1. This is the second part
from the last issue
where Razlan Razali and
friends attempt to meet
the typical motorcycle
challenges with a round
the country trip on board
BMW’s finest touring
machines.
…From Day One
The next scheduled stop was a surprise for us.
Vernon took us to a nice little place that’s good
for its big chilli prawns. Prior to arriving, Vernon
took the lead and we exited at Kampung Leban
Chondong, Rompin. We pulled up at an old R&R
with rows of restaurants where half of them
looked like they were closed for a long time.
The place, called Gerai Makan Suhada, is exactly
161km away from our last major stop in Kluang,
Johor. The eatery is apparently known for its
scrumptious big juicy chilli“Udang Galah”. I must
say,that it was among the best local dishes I ever
had, despite being surprised that it is located
here. But then again, I’m sure this is a popular
spot for bikers.
With our stomachs full, we decided to make a
move despite the rain that hadn’t stopped. We
decided to soldier on as we were supposed
to rendezvous with our fellow rider, Roslan
at Kuantan’s airport. Before the next stop, the
team refueled in Pekan before continuing our
journey.
The unexpected happened at exactly
536.7km of the trip as my brand new RT broke
down near the traffic lights out of Kuantan,
along Sungei Lembing. It was still raining and
at 6pm and it was getting dark. I pushed the RT
next to an empty lot and tried to start it again,
but it wouldn’t crank. The team assumed that it
could be a fuel pump failure. Feeling frustrated
and disappointed, I made an emergency call to
the people at Auto Bavaria in Kuala Lumpur (to
a few people actually, including the mechanic
at BMW Glenmarie Service Centre). As much as I
was frustrated with the breakdown,Auto Bavaria
makes up for it by immediately instructing their
Kuantan office to deliver a brand new blue
coloured K1200S with only 34 km on the clock.
I must say, this is again something of a real
surprise with quick support and efficient service
from Auto Bavaria for it’s customers. I doubt it
if any other motorcycle dealerships are able to
provide the same kind of service. At the same
time, I was also glad the problem happened in
Kuantan and not anywhere remote beyond the
services of any bike shops or dealerships.
(Final Part)Banding Trip
44 Road Miles
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RoadMiles2#02.indd 44 9/23/07 1:57:04 AM
3. With the quick support of Kuantan’s Auto
Bavaria, we continued after over an hour. By this
time it was dark, but the rain stopped and we
arrived at Chukai,Kemaman at about 8pm.This is
Vernon’s hometown and he took us for dinner at
another popular seafood restaurant called Tiong
Juan. There, Vernon’s family warmly welcomed
us.
During that time, the conversation topic
was still about the breakdown of the RT and the
guys were trying to console me by mentioning
that I could still continue the trip. As much as I
am pleased with the services of Auto Bavaria, I
was really looking forward to the trip on board
the RT, as prior to the breakdown the RT was
simple and a pleasure to ride (both comfort and
handling, wet or dry).The bike just gives you the
confidence, it’s like driving a BMW 5-Series in
car terms. To be honest, I wasn’t really prepared
(mentally and physically) to ride a bike like the
K1200S where it is more of a sports tourer with
a superbike riding position. It isn’t my ideal bike
to tour with anyway. But now, I have to make the
best of it.
After dinner,we ended our first day at Awana
Kijal Golf Resort arriving at 10pm and clocked a
total of 602.5km.Oh yes,our fellow buddy Roslan
finally joined us as he was caught in the heavy
traffic and rain.
DAY TWO
The guys departed
Awana Kijal Resort and
headed up north to
Kuala Terengganu and
Jerteh before cutting
across to Perak and
ending the journey in
Penang.
We started the day relatively early at 9.35am
and the route began up north on coastal roads
among the oil and gas refineries. The weather
was ideal, (not too hot and slight overcast)
while traffic was light and the roads were wide
with some long winding roads. Our first stop
was to take pictures at Masjid Terapung, Kuala
Terengganu at 11.30am, about 140km from
Awana Kijal Resort.
The MasjidTerapung is also known asTengku
Tengah Zahara Mosque. However, it is more
commonly referred to as Masjid Terapung for its
unique design as it is built on a floating platform
on the estuary of Terengganu River. Its have a
combined modern and Moorish architecture
design. A park with full of pine trees is adjacent
to the mosque.
So far, my first impression of the K1200S is
that it is fast.The only thing common between
the RT and K1200S is the capacity and the most
obvious difference is the engine configuration.
The RT has a boxer engine, while the K1200S
is powered by a 16-valve, in-line four engine.
It is the most powerful motorcycle engine
BMW has ever produced with more than
140bhp kicking at rear wheel. The K1200S
feels like any other Japanese superbike as it is
a powerful bike with plenty of torque. Seating
position is typical of a superbike, not as low,
but low enough that you do feel the strain on
your palms after a long ride. Braking is decent
(meeting the typical BMW standards), but the
clutch lever was a bit too wide (even after
adjusting it closer).
Dish at Kemaman
46 Road Miles
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RoadMiles2#02.indd 46 9/23/07 1:58:47 AM
4. Substitute K1200S RT broke down
47Road Miles
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RoadMiles2#02.indd 47 9/23/07 1:59:46 AM
6. We refueled at Bandar Permaisuri and
continued on the coastal roads. The ride was
slower than usual as we were passing through
small towns with traffic lights. We stopped for
lunch at Jerteh just before 2pm at a restaurant
called Rilex and Santai Seafood Restaurant, near
the border ofTerrengganu and Kelantan.None of
us were sure of where to eat here and when we
saw a nice restaurant over the river, we decided
to stop there. However, charm and looks can be
deceiving,as the food there wasn’t that great.
We left the restaurant at 3.30pm and headed
towards one of the best riding routes in Malaysia.
The roads were winding with plenty of short
and long sweeping corners. This is the part of
the trip where I didn’t mind riding the K1200S.
As mentioned earlier, with this bike you do not
need to change through many gears. It was fifth
to sixth,and back again to fifth for me.
We arrived at the top of the look out point
at Restoran Amiza Titiwangsa, Perhentian
Titiwangsa, Perak at around 5pm.We have so far
covered about 373 km.The view of the rainforest
within the locality was spectacular and the air
fresh. We enjoyed a nice cup of Nescafe and
took some more pictures of the two K1200Ss.
After that, we were welcomed by more winding
roads,before stopping to refuel at Pulau Banding
Petronas Station. During this stage, we were
fascinated by the view of Tasik Banding, one
of the largest natural lakes in Malaysia. Tasik
Banding,a tranquil and natural spot,is located at
the Temenggor Dam of Northern Perak.
The remainder of the trip to Penang was a
bit dull due to the fact that the route was mainly
just straight roads with plenty of cars on them.
The only drama we had was when we got lost
and had to stop to check our bearings.We finally
arrived at Park Royal Hotel in Batu Ferringhi,
Penang at about 9pm. Our total mileage was
604km.
MasjedTerapung Looks good but not great
K1200S
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RoadMiles2#02.indd 49 9/23/07 2:02:44 AM
7. The guys left the
charming island of
Penang and headed
down south to Kuala
Kangsar in Perak.
They stopped over at
Menara Chondong
and continued south,
exiting Bidor towards
Kuala Lumpur.
DAY THREE
The third and final day began slightly later with
a more relaxed mood at 10.40am. It was a very
easy ride, through George Town and across
the Penang Bridge with nice weather and light
traffic assisting us. After that, the journey took
on a boring stage as we travelled mostly on the
highway. Naturally, I took this opportunity of
the straight roads to see how fast the K1200S
can do and managed just below the 300km/h
marker. Winding roads like the ones on the day
before and clear long highways are obviously
ideal for this kind of bike. But on city riding with
traffic lights and traffic can take a lot of strain on
the arms and palms due to the riding position. I
was quite contented with the bike, but given a
choice, I will not buy one due to it’s subtle and
plain looks. On a positive note, I don’t doubt the
capabilities of the K1200S as it is able to take on
the likes of Honda’s Blackbird, Suzuki’s Hayabusa
or even the new Kawasaki ZX14s.
We exited Kuala Kangsar at 175km and
refueled at Omar’s hometown of Parit. Due to
the fact that it was Omar’s “territory”, he led us
to challenging and winding kampung roads
with minimum traffic. We crossed the large
width of Sungai Perak and stopped for lunch
at a popular eatery called the Gulam Rasul
Restaurant. After lunch, we headed towards
the historic Menara Condong, which is our
Malaysian version of famed Leaning Tower of
Pisa in Italy, for a brief photography session.
The Menara Condong in Kuala Kangsar also
leans in the same direction from it’s Italian
counterpart, which is to the left. The pagoda-
like structure stand at 25.5 meters high was
built in 1885 where it’s initial purpose was to
store a water.
The rest of the journey to Kuala Lumpur was
ridden via Bidor, towards the highway. En route
to the Federal Capital, it rained heavily and we
ended our journey for the day at Restaurant
Jejantas Sungai Buloh with a total mileage
clocked on the final day at 409km.
Overall,it was a road trip with mixed feelings
for me as compared to a similar trip a year before
on the Honda Goldwing. As much as I looked
forward to complete the trip on my brand new
RT, I was quite disappointed on the unexpected
breakdown. Although I am impressed on the
support and service provided by Auto Bavaria
(by offering me the K1200S), it always feels
satisfying to experience the whole journey on
your own bike. However, I did have a good time
on the K1200S at some stages, especially on the
winding roads, but when it gets to town riding
and long straight roads I wished I was on the RT
or even my Goldwing.
Road Break
50 Road Miles
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RoadMiles2#02.indd 50 9/23/07 2:03:12 AM
8. For the trip, I was using Airflow 3 two-piece suit,
Airflow 2 boots and gloves designed for high
temperatures plus the System 5 helmet. If I was
on the RT, the accessories would be perfect, with
the exception of rain where water slowly seeps
into the boots.
The system 5 with Bluetooth compatibility,
although heavy but comfortable and quiet, is
a fantastic piece of equipment. The Bluetooth
system can be a bit complicated to pair with the
phone, but once sorted it’s a joy to use.With the
quietness of the System 5 helmet and the clarity
of having a conversation was excellent. One can
hear the other caller’s voice clearly and vice versa
with the exception of slight wind noise.However,
the enjoyment was short-lived (possibly due to
the heavy rain), as the Bluetooth system failed. It
was unfortunate as it only lasted half a day on the
first day of the trip.
BMW was good enough to offer me a full
refund and sent the helmet back without the
Bluetooth system. Apparently, word is that
the Bluetooth system has a glitch and BMW is
recalling it for rectification. I am not sure how
true this is,but I really enjoyed it and just couldn’t
find another one to purchase.
Thesystem5helmetisagreattouringhelmet.
Despite looking like a huge mushroom with the
bottom half lifted up,it is very convenient for me
(to have a little refresher, talk clearly and having
a drink rather than to have to take your helmet
off). As mentioned earlier, it is a little heavy and
can add some pressure on the forehead but I
was told that after using it for a while, the foam
softens and gets more comfortable. I will wait
and see.
The system 5 helmet is only good for
touring due to the fact that when I switched the
bike to the K1200S, I can really feel the weight
of the System 5 compared to the RT. After just
half an hour, the helmet starts to feel like a
dead weight and I have to constantly adjust
my position and stretch my neck many times to
ease the strain and pressure. I must say that it
is really uncomfortable riding this bike with the
System 5.
As for the riding apparel, it was a real treat
to use as it was designed for our hot and humid
weather.You are kept cool with the mesh design,
but it is not waterproof. I don’t really mind
stopping and putting on the rain suit as I hate to
ride in the wet,although the Gore-Tex jacket and
pants will keep me dry. But riding all day in the
heat is something that I equally dislike.
Like the jacket and pants, the airflow boots
works the same way.You can feel the air flowing
in your feet and the boots gives you enough
protection for touring,but when it rains,your feet
will be soaked.
The riding glove is one of the best gloves I
have ever used for touring and general riding.
The leather is soft and it has decent protection in
the palms.
BMW has done very well in designing and
producing one of the most comfortable riding
gears for different kind of riding and weather.
Although it is more expensive than other brands,
you can feel its quality, functionality and most of
all,look good while riding.
BMW Riding Accessories
51Road Miles
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RoadMiles2#02.indd 51 9/23/07 2:03:24 AM
