Word and pictures by Wahid Ooi Abdullah
5th June 2017, Sepang International Circuit – Local Honda motorcycle manufacturer, importer and distributor, Boon Siew Honda (BSH) invited members of the motorcycling media for a fun-filled afternoon on this day.
But instead of the usual berbuka puasa (breaking of fast) dinner, BSH also organised a mini-trackday, in which the media were provided the opportunity to sample Honda’s latest offerings.
Proceedings started off with the welcoming speech by Mr. Nobuhide Nagata, the Chief Executive Officer of Boon Siew Honda. He outlined some of Honda’s history in Malaysia which started exactly 60 years ago. Also, BSH will achieve the milestone of having produced 5 million motorcycles by the first two months of 2018.
Mr. Nobuhide Nagata, Chief Executive Officer of Boon Siew Honda
The CEO’s speech was then followed by Dato’ Sri Datuk Wira Tan Hui Jing, the Deputy Chairman of Boon Siew Honda’s speech, which provide an insight into BSH’s take of the Malaysian motorcycle market. He remarked that BSH doesn’t only focus about the products themselves, but does indeed look at how they benefit their customers from all walks of life. From this principle, Honda’s products are categorised into functional and emotional needs.
Dato’ Sri Datuk Wira Tan Hui Jing, Deputy Chairman of Boon Siew Honda
The products are further divided into three sub-segments classified as Premium, Sporty and Lifestyle.
BSH then called upon SIC’s instructor to brief the participants on track safety rules and track etiquette, which included flag colours, exiting and entering the pits and the pitlane speed limit, among other things.
BSH also called upon their own Safety Riding Instructor, En. Azizan Bin Ibrahim, for a brief lecture on safety equipment, how to inspect the bikes before the ride and so forth.
The media were then ushered down into the pits. Sinar Puncak was on standby to loan Alpinestars riding equipment such as leather racesuits, boots and gloves to those who didn’t bring theirs.
With those matters out of the way, BSH introduced the bikes that we’d be riding, in accordance to the aforementioned categories. For Premium: the NSS300 maxi scooter; for Sports: the CBR650R and CBR650F, CBR500R and CB500F, CBR250R. BSH had allowed the media to sample the CB650R and CB650F ahead of their official launch. As for the On/Off series, the CRF250 Rally, CRF250L and CB500X were available. The Rebel 500 rounds out the Lifestyle category. While the Rebel and CRF, besides the NSS to some extend, may seem like oddball choices to be ridden around MotoGP’s hallowed grounds, we are of the opinion that there’s nowhere safer to ride than in a controlled environment such as the racetrack.
Each track session was divided into 3 laps each, after which we pitted and swapped bikes. All of us had a great deal of fun. Soon, the fatigue of fasting and the scorching weather were all but forgotten. We only utilised the “Northern Track” on this occasion, which took us through Turn 6 before cutting back onto the main straight.
We found Honda’s new big bikes to compact and light, consequently saved our energy from having to muscle them around the track at elevated speeds. We’d like to report that the new CBR500R was our favourite as it was so easy to ride fast. We managed to hit close to 190 km/h with more to go on the front straight. It was very easy to get the bike turned and was stable at full lean. But the bike that truly surprised us was the NSS300 maxi-scooter. It may look bulbous, it may have a long wheelbase, and it may be a scooter, but it was a thing of beauty to hoon around the track. Whereas most – if not all – scooter would wobble in high-speed turns, the NSS300 flew through Turns 3, 5 and 6. The silky smooth engine belies its speed and hard acceleration.
We were called in soon enough, maybe too soon, as the sun started to set behind the K2 Grandstand and it was time to break fast.
Fun games were held later in the evening to find the winner of a Marc Marquez replica Shoei helmet, autographed by the World Champion himself.
BSH called it a night after the games. Everyone went home smiling because everyone was a winner. Kudos, Boon Siew Honda Malaysia.
Please click HERE for more information on the CBR500R and CBR500F, and HERE for the CBR250R. For more product information and schedule of upcoming Boon Siew Honda Malaysia’s events, please click HERE.