Battery strap gives way

My Bobber had a TKO over the weekend. Yesterday, I could not start the engine nor even use horn. Checking the battery, I found it's rubber strap's latch snapped due to rust. That made it easy to shake the battery and loosen the terminal's contact. After tightening the contacts at the terminal and temporarily using a tough string, the neutral light came back but when I pressed the starter, I only got a small click sound from the engine. Later, the neutral light can back and 4 times I tried to start but to no avail. What to do. I wanted to go with the Bobber to Bingit Rendezvous this weekend but that's out of the question. My salesman said he'll collect the Bobber tomorrow. All in all, it was divine intervention. Shukur Alhamduillah, a blessing from Allah for He didn't want my Bobber to break down (had I gone to see Bingit Rendezvous and I would have) other than at the comfort of home.When I collected the Bobber, it was suspected the battery, being loose and with amble space around, shook and tugged some critical connection(s) either to starter or starter switch but nothing was short/damaged. The wireman then proceeded to check and tightened all connections to the battery. The bobber is A-OK now. Damage control was only transportation cost which is a nominal rate but isn't cheap. Summary: Shukur Alhamduillah, could have been worse.

Loose excess petrol hose solved

 

Now you see it, now you don't. Yesterday, I just realized one of the excess petrol hose for the carburettors was missing so today had it replaced FOC. The last time, it was the excess petrol hose for the petrol tank that went missing. I conclude that the metal clip that comes along with the hose as quite unreliable, better to use a pvc cable tie before warranty expires. When I got home, as a back-up plan, I used another cable tie and secured both hoses to the power cable as I noticed it was very easy for the non-cable tied hose to come off.

Nasi lemak anyone?

Morning trip to my regular nasi lemak stall at Subang Jaya. This stall is comparatively generous on the portion of nasi lemak as against other places. Today, the Regal Raptor badge has begun to serve its purpose as people come up and ask me whether that is a HD and I reply "No" then point to the badge at the rear of the Bobber and say it comes from China. They quickly go and inspect the badge and of course don't commend coz they probably never heard of it. The nasi lemak seller said it was clever that people think it costs the price of a HD coz it looks expensive and glows of that exclusive image here it's not important that it cost much, much less. The next time, I'll just point to the badge and say "Regal Raptor" (and "Bobber" if they want to know the model) but not mention "China" and see their reaction.

Hardtail or Softail?

Having ridden the Bobber for more than 1,000km, I have now acquired the experience to say that the Malaysian road causes many unpleasant bumpy ride, an experience that is aggravated when riding a hardtail bobber. If the road is undulating that is fine but minus highways, one has to be cautious of uneven stretches even when riding around 50kph. Malaysian housing estates are also filled with numerous road humps so the slower the ride, the better. In worse scenarios where bumps were only noticed the last few seconds, it is easiest to slightly lift one's butt off the seat. Also, uneven local roads force the need to repump air to the tyres monthly. Even if Regal Raptor Daytona and Spyder were modified with solo seats, they are practically a better choice to live with than a Regal Raptor Bobber. Then where does the Regal Raptor Bobber stands out? It is iconic Bobber look where hardtails excel in aesthetically a more beautiful timeless frame that allows for a lower seat height. Malaysian roads can be a pain in the ***** but I bought the Regal Raptor Bobber more for its aesthetic beauty.

Visit to Putrajaya

 

 

 

 

 

This Sunday, I tried my luck but the haze is still visible to the naked eye at Putrajaya. Not good for photography but since I was there, I might as well snap a few shots and you can see the haze clearly in the background.

My new riding gloves

I bought a pair of heavy duty 100% cowhide leather gloves (imported) for RM80 plus from the DIY shop, originally patch dry, tough and yellow orche in colour. I gave them a generous dose of baby oil and it immediately turned soft and dark brown. It already feels much more comfortable than the stock version and looks classy as the more expensive gloves of the RM200-RM300 range.

Visit to Hungry Ghost Custom Inc.

This was my first official visit to Hungry Ghost Custom Inc., Saujana Puchong to get some estimates. The estimates given by the Boss himself were very reasonable and had it been not for the lack of spare cash and the fact that the Bobber was still under warranty, I might have found myself succumbing to my passion. This is one of THE places to go for customization if one is seriously interested in customizing one's ride. After the bobber was vandalised, I eventually came here, had the broken rear section removed, transferred the rear signal lights with custom bracket attached to the rear fender, had a new side number plate with custom bracket fitted on the left side of the rear wheel, removed the front signal lights attached to the shocks and got matching rear signal lights footing attached next to the radiator.

1,000km service

 

 

 

 

 

 

After 5 months of local riding mainly to the mosque, a few runs to the mechanic, mother's house, here and there, my Bobber get's the first 1,000km service. Nothing dramatic to complain. The engine was immediately drained of dirty black factory engine oil and replenished with synthetic Belray SAE15W-50. Alhamduillah, my Bobber has been very reliable and I believe it will also be for years to come. 1.6 litre was poured in and checked against the dipstick as "OK" but if the whole crank case was opened then it would require 1.9litre.

Polishing day

 

 

 

Today, chrome parts regularly left out were given a rejunevation while stock black paint parts namely the battery compartment and the air filter compartment were given an initial rub-down with rubbing compound before protected by a layer of car polish.

One of a kind

This is my second video clip of my Bobber which is really a walkabout. I was not too happy with the first video clip as my humble smartphone didn't capture the true sound of the motorcycle's exhaust sound so I've hid them under Santana's Europa. I apologize for my shaky video clip as I rarely do video clips.

My Bobber goes on YouTube

The very first video clip of my Bobber is uploaded at YouTube.  I need to learn how to make high quality sound of this clip as I feel it didn't sound as original as live. I've surfed and surfed the internet but have not come up with another zebra striped motorcycle that looks like mine which is good because I like it to be unique.

My Bell Custom 500 helmet

It was airbrushed according to my specification based on C.C. Ryder's helmet from the movie "C.C. and Company" which gave me the zebra stripe inspiration to which I've always been fond of.

Artwork eventually takes shape

Just some minor touch-up needed then re-fitting begins

Fender gets sprayed

The original artwork is transformed to Transfer-seal and onto the fender

Slowly but surely, the airbrush artwork is finally taking shape but still requires much attention from me as the artist had initially erred in some strategic places how I wanted the final output to be. My timing was also not good because at the point of time I handed the motorcycle over to the artist, he was about to take a 5 day trip overseas. Then, there were already 5 projects in the pipe line which they had to complete before they could attend to mine. My initial requirement to blur the edges of the black stripes did not turn out well so I am sticking to the cleaner original look. I am hoping the airbrush work will be completed soon because I need to practice as I have riding lessons begining late May and riding test in mid June. He then has to proceed to do the helmet. Patience....I need patience and I hope I don't run out of it.

Roots of Regal Raptor

Digging up the history of the Regal Raptor Bobber over the Internet, I find under Bikers Lovers states that "Johnny Pag which is the origin of Regal Raptor" who merger with Lifeng, a major manufacturer in China. "The base engine is shared with the system developed by Honda for its block Rebel 250 while Lifeng would fit a liquid cooling. Similarly, Lifeng has also developed electronic fuel injection to replace carburetors initially adopted by Honda ". Thus, Lifeng had transformed the 250cc Honda engine block to be a 350cc engine block (or downsize it to 125cc for some countries). Whilst Regal Raptors are being sold internationally all over the world, FaceBook shows that they are selling extremely well in Indonesia and Malaysia with membership currently almost 1,400 at Regal Raptor Riders Indonesia and about 1,180 at Regal Raptor Owner Malaysia Group. compared to other countries.

 

Over time, I managed to contact Johnny Pag Jr., son of the creator of the Regal Raptor series. To my query, he clarified the Regal Raptor Bobber looks similar to a Sportster-Paughco bobber because the actual prototype used was, in fact, a Paughco hardtail frame

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.

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.

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.