Big Bikes
The overall impression from the Bangkok International Motor
Show was that motorcycles are getting larger, their exhaust
systems are becoming less of a visual feature, and if it
falls off the side-stand, you will need a sky hook to get it
upright.
Expat big bike enthusiast Alan Coates prepared a few details
on some of the big bikes that caught his eye.
BMW
K1200 R
BMW K1200 R 163 BHP (120kW) 1157 c.c. water cooled in line 4
cylinder 4-stroke (new engine, gearbox and drive-shaft).
Over 200 kph for only 970,000 baht.
Suzuki Intruder M109R 1800 cc Custom Cruiser (in the H-D
Mode). Note M109 stands for 109 cubic inches engine
capacity. Weight 315 kg (695 lbs.) 4-stroke, liquid-cooled,
2-cylinder, DOHC, 4-valve, 54 degree V-Twin.
Honda Fireblade CBR 1000RR Supersports 998cc. Inline 4
Cylinder, Liquid-cooled 4-stroke, 16-valve DOHC. 170 bhp at
11,250 rpm Note: Underseat exhaust and silencer almost
vanished! “The new force to be reckoned with on roads and
the circuit.”
Yamaha Roadliner S Custom Cruiser (Midnight Star in Europe)
V-twin, 4-stroke 1,854 cc with a compression ratio of 9.48:1
giving 73.60 kW (100 BHP) @ 4,250 rpm Dry weight is 320 kg.
“The XV1900 Midnight Star is a rolling work of art, a moving
masterpiece, a vision of power and speed, elegance and
beauty. The XV1900 remodels the classic streamliner look for
the 21st century with flared fenders, teardrop fuel tank,
sweptback handlebar mounts and spurred swingarm. And this
mega-cruiser sets new standards in high-class design,
craftsmanship and quality of finish, with the kind of
painstaking attention to detail never seen before in the
cruiser class. At its heart is a mighty low-revving,
high-torque 1854 cc air-cooled, eight-valve V-twin engine
and long ’n’ low aluminium frame and swingarm – at once
totally traditional and ultra-modern. XV1900 Midnight Star –
the cruiser that will leave you stirred, not shaken.”
Yamaha MT-01 Muscle Bike. 1670 cc 4-stroke, V-Twin engine,
OHV, 4 valves per cylinder Air cooled with a relatively low
compression ratio of 8.36:1 giving 66.3kW (90 HP) @ only
4,750rpm. But the grunt is enormous. The MT-01 is the bike
that started the Torque Sports revolution. This motorcycle
is like nothing you’ve ever known before – an air-cooled
1670 cc V-twin that rocks like a sports bike. The MT-01 is a
revolutionary motorcycle, with a soulbeat character that
unleashes maximum torque at 3,750 rpm, when most engines are
still half asleep. That’s the whole idea of Torque Sports –
mega-thrust is right there, the instant you grab the
throttle. And this mega-capacity, long-stroke engine is
bolted into an aluminium supersport-derived frame with
R1-style truss swingarm, 43 mm upside-down forks, low-slung
rear shock, radial-mounted calipers and a uniquely
chiselled, radical design.
Kawasaki VN 900 Classic Cruiser. The smallest in this range
of H-D look-a-likes that includes a 1,600 cc and a monster
2,000 cc model. Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke V-Twin, 903 cc
giving 40 kW at 6,000 rpm. “Long, low and ready to cruise,
the VN900’s styling is evocative of the VN2000. This effect
is further enhanced by the voluminous engine design, the
attention to detail and the craftsmanship evident in the
seductive, hand-sculpted bodywork. Like the VN2000, the 900
Classic has a quiet and efficient belt final drive. In
addition to reduced maintenance (compared to chain final
drives), belt drives offer a smoother ride quality than
shaft drives.”
Suzuki Intruder
Honda Fireblade
Yamaha Roadliner
Yamaha MT 01 Muscle
Kawasaki VN 900
Car of the
Show?
Once again, I have to hand it too PVA Motors for
bringing the incredibly cheap Wuling Scorpion to the Bangkok
International Motor Show. This little work-horse now has a
five speed gearbox and disc brakes at the front, and still
only costs 275,000 baht! You can adapt it to many body
styles, depending upon your needs, from a product carrier to
a people carrier to a mobile retailing stand. If you want to
contact them about the Wuling Scorpion the contact number is
07 293 8370, and you can even get finance on it!
Wuling
Scorpion
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I mentioned many vehicles featuring
in-wheel motors at the Bangkok International Motor Show this
year. This is no innovation however. I asked who was first
with this idea? The answer was Dr. Ferdinand Porsche in the
Lohner-Porsche of 1902.
So to this week. Which motor vehicle manufacturer was bought
by the British Central Equitable Trust – and why?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
The “real” Car of the
Show
Bentley
Continental GT
Forget about the fact that “Bentley” as a
marque is owned by VW. Forget about the fact that W.O.
Bentley, the founder, did not like forced induction engines.
Just look at the specifications of this motor car and it is
difficult not to be impressed with this very British
sporting carriage.
To just add that extra British flavor, on the Bentley stand
was your archetypal Englishman, James Barclay, complete with
very British three button suit. James is the PR and event
manager for SE Asia and Australasia for Bentley, and was a
walking font of knowledge on his cars. I fully realize that
many visitors to the show enjoy the bevy of young things on
the stands, dressed in skimpy and ridiculous plastic
outfits, mouthing the specifications and regurgitating PR
handouts, but I am afraid I go to the show to learn about
the vehicles, from people who know something about them.
James Barclay is one of these.
James was quick to point out that the Bentley was designed,
built and engineered at the one site at Crewe in England.
There Bentley has some third generation Bentley employees,
lovingly making the interiors in their own wood and leather
shops. Incidentally, the hides come from a special farm in
Austria, where there are no barbed wire fences, and 12 are
used inside one Continental GT. The cars are hand assembled,
and it takes two shifts, just to hand stitch the steering
wheel. James assured me that the only robots used in the
assembly of a car set the windscreen in place and look to
engine sealing. The rest is the labor of love by real human
beings.
The Continental GT and its four door cousin, the Continental
Flying Spur, are very impressive vehicles, just sitting
there, but the performance of the GT is just staggering. The
12 cylinder engine develops 552 bhp (411 kW) and generates
479 ft.lbs of torque (650 Nm) at 1,600 rpm, barely past
tick-over. That power and torque is enough to propel the
Continental GT to 198 mph (318 kph), and cover 0-100 kph in
4.8 seconds. When I expressed wonder at the quoted 198 mph,
James replied, “This is an over-engineered product. They can
do 200 mph, and they have the largest brakes in the class.”
And he says it with such authority, you just have to believe
him.
You become aware of the history of the marque, running from
1920 with the first 3 liter Bentleys, then through many
troubled years financially, but ones where they still
produced exemplary sporting carriages, up until the
re-birth, in many ways, in the late 1990’s. James says, “We
keep one eye on the heritage and one eye towards the
future.” The Bentley Continental GT, the Continental Flying
Spur, and the soon to be released Continental GTC
(convertible) do all that.
At 21 million baht for the Continental GT, this buys you a
hefty slice of history, as well as a hefty performance car.
I could live with the Continental GT, unfortunately, the
piggy bank does not run to such stratospheric numbers!
Natter Nosh and Noggin
The monthly car enthusiasts meeting will
be at Jameson’s Irish Pub on Soi AR next to the Nova Park
development. The car (and bike) enthusiasts meet on the
second Monday of the month, so this time it is Monday (April
10) at Jameson’s at 7 p.m. This is a totally informal
meeting of like minded souls to discuss their pet motoring
(and motorcycling) loves and hates. Bring along any
magazines, photos of old vehicles, or the latest Bentley
Continental GT.
