Aluminium frame for KTM ??

Saw this "spy" photo somewhere on the web, it seem like KTM is experimenting with alum frame? It does looks like alum material to me.

Notice the squarish subframe ?

I found this, after sometimes..

I saw this phrase quite sometimes back, and I fnally found it again today, so I save thr jpg file in my laptop this time round.

My boy just wake up in this sunday afternoon, with my wife sleeping, and no one else at home, except me surfing the internet. So bring him to drink some water and let him play abit. Then i pop out this question to him again, asking if he wanna ride a bike? As the last time he mentioned, he wanna ride, just like me.

But this time round, the reply changes again, he said, grandma said you will break ya leg if you ride... so I was kinda frustrated, how can she say stuff like that to my boy? Ultimately, he is still my son, I will let my boy decide if he wanna ride anot, base from his own decision, and not influence by others (his grandma is my mother in-law for ya info)

I wonder why they wanna do stuff like that behind my back, my boy is only 3 and he definately wouldn't lie to me, I'm kinda piss. Shit, I guess we better get my own house fast and move out of here, ultimately, we will have our own life to move on. I just don't want my kids to grow up regreting why they didn't at least try out all this "adventurous stuff" when they are young and with the time available..

To remember Marcus

This is going to be the sticker design and produce by the mates of late Marcus, to remember him. The logo is taken from the Ducati as this is his favourite bike, and "flowers", is his nick in the bike forum.

Dear all, together with my wife, RedRocket and NoLogicOne, we have come up with a decal to remember him by. Its based on the Ducati Corse Shield with his nick and number 999 to symbolise his favourite possession.Please note that this is not for profit. We intend to do a 100pc run to be stuck on the front mud guard of our rides. If anyone here is interested, I will let you know the cost price after confirmation with the shop producing them. If no one wants them, then we would tailor the number of stickers down to an amount just enough for ourselves.We do not have an agenda, nor are we out to profit from the demise of our close friend. We just want to have flowers with us everytime we mount our rides, be it on the roads or on the tracks.

GTR have arrived in Singapore

Enough said! Enjoy the photo!!!

2006 X'mas eve photo

Found this 2 photo taken on last year x'mas eve, the pic taken at BK, was taken during our breakfast session. A BK staff just happen was giving out the paper crown to all the kids in the unit, so I get my boy to put it on for a photo shot.

2nd pic, was taken in the afternoon, while I was busy washing the car for this festive season, my boy was "trying" to help out. But end up, playing with the water in the car washing bay. This pic was taken by my wife was I was busy washing.

My boy was then, 2years and 2mth old, while his little sister was only 2mth old and staying at home, looking after by my mom. How time flies, today is the eve of x'mas again, and my boy and daughter is 1 year older.

RIP Marcus

Just heard of a bad news of a rider pass away in a accident in Pasir Gudang yesterday, it is a accident caused by an idiotic rider, which I shall not give further details in here. I do not know him personally, but I do feel the sadness...

(he is the guy in singlet)

RIP Marcus..

My daughter

Was trying to make my daughter sleep yesterday, but when she saw me came into the room, instantly, she start rolling toward me. And then, she lie down, over the pillow and I decide to take a couples of pic for her, using my 2 megapixel handphone, sorry for the blurry image.

The pic on the left, is taken without night mode on, the one on the right, look much clearer, with the night mode switch on.

Back to the good old days...

Have found this kopi shop along bencoolen street, while on the way to my office.

As it is convenient, and the kopi-o which I normally have for breakfast, it is selling at 60cents, which is 10cents cheaper as compared to most kopi shops in Singapore.

So, where do I hang this packet of kopi-o, while riding the bike? Of course, on the handle bar!

It seems like I'm back to my younger days, which I used to hang a packet of kopi-o, while riding on the street. I feel it is cool and you don't see those younger riders do that nowaday. I used to see those riders back in my days does that.

It is warming especially at late night, when the air is colder, with 1 hand on the throttle, 1 hand holding and drinking the packet of kopi-o, it feels kinda good to me. :)

Doug Henry

Use a software program on the internet and created some nice poster.

A motivational poster

While browsing around, happen to saw this poster of Doug Henry, a advetising poster by Fox. This poster shows courage and determination.

This photo should be taken sometimes in 1997 - 98 or so, if I don't remember wrongly, when he still don the #20 race number, before changing to #19 later on.

When he become the first pro rider to win a mx and sx race on a unproven 4stroke machine.

It's a sleepy monday...

Was down with flu and cough yesterday, went to see a Doc and end up with some "powderful" medicine, Doc say i need a good rest.

Went home, down all the "sleepy" medicine and knock out for almost a good 4-5hrs. Woke up in sunday late afternoon, but was feeling much better, no more running nose and itchy throat. But the downside is, I'm still feeling sleepy.

Came to work this morning, decided not to take medicine until i reach office, as I don't want to feel sleepy while riding to work. So after a breakfast, down the "sleepy" stuff again, and here I'm, typing all this in a sleepy mood.

Hopefully, I can sleep through this boring monday...

Wheel alignment

How many of you car owner have not done any wheel alignment since the day you have collected your car? I have sent my car for wheel alignment last saturday, and found my front wheel toe alignment is out, no wonder the steering wheel is shaking at high speed.

The mechanic have told me, it is always good to do wheel rotation, balancing and alignment for every 10-12k milage covered. For modern car with the FF configuration, front wheel normally will wear and tear faster than rear wheel, with engine on the front, steering on the front wheel etc.

I have also get the mechanic to open up slightly on the camber setting, to improve the car handling in the cornering aspect, and not to the extend that will cause your tyre deteriorate faster.

So you car owner, pls get your wheel sorted out if you have not done any yet.

I have restored back the car condition

Have made a appointment with a coy to install solar film for the car, as the new replacement windscreen does not come with it. Chose the film with the highest heat rejection percentage type and still it is LTA compliant.

It took the guy about 30mins to complete the job as it is only apply the film to the front windscreen, instead of the whole car. It come with a dark tint strip across the top of the windscreen, and total damage to my wallet is $150.

Finally, i have restored back the car to its original condition, with some better parts replaced.

This is the first and also the last time I will be doing all this bubu recovery work...

Get ya A$$ down before refueling

This morning, while riding on the way to work, my bike hit reserve, so directly turn into a gas station near my workplace.

Before i could remove my gas tank cap to refuel, this station attendent shout across to me, at first, I couldn't understand what he was shouting at, as I have my helmet on.

Then I realise he ask me to get my a$$ down, before refueling, so I also shout back to him "huh, what??" (but continue to start refueling)

Later, he shout again, asking me to get down, then i replied: " it will be done within minute" but that uncle start to get angry. I ask:" why do I need to get down?" (still refuleing)

He replied:" you go inside and ask why lah!" , I replied:" uncle, you walk to the other side lah."

He replied:" I kana F by the boss inside, and thought I never ask you to come down!" (I still refueling)

Then i replied:" thats why I say you walk to the other side, you never see me right." (my tank is filled)

He just walk away, before i ride off. I don't understand why do I need to get down, I guess because of safety? But that uncle's attitude is nicer, I would have done it.

Study Shows Why the Flu Likes Winter

Researchers in New York believe they have solved one of the great mysteries of the flu: Why does the infection spread primarily in the winter months?

The answer, they say, has to do with the virus itself. It is more stable and stays in the air longer when air is cold and dry, the exact conditions for much of the flu season.

“Influenza virus is more likely to be transmitted during winter on the way to the subway than in a warm room,” said Peter Palese, a flu researcher who is professor and chairman of the microbiology department at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the lead author of the flu study.


Dr. Palese published details of his findings in the Oct. 19 issue of PLoS Pathogens. The crucial hint that allowed him to do his study came from a paper published in the aftermath of the 1918 flu pandemic, when doctors were puzzling over why and how the virus had spread so quickly and been so deadly.


As long as flu has been recognized, people have asked, Why winter? The very name, “influenza,” is an Italian word that some historians proposed, originated in the mid-18th century as influenza di freddo, or “influence of the cold.”


Flu season in northern latitudes is from November to March, the coldest months. In southern latitudes, it is from May until September. In the tropics, there is not much flu at all and no real flu season.


There was no shortage of hypotheses. Some said flu came in winter because people are indoors; and children are in school, crowded together, getting the flu and passing it on to their families.
Others proposed a diminished immune response because people make less vitamin D or melatonin when days are shorter. Others pointed to the direction of air currents in the upper atmosphere. But many scientists were not convinced.


“We know one of the largest factors is kids in school — most of the major epidemics are traced to children,” said Dr. Jonathan McCullers, a flu researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. “But that still does not explain wintertime. We don’t see flu in September and October.”


As for the crowding argument, Dr. McCullers said, “That never made sense.” People work all year round and crowd into buses and subways and planes no matter what the season.
“We needed some actual data,” Dr. McCullers added.
But getting data was surprisingly difficult, Dr. Palese said.


The ideal study would expose people to the virus under different conditions and ask how likely they were to become infected. Such a study, Dr. Palese said, would not be permitted because there would be no benefit to the individuals.


There were no suitable test animals. Mice can be infected with the influenza virus but do not transmit it. Ferrets can be infected and transmit the virus, but they are somewhat large, they bite and they are expensive, so researchers would rather not work with them.


To his surprise, Dr. Palese stumbled upon a solution that appeared to be a good second best.
Reading a paper published in 1919 in the Journal of the American Medical Association on the flu epidemic at Camp Cody in New Mexico, he came upon a key passage: “It is interesting to note that very soon after the epidemic of influenza reached this camp, our laboratory guinea pigs began to die.” At first, the study’s authors wrote, they thought the animals had died from food poisoning. But, they continued, “a necropsy on a dead pig revealed unmistakable signs of pneumonia.”


Dr. Palese bought some guinea pigs and exposed them to the flu virus. Just as the paper suggested, they got the flu and spread it among themselves. So Dr. Palese and his colleagues began their experiments.


By varying air temperature and humidity in the guinea pigs’ quarters, they discovered that transmission was excellent at 41 degrees. It declined as the temperature rose until, by 86 degrees, the virus was not transmitted at all.


The virus was transmitted best at a low humidity, 20 percent, and not transmitted at all when the humidity reached 80 percent.
The animals also released viruses nearly two days longer at 41 degrees than at a typical room temperature of 68 degrees.


Flu viruses spread through the air, unlike cold viruses, Dr. Palese said, which primarily spread by direct contact when people touch surfaces that had been touched by someone with a cold or shake hands with someone who is infected, for example.


Flu viruses are more stable in cold air, and low humidity also helps the virus particles remain in the air. That is because the viruses float in the air in little respiratory droplets, Dr. Palese said. When the air is humid, those droplets pick up water, grow larger and fall to the ground.
But Dr. Palese does not suggest staying in a greenhouse all winter to avoid the flu. The best strategy, he says, is a flu shot.


It is unclear why infected animals released viruses for a longer time at lower temperatures. There was no difference in their immune response, but one possibility is that their upper airways are cooler, making the virus residing there more stable.


Flu researchers said they were delighted to get some solid data at last on flu seasonality.
“It was great work, and work that needed to be done,” said Dr. Terrence Tumpe, a senior microbiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Dr. McCullers said he was pleased to see something convincing on the flu season question.
“It was a really interesting paper, the first really scientific approach, to answer a classic question that we’ve been debating for years and years,” he said.


As for Dr. Palese, he was glad he spotted the journal article that mentioned guinea pigs.
“Sometimes it pays to read the old literature,” he said.

more info in here -> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/health/research/05flu.html?no_interstitial

Our car back

Finally, after a torturing painful wait for the car to get repaired, have collected it on lasturday. Sent the car to re-do a wheel alignment, and I'm surprised to see the equipment used, as compare to the other woskshop which i went the first time.

As you can see from the monitor, the front toe is slightly out, so the mechanic will re-align it, and I got them to open out the camber for better grip and cornering. Did not do any balancing as the tyres are almost need to be replace, as spoken to the workshop person in-charge.

All in all, finally got all this sorted out. Hope my wife will enjoy this properly tuned ride again.

Pasir Gudang

I have been thinking alot for the past few days, how did it happen? This has been bothering me, as I really couldn't come to a conclusion. Have been checking with those regular trackies, reading up on the internet blah blah blah

I guess, the only and best way, is to get back right onto the track and to physically do a trial test with my conclusion and analysis. Just hope I can figure it out and learnt something out of it.

A fast ah peh

Met this ah peh, at one of the traffic light on YCK road, i was right behind him. And this ah peh is a aggressive rider i would say. When light turn green, he would just speed up and pull away from the rest.

When i met him at the next traffic light, I decided to pull with him, so i manage to pull away from him, but i can see that he is trying to overtake me, even though there are traffic infront, however, he did not succeed.

Along the way, i decided to slow down and let him overtake me, so my turn to go after him, just before bendemeer junction, i stop behind him. When light turn green again, he start to pull again, I oso pull, but choose to follow behind him, he know i'm on his rear right.

for the next few hundred meters, we are away from the main traffic behind, and then the ah peh on his right signal, so i slow down and let him do the lane changing. When i overtook him on his left, i blip my horn at him and give him a thumbs up, and he smile.

This really brighten up my day.

2nd Dec, my first track day...

...in my car.

I crashed the car in the 2nd round when i was out on the first lap. It feel really shitty as up till now, i still can't figure out what has happen. Even with my friend beside me (Wilson, a regular trackie) also don't understand how it could have happen, however, i still must apologies to him, for giving him a shock, just glad that both of us are unhurt.

I guess the most important lesson/ experience is I learnt, and I crash, in a so much safer condition (on the track), thus reducing other unnecessary implication. Myself, I have been racing motorcycle for the past 10 years since 1997, but like what i said to my friend, it is a totally different feel while driving a car. The G-force come in from opposite direction, and I guess i really need much more practise time to get myself familarise with the feel.

Not forgetting the few bros who have help me to make my way back to Sg safely, especially thanks to Wilson, for helping to fetch my wife and boy, back to the workshop in the northeastern part of Sg, when he is staying in the west.

My wife was pretty much pissed off with me as this car is her only transport to work in Jur island, which it is really a hassle to take public transport, I feel very bad for her...
Just yesterday night, when we finally manage to get both the kids to sleep, with just both of us, she ask me, "if i will be back on the track?" I kept quiet... I do not know how to answer...

I had accident on motorcycle racing or practising for the past 10 years, and i have never thought of quitting even I crashed, with broken bones and such, without hesitation, the helmet will be on when i'm fit enough to ride, with no fear of the blurry vision, with throttle pinned at full.

But i have my reservation now, not because of fear, but this is the only car we had, that can bring me, my wife and the 2 kids out, and for my wife transport to work. I guess one of the way out is, perhap another car, just for track usage? I don't know, the budget will be very tight if I do not plan properly. Lets hope things works out along the way.

Thank you Wilson.

In Memories of a fallen rider, Dennis Kwok

When i just reached home today from trackday, i received a sms from a friend of mine. A riding friend whom i know for a couples of years, had pass away today on the track.

It was a rude shock to me, for him, it has been a regular riding sunday for him, as he is very much involved in riding off road, and been enjoying this sport for all this while. At least he leave here while doing something he like.

My deepest condolence to his family. God speed.. Dennis will be remembered.