. In the meantime, the bikes will be on display at Naza World PJ.

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Ducati Monster 795: Sneak peak available at Lot 10, KL

October 12, 2011 at 12:27 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Bikes, Ducati, Local News

Next Bike Sdn Bhd, official distributor for Ducati in Malaysia, has been given the honour of launching Ducati’s latest model for the Asian market. The unveiling will happen on 20 October.

In the meantime, they have set up a “Ducati Sneak Peek Box” placed outside the Lot 10 Mall on Jalan Bukit Bintang, KL. As its name suggests, members of the public can take peeks at the new model placed inside the box.

“The new Monster is expected to further contribute to the growth of Ducati in Malaysia, this year alone the company has grown its sales volume by 100% where we expect to retail more than 200 units of Ducati. The introduction of Ducati Diavel in December 2010 had significantly increase our market share as we enter new market segments and with this new Monster, we expect to further capture more market share within the naked bike category,” said Naza Group Joint Executive Chairman, Datuk Wira SM Faisal Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin.

It’s more than just the box. Lot 10 is also hosting the Ducati Brand Experience Roadshow from now till 23 October. On show are Ducati bikes and merchandise. Visitors can also purchase MotoGP tickets (Malaysian GP happens on 23 October) from the Sepang Circuit booth at the roadshow. Next Bike says that roadshow visitors can earn themselves an opportunity to party with Valentino Rossi at the “Monster Party”.

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Why riding a bike makes sense in these troubled times!

October 4, 2011 at 12:01 am By Keshy Dhillon Filed Under Bikes

We are stuck in difficult times. Fuel prices seem to be soaring beyond control; taxes are finding creative ways of making their presence felt in our pockets, prices of essential goods are higher than ever, almost everything is so much more inaccessible than they were say 10 years ago. If you’re a speed demon, then these are the dark ages.

Filling up your tank to indulge in your passion now costs twice as much, if not more; the rise in global crude oil has even affected the cost of our precious grip inducing rubber!
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Aprilia Tuono V4 APRC and Dorsoduro 1200 launched in Malaysia – new Aprilia flagship showroom opens

July 25, 2011 at 12:57 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Aprilia, Bikes, Local News

Amidst all the non-stop action from IIMS late last week was some local news on the motorcycle front, which we’re finally getting to here. Aprilia aficionados in Malaysia will be pleased to hear that there are two new models from the Italian marque to choose from as well as a spanking new venue housing all things Aprilia.

The first of the two new bikes is the Tuono V4 APRC, the naked version of the RSV4 Factory – Malaysia is the first country in Asia to launch the model. The 1,000cc offering, which has 167.3 hp at 11,500 rpm and 111.5 Nm at 9,500 rpm for output figures and features Aprilia Performance Ride Control (APRC), is set to take the fight to the likes of Ducati Streetfighter S, KTM Super Duke R and the Triumph Speed Triple.

The Dorsoduro 1200 is the other, and the Motard category offering, with 130 hp at 8,700 rpm and 115 Nm at 7,200 rpm, has an Aprilia Traction Control (ATC) system as standard fitment. The two bikes bring the Aprilia model lineup in the country to eight.

Meanwhile, the new Aprilia flagship showroom in Kampung Baru was also launched along with the bikes. The 3S centre has a service area with eight bays, and the showroom features a Championship Corner where two almost exact replicas of championship racing bikes – a RSV4 Factory which was used by Superbike World Championship (SBK) winner, Max Biaggi in 2010, and a RS125R MotoGP bike – on display.

The showroom will also have a merchandise store – opening next month – offering a wide range of Aprilia racing apparel and casual wear.

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BMW Malaysia appoints Chear Motorrad as dealership

July 21, 2011 at 5:17 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Bikes, BMW Motorrad, Local News

BMW Malaysia has appointed Chear Motorrad as its newest BMW Motorrad dealership. Chear Motorrad is the sister company of Chear Motor (H.Q.), one of the largest distributors for motorcycles, accessories and parts in the country.

Chear Motorrad is in the midst of establishing its new 4S (Sales, Service, Systems and Spare-parts) Motorrad dealership in Puchong, which is set to be ready for operation in September.

With BMW’s motorcycle division in the country charting positive year on year growth since 2003, the latest dealership appointment is set to take things further. Last year, the company delivered 281 motorcycles, a 25% increase from the 225 motorcycles achieved in 2009.

“This clearly shows that there is a growing demand for premium motorcycles in the country and with the appointment of Chear Motorrad, we will be able to meet and better serve this demand.” said BMW Malaysia MD Geoffrey Briscoe.

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BMW Motorrad E-Scooter concept – electric path beckons

July 4, 2011 at 7:50 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Bikes, BMW Motorrad, International News


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The folks at BMW Motorrad have come up with an electric scooter concept called the E-Scooter, which offers a comparable performance to a conventional maxi scooter, but in much cleaner fashion

Conceived as a future-oriented vehicle for commuting between urban areas and the city centre, the E-Scooter provides the necessary sustained output and maximum speed for safe and reliable operation on urban motorways and when asked to carry two people.

While no output figures are provided, BMW says that the development study has the necessary juice to be able to achieve acceleration figures within the important 0-60 kph range, and this is at the level of current 600 cc maxi scooters.


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The E-Scooter has an operational range of over 100 km, and its battery can be charged at regular household power sockets, so no special charging station is required. When completely flat, the charging period for the unit is less than three hours, with shorter charging times for batteries that aren’t completely out of juice, of course.

The charging device includes a charge cable, and in addition to other components like an ISO insulation monitor, high-voltage indicator and a high-voltage distributor, a DC/DC converter is included with the E-Scooter – it’s required to change high voltage to low voltage power for the 12V power supply and especially for the control units.

There’s no main frame with this one – the aluminium battery casing, which also contains the electronic system required for battery cell monitoring, takes over the function of the frame. The steering head support is connected to this, as is the rear frame as well as the left-hand mounted, single swing arm with a directly hinged, horizontally installed shock absorber.


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The E-Scooter has no hub motor with direct drive or planetary gearbox – instead, the primary electric drive is mounted behind the battery casing, while the secondary drive is made up of a toothed belt from the electric machine to the belt, pulley-mounted coaxially on the swinging fork pivot with drive pinion. From here, power transmission occurs via a roller chain to the rear wheel.

There’s energy regeneration too, when the E-Scooter is decelerated in trailing throttle or when braking, and this offers between 10 and 20% increased range, depending on the driving profile.

During travel, the electric machine and power electronics are liquid-cooled, as is the charging device during charging. An electric coolant pump ensures coolant circulation through the radiator, though the battery on the E-Scooter features an air-cooled system, chosen to save space.

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BMW Motorrad bikes to get Dynamic Damper Control

July 1, 2011 at 11:08 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Bikes, BMW Motorrad

BMW has rolled out dynamic damper control across nearly all their new cars recently, and now BMW Motorrad is doing the same with their bikes.

Motorrad’s DDC is a semiactive suspension system which reacts automatically to manoeuvres like braking, accelerating, and cornering on various road surfaces and analyses the situational parameters provided by sensors to set the correct level of damping at electrically actuated damping valves.

DDC is linked to the DTC and ABS systems. The system recognises the control activities by the other systems and adapts the damping as the situation requires. The adjustments to damping depend on whether the springs are compressing or rebounding, with each process being controlled separately.

Look after the jump for a full explanation on how the DDC system works.
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BMW Malaysia launch K 1600 GT and K 1600 GTL bikes

May 26, 2011 at 3:58 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Bikes, BMW Motorrad, Local News


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BMW Group Malaysia introduced two new Motorrad models today – the K 1600 GT and K 1600 GTL. These two touring bikes feature the most compact inline six cylinder engines for serial production motorcycles to date.

The engine in question is a 1,649 cc inline six pushing 160 hp at 7,750 rpm and 175 Nm of torque at 5,250 rpm, with 70% of the latter available from 1,500 rpm. The four-stroke unit has two overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. Top speed is “over 200 km/h”. At a constant speed of 90 km/h, fuel consumption is rated at 4.5 litres per 100 km; at 120 km/h it’s 5.7 litres per 100 km.

Weighing in at only 102.6 kg, the engine by far the lightest serially produced inline six over 1,000 cc in the bike world. The K 1600 GT weighs in at 319 kg and the GTL at 348 kg.

The rider has Rain, Road and Dynamic modes to choose from. There’s also the unique Electronic Suspension Adjustment II system, which allows the rider to adapt not only the rebound damping properties of the front and rear spring struts, but also the spring rest of the rear spring strut and spring rate, and thus the “hardness” of the bike’s overall suspension.

These two tourers are very well equipped. Cruise control, adaptive xenon headlamps (with angel eyes!), an on-board computer and a 5.7-inch TFT colour display are among the kit supplied. The latter displays the BMW Motorrad Navigator IV system if one opts for it.

The GTL variant has different seating and ergonomics from the GT. Its single-section, dual level seat together with the rider footrests are positioned further forward and lower, and the handlebars reach further backwards for a more relaxed riding posture.

The GT is priced at RM158k and the GTL RM168k OTR excluding insurance. Gallery after the jump.
[Read more...]

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