The underbelly exhaust of the KTM Duke 200 may draw snide remarks from naysayers, but KTM/Bajaj went all out to prove that the Duke 200 can survive monsoon rain and light floods. Very impressive! A single-cylinder, 4-stroke, 6-speed motorcycle, the Duke 200 is the product of a joint venture between Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM and Bajaj Auto of India. It is marketed as a pure KTM and is expected to be launched in Malaysia very soon.

Harley-Davidson announced that it is selling their MV Agusta brand to Claudio Castiglioni‘s wholly owned holding company, MV Agusta Motor Holding, S.r.l.

Castiglioni, who kick started Cagiva and then bought over MV Agusta, Ducati and other brands, sold a controlling stake in MV Agusta to Proton, the Malaysian carmaker in 2004 for 70 million Euros. Proton Holdings then sold it’s 57.57 percent stake in MV Agusta Spa to an Italian company Gevi Spa in 2005 for only 1 Euro. Gevi Spa assumed MV Agusta’s debts and working capital requirements totalling 139.44 million euros. The move was announced by Proton Holdings as part of it’s non-core asset divesting exercise.

Harley-Davidson has not announced any financial data but according to Autoblog, despite spending about US$109 million for MV Agusta and spending money to revamp the product lineup. There has been information published saying that Castiglioni probably isn’t going to be paying more than 1 Euro for it!

Harley-Davidson President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Wandell commented, “Our decision to divest MV Agusta reflects our strategy to focus our efforts and our investment on the Harley-Davidson brand, as we believe this provides an optimal path to long-term growth.”

REFERENCE: Proton Berhad – Disposal of interest in MV Agusta SpA

It’s a well-known fact that Malaysia’s national pastime is EATING! One of the latest players in the food industry here in Kuala Lumpur, the capital, is Yellow Cab Pizza Co. Several delivery scooters were spotted in front, painted in Yellow Cab’s distinctive yellow paint scheme. It’s not known if these are genuine Vespas or LML scooters. Whatever they may be, Yellow Cab seems to be doing the right thing as far as the ‘Attention’ bit in the Marketing principle AIDCA (Attention-Interest-Desire-Conviction-Action) is concerned!

バイカーブードゥー

Under-150cc bikes are the preferred choice for Malaysian commuters

Malaysian Road Transport Department (RTD) Director General Suret Singh reports that Malaysian motorcycle registrations have risen by 30% for the first 6 months of the year. However, he is worried that the rise in 2-wheeler sales will result in more road fatalities. In the same period, fatal accidents involving motorcyclists and pillion riders have risen by 12%.

“Motorcyclists are at more risk than other road users. If we shift from motorcycle to car, the risk is 17 times lower, from car to bus it is 30 times lower, from bus to rail travel, it is 325 times lower, and from rail to air travel, it is 6,000 times lower,” said Mr. Singh. In an effort to raise road safety awareness the RTD would launch a safety campaign soon.

From personal experience, I can say that Malaysian drivers are known to change lanes suddenly without signalling. Hopefully the RTD can work on clamping down on drivers who don’t signal.

SOURCE

バイカーブードゥー

This funny little mini-chopper was built by (I believe) TH Bikers of Kampung Baru, Malaysia. It’s based on a Modenas Kriss 110 (licence-built Kawasaki moped). No prizes for guessing which Harley-Davidson inspired it. The V-Rod of course.

An interesting concept, it combines the modern chopper-style look of the V-Rod with the frugal 110cc powertrain of a Kriss 110. IMHO if you take off the tacky looking stickers I think it would look much nicer. Since it’s so small, let’s call it the “Hardly-Davidson”!

バイカーブードゥー

BikerVoodoo reader Al sent this in. Kicked in the butt by economic reality, he chose to buy a used Modenas Elit 150 (rebadged PGO T-Rex 150) scooter for daily commuting. Read and enjoy!

PRACTICALITY
I picked up my scooter 1 day before the Malaysian fuel/electricity price hike, so it’s pretty good timing. Evaluating my needs for transportation, I realised, after many months of riding around on my buddy’s 115cc Yamaha Ego, that I didn’t really need a car to get to work. I live 3km away from my office, in a straight line, so obviously fuel consumption isn’t the biggest of my concerns, and neither is toll. Most of the major savings come from not paying for parking, at RM5 per day, and having to wake up early to get a parking spot, otherwise I’d be paying RM7, per day. (There’s only one parking area that charges RM5. The rest charge RM7-10 a day).

Based on my calculations, return on investment for my used bike, valued at RM2500 for a 2004 model, I would have fully amortized it within 10-11 months just on fuel and parking savings alone. This doesn’t even include the weekend excursions.

What if it rains? You get wet. That’s the only real downside… that and it hurts if you fall.

USAGE
It’s pretty quick on its feet. Acceleration is sufficient to stay ahead of traffic in town, and cruise at highway speed of 110km/h without straining mechanicals or rider too much. The fat tyres are sticky enough for their purpose, and being 120/70R12 fronts and 130/70R12 rear, you have a pick of the best scooter tyres available, namely Pirelli, Michelin or Bridgestone. Of course for the budget conscious, I’ve been told that brands like Duro and FKR make reasonably good tyres for these sizes at between RM70-80 a piece.

The top end could be slightly better and less stressed, but that’s compared to being on a 2-stroke repliracer or underbone. It’s reasonable for a town hack. Don’t do long distances and you’re fine.

Vibrations are still quite annoying, although it might just be my particular specimen. Despite having a rock-steady idle, vibes are transferred from the engine to the handlebars pretty well. I’ll figure something out soon.

T-Rex/Elit dash is informative – tachometer, speedometer, odometer and fuel gauge. There’s even a digital clock but it wasn’t working as for some reason it is powered by a separate button type battery!

BUYING ONE
Why a Modenas Elit 150? Low resale values makes them good buys used, and they’re not the hottest thing in the market right now so it won’t get stolen. Parts are cheap, plentiful and well made. Why a 150? Cos the 125 just not fast enough! Finally, the Elit 150 / T-Rex 150 is small enough to lane split (as opposed to a larger scooter).

Make sure they have had regular oil, pulley component and CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) belt changes or you’re in for a painful introduction to the pavement. If in doubt, just change them when you get the bike. Oil changes are inexpensive, so change often, at every 1000 km or so. and don’t forget a tube of gear lube while you’re at it. Belts and pulleys should last 18000 to 20000km depending on usage. Get the original part. I must stress on original. Any substitute belts have been known to fray and snap in a matter of 2000 – 12000km. It’s just not worth the lost skin.

REFERENCES:
a) MODENAS
b) PGO

バイカーブードゥー

Momos Forza 135

BikerVoodoo reader Al sent in these pics of the “Rocket Boy” by Tiger Motorcycles of Thailand. Al says, “Not sure if this is the Momos Forza, but it looks like the only minibike Tiger company has. If it is, I’m buying one. Supercool! Trellis frame, single sided swingarm, chain through swingarm.” His only concern is that parts might be a problem unless Mofaz, the Malaysian distributor of Tiger Motorcycles (built under licence in Malaysia under the “Momos” brand) brings in lots of spares. The Rocket Boy is being sold in Malaysia as the “Momos Forza”.

The Rocket Boy looks like a Kawasaki KSR110 on steroids. Compared to the KSR, the Rockey Boy is powered by a 135cc single cylinder, 4-stroke SOHC engine, fed by a PZ20 26mm carb. That’s 25cc’s more than a KSR110, although you can buy a big bore kit for the KSR from Takegawa to bump displacement up to 138cc. Other tuning suppliers sell even higher displacement piston/cylinder kits. The Tiger Rocket Boy has a rear monoshock and 4-speed tranny just like the KSR, but with a manual clutch, unlike the centrifugal clutch on the KSR. Unfortunately it falls short by having a fuel capacity of only 4 litres, whereas the KSR holds 7.3 litres in its midget Supermotard styled tank.

Haven’t heard of Tiger? Here’s a short background story on one of the world’s most mysterious motorcycle makers. Apparently Tiger Motorcycles was formerly associated with the Italian make Cagiva and produced Cagiva-branded motorcycles in Thailand. This has always been a big mystery and nothing has been published online about the Tiger-Cagiva story. I found out through Thai media contacts that Cagiva came to Thailand as a result of Porntip Narongdej, a Thai Yamaha distributor’s relationship with the Claudio Castiglioni, owner of Cagiva in Italy. Narongdej’s Yamaha setup provided the infrastructure for dealerships and logistics at a time when only Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki sold in Thailand. I believe at one time the Thai government had an investigation of industry in Italy, and one of the fruits of this investigation was the Tiger Motorcycles (I think!) & the Cagiva relationship. This has now sadly ended, and one of the last joint efforts was the Cagiva F4, which was eventually produced and sold as the Tiger Boxer ST200 (Momos Boxer in Malaysia).

The Tiger-Cagiva setup resulted in one of the most powerful 2-stroke cub-style mopeds known to mankind, the Cagiva Stella 125R, which was powered by a 125cc 2-stroker with CTS (Cagiva Timing System), producing 23.5PS at 10,300rpm! That, is another story.

バイカーブードゥー

(Pic: Arman Ahmad)

Apparently Proton engineers are avid viewers and fans of Discovery Channel‘s American Chopper! Proton, a Malaysian carmaker has apparently built it’s own concept bike – a chopper powered by a 1.5-litre ‘MegaValve‘ Proton Wira (Wira is a Malay word derived from Sanskrit meaning ‘Hero’) engine, according to a post by Arman Ahmad, a journalist at New Straits Times in Malaysia in his blog ‘Man On Wheels‘. The Wira engine is derived from Mitsubishi‘s ‘Orion‘ 4G15 SOHC engine.

Proton R&D’s massive chopper is apparently an engineering exercise with no plans for production. The 17″ rear wheel is from Proton automobile and is fitted with a 210/50R17 motorcycle tyre. The front is a 21-inch motorcycle wheel with a 80/90 tyre. A modified driveshaft comes out of one end of the differential and drives the rear wheel through some sort of 90-degree gearbox (not seen in Arman Ahmad’s pics).

Proton R&D doesn’t appear to be planning to sell any copies but they were inspired by the Dodge Tomahawk concept bike and the fact that automakers BMW, Suzuki and Honda also build bikes. However, it must be noted that those companies started out with 2-wheelers and made 4-wheelers only later!

What do you think of their efforts? Post your comments below!

SOURCE, SOURCE

バイカーブードゥー

Taiwanese maker CPI’s GTR 150 scoot features a good looking trellis frame (CPI Motor Co.)

Bernama has reported that Radio KLfm of Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) has set up a motorcycle squad to monitor the traffic situation around KL and report four times a day during peak hour traffic.

SESSIONS:
1) 7.45AM to 8.15AM
2) 5.45PM to 6.15PM

Previously, information on the traffic situation was obtained from sources such as the traffic police, Kuala Lumpur City Hall, short messaging service (SMS) from “Sahabat KLfm” (Friends of KLfm) and the website of ITIS (Integrated Transport Information System). The KLfm Traffic Squad will utilise four Naza GTR 150S motorcycles. These are Malaysian-assembled versions of the Taiwanese CPI GTR 150 sports scooters.

バイカーブードゥー

SOURCE

Event: Sepang, Malaysia
Date: 7th February, 2008
Ambient temperature: 39°
Track temperature: 57°
Humidity: 53%

Valentino Rossi rounded off a successful three days in Malaysia with another impressive day’s testing at the Sepang International Circuit today. The high point of the Italian’s day was his race simulation, when he lapped consistently under lap record pace and improved on his time from the January test, as well as on last year’s race time.

Rossi was pleased both with the performance of his 2008-spec M1 and with his Bridgestone tyres, today’s results indicating that he and his team are on target with their pre-season development. His best time of 2’01.190 was set on a qualifying tyre on his 23rd of 48 laps, putting him second in the standings behind team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, who topped the time sheets today with an impressive time of 2’00.705.

The Fiat Yamaha Team will reconvene closer to home at Jerez in Spain on Saturday, 16th February for the three-day Official MotoGP Test, the penultimate test before the season kicks off in March.

VALENTINO ROSSI, Position: 2nd Time: 2’01.190 Laps: 48
“I’m really happy about today’s race simulation and about the overall balance of this test. Everything has gone well and the race-simulation was an improvement on the one from last time; this is the real test of where we are. We’ve worked on various different items in many different areas but we’ve had positive feedback throughout. It’s given me the chance to better understand the tyres and today’s simulation has given me even more information about how they behave. We’ve worked more at this test on the set-up of the bike to enable it to work as well as possible with the new tyres and we’ve also continued to work on the new engine, which will be the standard one for this season, and on the electronics. We’ve still got a lot to do but so far everything is progressing well. Now we’re looking forward to Jerez and seeing where we are at a new track alongside all of our competitors.”

DAVIDE BRIVIO, Team Manager
“This test has been very positive; all the hard work that the Yamaha engineers have put in over the winter is now showing in our good results so I would like to say a big thank you to all of them. We’ve seen improvement in all the different areas in which we’ve worked in this week and so we hope that these results will help us to create a competitive package. Today’s race simulation was good and an improvement on January, plus the individual lap times within it were fast and consistent. This is a very important indication of our level. We’ve only done 50% of our pre-season testing, we have two more to go before the first race but we hope to continue improving like this and arrive at the first race in good shape and ready to commence our challenge.”

Lorenzo on Top Despite Struggles on Final Day in Sepang
Jorge Lorenzo finished his second test of the year in positive fashion today with an impressive lap on qualifying tyres. The young Fiat Yamaha Team rider had a somewhat difficult test overall and was unhappy not to improve in the way he had expected to, but his performance on Michelin qualifying rubber at the end of the day gave him some cause for cheer.

Like his team-mate Valentino Rossi, Lorenzo had planned to complete a race simulation today but he abandoned it after a few laps when he found he was lacking pace, deciding instead to spend the remainder of the day working on set-up and tyre testing with Michelin. His time of 2’00.705, set on the 72nd of 73 laps, was an improvement on his best qualifying time from the January test and good enough to leave him at the top of the day’s time sheets, with Rossi in second after a best lap of 2’01.190.

Lorenzo and his team will now enjoy a short break before the Official MotoGP Tests commence at Jerez in southern Spain on 16th February.

JORGE LORENZO – Position: 1st Time: 2’00.705 Laps: 73
“This has been a difficult test for us but not completely negative. The major problem is still the front end going into the corners; the bike is not stable and we also have a bit of vibration. We’ve tried many different settings but we haven’t been able to improve as much as we expected, so this means that I still need to adapt my riding style in some areas. Today I started to do a race simulation but I came in again because my pace was not good enough. At the end of the day we tried some qualifying tyres and I was able to improve on my time from the last test, so that’s positive. I’m not worried about what’s happened here; I’ve had bad days before and I have confidence that we will find the right way forward. I am looking forward to going to a different track now and seeing what happens there.”

DANIELE ROMAGNOLI – Team Manager
“After the January test, when we had quite a good pace, we hoped to improve again this time but unfortunately this hasn’t been the case. We’ve tried many different things with the chassis and the suspension settings but we still have some problems going into the hard braking areas. It’s been a useful test despite this however because we’ve had the chance to refine some mapping, improve the cooling system with the new fairing and to find some new tyres with Michelin. Jorge has worked very hard this week; the hot weather makes his job more difficult and of course he’s not used to so much winter testing outside of Europe like this, so well done to him. Now everyone has a short rest and hopefully we’ll start in better shape in Jerez.”

TEST TIMES
1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2’00.705
2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2’01.190
3. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda Gresini 2’02.135
4. Alex De Angelis (RSM) Honda Gresini 2’02.194
5. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing 2’03.021
6. Tamaki Serizawa (JPN) Kawasaki Racing 2’03.623
7. Yamaha Test Rider (-) Yamaha Test Team 2’06.000
8. Yamaha Test Rider (-) Yamaha Test Team 2’06.040

SEPANG LAP RECORD
Casey Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 2’02.108

SEPANG BEST LAP
Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 2’00.605

SOURCE: FIAT YAMAHA TEAM

バイカーブードゥー

The underbelly exhaust of the KTM Duke 200 may draw snide remarks from naysayers, but KTM/Bajaj went all out to prove that the Duke 200 can survive monsoon rain and light floods. Very impressive! A single-cylinder, 4-stroke, 6-speed motorcycle, the Duke 200 is the product of a joint venture between Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM and Bajaj Auto of India. It is marketed as a pure KTM and is expected to be launched in Malaysia very soon.

Harley-Davidson announced that it is selling their MV Agusta brand to Claudio Castiglioni‘s wholly owned holding company, MV Agusta Motor Holding, S.r.l.

Castiglioni, who kick started Cagiva and then bought over MV Agusta, Ducati and other brands, sold a controlling stake in MV Agusta to Proton, the Malaysian carmaker in 2004 for 70 million Euros. Proton Holdings then sold it’s 57.57 percent stake in MV Agusta Spa to an Italian company Gevi Spa in 2005 for only 1 Euro. Gevi Spa assumed MV Agusta’s debts and working capital requirements totalling 139.44 million euros. The move was announced by Proton Holdings as part of it’s non-core asset divesting exercise.

Harley-Davidson has not announced any financial data but according to Autoblog, despite spending about US$109 million for MV Agusta and spending money to revamp the product lineup. There has been information published saying that Castiglioni probably isn’t going to be paying more than 1 Euro for it!

Harley-Davidson President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Wandell commented, “Our decision to divest MV Agusta reflects our strategy to focus our efforts and our investment on the Harley-Davidson brand, as we believe this provides an optimal path to long-term growth.”

REFERENCE: Proton Berhad – Disposal of interest in MV Agusta SpA

It’s a well-known fact that Malaysia’s national pastime is EATING! One of the latest players in the food industry here in Kuala Lumpur, the capital, is Yellow Cab Pizza Co. Several delivery scooters were spotted in front, painted in Yellow Cab’s distinctive yellow paint scheme. It’s not known if these are genuine Vespas or LML scooters. Whatever they may be, Yellow Cab seems to be doing the right thing as far as the ‘Attention’ bit in the Marketing principle AIDCA (Attention-Interest-Desire-Conviction-Action) is concerned!

バイカーブードゥー

Under-150cc bikes are the preferred choice for Malaysian commuters

Malaysian Road Transport Department (RTD) Director General Suret Singh reports that Malaysian motorcycle registrations have risen by 30% for the first 6 months of the year. However, he is worried that the rise in 2-wheeler sales will result in more road fatalities. In the same period, fatal accidents involving motorcyclists and pillion riders have risen by 12%.

“Motorcyclists are at more risk than other road users. If we shift from motorcycle to car, the risk is 17 times lower, from car to bus it is 30 times lower, from bus to rail travel, it is 325 times lower, and from rail to air travel, it is 6,000 times lower,” said Mr. Singh. In an effort to raise road safety awareness the RTD would launch a safety campaign soon.

From personal experience, I can say that Malaysian drivers are known to change lanes suddenly without signalling. Hopefully the RTD can work on clamping down on drivers who don’t signal.

SOURCE

バイカーブードゥー

This funny little mini-chopper was built by (I believe) TH Bikers of Kampung Baru, Malaysia. It’s based on a Modenas Kriss 110 (licence-built Kawasaki moped). No prizes for guessing which Harley-Davidson inspired it. The V-Rod of course.

An interesting concept, it combines the modern chopper-style look of the V-Rod with the frugal 110cc powertrain of a Kriss 110. IMHO if you take off the tacky looking stickers I think it would look much nicer. Since it’s so small, let’s call it the “Hardly-Davidson”!

バイカーブードゥー

BikerVoodoo reader Al sent this in. Kicked in the butt by economic reality, he chose to buy a used Modenas Elit 150 (rebadged PGO T-Rex 150) scooter for daily commuting. Read and enjoy!

PRACTICALITY
I picked up my scooter 1 day before the Malaysian fuel/electricity price hike, so it’s pretty good timing. Evaluating my needs for transportation, I realised, after many months of riding around on my buddy’s 115cc Yamaha Ego, that I didn’t really need a car to get to work. I live 3km away from my office, in a straight line, so obviously fuel consumption isn’t the biggest of my concerns, and neither is toll. Most of the major savings come from not paying for parking, at RM5 per day, and having to wake up early to get a parking spot, otherwise I’d be paying RM7, per day. (There’s only one parking area that charges RM5. The rest charge RM7-10 a day).

Based on my calculations, return on investment for my used bike, valued at RM2500 for a 2004 model, I would have fully amortized it within 10-11 months just on fuel and parking savings alone. This doesn’t even include the weekend excursions.

What if it rains? You get wet. That’s the only real downside… that and it hurts if you fall.

USAGE
It’s pretty quick on its feet. Acceleration is sufficient to stay ahead of traffic in town, and cruise at highway speed of 110km/h without straining mechanicals or rider too much. The fat tyres are sticky enough for their purpose, and being 120/70R12 fronts and 130/70R12 rear, you have a pick of the best scooter tyres available, namely Pirelli, Michelin or Bridgestone. Of course for the budget conscious, I’ve been told that brands like Duro and FKR make reasonably good tyres for these sizes at between RM70-80 a piece.

The top end could be slightly better and less stressed, but that’s compared to being on a 2-stroke repliracer or underbone. It’s reasonable for a town hack. Don’t do long distances and you’re fine.

Vibrations are still quite annoying, although it might just be my particular specimen. Despite having a rock-steady idle, vibes are transferred from the engine to the handlebars pretty well. I’ll figure something out soon.

T-Rex/Elit dash is informative – tachometer, speedometer, odometer and fuel gauge. There’s even a digital clock but it wasn’t working as for some reason it is powered by a separate button type battery!

BUYING ONE
Why a Modenas Elit 150? Low resale values makes them good buys used, and they’re not the hottest thing in the market right now so it won’t get stolen. Parts are cheap, plentiful and well made. Why a 150? Cos the 125 just not fast enough! Finally, the Elit 150 / T-Rex 150 is small enough to lane split (as opposed to a larger scooter).

Make sure they have had regular oil, pulley component and CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) belt changes or you’re in for a painful introduction to the pavement. If in doubt, just change them when you get the bike. Oil changes are inexpensive, so change often, at every 1000 km or so. and don’t forget a tube of gear lube while you’re at it. Belts and pulleys should last 18000 to 20000km depending on usage. Get the original part. I must stress on original. Any substitute belts have been known to fray and snap in a matter of 2000 – 12000km. It’s just not worth the lost skin.

REFERENCES:
a) MODENAS
b) PGO

バイカーブードゥー

Momos Forza 135

BikerVoodoo reader Al sent in these pics of the “Rocket Boy” by Tiger Motorcycles of Thailand. Al says, “Not sure if this is the Momos Forza, but it looks like the only minibike Tiger company has. If it is, I’m buying one. Supercool! Trellis frame, single sided swingarm, chain through swingarm.” His only concern is that parts might be a problem unless Mofaz, the Malaysian distributor of Tiger Motorcycles (built under licence in Malaysia under the “Momos” brand) brings in lots of spares. The Rocket Boy is being sold in Malaysia as the “Momos Forza”.

The Rocket Boy looks like a Kawasaki KSR110 on steroids. Compared to the KSR, the Rockey Boy is powered by a 135cc single cylinder, 4-stroke SOHC engine, fed by a PZ20 26mm carb. That’s 25cc’s more than a KSR110, although you can buy a big bore kit for the KSR from Takegawa to bump displacement up to 138cc. Other tuning suppliers sell even higher displacement piston/cylinder kits. The Tiger Rocket Boy has a rear monoshock and 4-speed tranny just like the KSR, but with a manual clutch, unlike the centrifugal clutch on the KSR. Unfortunately it falls short by having a fuel capacity of only 4 litres, whereas the KSR holds 7.3 litres in its midget Supermotard styled tank.

Haven’t heard of Tiger? Here’s a short background story on one of the world’s most mysterious motorcycle makers. Apparently Tiger Motorcycles was formerly associated with the Italian make Cagiva and produced Cagiva-branded motorcycles in Thailand. This has always been a big mystery and nothing has been published online about the Tiger-Cagiva story. I found out through Thai media contacts that Cagiva came to Thailand as a result of Porntip Narongdej, a Thai Yamaha distributor’s relationship with the Claudio Castiglioni, owner of Cagiva in Italy. Narongdej’s Yamaha setup provided the infrastructure for dealerships and logistics at a time when only Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki sold in Thailand. I believe at one time the Thai government had an investigation of industry in Italy, and one of the fruits of this investigation was the Tiger Motorcycles (I think!) & the Cagiva relationship. This has now sadly ended, and one of the last joint efforts was the Cagiva F4, which was eventually produced and sold as the Tiger Boxer ST200 (Momos Boxer in Malaysia).

The Tiger-Cagiva setup resulted in one of the most powerful 2-stroke cub-style mopeds known to mankind, the Cagiva Stella 125R, which was powered by a 125cc 2-stroker with CTS (Cagiva Timing System), producing 23.5PS at 10,300rpm! That, is another story.

バイカーブードゥー

(Pic: Arman Ahmad)

Apparently Proton engineers are avid viewers and fans of Discovery Channel‘s American Chopper! Proton, a Malaysian carmaker has apparently built it’s own concept bike – a chopper powered by a 1.5-litre ‘MegaValve‘ Proton Wira (Wira is a Malay word derived from Sanskrit meaning ‘Hero’) engine, according to a post by Arman Ahmad, a journalist at New Straits Times in Malaysia in his blog ‘Man On Wheels‘. The Wira engine is derived from Mitsubishi‘s ‘Orion‘ 4G15 SOHC engine.

Proton R&D’s massive chopper is apparently an engineering exercise with no plans for production. The 17″ rear wheel is from Proton automobile and is fitted with a 210/50R17 motorcycle tyre. The front is a 21-inch motorcycle wheel with a 80/90 tyre. A modified driveshaft comes out of one end of the differential and drives the rear wheel through some sort of 90-degree gearbox (not seen in Arman Ahmad’s pics).

Proton R&D doesn’t appear to be planning to sell any copies but they were inspired by the Dodge Tomahawk concept bike and the fact that automakers BMW, Suzuki and Honda also build bikes. However, it must be noted that those companies started out with 2-wheelers and made 4-wheelers only later!

What do you think of their efforts? Post your comments below!

SOURCE, SOURCE

バイカーブードゥー

Taiwanese maker CPI’s GTR 150 scoot features a good looking trellis frame (CPI Motor Co.)

Bernama has reported that Radio KLfm of Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) has set up a motorcycle squad to monitor the traffic situation around KL and report four times a day during peak hour traffic.

SESSIONS:
1) 7.45AM to 8.15AM
2) 5.45PM to 6.15PM

Previously, information on the traffic situation was obtained from sources such as the traffic police, Kuala Lumpur City Hall, short messaging service (SMS) from “Sahabat KLfm” (Friends of KLfm) and the website of ITIS (Integrated Transport Information System). The KLfm Traffic Squad will utilise four Naza GTR 150S motorcycles. These are Malaysian-assembled versions of the Taiwanese CPI GTR 150 sports scooters.

バイカーブードゥー

SOURCE

Event: Sepang, Malaysia
Date: 7th February, 2008
Ambient temperature: 39°
Track temperature: 57°
Humidity: 53%

Valentino Rossi rounded off a successful three days in Malaysia with another impressive day’s testing at the Sepang International Circuit today. The high point of the Italian’s day was his race simulation, when he lapped consistently under lap record pace and improved on his time from the January test, as well as on last year’s race time.

Rossi was pleased both with the performance of his 2008-spec M1 and with his Bridgestone tyres, today’s results indicating that he and his team are on target with their pre-season development. His best time of 2’01.190 was set on a qualifying tyre on his 23rd of 48 laps, putting him second in the standings behind team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, who topped the time sheets today with an impressive time of 2’00.705.

The Fiat Yamaha Team will reconvene closer to home at Jerez in Spain on Saturday, 16th February for the three-day Official MotoGP Test, the penultimate test before the season kicks off in March.

VALENTINO ROSSI, Position: 2nd Time: 2’01.190 Laps: 48
“I’m really happy about today’s race simulation and about the overall balance of this test. Everything has gone well and the race-simulation was an improvement on the one from last time; this is the real test of where we are. We’ve worked on various different items in many different areas but we’ve had positive feedback throughout. It’s given me the chance to better understand the tyres and today’s simulation has given me even more information about how they behave. We’ve worked more at this test on the set-up of the bike to enable it to work as well as possible with the new tyres and we’ve also continued to work on the new engine, which will be the standard one for this season, and on the electronics. We’ve still got a lot to do but so far everything is progressing well. Now we’re looking forward to Jerez and seeing where we are at a new track alongside all of our competitors.”

DAVIDE BRIVIO, Team Manager
“This test has been very positive; all the hard work that the Yamaha engineers have put in over the winter is now showing in our good results so I would like to say a big thank you to all of them. We’ve seen improvement in all the different areas in which we’ve worked in this week and so we hope that these results will help us to create a competitive package. Today’s race simulation was good and an improvement on January, plus the individual lap times within it were fast and consistent. This is a very important indication of our level. We’ve only done 50% of our pre-season testing, we have two more to go before the first race but we hope to continue improving like this and arrive at the first race in good shape and ready to commence our challenge.”

Lorenzo on Top Despite Struggles on Final Day in Sepang
Jorge Lorenzo finished his second test of the year in positive fashion today with an impressive lap on qualifying tyres. The young Fiat Yamaha Team rider had a somewhat difficult test overall and was unhappy not to improve in the way he had expected to, but his performance on Michelin qualifying rubber at the end of the day gave him some cause for cheer.

Like his team-mate Valentino Rossi, Lorenzo had planned to complete a race simulation today but he abandoned it after a few laps when he found he was lacking pace, deciding instead to spend the remainder of the day working on set-up and tyre testing with Michelin. His time of 2’00.705, set on the 72nd of 73 laps, was an improvement on his best qualifying time from the January test and good enough to leave him at the top of the day’s time sheets, with Rossi in second after a best lap of 2’01.190.

Lorenzo and his team will now enjoy a short break before the Official MotoGP Tests commence at Jerez in southern Spain on 16th February.

JORGE LORENZO – Position: 1st Time: 2’00.705 Laps: 73
“This has been a difficult test for us but not completely negative. The major problem is still the front end going into the corners; the bike is not stable and we also have a bit of vibration. We’ve tried many different settings but we haven’t been able to improve as much as we expected, so this means that I still need to adapt my riding style in some areas. Today I started to do a race simulation but I came in again because my pace was not good enough. At the end of the day we tried some qualifying tyres and I was able to improve on my time from the last test, so that’s positive. I’m not worried about what’s happened here; I’ve had bad days before and I have confidence that we will find the right way forward. I am looking forward to going to a different track now and seeing what happens there.”

DANIELE ROMAGNOLI – Team Manager
“After the January test, when we had quite a good pace, we hoped to improve again this time but unfortunately this hasn’t been the case. We’ve tried many different things with the chassis and the suspension settings but we still have some problems going into the hard braking areas. It’s been a useful test despite this however because we’ve had the chance to refine some mapping, improve the cooling system with the new fairing and to find some new tyres with Michelin. Jorge has worked very hard this week; the hot weather makes his job more difficult and of course he’s not used to so much winter testing outside of Europe like this, so well done to him. Now everyone has a short rest and hopefully we’ll start in better shape in Jerez.”

TEST TIMES
1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2’00.705
2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2’01.190
3. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda Gresini 2’02.135
4. Alex De Angelis (RSM) Honda Gresini 2’02.194
5. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing 2’03.021
6. Tamaki Serizawa (JPN) Kawasaki Racing 2’03.623
7. Yamaha Test Rider (-) Yamaha Test Team 2’06.000
8. Yamaha Test Rider (-) Yamaha Test Team 2’06.040

SEPANG LAP RECORD
Casey Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 2’02.108

SEPANG BEST LAP
Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 2’00.605

SOURCE: FIAT YAMAHA TEAM

バイカーブードゥー