Another Aprilia Tuono Up For Grabs?!

Imagine my surprise when I received an sms from a chap whom has previously arranged to see my bike (but I had to turn him down as the first person whom saw the bike had verbally confirmed that he would take the bike and thereafter followed through with a downpayment), that there was another Tuono in the market.

I quickly followed the link that he sent me @ http://www.mudah.my/Aprilia+RS+125+Tuono+buatan+Itali-22724453.htm; and true enough, it was an Aprilia Tuono in standard form.

From the pictures, it still has the Mickey Mouse-like side mirrors and indicators, and single can exhaust. Since the seller is from Damansara Heights and quite near to my location, I have sent him an e-mail to see if I could get him to meet-up and perhaps take some pictures of these twin brothers bikes together. 2 Italian-made bikes having travelled 10,456 km, and meeting together in KL. Heck, they probably saw each other while being assembled in Aprilia's factory many years back.

Crossing my fingers for the nice photo shoot that I could envisioned when these 2 bikes get together.

Superbike Commuters

Perhaps it was because the traffic was becoming much clearer as Hari Raya crept closer with the mass exodus of KL folks going back to their respective hometowns; but have you noticed that the daily traffic was getting pretty smooth these days?

Which brings me to today's post. I was behind the wheel and the insulation in my Harrier was pretty good actually, so most traffic noises would not be too loud from where I was driving. But there was a loud exhaust note, that I could recognized from an inline-four engine; so I was glancing all around looking out for the source of the soundelicious bike.

Soon, a Suzuki GSX sped to my side and there was a pillion lady rider perched at the back seat. While you couldn't see her face behind the fullface helmet, her skirt had climbed up dangerously to reveal lots of skin. No wonder there were so many mopeds trying hard to match the GSX's speed.

Well, not this sexy for our Malaysian example.

After the GSX woke me up from traffic zombie mood, I began to count the superbike commuters passing by my SUV and found that there were actually quite a few- from the everyday Kawasakis and Hondas, to more exotic Aprilias and Beemers.

Good weather, cool wind in the face, and minimal traffic jam hassles- the superbikers were the real smart lot.

Until the rain comes, that is...

 

22/7/2013 : Ride to Kluang

Well, I had a couple of hours to spare earlier this evening and thought that I would go for a quick spin. And where would the open road led me to... but to Kluang Station. Haha, not the real Kluang Station at Johore, but the Kluang Station at Mutiara Damansara where I had a cup of delicious roasted coffee and the infamous bread. Yummy...

Having replenished my energy, I thought about the ride home. When I was just about to start my bike, I heard a muffled "Abang... tolong... Abang... tolong...". I took off my helmet and looked around- and sure enough, there was this poor chap whose bike had fallen down at the car park. I quickly ran over and checked if he was alright. He was fasting and it seemed that he had lost his balance somehow.

He was unable to have the bike ie Naza Blade 250R/650R (I can't really tell them apart actually) upright again due to his weaken state. I quickly calmed him down and told him that I'll get the bike up- after all, what better way there was to burn off those carbs from the Kluang Station quickie. I also taught him the proper technique to lift up the bike up by oneself, a skill that I picked up from the Net and which had been proven useful previously.

I would re-produce the description from Team Oregon's Lifting A Fallen Bike as per the following :

1) Shut off the motorcycle using the engine cut-off switch and/or ignition switch. Turn off the fuel supply valve if the bike has one. Give the bike a once-over: Is it damaged? Will the damage interfere with lifting it?

2) Spilled fuel is common, often dripping steadily from the gas cap. Don’t panic. It’s common for a little gasoline to drip out of the tank. Use caution, but as long as you don’t throw a match on it, a little gas on the ground is no big deal. If there’s a large amount of fuel spilling on the ground creating a slippery surface or serious fire hazard, it’s best to move away from the bike and wait for help.

3) If the bike is lying on its right side, put the sidestand down and place the bike in gear. If it’s on its left side, make a mental note that you couldn’t put the sidestand down first, and that the bike may roll on you as you lift.

4)  Like lifting any heavy object, the key is to use the strongest muscles in your body – your legs. If you try to bend down and lift using your back muscles, you’re risking a serious, lifetime injury. The following technique is recommended because it uses mostly leg muscles and poses limited risk of a back injury.

a) Turn the handlebars to full-lock with the front wheel pointed into the ground. One handgrip ends up close to the gas tank – right where you want it.

b) “Sit” gently with your butt/lower back on the motorcycle seat. The bike may rock/pivot a bit underneath you.

c) With one hand, grab the handgrip closest to the bike. An underhand grip works best.

d) With the other hand, grab a hard part of the bike (frame, subframe, luggage bracket, etc.) Be careful to avoid hot parts and soft parts (plastic, turn signals, hoses, wires). Use gloves if necessary.

e) Now get your feet out in front of you, solidly on the ground, about a foot apart, with your knees bent slightly.

f) It’s time to lift the bike. Use your leg muscles. Lock your arms and take very small (baby steps) backward, keeping your back straight. Maintain control of the bike and do not twist your body while lifting.

g) If the bike was on its left side … be careful not to lift too much and flip it onto its other side! Once it’s upright, carefully put the sidestand down with one foot.

Okay, techniques aside, I found that Silver was revving a lot faster and lighter on the road this evening; and I was getting the "power surge" from the 2-cycle atypical of 2-stroker easier than before. I hadn't done anything on the bike recently saved for filling her up with the Petronas fully-synthetic 2T oil the other day so my guess was that the oil was instrumental in the bike's gain in performance.

Which led me to believe that the previous owner could be using semi-synthetic oil instead of fully-synthetic, although that was just a hypothesis. But boy did the bike felt more enthusiastic that before!

Fully-Synthetic Petronas Syntium Moto 2 SP

The red led seated on the dashboard which served as the warning indicator for low 2T oil lit up when I started Silver for a warm-up yesterday evening. Time to top-up the 2T oil then, so I drove out to get some of the good stuff. Point to note was that for a high-performance type of engine such at this Rotax which was high-revving and race-derived, never ever save on cheap 2T oil as it'll come back to bite you in the arse some day.

I had wanted to get Repsol fully-synthetic 2T oil but the shops doesn't seem to carry it. So I whipped out my smartphone and surfed for good 2T oil recommendations; and vide Aprilia RS 125/250 and Cagiva Mito enthusiast sites, I found that owners typically trusted a brand closer to home ie Petronas. Not just Malaysian owners, but enthusiasts from Singapore, Thailand, India, etc.

So I drove to a Petronas petrol station and the best fully-synthetic 2T oil that they have stocked on the shelf was the Syntium Moto 2 SP that sells for RM43.50. The shop attendant told me that he always see the bigger bike owners buying this oil, while the smaller moped owners would go for the lower grade synthetic or mineral blend that cost approximately RM20+ only.

I bought a 1 liter bottle and proceeded home to fill her up. The process was simple enough- open up the rider seat, open up the 2T rubber cover and pour to your heart's content. The fully-synthetic 2T oil had a chewing gum-like sweet smell. Point to note was not to be too enthusiastic about pouring the 2T oil or you would end up wasting them vide over-flow. I managed to fill up about 70% of the contents in the bottle, and kept the balance for future use. And if you find it a hassle to keep the fluids around, just buy the smaller 0.5 liter bottle so that you could finish pouring everything into the 2T tank per each top-up.

With the 2T tank fully-filled up, it would be hundreds of kms before the 2T warning light would lit up again.

Below is a description of Petronas Syntium Moto as found on the Net :

PETRONAS Lubricant International (PLI) Sdn Bhd., a subsidiary of PETRONAS, has a range of premium grade synthetic motorcycle engine oils, Syntium Moto, for the Malaysian market.

The new synthetic range, specially engineered using our proprietary technology formula, trademarked DualTech™, offers customers the benefits of high performance lubricant that gives maximum power output, cleaner engine and enhanced gear transmission performance.

All products in the Syntium Moto range have been developed with the technology and experience gathered from various PETRONAS’ motor sports’ programmes. The products have also been tested and proven in field, racetrack and laboratory environments to deliver exceptional engine power, protection and fuel economy.

A result of our continuous long-term lubricant development programme, Syntium Moto is yet further proof of R & D ingenuity in developing world-class lubricant products. The Syntium Moto range includes fully synthetic RS4 and 4SP also semi-synthetic 4SX and Syntium Moto Scooter.

All Syntium Moto products meet or exceed the American Petroleum Institute (API) SM international standards, currently the highest performance benchmark for gasoline engine oils. As such, the Syntium Moto range offers avid bikers the ultimate engine performance and protection, even under the most extreme and demanding motoring conditions.

“Apart from that, this range also complies with the Japanese JASO MA 2 specification, which is also one of the most respected in the industry,” said Mr. Domenico Ciaglia, PLI’s General Manager of Marketing, Strategy & Business Development.

“With Syntium Moto’s DualTech™ avid riders can look forward to a smoother riding experience as it not only helps to optimise fuel consumption but also enhances the gear-change performance which in turn gives greater pick-up which translates to improved power and efficiency.”

Syntium Moto is currently available at all PETRONAS service stations and Kedai Mesra stores nationwide and is competitively priced between RM88.00 and RM23.00.

Arrow Full System Exhaust

I've got a nice room at Mandarin Oriental Hotel and the very nice staff were kind enough to arrange for this commanding view of the streets of Jakarta down there. There were fewer vehicles compared to the normal Jakarta macet that I knew pretty well, which I have no doubt was partly due the current Puasa month.

Which had me thinking about Az's earlier call.

It's going to be Lebaran soon and many bikers whom would be riding back to their hometowns were sending their cherished bikes to their trusted mechanics for servicing and tune-up for the added performance and safety. Ditto at my regular Aprilia mechanic's place.

Az gave me a heads-up that one of the bikers wanted to let go of a set of used Arrow full system exhaust for RM1,200 and checked if I was interested. If the set was still in good nick, then it would be a pretty reasonable price for a branded race-tuned exhaust system.

I told him that I would drop by to take a look one of these days when I am back in Malaysia.

I also requested that he take a look at my Silver and check the bike further, as a good chap is planning on using her for a long ride around Peninsular and I wanted to ensure that she was in the best of health. Given that he already had his hands full, he told me that he has already done so much for her and she should be in good nick.

A good mechanic is always in demand, so I tried to slot my bike in by telling him that I needed him to work on some specific matters but he was not buying it as he knew the good condition that Silver was in. As the other bikers needed their bikes for more major works and for their rides home to kampungs, I guess that it was only fair that I should take a back seat.

Az remarked that it would be a mystery if there was any further ailments after he's worked his magic on Silver (and perhaps soon to be Yellow, but even I am still left guessing on this matter as well- you know who you are whom have the answer to this ;p). And that I should get another bike to play with since I loved tinkering and improving them, and there's only mainly riding left to be done on Silver.

Little did he know that he could be so close to the truth.

Since Az has his hands full for Lebaran, I would be getting a bottle of good 2T synthetic oil to top-up by myself.

Guide : How to De-Restrict Your Aprilia RS125 CDI Unit

CDI Derestriction

The Aprilia RS125 comes with a CDI restriction. It retards ignition around 6,000 RPM so the bike can pass EU emission tests so they can be manufactured. This makes your bike perform very poor at 6,000 RPM and does not let the engine pull away. Derestricting this will invalidate your warranty. If your bike is in warranty, the best thing to do is buy another CDI and derestrict this and use it on your bike.

Derestricting the CDI?

The CDI is a black box under the passenger seat. Therefore to get to it you will need to remove the tail of the bike. The easiest way to do this is to remove the rear side fairings with the tail. See the manual for more details.

The CDI will have a serial number on it? if the serial number is in the following format 071000-XXXX-XXXXX then this derestriction will work if done correctly (may still work on others).


The Aprilia RS125 is often restricted as per EU-standards learner legal form, but could be derestricted to full power (claimed 33bhp). To do this you will need the following items:

o RAVE controller
o Powervalve blade
o Solenoid
o Cable

If your RS125 is restricted, then it will not get a significant power increase around 8,000 RPM.

14/7/2013 : Sunday Run

 

It has been a week since I started Silver and took her out for a ride; and seeing that the day is so beautiful after yesterday's rain and not a nary of haze in the air this afternoon, I decided to go for a quick run. It was just to be 2 laps vide Penchala Link from Sri Hartamas to Damansara Perdana and back, which was a route that I often took at nights during those hectic time when I needed to clear some stress and yet did not have the luxury of time to do the KL-KLIA route.

For those of you whom thought that only Ulu Yam serves as the route to ride, you must try the Penchala Link. The roar of your bike whilst you were gunning through the tunnels was simply addictive, and there were a few corners after the long straights when you could lean pretty low to test your tires.

As per her norm, Silver started without a fuss and I waited for her engine to warm up to an optimal temperature before making my way to the highway. As I entered Penchala Link, I decided to stop by Petronas to pump full the tank- during which, another biker whom was on a yellow ER6n stopped by and gave me a thumbs up (can't see his face behind the fullface helmet, but I deduced there was a smile to go with the sign) before riding off.

And some twenty-plus bucks' worth of fuel later, Silver was roaring happily away.

The gear changes were beautiful- and I was especially keeping my eyes on the RPM. A friend whom came from the same car forum as me, had rode Silver last Sunday and told me about a "jerkiness" that he felt. I knew that it was due to the change in RPM atypical of 2-strokers, but I wanted to advice him on how to play with the gears at ease so I had my eyes glued on the RPM meter.

Sure enough, the limitation, or commonly known as "flat spot", was spotted around 6,000-7,000 RPM. If your RS125 CDI unit had not been de-restricted, then that's the maximum strength that your bike would be giving you. On the other hand, had your Rotax engine undergone de-restriction works, then your RPM ought to work through the slight hesitation at 7,000 RPM to open up fully at 8,000 RPM, which would then push your bike as though on turbo into the redlines and a nice tune from the exhaust to boot. This was the part that never fails to bring a smile to my face. Very nice and addictive!

(A detailed account of de-restriction works as documented from RS125 enthusiast sites would be provided in a subsequent entry.)

 

During one of the laps, our men-in-blue flashed me from behind and I stopped by at the bikes' rain shelter. It turned that they were avid bikers too and the moment of tension soon passed, and the only questions that I received were on the performance of the bike. Given that you don't get to see this same model in Malaysia often and further with the decals at the rear, they thought that it was a litre bike with the fat tires and all that. Their eyes nearly popped out when I told them the actual cc of the race-derived Rotax engine.

After their car went away, I decided to take a few shots since Silver was stationary at the shelter anyway. This is definitely a bike that draws attention everywhere she goes.

After getting my adrenaline pumping after a couple of laps, I rode to my condo's car wash area to give Silver a good hose-down. However, there were many cars on queue there, so I ended up opening up Silver's tank and seat to gauge at the innards.

Silver was a genuine Italian thoroughbred and it showed from her Aprilia bins part. "Made in Italy" was evidently printed into the many parts of her body. And from a factory inspection sticker, I could gathered that her year of manufacture was actually 2004 and that she was a UK-spec bike; hence the CDI restrictor provided on the bike.

While Silver's CDI has previously been worked on so that power delivery after 8,000 RPM was there for use when necessary, I could also purchase non-restricted CDI from eBay and a used unit would sell for £29.99 ono. This was a plug-and play piece; and installing the non-restricted CDI would essentially remove the flat spot altogether so that power delivery was smooth at all RPM levels just as GP bikes were supposed to be.

I also tested the whole mode cycles ie Temperature/Clock, Voltmeter/Clock, Clock only, and Lap Timers; and they all worked as per evidenced by the photos below. Now this was a feat truly for an Italian bike; and kudos to the specialist whom re-do the wiring on Silver to have everything functioning fully.

 

All in all, this is a good specimen of the Aprilia Rotax-engined RS125 Tuono, and it really thrills to bits!

Aprilia RS125 Tuono : Specs and Such

I was quite surprised that I actually received more e-mail inquiries from interested parties towards my Tuono compared to my Ninja 650R. It would seemed to me that there were many bikers out there whom were yearning for a reliable and affordable Italian runabout, but perhaps due to the significantly more expensive prices associated with these exotic bikes (with exotic looks to boot), most bikers ended up with Japanese, Korean and Chinese bikes instead.

The most queries that I received were about the Tuono's specs. And most of the e-mails were from fellow superbikers whom already had a 600cc ono bike, but wanted a nimble runabout for days when they don't feel like lugging the heavier machines out. I could understand this point actually- after all, with the Tuono, you get a superbike look from a proven race-derived Rotax engine, in a package that could have you cilok-ing in traffic at the envy of the heavier machines' owners.

Anyhow, the specs of the Tuono (derived from MCN) is as per the following :

Specifications

Top speed	81 mph
1/4-mile acceleration	16.1 secs
Max power	14 bhp
Max torque	12 ft-lb
Weight	122 kg
Seat height	805 mm
Fuel capacity	14 litres
Average fuel consumption	35 mpg
Tank range	110 miles
Annual road tax
Insurance group	7 of 17

Engine size	125 cc
Engine specification	Two-stroke single, 6 gears
Frame	Aluminium twin spar
Front suspension adjustment	None
Rear suspension adjustment	Preload
Front brakes	Single 320mm discs
Rear brake	220mm disc
Front tyre size	110/70 x 17
Rear tyre size	150/60 x 17

Looking at the above spread, the 2000-2005 Tuono was simply over-engineered even by today's standards- although owners would not be complaining. Look at the brake discs sizes, wide tires, upside down forks, 6 gears, etc and some of today's bikes are not even equipped up to such levels.

Restoration Consideration : 1993 Ducati M600 Monster

One of my readers e-mailed me if I would take-over his project bike ie Ducati M600 Monster. This was the first batch that came out from Ducati's effort towards a cheap bike made up of various then-existing Ducati bikes' parts bin; but by doing so, it managed to keep the M600's prices cheap and that translated to great sales.

There used to be many such M600s running on our streets in the nineties, back when they were still affordable; but then import tariffs and high taxes placed imported bikes to be a high luxury good rather than a normal good so the demand for CBU bikes slowly dwindled.

There were quite a few considerations that I have to think it over with the M600.

1) The reader had been attempting to restore the M600 for a few months and was said to be running out of funds. What is wrong with the bike then, and could the parts still be gotten?

2) The M600 is located out-of-state. Assuming that I hired a lorry to transport the bike into KL, whom do I approach to work on the bike? I doubt Naza Ducati would want to work on a stranded and ancient bike, and even then, do I have enough firepower in my war chest to get the old girl back on the road again?

But, it is an iconic bike- just as Aprilia's 2-stroke Rotax machines are, and if I can help give the old girl a new lease of life, that would be great. Hmmm...

I have been reading about oversea owners' restoration works on the M600 and it did sound daunting in some. Looks like I'll just have to sleep over it then.

In the meantime, enjoy some M600 restoration process pictures that I have gathered online as per the following :

...  ultimately became...