Rider Profile: Vaune Phan

Today, in RB's new Rider Profile section, we catch up with Vaune Phan. Vaune recently came to fame via social media, and has since been a popular face in the motorcycling scene. We ask her about her life, and how she got into riding.

1. What do you ride and how regularly?

I ride a Ducati Hypermotard 796 almost every other day. I used to do enduro dirt biking once every 1-2 weeks when I had my Suzuki DR200 with me but just sold it recently, looking for an upgrade. I am officially off-road deprived.

2. How did you get into riding? 

After getting my class 3, I decided I don't have the funds to get a car at the age of 18, and a bike seemed very much possible, so I enrolled and got my class 2B. Shortly after, I grew to love the sport as I was introduced into Enduro. Riding was no longer just a transportation means to me. It's a passion that grew exponentially. Besides, I always had a thing for Motocross.

3. What is it about riding that you love? 

The whole feel, the sensation, the mood and the intensity of adrenaline. On a motorbike, it's the feel of my body encompassing the entire machine, and the sound of the engine are like music to my ears, with the winds gliding on my skin that causes an overwhelming sense of freedom that makes my senses come alive. 

4. Nastiest crash to date. When, where, how? 

I was on the second lane when a car abruptly cut into my lane from the right and pulled an emergency stop in the middle of a three lane road just because the driver wanted to take the exit which he already missed. Stopping right in front of me, I attempted to avoid a collision, which I did. 

However, because I could not brake steadily in time though I tried as hard as I could, with screeching sound of my rear tyres, smoke coming out of it as it burnt the road, and down I went. The momentum of the "fish tail" effect threw me off my bike forcefully, and the force sent me hitting the road face first, before rolling onto the next lane. My body was in the second lane but my head was on the first.

When I finally stopped tumbling, all I saw was a car coming right at me, the headlights getting brighter and brighter by the second. In those few milliseconds, I had flashbacks of all the things I've yet to do and the people whom I loved, and I told myself "fuck, I'm not gonna die now". 

Thankfully, the car managed to e-brake and stopped right in time, just about 10cm away from my head. I got up immediately and limped off the road. I was bleeding everywhere from abrasions, and was sent to the hospital by the ambulance. Luckily there were no broken bones but it was indeed a harrowing experience.

5. Dream ride or place to ride 

I want to ride from Singapore to New Zealand with the beautiful Aurora Borealis dancing in the night sky. Saying that sounds awesome already.

6. Favourite rider 

Travis Pastrana and Marc Márquez.

7. Fill in the sentence: I can't live/ride without ... (Favourite gear)

My Dainese gloves.

8. Fill in the sentence: Riding is like ... 

Unleashing this overwhelming sense of freedom that translates into an unexplainable strength powerful enough to make you feel like you are able to conquer the world.

9. How does it feel like to be the most famous female biker in Singapore?

I am not the most famous female biker in Singapore la... LOL. Just love sharing my passion for riding, and love meeting riders from all over the world.

10. Lastly, all our readers would like to know: Are you seeing anyone? Would your partner ever be a non-rider?

I'm single but that doesn't mean I'm available! Haha :p Read the latest issue of the ThreeSixty magazine to find out if I'd ever date a non-rider! What a coincidence, I wrote about it in there. :)

You can find Vaune on Facebook and her blog.

We are always on the lookout to feature riders. If there's someone you would like to read more about, do let us know!

Ride safe.

Review: Tristan Park 2D1N Kong Kong Trail

A couple of friends and I recently spent a weekend with Tristan Park, they are a company that organizes dirt bike trail riding trips in Malaysia. If you have always wanted to do some dirt biking but don't own a dirt bike, you might want to give them a try. None of us had dirt biking experience, it was our first time at it.

Here's what we think.

Bikes

I would say the bikes are minimally maintained. The wear and tear parts were of inferior quality, and can break easily when you fall. Don't tell me you won't fall, because you most definitely would. 

Throttle cable housing broke, and he had to ride with this weird pull-to-accelerate contraption

In another crash, the clutch cable snapped, and was replaced with the front brake cable. Yeah, one of us was riding without the front brake. Our guide was very creative with field repairs, which I found very impressive.

Trail

We chose the Kong Kong 2 day 1 night trail route. Before the trip, I read some reviews from experienced trail riders saying that the trails Tristan Park offered were too easy. Not for our case, I personally found the Kong Kong trail challenging and fun.

The only downside was that we had to refuel twice on the second day because the trail was rather long. Funny that we didn't run out of fuel on the first day. Perhaps, we got better, and used the throttle more. According to our guide, our bikes could have been leaking fuel.

Guide

Our guide's name was Black. I'm pretty sure that wasn't his real name, because he told us he was from Kong Kong, Malaysia. All of us spoke well of him, he was very patient, and did his job well. Helping to lift up, and start our bikes, even when all of us were exhausted from the physically challenging trail.

At night, he even invited us to go fishing with one of his friends. It was an eye-opener to see the difference in the simple kampung lifestyle versus our fast paced city life in Singapore.

Food and Accomodation

Food was not provided. Black brought us to a seafood restaurant for dinner, near where we stayed for the night. The seafood was not bad, though I had expected the portion to be larger. It was only 50RM each for 4 of us, so no complaints.

The seafood restaurant

Crab, prawn, fish, vegetable, and tom yam soup

Accommodation was 50RM per room per night, which had 2 beds, a shower, and air conditioning. If you are used to nice hotels, then this place is not for you. It was rather run-down, heck, there were a lot of ants in the toilet.

A queen-sized bed, and a single bed

The shower room and toilet

The corridor

Price

The price depends on the bikes you choose, we chose the KTM which was SGD$150 per day. Add in the optional boots and goggles rental, and it amounted to SGD$360 per pax. The goggles were fine, but most of the boots were missing a few securing straps. I had hoped that the personal gear would be better maintained.

But still, given the price, it is still rather worth it, considering we had a lot of fun. I don't think you can do anything like this in Singapore.

Conclusion

The bikes, and personal gear could have been better maintained, that would give Tristan Park a higher RB rating. The plus points came mainly from our guide, and the trail. Personally, I would pay them to bring me on another more challenging trail, but that's just me.

If you have never done dirt biking before, I think you should at least give it a try. It would most probably improve your riding skills when it comes to handling rear wheel slides.

RB Rating: 6 / 10

Ride safe.

10 Reasons Why Riding is Better than Driving

Since the beginning of motorized private transportation, there has been constant debate between the merits of riding versus driving. Riders would of course favour riding, well, because they know what drivers have been missing out on. No doubt, drivers who have never ridden a motorcycle in their entire lives would favour driving because they think that motorcycles are death machines. But at Riding Bible, we both ride and drive, and we definitely prefer motorcycles.

Here are 10 reasons why:

10. You get better fuel economy

http://www.cars-10.com/2011/06/3-ways-to-save-on-gas-today/expensive-fuel-02/

If buying a car in Singapore doesn't empty your pockets, the cost of petrol eventually would. With such ridiculous car prices now, it is no wonder many people are switching to riding motorcycles. The most powerful motorcycles that can do a 0-100 km/h in less than 3 seconds, can easily beat a car in fuel economy.

One of the fastest superbikes on the market now, the BMW S1000RR can do 0-100 km/h in 2.6 seconds. It also consumes only 1 litre of petrol for every 13 km travelled. A smaller capacity motorcycle such as the Honda CB400 (commonly known to Singaporeans as a SuperFour) that does 0-100 km/h in 5 seconds consumes about 1 litre for every 26 km travelled. More power, less fuel? Take that drivers!

9. You can crash and injure yourself seriously

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/mcn/sport/sportresults/motogp/2010/june/jun0510-mugello-motogp-valentino-rossi-breaks-right-leg-in-massive-crash/

Before you ask why is this even a reason riding is better than driving, allow me to explain. You see, riders know that they are vulnerable, any bad decision or loss of focus can result in an injury, and sometimes even death. That is what makes riders awesome, knowing that we are in constant danger has made us ninjas of situation awareness.

Every rider on the street has some kind of neural radar, we know exactly where every motorist is at. "Red car far behind on my left, fast black car overtaking me on the right, if the car in front of me stops suddenly, I can avoid collision by swerving to the left."
Sounds familiar?

Riders! Our weakness is actually our strength!

8. It is the closest thing to flying that ordinary people can do

http://wallpaperuser.com/motorcycle-vs-jet/

There has always been this saying. "I don't ride fast, I fly low." If you ride, you know what I mean. If we talk about acceleration alone, any motorcycle 600cc and above can out-accelerate a fighter jet. A 1000cc superbike will be able to reach the take-off speed of a jumbo jet (280 km/h) in less time (14.8s) and distance (780m) than the jumbo jet takes. Riders are fighter pilots on land, just saying.

7. You will never be good enough

http://www.superbikeschool.com/team/

Another one of those reasons that leave you going "Huh???". So what is this all about? If you watch racing, you would realize that even the best riders in the world crash. Why is that so? Because we are human, we have habits which are sometimes bad, and when it comes to riding, instinct may not be the best trick you have in your bag. When you first start riding, you would have heard from experienced riders that you would eventually crash, it is only a matter of time.

Fortunately, there are riding schools all over the world where you can learn to ride faster and safer. The nearest school is the California Superbike School branch in Australia. Constantly improving your riding skill should be on the top of your priorities as a rider. So what is the benefit to being a better rider? Uh, how about not getting killed? Don't be like the couch potato drivers on the streets.

6. You look great in a motorcycle jacket/suit

http://www.vroom-magazine.com/2013/04/08/photos-dani-pedrosa-marc-marquez-repsol-honda-team-at-qatar/dani-pedrosa-marc-marquez-motogp-repsol-honda-team-qatar-2013-31/

I was contemplating just putting up that photo as good enough reason for this. Seriously, what is cooler than sporting a full leather suit. You don't need to look like Marc Marquez to look great in a suit. Just take a weekend trip down to the nearest race track, and decide for yourselves. Bask in the moment when the girlfriends of drivers can't keep their eyes off your sexy gear. Drivers, we don't mean to steal your girlfriends, tell your girlfriends to stop ogling!

5. You laugh at drivers when they are stuck in traffic

http://sfcitizen.com/blog/2008/07/24/lane-splitting-on-the-freeway-with-your-motorcycle-your-right-as-a-californian/

Traffic in Singapore can be frustrating with the absurd car-to-tarmac ratio. Luckily, lane splitting is legal in the country. And drivers, we thank (most of you) for being nice to riders.

Typically, a 20 km peak hour commute will take a car about 30-45 minutes. The same distance can be covered by a motorcycle in half the time, that's 4 days of your life a year spent doing something more meaningful than being stuck in traffic. Riders also enjoy the benefits of waking up later, and reaching home earlier. More sleep and more leisure time for riders, it's no wonder we are happier people.

4. Getting your knee down is the closest thing to sex

http://www.visordown.com/news/images/747/ruben-xaus.jpg

The holy grail of riding, once you get your first knee down, there's no turning back. Sure, there is the occasional sex from the hordes of girls lining up to get their cherries popped, but nothing beats the feeling of the sensation from your knee sliders scrapping the tarmac. Nothing.

3. Chicks dig riders

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7623944@N03/4909167670/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Chicks love motorcycles, and they love even more the riders who ride them. Every lady in their prime would have sat on a motorcycle at least once in their life. There is something intriguing about a rider who can tame a two-wheeled machine. Or maybe it is the multiple orgasms from the engine's vibrations.

All the cool characters in movies ride motorcycles, Tom Cruise from Top Gun, Hugh Jackman from X-men...etc. And chicks love them! If you need some help in the love department, try rolling up to her front door in a BMW S1000RR rather than a Toyota Vios. In Singapore, the BMW is cheaper than the Toyota. Burn!

2. You can accelerate from a red light faster than a car 10 times the cost of your motorcycle

http://www.crankandpiston.com/brain/media/2012/11/Screen-Shot-2012-11-08-at-09.29.21-728x455.png

A lot of drivers get all excited about their new sports car, they tell all their buddies how fast it can go, and how it will beat every other car. Until they stop beside a motorcycle one day, and the motorcycle disappears seconds after the lights go green.

Sorry drivers, we don't mean to crush your dreams. The reason why bikes are faster is simple physics. A Ducati Panigale produces 195 hp with a dry weight of 164 kg, that's a whopping 1.19 hp per kilo! To put that into perspective, a Ferrari 458 produces 562 hp with a dry weight of 1245 kg. Not really a competition when it comes to raw power-to-weight ratio.

1. I was so excited to know that I was going to my bike the next day, and I still feel that today

http://www.infinitylist.com/video/happy-valentines-day-dancing-drift-motorcycle/

And finally, the numero uno reason why riding is better. I have been riding for 10 years, and I still get excited whenever I put my legs over the seat. Riding gives you a sense of freedom, at the same time, a sense of belonging to a community of like-minded people.

Given a choice, normal people choose driving. Riders will always choose to ride. We will ride till the day our body stops functioning. That's what makes riders awesome, because we ride by choice.

The video below explains this better.

Ride safe.

Tristan Park 2D1N Kong Kong Trail Teaser

A short video teaser of our next review! Stay tuned!

Ride safe.

How to: Recover from a False or Real Neutral

The last time I encountered a false neutral, I did not know how to recover from it, and the outcome wasn't fantastic. It gave me a broken elbow.

I hope with this video, you know what to do in the unfortunate event that you encounter a neutral, false or real alike.

The solution is so simple. Just clutch in and upshift. Or if you encounter it mid-corner, clutch in and coast to the exit. Clutching in is very important, because it will prevent the motorcycle from suddenly engaging into gear, and if it engages into a lower gear, expect massive torque from the rear pushing towards the front. Mid-corner, that would translate into a highside.

Ride safe.

Review: GRIPone 2 Traction Control System

The chief mechanic of HKL Racing, Benedict, asked me to help review their new traction control system, the GRIPone 2. HKL Racing recently became the distributor of GRIPone products, and are trying to bring their products into the local market.

The brand is still quite unknown among riders, shadowed by other mainstream traction control systems such as the one from Bazzaz. But the GRIPone brand stands out from the pack, because it is developed and used by the MotoGP Go & Fun team. The system is also based on speed sensors, rather than the Bazzaz which just monitors acceleration at the crank.

GRIPone 2
The GRIPone 2 is the entry version of the traction control systems that GRIPone offers. Honestly, it is enough for most riders, except the most hardcore racers.

It comes neatly packed in a plastic box with all the components that you need to install onto your motorcycle.

Installation
The components included in the box are:
1. The ECU, in layman terms, the traction control computer (Shown below)
2. Wiring Harness
3. Front and rear speed sensors
4. Sensor brackets
5. Installation and user manual

Although the installation is straightforward, I suggest that you get a qualified workshop (e.g. HKL Racing) to help you with the installation if you are not comfortable meddling with your bike's electronics.

Benedict helped to route the speed sensors safely onto my R6. Don't want any 'Marc Marquez' on the race track clipping my rear speed sensor, sending me into a massive highside.

Now, the front speed sensor installed on the left front brake disc.

And finally, the ECU mounted on the front of the bike, near the left front fork.

Settings

The GRIPone 2 has 2 basic settings: Spinning, and Cut. The settings are programmable via 2 buttons on the ECU.

Spinning refers to the slip sensitivity, which detects tire slippage by comparing the wheel speeds of your front and rear tires. Select from a setting range of 1 to 8, where 1 is the most sensitive to any tire slippage. At maximum sensitivity, a tiny amount of tire slippage will trigger the power cut.

Cut refers to the amount of power cut when tire slippage is detected. Select from a setting range of 0 to 8, where 0 has no engine power cut. and 8 cuts the most power.

The 2 settings work hand-in-hand, in fractions of a second, to effectively reduce or completely stop any tire slippage.

Performance

What better way to show you the GRIPone 2's performance than to show you a video of me testing it. In the video, the Spinning was set at 2, and Cut at 8.

Even though the traction control system cut in very often (due to the high Spinning setting), the power delivery was very well-controlled, and there is no jerky feeling when the power cut kicks in. In most of the corners, I was at neutral throttle from entry to apex, and near full wide opened after that.

(The red indicator LED shown in the video is sold separately.)

Finally as a bonus, because the GRIPone 2 reduces/removes tire slippages, it also helps to save your tires! Look at the beautiful wear pattern on my rear tire.

Price
I don't have a confirmed price from Benedict, but it is somewhere in the area of SGD$1000, including installation. Considering the fact that many people spend much more for a slip-on exhaust, the price is worth it for added safety on the road, or the race track.

You can message me on the RB Facebook Page, and I'll direct you to Benedict for quotations. Or you can just look for him in person at his workshop.

Conclusion
Before you spend money to buy the loudest exhaust, or the coolest looking helmet, consider getting your motorcycle a traction control system (if it doesn't already have one). It can save your ass in low traction situations, or just prevent you from doing something potentially stupid.

But remember that traction control systems are not foolproof, and you can still highside. But I would rather have the confidence that I have a safety net if I do something stupid. The traction control system just needs to save you once, and it would pay for itself.

I'm definitely keeping it for that eventual day, what about you?

RB Rating: 9 / 10

Ride safe.

Review: Custom Radiator Guard

I once encountered a rider who had to replace his motorcycle radiator because a rock busted through it. Such mishaps are actually not uncommon. Would you rather replace a radiator which can cost SGD$400 or would you rather spend less than a quarter of that to get some protection for your radiator? The answer is obvious.

For those of you in Singapore, you are in luck because we have a local talent who specializes in custom radiator guards for motorcycles. And that talent is Kel, founder of Godsendworx. They have been in business for 7 years! I approached them to custom-make a radiator guard for the R6, and their service was so excellent I promised to write a review for them.

So, let me cut to the chase.

Customization & Ordering
Ordering a custom radiator guard from Godsendworx is very simple. Just visit the Godsendworx Facebook Page, and follow the instructions. I got a reply within 24 hours, where I was given a few designs to choose from. You can request for your own design, but I opted for a simple black with white Yamaha logo.

Radiator Guard
Within a week, my radiator guard was ready, and I was offered a few installation time-slots. I arrived at the meeting point early, and Kel was already there serving 2 other riders. Business must be good. It was also thoughtful of Kel to provide me with a bottle of water while I waited for my turn.

When my turn came, Kel installed the radiator guard onto my R6 with much professional zest. Within 15 minutes, it was done.

The gaps of the radiator guard are big enough for wind to flow to your radiator, and should not cause any overheating problems. The R6 heats up to over 100 degrees Celsius in stop-go traffic in tropical Singapore, and I have had no problems.

Quality
The radiator guard is a little flexible, and therefore can be bent to fit the shape of my radiator. The paintwork on it is amazing, Kel told me that they use 6 layers of laquer on it! Cleaning the radiator guard is as easy as cleaning your motorcycle. Just wash it like you would wash any of your motorcycle bodywork.

Price
The quotation varies from different bike makes to the complexity of the design. They might give you a discount if you tell them that you found them after reading this review. No promises though! All I can say is I paid well under SGD$100 for mine.

Conclusion
This is a very small investment for a peace of mind. Functionally, it does its job well. Cosmetically, well it just looks amazing. Stop procrastinating and get your radiator protected today!

RB Rating: 8 / 10

Ride safe.

Review: Armour Bodies Pro Series Bodywork

Even though Singapore technically does not have a winter season, it does get colder and much wetter during the last quarter of the year. Not particularly good weather for riding in general. Which is why I took the opportunity to do something which I had been procrastinating for way too long.

As the title of this article suggests, I bought track fairings for the R6. If you do enough research on the topic, two names would pop up a lot, namely Sharkskinz and Armour Bodies. When it comes to race body kits, Sharkskinz is without a doubt the leader in the market. But they are also one of the most expensive manufacturers out there. Armour Bodies' race body kits rank a close second to Sharkskinz, but they are substantially less taxing on your wallet. It is ultimately your money and your choice, I chose Armour Bodies.

Here's why.

Service
Service, service, service. Armour Bodies is all about service. I probably spent close to 4 weeks shooting emails back and forth with an Armour Bodies sales representative. Not because they were lousy, but because I asked a lot of questions. And partly because I was waiting for the 2013 Triumph Daytona 675R body kit to be ready, so I could order for a friend who changed his mind last minute, sigh. If I did not have to wait, and could order right away, I would have probably received the body kit within a week, which brings me to my next point.

Delivery Time
Armour Bodies used DHL to deliver the body kit, which provided very accurate real-time tracking. From being shipped out from their factory in China (I'll explain more on this later), to me receiving the parcel took no more than 4 days. The parcel was huge, I could probably fit myself in it. Inside, the body kit was properly insulated with foam, though I would wish it had more foam but it did its job.

Product
On to the important stuff, the product itself. I mentioned earlier that the body kit was shipped out from China, that is because it is currently being manufactured there, well that was not always the case. Armour Bodies started by making them in the United States, but due to rising costs, they moved their entire manufacturing to China. It took a while for them to resolve quality issues to be at least on par with the quality they had in the United States. The important thing is, they managed to resolved the issues.

Using my acute sense of touch, the fairings feel tougher than the OEM R6 fairings, but at the same time also have pretty good flexibility in case of a crash. I have seen people crash Armour Bodies fairings, and they seem to hold up pretty well.

If you're considering buying from Armour Bodies, do note that the lower fairing does not come with heat shields, and I strongly recommend that you get it in case your exhaust headers burn a hole through it.

Overall, I am happy with the quality of the body kit.

Fitting
Fitting was fantastic. The drill markings on the upper and lower fairings were spot on, just drill onto the markings and you would be guaranteed a perfect fit. The only minor issue I had was with the superbike tail, there were no drill markings. Not a big problem if you are patient and don't mind spending the extra 10 minutes marking out the drill spots. To put it simply, I had zero problems with fitting. The lower fairing could even accommodate my catalytic converter, which was a huge plus because I had intended to keep my exhaust legal. There are no legal full exhaust systems for the R6 in Singapore, bummer.

Paintwork
There is no paintwork so to speak, but the fairings do come pre-primed and ready to accept fresh coats of paint. I decided on a black and white paintwork, which my missus calls a killer whale. Oh well, time to find some decals to spice up the paintwork.

Legality
If you live in Singapore like me, you must remember that track fairings can be considered as an illegal modification. And unless you cut the fairings to fit your OEM headlight, brake light and signal lights, your bike would be 100% illegal on the streets. Or you could be like me, and do what I did and hope for the best.

An aftermarket projector headlight, mirrors with integrated signal lights, small brake light and rear signal lights. The lights and mirrors were secured in such a way where they can be easily removed by just loosening a few nuts and unplugging some sockets. The mechanics at HKL Racing helped me to do that, I'm a total idiot when it comes to motorcycle wiring.

Oh, and when you get cheap Chinese mirrors, remember to add some glue as reinforcement or it could end up like my right mirror. The damn thing flew away!

Price
Including shipping costs, a seat foam for the superbike tail, and a set of Dzuz fasteners, it cost me SGD$1171. That is after splitting the shipping costs between myself and Edwin, who bought similar things as me except it was for his GSX-R750.

Conclusion
I would definitely recommend the Armour Bodies Pro Series Bodywork if you are looking for a set of quality track fairings. A lot of value for the money you are paying. If you have extra dough and want something slightly better, try Sharkskinz.

RB Rating: 8 / 10

Ride safe.

Best of 2013

It has been 1 year since Riding Bible's inception. I hope you have enjoyed the journey with us, and look forward to your continuous support in 2014!

Ride safe.