Nolan N20 FIAT has just arrived!

Heyya,

The recent Thursday, i bought the beautiful and sexy Nolan N20 FIAT from Budak Singapore aka Azman as he just advertised the N20 FIAT and other designs few days before.. I got it only for RM600 including delivery cost (to my doorstep) and handling charges..

This N20 FIAT helmet is my second time i have bought helmets from Budak Singapore.. Previously, i bought Arai's Tour Cross II from him.. He is a very reliable seller, does quick deliveries and sells at very reasonable prices.. I'd totally recommend bikers to buy products from him..
Check out his catalogue at www.budaksingapore.com

From Nolan website:
"N20 FIAT the Made in Italy raised to the second power for this line of helmets that brings together Nolan® and Fiat, both historical brands. The 500 version evokes the legendary car, faithfully reproducing the front and back.


The 500 EMOTICON version can be customised using the stickers provided, while the RACING version proposes the Fiat logo, which for some years has been filling with colour the MotoGP racetracks. The Italian flag is present on all versions, an important detail that emphasizes the uniqueness of this Collection."


I got it for a Small Size and it fits me very well, just like the Arai's Tour Cross II !!! I bought the N20 FIAT as i really needed a City-Riding helmet for my GSA and it's fucking awesome!! Anyway, the FIAT edition is a piece of a beauty and here are the photos:

HooRahh!!

A Hectic Schedule in this week..

Heyya..

i've been frequently traveling between Auto Bavaria BMW Glenmarie and JPJ (Road Transport Department) today..

i have learnt many things on exchanging number plates between different owners, insurance policies, etc...

Things to do in order to keep the RJB 1 number plate:



1. Get the klr650 insurance policy for myself

2. Change ownership title of the KLR grant between me and Johann

3. Once my name is on the klr grant, send the klr for Puspakom Inspection

4. Submit the klr grant with Puspakom Inspection slip to Auto Bavaria BMW

5. Transfer RJB 1 number plate to BMW R1200 GS Adventure

6. Get a new random number plate on the klr and its grant from Auto Bavaria

7. Change ownership title of the KLR grant back to Johann's with the new number plate

All i know, i can't wait for my 30 Years Anniversary to be out on this FRIDAY!!! (fingers crossed)


HooRahh!!

Number Plate woes..

Should I keep the RJB 1?
This will cost me a lot especially on Insurance cover as it costs the same for a new fancy number plate..
i've found out that the current KLR owner needs to cancel his insurance policy first.. then i shall get the KLR insured under my name.. then i can interchange the RJB 1 number plate from KLR650 to GS Adventure..

Then, i will cancel the insurance policy and the current KLR owner has to renew another policy.. we will lose couple of hundreds ringgits by doing so..


Should I get a new number?
say RJS 1? RJS 12? RJ 1200?

Too bad, these numbers are already taken and booked!

Arghhhh..


No HooRahh!!

Sent by Maxis from my BlackBerry® smartphone

BMW R1200 GS Adventure "30 Years Anniversary"

Heyya...

Click here for My 30 Years Anniversary GS Adventure!!

I shall be getting this exact bike next week at BMW Auto Bavaria Glenmarie..

It's BMW R1200 GS Adventure "30 Years Anniversary"



'BMW' = It's BMW, of course.. don't tell me you do not know what it means.. LoL


'R' = Boxer Engine with DOHC (2010 engine), Shaft Driven..


'1200' = 1,200 cc of engine capacity (1,170cc to be exact)


'GS' = Gelände / Straße (it's German for off-road / road)


'Adventure' = Taller seats, Taller Suspensions, Bigger Fuel Tank (33-liters), Bigger Bash Plate, Tank Guards, Engine Guards, Engine Head Guards, Rear Exhaust Guards, HID Fog Lamp, Bigger Windshield, Multi-spoke rims, etc..


'30 Years Anniversary' = it is Limited Edition.. It's been 30 years since BMW introduced a radical new motorcycle to the public (1980)..  The original BMW R80 GS received a "love it/hate it" reaction from everyone who laid eyes on it, and not a single person thought the concept would succeed.

But here we are, 30 years later and the GS-series is not only one of BMW's best-selling models, it has spawned an entire new motorcycle segment called "Adventure Touring".. it comes with the special color scheme and sexy red seat – of the original R80... 

(this video is not mine, it's taken from youtube and it is the exact bike i'm getting next week.. i just wanna show you an example of this great masterpiece)

Click here for My 30 Years Anniversary GS Adventure

HooRahh!!

Cleaning Arai's Tour Cross II inner pads

Heyya..

I have cleaned and washed the Arai's Tour Cross II helmet pads.. These pads need to be washed for at least twice a month...


The pads absorbed sweat, dust and dirt during bike riding... They can hold very unpleasant odors and even harbor bacteria.. Nobody would wanna put on a stinky helmet but it's not that hard to clean up the helmet, removing stink and also making them as good as new... 

HooRahh!!!

Goodbye, KLR Redbull Dakar..

Heyya..

I haven't been updating my blog as i have been bikeless since September..

Officially, on 15th September 2010, I have sold my beloved KLR650 Red Bull Dakar to an Australian guy who works in Malaysia... Check out the photo below how happy he was when picking up the bike.. Hahaa.. He seemed very pleasant with the KLR.. As soon as he got the bike, he managed to ride to Ulu Langat Dam and Hatyai..

Soon after i came back from the solo ride to Mae Hong Son and Golden Triangle, i had a thought that I needed a bigger CC bike... The KLR served me very well through out the 6,000 km journey...

As i sold the KLR Redbull, i have clocked 31,000 km of mileage within 8 months.. that's hell of a lot of mileage i've done, which it had served me to travel to Cambodia and Thailand for every month...

The KLR 650 is perfect bike for Indo-China, Thailand etc ride... but i believed BMW R1200 GS ADVENTURE would give me a bigger smile... Heheee

And of course, now with the BMW GS1200 Adventure, i can cruise 160-180 km/h easily along the highway.. and why "GS 1200 Adventure" instead of F800GS or standard GS1200??

Because it's my FIRST BMW bike, it's been my dream bike..  and i fucking want it the best of the best!!!

No more bike upgrading after this... I'm doing it All The Way, bitchesssssssss!!!

Oh by the way... I am getting the "30 Years Anniversary" R1200 GS Adventure...


HooRahh!!!!

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Heyya..

I'm now in Chiang Mai after battling with lots of super sharp up-down hill corners.. And they were wet and slippery too..

The road from Mae Hong Son to Pai was fookin' brilliant.. It was smooth and hilly up to many mountains.. The scenery was breath taking too as it consists of padi fields with mountains at the background..

Upon reaching Pai, the countryside is beautiful..

But the route from Pai to Chiang Mai was difficult.. There were too many sharp cornerings with up-downhill.. Oh, have I mentioned TOO MANY? My hints for other riders, make sure that u're prepared more after u've reached Pai..

Maybe bcoz I have managed to conquer 1864 corners, my mind was not prepared the Pai - Chiang Mai route.. I thought Pai - Chiang Mai would be relaxing.. But I was wrong!!

The rain has just stopped in Chiang Mai.. I'm staying at the Royal Lanna Hotel @ Night Bazaar.. Starbucks and McDonalds are just few steps away.. Been told there are many pubs and bar for me to hunt tonight.. Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe!!

HooRahh!!

Sent by Maxis from my BlackBerry® smartphone

Pai, Thailand..

Heyya..

Currently I'm in Pai.. It is 130km from Mae Hong Son.. Pai is a hilly resort, very peaceful.. I'm loving it every moment here..

The route from Mae Hong Son to Pai is Absolutely Gorgeous.. Was riding only on 2nd and 3rd gear.. The road condition is smooth & superb.. I had to climb the mountains as high as the clouds.. And it was damn cold!!

Here at Pai, I'm stopping for a while to have breakfast.. I'm having Pad Thai and ice cafe latte.. Sweeeeet!!

My next journey is Chiang Mai.. It'll be another approx. 140km.. Will find out the exact distance later..

HooRahh!!

Sent by Maxis from my BlackBerry® smartphone

1864 Corners - Completed!

Heyya..

I managed to do 1864 Corners of Mae Hong Son yesterday.. Many riders have done it but there are few who did it SOLO..

The journey was 400km of distance from Mae Sot to Mae Hong Son and there was only 20km of straight road.. The rest were all corners, corners and corners..

There were many types of corners and bends.. Mostly were like Tapah - Cameron Highlands (the old route), Kuala Klawang and Bukit Tinggi to make up the 1864 Corners..

I managed to ride for 7 hours to complete the 1864 Corners.. Think about it, 400km in 7 hours??? That's a hell of a lot of corners!!

Some area had very terrible road conditions, i.e. Pot holes, slippery bends, etc..

Some area had narrow and very dark road.. I doubt if a bus or lorry can pass through the narrow road.. I had a thought that I got lost for a while.. Hahaa..

So now I'm in Mae Hong Son (MHS) and getting prepared for Pai and Chiang Mai.. There will be another challenging 120km route to Pai.. Chiang Mai is 260km from MHS.. I just hope it does not rain today..

HooRahh!!
Sent by Maxis from my BlackBerry® smartphone

Mae Sot to Mae Hong Son 1884 Corners

What a lovely day!! It's been raining heavily since I left kuala lumpur..

Now I'm in Mae Sot, Myanmar border.. I'll be leaving to Mae Hong Son soon..

Mae Hong Son 1884 Corners, here I come!!

HooRahh!!
Sent by Maxis from my BlackBerry® smartphone

Chiang Mai + 1000 Corners + Golden Triangle, Thailand (Few hours before departing)

Heyya...

I'm well prepared for solo ride to Thailand.. this time, i will be covering Southern Thailand, Kanchanaburi (Bridge on River Kwai), Mae Hong Son (1000 Corners), Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai (Golden Triangle) and Myanmar border.. The total journey is approx. 6,000 km... i will double confirm with the figures once i'm back...

I will spend 14 days for this trip... i shall be departing as early as 3.00 am on Monday morning...

I will update the blog as much as i could.. so stay tuned!

See you guys in the next 14 days..

HooRahh!!

Ride: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Golden Triangle and Laos

Heyya...

My Epic solo journey to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pai, Golden Triangle and Laos starts tomorrow (26th July 2010) at 3.00 am...

HooRahh!!

Farkle: Cramp Buster!!!

Heyya..

I just installed a cheap farkle and one of the best investments I have ever bought for the RedBull KLR..

It is called CrampBuster aka throttle rocker.. It costs only RM50 and it is the largest cramp buster size I've found..

Currently I'm in Shah Alam and I've tested it for almost 50km along NKVE highway.. So far, it is very handy and my right palm felt very comfortable.. But I need to re-adjust its position to a sweet spot so I don't have to use it when I'm riding in town..

HooRahh!!

Sent by Maxis from my BlackBerry® smartphone

Mods: GIVI Engine Guard + Tubeless Rims

Heyya..

I'm so happy.. Very happy now as my rims are no longer using tubes.. I have modified the rims to 'tubeless rims'.. What Sunny has done, he put a thick sealant inside the rims where the spokes are connected to the rims..

By putting the sealant, it closes the holes & gap between the spokes and the rims.. Hence, there is no air can be escaped through the spokes.. Therefore I can use tubeless tires.. The modification costs RM300 for both rear and front rims and it took 3 days to be done..

Why would I have 'tubeless' rims? The answer is, it is safer to use them when I get the tires punctured as the air will not escape as fast as tubes'.. Also, it will be easier to fix the punctured tires using Puncture Kit.. It saves time to repair and it costs very cheap to repair..

Can you see the engine guard? it's wicked!!!

Today, I managed to buy an engine guard, produced by Givi.. There are few engine guards available in the market for KLR 650 but so far, Givi's engine guard has the best look, size and protection.. Not to forget, I noticed the finished quality of the engine guard is similar to Motech and Hepco & Becker (although they don't produce for KLR650)..

Somehow, Givi's engine guard does not increase the bike's vibration and it is wider than Motech's although it is smaller in size.. It costs RM600 including labour cost..

HooRahh!!

Sent by Maxis from my BlackBerry® smartphone

Service: New brake pads + Metzeler Sahara 3 tires

Heyya,

Today I have changed front brake pads and both front & rear tires.. Actually the front brake pads have 10% left..

Meanwhile the rear Sahara tire would last for another 5,000 km but I would not take any risk to use it for the upcoming ride to Chiang Mai and border of Laos..

The front brake pads cost RM70 and RM550 for a pair of Metzeler Sahara tires at Sunny Cycle..

HooRahh!!

Sent by Maxis from my BlackBerry® smartphone

Test: Updating blog using BlackBerry

Heyya,

I'm trying to setup my Blackberry email account so I could update www.Globe-Rider.blogspot.com , including photos, at anytime and anywhere I would be..

If this works successfully, then I can update my "epic" solo journey in the future easily.. (As long as there is h/p roaming) :-P

Cheers..

HooRahh!!

Sent by Maxis from my BlackBerry® smartphone

Olympus PEN E-P1... i'm done with the wish list!!

Heyya...


On July the 8th 2010, i have bought the ultimate PEN, the Olympus E-P1...

The design of the camera is reminiscent of the Olympus PEN half frame film cameras and is marketed as the Olympus digital PEN and it is very similar to the Olympus PEN F... 
I bought the E-P1 with 2 lens kit, which comes with 14–42 mm f/3.5–5.6 zoom lens, a 17 mm f/2.8 pancake prime lens and a viewfinder "VF" (not an electronic VF).. for your info, the VF only works with 17 mm f/2.8 lens... 

Other features include HD video recording with the ability to process the video in camera with different effects. The PEN E-P1's design is Retro and it is constructed with a solid stainless steel body... it is heavy and has the solid feel when i hold the camera... with its Retro look, i believe the design will last forever.. it is a Micro Four Third (m4/3) camera which has a similar sensor as other Olympus DSLR cameras...

The E-P1 comes with 6 Art Filters and photo editing features are also built-in, meaning i do not need to use PC to edit and add special effects on images.. All the effects can be done on E-P1 itself.. Also, videos can be recorded with these Art Filters effects.. the Art Filters are:

- Pop Art
- Soft Focus
- Pale & Light colour
- Light Tone
- Grainy Film
- Pin Hole

The photos above are taken using 17 mm f/2.8 pancake lens... I'm loving this lens so much as it is easy to do Bokeh and as you can see, i love to use Grainy Film and Pin Hole effects.. i'm trying to learn as much as i could before my solo ride to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son next week...

The E-P1 with 2 lens + 'viewfinder' kit costs msrp RM 3,799 with 16 GB SDHC memory card...

and for those people who gonna ask me, "Why didn't you buy E-P2, which is the latest and more expensive??..."

then I'd say: "Why don't u get it for yourself first, smart-ass!!!"

HooRahh!!