My KLR has a new stable mate. The SYM VTS 200

My KLR has a new stable mate. The SYM VTS 200. It is a scooter, a big one. 175 cc that can launch 2 averaged sized human to 100 km/h effortlessly. with a few tweaks here and there, some say that it can reach up to 140km/h. i was looking for my wife a bike that she can ride comfortably and she can follow me in long distance journey and adventures down the b-roads of Malaysia. We were thinking of getting an Aprilia Mana 850..... but that would be too much for a beginners bike. We opted for a scooter instead as we had one and it was fun to ride it. I had a Modenas Elegan and buy was it hard to kill it. Due to the lack of maintenance that I myself has deliberately forgot and the long hauls of going to and fro to work with an estimation of 50 KM per dah . i managed to wreck it by going oil dry for amonth before the piston jammed up, later to find out that you need to use an original piston with ceramic coating and not one of those aftermarket ones which lasted only 6 months before it jammed up again . so thats 2 piston heads and 2 overhauls. Scooter as it is named, is a very functional bike . more of a Start and Go bike , especially great when running errands as it has storage space under the seat which comfortable fits a helmet, rain coat and some extra space for takeaways. As it is, it can fit in a 10 kg sack of rice. So we got the VTS 200 assembled by M-force bikes in Kedah. The maker of the bike is SYM, a Korean Based company that ships their product all over the word. Their Sister company, KYMCO is also in the scooter business and is well known all over the world. The Bike was smashing as i picked it up. Came home and my wife rode it a few times just to get familiarize with it. She was quite good at it, if only there was no traffic at all on the road. I do not blame her, the traffic here is scary. Cars whizzes pass you in break neck speed. As if motorbikes do not exist in their vision. So the limit of bike riding for her will only be around a 5KM radius from our home. We joined a bikers group called the SYM Owner Club and we had our first Free ride. So i was the pilot, riding 2 up with my wife. Started from Empangan Batu and ending up in Kuala Selangor taking the long way around. Route details, E.Batu> Kuala Kubu Bharu> Tanjung Malim> Sg Besar> Down to Kuala Selangor. The Ride was Epic as we were closed of by a fast rising flood, cutting us off in the frond and the back of us. This was in Sg Besar where the river water had swelled up due to the rain up river. So there was no turning back as the road behind us was no longer there, there was only water and it was rising fast. At a rate of 1 inch per minute, our group decides to carry on . We reached a standstill traffic where the cars and the lorries had no where else to go, The water has reached more than 1 feet of water and the wattery path was almost 200 m . It could be deeper in the middle, but we would not know. Our brave Marshall, Iezzad was a gung Ho person and passed to safety. Others was reluctant to go. Time was not on our side as the water from the back was coming in fat and our frond road slowly sinks. A car decides to trudge on . Without any thinking and some wise but panic words from my wife ( She has a good point, to ride closely behind the car as the car splits the water). I quickly shouted to the others that im going through while my wife behind explained to them why we need to do this. Off we go with 7 other bikes behind us trailing our lead. Thanks to the cars wake, the water level was just below our exhaust and intake system, Lets just hope the car in from up us does not stall. Alas, we made it and the excitement from the other members was so over whelming that we took a 5 min stop just to admire the adventure that we had passed as we looked behind us a grand river with its blackish water and a lorry that is now stuck as the water had reached almost a meter deep since we passed. Now that's a quick thinking. Damn, I had the scooter for a week and i had a damn good experience and adventure with it. I had my KLR for a year now and still no adventure. Well. KLR time will come. Overall, I think my scooter and the KLR is now in the same rank and has earned its place next to it.

River Crossing by School of Hard Knocks

Lets recap the last post, so i have nearly mastered the art of river crossing only to be certified true and tested when i least expect (ego) that things might go wrong. The last 9 crossings were very good, one of the crossing did not go well.

As confidently as i might say, the KLR can swim. I knocked one of the boulders underwater and my front tyres slipped to the right , only to get me off balance and was holding up the bikes weight with my right foot. the sand gave way to my footing and i had no choice but to down the bike in the middle of the river, which is about 2 feet of water. Slowly letting the bike slump to its side and cutting off the engine with the kill switch. Note that the Exhaust, air filter and the T-Mod bypass was all on my right side of the bike.I don't want the engine to be gulping water so turning off the engine would be the best way to do it.

i watched the bike for a quick second before picking it up, letting all the water drip down before starting up the bike... voila!!... the engine started with water spurting out from the exhaust for a few second and it was purring like a kitten and rode it across up to the other side of the river.
I let it run for a whole 5 minutes, praying that the engine will not stall. It didn't.

I don't know if i want to be proud or panic or stupid, but the fact that i just galoshed my bike in the river seems pretty normal. The bike can take it and i have seen many KLR cross deeper rivers than this. Apparently, the engine can be submerged and run under water for about 5 seconds before gulping water as the air box has a chamber big enough for this. I wouldn't want to experiment that on my bike.

Basic maintenance on the bike is needed.= after a river crossing.
Few pointer i got if there was such a case where you have to cross a river.
1. remember the lube spray?.. you will be needing to spray on the chains, bolts , nuts, carburetor, electrical stuff, sensors.
2. after letting the bike sit upright to drain all the water out, check the hoses that runs throughout the engine especially the T-Mod hoses.
3. Make sure that you open up the airbox and let the air filter dry fully. Keep on spraying parts where you can see water droplets on the engine.
4. Check spark plug well for water. Do not open up the spark plug as water will seep in to the engine block. Let it dry fully. Use a dry cloth to dry it up.
5. start back the engine and let the engines tempreture boil of the water. Caution, steam may develop and its hot.
6. Remove the 4 bolts located underneath the exhaust, and start engine, debris and water will flow out it he 4 holes. Careful as exhaust temp is very hot. You will need effort to remove those bolts, make sure the bike is warmed up first.
7. Get your local mechanic's number handy.
8. An unorthodox method is to turn the bike upside down and let it stay there for a few hours to drain. This has been done by one of the KLR world forumer.
9. Dont belive everything you hear or read in the internet. Some are good and some are just downright nasty. Saying this, i will have a disclaimer claiming that i will not be responsible if anything goes wrong to your bike or to yourself as it is just my suggestions based on experience and experience alone.