A long time ago, when young men were still ogling at cars like the Z1 and the F40, I was studying hard trying to understand the ins and outs of the VAX/VMS operating system. It was something a lot more sophisticated than the Prime PRIMOS that I used when I was in junior college, and a whole lot more sophisticated than the DOS on my very humble 80286 AT personal computer at home! I remember, albeit vaguely, the mention of something called Unix, and how it was going to be the king of operating systems. However, since I was very clear it would be of no use to me, I promptly erased it from my memory, opting instead to look at the MacIntosh…which was so much cooler!

My next brush with this strange thing called Unix was several years later in the office when a colleague helped me setup an account on one of the Unix computers. I cherished that account dearly, only because it opened the window to the world of Usenet! It proved to be a valuable source of knowledge that spurred my growth in so many areas. It was in Usenet too that I discovered something called Mosaic…which was the precursor to the now ubiquitous web browser!

So while I was not a Unix expert by any means, I did like my Unix very much! However, it remained a dark and complex creature to me as I never quite understood how it worked…and other than the fact that it was my window of knowledge, I never understood why there was such a big hoohaa around it.

Sometime later, I started hearing the term Linux. The one thing I remember about this other beast, whose name I was not able to pronounce confidently up till this day, was that it was something called Open Source. That the codes would be available to anybody who was willing to invest time into understanding, developing and using it. And that the masses would flock to it like ants to that granule of sugar that you forgot to wipe away from the kitchen counter!

To cut a long story short (there, I said that again), I stuck with my Windows and Mac machines up till today. Why? Well, because they came packaged with the computers that I bought and would work out of the box. Also because the applications that I wanted to use came with Windows and Mac versions…and I could not find, let alone hear, of any credible applications in my sphere of interest available on Linux that did not need me to compile! And so that was that…

…until this last weekend. You see, I will be going on a long ride around the peninsular of West Malaysia very soon and would like the ability to edit my photographs and write my blog along the way. That meant I had to bring along a portable computer. I could lug around my notebook with a generous 15-inch screen…but that thing weighs almost a ton! I could get myself a brand new MacBook Air which weighs as light as a feather…but that thing costs a couple thousand bucks (with my favourite applications installed). So I started looking for alternatives…and what I found…well…made me wish I paid a lot more attention in school!

I realized (a lot later than many other smart people, I know) that I could install a light but powerful operating system on a small and inexpensive portable computer with all the applications that I would need for editing photographs and blogging. Yes, you guessed it. I discovered, or re-discovered, Linux, in the form of Ubuntu. No, I do not know how to pronounce Ubuntu confidently either…but it was to be the thing that promises to work for me…and it would not break the bank!

So I downloaded a version of Ubuntu onto a USB drive and ran that on the netbook that Jera (my younger son) had. Now get this. The netbook was running an Atom N270 processor…it had a meager 1GB (or was it 512MB?) of RAM and a tiny 160GB hard disk. I used it sparingly before to write my blog on WordPress while waiting for them to finish their swimming class and the performance was horrendous! Not only was it slow, it would suddenly change the zooming on the browser. Using it was a nightmare. So I was prepared for this test of Ubuntu to be disappointing…but I was dead wrong!

While it did take quite awhile to load up from the USB drive, once loaded, it ran perfectly. The track pad behaved very nicely, very smoothly. The browser loaded pages relatively speedily. WordPress worked flawlessly. I could even watch YouTube videos without any real annoyance! My goodness! This thing works! I downloaded a few other applications to try out some simple photo-editing tasks and they worked respectably. Not spectacularly fast…but not unbearably slow either. Given the slow processor, low memory and severely limited screen real estate, the performance blew me away!

So today I decided I would install Ubuntu on my desktop computer…and now that the install has completed…I am able to write this blog on Ubuntu! Sure. The install was not flawless. I had it freeze on me once. Crash on me once too. But in the end, it worked. I think the freeze and crash was due more to my embarrassingly old hardware (a 5-year old HP Multimedia PC) than anything else. Most importantly…it is working now and my computer feels so zippy I am amazed!

Now I know that many of you reading this is probably doing so on a Windows machine or a Mac. And I am not advocating that you switch to Ubuntu anytime soon…because honestly…it does take a little bit of effort to get it running. BUT…if your machine is starting to run a little more slowly than you like…and if you are not using any application that is so unique that there is no Ubuntu equivalent…or if you have an old computer lying around that you would like to resurrect, then you owe it to yourself to try Ubuntu out. After all, you can run it off a USB drive like I did to try it out. And if you liked it, you can install it alongside your current operating system (like I did) so you still have access to your other environment!

What is there to lose?

Tools have always been a fascination…even though I really knew very little about them. Still, they look so cool! I am talking about shiny spanners, wrenches, sockets, ratchets…heck…even the names sound cool! So I started looking seriously into the tools that I would need to have now that I am in the midst of preparations for the West Malaysia Loop Ride 2011.

Do not get me wrong. I am not looking at this from a farkles point of view…obviously! Rather, I am genuinely interested to ensure that I have the right tools on hand should a situation occur on the road. After all, there would be no ready mechanic or bike shop along Route 4 or Route 8! So this is no farkle fetish!

I stumbled upon tire punctures I was just looking around the internet as part of my tools research. I remembered how worried I was during the last ride while riding one raining (and very dark) night because I could not see the condition of the road I was riding on. I escaped without any problems that time…but I did not want to have that weight on my mind on the coming ride. After all, this time I will be riding on tubeless tires…and a much heavier bike!

I looked at tire repair kits, I looked at videos on how simple tire repairs for tubeless tires can be done, and I poked around some more. Eventually, by a stroke of luck, I stumbled upon something called Ride-On TPS (Tire Protection System). I was intrigued!

Apparently, the product is composed of fibers six times stronger than steel that will evenly coat the inside of the tires and effectively forming a protective layer. When a puncture occurs, the forces of the rotating tire will instantly force some of the substance into the resulting hole and seals it. It sounded a little too good to be true. So I looked at some video demonstrations, read some testimonials, and eventually found a local distributor (after a tip off from a biker friend)!

I went over to one of the workshops listed in the distributor’s website (San Ming Huat at 50 Bukit Batok Street 23 #02-20) and had them install the product on my bike. Installation took about 15 minutes and was essentially hassle-free. The folks in the shop was friendly enough (with the exception of one vertically challenged chap who was rather…short – pardon the pun). Eventually, all was well and my tires had the protection they needed…all for a sum of S$50. They did mention to me several times that the general feedback was that the bike would ride with a little wobble for the initial 10-15 km…and that I should go for a nice long ride (of at least 15km) for the product to evenly coat the inner surface of the tire.

I am happy to report that the bike did not feel wobbly at all for the entire 25km that I rode today. It felt perfectly balanced and I did not notice any difference in the handling. The best thing, though, is that I no longer had to worry about tire punctures…theoretically!

So does it work? I do not know yet…but I will certainly post an update after my trip and let you know how it went. Until then…ride safe!!!

Farkles. What exactly are they? If you are into bikes at all, you would know what farkles are. The urban dictionary states that it is the combination of two words: function and sparkle…hence…farkle. In reality, farkles are the things that make any bike owner bleed money through the nose…function or otherwise. There is, of course, another perspective to this. Farkles allow the bike owner to make a statement. A means to make a bike that is common…unique!

I recently got myself a new bike…except it is an old bike that had so many previous owners I lost count. Still, what matters to me was that it was a bike that I had never had before. Unfortunately, it is a bike that was so common that you would probably hit one if you hurled a stone, blind-folded, in a bike parking lot! So how did I go about making it my own? You guessed it…FARKLES!!!

I started off in all earnestness. Looking at items that had a real function. Like crash bars for safety, a windshield for comfort, better seat to protect my rear end, LED spots for visibility and so on. I already had boxes from my previous bike so I had those installed. My bike looked pretty good actually. I would even say it looked unique!

I mean, look at it! How many Super-fours out there has that large curvy windshield, or those shiny crash bars, or those spots, or those blinkers? I had, successfully (to my eyes anyway), made my bike unique. Every function that I need – comfort, safety, storage – was mostly taken care of. My journey with farkles is complete!

But not for long!

You see…farkles are an addiction! And there is no end to them! I could think of a hundred different things that I would need…OK…maybe not really need…but still…a GPS, better suspension, brighter head lights, LED panels…you get the idea!

So I recently started looking at my boxes again…and I realized that they looked alright from the side…and even from the front. However, they did not look all that nice from the rear. After all, my top box (the trunk) was a 45 litre GIVI box while my side boxes (the panniers) were a set of 21 litre KAPPA boxes. So they looked a little…out of proportioned…and I did not like that very much.

Can you see how that top box simple dwarfed the side boxes? Furthermore, I had trouble fitting my jacket and pants into the side boxes and that meant greater inconvenience while riding out in Singapore…and what about my upcoming ride around West Malaysia? I would not have enough space to store all the stuff that I need to bring!

Now I had reasons to procure a new set of boxes! To top it off, the boxes I had installed were also your run-in-the-mill common boxes that EVERYONE had! That did not go well with me…since I like to be unique. Hahaha!!!

I looked at all sorts of boxes. The classic GIVI E45, the new and stylish GIVI V35, the Hepco & Becker Junior, as well as some aluminium panniers. I had a list of criteria, of course, since it was to be quite a costly upgrade. The list was something like this…

• looks good on the bike
• looks good on my (yet to be purchased) new bike
• spacious
• rugged and durable
• unique

Honestly, though, that list could be distilled to just 2 items: looks good on the bike, and looks good on my new bike. I was not really worried too much about the rest!

I pretty much settled on the boxes that I wanted. They would be aluminium for durability. They would be at least 40 litres for added storage space. They would be beveled at the bottom so they do not get scratched in over-enthusiastic leaning as I carve corners. They were perfect! My choice was the SW Motech Trax boxes.

They sure looked good on this bike! And I bet they would look good on mine! The catch…these boxes would set me back S$2000…and that did not include the customizing that I would need to do so they would fit on my current bike. Still…it was all worth it…wasn’t it?

To cut a long story short (I seem to be saying this a lot recently), I decided not to get them. I saw the light, so to speak, on what farkles are…an addiction! If I were to get them…there would be no end to other farkles…and it would be arguable (at best) on any real benefits of getting them…beyond the fact (to me at least) that they looked so much better than my current boxes.

Sigh.

Don’t get me wrong. That wasn’t a sigh of sadness or regret. It was a sigh of relief. Relief that I no longer needed to carry the burden of researching for the right boxes, nor the worry of spending money that would not bring me a proportionate amount of added utility. I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders! I feel much happier too!!! Yeah!!!

So now…on to more important things…that GPS I was talking about…

I have been asked many questions in the span of my, relatively short, life of forty plus years. The answers to some of these were life changing, while others were had no consequence (or so I think) in the grand scheme of things. Needless to say, my twin boys asked me some really strange ones which took quite a lot of creativity to answer. Oddly enough, I was confronted with an unusually high volume of questions this year…some of which were amusing…others…thought provoking…and yet others…well…are better left unanswered!

I was asked a question this morning that I thought was quite thought provoking. Would I prefer a world where there was no music, or a world where there were no motorcycles. I know what you are thinking…what kind of question is that!? Well…turned out it was a really good question for me. I thought long and hard for a witty response. You see, I really liked music. Always liked it from a very young age. I developed my liking for music from listening to the songs on the radio, to singing, to playing instruments, to performing on stage…and recording (well, technically I played for one song in one album some time in my
history). Very recently, two days ago in fact, I rediscovered the joy of playing the keyboard…and have been enjoying that very much. So music, obviously, was something that is very much in my blood.

You would know too that I have a keen passion for motorcycles. I discovered the two-wheeled wonder slightly over a year ago when I took my first riding lesson and have been hooked ever since. I rode my bike as often as I could. I rode on as many roads (and even laces pwhere there were no roads) as I could. I rode at all times of the day. I rode with all sorts of people. And I truly enjoyed every single ride. I recently acquired a new motorcycle (well, a new 13 year old motorcycle) and am enjoying the rides on this new machine very much. Me being me, I get really deep
into something when I do get into something. So motorcycles were a big deal for me!

So you see, I was really struggling with this question. My answer, I think, is irrelevant to this post…and so…I will keep it to myself. Suffice to say that having been asked a question like this, I decided it was time to enjoy my two passions today…before the world became a place where either one of them would be taken away from me forever!

So…I went riding…with my iPhone radio playing in my ear! It was bright and sunny…even though the clouds were getting a little thick in some places. So I decided to put on my sunglasses for the ride. I wondered why the kids were staring at me as I rode passed…hmmm…so…I took a picture of myself in my sunglasses just to see for myself…

I don’t look that weird, do I???

Anyway, I rode on Anker today. I started off from Jurong East and headed towards some of my favourite roads. You know…Old Choa Chu Kang, Lim Chu Kang, Neo Tiew, Mandai, Sembawang, Old Upper Thomson, Upper Thomson, Rifle Range, Old Holland Road etc. The ride was, needless to say, fantastic! I could ride with my visor up because of the sunglasses. I had my ear plugs on so the wind noise was not bothering me. I could hear the sound of the music from my iPhone radio playing in my ear. I could feel the wind on my face. It was bliss!!!

The roads I rode on were all full of little surprises…even though I had ridden on them countless times. No, I am not talking about bad surprises…rather…surprises like the flock of birdies that flew low, the rainbow that showed itself in the unexpected spray from the truck further in front, the curve that somehow felt curvier today than the other times I rode it…this kind of surprises. To top it off, I had the unbelievably smooth power from Anker’s hardworking little engine. He was so smooth that I had a little shock when I glanced at my speedometer along the longer straights…hahahaha!!! It was all rather addictive!

I won’t bore you with the details of my ride….but I do want to share with you a picture that I took on my final stop for today. This was a road that I had never been on…only because there was a barrier blocking the entrance. I decided it was worth a ride anyway and found a way in. I stopped somewhere along this road and took a break…and could not resist from taking this picture.

See how the sky has turned menacingly dark? Just so you know, I rode off not long after this and started to feel rain drops on my face! Good thing I got back on time. Now I know this is turning to be not much of a ride report…after all…I did not share much about my ride. Still…I am really glad that I had this ride. After all, I am now much clearer about answer to the question that I was confronted with this morning. I think the world would be a much duller place if
either music or motorcycles were taken away. So I will continue listening, playing, and enjoying music…AND riding my bikes…while I still can…and you should too!

I have often heard about folks who travel coast to coast in the United States…you know…from the east to the west…New York to San Francisco…that kinda thing. I did think of doing a road trip in the US at one time…in fact…I still think it would be something I would like to do before I die. The idea of facing one ocean today…and a completely different ocean a few days later is kinda neat! To me anyway!

Even though that sounds like a grand idea…it is a real drag because I am located in Singapore…and taking a flight all the way to New York just to do a coast to coast road trip sounded too much like an overkill to me. The next best thing has to be a coast to coast trip in Malaysia. Yeah, I know….I can always do a coast to coast trip in Singapore! Drive from Changi to Tuas….but hey…what’s the thrill in that!???

So…to cut a long story short…well…shorter anyway…I decided to do a coast to coast ride in Malaysia today. The plan was to get in via the Woodlands Checkpoint, ride up to Mersing, then cross over to Kluang, head south and east to Pontian, then back to Singapore via the Tuas Checkpoint. In fact, this would be a coast to coast to coast trip! I would have covered the Straits of Johor, the South China Sea, and the Straits of Melaka all in one day! Wow!!! Here is the route that I planned for the day.

I had originally wanted to loop the state of Johor with this ride. However, bearing in mind that Johor has quite a long circumference, I thought it was better to curb my riding ambition and do a slightly smaller loop. After all, I was not gunning for an Iron Butt certification! Furthermore, I wanted this to ride to be a relatively relaxing one, with enough stops built in for stretching. I thought it would be important to maximize the amount of daylight I had for this ride as well. So with this in mind, and with the route burnt (albeit very lightly) in my brain, I decided that I would start early in the morning, head over to my mechanic’s place for a quick check on the bike, and then set off.

Nothing characterizes a good plan better than the amount of flexibility built in to cater to Murphy’s visits…and by now…I was very familiar with Murphy’s standard operating procedures. As anticipated, Murphy chose to visit the night before I set off…because I went to bed much later than intended…and ended waking up a little later in the morning. Hahahaha! All is not lost though because of the quality of the plan! So I changed my early morning plan and put in a slot for breakfast (while my mechanic looked the bike over). See…adaptability and flexibility at its best!!!

I had gone through the Woodlands checkpoint several times before on my bike (and countless times with my car). So I was pretty confident that it would not be a problem. What I did not anticipate was Anker‘s extra width given the boxes and crash bars…and how this would affect my ability to clear the very narrow space between all the cars stuck in the huge jam at the Johor side of the Causeway. This resulted in a very near fall! However, through some miraculous stroke of quick reflexes (read luck), I was able to avert the fall…and managed to pull a muscle on my right thigh…cramping it up all the way till I cleared immigration. I was not about to bow to Murphy!!!

Having mastered the art of splitting (basically, riding in between two lanes with cars stuck in traffic), I made my way confidently along my intended route. It was a fine day…about ten in the morning…not too hot…and a good breeze blowing on me as Anker cut through the traffic on the roads of Johor Bahru. I was enjoying the ride tremendously! I remembered the last time I rode on this route with Marley and could immediately feel the difference. While Marley gave me a huge sense of adventure, his engine throbbing and pulsing away, working tirelessly to get me on my way, Anker was hardly breaking out a sweat! I felt the smooth delivery of power and acceleration as I twisted the throttle. It was a strange experience…a little less rugged, a little smoother…and I still had that same smile pasted on my face. Yeah!!!

It wasn’t too long that I made it pass the city limits and started riding on the narrow and winding roads of route 3 towards Mersing. If you have never ridden, or driven (for the matter), on route 3, you owe it to yourself to do it. This is a very nice and easy stretch of road to ride…as long as the traffic is not too heavy. So take a day off in the week and do it…you will not regret it! What is more, you get to enjoy the distinctive Malaysian countryside…and the fantastic Bak Kut Teh along the way too! I made a short rest stop shortly after passing Kota Tinggi for a break.

I must have looked rather strange to some of the folks at this place because they kept looking at me. Maybe it is my Robocop outfit…maybe it is my bike…but most likely, its my messy hair. Hahahahaha!!!

Small droplets of water started forming on my visor not too long after my rest stop. Yes…it was beginning to rain. I debated if I should stop and put on my rain gear. It did not take long for me to conclude that I will stop…because the very light drizzle was quickly turning into a light rain…and I could see the dark and menacing clouds over at the north west. So I stopped at the side of the road and put on my gear…which took all of ten minutes…and proceeded on. The downside to this was that all the big lorries that I passed along the way passed me while I was putting on my gear…so it was another round of fun passing for me!

While the rain got heavier, the traffic got lighter…obviously…since I passed all of them. Hahahaha! Eventually though, I made it to Mersing, a small town that was once a fishing village. There was a huge trailer truck that broke down at the roundabout just outside the town centre…and I could see lots of cars stuck there. Good thing I was on my bike!!! I headed straight for the coast…and parked at a small parking lot next to the beach.

I had been to Mersing several times before but was never in this part of town. All my previous trips here were to catch a ferry out to one of the many islands that dot the west coast of Malaysia for scuba diving. So this place was new to me. The more meticulous reader would notice immediately that the rain has stopped…so I decided to take a look at the beach. Now this is no ordinary beach. I was about to gaze on the South China Sea…and boy it is a BIG sea! So I was rather surprised with what I actually saw.

No, your eyes are fine…and no…I did not put up the wrong photograph. This is REALLY the South China Sea you are looking at. I was expecting a BIG sea…with rolling waves that would splash at my feet and with spray that would cover my face like a fine mist. But no…the tide was out…and I was confronted with a huge expanse of sand and mud pools. Oh well…I did see the rolling waves and all that…they were just a kilometer out! I bet you can see it in the picture if you squinted…or scroll down to the end of the article and click on the link to the larger images in my gallery! Hahaha!!!

Still, the sea breeze did not let me down and I felt immediately refreshed. Looking around, I saw a couple of stalls set up at the beach and decided I would do a little exploring. What I saw was rather interesting…it was like Old Chang Kee done Malay kampung style! With all sorts of fried items like squids, prawns, banana fritters and all that. Guess what this was!

Yup…Kampung Fries!!! Now what do you think this next one was?

Edit: According to an informed source, this was actually not Kampung Fries but Keropok Lekor (a fried fish fritter that is taken with a sweet and thick chili sauce)…hmmm…now I wish I had tried this! Hahahaha!!!

Believe it or not, this actually was a yam drink! Now as far as I remember, yams were tubers that had dirty (obviously since they are roots!) skin and white flesh. Why this yam drink (and the yam ice cream from Swensen’s) was purple was beyond me!!! I was intrigued though…so…

…I ordered one. Hahahaha!!! I was wondering how it would taste…would it taste yammy? Powdery? Overly syrupy? Or was it simply grape juice mis-represented? I am happy to report that it tasted YUMMY! It tasted like how a yam drink would taste like…not like I would know…but now I do! So next time you head to Mersing, be sure to head to the beach and look out for this makcik and order her Air Keladi! I also had the prawn, squid and banana fritters…they were ALL super yummy. Definitely a must try…especially the banana fritters as it comes with a dip that made it WAY BETTER than any goreng pisang (local for banana fritters) I have ever had…and oh so unique!!! To top it off…I had this fantastic view to accompany me as I enjoy the food!

I did some research about food places (yes…food again) in Mersing before I set off for the trip…after all, this was to be my lunch stop…and I was eager to search for a particular seafood restaurant that came highly recommended in a few blogs. The place was called “Lok Tien Seafood Restaurant” and was located along Jalan Abu Bakar (which was kinda like the main street in Mersing). So I rode off looking for the place. I found it after looping around several times. Unfortunately, they were closed that day because of a wedding. So I went in search of another place that was recommended: “Al Hamid Chendol”. Apparently, they served the best chendol in the town. I found it just around the corner from Lok Tien. I decided to give it a miss though as I wanted to avoid the possibility of an unsettled stomach since I still had a long ride ahead. So I ended up on my third place…Sri Mersing Cafe. This cafe specializes in coffee and pastries. It seems they grind their own beans right at the shop…and the roti kaya (bread with coconut and egg jam) is supposedly the best as the bread is baked fresh everyday. I was really glad I found the place…and ordered my usual kopi-o-kosong and roti kaya. Yum yum yum!!!

It was two in the afternoon by the time I was done with my lunch of snacks…and I was not even halfway through the loop! It was time to move on and head towards Pontian. The ride to Pontian would take me through several towns…a major one called Kluang and two small ones called Rengam and Layang-Layang. The route would take me through some scenic plantation roads and I was really looking forward to it! So after looking at the map (copied to my iPhone as I did not want to incur data roaming charges), I headed off!!!

The first few turns were easy enough to follow. However, I missed one of the turns rather soon after I set off from Mersing.

This deviation from plan turned out to be a rather pleasant one as the road (though relatively short) was nicely filled with turns…and almost empty!!! It was such a nice ride! The scenery was like something lifted off a postcard for the most part of the next hour…until a point there I made my next mistake. I turned left when I should have turned right. As you can see from my original route map above, there was no indication (or maybe there was but I could not see it in the map) of a right turn…so I thought I was somewhere further along. However, it was a short detour which took me into a kampung which was not altogether unpleasant…just a little wasted time. I made it to Kluang eventually and it was a BIG town. Some parts of Kluang reminded me of Kuala Lumpur!!!

This ride wasn’t about big towns though. So I rode through the town after a short stretch break and headed towards Rengam. You would know that you are in Rengam…there was no mistaking it…because there is a sign that says Rengam…hahahahaha!!! But more spectacularly…there are two short stretches of beautiful road! The trees lined both sides of the road and the canopy covers the road completely like a majestic arch! It was so beautiful all I could do was marvel at it…forgetting even to take a photograph!!! So you gotta head there to see it for yourself…sorry! On top of that…I was greeted by a herd of cows shortly after…taking up half the road! Hahahaha!!!! How absolutely rustic!!!!

Continuing down the road brought me to Layang-Layang…another small town. I used to travel by train from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore and was always intrigued by the smaller railway stations that were in the outlying towns. The route from Kluang to Layang-Layang was running next to that particular railway track and I was really looking forward to seeing one of these small stations. I spotted the one in Layang-Layang…with a train waiting to leave!!! So I made a quick stop and got up close and personal with the train. Hehehehe….

Just so you know I did not cheat…

I had a quick chat with the driver…and he was very obliging…

…and he asked me if I rode a Superfour! Hahahaha!!! I could not resist taking a head shot of the locomotive…

I really like trains…can you tell??? I ended my conversation with the driving by asking him when the train was leaving…and he said…now. True enough, he pulled out within a minute after saying that. Wow!!!

I did not check my map at this point for some reason…and ended up missing a right turn…which led me on a rather long ride that ended at a guarded gate into an oil palm estate. No pictures…but you can see from this map that it was quite a long ride!

Now this was one of those roads that I would much rather be on with Marley than with Anker. It was full of ups and downs…potholes…and puddles!!! Still, Anker handled it all really well! So…after backtracking…I found the turning that I missed…complete with a road sign that had its entire middle section blown off! Hahahaha! Malaysia Boleh!!!

I have always said that getting lost was a pleasant thing. After all, how else would I discover new places if I never got lost? Right??? And so I promptly missed another turn not long after this. Hahahaha!!! But I am really tempted to eat my own words this time round!

I don’t know if you can see from this map…but the turn that I missed took me through several towns rather than through the recreational forest…and it was around five in the evening…which meant rush hour!!! My goodness…it was no fun riding in traffic like this! There were cars, bikes, trucks and people everywhere…going everywhere…squeezing everywhere…it was quite maddening! PLUS…it was a MUCH longer distance to Pontian!!! Being the persevering person that I am (yes…I am persevering…didn’t you know?)…I soldiered on and eventually…made it to Pontian…the other coast of West Malaysia!

I headed straight for the coast and found many tables lined up outside right next to the water…so I decided to have my dinner there. I had some time to kill while waiting for the food and so I thought of you folks and took a photograph so you can have a sense of the view that I was witnessing.

Unfortunately, the cloudy sky meant that I did not get that spectacular sunset shot. Still…it was a fantastic vista! I did manage to get another shot after dinner though…because the scene looked even better!

And in case you were wondering where I had dinner…

It was a corner restaurant right at the coast called SF seafood. What does SF stand for? Well…I think it stands for Shun Feng (顺风) which means “favourable wind”. I guess it was fitting that I had my dinner there since I did have some “favourable winds” during the ride!

It was dark by the time I left Pontian and I headed back to Singapore via the second link. I was really thankful that I installed some spotlights on Anker as they came in REALLY handy in the super dark roads that took me back to the second link. Boy…those LED spotlights were BRIGHT!!! Wooohooo!!! The ride back on the second link was nothing like the one I had with Marley during the West Malaysia Loop Ride 2010. At that time, I did not have enough lights…and I did not have enough speed for the expressway. This time round, I not only had the lights…I had enough speed to ride comfortably and safely on the expressway…and eventually made it back to Singapore at half past eight! Not bad for a day’s ride looping the state of Johor…and covering three coast lines!!!

Come join me next time!

Note: See larger versions of the photographs here!

I don’t know about you…but when I think about getting a bike, I usually tell myself that I will get one that is completely stock (i.e. no major modifications done) and that I would spend a minimal amount of cash to get it to a serviceable state and nothing else. I have been pretty successful with Marley…and with the Mito…but as you know by now, I was completely unsuccessful with Anker. Part of the reason for that is the image of a standard Super Four…it looked…well…like an uncle bike. Hahaha! To top it off, it was common on the roads of Singapore. So…I went ahead with some simple add ons just to make him a little more unique…and comfortable!

So before we start with the stuff I wanted to do to Anker, here is how he looked like when I first set eyes on him.

While he looked like he was in good nick, it was clear to me that he looked exactly the same as any other Super Four out there on the streets. I HAD to do something…agree?

I remember that looking for the right accessories was a real puzzle when I first bought Anker. After all, there were a multitude of everything that you can possibly imagine! Here is a list of what I wanted to put on him:

• Top and side boxes to store my stuff
• Auxiliary lights for better visibility
• Front and rear crash bars for better protection
• A windshield for a smoother ride
• Seat reconditioning for more comfort
• Wider handle bars and new handle grips for more comfort
• Handle bar raisers for a better riding posture
• Fresh set of tires for safety
• New In-vehicle Unit to replace the faulty one

I thought this was a reasonable list of things to do for the bike. After all, I would be spending countless hours on this bike for the next year, especially on the WMLR2011! So I went about getting this list sorted out.

Boxes

Let’s start off with the boxes. While this may seem simple enough…just transfer the boxes I had on Marley over to Anker…easy peasy! Unfortunately, that was not so. You see, in order to mount the boxes properly, I needed a new set of racks! One for the top box and another for the sides. And it was not as simple as bolting on some brackets either since there wasn’t any side brackets made for the Super Four! In the end, we had to be pretty innovative in mounting those boxes up. Another problem was the position of the exhaust pipe. It was tilted at an angle and we had to mount the boxes rather high up in order not to hit the exhaust pipe! Still, I thought we did a pretty good job.

See how the exhaust pipe tilts upwards there? It was a real challenge to mount that side box so it does not hit the pipe!

Unfortunately, mounting it this way also meant that it would stick out over the rear seat! This meant that anyone who needs to sit on that rear seat will have a heck of a tough time getting up onto the bike…and they better have a small ass or it would be terribly uncomfortable having the tops of the boxes hitting the sides of their asses…hahahaha!!!

The view from the rear looked a little better actually…and yes…I realized that the top box is WAY bigger than the side boxes and…frankly…out of proportion…but hey…I need that top box and am not willing to get new side boxes…how cheap!!!

I also noticed that the reflective stickers on these boxes do not really fit Anker’s colour scheme. I mean, the blue and white on the side looked alright…but those yellow ones really looked out of place…to me anyway. So I went about looking for a new design that might fit. After trying out several design ideas on PowerPoint, I settled on the Dakar logo for the side and a simple set of arrows for the rear. So I went about getting the stickers cut out and pasted onto these boxes. I decided to stick to white and blue reflective stickers since they fit Anker’s colour scheme.

These two logos took a heck of a lot of time to put on. It was painstaking effort putting on strip by careful strip…and it took many hours!!! But I really like the way they turned out…what do you think?

I think they looked a lot better on the bike too! Now the colours match!!! Hahahaha! Oh yes…let me show you the rear view…

Those simple arrows look a lot better on Anker too. I like how they show the width of the bike from the rear so drivers can MAKE WAY!!!

Auxiliary lights

Some people say that you don’t really need headlights on Singapore streets because the street lamps are so bright…but I disagree. Bikes are almost invisible to drivers sometimes and lights help to make bikes more visible. Furthermore, I have traveled on some streets in Singapore where the street lamps were either not working…or where there were no street lamps at all…and the standard headlights were seriously lacking. So I searched the internet and found myself some auxiliary lights. I did not want the traditional halogen spotlights because they require a high power (35W-55W typically). I also did not want to use HID as I would need to install a ballast. Plus the fact that these spots tend to require a warm up time when switched on to reach maximum brightness. So I looked around for some LED lights instead. The ones I found are really cool. One LED per side. Each requiring only 10W of power. Powers on instantly. Waterproof. Shock proof. Stackable. Simple wiring. Comes in a variety of beam configurations. I chose the Euro Spot configuration which gives a slight diffused and wider spot (compared to a normal spotlight). I decided to mount them up right next to the headlamp…

Can you see how small they are? They are FANTASTIC!!! So tiny…and so bright!!! I love how they switch on instantly and make the bike so much more visible…and the road ahead so clear…and how when switched off you hardly notice they are there at all!!! Perfect!

Crash bars

It was time to get the crash bars done. The more eagle eyed among you will notice that another accessory was also put onto the bike…I will get to that in awhile. Let’s handle the story of the crash bars first, shall we?

I will spare you the story of why I decided to install both front and rear crash bars. Suffice to say that I really wanted the added safety that these crash bars will provide for me and Anker. After much research, I decided to have my crash bars installed by the folks over at Seng Kwang. Word on the forum pages were that they charge exhorbitant prices but provide a high quality of work. I am sure there are other shops out there doing metal work that will be cheaper…but I decided to go with the folks at Seng Kwang. Since I had side boxes installed, it was important to make sure they were mounted on the bike when the crash bars are installed. So off I went to Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2A (what a mouthful!) and got my crash bars installed! I decided to go with their suggestion to have my exhaust pipe lowered so the side boxes would mount in a better location…and so they started work.

One of them worked on lowering the exhaust pipe…

The other one worked on installing the front crash bars…

Followed by the rear crash bars…

See the additional foot pad that was welded to the rear crash bar? That would provide greater comfort for the passenger…excellent! Also see the new position for the side boxes…they look a lot better now!!!

I was really pleased with what they did for Anker…although I was not pleased at all with my extra light wallet after that…hahahahaha!!!!

Windshield

I don’t know why I wanted to install a windshield. After all, I am so used to riding on Marley without one! Maybe it is the age thing, huh? Still…I wanted to have a windshield that would deflect the wind over my helmet so I could have a more comfortable ride. So I went in search of one. The first windshield that I bought was installed together with my wider handle bars and raisers. Frankly…I hated it! While it looked alright…as in…it didn’t look good…and it didn’t look terribly bad…I ended up getting wind buffeting all around my helmet area, making any ride above 70kph extremely uncomfortable!

Can you see the windshield from this picture? It was one of those shields people use on cruisers. See, I wanted to have a shield that was high enough to deflect the wind over my helmet and this was the highest one I could find! In fact, I had wanted to get one of those screens that you see on those Fire Bikes…you know…the bikes the Civil Defense guys had?

The one I found was a far cry from this one though. It was narrow and high. It was secured only with two mounting points. It was thin and was fluttering in the wind. I was constantly afraid that it would snap as I rode…it was NOT FUN!!!

So…I went shopping again…this time with Tony…and lo and behold…we found a screen that looked like this!!!

Yes folks…you guys remember Tony from the WMLR2010, right? Anyway…I know it is not easy to see how much thicker this shield is compared to the old one I had…but take it from me…this is DA SHIELD! It was really thick…and had all the right curves too. In fact, it had so many curves that Tony had a tough time trying to get it mounted just right. We had to head back to my mech’s workshop for some other bolts and stuff…and I was sent out to get hose clamps too (which we eventually left unused)…hahaha! Still…the relentless Tony MacGyver solved the mystery and got it installed in the end! Yeah!!! Wanna know why I call him MacGyver? Well…you can read about that in this post.

Boxes revisited

Now that Anker’s modifications were almost complete, it was time to take another look at the boxes. You see, when I lowered the mounting, I also had to get the rear indicator lights repositioned. As such, those arrows at the rear were partially obstructed. Also, I had that white and yellow strip on my top box which still did not match Anker’s colour scheme. So…I spent a little time redoing them…

I decided to go with a simple white and blue checks design…a tribute to my Alma Mater!!! Hahaha!!! I also repositioned those rear arrows…

I think Anker looks a lot better now with the new stickers on the boxes…what do you think?

Some other stuff…

I also had my seat reconditioned. Firstly, I did not like the current seat upholstery…it looked…well…not nice…to me…and it was not very comfortable. So I went to Eugene Saddlery…a shop ran by…Eugene (obviously)…who is a young chap and does very good work. He helped me put on some additional foam and gel on the seat, and re-upholstered it with a much nicer and simpler looking black cover.

He also contoured the seat so that there was space for the butt to “settle in” and the difference was like night and day! I was ultra pleased with his work! Look him up if you want to get your seats done, ya?

I also got myself a new In-vehicle Unit as the one that came with the bike had a fault in the display. I also did not like the way it was positioned on the handle bars and had it repositioned…and I transfered the watch I had on Marley over to Anker so I could keep track of time as I rode…

Now the entire instrument cluster looks a lot neater! You can see the wider handle bars, the watch on the right, the IU on top of the instruments. Too bad I didn’t take a wider shot or you can spot those nice new handle grips too! And I suppose it really isn’t very exciting to look at the new tires I had put on…they look pretty much the same as the old ones anyway…except they are brand new…hahaha!!! There are a few more things that I would like to do but I will leave that for another time.

Okidokie…now that you know how Anker looks like…do give me a wave when you see me on the roads!!! Ride safe!!! And drivers out there…keep a look out for the bikes!!!

Those of you who are parents would probably know what I mean. It is a real challenge to come up with a name! After all, it would be something that will last for the lifetime of the person you are naming. Just a few days ago I was told that John (my older twin boy) asked why we did not name him Rex! I can imagine that nobody likes to find out later that the name they chose for their child was not the best one in the child’s point of view. Of course, John was probably kidding (at least I will pretend he was). Then there are other things to consider. For example, nobody wants their name pronounced wrongly, or made fun of  by school mates, or be taken completely out of context. So you see, naming is not as straightforward as some people think!

My experience of naming my sons was relatively easy…and the naming of some of my cars were easy too. Coincidentally, it was really easy to name my first bike as well. Good fortune, however, does not last forever and I found myself confounded with the task of naming my latest bike. You see, I wanted a name that would resonate well with how I felt about him…and yet a name that would not be too common…or too cliche…or too boring…or too…you get the idea.

So what did I do? Well, I did what everyone tasked with coming up with a name would do…I searched the internet for names! Hahahaha! That did not help obviously…I ended up with so many names swimming in my head that I got a massive headache! It did not help too that I had an uncle bike…and one that is probably the most common bike in the entire island! I mean, throw a stone in a car park with a motorcycle lot and chances are you will hit a Super Four. Sigh. It was to be a lot harder than I hoped!

So I started thinking about the feelings I would like to associate with my bike when I think of him, when I ride him, when I see him etc. The feelings were of freedom, speed, fun, adventure, ruggedness and safety (there were many more but I really do not want to make my bike sound more uncle than he already is…hahaha!). I can see my problem even with that short list of feelings…it would be impossible to find a name that conjures up all of those feelings! I mean, find a name that signifies speed and fun…and out goes safety! Find a name that signifies safety and out goes adventure (to me, at least)…in fact…this exercise was futile at the very best!

Eventually, after pulling out most of the hair that is on my head (the one that sits on top of my shoulders, thank you), I decided that I would just give him a simple name. A name that nobody can dispute. And while it may be a name that may not signify any of the feelings that I listed above, it would still be a name that would make the most sense. Unfortunately, I really did not like a name that was common…so I set about searching for something a little more…unique. Hahaha! That is just what I like to do…make things more difficult than they need to be!

In any case, I searched, and searched…and searched some more…and eventually stumbled upon a name…many days later…that I felt would be just nice. And that name is…

…Anker!

This name happens to be of Nordic origin and it means “stability”. After all, he is really an uncle bike…and is very stable…and easy to ride. So what better name to give him than Anker? It is even pronounced like “uncle” the Singlish way! PERFECT!!!

So there. My naming conundrum has come to an end. I can now rest my mind from the whirlwind of names and just enjoy my time with Anker. About time too as I have only one strand of hair left!

I started my quest for a class 2A bike several weeks ago…and if you read my earlier post, you would know that the only bike that made sense was the uncle bike…yes…I am talking about the Honda CB400 Super Four bike. Dumbfounded as I was with my own conclusion, I set about the search.

The first thing that confounded me was the plethora of Super Four models available. There was the Project Big, Version S, Version R, VTec Spec I/II/III/Revo…and the list goes on. A search on the internet only made things a lot more confusing with other models that I have never seen on the streets! So I decided the best thing to do was to do my search based on my budget…now THAT was a brainwave! Hahaha!!!

I scoured the internet classifieds looking for a suitable bike…and got distracted many times by other bikes…you know…the WR250, XR400…and others that would not work for me…hahaha! Eventually, I contacted several sellers about their bikes and made arrangements to meet a couple of them.

The first bike was a Project Big. It was white. Comes with one of those small windshields. It looked relatively well maintained for a bike of that age. A little dirty. Came fitted with a main stand…and a rack for a rear box. Not bad. The engine sounded decent. The price was alright too. But what disappointed me was the rear suspension. It was not original. It looked ugly…and it was low. In fact, it was so low that I could not release the side stand without tilting the bike over to the right! To top it off, the seller claimed that it would only cost S$200 to get it fixed with a new Japanese made suspension. My own research showed otherwise. So I gave this a miss.

The second bike I saw was a lot better. It was a Version S. Slightly newer than the first. Engine sounded even better. Bike was very clean. Tires a little shot. Front right brake caliper has a strange bracket…but my mechanic assured me that it was alright. Came with crash bars for the engine. No box. No windshield. No main stand…but it came with some killer horns! Asking price was lower than the first bike with an extra year of validity on the COE (Certificate Of Entitlement). Shocks were all in good nick. Looks like I found my bike…or did I?

Well…for starters…I really wanted a bike that is stock (which meant it would look like any other bike out there) but one that doesn’t look like any other bike out there. Hahahahaha! You can already see how difficult it would be for me to find the right bike. Sigh. So I looked through the classifieds many more times after viewing those two bikes…and found NONE that fit my criteria. With hope slowly fading…I decided I would have to get a good starter bike and then add on whatever else I needed to make it really mine. Another brainwave! You can see how I get these brainwaves now and then…and its not like I got them while showering (which is where I usually think of the really deep stuff)…hahahaha!!!

To cut the story shorter (my stories can’t really be short anyway because I talk way too much)…I went with the second bike. Yup. Bought it from the fella even before I was licensed to ride the bike (hehehe…this is different from what I said in my last post eh?). As usual, I struck one of those 50/50 deals where he would care for the bike while I waited for my license. It all worked out nicely. I finally got my license on 9 November (as you know by now) and completed the deal the very next day. The next part was the biggie…making it mine. So what did I do?

I got it serviced…obviously…and changed whatever needed changing there. It was a simple service really as the bike was well cared for. Then the other items started. I put on racks for the boxes (rear and sides). I put on new grips (yup, the same BMW ones Marley got). I put on an additional set of driving lights. I put on a new IU (In-vehicle Unit for the Electronic Road Pricing and Parking). I put on crash bars for the front and rear (I’ll tell you why later). I lowered my exhaust pipe so my boxes would mount in a safer and more comfortable position…AND…one of those humongous windshields. That is quite a bit given that I only had the bike for a really short time…but hey…I think they were all NECESSARY!

So why did I install crash bars since it came with crash bars already? Well…there are crash bars and there are crash bars. You know what I mean? I mean…the original crash bars protected the engine. But I wanted crash bars that would also protect my legs! It is all well and good to protect the bike…but I would not be able to ride it if it crushed my legs in a fall, would I? You see, I fell several times (actually only once on the road) with Marley. The first fall I had on the road was a low speed fall. Really low speed. And Marley isn’t a heavy bike by any means. Sure, I had rear boxes installed. But Marley still landed on my right leg when I fell. And while my gear protected me and made sure I wasn’t injured badly, the fact that Marley landed on my leg meant that I felt the weight crushing down…and I did not like it. More recently, I fell on the night before the test for my license. I fell at the emergency brake circuit, at 40kph, on a wet road. I had somehow locked the front wheel and lost traction…and fell…and slid. The cool thing was that while the bike was heavier than Marley…the bike never crushed any part of me because of the…yup…you guessed it…front and rear crash bars! I was convinced then that I had to get those installed on my bike…and so I did!

So there you have it. I now have an uncle bike. Complete with uncle accessories designed to give me uncle comforts and safety while riding. What more can I say? A lot…actually…so I will leave that to my next post. In the meantime, give me a wave if you see me riding on the streets. You will know its me because I would be the only person wearing full gear while riding the most uncle looking bike you can imagine…in uncle blue as well. See ya folks on the streets…and ride safe!

I don’t know what the big deal was about motorcycles until very recently. Maybe it has something to do with freedom as many has claimed before. Or maybe its just the thrill of having the wind in your hair. Now that I have ridden a motorcycle for a year, I can say pretty conclusively that the allure of motorcycles is an emotional one. It certainly defies all logic. What defies logic even more is the quest for a new motorcycle. Why? Read on…

I bought my first motorcycle in July 2009 when I successfully obtained my class 2B license. This license allowed me to ride motorcycles with an engine capacity no greater than 200cc. At that time, I thought that I would get myself a simple, reliable, cheap…and because this is me…unique. I didn’t want a bike that everybody had. I didn’t want a bike that looked boring. I didn’t want a bike that made me look like a middle aged man going through a midlife crisis. So I got myself a Yamaha TW200.

After riding Marley (my TW200) for a few weeks, it became clear to me that I really enjoyed riding off road. No, I do not enjoy the jumps of motocross riding…but I enjoyed putting around the trails. I love the idea that I can mount a kerb and putt around a field, or ride on sand and gravel, scale the roots of trees and get through thick and dense vegetation…stuff like that. I decided then that I would upgrade to a bigger adventure bike when I got my class 2A license…and that I would never in my life get one of those uncle bikes…you know…a Honda CB400 Super Four. Hahahaha!

Well, a number of months before I obtained my class 2A license which would allow me to ride a motorcycle between 201cc and 400cc, I already started looking for my next new and bigger adventure bike. I spent weeks browsing through the classifieds and reading reviews of all the bikes available to me and quickly decided that I would get the Yamaha WR250R. I decided that the Suzuki DR-Z 400 was way too common. I mean, throw a stone in a parking lot for motorcycles and chances are you will hit a DR-Z…especially in supermoto guise!

So now that I finally obtained my class 2A license…I started looking at my dream bike. I was really excited about this and went straight to Hong Leong (the Yamaha agent in Singapore) to look at the WR250R. It looked great in the window…it looked sexy…it looked rugged…and it looked…tall…with a narrow and uncomfortable seat…with no simple way to mount boxes…basically…it was a disappointment!

Then began the many trips to bike shops looking at other possibilities…and browsing through countless classifieds. I looked at so many bikes I was losing track of which ones were which! There was the Kawasaki KLX 250 which looked similarly uncomfortable, the Honda NX4 Falcon which was impossible to find in the shops, the Honda XR4 which meant I would have to have a bionic transplant for my right leg as I would have to kick start the bike. Heck…I even looked at the Suzuki DR-Z 400! The closest bike that would fit was the Honda XR250 that I saw at Mah Motors. It looked alright and the seat was the most comfortable of the bunch. But somehow…I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be that much different from Marley.

So I turned my attention to looking for a used Honda Transalp 400. I found a couple in the classifieds but they were WAY overpriced! I wasn’t about to spend that much on a bike that was so old…in fact…I think the people who were selling were keeping prices high just because they were rare. So that was another no-go for me.

So now I am back to square one. I want to upgrade…but…the ONLY bike that would make any sense was…the uncle bike. So what should I do? Succumb and get the CB400? Just pay up for the Transalp? Train my butt for the uncomfortable seat of the XR250? Or forget about getting a class 2A bike altogether?

Wish me luck!

Two can sometimes really be better than one. Many folks have expressed this same sentiment over the years. Society in general agrees with this whether we want to admit it or not. I have heard many horror stories from friends who are single about how they get grilled about their relationship status at each family gathering. Popular culture certainly propagates this sentiment further. Just see how many chart topping tunes are about love and being in love and being better together and all that. It is not difficult to agree that two is better than one.

Some of you know, by now, that I do not like to go with the crowd. So I am, obviously, not talking about being single or being in a relationship. No, I am talking about cooking. Hahaha! Yeah…took you by surprise there, didn’t I? Nah…you don’t have to pretend…I know I surprised you. Hahaha! So what about cooking, you say?

Well, for starters…we have double cheeseburgers and the venerable Big Mac! Some may argue that three is better than two…well…that is cheating…so let’s not go there. Then we have sunny side up eggs. Notice how it looks a lot better when done with two eggs? The look of two yolks surrounded by a sea of white looks so much less forlorn than a single yolk! While this next one is arguable since not everybody likes it this way…but a double yolk moon cake is always better than a single yolk moon cake, isn’t it? It just gives a much more balanced taste and texture to every bite…PERFECTION!

I am not really talking about food though. In this case, what prompted me to post this article was how my fish was the other morning. You see, I was making this salmon dish that needed baking in the oven. So I got everything prepared and baked it perfectly. It was a dish called Salmon en Papillote. What I needed to do was simply to place tomato slices onto a baking sheet, place a fillet (or steak) of salmon on top of the tomato slices, and then place slices of lemon on top of the salmon, top it off with some herbs and season to taste, then fold up the rest of the lightly oiled baking sheet to cover the whole parcel and bake in a 160C oven for about 15 minutes. What I got was this.

The sharp reader will notice that the fish looks really good…and that I had a vegetable side dish. You see, I wanted to have a balanced meal so I also made a simple broccoli, cauliflower and mushroom gratin which needed baking in a 220C oven for about 10 minutes. I loved the vegetables…I really did…and I loved the taste of the salmon…except…it was a little too cool for my liking.

You see, the fish cooled down a little too much while I was waiting for the oven to heat up from 160C to 220C and baking the vegetables for a further 10 minutes. I think the result would have been bad too if I did it the other way round because cold vegetables isn’t any better than cold fish (some might argue this point just for the fun of it). So that led to my conclusion that even in cooking…two is indeed better than one…two ovens, that is. In this way, both the main and the side would be at the right temperature on the plate! Hahahaha!

So there you have it. Two is really better than one, don’t you think?