On screen appearance

Trailer for "Velocity" - A short film specially created for a newly-wed couple's Chinese Wedding Dinner.

Director/Director of Photography/Scriptwriter/Editor:
- Diana "Woddee" Lim ( http://woddee.deviantart.com | http://diana-lim.daportfolio.com )

Produced By:
- Swiftwing ( http://swift-wing.deviantart.com )


Shot on the Canon 5D MKII, courtesy of Swiftwing. Edited on Final Cut Pro 6, LiveType.

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This was my first attempt using the 5D MKII to shoot a short, without any prior knowledge to the camera and its settings (I only had a 5 minute crash-course on the day of the shoot by swiftwing himself on how to use the camera.)

By standards, it isn't exactly very stellar but nonetheless, a major feat for me who was almost running this on a one-woman show. From pre-production to post-production.

Someone we've gotten to help... The footage was re-cut into something totally different

The Ben Spies Method

How Ben Spies does it? Let's listen to the man himself...



Anyone wants to try this method on Pasir Gudang Circuit?

5-6th Sept 09 KL Shopping Trip

The new triple clamp cover from the GEN 2 Hayabusa, tested proven to work with no issues after this trip. (Note also the wristband was still around when we reached our destination, see next picture)

It's been a long while since I've got the chance to take the bike out for a ride. In midst of the many rainy days this month, I've decide to just go for a trip up to Kuala Lumpur. And who would have expected that the 2 days over the weekend was totally dry.

The ride up the KL was excellent, with minimum vehicles on the NSHW, the bike was riding great and the weather was wonderful. There were long stretches of empty road where the bikes were given a chance to rip the highways but gone are the days where maxxing out the bike's power was like a walk in the park. At the back of the head, it's already screaming, " That's fast enough!" when the meter just barely crosses the 300kph mark.

Picture was taken the following day, notice the wristband on the brake fluid reservoir is missing (curse the bugger who stole it.)

Sticking to our pump and go strategy for such trips. Reaching our destination was much faster than expected. We had gone up along with Bugsy (who was driving) and he has kindly agreed to be our logistics support. So the ride up was light and fast, no panniers no bags, just a set of rain coat and that's it.

Probably because it's been quite a long while since we last went to KL, I managed to just get ourselves lost right in the middle of the city. So there we were circling around the city for about 30mins before finding our way to the hotel. But still we manage to reach the hotel lobby in under 2 and half hour.Finally found, the hotel where the bike was given a place to rest over the night.

Returning back to Singapore the ride was quite straightforward as well. Ride pump and go. But probably the main hiccup was when I decided to push for a further fuel stop for our first stop out of KL. I had originally wanted to pump at Seremban or Ayer Keroh but pushed for Pagoh instead. Managed to reach Pagoh with another 2liters or so of petrol left in the tank, but it was kind of nerve-wrecking as the needle was already buried in the red zone and the reserve light has come on about 30km away from Pagoh. Still we cruised at about 190-200kph to the petrol station. From there on, it was smooth sailing all the way back to Johor Bahru for a bike wash and back across the customs (where there was no jam at all).

Hardly Ableson?

Good Idea... Stunting with a Harley with skills



Bad Idea... Stunting with a Harley with no skills

Making time to ride

24hrs a day seems insufficient recently. With an endless list of things to do, finding time to ride the busa seems like a gargantuan task. Not wanting to just chug along in traffic commuting in the busa as it's simply a waste of the power and capability of the bike. All too often commuting with the busa will eventually kill the fun of riding it altogether.

Therefore I've been making a point to enjoy every ride whenever I bring the busa out. It shall not be just crawling along in heavy traffic waiting just to reach the next traffic light. When it's out, it'll stretch its legs and clear its lungs; flying and roaring.

Took it out for a ride today, didn't get to max out the bike but it's definitely not rolling around near idling rpm either. It made me remember why I enjoyed so much about riding it, the big fat torque, the endless supply of power coupled with the sharp handling (which cannot be found on a stock busa) and the confidence inspiring brakes. All these make from a very enjoyable, spirited ride in the late afternoon.

Brought it for a bike wash while I grab a bite of late lunch with Eleen and Richter. Now the bike's clean and glossy. Shall go and put up the Thailand number plate that I made during the last trip. Looking forward to the next ride as well as the track session planned in June. Till then.

Mat Mladin's GSXR 1000 K8 for Sale

This will be the final race weekend for Suzuki's 2008 GSX-R1000 in the hands of the Yosh lads. It can all be yours though ...

This just in:

Mat Mladin Race Bike for Sale
$59,000 USD
2008 GSX-R 1000
Mat Mladin Race bike:
Able to pick up from Road Atlanta after Race.


Engine Specs

• AMA Superbike Spec Engine
• Yoshimura camshafts
• Yoshimura racing head gasket
• Increased compression
• Fully Ported and polished cylinder head
• Yoshimura Race oil pan
• Yoshimura Inner Rotor, Generator and Cover
• Yoshimura Full Titanium Carbon Fiber R77 Exhaust system
• EM Pro ECU with Race harness
• BMC Racing air filter

Chassis Specs

• Front Forks: Ohlins FGK pressurized internals
• Brembo Mono-Block 4-Piston Calipers
• 310mm Brembo Front Brake Rotors
• Braided stainless steel brake lines
• Yoshimura Triple Clamp, Offset / Caster assembly
• Ohlins Steering Damper
• Sharkskinz Fiberglass Cowling
• Zero Gravity wind screen
• JB Power Forged Magnesium wheels
• Front 17 x 3.50
• Rear 17 x 6.00
• Ohlins TTX Shock
• RK Chain, 520 racing chain
• AFAM Sprocket
• Galfer Rear Wave rotor
• Motec ADL 2 Data logger / GPS, and Harness

19th - 21st March Hatyai Trip

Went on a short getaway to Hatyai, Thailand during the March holidays. Surprisingly able to catch a good ride up for most part of the journey. Nice and dry.

Below are some highlights of the pictures taken.

Kids Stunting?!

Oh man! Boy they start real young... Are they training for the Olympics or what?

Female Bikers - 17 out of 20 are butches?

This video seems to be presenting a really one-sided opinion on the situation in Singapore...

Slipping and Sliding and Still in control

Looking at how these riders manage to control their bikes to such high levels of precision, it's really amazing! It takes an extra high level of skill and feel for the bike and not to mention a real big pair of balls.. 2 thumbs up to them!

The WTF video

After watching the video, it just leaves a big WTF hanging in the air..

Squid on Suzuki

This guy is what you can call a joke... Enjoy...

Tribute to Dave Owens

Rider/Tuner Bio of Dave ‘DaveO’ Owen

Born: October 16, 1959 in Taunton, Massachusetts
Height: 6’ 0”
Weight: 185 lbs. in his shorts
Nickname: DaveO

Riding Accomplishments

ECTA 200 MPH club member April, 2004

ECTA All-Motor Class World Record 220.312 MPH May, 2006

2006 Super Streetbike Top Speed Challenge Unlimited All Motor Class Winner

2007 Super Streetbike Top Speed Challenge Unlimited All Motor Class Winner

Tuning Accomplishments

2005 AMA Dragbike 1000 SuperSport National Championship - Team Brock’s Performance with Rider, Rickey Gadson

2006 AMA Dragbike 1000 SuperSport National Championship - Team Brock’s Performance with Rider, Vince Woska, Jr.

Worlds Fastest All Motor/Non-streamline bike owner and tuner at 222.123 MPH - Team Brock’s Performance with Rider, Rick Stetson

Most important lifetime accomplishment as tuner OR a rider?

DaveO: "Definitely removing the bodywork from my Busa so that my son Josh could set an official naked bike record and be admitted into Maxton’s 200 MPH club. Josh did a great job. You know that holding onto a bike at 200 MPH is hard enough, especially at 19 years old, but to do it without a fairing is really tough. I literally couldn’t hold back the tears, I was so proud of him."



DAVE OWEN 214.7 MPH PASS at MAXTON



_________________________________________________________________

Though he's someone I know over the Internet, his knowledge and expertise and the willingness to help is second to none. He's sort of the icon of engine tuning in the busa community. Sadly, he passed away during a topspeed run in Maxton. The news came as a shock to me somehow. Words can't really describe. RIP DaveO.

I believe I can fly!

2006 Isle of Man TT. 100 plus mph, 2 wheels off the ground. If you think you ride hard, think again.

Fuel Cell Motorcycle

Ask Neil Saiki why he designed an all-electric motocross motorcycle and he'll tell you EVs are the future, dirt riders must be more environmentally responsible and the sport faces a shaky future because dirt bikes are so loud they'll make your ears ring. That's all true, but push him a little and he'll confess the truth.

"I love to ride. That's the real reason I did it," he told us with a laugh. "I wanted to make a product that's crazy fast and fun to ride."

The Zero X from Zero Motorcycles is an EV you can actually buy right now for $7,450, and it's a real motorcycle. It weighs a bantamweight 140 pounds with the lithium-ion battery, and with a 23-horsepower motor it'll hit 57 mph and leave a fat streak of rubber on the pavement getting there.

Saiki says the street version coming next year will be even quicker.

Saiki started developing the Zero X five years ago after participating in a NASA round table analyzing transportation technology. He became convinced electric drivetrains are the best way forward and motorcycles the logical place to develop them. They're smaller and less complex than cars, and the regulatory hurdles to getting them on the road aren't as high.

Off-road bikes lend themselves to electric power because they're typically ridden short distances, so range isn't that big an issue. Electric motors also provide gobs or torque, a big plus in motocross riding. The Zero X produces power instantaneously, and it'll catch you off guard because the bike is all but silent. Snap the throttle too hard and you'll lift the front wheel. "The throttle is like a light switch," Saiki says. "It's on or it's off."

A low-speed mode limits the bike to about 30 mph and is good for tooling around. Switch to high-speed mode and you get unfettered acceleration to about 57 mph. The Zero X will hit 30 mph in under two seconds and 57 in about twice that. Juice comes from a proprietary li-ion battery that weighs 40 pounds and provides about two hours of riding time. It recharges in about two hours using any household socket, and you can get a spare for $2,950.

The Zero X has hydraulic disc brakes and fully adjustable suspension with about 8 inches of travel. It looks a bit like a big mountain bike, which isn't a coincidence. Saiki, who holds a degree in aerospace engineering, has designed bicycles for Santa Cruz, Haro and Mountain Cycles.

He worked through seven prototypes and designed most of the 300 or so components himself. The bikes are built in a factory near Santa Cruz, and Saiki hopes to turn out 300 a month by next summer. He's sold 127 since April (Google's Larry Page bought three) and has a waiting list of 77 people, including two guys who signed up after seeing the bike outside our office.

Saiki says about 75 percent of buyers are seasoned motocross riders, which speaks to the bike's dirt cred. Saiki had motocross hall-of-famer Jeff Emig flog a prototype at a track in Las Vegas last year, and Emig says it's the real deal. "I'm expecting the production version to have a huge impact on the motor sports industry," he says. We probably won't see James Stewart or Ryan Villopoto racing them anytime soon (although Saiki says the AMA is interested in racing e-bikes) but the guys at Dirt Rider (.pdf) called an early prototype of the Zero X "the inevitable sound of the future of off-road motorcycle riding."

As for Zero Motorcycle's future, it includes a street version good for 70 mph and a range of 60 miles. Look for it in January with a sticker price of $9,000.

Source: Wired.com

Track Practice Session on 6th June

Supposed to meet Weiqiang for a session at PG. His bike ran out of fuel and couldn't make it for the 1st session. By the time he reached, I'm done for the session and was resting in the pit area. However his bike was plagued with some fueling issue and his session ended after 2 laps.

On a lighter note, Richter was there as the track photographer. Here's some pics he took.


Down the back straight. "Hmm.. the long road ahead..."





The following are the tyres after 2 sessions on track with slightly over 1ooo km of mileage on it..


Rear tyre

Determination

Where there's a will there's a way. How far do we actual stick to chasing our dreams and interests? Many of us just seem to fall short of what this guy is capable of, where it comes to pursuing our dreams. The main limitations always lies within ourselves.

Interesting Stunt

Kossan.se

Land Speed Record Attempt with VR2 (FL Racing Team)

Racer Susan Robertson used a VR2 with the SportVue Heads Up Display option while chasing speed records in the Utah desert earlier this month. The famous “Speed Week" took place at the Bonneville Salt Flats as Robertson attempted to surpass 215 mph on the Makita-Suzuki Hayabusa fielded by the FL Racing Team.

Robertson got two runs in, clocking 178 mph while using the VR2 and HUD, before the course was hit by torrential rains and wind. A team from National Geographic taped the whole thing - including a portable toilet going 30 miles an hour across the Flats! The effort was scrapped by the storm – and torrential rains cancelled the World Finals in October. Team owner Rod Falkner says the team’s on track to make another attempt in 2006.

Robertson was the first woman ever to go over 200 mph on a conventional motorcycle, last month at the El Mirage desert course. Her motorcycle and helmet are equipped with a Veypor VR2 with SportVue HUD. For more product and purchase information check out the product section.

Saw this on veypor.com. Quite interesting that this product was actually used in such a reputable event. Speaks quite a lot about the quality of the product. Interesting.

Check out the HUD on the helmet.

Bike Geometry

Every enthusiastic biker will at one point or another come across terms such as rake, trail and wheelbase.

These terms are used to describe the geometry of the bike, varying one or the other can dramatically affect the handling of the bike.

First we need to know what the terms actually refer to.

Wheelbase

This is the distance between the two points of contact with the ground by the bike (i.e. the tyres). Wheelbase affects the longitundal stability of the bike. Effectively a bike with shorter wheelbase has a tendency to wheelie or stoppie (given the weight of the rider remains constant).

Rake angle

This is angle measured from the the axis perpendicular to the ground to the steering axis ending at the centre of the wheel.

Trail

This is the angle measured from the contact of the wheel to the ground to the steering axis.

The following part is taken from an article by James R. Davis

We will look at two things that result from the fact that your front forks
are not pointing straight down - that is, there is a rake angle to those forks:
how counter-steering is initiated and how weave and wobble are diminished.

The diagram above represents your front tire pointing to the left. The
diagonal dashed line represents your steering stem as if it were extended to the
ground. Please note how this defines ground trail. (The diagram exaggerates how
far forward of the contact patch the steering axis point is for clarity.)

When you turn the handlebar you are attempting to turn the tire about the
steering axis at ground level, not about the contact patch. For example, if you
turn the handlebar to the right you are trying to get the tire to turn as shown
above. However, as the contact patch is touching the ground and the axis is not,
the contact patch CANNOT simply slide off to the left as shown. Instead, the
body of the motorcycle moves in that direction via force at the triple-tree. You
have, in effect, steered the front tire out from under the bike by steering the
bike away from the tire. [At a dead stop turn your handlebars all the way to the
right and observe how the top of the bike has moved to the right.]

As a result, gravity now tries to pull the bike down towards the left and
that drags the front wheel with it and our travel direction has begun moving to
the LEFT. (For the purists out there this is not arguing that gyroscopic
precession didn't play a part - only that because there is a rake angle
counter-steering would work even without gyroscopic precession.) [Note that
because of the huge difference in mass between the relatively light front-end
and the rest of the bike, when traveling at less than about 6 MPH you actually
CAN make a significant turn of the handlebars and there is not enough
centrifugal force to push the top of the bike away from the direction you are
pointing to. Instead, the bike falls INTO the turn at these slow speeds and THAT
is why counter-steering does not work at such slow speeds.]

Wobble and weave are diminished because when the wheel is pointing at an
angle other than straight ahead the contact patch is not in alignment with the
direction of travel of the bike - that is, a slip angle is created. A restoring
force is applied to the contact patch by the ground which attempts to force that
alignment. Thus, because of trail, the front wheel tries to go in a straight
line. [This restoring force, sometimes called a 'righting moment' or 'castor
effect', is a function of the length of trail. The longer the trail, the
stronger it is. It is also a function of traction. The higher the traction, the
stronger it is. Thus, braking increases the restoring force. This is primarily
what 'dumps' a bike when the front brake is applied during a slow speed
turn.]