Monday, July 27, 2009

my RXZ : in person

These are pics of my beloved RXZ, may it rest in peace... :-)
This pic was taken during my practical training in Perak, way back in 1992
This was in Bukit Fraser, the rare occasions when we had money to spend..
Trying to look macho... this was in 1994



5-speed RXZ














Monday, July 20, 2009

RXZ 135 (part2)

The RXZ ( i was so into the bike, i forgot to name her...hehe) was, i could say, a sorta sore in the eyes of many in tanjung malim. Imagine watching someone washing his bike in the common bathroom! every weekend! lo behold guys, that's me...harhar.. Sultan Idris training college was very old, and naturally it had very old building. our common bathroom was a detached structure, so english in architecture, and were shared by all trainees. but it had wide openings in front of the shower cubicles ( No, we didn't have the shower, just the shower cubicles). so, we ( me and my pal kadut kecik) bathe our RXZs in the area. people were supposed to wash their laundry there, but we never cared!
kadut kecik owned a six-speed RXZ. bought brand new, he never failed to point out that motorcycles aren't supposed to have 5 speeds, and they aren't supposed to have handle with bracket anymore. You see, the new RXZ had a clip-on handle. that's why... And i never failed to retaliate that, RXZs aren't supposed to have "narong" brakelights and signals, as opposed to "stanley"... hehe... then, after the usual squabblings and insults, we would then move to the hostel hall and we would polish our bike... by the time we finished, it would be noon, and we would then adjourned to our dormitory and sleep. by 5 or 6 in the afternoon, we would then start our bike, and performed our rituals, a teh tarik session at mamak stall, right in front of the junction heading to tg malim train station. and if we had money, we would supplement the session with a nasi goreng mamak.
convoys were rare... we had no money, no money for the glamorous gears advertised in RODA-RODA, no money for petrol, and no money to be spent lavishly. but we did have one, that is memorable. it was a ride up Fraser's Hill. 3 alejeks, 1 RD, 1 honda raider and a kapchai... but that's another story...

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

RXZ 135cc


enter my next infatuation, a yamaha RXZ 135 cc, 5 speed, pre-owned. After sixth form, i enrolled in a teacher training college in Perak. i was paid an allowance of rm345. God, those days, 345 for a student like me, was heaven. albeit the deduction of almost 60% ( for accomodation and food), i felt unable to push aside the temptation of a proven road racer. Much persuasion on my part to daddy and mummy, and finally, the much desired bike became mine. the remaining of my allowance was around rm150, and from that amount, i paid the instalment for rm120 per month.... rm30 for fuel and rendezvous huh? i don't know how i survived, but survived i did... wbh7643, zig zagging tanjung malim, historical valley, much known for its mouth watering kaya pau. it came in black, grey striped, and oh my, how it matched the handsome me.

on this bike, i scaled perak north to south, uphill and downhill. so deep was my love, that i rode it to lecture hall, barely 500metres from my hostel.. the only time we were apart was when i slept. other than that, it's me, and the bike.

the bike was sufficiently safe and easy to handle, considering my style of riding. i didn't modify the bike, partly due to the RM constraints, but mostly because i wasn't really into modifying. not my cup of tea, u could say.

when i graduated, the bike remained loyal to me... but truth be told, i wasn't that loyal to her. however, i did manage to remain with her for almost 3 years after i started working. i repainted her with maroon colour, and used her to commute daily from mom's place to work, around 20km to and fro..

to be continued....

Monday, July 13, 2009

History of a biker

It was love of the purest form.

my first bike was a Suzuki RC, assembled in Malaysia, 100cc. it's a pre-owned bike, but nevertheless, during my time Suzuki RC100cc was the "in" thing. its contemporaries were among others Yamaha Y100cc, Honda Fame 90cc. it was 1990, and i was just accepted to do form six (a-level) in Selangor. Considering my passionate pleadings (a bit exaggerated though), my father agreed to let me use his bike. Thus began my lustful affair with a two-wheeler. It was a very reliable bike. And what can i say, it shared my youth, and with it, i journeyed the trials and tribulations of being a biker. No modifications, stock-standard, and twice it survived the torment of mishandling of an inexperienced rider, Me...