Tweet
Mayhem in Malaysia
When I got a call from Tourism Malaysia about a Brotherhood Ride that they had arranged under the Mega Familiarisation Program, I wasn’t exactly elated. Why? Because I had given in to the inevitable danger of a single sided story, or a generalized image one has about a region. I went like ‘Ok, so finally I will be riding in a
place which is like India or perhaps even worse in traffic and road sense’. Clearly, I was ignorant and was about to receive a wake-up-slap for this in the coming days! And I was tremendously glad that I was wrong! What followed was...
The closest I had been to Asia’s South East was while transiting through one of their wonderful airports in Singapore or Bangkok en route to the Middle Earth
(See our New Zealand roadtrip travel report in this issue as well!).
The flight from Delhi to Kuala Lumpur was five hours approx, which was my shortest to any country for a ride so far. Thanks to Malaysian Airlines for arranging
the flights! One step out of the plane in KL and I could feel the warm humid air, even in the morning. Malaysia has the (dis)advantage of having practically just
one season through 365 days! How boring can that be? Later I discovered in a few hours people in KL can reach places like Jerai Mountain (400 kms from KL) and
Fraser Hill (60 kms from KL) to soak in cool and fresh air after enjoying some great twisties on the way!
Sham, from WTR (World Tour Rider) magazine came to pick me up at the airport. I was lodged in the Seri Pacific Hotel in KL, which was good but fleeced its
customers into paying 50 RM (800 rupees) for 24 hours of internet! Not good for a blogger like me! Later I learnt that you could walk across the road and into
Starbucks for a free wifi complementary with a cup of coffee!
Over the next couple of days I was introduced to my co riders from various countries around the world – Britain, Yemen, Uzbekistan, Switzerland & Indonesia.
Our schedules were packed right from day one. Our ride was called the Malaysia BrotherHood Ride 2010 and it was timed wonderfully – the MotoGP at Sepang (60kms from KL) and the first ever Ducati Asia Week also in KL created a wonderful array of events for any motorcyclist to dive into 24x7, and I wasn’t complaining!
The first and the largest gathering ever of Ducati riders in Asia was organized by the official importer in Malaysia, Next Bike and coordinated by Ducati APAC, and features Ducati Owners Clubpresident Paolo Pirozzi and Ducati legend, Troy Bayliss. This inaugural event boasted of some 500 Ducati owners, both from abroad and Malaysia.
Day 1: Friday 8th October 2010
The first day saw us attend the Ducati Bikers Welcome Dinner at the Pan Pacific Hotel near Sepang, some 60kms away from our hotel. There were Ducati owner groups from Taiwan and Indonesia, besides Malaysia of course. I had a chance to see the Ducati Team riders – Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden live. I also met up with Paolo Pirozzi (Chairman of the Ducati Dreams Club in Naples). Paolo had travelled 300,000+kms on his Ducatis and xBhp had also caught up with him in India this October at the Ducati Gurgaon showroom with his Multistrada 1200!
Day 2: Saturday 9th October 2010Day 3: Sunday, 10th October 2010Day 4: Monday, 11th October 2010
Today we were invited by Pennzoil Malaysia for lunch with them and a factory visit. We were educated that making motorcycle oils was not rocket science and it was just about mixing the right ingredients in the right amount. And then it was about making sure those oil cans are available everywhere for sale!
Later in the evening we attended the Ducati Asia Week Gala Dinner at the Renaissance Hotel in KL where I was one of the very few people who could get their photo clicked with the legendary Troy Bayliss!
Day 5: Tuesday, 12th October 2010
Finally it was ride time! I got my steed ready – the BMW 1200GS, removed the panniers and ‘hopped’ on it. It had a great feel to it, high enough to make you think you are above everyone else on the road. We were flagged off from our hotel in KL and off we went – three Goldwings, 3 KTMs, 3 KLR 650s, one MV Agusta, two
Honda Falcon 400s and your truly on the BMW 1200 GS! Today we were supposed to head to Pangkor Island. En route we had a traditional lunch in a village (which looked a lot like a South Indian Village at a homestay (Dorani Homestay, Contact Mr. Abd Rahman Daud : 013-607 7025). The highways beyond KL started to look a little like India, but again no one crossing the road without looking and no vehicles coming from the wrong side. Small shops along the side and the heat did remind me of India at some places. We reached to a place called Lumut from where we had a ferry ride of 45 minutes to the Pangkor Island. We left our bikes at the parking lot in Lumut since apparently we would have to charter a whole boat to take so many bikes there. The dinner was served right on the beach with lovely winds and
soothing sound of the waves at the Pangkor Island Beach Resort.
Route taken: Kuala Lumpur – Bukit Malawati – Sekinchan – Sabak Bernam– Teluk Intan (There is a leaning tower here) – Pasir Salar – Manjung – Setiawan – Lumut – On board a Ferry – Pangkor (270 kms approx).
Day 6: Wednesday, 13th October 2010
The next day saw us explore a little bit of Pangkor. In the morning we had a great breakfast with a wide variety of options available to use as a buffet. Then we headed to the beach for some non-beach traditional activity games - scrubbing coconut, rice chaffing and bulls eys using a tennis ball and empty coke cans. It was great fun!
The highlight of the day came when the whole group was handed over Modenas mopeds to go around the Island. It was insane fun riding thoses 100cc mopeds along beach roads with half faced helmets, nothing to worry about. The roads tooo were pretty good on the island. We did around 40 km around the island exploring places like a shipyard, a fish processing factory and a Chinese temple. At sunset I went to a beach and admired the beauty in front of me. That is also when three children befriended me and obliged with a few photos of them and the Malaysian flag.
Total Km: 50 km
Day 7: Thursday, 14th October 2010
Today we headed towards the Modenas factory. Modenas (Syarikat Motosikal dan Enjin Nasional Sdn. Bhd (National Motorcycle and Engine Company)) is a Malaysian national motorcycle company producing various small motorcycle models below 200cc targeted for local market and export. We had an educative tour of the assembly line and the warehouse followed by lunch. Modenas also graciously offered us test rides on the first Malaysian electric two wheeler called Ctric.
The ten of us tested the CTrics all the way to the top of the Jerai mountain and back. The bike also had a reverse gear, which seemed a gimmick showing off the capability of the ‘engine’ rather than have any real value on such a light bike. We were laughing heartily comparing it with the behemoth Goldwings which actually needed a reverse gear! The weirdest (and scariest) part of was I took the electric bikes down the Jerai mountain without the engine braking! The things used to reach speeds of 90 kmph and it was extremely important to remember that you have to rely on both the brakes to slow down or stop. I guess they weren’t built for hill runs but did pretty well anyways!
The Jerai mountain was a wonderful surprise. It is a 1200 metres high limestone outcrop which gives a fantastic view of the sea and the Pangkor Island! The sunset was one of the most marvellous ones I had ever seen in my lifetime! Modenas had arranged a wonderful dinner outside overlooking the plains below under a chilly black night sky. A night to remember!
Route: Lumut, Perak Malaysia – Bota – Tronoh -Simpang Pulai-Ipoh-Gurun (Jerai Mountain) Total: 300 kms approx.
Day 8: Friday, 15th October 2010
After a wonderful evening in Jerai Mountain it was time to head for another hill station – Cameron Highlands. The roads in Malaysia are truly fantastic (I somewhere read that they have the best road construction ethics in all of South East Asia). The highland is 220 kms North of KL. We visited tea plantations which looked almost like Munnar in South India. The weather was pretty cool there.
An excerpt from Malaysia: A Pictorial History, “The buildings (at the Cameron Highlands) were similar to those of Shimla, the “Queen of British hill resorts” in India, and were an eclectic mixture from “railway Gothic of the most overpowering kind to publican’s Tudor”. We checked into the Hotel Equatorial for a good night’s rest .
Route: Gurun – Poh – Simpang Pulai – Cameron Highland
Day 9: Saturday, 16th October 2010
This day saw us cut across from the Cameron Highland to Bulkit Fraser using a brand new road which hardly anyone knew about. It was a fantastic piece of tarmac with approx 100kms twisties and long sweeping turns. It felt that a track has been made just for us. Another pleasant surprise was the fantastic ride to Fraser Hill (Bulkit Fraser) near KL. The narrow winding road (one way in many parts) was a fantastic treat to ride. The hills in Malaysia, although incomparable to the might of Himalayas, have a very cool temperature all year around with temperatures sometimes dropping to 10 degrees at night.
This was the last day of riding in the trip which culminated in a dinner presided by the Acting Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Mr.Tuan Noordin with all of the participants sharing experiences, photos and laughs with each other. It was a fantastic experience riding with people from different countries and learning new things all the time. The differences in language, cultures and customs were blurred and all of us were united with a single aim – ride and ride free!
Malaysia has been an eye opener and I have deep respects for the outlook of the Malaysian Government and their departments including the various corporates involved (Pennzoil, Modenas and WTR Magazine) for making this happen. I just hope that one fine day we will have people and attitude in India, especially that of the government quarters, that would enable organizations like xBhp to do something innovative on a national level.
When I got a call from Tourism Malaysia about a Brotherhood Ride that they had arranged under the Mega Familiarisation Program, I wasn’t exactly elated. Why? Because I had given in to the inevitable danger of a single sided story, or a generalized image one has about a region. I went like ‘Ok, so finally I will be riding in a
place which is like India or perhaps even worse in traffic and road sense’. Clearly, I was ignorant and was about to receive a wake-up-slap for this in the coming days! And I was tremendously glad that I was wrong! What followed was...
The closest I had been to Asia’s South East was while transiting through one of their wonderful airports in Singapore or Bangkok en route to the Middle Earth
(See our New Zealand roadtrip travel report in this issue as well!).
The flight from Delhi to Kuala Lumpur was five hours approx, which was my shortest to any country for a ride so far. Thanks to Malaysian Airlines for arranging
the flights! One step out of the plane in KL and I could feel the warm humid air, even in the morning. Malaysia has the (dis)advantage of having practically just
one season through 365 days! How boring can that be? Later I discovered in a few hours people in KL can reach places like Jerai Mountain (400 kms from KL) and
Fraser Hill (60 kms from KL) to soak in cool and fresh air after enjoying some great twisties on the way!
Sham, from WTR (World Tour Rider) magazine came to pick me up at the airport. I was lodged in the Seri Pacific Hotel in KL, which was good but fleeced its
customers into paying 50 RM (800 rupees) for 24 hours of internet! Not good for a blogger like me! Later I learnt that you could walk across the road and into
Starbucks for a free wifi complementary with a cup of coffee!
Over the next couple of days I was introduced to my co riders from various countries around the world – Britain, Yemen, Uzbekistan, Switzerland & Indonesia.
Our schedules were packed right from day one. Our ride was called the Malaysia BrotherHood Ride 2010 and it was timed wonderfully – the MotoGP at Sepang (60kms from KL) and the first ever Ducati Asia Week also in KL created a wonderful array of events for any motorcyclist to dive into 24x7, and I wasn’t complaining!
The first and the largest gathering ever of Ducati riders in Asia was organized by the official importer in Malaysia, Next Bike and coordinated by Ducati APAC, and features Ducati Owners Clubpresident Paolo Pirozzi and Ducati legend, Troy Bayliss. This inaugural event boasted of some 500 Ducati owners, both from abroad and Malaysia.
Day 1: Friday 8th October 2010
The first day saw us attend the Ducati Bikers Welcome Dinner at the Pan Pacific Hotel near Sepang, some 60kms away from our hotel. There were Ducati owner groups from Taiwan and Indonesia, besides Malaysia of course. I had a chance to see the Ducati Team riders – Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden live. I also met up with Paolo Pirozzi (Chairman of the Ducati Dreams Club in Naples). Paolo had travelled 300,000+kms on his Ducatis and xBhp had also caught up with him in India this October at the Ducati Gurgaon showroom with his Multistrada 1200!
Day 2: Saturday 9th October 2010Day 3: Sunday, 10th October 2010Day 4: Monday, 11th October 2010
Today we were invited by Pennzoil Malaysia for lunch with them and a factory visit. We were educated that making motorcycle oils was not rocket science and it was just about mixing the right ingredients in the right amount. And then it was about making sure those oil cans are available everywhere for sale!
Later in the evening we attended the Ducati Asia Week Gala Dinner at the Renaissance Hotel in KL where I was one of the very few people who could get their photo clicked with the legendary Troy Bayliss!
Day 5: Tuesday, 12th October 2010
Finally it was ride time! I got my steed ready – the BMW 1200GS, removed the panniers and ‘hopped’ on it. It had a great feel to it, high enough to make you think you are above everyone else on the road. We were flagged off from our hotel in KL and off we went – three Goldwings, 3 KTMs, 3 KLR 650s, one MV Agusta, two
Honda Falcon 400s and your truly on the BMW 1200 GS! Today we were supposed to head to Pangkor Island. En route we had a traditional lunch in a village (which looked a lot like a South Indian Village at a homestay (Dorani Homestay, Contact Mr. Abd Rahman Daud : 013-607 7025). The highways beyond KL started to look a little like India, but again no one crossing the road without looking and no vehicles coming from the wrong side. Small shops along the side and the heat did remind me of India at some places. We reached to a place called Lumut from where we had a ferry ride of 45 minutes to the Pangkor Island. We left our bikes at the parking lot in Lumut since apparently we would have to charter a whole boat to take so many bikes there. The dinner was served right on the beach with lovely winds and
soothing sound of the waves at the Pangkor Island Beach Resort.
Route taken: Kuala Lumpur – Bukit Malawati – Sekinchan – Sabak Bernam– Teluk Intan (There is a leaning tower here) – Pasir Salar – Manjung – Setiawan – Lumut – On board a Ferry – Pangkor (270 kms approx).
Day 6: Wednesday, 13th October 2010
The next day saw us explore a little bit of Pangkor. In the morning we had a great breakfast with a wide variety of options available to use as a buffet. Then we headed to the beach for some non-beach traditional activity games - scrubbing coconut, rice chaffing and bulls eys using a tennis ball and empty coke cans. It was great fun!
The highlight of the day came when the whole group was handed over Modenas mopeds to go around the Island. It was insane fun riding thoses 100cc mopeds along beach roads with half faced helmets, nothing to worry about. The roads tooo were pretty good on the island. We did around 40 km around the island exploring places like a shipyard, a fish processing factory and a Chinese temple. At sunset I went to a beach and admired the beauty in front of me. That is also when three children befriended me and obliged with a few photos of them and the Malaysian flag.
Total Km: 50 km
Day 7: Thursday, 14th October 2010
Today we headed towards the Modenas factory. Modenas (Syarikat Motosikal dan Enjin Nasional Sdn. Bhd (National Motorcycle and Engine Company)) is a Malaysian national motorcycle company producing various small motorcycle models below 200cc targeted for local market and export. We had an educative tour of the assembly line and the warehouse followed by lunch. Modenas also graciously offered us test rides on the first Malaysian electric two wheeler called Ctric.
The ten of us tested the CTrics all the way to the top of the Jerai mountain and back. The bike also had a reverse gear, which seemed a gimmick showing off the capability of the ‘engine’ rather than have any real value on such a light bike. We were laughing heartily comparing it with the behemoth Goldwings which actually needed a reverse gear! The weirdest (and scariest) part of was I took the electric bikes down the Jerai mountain without the engine braking! The things used to reach speeds of 90 kmph and it was extremely important to remember that you have to rely on both the brakes to slow down or stop. I guess they weren’t built for hill runs but did pretty well anyways!
The Jerai mountain was a wonderful surprise. It is a 1200 metres high limestone outcrop which gives a fantastic view of the sea and the Pangkor Island! The sunset was one of the most marvellous ones I had ever seen in my lifetime! Modenas had arranged a wonderful dinner outside overlooking the plains below under a chilly black night sky. A night to remember!
Route: Lumut, Perak Malaysia – Bota – Tronoh -Simpang Pulai-Ipoh-Gurun (Jerai Mountain) Total: 300 kms approx.
Day 8: Friday, 15th October 2010
After a wonderful evening in Jerai Mountain it was time to head for another hill station – Cameron Highlands. The roads in Malaysia are truly fantastic (I somewhere read that they have the best road construction ethics in all of South East Asia). The highland is 220 kms North of KL. We visited tea plantations which looked almost like Munnar in South India. The weather was pretty cool there.
An excerpt from Malaysia: A Pictorial History, “The buildings (at the Cameron Highlands) were similar to those of Shimla, the “Queen of British hill resorts” in India, and were an eclectic mixture from “railway Gothic of the most overpowering kind to publican’s Tudor”. We checked into the Hotel Equatorial for a good night’s rest .
Route: Gurun – Poh – Simpang Pulai – Cameron Highland
Day 9: Saturday, 16th October 2010
This day saw us cut across from the Cameron Highland to Bulkit Fraser using a brand new road which hardly anyone knew about. It was a fantastic piece of tarmac with approx 100kms twisties and long sweeping turns. It felt that a track has been made just for us. Another pleasant surprise was the fantastic ride to Fraser Hill (Bulkit Fraser) near KL. The narrow winding road (one way in many parts) was a fantastic treat to ride. The hills in Malaysia, although incomparable to the might of Himalayas, have a very cool temperature all year around with temperatures sometimes dropping to 10 degrees at night.
This was the last day of riding in the trip which culminated in a dinner presided by the Acting Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Mr.Tuan Noordin with all of the participants sharing experiences, photos and laughs with each other. It was a fantastic experience riding with people from different countries and learning new things all the time. The differences in language, cultures and customs were blurred and all of us were united with a single aim – ride and ride free!
Malaysia has been an eye opener and I have deep respects for the outlook of the Malaysian Government and their departments including the various corporates involved (Pennzoil, Modenas and WTR Magazine) for making this happen. I just hope that one fine day we will have people and attitude in India, especially that of the government quarters, that would enable organizations like xBhp to do something innovative on a national level.
This article appeared in the December 2010 - January 2011 Issue of the xBhp Print Magazine. If you missed it you can still buy a copy for your iOS or Android device from Magzter or Apple Newsstand. You can also buy this issue by Cash on Delivery and get the magazine delivered to your doorstep. Click here to order xBhp magazine via Cash on Delivery
Comment