NST COTY 2014 : Kawasaki Z800 Gianeli and Z1000

I also took the time to ride astride the Z800 and Z1000 during the exhibition. From the short stint, I could confirmed that the Z1000 was lighter than the Z800, due to better and lighter frame (amongst others) but also at a higher price tag, of course.

The Z800 was still Kawasaki's best-selling middleweight bike and was under promotion till end of this year, with free Gianelli Italy slip-on exhaust and Z800 engine protectors. All this and in the form of a modern inline-four engine, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more value-for-monies bike in the price bracket of RM48k - RM50k (depends on your negotiating skills at dealers).

Despite the bike's hefty weight, I must say that I was still a fan of the Z800 and may just choose to add this as my next bike into my stable. Hmmm...

NST COTY 2014 : Kawasaki ER6-f

We all know that the Malaysian police force (PDRM) purchased Kawasaki Ninja 250R and converted them for police work.

Well, during the COTY, I saw the 2010 and 2012 Kawasaki ER6-f that were converted as police assistance bikes used on toll roads. Given the touring capabilities of these bikes, an aplt application and selection then.

And here's my old Green Hornet in all its glory...

NST COTY 2014 : Naza Blade GTR

Black Stallion's siblings were present at the News Straits Times' Car of The Year 2014. Aren't these beauties? We have Naza to thank for bringing into Malaysia these Korean super bikes i.e. Hyosung GTR. 

Hyosung S&T used to manufacture Japanese Suzuki motorcycle designs under license for the South Korean market in Changwon, South Korea in 1979. In 1986, they established their own research and development center in Hamamatsu, Japan, and the next year, they began mass production of their own designs. They were the official motorcycle supplier for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. In 2003, Hyosung Motors & Machinery Inc. was spun off from the Hyosung Group to become its own corporate entity. In June 2007, Hyosung Motors Division was acquired by Korean company S&T Group (Science and Technology), and the name was changed to S&T Motors. In 2014 S&T Motors was acquired by Kolao Holdings, and the name was changed to KR Motors.

Personally, compared to the other bikes that I have used such as Kawasaki ER6-f and Aprilia Tuono, I would opine that the Naza Blade GTR were well-made bikes that gave the Malaysian bikers a value-for-monies' bike with an aggressive modern design.  The design worked so well that they utilised it for both the 250R and 650R. Thumbs-up to Hyosung S&T then.

And here's Black Stallion again...

E-mails Galore : Consider The Kawasaki Z800!

After my previous entry about my desire to get the KTM Duke 690 R, I was quite surprised to get many e-mails from readers ranging from Malaysia, US and UK; to request that I re-think about my consideration to arrive at the Kawasaki Z800 instead.

Amongst the points that were repeated in the e-mails were as per the following :

1) It's a Kwacker. So parts and reliability would be virtually bullet-proof.
2) It's an inline-four. Pair it with a nice exhaust setup and you would have an orgasmic "ear" round.
3) It's looks fast just standing still.
4) It'll crunch miles after miles with ease, and without vibrating one's bones apart.
5) It's retailing at the same price bracket as the KTM Duke 690 R in Malaysia. It will hold its value, unlike the Duke 690 R.
6) It's a no-brainer decision.
7) It's the perfect upgrade from my previous Kawasaki ER-6f, and ergonomics remained significantly similar.

Looks like I have a lot more Kwacker supporters in my readership compared to KTM supporters. Really got to put on my thinking cap then...

I also checked with an owner of a KTM Duke 690 R for his opinion on his bike, and received the following answer :

Conclusion : It may seemed that the Kawasaki Z800 would be the more sensible choice given the more modern engine configuration, easy parts availability and comparable pricing to the Duke 690 R.  Mind vs Heart... this is going to be a handful then.

In-coming : Which Bike? (KTM Duke 690 R)

I have had the opportunities to own and play with some great bikes thus far- with different brand names across different engine specifications (single, parallel twin, V-twin, and inline-four), but I realised that there was a brand that I had often overlooked although it kept coming back to my mind again and again from time to time.

Perhaps I should just scratch this itch once and for all, and see if this bike would be a keeper or flipper. I tend to be a flipper with my bikes thus far; as I hardly have any time to ride with my busy work schedule here and abroad requiring constant travels, so I like to get a bike stock, work my magic on the mods to see if I could improve the fella, and then flip it off to a deserving owner when the project is done.

Amongst some of the bikes that have passed through, or were still in, my stable included the following :

True, one tends to suffer from price depreciation during the flipping of the bike; but I derived satisfaction from the riding, modding and fine-tuning, and I get to experience different varieties of bikes, so to me, it was still a worthwhile experience.

Well, at least, I get to keep to that as long as my better half still buys my explanation.

I am now thinking of adding either one of these bikes to my stable as per the following :

The basic all-rounder : KTM Duke 690 ABS @ RM46,500

The improved all-rounder : KTM Duke 690R ABS @ RM52,500

Being single-cyclinder bikes, I know that both Duke 690 (R-guise or otherwise) would be fun and preppy during town commutes (town commute for the weekend takeaways being a duty served faithfully by my maxi-scooter), but suffer from top-end and vibrations during constant long-distance rides.

And knowing my style, I normally like to ride from Mont Kiara to KLIA at nights when I have the time after the brood goes to sleep, to both think and relax my mind. The KTM may not be the best of choice for such rides, so I may just have to find new roads to use the KTM's services, if I should decide to go down this route.

I've never had a KTM before, but I've always been interested in its aggressive design and splashes of orange colour all over. So the next question is... should I pull the trigger; and if in the affirmative, which version?