God i can't wait to get to KL on Tuesday..then it's down to Singapore for my first real race. Hope i don't let my team mates down!
For absolutely no reason at all...i've been having this weird strain on my eyes for the past few days...had this a few months back, but it mysteriously cured itself...hmmm
Last month, or was it 2 months ago, i attened the KL Downtown event at Bukit Jalil. I've no idea why they called it downtown because it was in bloody Bukit Jalil out in the boondocks! Either way, they had Cedric Garcia and Steve Peat there, so that was more than enough for most people, including me to attend. Besides, I might as well have supported my friends taking part in the event too :D
Anyways, here are the pics!
All in all, the event was not too bad :) I must say i couldn't believe how much the event organizers actually paid to bring Cedric and Peaty in tho...not much change left of 100k, each.....interesting =\
I've been cycling for quite a few years now (nearly 10, with pauses in between). Such is the case that you'd expect me to at least have given clipless pedals a go. Sure enough, i attempted to do so on various occasions (3 actually), and each time that i tried, it ended in tears...the horrid crash while stuck to the bike *gulp*.
Anyway, two weeks ago i decided to take the clipless pedal plunge again after some hefty persuasion from two friends, with an added dash of curiosity. Could they really be that much better than my current trusty companion of Shimano DX flatties and Five Ten shoes with their sticky soles?
To start of, i decided to borrow a pair of Shimano SPD's from my friend Ben, but he couldn't find the cleats to go with them, and neither could i. So rather than wait for one to materialize, i just popped over to the bike shop and after much pondering settled for a pair of Time ATAC Alium's over Crank Bro's egg beater pedals. The Time's were definitely heavier (410grams) but they also came with various raving reviews for reliability and extremely low maintenance. The Crank Bro's items were nearly as reliable in rough conditions but needed frequent service to keep their bearings running smoothly.
So to cut a long story short, I got the TIME ATAC Alium's. I've been running them now for more than a month through mud, think mud, and clay. The pedals have been dead reliable and they still spin as smoothly as they did when i first installed them.
I've only got one problem with them however. Why did they even bother painting them? Here's a pic of them after the 3rd ride!
Fear not however...i've discovered the beauts below..all in their polished glory. Next pair of them perhaps :)
Save fuel, don't drive so much!
Why're you driving so hard? It's a waste of petrol!
Well, if you were nodding in agreement to the statement above, i'm sorry but you're just wrong. See thing is, and i'm sure i'm not alone on this, i drive for pleasure. I derive fun from driving, perfecting that corner just that bit faster every time, and finding the best lines to accomplish it.
I've had various people complain about the way i was using a nanometer more of accelerator travel than was neccessary. "Ooh my, aren't you aware of the current fuel price hikes and such?!?!", they exclaim. Well, yes of course i am. How can i not. It now costs me RM135 to fill up my tank, as opposed to RM96. Am i fussed? Well, no, not particularly. I don't drink, i don't particularly party, i pretty much don't spend my money on much else. So what's wrong with choosing to spend my hard earned cash on burning some rubber, and keeping that rubber burning for as long as possible? If you disagree then that's just too bad, you can just sod off for all i care. If people can justify hundreds if not thousands drinking/partying a night, i don't see what's wrong with spending RM135 on a tank of petrol once, or even twice a week.
In other news, our Malaysian government has just approved the purchase of 14 Mercedes E200 Kompressor's by the Terengganu state authorities for foreign dignitary use only. Interesting then that the state seems to be receiving quite a lot of dignitaries of late eh? Those cars have been spotted all around town. How many foreign dignitaries does that state get at once anyway to warrant 14 luxury sedans!
Upon opening today's copy of The Star newspaper, the first headline that grabbed my attention was - "BN states to promote cost-saving habit". Really????? They're gonna pull that on us again while they sit on their RM20k toilet seats??
I think it's about time the people wised up. Before i go off, i'll leave you with a question that i think i'll answer in another post.
Why do we have to pay so much for our cars and bikes here???
Disclaimer: The information posted herein is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as fact, ideally.
Picture: Raptors & Rockets
When it comes to pure thrills, there's nothing that can quite match the kick you get out of riding a really fast motorcycle. If straight line speed is you thing, then as the name implies, one of the baddest (though not as most people would know) bikes ever to come out of Japan - the Yamaha V-Max- was launched in the mid 80's with a 1200cc V4 engine. It produced a monumental (even by todays standards) 145hp with the aid of a system called v-boost.
The bike was a hoot to ride, often seen blasting away from traffic lights. The first generation V-max with V-boost managed a 1/4mile time of 11seconds, and in the process obliterating all but the fastest of its contemporary supersport bike rivals. Throughout the years however, ever tightening noise and emission regulations meant that the once mighty v-max now only makes a "measly" 100 or so horsepower, nearly 50% less the original one.
The traffic light drag king was dead. Fans bemoaned the loss, critics rejoiced.
Now however, the fans will have something to cheer about. Yamaha will relaunch an all new V-max in 2009. The bike will come powered by a 1800cc v-four (as per tradition) producing 210hp. That's the amount of power in between a Golf GTI's 200hp and a Civic Type-R's 220hp. If that amount of power is enough to propel those cars to 60mph in under 7 seconds, imagine what it would do for a bike weighing a fraction of what those cars weigh. 1/4 mile (400m) times are estimated to be about 9seconds from a stock bike - Long live the street drag king!
Here are some pictures for your ogling purposes.
Source: The Kneeslider
So here's the thing, i've been asked time and time again to start a blog. So finally i've decided to write something in it..a friend and i have been thinking, what exactly should i write about?
Cars? Bikes? The latest gadgets? Hmm...really can't decide, how about rants instead? Well i really can't decide on anything in particular yet. So until i do i'll be writing about anything that pops into my mind first.
You guys out there care to provide some suggestions please? They would be greatly appreciated :D
Until the next time..toodless!
