Box it in!

Gave in and bought a Givi box today. Been stuck in the rain one too many times. Went for at least 2 meetings drenched wet. So during my 3,000 km service, installed a Givi bracket and E33 box. Bought a substantially better Givi raincoat and paid RM508 for the entire bill :`(












I was afraid it was going to look ugly, but it doesn't look THAT ugly. Just reasonably bad. Its not a huge box, and only fits one full face. But it will store my raincoat, water + gel, rain slippers/shoes.

MIROS Motocycle Report

Read an interesting MALAYSIAN INSTITUTE OF ROAD SAFETY (MIROS) RESEARCH report on Malaysia's motorcycle statistics and accident characteristics.

Summary:
- Assuming 70% of registered bikes are active, there are 6.2 mil bikes in Malaysia
- Out of the 6.2 mil, 113,962 have been involved in road accidents, causing fatalities of 3,640 riders, and another 430 pillions
- Motorcycle fatalities continue to outnumber other road users (no surprise)
- Most of the road accidents involving motorcycles occurred at straight roads, with no significant difference in the number of accidents during daytime and night time
- Injuries are getting more and more fatal, with a bigger percentage of KSI (Killed and Series Injuries)
- Highest KSI cases in Malaysia are in Klang, followed by PJ *gasp*

Download the full report here.

B Full Lulus!

Yahoo! Aced it. I should have got 20 out of 20 marks. The JPJ officer didn't see me using the hand brakes. Ceh...

Examination

My bike exam is on Monday. Today was my last run on the Kawasaki ER-6n before the exam. 6 rounds of the circuit felt easy, compared to the first day. However, I slipped off the bridge once today.

I'm gonna be the first to take the test on Monday morning. The pressure is on! Anyway, its gonna be a busy weekend with lots of work to finish up. However, all I can think about is how puny the 150cc feels after getting off the 650cc ER-6n :(

COTY2u 2011 - Kawasaki Versys

A good friend had tickets to Car Of The Year 2u 2011. The highlight of the event is sitting on the Kawasaki bikes. There was a yellow Versys there, similar to these pics (stolen from Google images, btw if you want your pic taken down, just let me know):











However, these are the few reasons why I won't buy it:
- the reason I'm riding is because of cost savings. Considering mortgage and car loan, I don't want to get into another loan.
- the fuel consumption is RM20 for 330km. The FZ150 does almost 400km on RM16. Bigger engine, poorer fuel consumption.
- the meter is quite ugly:

Another accident :(

While on the way home from Ikea, saw a motorcyclist laying on the ground without his helmet. The aftermath of the accident was spotted at the Sprint Highway traffic lights, at SMK Damansara Jaya. A big malay youth, delivering pizza for PHD was writhing in pain. Spotted bruising on his left eye and raw flesh on the left elbow.

He was not the only victim, an Indian lady was also sprawled on the ground, right in the middle of the traffic lights. She too was without her helmet. Her teeth was red, stained in blood, and was still in shock from the unfortunate tragedy. Another Indian man, assuming her husband, was standing, looking calm, however, the wound on his head was gory. Flesh carved out until the bone on his left temple and cheek. However, the cries of his wife (on the ground) and daughter (no more than 4 years of age) left him standing stunned. The young girl was not hurt, and onlookers were trying to comfort her, while the others (including myself) tried to be of help.

A car banged the 2 motorcycles. The car driver was on the phone, calling for help, while we tried to move the injured to the side of the road. A kind samaritan (2 nurses in a white MyVi) stopped to offer transport for the Indian family to a nearby hospital, Damansara Specialist. They don't look like they have any insurance though...

It was a traumatizing scene.

Prayers go out to this family. May they recover quickly, without any complications and recoup their losses. Amen.

2 months on...

Its been two months since my accident. The pain is gone, but the memory lingers. The skin on my palm is still sensitive and the scars remind me of fateful day. The right pinky has a bulge that won't subside. Lesson learned. Ride safely and wear protective gear. I wear my jacket and gloves more often now.






I have been riding to work for the last couple of weeks and I do enjoy it. The rainy season is ending and the heat is coming back. Interestingly, this morning was the first time I got wet on the way to work. It usually rains in the evening and I'm soaked by the time I reach home, but today I was caught in the morning showers.

Kawasaki ER-6N. BIGGER and better?

I've upgraded my bike license to a B-full and went for my first "lesson" on the Kawasaki ER-6N on Friday (yesterday). For newbies, Safety Driving Center (SDC) usually offers the Jaguh for a few rounds, before taking on the ER-6N, but I boasted that I ride the FZ (I didn't mention 150... LOL) and therefore would wanna ride the ER-6N immediately.




It was terrible first "date":
- the riding position leans further in front (uncomfortable)
- clutch was super hard to squeeze, plus the riding position, my hands were red and hurting
- too powerful to ride around the little circuit, accelerator was too "eager"
- poor heat insulation; my feet felt like it was exposed to a HOT furnace
- a heavy animal, which nearly fell on my leg :(

I suffered at starting out into the figure-8 and at the (right) U-turns :(

When I got onto my FZ150 to ride home, it was a SUCH a GOOD RIDE! However, I missed the power (torque) of the 650cc, and now can only dream about it.

My second "date" with the ER-6N was much better, but I'm still not confident to take the B-full test yet. Looks like will need to get to know the beast a little better.

Now, if I had 40k to spend, should I get a ER-6N, Versys or XJ6 Diversion? Hmm...

Its a glove-y day

Rode out early today to Kelana Jaya to visit the Eidaman shop, Kelana Jaya. I wanted to get a better pair of gloves, but at 10am, it wasn't open yet. On the way out of KJ, I saw an interesting motorcycle shop and bought a pair of ori Alpinestar S-MX Air Carbon gloves. En. Nizam, who rides naked Ducati was very friendly and explained that the new shop, called K&J Bikers Fashion, opened on 16th September. They are the sole distributor of iXS Motorcycle Fashion (from Switzerland).

Looks and feels nice, but almost 10 times the price of my fake Alpinestar gloves.

Its ALIVE!

Collected my bike today. Paid a sum of RM 2,200 to get it fixed, inclusive of:
- original FZ rims (RM5++)
- Duro tyres 90/80 front and 100/80 back (RM280)
- Racing Boy disc brake (RM200)
- ori Givi visor & bracket (RM185)
- small parts attached to the rims












Although all the parts are original (from Hong Leong), I can't help the feeling of being slaughtered with this kinda pricing.

*sigh*

The Recovery Period

Its been 1 week and 2 days since the accident at Midvalley. I've completed the antibiotics dose and the injuries are recovering well. The bleeding on my right hand has stopped a few days ago and the pain is going away. The hand is almost back to its full strength.




Went to check on my bike at the workshop. The damage in terms of RM is huge. Its gonna cost me almost 2k to get it back on the road. I highly suspect the PJ Wong Motor workshop is charging too high, but I don't have another workshop contact. This may be the last time I visit them.

I'm taking the opportunity to upgrade the front disc brakes, get wider Duro tyres and a Givi visor. I'm also gonna get myself another pair of gloves with more protection. Will also be shopping for a new MHR helmet clear visor, as the current one is scratched up already :(

The First Cut is the Deepest...

KL rush hour has been badly affected over the last week due to road closures at Merdeka Square. Last Monday (12 Sept), some colleagues were 2 hours late to office. Good thing I rode my bike to office the entire week...

Riding to work on the fateful Thursday (15 Sept) morning, miscalculated a bend at Midvalley and was brought down to the ground at around 70km/h. Bike swerved into the grass/gravel and I feel chest down, without my usual protective gear. Sliding a couple of meters, I thought to myself, "so, this is how a bike accident feels like".

It all happened very fast. I got up, tried to stop the bleeding from my right hand, but could get my jacket off. A good Samaritan, who I only know as Sakhti, came to my rescue. He took out my tie, bound my wrist and took off my jacket to wrap around my hand. Rode me to a clinic in Bangsar where I was cleaned and stitched up. This is after the stitches:










My wife picked me up from the clinic and brought me home.

That same Thursday night, Eddy and I went on a mission to retrieve the bike, which was left on the roadside. When we arrived, we found the gear lever was bent 180 degrees and there was no way to put it right. I locked the bike's disc brake and we retreated.




Nothing happened on Friday as it was a holiday (Malaysia Day). On Saturday afternoon, Eddy helped me again, this time, to replace the gear lever. However, upon reaching the crash site:




The mirrors, rims and tyres were stolen :(

Drove back to the workshop, to get a pick-up truck to tow the bike back. Thanks and much kudos to Eddy for his help this weekend. This is the damage to the helmet:






Thank God that:
- there were no other vehicles involved
- I didn't fall on the tar road, but on the grass
- the full face helmet took the worst beating
- my wife, family & friends for their support
- Sakhti turned back to help

Although this is one of the most painful experiences I've had, I'm also very thankful to God, my family, friends and even a random stranger who stopped by to help. I will do the same in return.

Spray Painting

Just came back from Go Karting at Sepang. Exhausted.

Sprayed the suspension covers and cowling red. Looks like this:





Before and After pic:



Next step, to spray the rear hugger / mud guard. A project for next weekend.

Combi Pic

Highlighting the small visor:

Bike Tyres

Unlike cars, bikes only have 2 tyres. If one goes, the bike will also go down.

When do we need to change the bike tyres? Some tips I've heard, which are quite obvious:

1. Check the tyre threads. The thread is used to channel water when riding in wet conditions, ie. good traction. Check the tyre indicators. There is a triangle (arrow) which indicates the "wear mark". Inside the thread, there is a wear mark. Once the surface of the tyre reaches the same surface as the wear mark, its time to change it.

2. Check for cracks on the surface of the tyre. The tyres are too dry and can explode if there is a severe impact (eg. potholes).

3. Cupping is uneven wear of the tyre on the same area, caused by insufficient inflation of tyres. Ensure the tyres are properly inflated!

Carelessness...

Today was the epitome of carelessness. I went to D'sara Perdana to help some friends move their stuff. Parked the bike at the loading bay beside the lorry and LEFT THE KEYS IN THE BIKE in the ON position. Went up to the apartment and brought stuff down. This went on for a few rounds, until someone checking out the bike asked "Whose bike is this?"

I came out and said with a proud smile... "Its mine!"

"You left your keys in the bike..."

*noob-face*

By then, the battery was dead, as the headlights were ON for almost an hour. I had to push start the bike with help from some other friends. Was so traumatized that during the push start, I didn't even turn the bike ON. Anyway, lesson learnt the hard way today. Thank God the bike wasn't stolen... if not I would need to get a (bigger) replacement XD

Brake & Clutch Lever

So today I rode to Shah Alam only to find TT Jaya closed. It didn't cross my mind to call (as I did yesterday, and there was no answer). It was quite a tiring ride, with my right shoulder blade aching on the way back. My right wrist also felt quite stiff, it could be due to the gloves that I'm wearing for the first time. Still need to get used to the FZ150 riding position and equipment. Oh, the leather jacket in today's weather is HOT!

This is the broken lever:


Went to the few bike shops in Old Klang Road in search of the brake and clutch lever. All the shops did not have the Racing Boy levers, so I got the Shark levers, which feels heavier and looks solid compared to the Racing Boy ones. Its also more expensive at RM135 per set. The Racing Boys were only RM85. Each lever has 6 settings to adjust the distance of the lever from the handle. I also love the red bits on the against the chrome color :))

Purposely got a shorter clutch lever and adjusted it to the shortest possible distance from the handle. Much easier to grab and release the clutch now :)











Also got the third screw for my suspension cover and the small circular Yamaha sticker (RM2 each). Sadly, the Racing Boy rim stickers are coming out. Will just live without it.







On another note, was careless and burnt my right calf on another bikes exhaust. Singed a bigger spot this time. Bravo, Jason...


:(

Jacket and Accessories

I'm ecstatic now. A friend just gave me a leather jacket and matching sling bag. Thank you Mr. Au Kar Wai, you have made my day! Poser pics follow...


The jacket is a perfectly snug dark-brown leather jacket. On its reversible side, a linen-blended lighter-brown with menacing double horizontal stripes:


The leather jacket above is much lighter than my current padded jacket bought from Pertama Complex. This black jacket has cool reflectors, is waterproof and has some thin padding at the important joints:


Last but equally important are the reasonably priced (not-so-original) Alpine Stars gloves:


:)

First Service Today

1. FZ250i had its first service today at PJ Wong Motor, the place I bought the bike. Using Shell Semi 10-40, NGK plugs, oil filter, chain tightening cost RM80. Also bought Racing Boy rim stickers as the previous Yamaha one from TT Jaya started peeling off...

2. This is the Yamaha Racing rim stickers bought and stuck by TT Jaya guys:










Seriously fail. After only 5 days, stickers were peeling off and looks terrible. This time, I stuck the rim stickers myself. After thorough cleaning and wiping, spent an hour sticking it on. I must say it looks great!







3. During the service, the guy pointed out that my brake lever is damaged. SIMON KANG!




This is the left undamaged lever:




Oh well, looks like I need to get a non-plastic after market set. The Racing Boy set (RM110) looked pretty good, but it doesn't come in red.




Ride It, comes in red, but its RM180 at Taj Motoshop.

Choices choices. I'll probably ride to TT Jaya tomorrow to check out other options.