One of my favorite YouTube biker must be Jamie Robinson. I started watching him months ago on Drive channel's motorcycle segment Ride Apart.
His videos are always very entertaining and I really like the way his videos are made as he always emphasize on safety and also the fun of riding. Watching him and exploring the countryside on a motorcycle in different parts of the world really is inspiring and makes me just feel like jumping on my bike and go on a tour.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Giler Selamba Jane - Siapa Suruh Jadi Perempuan?
I discovered this funny video of "Giler Selamba Jane" by a Zara Kahan.
Really like this video as it makes me laugh off my office chair. Really refreshing to see such a "Malaysian" video.
Hope to see more of her soon.
Really like this video as it makes me laugh off my office chair. Really refreshing to see such a "Malaysian" video.
Hope to see more of her soon.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Betong Ride Mar 2013 KL - Sg Koyan - Kuala Lipis - Jeli - Gerik - Betong
2 months owning my new Zed and finally planned a new long trip. It was still a short trip to the Thai border up north but nevertheless, I am overly excited.
For the day's ride covers from the central then we go up the mountains passing by Bentong and Raub by following the main road (no wandering off the mains and wasting time today) via Karak Highway 8 & E8, and head north to Sungai Koyan on the C5. We reached our first scheduled stop at Sungai Koyan, took a short break and then headed east on the C156 & C158 until we reached Kampung Bercang (I think). The ride was nothing more interesting like doing groceries so we just rode pass these towns as quick as possible.
View Larger Map
By around noon, we have reached our next scheduled stop at Gua Musang via the 8. It was an uneventful ride passing many trucks and some number of traffic. At least it wasn't raining, I told myself. I also spotted a new highway was in the making, from Lipis area to Kota Bharu (I think). I guess it is good news for the people in the east coast for them to cut down some travelling time. Hope that his highway will be opening soon. We had fried chicken for lunch which was not the best choice under this hot weather but we wanted to find a place where we could cool down with some AC.
We started our journey after lunch at about 1 pm, with the hot sun and humid air temperature of 35 degrees greeting us. We look forward to the bends as after the next few hours on some trunk roads, we were expected to reach the highlight of the day, which was Jeli-Gerik on the 4. We rode the 113 km stretch in the heat to reach Jeli in about 2 hours on the D29 & 66, it was one of the hottest ride I could ever remember as I could hardly bear the warm air coming in to my helmet and the scorching sunbeam burning my skin under my mesh jacket. Finally when we reach the RV point at the fuel station, I just took off all my gear and sit down on the floor and rest. We rested at the Caltex petrol station for about half hour before hitting the bends.
Starting the bike after the half hour rest, we headed towards Gerik on the 4, following west, which was 120 km of fun and bends. I wanted to stop by to take a picture of the tunnel but I didn't get to as there were heavy traffic and it was too hot.
Many corners and some considerable amount of burnt rubber later, we escaped the sun and stopped by at the R&R Titiwangsa rest stop for a cup of ice coffee.
The scenery of the mountains are nothing short of magnificent. I admit at times I am a little sentimental, but I really feel a sense of belonging for being a Malaysian when I see such beautiful scenery here. Malaysia is really a very blessed state with so much resources, so little natural disasters. However I do think that we are cursed with busloads of idiotic politicians.
The next stop after this was the gas station just right before Gerik and we plan to fuel up there and then head towards our destination which was Betong, Thailand. But this time we were already tired and I look forward to some AC and a shower.
I made a very crude hand held video, sorry about the video shake.
Riding from Shell petrol station before Gerik for another 60 km, we have reach the border. We did our border pass and ride from the border to reach our hotel for the night. The whole ride took us around 12 hours, including several stops for rest and fuel. The Grand Mandarin was the best there was, with covered packing inside a multilevel parking complex attached to the hotel and stayed in a room which costed around 1,600 bath.
This was how the view looked like from the room. Betong is a border town that doesn't look like a border town as it is a village by itself which does not totally rely on neighboring tourists, unlike the cowboy town of Danook.
After a long awaited cold shower, I put on my shorts and flip flops and it was time for Thai food. We order tom yum soup, petai with shrimp, otak-otak, and a steamed siakap fish.
And not to forget, of course, my all time favorite Singha beer!
After dinner, I took my bike and went for a little bit of exploring.
The time was already about 10 pm and I saw a market nearby.
Just before the clock tower, I looked up and see thousands of swifts resting on the electric pole wires, reminds me of home.
The arch which leads to another part of town? Point of turning point for me.
A tower at ISO 100. Looks much better without the stray lights.
Down the road is the roundabout with the clock tower, and then the building behind it is the Betong tunnel which leads to the other side of Betong town.
I rode back after buying few cans of beer using ringgits (same like Danook, Betong also accepts MYR as local currency). Saw this beautiful Yamaha parked near my bike. Wonder how it sounds like.
Took a picture of the poster in the lift. I guess this is the most of the Betong night life I get out of this trip.
Till next time.
All pictures shot with my Samsung Galaxy S II and Nikon D7000.
It was also the first time I get to know that I could still ride even though I did not get any sleep throughout the night before. I was probably too overly excited and could not fall asleep and I was watching the clock ticking from mid night until 4.30 am.
I decided to just get up to have some coffee after that and get ready.
After gearing up, it was time to go. I spent around 15 minutes warming up the engine of my zed, setting up my Kriega drybag on the backseat as a tail bag, then I was ready to go. First it was the RV point at Restoran Jejantas Sungai Buloh at NKVE. I guess we already accustomed to meeting up here in the morning whenever Terry and I go for a trip. We had our breakfast, confirm our route and then off we went.
For the day's ride covers from the central then we go up the mountains passing by Bentong and Raub by following the main road (no wandering off the mains and wasting time today) via Karak Highway 8 & E8, and head north to Sungai Koyan on the C5. We reached our first scheduled stop at Sungai Koyan, took a short break and then headed east on the C156 & C158 until we reached Kampung Bercang (I think). The ride was nothing more interesting like doing groceries so we just rode pass these towns as quick as possible.
View Larger Map
By around noon, we have reached our next scheduled stop at Gua Musang via the 8. It was an uneventful ride passing many trucks and some number of traffic. At least it wasn't raining, I told myself. I also spotted a new highway was in the making, from Lipis area to Kota Bharu (I think). I guess it is good news for the people in the east coast for them to cut down some travelling time. Hope that his highway will be opening soon. We had fried chicken for lunch which was not the best choice under this hot weather but we wanted to find a place where we could cool down with some AC.
We started our journey after lunch at about 1 pm, with the hot sun and humid air temperature of 35 degrees greeting us. We look forward to the bends as after the next few hours on some trunk roads, we were expected to reach the highlight of the day, which was Jeli-Gerik on the 4. We rode the 113 km stretch in the heat to reach Jeli in about 2 hours on the D29 & 66, it was one of the hottest ride I could ever remember as I could hardly bear the warm air coming in to my helmet and the scorching sunbeam burning my skin under my mesh jacket. Finally when we reach the RV point at the fuel station, I just took off all my gear and sit down on the floor and rest. We rested at the Caltex petrol station for about half hour before hitting the bends.
Starting the bike after the half hour rest, we headed towards Gerik on the 4, following west, which was 120 km of fun and bends. I wanted to stop by to take a picture of the tunnel but I didn't get to as there were heavy traffic and it was too hot.
Many corners and some considerable amount of burnt rubber later, we escaped the sun and stopped by at the R&R Titiwangsa rest stop for a cup of ice coffee.
The scenery of the mountains are nothing short of magnificent. I admit at times I am a little sentimental, but I really feel a sense of belonging for being a Malaysian when I see such beautiful scenery here. Malaysia is really a very blessed state with so much resources, so little natural disasters. However I do think that we are cursed with busloads of idiotic politicians.
The next stop after this was the gas station just right before Gerik and we plan to fuel up there and then head towards our destination which was Betong, Thailand. But this time we were already tired and I look forward to some AC and a shower.
I made a very crude hand held video, sorry about the video shake.
Riding from Shell petrol station before Gerik for another 60 km, we have reach the border. We did our border pass and ride from the border to reach our hotel for the night. The whole ride took us around 12 hours, including several stops for rest and fuel. The Grand Mandarin was the best there was, with covered packing inside a multilevel parking complex attached to the hotel and stayed in a room which costed around 1,600 bath.
This was how the view looked like from the room. Betong is a border town that doesn't look like a border town as it is a village by itself which does not totally rely on neighboring tourists, unlike the cowboy town of Danook.
After a long awaited cold shower, I put on my shorts and flip flops and it was time for Thai food. We order tom yum soup, petai with shrimp, otak-otak, and a steamed siakap fish.
And not to forget, of course, my all time favorite Singha beer!
After dinner, I took my bike and went for a little bit of exploring.
The time was already about 10 pm and I saw a market nearby.
Still a busy street on a Sunday night.
The arch which leads to another part of town? Point of turning point for me.
A tower at ISO 100. Looks much better without the stray lights.
I rode back after buying few cans of beer using ringgits (same like Danook, Betong also accepts MYR as local currency). Saw this beautiful Yamaha parked near my bike. Wonder how it sounds like.
Took a picture of the poster in the lift. I guess this is the most of the Betong night life I get out of this trip.
Till next time.
All pictures shot with my Samsung Galaxy S II and Nikon D7000.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Motorcycle Touring in Malaysia - Gears
Going on a short holiday on your bike can be fun.
But one should consider the things that could happen when you are on the road as after all, riding is a high risk activity. At times shit happens, it may caused by the rider him/herself doing some silly things, or it may even caused by other road users.
You may look cool riding your motorcycle with sneakers and jeans but the consequences are, well... see for yourself.
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Note that jeans are not the best abrasion material, especially when you are sliding on tarmac at 80kmh.
Racing leathers are great for protection, but wearing on a hot and humid day for 10 hours will totally get you "worn" out. These suits are designed for the tracks.
However, in modern days motorcycling we are blessed with many high quality touring boots, jackets and pants made from breathable materials which can keep us cool and dry, which helps the rider to track more miles and more importantly, concentrate on his riding to be safe on the road.
Gore-Tex materials provides the option for the rider to ride comfortable in long journeys, while it is water proof. This makes this kind of material essential for us riding here in this region where Malaysian riders need to brave the rain and the heat all at the same time. I had the experience of riding around Malaysia a year ago on my Hyosung, 5 days on the road with scattered rain on the Northern region in April. It was alright when there were no rain, when it starts to drizzle, you would need to decide whether to stop and put on your gear, and if you decide to ride on, the rain might just decide to pour on you.
Funny enough, many times when I decided to stop and put on my Givi rain suit, but after a 20 minutes stop by the highway shoulder (it is a pain putting on rain pants standing by the road), I started riding again and within minutes the rain stopped, and the road was bone dry after that. Think about it, underneath the rain suit, it is the riding jacket and pants and I was still wearing T shirt and underpants under the jacket in the heat. If you decide to take the rain suit off (it is also pain getting rain pants off standing by the road), and magically the rain may start again in a few miles.
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Other than Gore Tex, which in most cases are the super premium products sold by renowned motorcycle gear producer, there are other cheaper options to Gore Tex which are also breathable, like the Drystars products by Alpinestars, or from Dainese D Dry line of gears.
These premium quality riding gears provides a better peace of mind when you are riding your motorcycle, and keep you comfortable on your journey which is essential when it comes to long rides.
Ride safe everyone.
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