Singapore - Shopping Part 1

As mentioned, I was in Singapore to pick up some stuff, ok ok let's not sugar coat it, I shopped like the world is going to end by the 27th of October, why 27th you ask, well because 28th is my credit card statement date...haha. If i were a girl i'd be all giggly, then again I might have but no way I'm copping to that here. 

Anyways, the stuff i picked up are all for the bike and upcoming trip. I'd like to think they're necessary or dare i even say vital to facilitate a smooth journey. Of course some may say it's lame, but what the hell...who cares. I may or may not do a review about some of these stuff, so we'll see how it goes. 

I managed to get the panniers, jackets and the Garmin Zumo 660. Now the Zumo is a cool piece of hardware as it's actually made for the motorcycle. Here in Malaysia, it would set you back about RM3.5k. It's cheaper in Singapore but that's not to say that it's dirt cheap either. The lady at R-One in Sim Lim was telling me they don't sell many of these as they're quite expensive and the demand is low, in fact ever since this came out in late 2008, she has only sold 7 units, with mine being no 7 of course. So there i was sitting in this little shop on the 4th floor of Sim Lim with a warm and fuzzy feeling for making it to the top 10 while my wallet was being senselessly raped. Oh well....

The bad boy

Of course I have friends who has leveled accusations of moi being a wuss, a big girl's blouse for having such contraptions. It goes against the spirit of adventure they say, and how people used to cross continents being guided only by the stars and the sun. Well let me tell you this, when you're alone in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night and the fuel warning light comes on and you hear a loud cackle coming from the trees next to you, you better hope that by the furious tapping of the Garmin screen it would take you to the nearest fuel station or a bomoh at least. 

So today I had a chance to install it at David's place in Sri Damansara. He's also kind enough to load it up with the Indochina map, but i'd need to get myself a micro SD card for this.

Bike in the shop

Putting the mount in the middle of the bar. 

It's called a ram mount...haha obscene i know.

Tapping the power straight from the battery

Screwing the panels back in

My view of it

Picked up a Komine mesh jacket and gloves as well.

The beauty of this package is that they also give all the necessary mounting for the car as well, which means that my Garmin 760 is now redundant, so if anyone is interested in it please give me a buzz.

I'll be heading back to David's place soon for more farkling so stay tuned.

Desaru Tri

As promised earlier, the report on Desaru Tri. We went down on Saturday as Jereme is participating in the sprint event on Sun. Courageous i must say, as the fella only bought his bike 2 weeks before the event, having not cycled before. I thought he was going to collapse during the event, but he proved me wrong with a time below 1hr 30. Good showing from a first timer. 

The event consisted of the following:

Race Information

LONG DISTANCE TRIATHLON

Date : 2 Oct 2010, Saturday
Time : 9.00 am
Distance : 2km Swim, 90km Bike, 21km Run
Venue : Lotus Desaru Resort

SPRINT TRIATHLON

Date : 3 Oct 2010, Sunday
Time : 9.00 am    8.30 amDistance : 500m Swim, 18km Bike, 3km Run
Venue : Lotus Desaru Resort

We reached Desaru around lunch time thinking that the long distance would be over only to be surprised by a gaggle of cyclists on the road. Mind you, it was freaking hot at that time with the temp pushing 37deg. Let me put it this way, my nuts were literally roasting, and i was in an air-conditioned vehicle. I can't imagine what's it like out there for those guys. 

The boot was full, hence the bike in the car. Full with what huh? hehe

The run to finish line

I took my time absorbing the atmosphere, checking out the scene taking in the sight and sounds. Dayemn there's some fit chicks out there. While I drooled, mostly from the heat la, Jereme took a nap, totally missing out his briefing. Haha, that's a sign of a well prepared athlete....no briefings required.

Still strong in the grueling heat

No one, young nor old can resist the lure of the Milo from the truck

Pua Chu Kang?

I loved how the MC would in a very Bruce Buffer style, announces the name of the participants as they cross the line. It'll be like "no 112, Cindy from Hong Kong...Yooouu Areeee a finiSHERRRR!!!!". You can see how, 50 meters from the finish line tired, bruised and battered they would roll up their socks, hitch their skirts and with a pained expression on their faces make a mad dash to the finish, just to hear their names being called out.

Serious piece of luggage

Calm sea

What time is it?
It's yawn o'clock....

The morning of the race, Jereme wisely asked other participants on the location of thebike rack, swim route and so forth. It was fine weather that morning, slight drizzle even. So unlike the long, sprint guys had it easier with cooler temps. You can also see some of the nutjobs from yesterday's event in the sprint. Mental!

Plus size athletes represent!

Jereme

The event went well for Jereme with a decent time clocked. I'm afraid there's no pic of him at the finish line coz i got distracted by this girl sprinting to the finish line. She had, ahem ahem pretty decent sized knockers i tell you it was like 2 cats in a sack fighting. What can i say, i'm such a perv!! haha.

Now when am i gonna learn to swim?

Singapore - Oct 2010

It was a trip to kill 2 birds with 1 stone, or if you're Chuck Norris, kill 2 stones with 1 bird. I drove down on Fri to pick up my friend Jereme in Singapore for the Desaru Triathlon as he's (foolishly, i might add haha) entered himself in the Sprint event. I also needed to pick up some gear for my upcoming trip on the motorbike. Yup, as much as i'd like to throw caution to the wind and just go with whatever gear i already have, I'd prefer to make my enjoyment(or suffering perhaps?) a bit better by being slightly more preapared.

I'll blog about these separately, in the mean time i leave you with some pics taken on everyday scene in Singapore. I'm trying to polish on my photog, so these are part of "whack only" series.

Food court in Sim Lim

They were nice enough to ham it up for the shot.

There's always time for latte

Part of series of sculptures on Orchard Road

Evident generation gap

She cuts a forlorn figure watching the world pass by? maybe...

Like i said, there's always time for latte....

It was pushing 37deg on Tues that i just had to stop for a cuppa, and i think it was a blessing in disguise because, sitting there watching people going by with my latte while Bossa Nova plays in the background is just bliss...... 

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.