May 2016 – Ramblings of a Singapore Biker Boy

Sun Morning Ride to Pengerang

Completed another Sunday morning ride! This time, we went to Pengerang – the south-eastern most tip of Peninsular Malaysia. If you’ve read my earlier post, we went to Tg Piai a couple of weeks ago. That’s the south-western most tip of Peninsular Malaysia – and also the southern-most tip too.

Anyway, Pengerang is an approximately 2 hour ride, and is known for it’s cheap seafood. Or at least cheap by Singapore standards. But it was definitely too early for seafood, and we were there for the ride. Honestly, I didn’t quite know what to expect. It wasn’t an “exciting destination” per se – especially just after last Sunday’s ride to Gunung Pulai waterfall. But we were just looking for an excuse to ride. But boy, oh boy…..

A route with TWISTIES!! — Singapore to Pengerang – a route with TWISTIES!!

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Givi E22N Panniers on my 200NS

I finally bit the bullet and got myself a set of lockable hard side boxes. I have been thinking about this for awhile now. After Sunday’s attempted theft (on my top box), I figured that my soft panniers won’t cut it (security wise) if I were to travel up north.

Looking very top heavy and rear wide. Something just seem missing with the huge top box mounted.

I have a 48L Shad top case and I just love the amount of storage space it provides. But for a multi-day trip, the top case alone isn’t enough. Continue reading “Givi E22N Panniers on my 200NS”

Sunday Morning Ride to Gunung Pulai Waterfall

It’s Sunday again! And it’s Sunday Morning Ride Day again! This time, we headed to Mount Pulai – or locally known as Gunung Pulai. Only approximately 55km from Singapore, Gunung Pulai is the lesser known waterfall compared to Kota Tinggi. Many Singaporeans who have been to Kota Tinggi may not even have heard of Gunung Pulai.

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My Top Box was Molested

I’m feeling mad… I’m feeling violated. I had my top box molested this morning as I was making payment for petrol in Shell Johor Bahru (JB) this morning. Yes, it was my fault for keeping it unlocked (I thought that it was locked). The crook came up behind me on a kup and pretended to wait in queue for the petrol pump. He struck when I walked over to the counter to make payment – opening up my topbox to search for any content worth stealing.

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Installing the Yuasa YTX9-BS Battery on Pulsar 200NS

Yes, it was about time I replaced my battery. I bought the Pulsar 200NS pre-owned, and it is now about 3 years old. I am not sure when the battery was last replaced as there was nothing marked on the existing battery. But I do know that on the battery, there is a stamp “140114”, which seem to suggest that it’s manufactured on 14 Jan 2014? So it could have been about 2 years old or so.

The Yuasa YTX9-BS comes in a standard looking box.

Continue reading “Installing the Yuasa YTX9-BS Battery on Pulsar 200NS”

Review of Padded Shorts for Motorcycle Riding

I refuse to modify the OEM saddle on my Pulsar 200NS. At least not for the time being. I do take long’ish rides. And I do love travelling with my Pulsar 200NS. And one thing that some experienced riders have advised me is to modify the original seat for more comfort.

Honestly, I cannot think of what I want – do I want a softer or a firmer seat? Do I want it to curve more, or flat it out? I’ll admit that I do not know enough about the motorcycle seat to be able to discern or decide how I’d like my seat to be modified. Continue reading “Review of Padded Shorts for Motorcycle Riding”

Ride to Tanjung Piai

Yeah! Yet another weekend ride trip! Tanjung Piai – the “southernmost tip of Mainland Asia”. I was expecting the ride to take about 2 hours (1:40mins when I last “researched” it on Waze), but it took merely just over an hour from the Checkpoint to Tanjung Piai National Park. This time, I was in a group of 3 bikes. None of us have ever been there, and so this is an adventure of all 3 of us. Continue reading “Ride to Tanjung Piai”

5 Life Lessons I Picked up from Riding a Motorcycle

Taking my motorcycle license was a response to a mid-life crisis call for some adventure. And a bike purchase came naturally and rather quickly after I’ve got my license. So I’ve just started riding since early this year, and each ride has not only increased my technical competence and confidence, but also taught me valuable lessons in life. Continue reading “5 Life Lessons I Picked up from Riding a Motorcycle”

Changed to Motul 300V oil

Decided to swap out the mineral oil in my engine previously used to flush the “teh-tarik treated” engine – coolant mixing with oil. Can’t wait to try this mix in my upcoming weekend trip…

Ironically, with the stock bike, the coolant appeared green and the engine oil looked red’ish. Now, my bike’s coolant is red’ish and the oil is green. Almost looks like I got the 2 liquids mixed up – putting them in the wrong refill orifice.

Sunday morning ride to Renggam and back

It was a relaxing Sunday morning ride. At the last Pulsarians makan session, I was chatting with Angad and told him that I would love riding up north but as I’m still considered a “new” rider, would prefer nothing too challenging. So he recommended a quick trip to Renggam via Layang-Layang. According to Waze, it’s only an approximately 1.5hr ride each way. So that’s it! It was planned for the Sunday morning – returning to Singapore just as about the time the Missus and little one get out of bed.

So I punched in the route on my iPhone Waze app and off I went! The morning ride was beautiful! Low traffic, nice cool air, and awesome views! Continue reading “Sunday morning ride to Renggam and back”