UClear Amp 200

I was looking for some Bluetooth (BT) communication and most recommendations online are either Sena or Cardio Scala. There are 2 reasons why I did not get either or because 1) it has the boom mike and 2) the price of either or are very expensive. A few years ago in Facebook there was a shop in Singapore which was promoting a boomless BT communicator from the UClear company. Since MegaBike has stock for it I decided to give it a try and bought a set.

Packaging:

All 4 sides of the UClear box. Listed at the side of the box are the features of the BT unit

Unboxing:

The first thing which greets you is the BT unit

Shoei Neotec II Splicer TC-2

On one of the previous trip to MegaBike, we 'reserved' a Shoei helmet which we promised to pick up next weekend. The weekend came and made another trip down to get the helmet. While we were there, Lai Seng was kind enough to help install the Amp Go 200 bluetooth which we bought about a month ago.

There is a liner for the ear cutout in the helmet which needs to be removed when installing any type of speakers.

One of the ear piece cut out liner

Box:

Top view of the box. It has the Shoei words printed across the top

A short trip down south

This is the third trip down to the Historic city of Taiping. This trip was a promise trip made to Lai Seng, owner of MegaBike because on our previous trip we booked a Shoei helmet and a Proformance rear paddock stand.

On our way over we were both feeling a bit hungry and decided to check out what delicious cafes Taiping has to offer. Found a few and trusted Waze to take us to the destination.

 

Water tower in Kamunting town

Komine GK-191 Motorcycle gloves

Had to make a second trip to MegaBike due to a tear in my riding pants. The owner, Lai Seng, informed he will send the pants back to Komine to get it stitched and will give me a call when it is ready.

During this trip I got myself a new glove. This would my third  pair of gloves after getting the OJ Atmosphere Metropolitane Hit black gloves back in April. Brought the gloves to Lai Seng to ask him if he knows the cause I am having issues with the gloves and he mentioned that the OJ gloves were a size too big and the sewing for the thumb area was restricting the movement hence the feeling of tightness around the fingers while riding.

He introduced the Komine GK-220 to me and also showed me the correct method of putting on the gloves to prevent unnecessary tear and to prolong its lifespan. I spotted a green glove and it has the 2XL size. Tried it on and it feels more comfortable than the GK-220.

   

Information cards about the gloves

Komine GK-220 Motorcycle Gloves

On the first trip to MegaBike Taiping about a month ago we got a few essential motorcycle gears. One of them was a glove for my friend. She has a leather horse riding gloves which she has been using all this while while riding but I felt it unsafe. It doesn't have the necessary armor protection in an event of a crash so was glad she went to look at gloves when we were there. There were other types of gloves available in the shop but after trying them all, she kept coming back to this model: Komine GK-220 Motorcycle gloves.

   

Information booklet 

Two shops, two states

A few days back I was invited to attend the Kawasaki Soft Launch at Sheng Fatt. Since it will be held on a Saturday, me and my friend registered our names and waited for the day to arrive. On the day, we had quite a hectic morning before arriving at the event. We arrived, signed in and was asked wait and look around the showroom until it was time to go up to the workshop area for the presentation.

Apart from Alpinestars and Shoei helmet displays, there was a Shoei personal comfort fit booth and a Ducati Panigale V4 in the middle of the showroom. Being a curious lad, I had to try the bike and as with the other Ducati bikes I did not like the  position of the foot pegs. All the Ducati models foot pegs are too high up which makes my legs feels cramped and too tucked in. The only model I did not try yet was the Multi/Hyperstrada. There was a second hand Hyperstrada available but I chickened out backed out from trying it when I was near the bike. It was more to too afraid to drop the bike when I am getting on and off them.

Panigale V4

Minor upgrades

Recently went to Sheng Fatt (SF) to install the crash bar and angle valve. Crash bar for the Vulcan and the angle valve for both bikes. This was actually the second time and I am overall satisfied with their service. They have an excellent after sales service and they get back to you fast and friendly. The first time was about a month ago when I had to replace the rear tyre of the Vulcan. The tyre patch was not sealing properly so I had it replaced with the Bridgestone Battlax T31. I also recently found out that they are not only the official service center for Ducati and Kawasaki but also for Harley and Moto Guzzi. They have showrooms for Kawasaki and Moto Guzzi on the first floor.

Back to the original post, the original plan was to install the angle valve for both the Vulcan and the Demak. This would make filling up and checking the tyre pressure a lot easier. In order to install the angle valve, both bikes will require their tyres to be removed and the original stem valve will be removed to be replaced with the angle valve.

Set off early on Saturday so there would not be a lot of traffic. Left the bikes there and went on our merry way until I got a text from SF that the angle valve cannot be fitted on the Demak as this process requires a tubeless tyre.

Inner tube found on the Demak

RS Taichi RSJ310 Drymaster Alpha

It was finally time to change my 4 year old H-D jacket. It has started to show signs of wear and tear and there are physical tears at the both sides at the bottom of the jacket. I got my eyes on the Macna Nighteye and Komine has released the High Reflective (HR) version in their 2019 lineup. The only shop I know which brought in the stock is MegaBike Taiping.

Paid them a visit recently and saw the Komine Parka HR jacket. Tried to find one for my size but it was sold out and the owner recommended me the RS Taichi Drymaster Alpha as my requirement was to get something light, airy and breathable.

Life-hack: Anti-Fog Visor

Ever gone riding in the rain where you should not to open your visor but yet you need to else you cannot see anything to save your life? What about riding in the cool morning enjoying the coldness but cannot open the visor unless you want to freeze your eyes out? I have a simple solution.

What causes fog in the visor?

Fog / mist appearing on the visor

Fog happens is because of difference in air temperature. The temperature in the helmet is warm because of the heat and hot air from your breath and the temperature outside is cooler when it is raining, snowing or during the morning. This difference in temperature causes the warm air to condense on the surface of the visor and causes it to fog up. This is the same concept as putting ice into a cup and the condensation will happen on the outside. In order to solve this, I will try a simple and cheap method using shaving cream.

A trip to Taiping

Taiping Prison entrance

Recently took a trip down to the historic town of Taiping with a friend. Taiping is located about 100km from my little island. The original plan was to try to leave early (0700 hrs) so that we could take the Vulcan but ended up leaving the island about 1100 hrs.

Before we left the house we got a call from the optometrist that our new specs are ready for collection and since they are along the way, we figured we might as well drop by to collect the specs before leaving. It was a good thing that we took the car instead because it was raining cats and dogs even before we left the island and parts along the highway.

Always wanted to visit MegaBike Taiping since I found out about them but was only free on Sundays and public holidays and so happens that that those are the days they are closed. Here are a few reasons why we made the trip:

1. They are open on that particular Sunday (19 May 2019)
2. We needed a short break
3. Looking for a new jacket 
4. Looking for motorcycle pants
5. They are having sales for Komine and Taichi apparels

One of the reasons we made the trip over

Twisted Throttle Dryspec bags

Carrying space on a motorcycle to me is one of the most important thing. Imagine going to market or a short trip to do some groceries and there is no space to carry all your purchases. You would need to rack your brain and play a puzzle game on the spot to get everything in place and not hinder your controls.

There is a reason as to why the Demak does not go out to malls or market. The bike has no storage space. There is always a shopping bag folded and stored somewhere when taking the Demak out and made sure to not over purchase anything which makes it dangerous to carry on the way back. Since started working at the new job, there are times where I had to buy groceries or dinner after work and the most creative way to carry them back was to use the sternum clip on my backpack. If the plastic bag was big, I can rest the rest of the weight on the tank while protecting it from falling with my legs.

OJ World motorcycle gloves

Current Harley-Davidson Winged Skull gloves

Was looking for a new pair of gloves for quite some time now as the right middle finger on the H-D gloves has become uncomfortable when I cover the front brake. I did a temporary solution which was soaking the gloves in warm water, wear the gloves while performing daily activities until they dry in hopes of stretching them a bit. This method did work for awhile then it would require another round of treatment.

Not sure if this is due to leather + humidity which shrinks the gloves or I got the glove a size too small to begin with. When I first tried them on, it fits but after one ride in a slight drizzle the gloves started to be uncomfortable.

Tear at cuffs for both sides of the gloves

There is a tear on the cuffs at both sides of the gloves. This could be my doing as I tend to hold at that spot while putting the gloves on. No choice as the gloves are a snug fit and they did not make a tab for me to pull to put on the gloves.

Was supposed to visit some motorcycle shops around the island window shopping for riding apparels but somehow that was not the case for who knows why. There was also a plan to visit MegaBike Taiping which is a 45 mins drive but when I have the time, they are closed. To me it is either bad timing or not meant to visit them yet.

An opportunity arises when I had to over to the mainland for work and since I was there, I decided to stop by a few shops to have a look. Originally planned to stop by Guan How but remembered about the Benelli @ CK Motoworld along the Juru highway so did a pit stop there.

Chain cleaning

The chain is the one of the most essential parts on the motorcycle for chain-driven bikes. The chain needs to be maintained i.e. cleaned from all the road dust and gunk accumulated and lubed. It is recommended in the manual to clean and lube the chain after every 600 km but I will be doing it every 1000 km (easier for me to keep track). There are a few items required to complete this simple maintenance but one of the items is a bit of a controversy.

Items needed:

Product Review: 3M E-A-R Ultrafit corded Earplugs

Recently with the HJC helmet the sound in the helmet is totally different from the ones I am used to with the X-Dot 3/4 helmet. In the X-Dot helmet I have the whistling sound which can mainly  be eliminated when I put the visor down. The sound on the HJC is a different kind of wind noise. I can reduce it with the chin curtain installed but that would fog up the visor instead. This sound is made worse when on the Vulcan because the windshield directs the wind up to the head.

This got me researching on earplugs and end up with so many questions: Which are better for motorcycles, which are easier to fit in, are they reusable, which type is better. If possible I do not want the foam earplugs where you have to roll them up before inserting into your ears. I always have this fear of putting it too deep in and will need a trip to the ER to get it out.

If you are wondering about the benefits or how wind sound can damage your ear, head over RideWell and Motorcycle Paradise for more information.

2015 Kawasaki Vulcan S

About 2 years after getting the Demak me and a friend was thinking about getting proper riding pants so on Thaipusam (9 February 2017) we paid a visit to Guan How Superbike which was location in Juru Autocity (not the one at Ipoh). They have a few options and after trying out a few riding pants which did not fit well, we tried the riding jackets since they were on sale and there are a few which we both liked but since the H-D jackets are still in good condition so I had to give it a pass.

Prior to this visit, I saw a 2nd hand Vulcan S in a shop at Ayer Itam but the mileage was too high and the asking price was not that tempting and they would not allow me to test ride the Vulcan. While looking at the all the bikes, the first bike that caught our eye was the new Kawasaki H2R because it was all decked out in chrome. After looking around we spotted a Vulcan S among the sea of 2nd hand bikes for sale. The boss spotted us looking the bike and came to talk to us more about the Vulcan.

DIY motorcycle ramp

A few months ago I somehow had a suspicion that there might be a puncture at the back tyre of the Vulcan S. I initially thought the loss of tyre pressure was due to the bike not moving for some time but after checking the tyre the next day after filling it up, the pressure would be less. I think this was because every time I have to park the bike, I need to ride the bike up to the tiled portion from the garden. The back wheel sometimes need fight for grip (the area is muddy after rain and it feels like I am taking the bikes off road) to go up the side garden and the edge of the tiled area might be putting some unwanted pressure on the tyre.

  

The distance between the ground and the tiled area and the height is about 7cm.

Givi CRS01.AX Rain Suit

Recently due to the sky developing a habit of opening up just before it is time to get off work which ends up soaking me from head to toe and water accumulating in my shoes which is enough to fill an aquarium.

I have a 3 year old H-D riding jacket which is water resistant. During small showers, I am fine as only the pants will be soaked but still manageable. The heavy downpours are the ones where I am soaked like as though I took a shower with my clothes on.

From then, I was on a mission to look for a rain suit. Went to Mr. DIY to look for a rain suit but the biggest size available is 3XL. I can fit into the shirt no problem but the pants is a bit too small for as a overpants.