Modification : Grounding for optimum efficiency

  I drove to Jalan Pasar, Kuala Lumpur, bought the M size power cable, the thickness of a pencil and appropriate terminals. I immediately noticed a much brighter whitish beam against the stock yellowish white beam. Lately I attached a size L version from the engine block to the regulator replacing an earlier size M version. The larger size L version I salvaged from my KIA Spectra's grounding cables before it was taken over by someone else.

The relationship between Regal Raptor Bobber and MOMOS Bobber

Regal Raptor homepage

Chear Gobal Sdn. Bhd. factory at Puncak Alam

Chear Motors HQ, Klang

Wee Bikers Sdn. Bhd, Shah Alam

When I wanted to buy the Regal Raptor, I was confused why it was called 'MOMOS Bobber'. After making further enquiry, I found out:

• LIFENG Group is the umbrella company while LIFENG itself manufactures Regal Raptor and sells them under different names.
• Mofaz Motorcycles Sdn Bhd. (MOMOS) imports Regal Raptors from China as they hold the Approved Permits (AP).
• Chear Global Sdn Bhd. (CGSB) and Mofaz Motosikal Sdn.Bhd. assemble the cruisers assembles the bike in Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor.
• Chear Motor Sdn. Bhd. from their HQ at Klang and branches elsewhere distributes the motorcycles.
• Wee Bikers Sdn. Bhd., Shah Alam is just a motorcycle agent where I made my purchase. They offered to absorb the GST probably because they had difficulty selling it.
  

Having clarified all that, I found the average Joe goes blinkers when I answer their question  "What motorbike is that?" and I reply "MOMOS Raptor". So I reply to them with a more international name "Regal Raptor" and they still look lost

Dream comes true

With my pension gratuity I realized my childhood dream. Wifey gave her blessing when she saw it. I told my salesman to change the stock handlebar of the Bobber for the Daytona which involved change of longer clutch cables. The unit I bought is the one in the above. There are actually two versions: the standard black and the slightly more expensive SE version and cost me about RM20,000 for on-the-road price.

Itsy-bitsys

Scout's code: Be prepared! OK! OK! I was never a scout but a cub but there is much wisdom in that scout's code so I got myself an Italian GIVI raincoat for those unsuspecting rainy days. It's quite a handful so I must bring along my haverasack when I need to bring it. The User's Manual came late but better sooner than later. An interesting thing I note is that upon my query, my salesman told me the PSI tyre pressure should be 35(F)/38(R) but the User's Manual recommends 33 for a single rider. I am sticking to the recommendation of the User's Manual as I believe it is offers a softer ride to offset the suspension of the rigid frame. The shop I bought the Bobber was a bit of a cheapskate when it came to number plates and gave me the awful looking number plate used on Kapchai or Honda Cubs. I threw them away and went around finding a shop that could customize one and I found out that was not easy as most shops dealing with car number plates do not do this. I eventually found a motorcar accessory shop that was willing to do it on condition I acquire the alphabets and digits from a motorcycle shop as the boss did not stock them. This I did and the customized number plates were made. Yahoo! No.8 spanner is the only tool I was told to get as this is used to open up the battery compartment and No. 8 nut is the most common size nut used among motorcycles as No.10 is to cars. As for helmets, I got myself the classic Bell helmet and added the sun shade to cover the gaping clip points. It is apparently more expensive than the full face helmet eventhough that is more difficult to produce simply because it is the more popular option. Oh well, what to do however quality is assured inside and outside the helmet.

Dress for the occasion

Given the choice of a leather jacket, I have a preference for A-2 jackets but they are not popular here nor the ASEAN region but they can be acquired via mail order. However, if it concerns something to wear, I can reluctant to buy them via mail order as I am afraid I may accidentally choose the wrong size. As the motorcycle is nowhere in sight, I take time to visit Pertama Shopping Complex, Kuala Lumpur which has a variety of biker dress accessories. Good quality leather jackets are never cheap even overseas so it was quite hard to find as most of the shops were selling the lower end. Walking up and down the leather shopping mall at the rear end of the complex, I eventually found a genuine leather biker's jacket. It was heavy but felt solid and was of good quality and workmanship eventhough I hardly knew the marque. I was surprised it also had unzipable sleeves. This one fitted me well and when I decided to take it the salesman recommended I apply leather conditioner as it was rather dry. That I did and the leather being thick, I coated it daily for 3 days. It has now soften quite a bit though I think I need to use  it often to make it make more comfortable to use.

Polish make perfect

The RR Bobber is now at the airbrush workshop and I have to wait for 2 weeks mainly because the artist had an earlier commitment before he met me. So to kill time, I visited the workshop to spend time  polishing the chrome parts which I could reach as the Bobber was sandwiched between the wall and a superbike. Round 1 took 3 whole hours and I managed to get rid of minor scratches within reach and I am quite pleased with the result. There will be more rounds to come when I am in a better position to move freely around the motorcycle.

Window Shopping

It's the start of my pension days so I've decided to realize my childhood dream. This takes me back to my Form 5 days when I first set eyes on a Triumph Tiger 100. I was attracted to the sloping hardtail frame and felt it was a piece of art. I said if I were ever to got a motorbike it will definitely be with a rigid frame. I looked up motorcycle magazines eventually fell in love with a Sportster-Paughco like the one below:

However, such frames were not popular back home and even exclusive imported bikes like Harley Davidson do not sell them so this was all a dream... until March 2015 I saw the Regal Raptor Bobber at mudah.com.my. A visit to the nearest dealer near my house and I like what I saw. Little did I know until much later after buying the MOMOS Bobber that the prototype was actually based on a Paughco rigid frame.