Shipping Benelli Keeway TX200 From Kuala Lumpur To Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

As my intention was to ship the newly acquired bike to Sabah. I try searching for a cheap shipper. Air freight should be quite costly and most probably not within my budget. hence  sea freight it shall be.

Trying to ship Benelli TX200 to Sabah.

Contacted MDM Shipping Agency Sdn. Bhd. Got a quote.
1) Transportation - pickup by lorry - within KL/Selangor - RM 300.00

2) Shipping by container - 1 unit Keeway Tx200 - RM 1,300.00
including customs clearance, forwarding, documentation, handling and ocean freight to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

3) Transportation - delivery by lorry - within Kota Kinabalu - RM 300.00 

This adds up to $2,200 not including insurance. I feel this is too much (for me) and is totally out of my budget. I was figuring that it's within $600 ~ $800. I inquired if there is a cheaper means. Shipping a superbike, they are charging $1,800.

I search further, then finally found  Amber Freight Management Sdn Bhd. They asked for the dimension, which was in the brochure.
Dry weight 135 Kg
Overall Length 2090 mm
Overall Wight 830 mm
Overall Height 1140 mm (I forgot about the box).
I was quoted approximately $650. 
This include crating and insurance is approximately $25.00
Condition is that I have to deliver the bike to their warehouse in 3 1/2 mile Jalan Kapar, Klang. Their shipment is on batch. The bike shall be left at their warehouse until they have 5 units of motorcycle then they shall ship. Could not estimate the time frame.
  Documents required:
1) Copy of owner's IC
2) Copy of Registration Card / Original if no loan.
3) Release/Consent Letter from Bank/Shop (if under loan).

I was initial planning that if I could get the bike over before December, then I shall use it to tour Sabah. On December I do not have any scheduled traveling. With no time frame, maybe I shall have to put this off for the time being until after March 2014. I shall most probably use the bike in Peninsular for the time being. I may have some time during Feb ~ March 2014.

In the meantime, joined the Keeway TX200 club and hope to enjoy the bike with fellow riders. 

Bagging Of Soursop, Annona muricata .

Bagging up Soursop fruits. Was inspecting my soursop and found some infected with mealy bugs.

Mealy bugs on my soursop.

After having treated them with power multicide, it started me thinking, why not bag it up. I don't really need to do it now as my intention is just to produce seeds for sapling. Just for fun. I used old news print, 2 layers as I wasn't prepared.

I'll do it with plastic bag the next time, most probably a size of 20" X 12". Actually I had deviced a plan to bag up with plastic bags, which I tried on the Jackfruit. Punched a couple of holes on the lower edges for water drainage / ventilation. Punched small holes along the perimeter of the opening. String it up with a raffle string. Climb up, bag the fruit and just tie up.

Annona muricata L

From my research, blue colored bags are better as insects don't register this color much. Even with the old news print, I try to abstain from colorful prints.

Bagging I'm sure shall not solve all our problems. I'm sure it helps on the fruit flies. Still need to treat for mites & bugs. I guess I can expect nicer fruits, lesser blemish and lesser fruit flies attack.

It rained heavily plus strong wind the night after I bagged. Upon inspection in the morning in the morning, I found 2 bags had fallen. When I'm back at the farm, shall redo after my vacation.

Benelli Keeway TX200 1st Ride

Had time to test out the bike today. Took out my old riding gear. A jacket, glove and a full face helmet.

Took out the glove & jacket from the closet.

As I got no where to go, just make a trip to Kampung Jawa, Klang, to meet up with a friend, whom had got a superbike a few months back. Put on my gear and started off, full of enthusiasm. Maybe I was a little bit over excited. Was traveling about 110 Km/h, most outer lane at the MRR2 near the Bandar Tasik Selatan under pass, suddenly all the front vehicles made an emergency stop, I immediately slammed on the brake rear and pressed the front brake. The Keeway TX200 when into a rear end wobble and I don't think I can stop in time. I then realized the it went into a wobble as the rear is too light and I had apply too much braking pressure on the rear. Thank goodness that the wobble was controllable by releasing the rear brake and re-applying again at a lower pressure. I manage to slow down slightly but still can not stop in time. I then made a slip through the space between the front car and the side barricade. Thank goodness again that there was sufficient space. Quite a number of vehicles stopped completely. It was a near miss for me. I was so grateful that I no mishap happened.

I immediately went to the left most lane and lowered my speed. I rode at 80 Km/h after that. After the toll plaza at Shah Alam Highway, I turned into the motorcycle lane. It was narrow and twisty. Met a couple of bikes that I passed. I can see quite a number of motorcyclist using the highway, and not turning into the motorcycle lane. I then realized that there wasn't much road signs on the motorcycle lane. Some under pass tunnels were really narrow and low. A sudden change in lighting condition also made it dangerous. Lots of speed breaker bums. I then saw the speed limit is like 40 Km/h and when it approach twisty turns or tunnel, speed limit is suppose to be 20 Km/h. No wonder, I was doing 80 ~ 90 Km/h. Now I know why those motorist are not using the motorcyclist lane. There were a couple of detours on the lane too that was a bit bad.

Keeway TX200, R&R Shah Alam.

I find the TX200 is a light bike (on the move) and easy to handle. Riding height is good for front viewing. I'm 168 cm and just manage to plant my feet on the ground. It comes with disc brakes, front & back. It's shroud with Pirelli tires. Riding position is straight up, being a motard styled bike. All the control switches are in the normal position.

Basic specification
Keeway TX200G Dual Purpose (engineered by Benelli)
Engine: 200cc single cylinder, 4-stroke, 2-valve, carburetor, OHV oil-cooled
Bore and stroke: 63.5 x 63.2 mm
Compression ratio: 8.3:1
Max power: 9.5 kW @ 7,500 rpm
Max torque: 13.5 Nm @ 6,500 rpm
Transmission: 5-speed wet clutch
Tyres: Pirelli
Lubricant: Petronas Syntium Moto

Traveling at 110 ~ 120 Km/h the engine noise is high (for my liking). With the Leo Vince Cobra exhaust, it mask the engine sound which I feel is pretty nice. I find that cruising at 80 ~ 100 Km/h is more relax and can be done all day long with the oil cooler cooling the engine. Vibration is minimum at this speed both from the engine and handle bar. Stopping power is good, as per my miss. For the price range I feel this is value for money. This bike is adequate for suburb and city riding. It's not about speed, but the convenience of a two wheeler in avoiding traffic jams. Power wise is a bit sedated. Just drop a gear or so to bring up the power. Gear changing is smooth on the go. Once stopped, it take some time to locate the Neutral.

The mod done by Andy, the previous owner. Leo Vince Cobra, I love it. It add style to the already handsome bike. The exhaust sound is terrific. Not too loud, and solid. I love it best when I kick down a gear, going down slope, with the throttle closed. I shall try to make a sound recording when I find the time. Check out the horn, very solid bass, twin horn. Used it a couple of times. I even horn it a couple of times when the lane was empty, just for fun. The hand guard, well it's nice and solid but I saw some with L.E.D. lights which maybe nicer. Finally I had use for the rear luggage box. eep my glove and jacket while we had tea. I tried but it can't fit my full face helmet. Am still have trouble learning to lock / un-lock the box. The netted seat cover, keeps my pants from getting wet and cool.

Things that I find lacking are
1) Fuel gauge
2) Small fuel tank
3) Tachometer
4) Head lamp not bright enough for my liking.

My other wise list for this bike (which I don't think can be done being a budget bike)
1) ABS
2) Keyless
3) H.I.D. head lamp
4) Hydraulic clutch
5) Wider tires
6) Liquid cooled
Dreaming on...

Shall be having some fun time with this bike. Most probably go on a longer trip when time permits. I read that the Thai model has fuel gauge. Maybe I can ride over and have it mod there. In the mean time I shall have to brush up my rusty riding skill and have it suited to riding motard style. I shall write more as I use the bike because I find that there are far too few review for this particular bike in Malaysia.

 

Have Bike Shall Travel.

My interest in motorcycle had been with me since my younger days. Maybe I was watching too much movies and subscribed to the American dream of ridding off to the sunset.

My dream bike.

During my younger days, I had owned bikes like Suzuki TS 100 and that was during my schooling days.

Pic source from BikePics.com. This is the exact model that I had owned.

My next bike was a Yamaha RXK 135. This was during my college days.

Pic source from ChaosAds. This is the exact model that I had owned.

I then graduated to a bigger bike a Suzuki GS500. My bike was a red color one. I bought this bike as there was a promotion going on and it was within my budget. That was when I got my B Full license.

After this Suzuki GS 500, there was a very long lapse as I had graduated to cars. It was back in 2010 that I had time to ride again. Went on a trip to Sabah with a friend and we rented 2 bikes from Go go Sabah

These were the Kawasaki KLX 150. We spent close to a week on these bikes and tour the northern part of Sabah. After this trip the bug really got to me and I went to Thailand to ride. I flew in and rented bikes in places like Chiang Mai, Krabi & Phuket. As those are rented bikes, I got to test quite a number of bikes. There was one time in Chiang Mai that I change a bike every two days. It was fun. Roads in Northern Thailand were fantastic. 

Some of the smaller bikes that I had rented.

Had tested scooters, kapchai, sport bikes and motards.
I had always like naked bikes, I prefer these as the engine can be view easily, which is the heart of the bike. As I had the ambition of going touring, I plan to acquire a bike that is durable and affordable and most probably not more than 750 cc. I started to look into bikes like Kawasaki Versys 650, Kawasaki ER650-N and Aprilia Shiver. I then hope to start saving for a bike. Then reality check in, I can't afford any of these yet, even on a used unit. I then down graded to look into lower end models and still it's not within my present budget.

I then worked the other way, work from my budget. I am only willing to spend about 6K at the moment. With a limited budget I can only go for a used unit. In order to maximize my budget and I prefer higher cc bikes over kachais. I shortlisted the 200 cc range. I then decided on the motard version as my intermediate plan is to use this bike here in Peninsular then ship this bike over to Sabah, to complete my tour of Sabah. I think I can also put on off road tires and travel the whole of Sabah even on the un-paved roads. I may then do a trip to Brunei & Sarawak.

Was searching via Mudah.com, one of my favorite website and found a Keeway Benelli TX 200. Was contemplating over the Keeway Benelli TX 200 and the Keeway Benelli RKV 200. It's a used unit, 6 months old. The owner Andy had done up the bike. I then found the blog of the owner as I was searching for review of this model in Malaysia and there was really little. Since the owner is a biker & a blogger I immediately decided to get this bike. I like most of the mod done by Andy. The mod liked most is The LeoVince Cobra. The mod the I like least is the rear box. I shall most probably do more mods to it. I would like to install LED spot light, brighter for night & foggy traveling in Sabah, hydraulic clutch set, to replace the cable type, improve the suspension, a set of off road rims & tires. 

What I've Bought.
Keeway Benelli TX 200.
Download TX 200 digital brochure.

We met up at the Wangsa Maju JPJ and the transfer went on smoothly. Cost was $6 K for the bike,$349 for a year of insurance (insured for 6K) and $3 for the transfer. Total $6, 352.00. We then went over to collect the bike.

The Bike before collection.

Bike is parked in a covered car park. We did a quick check over the bike. The Pirrelli tires are still pretty new.

Heavy rain at Jalan Cheras.

Decided to park at the covered walk way as the initial stop under the overhead bridge is rather dangerous.

On the way home, it started to rain, I pressed on but unfortunately I couldn't make it home. I reached Jalan Cheras, Badminton Court and couldn't carry on. Stopped at the overhead bridge. After which I feel that it was too dangerous. I moved further up to the covered walk way and waited. Aftet more than 20 minutes and the rain got lighter, I moved on as it's just about 3 Km more. I reach home totally wet. I only realized that with a high front mud guard, water splash is tremendous over the lower part.

As I'm leaving to my farm in a couple of days, shall leave it here until my next visit end November. Already looking forward to it. Once my wife's health had been restored, I shall start on a short trip. So excited over this. It's like receiving an early birthday present.

Jackfruit Tree, Relocation.

Bought 4 numbers of Tekam Yellow J33 Jackfruit plants back in early August. All were planted next to the creek. 3 were on a slight slope about 3 ~ 4 above water level. 1 was planted next to the creek, maybe about 2 feet above water level, on a raised ground.

The Jackfruit that was planted too close to the creek.

Jackfruit Tekam Yellow 1 planted next to the creek.

Jackfruit Tekam Yellow 2 planted next to the creek.

Jackfruit Tekam Yellow 3 planted next to the creek.

I realized that the one closest to the creek was not doing well as there was no growth. Leafs dropped.

The 3 plants provided some newly growth scion for my grafting trial but not the one that was too close to the creek. It fact it got worst.

Getting worst.

Finally had to relocate it.

Got it relocated on the 6th Oct. This new location is close to the 3 that were doing well. Those 3 donated scion for the third time. Was grateful even in low quantity, as it's only about 2 months. Checked on the relocated Jackfruit and it was showing signs of new budding just a few days ago, before I left for my trip home. I'm sure it shall start donating scions next month.

I shall be looking into other varieties like Mastura J37, CJ3, CJ6 and the New Red Jackfruit, Borneo Red of Songsang Red.

Parcel 1, October 2013

Parcel 1, our model farm.
Our vision for Parcel 1 is getting clearer by the months. Our rubber trees are measuring up to 420 mm in diameter. Very close to our targeted measurement. Of course not all trees grow at the same rate. There are some that are still very skinny and some are planted on a latter date. Overall the rubber trees are doing great.

One of the bigger tree, 420 mm.

Our vision for Parcel 1 is an integrated farm, having rubber trees as the main crop. Then we shall have supplementary crop of fruit trees. These are further supplemented with livestock, chicken and bees (much later).

Here we had planted more than 30 avocado trees, 80 soursop trees and more than 70 agarwood till date. On a smaller scale, we have some papaya, about 10 durian trees, 2 jackfruit, 4 mango and a breadfruit. We still have some bananas which we are phasing out and some pineapples. My plan for the papaya did not worked out as the time difference between planting was not right. Also at a long period, we didn't have any helpers at site. Anyway, as a fall back, we can always feed it to our chickens.

Chicken we have about 70 around, big & small.
Apiculture had not been started yet. It shall most probably be the last phase of development. I guess we can put in easily a couple of tens of beehives. There are so many plants here, rubber, palm oil, fruits, wild plants, unlimited resources of nectar.

Agarwood, planted on the inter rows.

Agarwood, planted on the inter rows.

Blame it on our government, even the chicken are racist. The blacks & the whites do not stay together.

Mango flowers.

Rooster.

Mango, already fruiting. Trying to identify what variety this is. Maybe can use this as a mother tree.

Our isolation new coop.

Newly planted soursop.

Another bigger tree.

Some of the trees during March.

Our hut with agarwood by the side.

Our avocado tree.

Our 1st avocado tree in between the rubber trees.

Another 75 Agarwood for planting in Parcel 1. Hopefully our retirement shall be well taken care of with the resins produced.

Summarise
Main crop : Rubber trees
supplemented by fruit trees, Avocado, Soursop & Jackfruit
Livestock : Free Range Village Chicken & Bees (yet to be started)
Retirement Fund : Agarwood / Gaharu

Results Of My Side Veneer Graft.

Continued from Jackfruit Side Veneer Graft.

Came back, did my inspection on the Jackfruit graft. Took me about 2 days to finish off the inspection. Am grateful that my improvement works. It was drought all the time since I was away. It only rained the night when I reached. Lots of seedlings die off. Check with my helper, says he did water every alternate day. Most of the poly bags look super dry. Maybe due to the afternoon heat.

Improvement of tying the plastic bags. Only 2 were blown off.
Improvement of lowering the wrapping pressure. Very much lesser rots even on those that did not 'take'
Improvement of keeping under shade. Higher successful 'take'.
Improvement of using new growth scion. Higher successful 'take'.

I notice that with a high humidity the stem has lots of the white node, which I think could be node of roots? These are more prominent on the older large rootstock.

Those that 'took' 120 plants.

 Those that failed, 230 plants.

120 / (120 + 230) = 34% . Yes so thankful that t I reached my target. The next session should be more challenging. As there are 230 plants that had been grafted twice. Shall have to inspect and grade them for the next grafting session. Hope to complete these before my next leave, 18th October. Those that does not qualify, I shall let them recuperate / heal until they regrow. I still have maybe a hundred ungrafted / fresh rootstock. Again most are getting large. Don't think I shall be able to finish these this month.

Germinated around a hundred more seeds, lazy man's style. Clear off the old raised bed which is under a 70% shade netting. Dug a couple of trenches. Put in seeds. Watered.

 Covered with the soil that was dug up. Watered again. Shall wait for these to germinate, then transfer into poly bags when I have the time.