That day we got me, Lerios, Chris, Uncle Ali, Saiful the coneydog island man, Cekgu Yahya Collin & Bang Joes.
Friday, September 18, 2026
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Trying Higher Handle Bar on My Yamaha PG1
Recently I bought a new handle bar from Taobao, it's not just a handle bar but this time it's higher than the existing one. It costs me around RM80 including postage, a fair price for me & since I like to do custom setups on my bike, I thought to myself why don't I just give it a try!
On the top is the existed bar which is already much taller than the stock yamaha bar from factory & below is the new taller one. Even in the picture you can easily recognize which one is taller than the competitor.
This is how it looks like with the old but not the stock one, fairly tall & perfect for the stock step bar or the original foot step setup. In this case I have upgraded my foot step bar to a taller one, making standing while riding not as great as it used to be with the stock step bar & in order to make standing while riding offroad good again I need to do something & that's when the idea of replacing the handle bar to a taller one come in mind.
The old bar after I took off the control components & the front brake.
Same thing with the previous bar, I need to drill 2 holes to fit the notches of the control panels or switches. If I don't do this, the panels or clusters will move around.
The final result, yes I can see that this bar is much taller & when I tried to stand up while holding on to the bar it feels right with the taller step bar. The only way to find out is to test it offroad tomorrow morning.
Above the old one & below the new taller one. Protaper has always my choice for handle bars for years & with pitbikes & cross cubs experience, I can say that I have mastered the handle bar setups & I know exactly where to find the best one. Even though they are made in China it doesn't mean they are garbage, you need to read the reviews from buyers & also you need to study the products yourself by looking at the displayed pictures in the website or apps. Honestly for me the one that I bought is actually an original one, it's just cheaper & not displayed in the Protaper's websites. I just can't wait to try this new setup tomorrow!
another update: tested the setup offroad today & it was amazing, just the way I wanted it to be, suit my height & handling preferences. At first it felt like the new handle bar is making the swaying on handling too obvious but the more I get used to it, the more comfortable it is & once I adapted to it the handling feels normal like the way before.
Looks a bit taller especially at the handle bar area but I will get used to it in no time!
The old one is somehow much longer than the new one. Longer bar gives me more control with aggressive attacking style while shorter bar gives a more relax & enjoyable riding vibes.
updated: I test ride the bike for around 30 minutes & I was right about the standing position while riding! The height of the new handle bar suit my overall height & surprisingly I don't have to bend my knees while pulling the throttle & controlling the bike. The only thing remaining is the real test off the road tomorrow & I really believe it's going to be very good!
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Another Lousy Service on My Yamaha PG1
Just the other day I was installing the engine cover or guard on my bike & I was using a power tool to unscrew all 4 bolts to remove the footstep bar. During the process I realized one of the bolt was very easy to be unscrewed & that's the point I knew something is very wrong with the thread of that bolt and I was 110% right. This kind of shit always piss me off especially when we ourselves are ver careful on anything involving our bike but other people never have the same idea as we do.
Around 2 weeks before that I took my bike to John motor to replace the clutch plates & springs (it's in my previous post). I really believe that during that session the worker carelessly screwed one of the bolt & caused the problem.
And this is the bolt that has the loose thread. So I immediately contacted John explaining to him my situation & also I gave him some pictures & a video as proofs & he agreed to fix it for free.
The thread repair tools set. Every workshops should have this for this kind of problem specifically.
John is doing his things.
Monday, September 7, 2026
Yamaha PG1 428 to 415 Sprocket Set Conversion
Popular motorcycle models normally give you a tremendous amount of parts options & they are available everywhere all over the world. Knowing this fact will give a peace of mind & will make your riding more enjoyable & worry free.
The same thing goes to Yamaha PG1, well it's not that popular yet but I can say that the parts are mostly similar with popular models for example the Yamaha LC (Liquid Cooled) or Yamaha Lagenda or Jupiter Z in Indonesia. With all the standard specifications on the engine you'll be glad to know that if you encounter any problems with your bike especially on the engine sections, there will always be solutions to them at most urban or rural workshops.
This is the stock rear sprocket hub, using stock PG1 sprocket that also fit other Yamaha model mopeds like Lagenda, EZ115 or yamaha SRL115. The rubber seal can be reuse on the LC hub, there's no need to spend more money on another new seal.
View from the front side.
From the back side.
Well I took it for some test rounds & find it feels a bit smoother, quieter & lighter. I really believe this is going to be my setup for a really long time on road & offroad too. You can't argue the durability of an O ring type chain plus the less weight this setup carry, it's going to be an amazing combination.
After some riding sessions I found out that the chain produces no sound at all, very smooth if to compare to the previous chain that makes rattling sound & a bit heavier.
Sabah Ride 2.0 2026 (29th August - 5th September)
Disclaimer: I don't know what happened but all of my posts & stories about this ride suddenly disappear at around 10 pm on this day the 7th of September 2026. Now I have to repost everything again & started all over.
And this is the whatsapp group for the ride! Ride Sabah 2026 obviously because the ride is in this year 2026.
And these are the group members that include me, Bob, Paul & Wak. Wak and Bob are my workmates while Paul is my badminton buddy.
These are the tools that I got with me for the ride, all that I can think of useful throughout a week.
This is how I packed them (in the black roll bag) with other useful items like the mini hand pump, mini anti rust spray & tubeless repair kit.
This is how I got all the items that I need stored under the seat. I'm using a 15 liters bag to put all my clothes & I still a good space to fit my helmet in case I don't want to carry it around.
This neck camera mount was meant for Paul for him to use with his camera but he never use it since he got some poles for the purpose. So all the way in a week I carried this thing under my seat.
This is the condition of my rear tyre before the ride & I'm fortunate enough to detect a small nail sticking on the tyre & immediately I took it out since it's not penetrating the tyre through. Inspection is very important thing that a rider should do to the ride especially before a very long distance to keep a perfect momentum.
Paul doing setup for his camera mount, the camera setup that he has invested for around RM2K just for this trip.
After fueling, I immediately went for Subuh prayer.
Well at this point we have passed Bintangor and Sibu town where we are heading to Tatau but before that I need to stop to change my wind breaker jacket to motocross jersey as it's getting hotter and hotter due to the haze surrounding Borneo where Sarawak is also badly affected by it.
Feel a lot better & way more comfortable after changing to this jersey.
Paul also taking the chance to have flex break & soon after that we are heading to Tatau Petros.
Another fuel stop, this is the third one for today.
Mineral water for me is the best drink during this hot sunny hazzy day.
Our third fuel stop at Tatau Petros and it's almost noon. Next is Bekenu Petronas after Bintulu.
After around 2 hours riding through Brunei I stopped to set the offline maps on my phone. At the starting point after the first Border I don't need to read any maps because the way we are going is just straight ahead until this point under this flyover, this is when I cannot recall the roads & I need the map as my guide. The 2 of us went straight to Lawas instead of entering Limbang because we wanted to save the time for the first day where the plan to enter Limbang will be when we are leaving Sabah to go back to Kuching 5 days after this day. 
At Brunei 2nd border before entering Lawas. 
Goodbye Brunei border for the day! We'll be seeing you in another 5 days. 
And this is at Malaysian border before entering Lawas for today. 
Still so many vehicles and people even at Malaysian border in Lawas maybe due to school break and today is Saturday.
Finally in Lawas and we went straight to the place to stay.
The same place I stayed in during my ride at the end of 2023 with Mamat & Azwad. 
After taking shower & cleaning ourselves we decided to walk around & take our dinner in Lawas for tonight before going to bed & resume tomorrow morning to Kudat. 
This Shell station is in the heart of Lawas but we didn't fuel up here tonight, before entering Lawas town I lead Paul to refuel at Jalan Gaya Petronas which is located on the way to Merapok border, Sarawak and Sabah border. 
New pride of Lawas which is the new beautiful bridge. It's not completed yet during our stay here & should be opened to public by the end of October. Too bad our timing wasn't perfect but InsyaAllah one day I'll step on that bridge & took some good pictures there. 
Seriously the food is really good here at the restaurant on the Lawas Waterfront. 
And even Paul agree about the food! 
Someday I'll give these a try! 
One for the night!
As soon as I got my hand on the bike this morning I realized that the side mirror on the left side was wobbling. The screw was loose maybe due to the long ride plus vibration yesterday. So I took my tools out from my magic black bag & tighten the screw back as tight as I could.
Comes in handy when I need them the most!
After almost an hour we finally reached the Merapok/Sindumin border that's between Sarawak & Sabah. I remember Paul made some calls to request for Budi Madani quota from his sister since today of what we had is our final fuel line, in other word of saying we have finished our fuel quota, well mine still have 10 liters left while Paul has none & that night in Lawas he has to refuel without using the subsidies quota. 
Suprisingly the border is not as busy as I expected like what happened in Miri and on our way to enter Lawas yesterday. I was ready for the waiting in line challenges today but as soon we reached the border gate we went straight to stamp our passports without having to queue.
Welcome to Sabah. Just look at the welcoming sign or should I say drawing.
Next is Kota Kinabalu or more known as KK. We are going to enter or pass Sipitang, Beufort, Bongawan and many other significant towns or districts on our way there. The weather is good or hot and that's for me a good thing.
This is my 8th time riding to Sabah seeing the same welcome sign. It's time to move on, Kota Kinabalu here we go!
We are at now somewhere at KK area and we need to fuel up before heading to Kudat. At this point we haven't fuel up yet because Paul need to set up some things with his sister related to the fuel quota. So while waiting we rest & get a good drinks & something light to eat.
As soon as Paul is done with the quota request he asked me to fill up mine first with his Setel apps & it works and after that he fueled up his.
While resting I also took a picture of my rear tyre after the long journey so far & this is what I get, still okay for me to continue & I know that I'm going to make it until back to Kuching. A decision has been made so all it need is to commit. 
We are here at Imago's motorcycle parking area. So as you can see there's a building with a written signboard Sipadan- Mabul Resort and I guess this is where tourists get to booked whatever they need for the islands adventures in Semporna and also I saw there's a lot of vans outside this area ready to pick up tourists and take them anywhere they want to go in Sabah. 
It's a really hot day in KK to be honest.
Safe & secure & it's time to go!
But before heading to Kudat Paul said that he wanted to take me to a place to eat that he used to go during his degree years in UMS (Universiti Malaysia Sabah) in Sepangar area still in KK. So he asked me to set up the map to Kerang Bakar IKP or KIP area and the map took us exactly where Paul wants. 
Fresh coconuts!
And this is the main reason why we are here! They come in different sizes to choose from with different price tags. I think we can eat them just like that or we can request for rice to eat them with, either way they are still good in my opinion. 
Yes they are very delicious. After the good meal, we'll ride straight to Kudat & since we are early the plan is to immediately go to Tanjung Simpang Mengayau or known as The Tip of Borneo to take some memories in Kudat. 
Here we area after a few hours ride. To be honest we were quite fast today.
Thank you for welcoming us! 
The sea front of Kudat town. I don't know what's the place or area called but I'm sure it's a sea front.
These pictures was taken by Rohairi, one of the friend that I knew or met during my first time riding to Kudat in the year 2013 (I got some posts on that in this blog, you just need to search for them) 
All for one!
And one for all!
I'm packed and I'm ready for the next location! Nice morning but as usual in Kudat it's already hot even in this hour. 
Another day and night has gone and it's time to continue riding and life. Good morning Kudat and good bye because today we are leaving to Sandakan. But before that we'll go to a must go place first which is Kundasang passing through Marak Parak territory & Ranau town.
This is one of the best roti canai breakfast I had in Kudat. Last time in 2023 when I was here this Mamak restaurant (not the place I met my old buddies last night) is opened 24 hours but now close at around 5 or 6 in the afternoon. 
This is good and that's all I need for today.
We have left Kudat and passed through the busy Kota Marudu and now we are entering Marak Parak area to Kundasang. 
Paul is tighten up his top box. I told Paul that this is the best place or time to set up his camera as we are not going to pass this place anymore. 
Paul setting us his 360 camera pole to get the best view while enjoying Marak Parak's challenging corners and high roads. Then I asked him to lead because it seems to me he's a very good rider & enjoy riding corners very much from his stories with his previous super bike. Well I enjoyed riding this section very much where we passed Ranau town towards Kundasang area.
Hayzy dayzy also in Kundasang. This place is known as one of the highest ground and very cold too but today it's not that cold maybe due to the haze and also there's no rain for a week according to locals. 
Paul doing some adjustments here & there.
Time to get some food! It's a long way to Sandakan after this location. 
The food wasn't tasting as good as I expected and I wonder why and to keep on I just need to finish this. Sandakan here we come!
We have arrived at Sandakan & the place we're staying tonight will be Elopura hotel. The hotel was the first thing we searched & headed to once we entered Sandakan.
While unpacking, a security guard asked us to relocate our bikes to a different spot which is just beside the hotel entrance on the right. It was an alley that appeared to be very interesting, very tourists attraction spot for those checking out Sandakan especially this part or area. The security even took my numbers in case he need to contact us.
Our room is beside the Rocky Balboa poster. Most walls in this hotel have movies posters on them from different kinds and from different eras.
And this is the room itself.
Dinner time at Sandakan version of Siang Siang restaurant! A very nice place to hang out as I saw some teenagers eating & taking pictures.
Paul is enjoying his special chicken soup & a bowl of noodles.
So refreshing!
A wefie for tonight. It's a wrap, going to bed & ready for tomorrow.
Morning has come & we are ready for the next destination!
But before that let's take a good breakfast first, at the same place like last night, the Siang Siang restaurant only this beautiful morning we are sitting outside the restaurant.
Another one for the road taken by an entitled Italian that we met just near this signage. Next is getting out from Sandakan and heading to Semporna!
We are out from Sandakan.
Tawau will be in next 2 days, Semporna is we we're heading as we have planned to do islands hopping the next day.
This Petronas was not opened yet during my ride with my wife in June this year & I'm really glad it has because we needed a break after a few hours of riding in the hot sun.
This I believe the Kinabatangan Petronas where we did another stop or break because I need to go to the toilet & to do Zohor prayer. Well it's 2 p.m already & I'm way passing the prayer time.
We only stop for drink break & there's no refueling here.
Met 2 new friends today & they are from Sandakan. These guys just returned from Miri Bike Week the same week.
The guy next to me is the president of a bike club in Sandakan. Soon after a good break we continue our journey to Semporna.
We are here in Semporna, so the first thing we do is to fuel up & headed straight to the hotel, Semporna Seaview hotel.
There's a marine post just near the hotel & this is where we parked our ride where safety will not be an issue.
Marine police important assets.
Paul is checking in & there's a bit trouble with the booking where Paul accidentally did double booking for the this place. He tried to settle the matter with the counter instead they told Paul to contact Agoda directly & finally the double booking case was closed & Paul is going to get his refund in a few days.
This is our room, a container style room.
The outside view of the room. This hotel is very near to the Seafest area, there's another big tall hotels around this place of attraction and also some beautiful apartments & oh yeah there's a mall too just beside the amazing ocean.
We walked from our room to this jetty, it's just around 10 minutes of walking.
This is the tour agency responsible for our bookings for islands hopping tomorrow.
I picked this package A before with my wife in June & it was amazing!
And this is the one we're taking for tomorrow.
Some pictures that I took at the jetty.
Paul doing some shopping at the mall before our islands adventure tomorrow.
This is the schedule that I have prepared for the ride which is based on my previous riding with a bit of improvisation of course.
Kuching- Sabah Ride 29/8- 6/9 2026 (8-9 hari) *masa cuti sekolah & cuti mid semester poli
29/8 Sabtu (1+++ km) 13-14 jam
Kuching- Miri- Lawas
*start 4 pagi insya Allah smp Lawas 4-5 ptg)
*Kuching- Petronas Lachau - Sarikei (breakfast) - Petros Tatau- Petronas Bekenu- Miri- Brunei - Lawas
30/8 Ahad (619 km) 8 jam
Lawas- Sipitang- Beufort- Papar- Kota Kinabalu- Kudat
31/8 Isnin (495 km)
Kudat- Kota Marudu- Ranau- Kundasang- Pekan Beluran- Simpang Check Point Sandakan- Sandakan
1/9 Selasa (305 km)
Sandakan- Lahad Datu- Semporna
*lalu Telupid, Kinabatangan, Kunak
2/9 Rabu (106 km)
Semporna (check out hotel pagi terus island hopping) - blt dr island hopping terus ke Tawau (smp malam dlm jam 7-8 mlm)
3/9 Khamis (344 km)
Tawau- Kalabakan- Restoren Rimba Rasa (rest makan) Tibow- Sook- Keningau
4/9 Jumaat (179 km)
Keningau- Tenom- Sipitang- Lawas- Limbang- Miri
5/9 Sabtu (459 km)
Miri- Sarikei
*boleh consider dari Miri terus blt Kuching ataupun nk santai2 rehat di Sarikei dolok
6/9 Ahad (350 km)
Sarikei- Kuching
The seat can be closed easily with all the items under it & that's a good start. I don't want to install a top box for this ride because I don't need it, eventually it will cost more money & more weight plus more wind resistant to the bike.
The plan is to record the trip but I never got the strength to do it all the way from day 1 to the final day. This is a gopro hero 4 that I bought 2nd hand online & it's been a great recording device for my offroad riding activities.
Finally the day has arrived! This is me as the first contestant to arrive at Telaga Tiga Petronas before Satok bridge, the spot that we have agreed earlier. The early weather is good Alhamdulillah, there's nothing more meaningful other than start your day or ride with a blessed weather like today.
I waited for Paul for almost 20 minutes.
Here's Paul with his SYM ADXTG 400.
Now I'm pretty sure someone would be wondering where's the other two riders & the answer is they couldn't make it, Bob has his health issues in the final minutes & Wak just received his voge SR3 a day before me & Paul returned to Kuching safely.
Looking very nice, this was once my dream scooter but the delivery issues made me change my mind. By the way, Bob is riding Yamaha Xmax 250. Our ride was supposed to be the one ride with four different machines but only 2 machines left to complete the mission.
The haze is still very thick even in the cold early morning.
This is Wak's scooter that I took the picture recently at the workplace. This is Voge SR3 250cc from China but distributed under MForce in Malaysia.
Our first pee break after almost 2 hours of ride.
When Paul showed the good sign it definitely means everything is going good so far!
First fuel stop at Petronas Lachau. It's opened at 6 a.m & we are around 10 minutes early.
Another camera pole setup and we are ready to go! Next Stop should be Sarikei for fueling and also breakfast.
4 a.m from Kuching and at around 8:20 a.m already in Sarikei. We need to fuel up first & then can decide where to take our breakfast or maybe brunch for the first day.
Bazar MARA of Sarikei district, a nice place to hang around with good foods and atmosphere.
My first heavy breakfast for day one, normally I don't take heavy breakfast like this one but since I need the energy this would be the perfect one.
Soon after we continue riding and the next destination would be for fueling at Tatau Petros.
It's already 2:15 p.m and that's quite a long way from Tatau to Bekenu. Another fuel stop before riding straight to Miri and entering Brunei to Lawas. As expected today is going to a very long day, 15 hours riding to be exact from Kuching to Miri through Brunei to Lawas.
The mini mosque is located at the back area of the station, while waiting for me Paul went to buy something to eat and drink inside the station.
Fuel stop normally also mean prayer stop for me, so I took the chance at the mini mosque provided by Bekenu Petronas. Next is Miri and then entering Brunei to Lawas.
This is Brunei border at Sungai Tujuh still in Miri. Today the 2 borders are cramped with cars from both sides from both countries. At first once entering the Malaysian border we are already stucked between cars and other vehicles, I remembered that I had to wait for more than 10 minutes just to get through some cars blocking my path just to get my passport checked and stamped at the Malaysian side. And then when we tried to get to the Brunei side entering Brunei more and more cars are blocking our paths but finally we managed to pass through.
Paul is feeling good!
The 2nd day has started & it's time to leave Lawas & the next destination is Kudat.
The view from our room.
Getting ready to leave while doing some checking after the 15 hours ride yesterday.
Paul is doing some adjustments on his camera and phone mounts as well while waiting for me to finish my work.
Need to do some tightening too so the mounts will not fall during the ride, this is the 2nd day & of course we don't want to left things falling behind unnoticed.
That beautiful morning also when we met this nice uncle, he was accompanying his friend that also happened to stay at the same inn as ours. We met him last night with him riding his Honda RS150 in front of the inn & I thought he was the security for that area.
Breakfast time! We need al the early energy before leaving to Kudat through Kota Kinabalu today.
Mee Jawa Lawas style, apparently this restaurant is using a different type of noodle that makes me full before I finished it.
The next place we're going as requested by Paul is Imago Mall still in KK area because he was searching for a waterproof casing for his 360 camera for islands hopping in Semporna which we will do in 2 days time.
We don't have this in Kuching so I took the picture of this restaurant & sent it to my wife. I told her next year we'll be eating here when we are in KK for our own small family islands getaways.
The Imago mall from the inside. Unfortunately Paul didn't get what he wished for so we continue our way to Kudat instead & hoping he'll find a store that has what he need.
This coconut is really damn good & I told my wife that we should be here also next year to enjoy this & took some to the place we stay in.
Yes they are very delicious. After the good meal, we'll ride straight to Kudat & since we are early the plan is to immediately go to Tanjung Simpang Mengayau or known as The Tip of Borneo to take some memories in Kudat.
Officially we are (so far) from the point Paul is pointing to the point I'm pointing & there's still a long way to go. After taking pictures here, we immediately rushed to the hotel that I have booked which is Mozart hotel where me & Azwad and Mamat used to stay during our ride in 2023.
Nice comfy room. Kudat is very hot during this time especially with the haze around even though the air index in Kudat is not very serious like in Kuching.
That night in Kudat we planned to take a walk or ride around town & at this waterfront or beach front area.
This is the famous seafood restaurant the hotel staff was talking about but we didn't eat here because I have planned to meet some old friends here at a restaurant just near our hotel.
We had the best chat all night, Paul met new friends tonight & sharing stories while I get to see these guys after 3 years. We are not connected through Facebook except for Rohairi & Bang Amit & that's I believe the beauty of this friendship!
The new president of their riding club after Bang Amit retired from police force and moved back to Sri Aman. You can check Bang Amit story in my previous posting.
Yes we have arrived in Kundasang and behind me is the mighty Kinabalu mountain.
Time to get some food! It's a long way to Sandakan after this location. 
This hotel has a very interesting theme, it's like some kind of movies genres theme plus some other entertainment theme.
Yummy yummy chicken curry!
The menu! 
Time to refuel & to get something to drink & eat.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)