Picking up the Versys 650

So here it is; the first of my driving videos from my recent trip. As usual, I have the HD versions, but this is just 426x240 to keep it nice for those out there not wanting to break the telco plan.

This video starts on the highway heading away from the Batu Caves with Mig from Ride Adventure Kuala Lumpur in front. At about the 40 second mark, we start to enter one of the toll bypass lanes to the left of most of the toll booths. I manage to get past the old man on an outside pass at the 50 second mark.

I love these bypass lanes! Two things: no (rare) tolls and (mostly) at speed transit lanes for motorcycles. Unlike Australia the number of bikes on the road requires "special treatment" at flow and choke points.

The turn off to Pusat Bandaraya happens around 1:45, clearly signed (it helps if you know where you are going). As we pass under a bridge and I am in a right hand turning lane going forward, at around 2:40 Mig gives me a warning of some speed bumps ahead. After the first speed bump, we take the bikes along the white line from about 3 minutes with my personal favourite at about 3:40 when I squeeze past a white van and an oncoming white car. This is real Malaysian driving and it was what I was loving.

Mig and I have an obligatory chat at the lights around the 3:50 mark. He is making sure I am OK as I am still getting used to the clutch and the power of this bike. I am making mistakes in gearing up and down with respect to the road, but it is all just me getting used to it and the weight distribution was different. Accelerated like a snap even at high ends. Breaks seemed a little spongy. Nothing serious.

At the 4:50 mark, we take the bikes up the left side at a set of lights and you can see the general filtering culture. At about the 6 minute mark, we approach a right hand turn at the lights up the outermost left shoulder to get to the front of the pack. Using the indicator and following the white line on the outside, the only thing you need to worry about is how many have done this before you. 

As you can see, this is not unusual and we take off at the head of the traffic when the lights change with a handful of other bikes ahead of the bulk traffic.

You have the first glimpse of the Petronas Towers in the top left of the image at around 6:25. This video also shows the terrible smoke from the Indonesian fires. At the 6:40 mark, I take a look at the towers and glance for the sun. This is good around 7:40. 

We pass under the red banner announcing entry into the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre region of KL at around the 8:45 time stamp. The traffic here seems subdued. At 9:10 we round the final corner and come onto the home stretch as the Grand Hyatt appears gradually from the smoke. I love watching that building just come out of the smoke but it does show again the amount of smoke. At 9:45, Mig shows me the traditional motorcycle parking method at the Impiana Hotel in Malaysia and I dismount at the 10:20 mark. 

This clip provides a good introduction to some of the quirks of driving in Malaysia.

Hiring a motorcycle in New Caledonia

On one of my trips in 2013, I happened to be headed through New Caledonia and had my international drivers license. I arranged before I arrived to hire a motorcycle for a few days to tour the island. I went straight from the La Tontouta International Airport to Noumea Rider by taxi, watching the traffic and road rules carefully on my way.

The first and most obvious thing to note is that New Caledonia drive on the wrong side of the road (at least compared to Australia) and this sure made things interesting a few times on my trip. I specifically recall an instant of driving around a round about and completely missing the exit twice because (to my eyes), there were oncoming cars on it. It then dawned on me, that I was trying to exit on the wrong side of the road. Once this adjustment was made, things went much smoother.

Noumea Rider is down a little one way lane and up a long driveway on the right. But once you get there, you are in the right place to hire a motorcycle in New Caledonia. The Dude there is a big jovial chap. He and his wife are motorcycle enthusiasts with a shop full of interesting bikes (including a Spider) and paraphernalia. If you didn't bring something, they have it all there for you.

Noumea Rider and Triumph Tiger 800

I had wanted to drive a BMW, like my own GS650, but the only BMW bikes there were huge. I had difficulty with my legs reaching the ground and although I probably could have done it, I decided it was best to have more leg control in a strange country. I didn't want to save myself from doing something stupid only to drop the bike when I needed to stop suddenly. I also didn't know what the roads were like outside Noumea and I felt I needed the ability to use my legs if the road became a little rough. As it happened, this was a smart move. In light of this, I decided the new Triumph Tiger 800 would be better suited to me.

I paid my deposit, plus a per day rate and any additional kms over a cap that was negotiated due to the length I was hiring (about four days). We both checked the bike to make sure there was no damage, but the bike was like new and had low kms on the clock. I had brought my own helmet, gloves, boots and jacket, but if you needed anything, you can get it all there.

Putting my feet up at one of the small bays

The roads are not in good shape, but most of them are covered. Some of the dirt roads are tidal, so be wary of the tide times before you try your luck. These roads are often troublesome as the creeks flow across the dirt (mud) roads and you can come across them around sharp corners. You can usually tell you are approaching as the ground becomes wet and the 4WD tracks are deep.

Dirty boot - a sign of good times

The people are very friendly although I was warned off a specific area of the island by the Gendarme (police). They told me it was violent and not safe for white guys. I initially took their advice, but then chose to ignore it, as this is specifically why I go on these trips - to see the places others do not. Again, I had no problems. Sure, it was a bit rough and you could see the poverty clearly, but the people were very friendly and I shared meals with them, speaking in my limited French and their limited English.

There is no reason why you could not cover the entire island in four days, but take a week to make it leisurely, so you can enjoy some of the magnificent sites. There is a point in the northern part of the island where you can clearly see both sides of the island and it is quite a site. Be warned, though, it is an expensive location and although the place is beautiful, you pay for the luxuries. The bike hire, however, was at good rates.

Leaving Melaka for KL

I didn't get to fully explore Melaka, even this time. I also found myself going around the place repeatedly, especially through the old Indian and Chinese areas. I did, however, get to explore some areas that I had not been able to get to last time, for instance, Jonker's Walk.

Jonker's Walk before the markets start

Jonker's Walk as the markets grow

I parked my bike in a side-street as the markets started to form along Jonker's Walk, but when I saw them growing down side alleys, I rushed back to stop the motorcycle being locked in for the night. When I arrived at my park spot, a market stall had already grown tight around my bike. I had to ask nicely to get the tables moved so I could evacuate the bike to a spot further away from the action.

Pineapple tarts - yum!

Grazing up and down the market stalls, I managed to find a traditional delicacy of the area - pineapple tarts. I love these things, but they can be a little dry, so make sure you have a drink when you gobble through a dozen or so. Don't be discouraged if they tell you they are sold out at the first place you look; there are plenty of stores that stock them. Also make sure you try the chicken rice balls.

There were also guys posing still as statues in various coloured glitter. Some were gold, others silver, others in purple or blue. This is not the same as the body builder statue, but I doubt you would ever get them mixed up.

Gold Glitter Man

Finally after several days in Melaka, we had to depart for Kuala Lumpur. There is still enough for me to return to explore more and I want to check on the status of Pulau Melaka. The trip back was almost completely without GPS and we stopped at a rest stop for a drink, but my partner decided the food looked good enough to eat even though she was not hungry. I just drank three juices and a bottle of water to replace the sweat I had expended. Still no rain, but still lots of smoke.

Departure from the Ramada Plaza Melaka hotel

Floating Mosque and Kahaani Melaka

We made it to Melaka after about 3 hours drive, including stops to stretch legs, drink and check the GPS.

The Kahaani Melaka

We had booked a night at a wonderful looking place called the Kahaani Melaka in Ayer Keroh about half an hour out of the town of Melaka. This incredible location was once the home of the Malacca State Governor. If we had realised how amazing the place was, we would have tried to stay longer. We didn't even know it had a pool until the following morning when we were taking breakfast.

The pool

The staircase up to the room

Once we had checked in, we were back on the bike to head into the Melaka town itself, about half an hour away. I found I even remembered most of the way without the GPS.

Floating Mosque at night

I first discovered the Masjid Selat Melaka in 2013 when I was marooned in Melaka for a few days. Off in the distance was an amazing tower (the minaret) but I could not get to it until I replaced the battery in my motorcycle. It certainly was in better condition back then and now the paint is flaking on the outside and it looks as if it might have been the target of vandalism since.

The rear of the mosque

The "Floating" mosque is built on the artificial island of Pulau Melaka on stilts over the sea of Melaka and opened in November 2006. When the water is high, it looks as if the mosque is floating on the water. The mosque mixes cultural building techniques with the Middle Eastern central dome and the four Malaysian turrets around the perimetre.

On sunset

I noticed when I first visited that the mosque was being surrounded by some sort of Arab City and I was hoping to see it populated and vibrant, but it seemed to just be in a more advanced state of building. I am sure when it is completed, it will be a wonderful cultural icon, but it just seems to be taking so long. I will drop back in again to see how it is going when I pass through next time.

Starting in Kuala Lumpur

With a little negotiation, I managed to secure a Kawasaki Versys 650 through Mig from Ride Adventure - Kuala Lumpur. The negotiation was more about the mechanics of how we were going to do it. Mig gave me a call to let me know he would pick me up at 1500. I got my kit ready.

Basic riding gear

I had to leave my wife to enjoy her Swasana day spa at Impiana Hotel to go and talk motorcycles with the guys - it's hard, I know. The smoke in Kuala Lumpur had closed schools for consecutive days and it was very heavy. I could feel the dryness in my throat and the redness in my eyes.

Kuala Lumpur Tower (and smoke)

Petronas Towers (and smoke)

Mig drove me to the back of Batu Caves to take copies of my International Drivers License, my Australian Drivers License, and my passport. Then I signed a copy of the rental agreement outlining the basic rules and liabilities, acknowledging that motorcycling held inherent risks. Finally, I was introduced to the motorcycle. I checked the indicators and break lights, and the bike was in reasonably good condition (although it was clear someone had previously dropped it - I had no intention of contributing). Compared to many of the bikes in Malaysia it is large at 650cc.

Leading me back to the hotel, Mig set off through the Kuala Lumpur traffic and I quickly remembered the key aspects of driving a motorcycle in Malaysia. These include:

• Watching in your mirrors for cars that assume you will get out of their way.
• Riding on the white line between lanes or on footpaths is perfectly normal.
• Horns are often used to let someone know you are there rather than to warn prior to abuse.
• Cars expect you to filter through lanes and are often annoyed if you don't.
• Lane markers and road signs seem optional.

I don't necessarily follow these unwritten rules of the road in Malaysia, but I do try to drive safely for all road users, especially myself and try in all instances to follow the road rules and signs.

Packed and ready to go

The following day we left for Melaka. I managed to get us out of Kuala Lumpur and headed to Melaka without the use of my GPS, something I feel proud of. I certainly needed it later on arriving in Ayer Keroh and navigating Melaka.

Back in Malaysia - 2015

A few years ago, I brought my own bike into Malaysia via Singapore to do some driving around this beautiful and friendly country. Since then, I met my wife from the Philippines and we got married in her country, but that marriage is not recognised in Australia, so we are jumping through the visa hurdles. Recently, we found out she is pregnant, which is wonderful news, but has complicated some of those visa hurdles.

Last week, we got notified that a decision on her Prospective Marriage Visa was about to be made and she would need to leave the country immediately (if not, sooner) before that decision could be made. I have a full time job, and my poor wife is suffering through mid-term pregnancy, so she can feel very ill and have bad headaches, and sometimes be very vague and say and do strange things. It is not just her, many women during pregnancy have these types of symptoms.

As this would be the last time (for a while) we would both get to do a motorcycle tour, and she had always wanted to see Peninsular Malaysia, we thought it might be fun to hire a motorcycle in Singapore or Malaysia and do some sight-seeing.

Easier said than done!

Firstly, a big shout out to the friendly and professional chaps at Big Loud Rides in Singapore. When I contacted them, they came back immediately with a good price on a very nice Harley Davidson. If this is your thing, then you should really give them a go and have a chat. I am not really into Harley's - they are heavy bikes and I am a small guy. The bike they offered me was more than double the wet weight of my BMW GS 650, and that scared the hell out of me with a pregnant wife on the back. But if you are into Harley's and want someone who is really knowledgeable about the area, routes, and challenges, then I highly recommend them.

Also, in planning the trip, the cheapest flights were to Kuala Lumpur, so we took them. Strangely, the flights to KL via Singapore were cheaper than the flights to Singapore. I wasn't sure if I bailed at the Singapore stop over, if I would be branded a terrorist, so we decided the best plan was to follow the plan.

I found out that the MotoGP is being held at Sepang International Circuit the weekend we were going to be in Malaysia. I spoke to a few friends about rental options in Malaysia. These were the options I was given:

1. Ride Adventure- Kuala Lumpur
2. Ride Malaysia
3. KL EZ Harley Davidson Bikes

When I got into contact with KL EZ and Ride Malaysia, they came back within 24 hours to let me know they had all their fleet booked out due to the MotoGP. This was quite understandable... and how I found out the MotoGP was on.

I know, I know... I am an avid motorcyclist and I didn't realise it was on. I didn't even realise it was on in Australia! I am more of a solo motorcyclist. I ride by myself, not in groups. I don't care about the new bikes racing, or who won, or what models performed well. I ride for the experience and the exploration and the fun. But I also understand that a lot of people DO care, so I got a little worried that I might have to resort to public transport.

From a personal perspective, I don't like public transport in foreign countries. I don't like trains; I don't like buses; I don't like taxis; I don't like rickshaws, tricycles, or jeepneys. I am sure my readers will understand. I like motorcycles - preferably my own. It's like other peoples kids. No they are not cute and they are not adorable... but my own are.

Using Facebook, I spoke to a chap called Mig from Ride Adventure - Kuala Lumpur and he told me immediately that his fleet was fully booked in this time period, but that he might be able to figure something out. He has offered me about half a dozen bikes that didn't quite meet my requirements. Most were bigger bikes than I wanted (FJR 1300); others were without any panier supports (FZ1, KTM 850SM), so I would have to choose the backpack or the wife and I am probably going to get in trouble for even suggesting that was a choice.

So, here I sit, in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, waiting on a call back from Mig about access to a Versys 650. It has a rear top case, but I have asked for the case to be removed so I can use the strut for the backpack. These guys are all very busy organising for the MotoGP this weekend, so I understand I am a little fish in a big f#@%ing pond.

More to come.

This is my first post in a while, and I apologise for that. I have heaps of posts drafted but none posted. If you want more, hit me up in the comments.

Exiting Malaysia and Entering Singapore

I started out from Johor Bahru after a good breakfast for Singapore at about 9.30am with a plan to get to RAM Racing Engineering for crating the bike by about 1pm. I literally only had to travel less than 40 kms, with an estimated drive time of around 45 minutes, but this failed to take into account any potential stops due to the carnet and the Australian motorcycle. I knew it would not take 45 minutes, but I didn't expect it to take as long as it did.

Buddhist temple

I chose to head across the Johor Bahru - Woodlands checkpoint and the Causeway, which is the primary surface transport transit point between Singapore and Malaysia. The previous day, I had undertaken a bus trip across and back to sort my insurance and driving permit with the Automobile Association of Singapore, which took me about three hours, including using the MRT and busses to get myself around.

Finding the correct lanes at the checkpoint out of Malaysia ended up being relatively easy with the icons for trucks, cars and motorcycles. The difference of lane size was also a giveaway. Approaching the causeway, I took the closest window to stamp my passport and asked where the customs place was to get the carnet stamped. Although this took about an hour, the chap in charge simply accepted I knew what I was doing and agreed to follow my instructions, even though he claimed he had never seen anything like it. He even offered me a chocolate while I waited.

Once stopped, I found it difficult to get myself back out into the motorcycle traffic passing through the checkpoint and I would be wary of wider bikes or bikes that were lower to the ground. I scraped the base of my BMW GS650 on the large speed bumps on my way out. At about 11.30am, I joined the other motorcyclists in a steady stream across the bridge.

The trip across the causeway only took about five minutes, crossing the Johor Strait. It is certainly nowhere near as pretty as the Tuas-Johor checkpoint crossing, which is a graceful bridge and took quite some time to cross. At first there were motorcycle only lanes on the far left of the road, but about half way these lanes merge into the common traffic. Or I should say, the common traffic lanes merge into the motorcycle lane. A short distance later, the motorcycle lane starts again on entry into the Woodlands Checkpoint.

Singapore's bay

Here, I found complete madness when I expected Singapore authorities to be far more organised and less officious. How wrong I was!

It started with my autopass card failing at the immigration point, which caused no end of grief. Then I found out I needed to fill out a card on entry because I was not Malaysian. I should have remembered this because exactly the same thing happened to me the previous day when I entered on foot.

Meanwhile, a steadily growing irate line of Malaysian and Singaporean motorcyclists were patiently waiting for me to move on as I had effectively blocked the first bay. As the line grew, I started to block all the bays and no one could move. That is when they started to yell at me from behind and I cannot blame them. I would probably have yelled at the stupid foreigner who had caused such trouble.

Once all my cards had been completed and I had it explained to me where I needed to go to find an official to correct my autopass card failure, the chap who was talking to me was replaced by another guy who needed a brief on what I was doing. This took another fifteen minutes as handover took place and computer logins were re-established. The line behind me grew angry.

Finally, I had a green light to go and I put my helmet back on. I turned to the guys behind me to apologise for the delay, but they yelled at me, "Just go!". I checked my watch - nearly 1pm.

Then I had to stop at customs to declare the bike and sort out the Carnet. After all this time and effort, the sweat dripping off me and sure I had lost a few kilos in the heat of the transit across the causeway, a Singaporean customs officer escorted me into a very well air conditioned office where a rough gentleman knew exactly what a carnet was and finalised it within a few minutes. The other fellows who were being detained were nowhere near as friendly and it dawned on me that some of these guys might have legitimate reasons to have been detained by Singapore Customs.

Singapore's bay

I spent half an hour sorting my autopass card out with various phone calls to relevant authorities to confirm my identity and I was glad I had done everything legitimately. Finally, I was cautioned about driving on the expressway without an In-Vehicle Unit (IVU) because I would be charged significantly if I passed a charge boom.

Waved out of the customs bay my bike had been parked in, the road to RAM Racing Engineering stood only 100 meters beyond a green light and a dozen cars. Approached by one Singaporean police officer, he asked me if I had been seen by Singaporean Customs, which I answered in the positive. I felt relieved that English was common here.

The 100 meters became 50 meters and suddenly, surrounding me, were a dozen Singaporean police, waving me into a car sized garage at the right of the exit road. They asked me to disembark and turn the bike off, which I obeyed. A garage door closed behind me with a clang. They quizzed me on where I had come from and my destination.  Then we walked around the bike as interrogated me about what each section held. After writing all my responses down, they demanded I open all my panniers, and bags, undo my tarpaulin covered backpack and pull all my gear out onto the floor of the garage, filthy clothes and all.

Satisfied I had no contraband, they lightened up and started making jokes as I packed it all back up. I didn't feel particularly friendly after being violated in such a manner, but at least I didn't get a rubber glove and I was under no illusion they could have requested a cavity search if they had a reason. The elderly gentleman in charge, interested in the bike, asked me what speed I had got it up to in Malaysia. My response, "I did not exceed the speed limit" raised some eyebrows and even got some laughs. They wished me all the best on my trip and opened the garage door, stopping the traffic to give me clear passage out to the green light and the freedom of Singapore.

My GPS gave me directions along the freeway and although I had been warned of the cost I might incur if I were to travel down the freeway without appropriate vehicle mounted systems, I chose to take the risk. I was fairly sure, given it was now after 2pm, that I would not be going under any of the operational gangways. It took about another thirty minutes to make the haven of RAM Racing Engineering, where I was welcomed and given food and drink and wonderful company.

I had finally made it to Singapore. The 45 minute trip had taken me about five hours and I felt wrecked.

Driving videos - Singapore (Part One)

Introduction

I took with me a small Contour Roam that mounted to my motorcycle helmet. It came with two mounts, but I only even attached one to my helmet. I assumed that at some point I would probably have to replace my helmet and then I would use the second mount, but it never came to that. As a result, all of the shots are in portrait when they would probably have been much better in landscape.

Regardless, this footage is really valuable for people wanting to drive through some of the areas I have driven through. The GPS is good, don't get me wrong, but there is no Google Street View in many of these areas (although Singapore had a lot), which I use extensively in Australia when I am navigating to a new location to get an idea of what the roads are like and what sort of landmarks or road markings I should be looking out for.

I also didn't realise the size of these clips initially, both in terms of time and bytes (or should I say Gigabytes). There were times driving where twenty minutes could pass without me turning the camera off and there were certainly times when I forgot to turn it off. Finally, they are raw footage, and if you don't like them, bad luck, as they are great memories for me.

First recorded drive in Singapore

My first drive in Singapore from RAM Racing Engineering to my hotel undertaken in the dark did not have any video associated, and lucky, because not only did I go to the wrong location, I also got myself lost and drove around in a circle. Glad I had my wits about me, I noticed I had been there before, and pulled over to check the maps that RAM had printed off for me. I am so glad they did. I found the point where I turned left instead of right and just stepped through them again.

This video is the first time I drove in Singapore with the Contour Roam on and it is about 25 minutes of footage. I have left the audio as recorded. Although I am not a great speaker and I sometimes stop when I need to concentrate, it is my first footage of what it is like to drive in Singapore during the day. Some of my commentary helps to show my own thought process and might assist in both placing it geographically and pointing things out. It might also be funny to hear my brain disengage from my mouth at times, if you have never heard that (some of my friends might say this is a regular occurrence, but I beg to ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long).

This video sees me drive past the Automobile Association of Singapore headquarters on River Valley Drive (and the lovely Rosie Chan who has really helped me out with all the paperwork in getting the insurance and carnet sorted out to drive in Singapore). It also shows the relatively tame Singapore traffic, but watch out for those taxis, and the Chinese New Year set up, like the big red dragon along New Bridge Road/Eu Tong Sen Street. I find out talking in the wind does not work on this first trial.

I especially like the attempts to turn right and then left into a one-way street. This happens a few times in the early days of driving in Singapore because I have been walking down the streets and failed to really notice the traffic is only one-way. After a lot of round town hunting, I finally get to my hostel and if you watch up at minute 23 or 24, I actually forget how large the panniers are and get stuck on two concrete poles just before parking. Worth it for the laugh.

Chinese New Year

It didn't take me very long to get the itch to ride around Singapore, which is not that big. Even then, I did not stray too far as I was still getting my feet (or wheels) around both the new bike and the new country. I have a process for learning my way around places and it works on foot as well as with the bike. I go around the block a few times and get my bearings, then I extend the block to two blocks, then three. If I have a map, I head off in a direction for twice the time I have taken to explore around three blocks, then try to find my way back, using landmarks and skyline to navigate.

This is what I did on the first day of Chinese New Year, but several streets had been blocked off for the celebrations and I didn't really count on how many one-way streets or how few u-turns were available. This meant that if I tried to duck down a side street to turn around, I found it was one-way (for better or worse).

I had been parking my motorcycle in a paid parking location directly opposite my hostel (Beary Best) on Upper Cross Street. I had my camera on the helmet, just in case, but once I rode down the street and saw the spectacle unfold in front of me, I had to turn the camera on. This shows me initially on Upper Cross Street and approaching the corner of Upper Cross and New Bridge Road/Eu Tong Sen Street. From what I could gather (and I could be wrong) New Bridge is one side of the street, and Eu Tong Sen is the other side. This stumped for some time and I am still unsure if it is correct. It seems that the locals consider this two separate carriage-ways, but for me it seemed that one side had a different name to the other side.

This clip shows South Bridge Road down to Neil Road during the high point right before the first night of Chinese New Year celebrations, past the Sri Mariamman Temple and the Buddha Tooth Relic and Museum. It also shows you how packed it can get before the celebrations and how many people are roaming around.

Gardens by the Bay

The Gardens by the Bay at Marina South were very hot and humid during the day, but once I got the bike, I could roam a bit more on my own and so, on Chinese New Year Eve, I decided to get away from the traffic around Chinatown and head across to the Gardens by the Bay to take a look at them at night.

This clip shows me heading out to Marina South Park, starting on Central Boulevard and turning into Marina Station Road, then Marina Street, Marina Place, Marina Boulevard, and finally into Marina Park and the Gardens by the Bay. The second clip, below, shows parking at the park.

Not going to Sentosa

No one told me that motorcycles aren't allowed on Sentosa. I had heard about how glorious the place is and the magnificent beaches. It also has the resorts and Universal Studios theme parks, but I was not overly interested in seeing them. I decided on the morning after the first night of Chinese New Year celebrations to head over to see for myself.

This footage shows what happens when you take the left fork in the road once you are across the bridge to Sentosa. I realised I could not skip lanes, so thought I would ride it out, not stopping and just doing a loop around to find that you have to go back across the bridge to turn around and try again. I wondered why the security were waving me through - because unauthorised motorcycles are not allowed on Sentosa Island.

This clip shows what happens if you take the right fork in the road once you are passed the bridge, but it doesn't show you much else as I was turned around quick smart. No unauthorised motorcycles are allowed on Sentosa, which is a shame because I decided from that point that I would not bother seeing the island if I couldn't do it on motorcycle. I am a responsible rider and don't see why I should be penalised because of the scooter punks. Maybe they should just ban scooters.

Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery

After being turned back from Sentosa, I travelled to the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery on the day after Chinese New Year celebrations started, not knowing this is a traditional time for Buddhists to visit the monastery. Initially, I thought there must have been an accident on the road ahead, but as I approached at a snails pace, I realised the monastery was the cause of the traffic.

Next clip, showing my ignorance, is where I realise it is a Buddhist Monastery. For some reason, I never bothered to find out before I turned up and then I seemed to be surprised that it was Buddhist.

The parking was incredible and on repeated occasions I was directed to ride on the footpath or around cars, but I was still new in Asia and not quite used to the disdain for traffic rules that all other motorcycles and scooters show. The following clip shows my travel through various parts of the monastery as directed by security.

Driving in Malaysia

My first experience driving in Malaysia was painful - driving rain, pitch darkness, limited visibility. I didn't know where I was going, my GPS was out, and I was getting dazzled by lights from incoming vehicles. I have driven in Australia around kangaroo and cattle zones, so the warnings to beware of the cattle were nothing special, but the warnings to watch for elephants really had me a little worried. I decided it must have been a joke.

I found out a little later that Johor has a significant population of elephants and they do sometimes cross the roads there, so if you see a warning about crossing elephants, take it seriously. I have no doubt an elephant would make a mess of your car, but riding a motorcycle, I'd probably have to have my body surgically removed from the elephant, even if I survived and this just doesn't sound pleasant at all.

The weather in the period I have been in Malaysia (mid to late February) has been quite wet, but reliably so. You can pretty much guarantee that mornings and early afternoons will be cloudless or a little overcast, but will not rain. There is a rain period from about 3pm through to about 7 or 8pm when it clears up and, as a friend told me (and I didn't really believe him) if it is not raining at about 9pm then the night will be clear of rain for some time. There can also be a midnight rain period that lasts until just before dawn.

The ultra-violet is severe here, like it is in Australia, but the sunlight is a little less bright, so you don't quite expect it. I have had some excellent sunburn just riding around in the mornings with normal jackets and gloves on. One day, I went for a long ride to a local beach (about 2 hours return) and on the trip out my sleeves blew out leaving an inch gap between my shirt and gloves. This resulted in a wonderful red wrist band that was sore for days. I also got a lot of sunburn on my neck due to the high UV and lack of cover on this area.

I have made a lot of use of these tubes of fabric that are placed over your head under the helmet and pulled down to cover the neck. They are also really useful for keeping dust out of your nose and mouth. This is not a big problem in Australia, but Malaysia has a lot of particulate debris on the roads from dust and dirt to grit and pulverised bits of plant and leaf. It is easy to inhale this on the road, so having a cloth over your mouth and nose will save you a lot of unsavoury experiences.

As for roads, the major highways are pretty well maintained and the speed limits are set at 110kph when you are outside a city limit and at 90kph when you are close to a city. Sometimes if the highway takes you through a city, it might drop down to 70kph (or even 50kph) when there is entering or exiting traffic.

I was told by other riders in the area as a motorcycle, I would have no problems travelling at 130 or 140kph in the 110kph zones and at first, I didn't really believe this. After being hassled by scooters sitting on my arse at 100kph in a 90kph zone and watching some of the larger bikes fly past me while I was doing 120kph in a 110kph zone, I decided to crank it up (safely). On a specific stretch from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru, I had the bike up to 140kph in a 110kph zone and a police car passed me (much faster) waving and smiling. I have been able to get the bike up to in excess of 160kph in a 110kph zone with no trouble at all and the roads are good enough to handle it. However, note that the legal limit it signed well and you take a risk exceeding that limit.

The smaller roads will not handle this speed and you would be crazy to try. Both the state of the roads and the amount of slow traffic would be prohibitive at best and deadly at worst. Many of the country roads into the jungle areas are not signposted with tight corners and you find even at 80kph (in an 80kph zone) it can be difficult negotiating these corners as they come up on you from out of nowhere with no warning. Additionally, some of these old roads have some wicked dips in them and I got airborne on one doing 60kph which had me a bit worried. There is also no way to overtake if you get stuck behind a slow moving vehicle on these roads and it is often very dangerous to try.

On the larger roads, there is a shoulder that becomes a default motorcycle lane for the scooters and smaller bikes. For most cars, they expect that all motorcycles should be in this non-lane, but the edge of the road is not a place to be doing much more than 100kph and I would consider that speed in that lane is dangerous. That section of the road is not maintained as well as the main road, and there is often debris over it, like gravel, branches, and road-kill. I started trying to stick with all the others in the left lane, but as soon as you are on a big bike and travelling faster than 100kph, it is almost suicidal to stay there. You are also in a big blind spot for many normal road scenarios.

It is also expected that you as a motorcycle will relinquish your lane to anything larger than you if it approaches at speed behind you, even if you have nowhere to go. It is expected you will pull over to the left and the vehicle will pass very close with no indicator on your right. The vehicle behind will sometimes flash lights or use their own indicators to urge you out of the way. As a courtesy, in Australia, you stay left unless overtaking, but in Malaysia even if the right lane is clear, you will need to pull to the left while in the left lane to give another vehicle space to get past you. It doesn't matter if the right lane is vacant and they could move into the right lane to get around you; you, as a motorcycle, are expected to get out of the way to anything larger behind you.

Staying to the left is also useful for the toll plaza that seem to arrive randomly as far as I can see. When I got into Malaysia from Singapore, I had to get a "Touch and Go" card for USD$34 (which I found out later was a lot more than it needed to be). This card is used at the toll points for cars, but the only toll point I have had to use it with for a motorcycle was the one when I entered Malaysia from Singapore. Every other toll point has a small motorcycle lane at the far left just large enough for a motorcycle to move through.

Some of these motorcycle toll lanes are simply a small lane right next to the car lanes with no toll gate. Others are intricate weaving lanes that move around the toll area, with motorcycle parking and different single lanes disappearing off into other directions. There were even a few that had an over and under pass area for motorcycles. I always took the direct route as I was never sure where the other routes led. The idea, though, is to keep your speed down and that is why they are designed to be quite narrow and meander around the place.

Night time riding can be quite dangerous because the roads are not well lit and their seems to be no courtesy about turning down the high beam for oncoming vehicles. I was told that there is a general courtesy to turn high beam down, but that the lights themselves are often not adjusted to focus on the road properly and many focus high, which looks like high beam glaring in your face rather than being focused on the road. Regardless, in rain this can be devastating and I have refrained from driving at night since that first night ride to Mersing.

First motorcycle glitch - battery

I had a Tiger beer over an excellent Chinese meal in Melaka which I walked to. When I got back to the hostel, I let the beer settle down and then, as I was dozing off, decided I should try to see the sights before I made my way either down to Johor Bahru or up to Kuantan the following day. As, I said, my plans have already gone shockingly, so I have no real issues in making changes on the fly. I thought I should go grab some cash and then explore, so at about 11pm I jumped on an unladen motorcycle and went off in search of a cash machine.

Things happen in threes - I forgot the lock remained on the wheel and came to a halt on it, having to roll the bike back to get it off, but luckily not doing any damage. Then when I stopped, the GPS unit fell off where I had attached it (as I had been told it would). I literally thought then about what the third thing could possibly be. The first bank I came to didn't accept my card, so I jumped on the bike to head to the next, but it failed to start. It sounded like the battery had faded.

I had been talking to a couple of taxi drivers who were interested in my trip and we had been laughing about various things when they saw the difficulty starting the bike. Immediately, they offered to push me to clutch start it, but the road surface (and their increasing age) meant there just wasn't enough speed to get it to start. It almost got there, but refused to catch. I pushed it to a location that looked relatively safe, locked it, and went back to the hotel after removing the cable for the GPS, which is not wired to the ignition and had been constantly draining the battery - something to learn. Even with the lights turned off, it failed to start.

Some major arseholes two doors down from me started laughing hysterically at about 0430, but I pulled myself out of bed and walked down to push the bike back to the hotel. I found I had pushed it into a paid parking zone and they had locked the place up with my bike still inside. Initially, I freaked out that I would have to pay an exorbitant fee to get it out, but I found a gap in the fence large enough (or small enough) for me to push the bike through without any fine. A chap on a scooter appeared next to me and offered me help, but he couldn't do anymore than I could, so I thanked him and he continued on his way.

Then went back to sleep (from about 0600 to 0730 - another REM cycle) before I was up and out trying to figure things. No one here could tell me if they stock BMW motorcycle batteries - so far all negative - and I was having some language issues. My language was fine, but no one seemed to speak it. I found a gnarled old dude in a greasy, dirty motorcycle repair shop that couldn't speak English well - he gave me two phone numbers to call, both of whom refused to help. Singapore has been a lot more helpful overall.

After searching out all the motorcycle and automotive repair shops in a 5 km radius (thanks to my GPS and some local knowledge) I decided to walk the two hours to the BMW dealer to get a specific key to unlock the chassis and allow me to get the battery out of it. I have the ignition key, but need a specific key (not an Allen/hex key) to get into the battery compartment. About an hour into the walk, I found a much larger Yamaha dealership and a large, oily repair shop behind it, but they also did not have the required keys. They told me they would be difficult to find, but to try a guy hidden in the back streets another hour away.

I used my GPS handheld to find the location. Be wary of doing this because the GPS recognises one-way streets, but when walking this is not a serious constraint. I found myself walking the long way until I realised and then was able to cut through a shorter route to find the place. No one spoke any English, so I showed him the photos of the section I needed to unlock and he rummaged through a bunch of stuff, clambering up on a ladder and climbing into an attic full of greasy tools and gear, emerging with a smeared packet with exactly what I needed! I paid him double what he asked as a thank you and rushed back to pull the battery out of the bike.

By the time I pulled the battery out to start recharging using solar panels, the clouds had crept across and the afternoon thunderstorms had begun, dashing any hopes of getting it fully recharged b the evening. I had picked up a nice sunburn from the morning, but this did not get transferred into the battery.

Catching the sun outside Mari Mari Guest House

I sat myself down with a Tiger beer from the Mari Mari Guest House with my tactical solar panels out on the sidewalk catching as much sun as I could. Although I had intended to meet up with someone, I had to cancel that and will likely not see them again unless I come back this way, which I found very disappointing, but not much I could do about it. After sucking up as much sunlight as I could, evening came and since the bet recharge is often a long ride, I tried to get the motor to turn, but it failed. At least the power levels were higher than they had been, which indicates I am on the correct path.

My hopes for more sun and less rain and clouds were dashed in the morning as I woke up on Sunday at first light to deploy the solar panels again. It's the sort of place you can't just leave stuff like this lying there by itself, so I camped beside it all day. As the light faded, again, I tried to get it to start, and again, it was much better than the previous day, but still not doing it. I went hunting for a place down the road that had been recommended to me by one of the gnarled old guys in a filthy repair shop and it looked like it would have a wall-mounted recharge unit, so I can recharge overnight at a better rate than solar panels.

The following morning, I started out on foot with my motorcycle batter in my backpack. It was a beautiful sunny day and I layered on the sunscreen, realising I have lost my hat somewhere along the way. The shop I was looking at the previous day did not have a recharge unit, nor did they have any batteries, but they did suggest I head to Ban Zen Motors Sdn Bhd, at Number 6 Jalan Durian Daun, which was a pleasant walk around the Western side of Bukit China cemetery.

My saviour at Ban Zen Motors on Jalan Durian Daun

I never did get his name, but he was friendly and very helpful, and also very busy, which is why we didn't talk too much. He gave me Chrysanthemum Tea and made sure the battery was the same shape and size. Apparently in Asia, the positive and negative terminals are physically reversed on the battery, including the output for water overflow, so most of the batteries he had would not even fit in the slot properly. Finally, he did some research and phoned some colleagues before miraculously calling forth a Yuasa YB12AL-A2 battery that matched all the important specifications.

I walked back to the hotel and hurried to get it installed. I didn't want to jinx it, so I made sure I had my helmet and was ready to ride when I thumbed the ignition. The motorcycle jumped to life with no trouble whatsoever. I got a cheer from the family across the road who have been watching me tinker with it for days unsuccessfully and talking to me while I tinkered.

Four laps of the block later, I raced up to my hotel to grab some things and I was on my way again to see some of the sights just out of town. I was keeping the revs high to help with the recharging of the new battery. So, problem solved, for now, but indicative of the sorts of problems I might get further down the track.

The key lesson learned for me here is that in Asia, with Chinese New Year and the Muslim holy day being Friday, weekends are not the time to get things done. Additional lessons could include things like Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance (6P) and talk to people who show an interest in what you are doing. I have some great contacts in Kuala Lumpur now for when I arrive in a few days, including a few places I had no idea even existed but I plan to visit (and some suggestion on how to get a motorcycle into the Angkor Wat complex, if you know which road to take).

Entering Malaysia and Mersing

I began my trip across the border at about midday, thinking this would give me enough time to get everything sorted and get into Mersing by nightfall. The guys at RAM Racing Engineering installed a power adaptor for the GPS unit so I could use it through the more troublesome areas with current drawn from the battery. I also stopped past to see some people to say goodbye, including the team at Big Loud Rides (Singapore), before I disappeared north. However, the weather immediately turned nasty with torrential downpour causing flash flooding over several of the roads and caused my helmet to leak (running water down my back before I had even left the country).

At some point, my GPS dropped out (dead) and due to the massive amount of water falling from the sky, I could not consult a map without destroying the map or being unable to read it. I had made some snapshots from Google Maps on my laptop, but for similar reasons, I could not just pull out the laptop to check my route. I decided that as long as I continued north, I should find the Woodlands checkpoint and all would be good.

For a while, I followed a route specified as headed to Tuas and Woodlands, but then Woodlands seemed to drop off the signs (I must have missed a turn-off) and I assumed, incorrectly, that there would be another sign to Woodlands. Getting lost twice, I decided that I could either head back to Singapore City and try to pick up the trail from there to Woodlands, stay another night in Singapore (even though I had told Singapore officials I would be departing on the 14th), or continue to the Tuas checkpoint.

There were pros and cons for both the checkpoints, so I decided to take what was on offer, and headed for Tuas. At first, I went to the dangerous good declaration lane, as I had been told to do, but they waved me away after quizzing me on what I had in my backpack and panniers (clothes aren't dangerous, nor is a fully fuelled motorcycle from Australia).

On entering the motorcycle entrance to Tuas, I noticed a flock of motorcycles and no lane markings until you hit the boom gates. My bike, larger than anyone else's, demanded respect, especially after two locals nudged the panniers and almost fell off. I felt the nudge, but had much more mass on my side (for the first time in my life). Between the boom gates was a massive concrete rampart that I had concerns I would get through. With just enough space between the two panniers on either side and grazing the top of the concrete rampart, I managed to stamp my passport for deportation from Singapore. Although at the time, I thought this would be the hard part, I failed in my assessment.

Without any customs points after, I pulled over to find someone to finalise my carnet for the motorcycle. No one knew what I was talking about, but finally, I found someone who did. Although she kept muttering that there was a mistake on the carnet to her colleagues, she told me it was all fine and there were no issues. It took some time to stamp it as required and complete the sheets and she said she would call across to the Malaysian customs so they were ready to meet me. Finally, I was free to head across the bridge to Malaysia.

The bridge itself was glorious, especially as the rain blurred the distance. Behind me the sleek, grey of Singapore receded as the dark green of Malaysia approached. In between, the dark Singapore Strait seemed cold and foreboding, and once closer to the Malaysia side, I could see floating platforms that were mining or dredging, or something completely different. The checkpoint for Malaysia had more horizontal space for motorcycles, but less vertical space and I scraped (gently) the bike on two massive concrete speed bumps as I entered.

My passport stamped for my stay, I proceeded to the Customs checkpoint and again moved into the dangerous goods lane. This time, a military man stopped me and, very gruffly, told me I had come the wrong way and to go back to the motorcycle lanes. I explained my reasons for being there, but he told me I didn't understand instructions and directed me again to the motorcycle lanes. Not planning on arguing with the Malaysian military, I did as instructed and I found no customs officers to greet me.

Before I proceeded too far, I turned myself around and parked outside the customs building to find someone who could help. Knocking on the front door, and realising the time had passed 1800, the man who came to see me didn't say a word to me, but waved me around the other side of the building. On a full circuit, I found the entrance I had originally gone to was the main entrance. I did find three guys sitting at a table out the back smoking kretek and playing cards, who approached me as soon as they saw me. I explained the situation and showed them my documentation.

The only guy who spoke any English said I did not need any of that in Malaysia and the carnet would not be stamped. Some countries do not recognise the carnet, and although my previous research had suggested Malaysia would be a country that did, I thought I must have been mistaken. I asked if there was someone in charge I could talk to and the guy told me he was in charge - that there was no one else to talk to. Without any ability to voice a contrary opinion, he waved me through. I even asked about insurance, but he just shrugged.

I continued on my way and had to stop at a checkpoint to pay a toll for entry. Not noticing the motorcycle lane (which seems to always be on the left of Malaysian tollways), I ended up in the car and truck lane where a pleasant young lady who spoke no English directed me back up a one way freeway to get to the motorcycle lane about 800 metres away. As darkness descended, I turned the bike around and drove up into oncoming trucks and cars, who were just as worried as I was about me heading for them. I tried to cut across the heavy traffic to get to the motorcycle lane and managed to do it with no casualties other than my wits.

Once in the motorcycle lane, the nice lady directed me to a far lane and asked me to produce my touch-and-go card, which I did not have. She made it clear I needed one and could not pass. I asked her if I could purchase one there, and although she initially shook her head, in consultation with another lady manning the boom gate, they agreed I could purchase one. The price, in Ringgit, seemed like it had just been negotiated with the boom gate operator and then I realised I had no Ringgit anyway. I asked if I could pay in US dollars - more discussion resulted in an agreement for USD$34 for the card. With little option to check, I felt I was being ripped off, but I could not argue nor check, nor was I in any position to negotiate. I sucked it up, touched my new card against the pad and the boom gate rose, allowing me into Malaysia.

I decided I should try to get some local currency and fuel immediately, so stopped at the first depot I could find. They did not change money, but directed me to someone who could. Using the last of my US$ in cash, I got a handful of ringgit (Malaysian dollars) and then purchased fuel. A bottle of water for the guy in front of me was MYR$1 but MYR$4 for me. Again, I sucked it up (literally and metaphorically) - I just wanted to be on my way to my accommodation already booked in Mersing and I had some trip ahead of me since I had crossed the border onto the West coast and headed for the East coast, through Johor Bahru which would have been my first city in Malaysia if I had crossed at Woodlands.

Taking a toilet break, I noticed the massive amounts of chewing gum stuck to everything. I realised I had taken the lack of chewing gum in Singapore and the smoking laws (even though they were often ignored) for granted. Here, everyone smokes (sometimes inside helmets while riding motorcycles and scooters) and there are racks and racks of different chewing gums available over the counter. By this time, about 2000, I knew I would need to call my accommodation again to let them know of my late check in time, but found my phone would not work (as expected), however no one sold a new SIM card. The hotel had said they would be open until 11pm for check in, and my trip should take about 2.5 hours. I should have realised that since things were going so smoothly getting across the border, they would go just as smoothly to get to Mersing.

Rain still pelting down, I stopped at a 7-Eleven in Johor Bahru to get a SIM and directions. They did not sell any maps, my GPS was still unresponsive, and the guy at the counter could not explain to me how the SIMs worked, so I held off. In retrospect, I should have just bought one and called my hotel to let them know I would be late. The guy offered to sell me his SIM (apparently, he had two) but I refrained from that idea. There was no telling what trouble I could get myself into for that. I cowered, drenched, under an overhang at the 7-Eleven and risked destroying my laptop to check my snapshots of Google Maps. I committed the sequence of towns along my route into memory, identified the route number, and got the chap in the 7-Eleven to point in the general direction of Kota Tinggi.

Following route 3 toward Kota Tinggi and Mersing, I proceeded in the dark through pelting and stinging rain for 3 hours. There was little lighting on the roads and when there was it was insufficient to be useful. There is a left lane (a shoulder of the road) that many of the smaller motorcycles use. The buses and trucks and many of the larger cars push the motorcycles from their paths, almost physically, and many drivers do not check their blind spot.

There were people and animals walking up and down (and across) the road with no warning until you were on them already. In the rain, I almost hit two cows and a bunch of half a dozen people walking almost in the middle of the road. Additionally, in Australia, it is illegal (if not plain discourteous) to flash someone oncoming with your high beams, but in Malaysia this was normal and when someone did the courteous thing and turned their beams down, this did not carry over to motorcycles. Once they passed the car in front of me, they flashed them on again before I was past them. I ended up staying behind another vehicle so it could show me the road and I could use it to shield me from the oncoming high beams, which were completely dazzling in the heavy rain (all I could see were the red lights of the car in front and without a car in front, I had to slam on the brakes and try to find the often non-existent line on the left of the road).

I had already passed several signs warning of potential cattle on the road, which I had seen for myself. It was about this point in time that there were two signs warning me of potential elephants on the road. I slowed down for a bit, and lost my lead car which carried on ahead at 110 kph. I decided it was safer to be sitting at 80 kph or lower and then had to deal with cars and trucks flying up onto my arse and overtaking me, spraying me with water. Without seeing any elephants (that I noticed, as my view extended only to the edges of the road and about 100 metres ahead in high beam) I decided to get behind an elephant buster and stick to it like glue. If they hit an elephant, the damage to me would be significantly less than if I hit it ... I assumed.

Checking the time, I made it into Mersing at about 2250 and tried to find a place to purchase a SIM card for the phone. My directions were not good to get to the hotel and I was convinced I could not make it in 10 minutes. I couldn't even get a SIM in 10 minutes, but managed to find a U-Mobile SIM for MYR$8. I stepped outside to slot the SIM into my phone, but it failed to work. On entering the 7-Eleven again to see what the problem was, the guy behind the counter THEN chose to tell me that he had to activate it for me and stepped through various instructions he had behind the counter.

Finally, I tried to call the place I had a booking, but at 2315 they failed to answer. I had some directions, but would need to head back the direction I had come and calculations suggested it would take me another half an hour to get there. I was pretty sure they had cancelled my booking and even if I turned up they were not at the office to check me in. I would have to travel half an hour to get there, find out I could not check in, and then at least half an hour back to Mersing to find another accommodation. I asked the guy at the 7-Eleven if he knew anywhere I could stay at that time of night and he directed me to a place his mother worked at, a small hotel just down the road called Sweet Hotel.

As I had not eaten anything all day, I stopped into KFC for something to fill me up that could be identified and although the burger did that, the other thing I had could not be identified. I think it must have been potato wedges coated in egg and cheese sauce. It was tasty, but did not agree with my stomach, although that could just have been the KFC.

Pulling into Sweet Hotel, the lady behind the counter held the door open for me and gave me a good rate on the room. I mopped up after myself as I left puddles of water in the reception, up a flight of stairs and in footprints all the way to my room. She offered to keep an eye on the motorcycle by putting it right in front of the door to the hotel, which I appreciated. This is the first time I used the motorcycle disc brake lock.

My room in Mersing (the only photo I took of the town).

The warm shower and double bed was welcome after I posted to let people know I was still alive... just. I checked on the carnet requirements and found that the Malaysian customs officials had not got it right and if I tried to get the motorcycle out of Malaysia without the carnet stamped it would cost me significantly. Immediately unable to do anything, I decided I would need to head back to the customs office in Johor Bahru or further to the one I had originally arrived at before I proceeded on my planned route. I faded into sleep listening to dozens of cats all over the place talking, arguing and having sex right outside my window, but by this time I was too smashed to care or really to notice much after a few minutes.