Sabah Ride July- August 2020 (during covid 19 time)

The special form that we need to fill out in order to pass Brunei border, it was a special permission given by the royal police force of Malaysia throughout Gita Police Station in Kuching. 

The front side of the entry form. 

The small form that we need to fill out once entering Brunei that particular time only (during covid 19)

At Sipitang Esplanade! 

Right before Masjid Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu. Great ocean view! 

Taking pictures in front of the famous 'Masjid Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu'. Famous because of it's unique design where tourists especially love to take pictures there. This was taken during the 2nd day of my ride with Mamat after spending a night at Miri at a hotel very near to the Malaysia- Brunei border. Once entering I believe KK area, I just go with the flow without refering to maps anymore & the bike take me here.

Mamat, me and Rohairi (a good friend from Kudat, a marine force from Semenanjung married to local gal & decided to stay in Sabah). I actually met Rohairi on the first ride to sabah with Pak Din & Cekgu Besar Jodon back in 2013 & the good friendship stays forever from there. Rohairi shares the same passion of offroad riding & that's how it all started. He rides a Husaberg 250, a very rare species that no longer exists today but the company merge with Husqvarna & KTM in the present time.

Me, Mamat, Rohairi and Bang Ahmit (Ahmit is originally from Sri Aman Sarawak, been working in Sabah in JSJ (Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah) for a very long time, also sharing the same passion in riding enduro. 2025 will be his final year working in the police force (pension) & I always pray for his health & well being where ever he is. Hoping to see him again someday! 

As you all would know, the famous man made land mark of Kudat, the tip of Borneo. No one would miss the chance to take pictures here.

Me and Mamat with our ride, honda RS150, the most reliable ride for me so far, just got the bike on March the same year (2020) and took it for an awesome ride as this in July! Well Mamat got his bike much earlier (first model launch) back few years before me.

In front of Kudat Resthouse where we got quarantined for 3 good days. This time we are on our release day since tested negative the day before.

 

Quarantine house the Kudat Resthouse. Stay for free for three days & enjoying the time!

 

Met this guy at Malaysia- Brunei border at Sungai Tujoh, Nick is his name, a very nice guy & he's also from Kudat, the place we are going. He got stranded for a while at the Brunei border in Sungai Tujoh because he got a bar of cigarettes in his possession, in his bag to be exact. After some interrogations he finally made it out & resume riding to Kudat. This guy worked at Miri during that time, not sure where he's now since we never contacted each other really much, I also lost his number already. 

Good food as always especially when it's free!

 

Feel so welcome here in Kudat! Thanks Kudat riders especially Bang Ahmit for the best treat anyone can get!

Receiving wonderful gifts!

 

Just arrived at KK before the Masjid Bandaraya KK.

What a small world, met my friend's brother at Lawas, he's working at KKM doing covid related duties.

 

At Sipitang, just went through Lawas- Sindumin strict checking (because of covid 19)

 

Kundasang Desa Dairy Farm is closed during this time beacause of covid!

 

Our stay at Bundu Tuhan, Kundasang after leaving Kudat that same day! Good view, awesome vibes, cool serene winds! 

This is where climbers started climbing the great Kinabalu Mountain! 

Covid 19 KKM charts at Kudat Resthouse! 

Guy with yellow shirt by the name Braveheart, that's all that I can remember about this picture! Me & Mamat are holding the release letters! 

Allah is great! Allahuakbar! 

This ride is by far the craziest ride I've ever had because it was during the pandemic time, during the time people should just stay at home & stay safe. I've been planning this ride for quite a while with Mamat & there's no way back, the ride must go on by hook or by crook. I'm so glad that we did it especially with all the challenges that we are facing. Sometimes we need to get out from the comfort zone to build up more confidence in self, to challenge our brain into something different especially different situations at different times and places. 

In Case Someone Asking: Kawasaki Versys X 250 in Kuching, Sarawak

In case someone is asking whether Kawasaki Versys X 250 is available in Kuching, Sarawak the answer is yes it is available now in Kuching.I've seen it myself, test ridden it and I must say I am quite satisfy with the bike. It is heavier if to compared to my current 250 Kawasaki D tracker X but in my opinion for a long ride the Versys is one bike a rider should have. The price on the road is around RM29K and if you need extra carriages on the left and the right side of the back and also the box on the rear you need to add another extra RM2K making the bike cost around RM31K.

This 250 Versys is equipped with 14T front sprocket and a 46T rear sprocket making the bike ready with a quite nice torque and the top speed can reach up to 145KM/H. Just imagine if the front sprocket is changed to 15T and maybe the rear is changed to 40T or maybe the front stays with 14T and changing the rear to 42T, I bet the bike will go a bit more faster while still maintaining the good torque for a long haul.

Looks good on me, may be looks even better on you

As you can see the price on the road for this Versys  X 250 in Kuching, Sarawak is almost RM29K way more expensive if to compare to the price in Peninsular Malaysia which is around RM25200 on the road

In case someone is wondering about the size of the front rim it is 19 x 2.15 inches

And in case someone is wondering about the size of the rear rim it is 17 x 3.0 inches

A very nice display of the meter

Nice rear view

A friend of mine test riding

Best Available Alternative for Kawasaki KLX150 throttle cable for the non- stock carburetors

the stock choke cable

remove the plastic part by using grinder

If you are doing your research of what other carburetors that can be used to replace the stock NCV Keihin carburetor I am pretty sure that you will bump into Keihin PE28, PWK28, Mikuni VM26 and much more. 

Most people choose to use other throttle body and throttle cable for carburetors other than the stock because clearly you cannot use the stock cable for NCV as it is very different and if you still want to use it, you just have to modify the end or tip of the stock cable by making it smaller to fit the insertion on the needle body of carburetors like the Keihin PE28.

Well I have an alternative of other cable that can be used perfectly and the cable actually comes from the stock carburetor itself which is the choke cable, yes the choke cable of the stock.

the stock end of the choke cable for CV

Yaamha TZM throtlle that I have modified earlier

adjust and cut the outer of the cable according to throttle that you use

First you have to remove the plastic part from the cable that connects to the choke ‘switch’ on the left of your handle bar. You can use grinder to make the process fast but you have to be very careful not to grind the cable inside the plastic.

The other tip fits perfectly for any carburetors that are using needle therefore there’s no need to modify it. After the plastic part has been removed completely, you have to measure and cut small portion of the outer layer of the cable so it will fit perfectly to the throttle body that you are going to use and in this case I am using Yamaha TZM throttle of the Yamaha YZ throttle.

fits perfectly

fits exactly below the tank without any interruptions

Once everything goes right you can install the complete throttle set to your Kawasaki klx150 and ride away. Don’t forget to oil the cable for smooth pull and release. Happy riding!

The Only Stock Clutch Housing Modifications that Works on Kawasaki KLX140 or KLX150s So Far

stock klx150 clutch housing

Experimenting with my Kawasaki KLX150 is what I love to do. The one and only reason why is because I want my KLX150 to be the most comfortable and easiest bike one can ride and in this case the one is referring to me. One of the thing that I do is trying to make the bike as light as possible by reducing the unnecessary parts for example the rubber on the foot pegs (this may cause slippery especially during off road riding), the indicators, the rear mudguard and also by replacing the stock part to a much lighter aftermarket for example the alloys rims and alloy handle bar. 

stock with 4 springs

drillings on the stock clutch housing

the racing 6 springs clutch housing

One day I saw some tips from Indonesian riders on how to mess with the stock clutch housing for Kawasaki KLX150 from the internet throughout my random search and it made me think about it. Well I can say that it was my brave experiment on my own KLX150 as I thought to myself “if I don’t do this now, then when will I…” I saw how the Indonesian riders are actually doing the modifications on their own bike and I am pretty much sure that the tips that they showed is going to work one way or another.

The modifications on the stock clutch housing is made by drilling some holes on the clutch plate base and the holes are organized by following zigzag pattern (or something representing the action of zigzagging). I thought to myself that this modifications is going to work and surprisingly it did and excel up until today. Well the purpose of doing the zigzag drilling or holes is actually to let the oil come reaching the clutch plate to avoid those plates getting dry and to keep the clutching as smooth as possible and again let me repeat IT TRULY WORKS!

drillings on the racing clutch housing

view from the inside of the housing

I’ve been riding my KLX150 for quite a time especially for extra rough off road riding after the stock clutch housing modifications or should I say drillings and it never lets me down. I can feel the smoothness of the clutching and I don’t have to worry about any clutch slips because it never happens, yes let me repeat THE CLUTCH SLIPS NEVER HAPPEN AFTER I DRILLED THE CLUTCH HOUSING BASE!

And after searching in the internet on racing clutch housing I found out this famous brand known as REKLUSE (I am pretty much sure you have heard of it too). It’s a very common name among professional rider in motocross or enduro cross riding and even for on road extreme riding. What amazed me the most is as I go through REKLUSE racing products I found out that they are having the same drilling pattern on their products and I thought if REKLUSE is doing this meaning I am on the right track all along. It is a very nice feeling to know that we are doing a beneficial modifications on our bike.

stock and racing clutch housing side by side

So my advice is if you guys out there wanna try the same stock clutch housing modifications just go ahead because it’s not gonna affect the performance instead you will feel the smoothness once you pull the clutch lever. And one more thing this modifications or shall I say drillings is going to save your money for the cost of buying a new clutch plate every time they worn out because this modifications will make your clutch plate last even longer.