Trail conflict

There will come a time when trail conflict among users will become an issue in Malaysia. There has been an upsurge of trail users lately, among them are trail runners mountain bikers and trailbikers. The popularity of these activities has seen a lot of newcomers to the sport. Trail conflict seems unavoidable without a deep understanding of the importance of trail use and unwritten rules among users.
We cant make a claim on a trail to our use only.If the trail is on public land, everybody has the right to use it. Everybody has to chip in to keep the trail in good and safe condition though. Cooperation is needed for every recreationist interest. It is a good sign for more people are going out to natural outdoors.

Nature and conservation

Now that my trail riding is trialish, I can focus more on the natural surrounding. Flora and fauna that I have missed begin to appear in my peripheral vision more clearly. There is no qualm about stopping to have a closer look.That is another reason why I like to trail ride but it was rarely highlighted. We have put too much emphasize on the riding instead of what it is good for.
As trail riders we have every reason in the world to support conservation. Without it we will have no place to roam in the future,is it not sad?.Trail riders have to be more responsible and to always observe and conserve. We can also play the role of nature educators to other forest and nature users.

Trail riding - event organising

The sport of trail riding and supermoto is on the upswing in the country. Thanks to the availability of affordable locally assembled trail bikes. Kawasaki is having the biggest market share with the KLX 150 model.
Naturally the sport is growing day by day until eventually the bikes become expensive again due to the demand and supply theory. Many aftermarket companies take this opportunity to make the kill, for our people will not be satisfied with the standard machine. The sale of riding gear is also gaining momentum, well it is good for our overall economy.
Anyway, my point is we as riders have to emphasise more on the enjoyment of riding not otherwise i.e. upgrading and trying to look good. Each rider must be able to enjoy his machine to the fullest hence proper riding technique is a must. Accident and injuries can be avoided. Trail riding is not trial and error but it is a science by itself.
Many groups organise trail outings each weekend. This organise rides must be proper with every aspect of safety taken into consideration hence an experience leader is required to lead each ride.
Better be prepared than sorry.

Why do I still ride?

I still ride because Im addicted to endorphine which can be excreted into my blood stream only by riding......hard. Im just like any other old man who will be lethargic and sickly if I quit doing pleasurable physical activity at least until Im physically unable to do so.
I have to keep raising the bar during each ride to get the endorphine dosage my body needs and nothing is more effective and pleasurable than trail riding.
Its my medication.
I need the geography, landscape and elements that I find and trying to master on each ride. They need to be left in their natural state. They need to be conserved and I need them to stay healthy.
It is a tough job but by keeping up with my activity at least I can guide riders and nature users to appreciate and conserve nature. They need nature too because its their playground. Its a win win situation.

Recent development has seen a new twist in my life. My profesional motorsport days are numbered and what a coincident now that my life needs has taken a new direction. After being in steady employment for more or less 30 years, I have been too complacent and always took things for granted. Its time for me to start doing my own thing and contribute back the giver in my own small way and earn a living too.
In our life, commonly we are taker but not giver. Man started civilization with the help of nature. They cut trees to build house for them to live in. They dug out earth and blow up mountains to mine for minerals. They level hills and fill up wetlands to built roads. They dig holes in the earth to suck oil for our cars and industrial needs. Man will do many things to enrich himself without giving much thought on the consequences. Much has been said about the degradation of our planet due to human need and greed. Its time to give back.
Im contributing in a way that I know, to assist trail riders and outdoor enthusiast on nature appreciation and conservation. They are direct user and its important for them to conserve their playground. We need to co-exist and prosper.

Trail riding as recreation

It has been a month since my last post. There is nothing new really just my normal weekend activities.
In this post Im going to talk about recreation and trail riding. Recreation is doing an activity in ones leisure time. So we can conclude that our activity of trail riding is a leisure activity in its own right.
What is leisure?
Leisure is freetime. We have 24 hours a day, 8 hours is taken up by working to earn a living for ourself and family. The remaining 8 hours is used for our mere existence and biological needs such as eat and sleep. We are left with another 8 hours for us to utilize and thats leisure time. What do we do with this portion of time in a day?,typical answer would be spending time with family members,teh tarik sessions,shopping,attending concerts,movies etc. Another answer would be resting which I think is the most popular answer.
What about weekends?
As riders we always look forward to weekends or is it? For the active type weekend is very precious. They have 16 hours to fullfill their requirement for recreation. It is crucial to maintain sanity during this trying times.....for me at least

Solo ride

It is often  said that motorcycling equates to freedom,no?. Free from work,family, stress and you embrace thrill, speed, environment and danger instead. Is it really free if you are bound to rules and regulations,dos and donts and ride schedules when you go for a group ride?. More so if your riding style and preferences are a little bit awkward.
Sometimes I just like to ride alone with no waiting,no discussion on route to take,where and when to stop, which hotel to stay, what kind of food we eat,what time to get up blaaa,blaaa,blaaa. It is true motorcycling freedom to just ride at my whim and fancies. There is no second thought to venture out to check out a walking path when I come across one, just to see where it ends.
Thats true motorcycling freedom.

MTB ride Sec9 to Bkt Ramli

My son insisted on a MTB ride with me for quite sometime now. I decided to prove to him that at 52 years old I still have that fire and ability within me. On a Sunday, I decided to ride with him for a few hours. We started from our condo at 8.30 am and traced the route which I have stored in my memory from my last excursions years ago. Our destination was Bukit Ramli in Meru,Klang. The hill is situated along the new Puncak Alam freeway by passing Alam Budiman on your left if you started your journey from Bukit Jelutong or Sungai Buloh. The hill can be viewed while driving along that road.It is situated beside the new UITM complex.

I laid off my MTB since I resumed trail biking. My son has recently taken up mountaibiking to compliment his trials activity. After 20 minutes of riding , to our surprise, all the oil palm trees of the Bukit Raja plantation were cut and the former estate was barren. It wont be long before another township is up in that area. We struggled to find the route since I have lost bearing of the area. It was like riding in the desert without any landmark to follow. We followed the outline of the Bukit Cerakah forest to head for Kg.Budiman. One and a half hour later we reached Kg.Budiman and had a coca cola refresher break for 15 minutes. We continued our ride on the tarmac heading for the entrance to the offroad sector and started our climb to the summit. We reached the summit at 10.30 am and saw many downhillers preparing for their gravity assisted fun. They even had a modified vehicle to shuttle them back up the hill after each run.

Bukit Ramli is the tallest hill in that area and is very suitable for mountain biking. The place name is coined from the friendly land owner who is very supportive of our activities. He has spent a sum of money to facilitate our visits. There is a surau,shower room and a small restaurant with refreshments. These facilities are basic but sufficient for outdoor enthusiast like us.

We glided down at 11 am and rode toward Shah Alam. We took a different route in the offroad sector this time and saved some time on the return journey. We reached Sec 9 at 12.30 pm and headed for home for a sumptious lunch.

I still have the stamina to complete the ride and we are going to do it again.

True Dual Purpose bikes

Dual purpose or DP bikes are the favorites of many riders today. Travel documentaries on motorcycles is a factor that contributes to the fad. A big numbers of BMW GS series are being sold each year supplemented with Versys, Varaderos and some other odd styled bikes from Continental and Japanese manufacturers.The favourite adventure ride for those bikes are riding to Thailand....on the road.

My early experience on a big capacity DP bikes was gained by riding the ever humble Suzuki DR 650 almost 20 years ago. To me it is still a true DP bike. It can do 100 mph on the road comfortably and has no problem tackling a hardcore trail, with a competent rider on board of course.

I rode the bike in a 3 days hardcore offroad adventure ride in 1994 and the bike emerged unscathed. It even beat the more nimble 250cc bikes in some hardcore situtions.

Im still looking for one to buy as my retirement bike.

Our little township

Section 9 Shah Alam is where his little township is. It has special place in his heart. Three decades ago the place was a jungle where he used to ride his scrambler . Now it is his home and the place where his kids go to school and grow up.

The old rubber plantation once named Sungai Rengam estate is a bustling city and still growing. He and the estates aged together. As a human grows old the place is aging too but in a different way. Rapid physical development is turning the city into another metropolitan not without a heavy price to pay.

Shah Alam used to be serene and life was slow paced. The inhabitants too were family like just like in the kampungs but development has taken its toll. Its is becoming another city plagues with issues not unfamiliar to any other big cities. Crimes petty or otherwise were unheard of decades ago are getting more common nowadays.

Its not too late though,we can still halt the degrades provides every citizen is willing to change his or her attitudes. Selfishness has to be binned and work toward a better living condition for everyone. Political will is very much needed from the politicians too. It is not too late.

Section 9 is his adopted township but Shah Alam is his city and he loves it no matter what.

Ramadhan the Muslim Holy month

Ramadhan is on its 20th day today. Its ten days away from the Eid where observing Muslims will celebrate their succesful conquest. To observe the fast is akin to going to war and winning small battles along the way. Ramadhan is the month to train oneself to be a true muslim. The devils are locked away so they are no excuse for ones bad behaviour and misdeeds or wrong doings during Ramadhan.

There is less or no hard activity during the month for riders. It is not much due to the no eating in the day time but more due to the possibility of loss of concentration and to minimise risk. It is termed as risk management. Im quite different for riding during Ramadhan makes me more alert and suprisingly I take calculated risks better. I can see and make better judgement. Maybe its just me or I perform better with an empty stomach without all the toxic that modern food provides. It clears mind.

Good deeds are practised more during Ramadhan. The giving of alms and helping the unfortunate are the most popular form of good deeds beside the breaking of fast with orphans conducted by the Muslim masses. My riding friends conduct charity ride to help in providing food and neccesities to unfortunate folks deep in the interior kampungs. On a more personal note, I just try to help the unfortunate nearby and giving alms to mosques committees for them to provide to the needies. They know better.

Muslim everywhere will try their best to be closer to god by performing prayers and put up their hands for blessings. Beside the five times a day prayers, solat tarawikh are performed after Isyak every night lead by an Imam usually invited from the middle east. They will try to be better persons.

The Solat Hari Raya will be the climax of Ramadhan where Muslims will pay tithe and perform the prayer. That will mark the end of Ramadhan and wish they will continue with good deeds and abstain from committing sinful acts.

I hope and pray to be there for the next Ramadhan.

The old age rider @ OTAI

The glass door of the single storey shop creaks open and in enter two Malay guys in their thirties. Both are of short stature at barely five feet and half. They dont look like they are built for riding big bikes. The tall guy who walks in earlier is going through the catalogues and eavesdroppings to the questions from the two Malay guys about exhaust pipes and other accessories that will add more power to their already powerful R1s.??????. The salesman entertains them reluctantly. He is a big fellow pushing 60 years old, been riding motorcycles three third of his entire life with a clean record. He can spot a poser from miles away.

Flashback to the eighties.....

The skinny kid, not more than 18 years old pushes the 600 lbs bike out of the shed which is actually the basement of his house where he lives with his parents and siblings. He punches the electric starter as he straddles the bike comfortably with both his feet flat on the ground and he feels very safe which boosts his confidence level. The bike is a 1100 cc, four cylinder machine of Japanese make.The bike moves forward slowly as he releases the clutch and feeds in the throttle. Twin shocks at the rear and a set of telescopic upfront take care of the basic suspension system and still the bike is such a joy to ride being flexible and general purpose. He rides it everywhere even on gravel roads and beaches.

Yesterday,What you buy is what you get. There are not many accessories available to make your bike better from the factory specs and set up. Make of tires available are limited to one or two international brands. There is no soft compound,medium or hard. Riding compound is all you have, the rest is up to your skill and good judgement We make do with what we have. To be safe we have too use better judgement every time we are out for a ride. The technologies available are basic and human input are very much required. There are no ABS, no fuel injection, no traction control,nadday. We are solely in control. To survive the streets we must master our craft and to learn from a good teacher.

Back to present day.....

The two guys leave without buying anything. They are talking to each other while walking out of the shop." I should have put my new bike on the lorry this morning and drive my bike here", I can hear one of the guy says to the other. They walk toward the comfort and air conditioned automobile parked in the front, enter and drive away into the flow of the lunch crowd.

Blood line

He stands still on the bike and rocking occasionally to maintain balance. The spectators are in awe wondering how he can balance the bike on a small tire contact patch. Suddenly he lunges forward and onto the spool. Again maintaining his balance, he picks up the front wheel and hops on the back wheel, rotating before he drops the bike onto the concrete gracefully.

He was born in 1991 to parents who are sports freak. Mother is a former state hockey player and roller skates champion. Father is ex motocross racer and works in the outdoor recreation industry. His father loves cycling and especially mountain biking.
The old man still ride trials but on a trail bike instead.

Aris takes up trials only slightly more than a year ago. He is a natural rider and is able to learn riding techniques and applies them pretty quickly.Now he has to juggle his time between training days at the lake park and going to regular class for his diploma.

To be the World Biketrials Champion is his target,it is quite a long shot yet but not impossible. In the meantime he just make do with demo rides making a few bucks for his pocket money. The recent demo at an International Mountainbike event is his biggest demo to date. He will try to compete regularly overseas whenever possible too.

To him riding trials is about learning the correct elements to be a complete person. One must have the desire,passion and lots of self confidence to be able to ride well. Right theory, diligence in practice and to gain as much experience as possible are the additional components to be succesful.
Desire and determination is what he has and big natural talent too.....it is in his blood.

On every Sunday

His right hand thrust and twist the remaining cigarette unto the ashtray. The sun is rising and visible from the balcony of his condo unit. He restlessly waits for his wife to come back from her weekly marketing. The kids are still sleeping, their usual practice on Sundays. His wife of 22 years, a beautiful woman in her early forties shows up at the door carrying groceries and fresh food from the Sunday market.

Ali ia a middle age man with strands of white hair on his head. Standing at six feet and slim built make him look younger then his age. He is just an ordinary guy like any other man on the street. There is no special telling about him. He likes to trail ride on Sunday either on his MTB or dirt bike. It is a form of escapism for him and he rides hard. He does things with his bikes no other man his age would do.

The ignition switch is turned on. As the starter button is pushed, the engine starts and theres a soft noise coming out of the standard exhaust tip. He takes a glance at his watch and the hands are showing 8.30 am. He wheels the bike from under the bike shed after a say of his usual prayer. Wishing good morning to the guards who man the entry and exit of his condo,he takes off slowly as the engine of his green Kawasaki is still warming up.

The area where he lives is a busy commercial centre. Daily traffic jam is a normal occurence made worse by a school located just beside his condo complex. Sunday morning is the most quiet and unhurried day in a week and he loves that. It shows on his face but he still has to get away on his bike for a few hours. It is his weekly ritual.

The road to the sec 9 commercial centre from the exit of his condo is quite steep with two slow speed bumps. He stops at a mamak shop for breakfirst where 3 other rider friends are waiting. A glass of teh tarik and roti chanai is his usual fare.One of his friend walks to the counter and pays the bill. He puts down the empty glass and puts off the cigarette. Everyone puts on their colorful helmets ,wear their gloves and start their bikes heading to their chosen destination for the day. The clock on the wall is showing 9.30 am.

All the friends are middle aged as he is and with white hair too. They are friends due to their passion in riding. Each has different story to tell with regard to their biking experiences.

First few minutes of the ride is via tarmac road before entering a powerline trail. From there he heads toward an offroad trail circling a lake and eventually ending up on top of a pipeline trail. He jumps the water bars and reaches a short tarmac road which connects to another part of the pipeline trail. The rest of the ride is via oil palm estates before he exits to another strech of tarmac that connects to the riders destination. The other riders follow his lead.

From the tarmac road he can see their destination a few kms away, a small strip of cleared path up a mountain and lower mountains around it. The majestic mountain is covered with forest and is very green except for the path built by farmers to reach their plots. Now tarmac turns to dirt road and he begins to enjoy his ride. The bike is leaned into corners and the rear end slides exiting and enters another one. After a series of corners he reaches the base of the climb. A short breather is required. He stops and he sips some water by the mouthpiece of his waterbag. As he waits for the rest.

He begins the climb. The engine of his bike strains in second gear as the bike wheelies and the front wheel dodges ruts and rocks. He tries hard to progress and makes it. Stopping at the top he turns around and watches everybody riding up the mountain safely. Everyone gathers up and ride close to each other to the little hut on the top. He pulls a small wheelie and throw his fist into the air as a sign of victory. Someone shouts"hey thats fast".

The 360 degrees view from the top is breathtaking. He takes out a stick of cigarette from his pocket and lights it up. Satisfaction shows on his face and deep down he senses that feeling that only he can feel but can not describe.

They descend the mountain and head for home with the sun right over their heads.
He is going back to face the reason why he does all this, to be a regular family man again. They are bills to pay, food on the table, kids education. He will return home as a recreated man full with energy and determination to face all these realities after half a day of living and enjoying in his own small world.

It will be another stressful week before next Sunday. He prescribes his own weekly medicine.... on every Sunday.

Trail Trials

TRIALS

Trials is a sport created by the British to test the reliability of their bikes. The competition among the bike makers were intense because the winning brand would see more sales. The bikes and riders were put through extreme riding condition through various types of terrain.The sport evolved into what it is today with the participation of other manufacturers beside the British and eventually the British manufacturers died an unnatural death. The Spanish manufacturers and later the Japanese took the sport to a new height.Fierce competition between this two created a new sport altogether to what we see today. New regulations and with a lot of investment has created another elite sport reachable only to the big teams.

Trail Trials

Let us forget about trials at the world level. We will go back to basic and enjoy what trials riding has to offer. This type of riding is popular in japan and it is for the everyday and weekend rider.The availability of affordable locally assembled trail bikes has created an opportunity for us to enjoy this type of riding.We should organise a friendly competition regularly and promote this healthy sport. Simple regulation can be used and the competition itself is just a one day affair.It is important to keep it as cheap as possible for everybody.

Mountainbiking and trailriding

Both these activities carry the same principle. You ride off road while trying to overcome obstacles accross your intended path. This activity demands full concentration and a fit and good physical condition. Strategic planning and execution play a major role in conducting yourself succesfully without serious bodily harm. You must have a basic principle and proper technique learnt and stored in your brain.You must practice any theories learnt regularly for your muscles to remember and it will become automatic for the muscles to react if required.The terrain changes according to wheather conditions and geography. Alertness and quick decision making is paramount to ensure good progress especially at high speed. The higher the speed the faster you have to react.
A friend and I had a short 2 hour ride last weekend. The wheather was good and the ride was beautiful. As usual we rode the trails nearby and enjoyed just the same. It was on our trailbikes

My story

Hello,my name is KLX 150. I was born somewhere in Indonesia and was shipped to Malaysia.My body color is kawasaki green with silver frame.I was sitting in a bikeshop in Kuala Lumpur before being bought by an old man and was registered in November 2009.I was given a little modification by this old man to suit his own riding style. My footpegs was moved back and my rear wheel was replaced with a 17 incher for easy tire choices. My handlebar was replaced with a slightly taller one.
The old man who bought me likes to go off road and the first few months under his ownership was hell for me. I was put through various off road conditions while the old man assesed my usefulness. I know that he is happy with me being light and my single cylinder with 150 cc engine produce enough power for his purposes. Im cheap. My requirement for oil change to keep my internal happy is little and is being done every 1500km.
I used to go out with my types and also KSRs. We roamed the forest around Shah Alam and nearby trails within 50km radius.
I have not been out lately for my owner is busy with his work but today he took me out for a short ride.He seem to be happy with me and we did few hillclimbs,slides and small jumps just to keep ourselve sharp and ever ready for future adventures.

Sabah Offroad riding clinic

Work has taken me away for a couple of past weekends. Im blessed being in a job that is also my hobby. People say do something that will earn a living and if that something is what you like to do,you will never work for the rest of your life. As a motorcycle sport development manager,my task is to promote the sport and guide the motorcycling public with the correct knowledge starting from the grassroot to world championship level.
I was away in Sabah last weekend conducting offroad riding clinics which was organised by Kementerian Belia Dan Sukan(cawangan Sabah). Motocross is popular in the eastern part of Sabah.KBS is trying to promote motorsports to all part of the country. It is a big agenda for the Ministry. Sabah is one location which was chosen as suitable for further development. I was invited by the Ministry to guide and show the Sabahans the proper way in term of organising and riding techniques for the riders.
The clinique was held for two days which included classroom and practical riding. It was a working trip but I did manage to ride doing demos for the Sabahans....what a job huh..

Wind of change

It would have been the most boring weekend if not for music. It would not be any trail ride or road ride. My bikes would have their well deserved rest.My regular friends would be doing their weekend activities as usual.I would be spending my time at home trying to feel and understand how other man my age/man with no hobbies spend their weekend.I woke up early on Saturday. My wife and daughter had gone out to meet my MIL at another daughters house in Subang. Ok good for them since I was not dragged along.Huh then what to do?. Breakfast was prepared by my wife earlier and being Saturday there was no hurry. Everything was taken at leisurely pace. After breakfast there was nothing to do except watching telly.
At the corner of the house,there sat my lonely and dusty acoustic piano. It is a Yamaha upright. I tickled the ivory keys every once in a while but I have not done that for many moons already and sometimes totally forgot about it. I had the opportunity to rekindle our relationship that weekend since there were only my eldest son and me at home. My eldest son is also musical and plays the electric guitar. His younger brother plays the drum but there is no drum set at home,not a very good idea since I still have some respects for my neighbours.
Hey wait a minute!. The general idea was to sit and do nothing or maybe stare at the idiot box to emulate the idle type?.I only lasted me for half a day doing that. After that it was pure torture for I am not used to sit idle what more on my offdays. I am always the outdoor type. Now,I really wonder how some men can sit still and do nothing on their weekends?.
I started to scale around with the piano keys waiting for some feel to get to me. My problem has always been choices of songs to play.I love doing blues and jazz numbers but they will get pretty boring after sometimes and Im not that good. I thought to myself,why not some classical rock?ahhhah,some old numbers from Bad Companys! ready for love?. Just some simple chords will do. Pianos are not made for rocks,guitar is more appropriate for the task. What the heck! Elton John could do it. I began to enjoy my time at the piano and exploring my musicality and the piano keys. Piano is a wonderful instrument to accompany singing and my boredom has turned into an exciting moments to be spent at home. All of a sudden music has come into my life again and I might pursue it further to compliment my other hobbies. So much so that my Sunday was again spent at the piano. Im in love again.........with classical rock music and the piano...

Solo road ride to Trengganu

Childhood friends are always close to my heart.Meeting them once in a while is something I always look forward to.Its just like going back in time.Talking and laughing over our old mischiefs is like a de stress process now that we are old and living in a stressful environment.
My small group of very closed childhood friends organised a get together session last weekend. It was held in Awana Kijal, a beach resort to the north of Kuantan. It is located in the district of Kijal in Trengganu. I decided to ride my bike alone from Shah Alam.I left my house at 11am on Saturday morning and reached the resort at slightly past lunch hour. Riding alone along the Karak and East Coast highway was something I had not done before. I was always riding in group along that highway. I realized how much better riding alone was. I could stop wherever and whenever I like. There was no ride leader to listen too and how nice that would be. I only stopped twice for fuel.
We had lunch at Awana and went for fresh seafood for dinner.After that it was chatting and laughing session until early morning. The apartment we put up at was comfy and cheap.Two room apartment was only RM220. It was well equipped with kitchen and utensils,air conditioned with Astro but no TV for us that night. We were very busy entertaining ourselves.
I left Awana at 12 pm on Sunday for I checked out last after settling all the bills. The ride home was smooth with slight traffic. I enjoyed the many corners along Karak Highway,had to be careful though for the bike panniers were full with preserved seafood product.I was smiling under my helmet all the way home.

Aris Biketrials exploits

Wan Aris(centre)with the current world champion (right)and his minder at the 2009 world championship in China.

I guess my interest and skills has brushed on to my sons and daughter. Here is my eldest son playriding on his trials bike. The video was shot during a weekend trip to Frasers Hill.

There was no ride this weekend. I decided to spend sometime with my family instead. We spent some quality time together and reflected back on what we used to do when they were younger. Aris and Danial started cycling when they were 3 years old. Aris is the elder one of the two. I bought him a mini moto when he was 8 years old and started fun racing. He was good and used to win many local races organised by a mini moto club while his younger brother was more keen toward riding dirt bike.
Being in the motor sport circle,I knew that motor sport could not be taken seriously and used to tell my sons just that. We would just do it for fun and to learn the basics for their future biking either for personal transport or recreation.
Motor sport is expensive no matter what people say. I knew that I would not be able to support them financialy should they decide to go racing seriously. Thank god they understood the situation.
The basic skill that they acquired have provided them with the ability to ride with good judgement on the road. All the safety aspects of riding are followed i.e the wearing of helmet and safety gear,machines understanding and inspections etc.
They raced BMX for a short while before I introduced biketrials into their training regime. Finally Aris found his niche and he likes the sport very much. Sensing that he has natural skill and special interest in the sport judging from his diligence in training,I gave him full support and encouraged him to enter competitions. He managed to become the overall champion in the open category in the 2009 Singapore Biketrials National Championship. I paid for his trip to enter the final round of the 2009 world championship which was held in Ping Tang,China. It was a good experience for him.
I hope to be able to support his participations in the world championship this year and maybe get sponsors for him to enter full rounds.

ER6 Adventure bike

An example of bike modification by an American adventure rider. The bike started as a cheap Kawasaki ER6N and ended up beautifully as an adventure bike. The most important thing is vesatility,practicality and CHEAP. I have started doing the same thing to my bike little by little as my finance permits since I bought the bike. It is my 50th birthday present and was bought about 2 years ago. The American completed it sooner though I started earlier because in America parts are easier to find and does not cost an arm and a leg to purchase..unlike here.

Dirty Old Man

Ha ha ha what a title. On the contrary I do think Im a dirty old man. I ve been dirty on most weekends all my life.......or rather been playing in the dirt....on my mountainbike or dirtbikes. Lead me to a dirt road or trail, It feels like Im going back to my natural environment everytime. It feels so natural and comfortable not unlike duck goes to water. In the course of my pursuit for recreation I have been road cycling and road motorcycling too but the satisfaction or rather lack of it always lead me back to riding offroad eventually.
There is a craze lately for bike riders to go for a long distance adventure ride overseas. I would love to get dirty doing offroad adventure overseas. It would be a fitting climax to my recreational riding career. It is a known fact that many part of the world are connected with paved roads. You can do a world tour entirely on a road bike but I am a dirt rider and want to do a dirt road tour. Due to that reason my ideal adventure would be riding in the African continent ala Paris Dakkar. It would be perfect to start in Capetown at the southernmost tip of Africa all the way up to the gulf states. The finance and preparation involved would be humongous but not impossible. Bike preparation,paper work ,carnett requirement,shipping etc,it is endless until the day I leave with anxiety not knowing what is going to happen. It would be part of of the whole adventure.
Ending up in the holy city of Mecca would be a perfect ending to my adventure....It would be the mother of all adventures. That perfect destination might cleanse this dirty old man for good....

Shah Alam to Gunung Brinchang Road ride

My last camping road trip was sometime ago. I have not been out camping lately and I need a break from my normal routine. A group of friends are planning to do a Northern India adventure ride. They have been preparing their bikes and need to test their set up. Bike set up testing is an excuse to go to Gunung Brinchang for a night camping.Reason being its a mountain climb and its cold up there.
Four of us started from a fuel station along the NKVE at 8pm. We rode real slow on the North - South highway heading towards Tapah. Only one bike had a fill up in Tapah and we proceeded ascending the snakey road to Tanah Rata. Night riding is one of my favourite. It was a real pleasure to able to ride with less trafic on the road. The cool air is priceless. We reached Tanah Rata at 12 pm. We had hot tea at one of the stall. Our plan to camp was thwarted with the threatening sky and we looked for a room instead. We found an appartment in Brincang and checked in at around 1 am. Shortly after checking in, it was raining so hard that our decision to check in at the apartment was a million dollar decision. Had we camped, we would definitely be drenched either with rain water or our own sweat cocooned in our tent.
In the morning,we rode up to the summit of Gunung Brincang which stood at 2000 metres above sea level. The view of the surrounding mountains from the summit was simply magnificent.It was really cool and refreshing. On our returned ride down the mountain we met a group of MTB riders huffing and puffing up the climb,oh boy was is a tough climb and I almost could feel their pain having being cyclist myself. I have faced the same situation many times. The toughest climb being on a coast to coast tour, crossing over the main range from Butterworth to Kota Bharu.
Midway on the descend,we stopped at a resting point to snap some pictures with the tea plantation as the background. Next stop is the fuel station in Brincang before we rode down hill to Tapah for lunch arriving at 12.30 pm. The final part of the ride started at 2.pm after the KLX 650 gas tank was refilled with the fuel carried in the spare container. We were forced to make another fuel stop due to the small gas tank of the XR650 which had to be refilled again. It seemed like the main problem for these bikes are the small original gas tank. Permanent solution would be to replace them with bigger capacity tanks. From the station we continued our journey home on the south bound highway without much drama. The only glitch was the wide berth of the panniers made it difficult to lane splittings when traffic was heavy.

Trialsin or Biketrials

Cycling is a universal sport. Earlier in my blog,I have mentioned that learning to cycle is a natural process in growing up. Most people in Malaysia will give up cycling when they reach puberty age. Parents start to drive their kids to school,tuition classes even for shopping. Some buy their children motorbikes and even cars. How lucky todays kids are. It should not be so. Cycling should be continued until late into our lives. It is a healthy form of exercise and environmentally friendly activity. It is also an effective commuting tool. Human powered mobility will be the thing for the future as fossil fuel is becoming more scarce each day. It is going to become a major sporting event some day. Those who excel in cycling can proceed to cycling competitively and even professionaly.They are many forms of cycling disciplines. Track racing is becoming popular locally as our own rider Azizul Hasni Awang who is one of top riders in the world. He is fully responsible for making the Malaysian public sit down and take notice.Others are BMX racing,freestyle,road riding,mountainbiking and downhilling but mostly as recreations. There is one discipline in bicycle activity totally unknown in Malaysia which is termed as Biketrials. It is a popular form of bicycle activity and competition in Europe,America and Japan. There is a World Championship series being held every year since the early eighties.The riders taking part are fully sponsored pros who make good living as fulltime riders.Currently this sport is being promoted aggresively in Asian countries by Japan. World Championship rounds are held in Japan,China and Singapore. I used to ride mototrials and biketrials and fully understand the sport. I would like to further promote this beautiful sport and create a bigger talent pool. It is more of an unfullfilled wish for me having failed to promote them years ago. It was simply too early for our public to understand then. Presently with the availability of internet and other medias they began to get the idea. I am training my children to take up the sport profesionaly.They can progress to Mototrials in the future if they so desire.To my friends who would like their children to learn and take up this sport, they are welcomed to get in touch with me. I can share my experiences and maybe change the way our children spend their free time towards a more productive one and keep them off the streets. At least it will train them to build up self confidence which are lacking in our children today.Maybe there is a world champion material lurking among them. We can share our passion for offroad riding with our children by combining these two sports. We will provide a good base for them to progress in a proper manner while we guide them all the way.....our way. Biketrials is not expensive and the cost of maintaining the bikes is practically zero. Parents just need to invest in the bike and some protective gears,spare sometime during their training sessions,thats it.

Easy ride

Sometimes you just ride for the sake of riding.This weekend we just did that. After three weekends of hard riding we decided to do easy trail ride just to warm up our monkey butt. There were six riders at first but one rider could not proceed due to a small technical problem. Two new KLX riders joined the ride for the first time.We took the easy trail via Setia Alam and Kg.Budiman heading for Puncak Meru. We met a group of mountain bikers at the top of the hill. After some public relation small talk,we headed for Puncak Perdana on the tarmac to continue our way back to Shah Alam. The single track trail crossing was taken in reverse and we exited at Setia Alam and proceeded to section 9. Just a short ride but still enjoyable by all riders just the same.