Ramblings of a Singapore Biker Boy

Lazer Corsica Z-Line Quality Issues

After some initial research, I purchased the Lazer Corsica Z-Line convertible helmet sometime earlier this year. I got it at a decently good deal from Regina Specialities. I think it was something like S$120 or so. Hey! And it’s PSB-approved too! That means it’s fully road legal in Singapore.

I liked it for it’s convertible feature – the removable chin bar converts the helmet from a full-face to an open-face quickly. Perfect for greater protection when required and functions as an open-face during those hot mid-day sunny weather.

The PSB-approved Lazer Corsica Z-Line convertible helmet with chin bar attached.

Anyway, I took it Continue reading “Lazer Corsica Z-Line Quality Issues”

Resurgence Jeans – The most technologically advanced pair of riding jeans?

I’ve always believed in riding a motorcycle in proper protective gear. I’ve got a very decent modular helmet, a pair of good riding gloves, a great mesh riding jacket with armour, and a very nice pair of waterproof Goretex riding boots. But when it came to the bottoms, I had a somewhat okay pair of riding pants I bought online before my 2-month SE Asia motorcycle trip.

According to the Chinese website I purchased the riding pants from (does Alibaba sound familiar?), it was built with 600D polyester. And after using it on my tour, it held up pretty well despite the 2 falls I experienced in northern Laos. While there were some not-so-obvious scratches around the right kneecap area, the material held up and protected me from the rough skin-tearing Laotian asphalt. So then, why was I looking for a new pair of riding bottom? The armour on the made-in-China pants were horrible. Although it says “CE” on the what-appeared-to-be foam pads, I highly doubt they were really CE-certified. Moreover, the placement of the knee armour was Continue reading “Resurgence Jeans – The most technologically advanced pair of riding jeans?”

$1 DIY Motorcycle Battery Charger

Since I published the blog posts on my dead motorcycle battery, I have received a couple of queries asking me what I used to charge my lead acid battery and where I bought it from. And after I told them that I built it from some electronic scrap parts and it cost me close to nothing, they were surprised.

So, I’ve decided to write this post to share with you on how you can build your very own DIY home made battery charger for almost free – well, if you already have most of the parts like I did. And even if you don’t, you can probably get it quite cheaply from an electronics parts store such as those in Sim Lim Square. Continue reading “$1 DIY Motorcycle Battery Charger”

Review of the Motul 7100 on my Pulsar 200NS

Ok, I’ve travelled for quite a bit with this oil now, and feel sufficiently confident to offer an opinion.

It’s been some 300km’s or so since I fed the Pulsar 200NS with this cherry-coloured liquid from Motul. In the meantime, I’ve ridden it like a city commuter in Singapore’s traffic, travelled some really short distances daily for a week (~5min trips), got stuck in a jam somewhere along the Causeway, taken it onto the Malaysian North-South Highway (NSHW) and doing speeds, well, near the limits of this humble 200cc machine. So I’ve pretty much put it through various tests.

So, what do I think about the Motul 7100 15W50 ester-based fully synthetic 4T motorcycle oil in my Pulsar 200NS? Continue reading “Review of the Motul 7100 on my Pulsar 200NS”

Why I use Motul 7100 instead of 300V

Time for an oil change. My previous Pulsar blood was a concoction of Respol fully synthetic 4T 20W50 (800ml) and Motul 300V 15W50 (400ml). The Repsol was what remained from the oil change when I was in Phnom Penh’s Bajaj dealership, and the 300V was what remained of the oil that I brought along for the long SE Asian tour.

To be honest, I did like the 300V. But my own research suggested that the 300V, while being an excellent oil, was really designed for “racing use” (only). At the recent Singapore Bike show, I had the opportunity to speak to the technical representative at the Motul booth. He confirmed my suspicion that the 300V was built for “racing use” and the 7100 4T was probably more suitable for my purpose – daily commute and touring.

Continue reading “Why I use Motul 7100 instead of 300V”

Sun Morning Ride to Kampong Lor Buangkok

Kampong Lorong Buangkok – probably the last surviving kampong in Singapore. Kampong (or ‘kampung’) literally translates to ‘village’ from the Malay language, and is typically used to describe a laid back, rural, Malay-style village where single-story buildings with zinc or attap-leaf roof dwellings reside. Roads in a kampong are typically minimally developed or undeveloped.

The dirt road leading into Kampong Lorong Buangkok.

Continue reading “Sun Morning Ride to Kampong Lor Buangkok”

I think it’s the IU that killed my battery

Arghh! I couldn’t start my motorcycle again this morning! The last time I fired up my Pulsar 200NS was Tuesday – that’s only 5 days ago. Granted, I haven’t been riding much. But still, it was ONLY FIVE DAYS!

Since the last battery death and replacement, I’ve double checked all my additional electrical components, and am ABSOLUTE CERTAIN that, apart from the IU, none of the other additional electrical circuits are powered up when the bike is turned off. I’ve even went so far to remove my remote controlled alarm – which I suspected could be the cause of the battery drain.

Continue reading “I think it’s the IU that killed my battery”

Sun Morning Ride to Bukit Brown

It was an impromptu ride. I woke up at 5:30am this morning, and after reading the morning papers, I got bored at home and decided to go for a morning ride. As I was aimlessly wandering around Singapore, and idea struck me – Bukit Brown!

Bukit Brown is a cemetery site that has caused some controversies some years back when the government of Singapore announced plans to build a a road through some part of the grave site, resulting in the necessitating of the destruction and exhumation of some 5,000 graves. Nevertheless, the public debate on the site seem to have simmered. But I’ve never had the opportunity to visit the place. Until today.

The location of Bukit Brown Cemetery seem to lie at the intersection between the two lines joining the tips of Singapore.

Continue reading “Sun Morning Ride to Bukit Brown”

Lithium-Ion batteries in Motorcycles?

After I killed my motorcycle battery with a deep discharge just barely 3-months after installing it, many have asked me if I considered replacing it with a technologically newer lithium-ion, or specifically lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4) one. For awhile, I did explore to use the opportunity to “upgrade” to a lithium-based battery. But before that, let’s consider the merits and pitfalls of it… Continue reading “Lithium-Ion batteries in Motorcycles?”

I think I killed my motorcycle battery

I had only replaced the battery on my Pulsar 200NS motorcycle 3 months ago – just before I took it on a 2-month tour around SE Asia. My previous battery was about 2 years old and I didn’t want to risk a bad battery on the trip.

But shortly after returning to Singapore, and while performing maintenance on the bike, I had absent-mindedly left the key in the ignition and in the ON position. That severely drained the battery and was left with less than 5V. After an eventful jumpstart, stalling the engine down the road, and a good samaritan assisting in “push starting” my bike using his own motorcycle and his leg, I managed to get to KL and back without incident.

After the incident, I was Continue reading “I think I killed my motorcycle battery”