Sunny Cycle - Fork Oil and Ride Report.

The Mod

Went to Sunny Cycle in Jalan Pahang for a minor mod, (cough cough, ya rite minor) and that is to change the fork oil to a thicker viscosity and add a valve to modulate the damping better. This has been recommended by many Beemer owners that I've met, and even though I'm a novice rider, I'd have to say the front is just too soft. It dips under braking and rises during acceleration. The stock works but it's not exactly confidence inspiring. 

The job took about 2 hours, time that i use to check out what other stuff i need for my coming trip. Gotta set aside budget for more gear la.

The fork valve

They work on all sorts

What I hope to achieve - Indochina

Getting the forks out

Sunny Cycle

The Ride Report

The quick ride from Sunny to my house already tells me that it feels different though i really needed a longer ride with twisties thrown in to validate. What else, Awana via Ulu Yam la.

This morning it rained when i woke up, so that kinda screws up the plan. So I had breakfast, waited a while and about 9.30am it kinda stopped. So i suited up and off i went for a solo run, going through Ulu Yam, up to Gohtong Jaya and back down through Karak. The road was actually wet from Ulu Yam to Gohtong as it was still raining, but i decided to press on. If I can describe it in 1 word, it would have to Awesome! I'd summarise it as follow:

1. It doesn't dip under braking or rises upon acceleration.
2. The bike turns in faster, but not abrupt.
3. It holds the line better in turns.
4. Throttle off/on doesn't upset the bike like before.
5. It feels firmer but not harsh.
6. I was actually using higher gears in the same corners and carrying a smoother line.

This is one soooooo worth it mod. Was pretty chuffed with today's ride as the bike felt good and the rain gave me some needed wet riding experience. You can feel the rear wheel sliding on some of the corners, so have to be smooth and relaxed. Even then it still required a high level of concentration cause by the time i got back down was hungry as fuck.

Wished i had taken photos during the ride, but the wet weather killed that spirit. Could use some practice on the new cam.......oh well, next time then.

New Weapon of Choice - Canon S90

Got myself a new point and shoot(P&S) to chronicle and capture my trips and of course, gratuitous shots of minah and mat rempit frolicking behind the bushes. Initially thought of getting a DSLR though ease of use was quickly being questioned as I intend to take it on my trips. Then narrowed it down to a G11 or S90, and again the G11 lost out due to the bulk. Wellll that's what I tell myself anyways, when we all know it's just way too advanced for me.

So back to the cams, i think i let the pis do the talking taken under the same lighting conditions, macro mode.

Old GF by new GF

New GF by old GF 

A sample shot, playing around with settings.

Things People Say

Considering how unfriendly, read ugly i look, it’s virtually impossible for strangers to speak to me, unless of course they’re trying to sell me something or the blind asking for alms, even then I’ve had both groups ignore me and proceed to their next mark (can the blind smell ugly?)

So it does come with a bit of a surprise to have strangers strike a conversation or make comments in relation to the bike. Here’s an excerpt of some of them in no chronological order.

“Motor abang macam Masked Rider la“, Barista in Starbucks Plaza Damas. I was like WTF?

“Eh, you can buy Vios you know”, Neighbour, upon being told how much it is. And yes…i know, but that’s not the point isn’t it?

“Fuh, cantikla motor”, A rempit outside Digi Centre in Taipan.

“Motor macam ni convoy ramai-ramai best, masuk parking susah” A totally useless fella in Low Yat parking when he saw i was struggling to maneuver in the tight lot. Like ya dude, keen powers of observation there.

“How fast?” I lost count how many times I’ve been asked this. I’ve learnt that those who ask probably have no idea, so I’m gonna lie and say 300 next time.

Titi Kong

In the spirit of 1 Malaysia, i learnt that Kong means kampung. So yes, it’s a ride to Kg. Titi for the uninitiated.

I’m attaching the route map, but considering how ham fisted I am with tech, i could be attaching the map to go to ikea….in sweden.

View Larger Map

I was suppossed to go running, but when an sms came in about the ride to Titi Kong, i jumped at it. For the life of me, i don’t know where the hell that is, but it’s exactly because of that that i really wanted to go.

Meet up in Hartamas

We met up in Hartamas as usual and proceeded to Titi Kong via Ampang and look out point. This is where i wish i’ve already gotten my go-pro, coz the road and scenery is really nice.

Quite a number of bikes that day, old school included.

We stopped for our teh tarik and this is where out curiosity got the best of us. We could have very well turned back, but wanted to know where the road ends up, so yes in the spirit of adventure, we proceeded.

"We should turn back"....hehe

That’s how we ended up in Kuala Pilah after passing Jelebu. This portion of the ride is not so pleasant coz the roads are bumpy and there’s quite a bit of traffic. The sports bikes really suffered here. The plus side is that the new road from Pilah to Senawang is really nice with plenty of long sweeping corners. By the time we reached Senawang it was already 1pm and damn it was hotttt. Opted to use NKVE back to KL and weather was pushing 37deg.

All in all, it was a 250km round trip for me, which will come in handy for me as i try to numb my derriere for the upcoming iron butt trip.

2nd Raya Corner Carving

What do you do on 2nd day Raya?

Woke up(late of course) and decided to go for a ride. Wanted to try a new route that would be challenging but not too far. Decided on Frasers, going through Ulu Yam, into Kuala Kubu Bharu and onwards to The Gap.

The start.

The beauty of a solo ride is that you can decide on the pace, where to stop, how long and most importantly, to take photos. Without which this blog will look like it was written by a monkey tap dancing on the keyboard.

in KKB, enroute to Fraser

The machine by the dam.

The corners up there is very tight and it’s a never-ending sea of lefts and rights sprinkled with generous amounts of hairpin turns, so much so that I actually suffered from mild motion sickness. Whoa nelly!! somebody stop this boat coz i wanna get off. Luckily by that time i had reached the Gap and could take a quick rest.

The road going up was gonna open at 3, which means i had a 50min wait. Looking up at the sky, it looks like the heaven is going to open up. I grabbed a quick lunch of a poorly cooked burger and head back down, only to be hit by:

A cooling 25deg up top.

1. A heatwave. The temp up there was 25deg and it was 36deg when i reached KKB. I had to stop at the Shell station to hydrate and escape from the heat for a bit.

2. Storm. Guess i did’nt manage to escape it after all, well at least it’s on flat roads by the time it hit. Gave me a good opportunity to test out the Arai rain suit. Happy to report, other than the pants was a bit difficult to get in and out of (due to my riding boots and enormous buttocks) it held out well in the torrential rain. So did the Forma boots as well, I was standing in a huge rushing water puddle 3″ high and didnt even notice it.

Angry clouds telling me to buzz off.

Overall, it was a good solo ride, something i need more of in preparation for my upcoming long solo trip...stay tuned.