Ramblings of a Singapore Biker Boy
Adventures and micro-adventures on a motorcycle
While waiting for the engine teardown, I rented a Honda PCX 150 in the meantime as I needed some form of mobility around town. I found a bike rental shop not too far away from my hotel, and now I’m mobile again!
And so I spent the day wandering aimlessly around town, exploring the nooks and crannies of the old and newer Chiang Mai. After what’s happened so far, I decided to Continue reading “The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 14 and 15”
I don’t have a plan. Only a sketchy idea in my head. I just want to ride.
As I shared my plan to ride, most were surprised. Some were skeptical. Many thought I was just plain crazy. Yes, I intend to make a trip up north, quite very north.
“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”
The Mae Hong Son loop near Chiang Mai, Thailand, is on every motorcycle enthusiast’s bucket list. With more than 1,800 turns and twists, it’s never a boring stretch. Ever since I’ve heard of the Mae Hong Son loop, I’ve been dreaming of doing it on a motorcycle – my own motorcycle. And now that I have some time on hand, I thought why not!
And since I’ll be up in Chiang Mai, I thought I’d also take the opportunity to tour the region. And so the crazy idea of doing a 5-country tour on the bike struck me. Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. I’m giving Myanmar, Vietnam and China a miss as my research suggests that trying to enter these countries on a foreign-registered motorcycle is, while not impossible, difficult and messy. It’ll involve applying for some pricey permits prior or hiring some mandatory escorts. No thanks. I’d rather be travelling on my own.
Although the adventure spirit fills me, it appears that odds are against me: Continue reading “The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip!”
Was shopping at Daiso earlier today. Yes – that famous $2 store where everything goes for $2. And I came across this inflatable seat cushion. Thought that it might come in useful for longer motorcycle rides – similar in concept to the AirHawk, only much much cheaper. I’m yet to figure a way to secure it to the seat. But at $2, it won’t be too painful if I lose it. Just make sure I keep it slightly under-inflated.
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…..
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.
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”
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.
Continue reading “Sunday Morning Ride to Gunung Pulai Waterfall”
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”
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”
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.
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”
