Weekend d' Kampung

(note:  this entry was made in December 2015... hehehehe)

Could not remember the details, but (yet again) Capt. Azizi mooted the idea to balik kampung... and checking that my calendar was free, I mentally agreed.

And there we were, after Friday prayers on 26th September 2014 - Capt. Azizi, Rik, Idrus and yours truly - met up at BhP after Gombak toll plaza after overcoming some hurdles.  Hurdles?  Yepp... you read it right.  Rik has been without a bike for a while after selling off his Kawi Versys 1000.  Azizi had made made a deal with Rasniaga to "test ride" a R1200GS.  Azizi himself rode his GSA which he bought from Rasniaga on this trip.

However, when Rik went to the shop to pick up the bike, it had some mechanical problem that could not be resolved.  Luckily Idrus was willing to ride two up on his KTM900SM... hehehe...

And so, there we were - two adventure touring bikes versus my old trusted sports R1... some people say a mismatched pack... but who cares???  We ride what we ride.  yeah?  :-)

Anyway....  here are some pictures of our stops..

Since we left KL quite late in the afternoon, it was already dusk when we passed Gua Musang.  We arrived Machang sometimes around 9.00pm (or maybe a bit later).  Stopped for dinner after exiting the Kuala Krai-Kota Baru roadway at the"Kedai Sup" along the Machang-Tanah Merah road just around the corner of that exit.

Since I will be going back to Besut, Azizi to KB and Rik+Idrus to Pasir Mas, we parted ways after the dinner.  I however, made another stop to meet up Farabi, a friend whom is living in Machang.

Saturday, 27th September 2014.  It was a loose plan sort of.  I have made arrangements with my childhood friends to go a boat-slash-fishing trip.  Idrus was included in the plan and was supposed to follow me to Besut.  But with the turn of event with Rik earlier, Idrus went to Rik's hometown instead.  And they were not keen to join me on the boat trip.

However, early Saturday morning, they decided to join me after all.  So, the three of us plus few of my childhood buddies went on the half day excursion to Pulau Perhentian waters.

Wan Sufian, one of the childhood friend.  The others are Lias and Zaki, the boat owner.

The day was filled with fishing and fishing and we only got back late in the afternoon.  Idris and Rik made their way back to Pasir Mas (Rik's hometown) just before maghrib.  

Sunday, 28th September:  The return leg of our weekend in the east coast.  Hot hot day... made a number of stops.

But mostly its a slow and steady ride....

when we arrived Gombak, i was already nightfall.

Everyone reporting back to their loved ones....

And, that my friends, is about it.  Not much "happenings" (= safe). But as always, it was a swell and meaningful outing.


" Geng SBM A+ "
(GSA)

Test Rider for a Day...

Sunday, 25th May 2014.

This would be the day when a few of us from U.O.M.O… errr SBM actually (SBM=Sobat Baik Malaya) that would test ride and review three Victory motorcycles from Victory Motorcycle Malaysia (http://www.victorymotorcycles.com.my) - Vision Tour Arlen Ness, Cross Country, and Judge models. 

All three models share the same 106 cubic inches (approx. 1730 cc) 6-speed Freedom V-Twin engine.  While both the Vision Tour and Cross Country have a similar 106 ft-lbs of torque, the Judge has a slightly more punch at 110 ft-lbs.  Victory categorizes these bikes as Touring, Bagger and Cruisers respectively.  For more details on their specs, feel free to roam the internet :-)

Back to this bike review ride.  

The itinerary was already set (by the co-organizer HajiAzizi):-

7.30am RV at  Victory Showroom (Glenmarie), breakfast and briefing.

8.30am roll out with few stops for bike/rider swap.

Noon, meet up fellow bikers from Ipoh at Simpang Pulai - proceed to Cameron Highland.

2.00pm, return. By 7.00pm, we would already be back at the showroom.

ZoolMD and I had to park our bikes at the showroom - "sports bikes not allowed" on this trip :-)

So, there we were, seven "test riders" (wannabes ???) - HajiAzizi, Kudir, Kuzizu, ZoolMD, IdrusK, Supandi and yours truly… Since there were only three motorcycles to be reviewed, HajiZizi, IndrusK and Supandi would use their bike as well on this day trip.  So, the other three bikes were BMW1200GSA (HajiAzizi), KTM990SMT (IdrusK) and Versys1000 (Supandi).

Five of the test-riders: L-R: HajiAZizi, ZoolMD, Kuzizu, Sabri (that would be me) & Kudir.

First leg - from the showroom to Tanjung Malim.  Kuzizu was already on the Cross Country when everyone else was still busy figuring out who would test what motorcycle on which stretch. :-)  I had my eyes on the Judge.  And the Vision Tour was taken up by Kudir, with ZoolMD as his pillion.  The others were on their own bikes...

Me on the Judge:  

This is my short review of this motorcycle which I rode from the showroom to Tanjong Malim.  From Tanjong Malim, Supandi took over from me while I rode his Versys1000.

First time on my part riding both the Judge and Versys!  Since my obligation is to review the Victory, I would do just that :-)

My first ever experience on a 1.7litres Cruiser!

First off, the bike, categorized as "Cruiser" made me felt like riding a chopper from OCC.  And I really imagined myself as one of the Teutul riding one of their custom chopper.  However, I quickly discovered that the seating position and posture was rather uncomfortable for somebody my size (5'6" with an average arm span).  I literally had to lean forward to hold the handle bar.  With the feet in a cruiser position - stretched forward - it took less than half an hour into the ride when I felt muscular pain on my shoulder and upper arms.  I couldn't wait to reach the swap moment in Tanjong Malim!  Somewhere along the ride, I re-positioned my feet to the rear footrest with body slightly leaning forward - and what a relieve that was.  I actually felt more comfortable riding in that position.

Otherwise, the Judge was an awesome bike.  The v-twin's 110 ft-lbs torque was really fantastic.  Instant power at my disposable in any of the 6-speed gear positions.  Vibration?  what vibration?  I was skeptical when HajiAzizi shared his earlier experience from test-riding the Victory.  But  despite the roaring exhaust derived from its unique American style chopper v-engine, quite surprisingly (a pleasant surprise), the vibration from this motorcycle was almost unnoticeable.  Negotiating corners and bends was "sap sap sui" (easy).  The bike could lean more than the footrest and side stand allowed.  Thus, scraping the tar would give the unsuspecting rider quite a rude surprise!  I had the spooky experience as I pushed it too far when exiting Subang to the NKVE.  What more, the Judge maneuverability was unexpected.  I perceived that with her wide rake angle, handling at corners and bends would be a jittery experience.  But I was proven wrong!  On the same token, swerving between traffic was "sap sap sui" as well!

My verdict on this motorcycle?  A rugged and versatile cruiser, errr.... more like an easy rider.  As I was told later by one of Victory's staff, the handlebar could be easily swapped with their many accessories.   This would then solve the seating position issue.  My immediate thoughts on the Judge as I rolled out from the parking lot was "wow!"... Other than handlebar issue, the Judge had busted my perception of cruisers in general.  I could live with riding a cruiser now... :-)

Would I buy this Judge?  Most probably not…. as Victory has a better offerings in the Hammer or Vegas model - at least for me as the seating position is just nice (granted I only sat on these two in the showroom, stationary :-)).  Again, the power plant for these Cruisers are exactly the same.  So for me, my money (if I ever decided to own a cruiser) would be on the Vegas or the Hammer…. la la la la la…..

At Simpang Pulai, we were greeted by many biker friends from Ipoh whom were already at the Petronas station as our convoy pulled in (Macx, Ostad Asyraf, Napie@KeraniCabuk to name a few whom I knew quite well).  The Simpang Pulai-Cameron roadway is a very popular "track" for bikers from all walks of life riding all sorts of bikes (from sports and street to cruisers and tourers as well as DP and scramblers).

I have not met Nordin@Loneblader (in blue) for many years till today!

I tried to get a hold of the Cross Country but again, Kuzizu was on it first.  From the look of it, this model was "good".  But I wouldn't know as I was denied from testing this motorcycle during the whole trip!  No complains really as I got to test ride another bike not originally in the "list". :-)

As we resumed the ride, with me given the Judge again, Superyan gestured a swap with his trusted ZX6R.  What a welcomed gesture… :-)  I quickly put the Judge on her side stand and hopped onto Superyan's ZX6R.  Me and the ZX6R against the twisted of Simpang Pulai-Cameron "track".  What else could a guy ask for!  Thanks Yan!!! 

I think the ZX6R do not need a special review as it is well known to be a nimble and quick bike on twisties.  I really enjoyed riding that bike that day.  And the truth be told, the bike offered more that I could handle since its been a very longgggg while that I do twisties as demanding as the Simpang Pulai-Cameron route.

Superyan's ZX6R

Apart from Nordin, I also met another long lost biker friend (more than 10 years since we last met) when we arrived at the usual meeting point - the Green View Garden, along the roadway.

Prof. Fisal has change very little since I last met him

After a cup of coffee and a stick of barbecued sweetcorn, the group was ready for the return journey.  While I was eyeing the Cross Country,  it was again grabbed bu Kuzizu.  His rationale?  "I have put deposit on this model, need to get familiar with it" grrrrrrrr……  So, again, I was handed the key o the Judge.

But fate has it that on that day Ostad Asyraf rode a BMW F650GS belonging to his neighbor,  Wazi (yes, the racer…).  As I walk towards the Judge passing by Ostad Asyraf, I asked jokingly if he wanted to test the Judge.  Jokingly?  Well… I really wanted to try out the GS.  And when Ostad said "sure",  I was already on the GS!  And the rest as they say "is history"!

All the way down to Simpang Pulai, I was really taken aback by the sheer excitement this GS had to offer.  Her twin 800cc power plant offers enough grunt and juice to make negotiating curves and corners and bends and coming out of turns "a piece of cake".  Power delivery was smooth.  Braking was responsive.  Agility and maneuverability unbelievable!  What else can I say…?  This is a bike that would definitely be on top of my shopping list :-)

Love at first ride...

Breakfast @ PD..... again

Weekend rides is becoming regular nowadays among the U.O.M.O.s..... At least for some of us. There is bound to be a ride either on Saturday or Sunday after Hj. Capt. Azizi got his new GSA - though I have not been able to join him just yet... :-)

22nd March 2014
Well.... despite that, and holding true to the breakie spirit, Zack, Drifter and me re-visited the Bangi Kopitiam in PD again today.  And I even surprised myself that I was able to be at the RV point (Dengkil RnR) right about the agreed timing - well... maybe slightly late... by 10minutes I think.. :-)

Zack and Drifter was (as usual) already at the RV place - anxiously waiting for my arrival.  So, the moment I pulled up at the service station, Drifter signalled for an immediate move out!  So, we moved out lah.... :-)

We had the usual - roti goyang.... well actually its not really about the food is particular.  More importantly its the get-together and the ride and... of course the food! hahahaha....

yumm yummy.... Drifter opted for the sandwich today :-)

Nothing much could be said (that has not been said before) about this kopitiam.  But one thing os for sure, we will probably come back here again - not in the near future, but definitely its a place worth revisiting.

The one thing that I have taken to like about our chit chat during this breakfast do is, we would talk about food haunts and good eating places within a day's ride.  Daytrips is more manageable for most as opposed to an overnighter.  And so, in today's chit chat, Zack shared of a closer to our homes makan place - located in Nilai to be more specific.  The specialty?  sup kambing with donut.  Not your everyday pair, but you'd really have to give it a try to appreciate the uniqueness of this combination.  And I like it!

So we heead to Nilai and visited this quite popular (locally in Nilai) eating place.

freshly baked doughnuts

Add jus jambu batu to the equation, its a cure for the heaty ride!

The workplace of a friend of ours, Ghaz, was just nearby - Kota Seriemas.  And it so happened that Saturdays is a working day for him.  I called Ghaz to check if he can get away from office to join us... and minutes later, he was already there.. :-)

Ghaz... when are you making a come back?

The other dish that is tasty here is this bubur nasi

Drifter really... I mean REALLY dig the mutton soup!

Ghaz asked if we would like to visit his workplace... a property development company.  Well, we agreed and he drove us there... to visit some very nice homes.  However the prices were way beyond my affordability envelope... not sure about the other guys though... :-)

Ahh well... all good things (and bad things for that matter) would eventually come to and end.  And so was our enjoyable outing today....

Till next time... thanks for the memorable ride Drifter and Zack!

Charitably Done

I am really lost for words.  If I were a writer, this would have been a writer's block.  But I am not a writer per se.  And I am far from being a blogger.  But I do like to write stories… life stories of my own.  Events and happenings that I have had the opportunity to be a part of.

It has been a promising start for me this year.  The tail end of 2013 provided a boost, a momentum in welcoming the new year of 2014.  The duo ride with Zack on the 4th Jan set the right pace, for me at least, for the rest of the year - hopefully :-)

While there were no (ride) activities for the rest of January weekends, this particular event in February is more than enough to bring excitements and renewed spirit - especially for long distance casual rides.  And in preparation for this three-days-two-nights do, I did something that I've not done for a long while: personally servicing my bike!  (translate to - engine oil and filter change only lah :-))

Proven to be not as easy as before… :-)

The background of this "Charity Ride" (if you need to label it with anything) started from a Facebook entry by Razin Ong asking for "support" on his mission to collect donations for a religious school's building extension in Betong, Thailand.   I quickly indicated my support.   Few buddies from my previous web-forum was also interested to join this charity ride.

7th February, Friday.   I was already late leaving home that morning as I went to bed after 2:00am the night before.  This has got to do with my DIY on that oil change, of course - sort of last minute thingy.  Well, I have a good reason for it.  Had to prepare the spares (engine oil and filter only :-) )…. plus the right tools to get the job done.  And on the R1, it is much more tedious than what I was used to with the fireblade that I owned before.

  

Anyway, there I was at 0750am just leaving home, when the agreed RV time was at 0800.   Taking the Guthrie Hiway, I arrived Rawang RnR around 0825.  But I could not find the others - Razin, Rik, Idrus and Nox.   Adding to my anxiety that morning, my bike was running jerky, i.e. with engine knocks (three cylinders?) when I was halfway on Guthrie Hiway.  A quick check on my phone revealed Rik's message that they have left and would stop/meet up with me in Tapah RnR. 

There I was, torn between making a u-turn (due to my bike's condition) or to proceed so as to keep my support for this charity ride.  But we know what decision I took… :-)

Slightly over an hour later, I arrived Tapah RnR - and the bike was still running with engine knocks and jerks.    But those guys could not be found anywhere.  Not at the service stations nor at the eateries.  They couldn't have gone ahead? Or could they?

I double checked the text message from Rik which was sent at 0824am… just one minute before I arrive Rawang RnR earlier , the RV place.  Or was it (the RV place)?   I quickly checked the FB entry to re-cofirm.  And… hahahahaha…. while Rawang was the original RV point, Razin later changed it to Sungai Buloh RnR!   I was ahead of them!!!

So, I parked my bike and look for breakfast at the stalls lah.  About 15 minutes later, the four guys arrived…. and we were laughing about the misunderstanding  :-)

breakfast @ Tapah RnR.

Breakfast done.   The next thing to do was refuel our bikes.  I had earlier filled up my tank at Bukit Jelutong… and it was quite a shocker for me to see the low fuel indicator lighted up at Tapah RnR.  Reserve-to-full tank capacity is approximately 14litres (about RM30@RM2.10/litre).  The distance covered was only 140km!  Normally I could get around 220km from full tank to reserve…

Anyway, we fueled up at Tapah and the plan was to shoot straight and re-fuel again at Grik then enter Betong just in time for our Friday prayers (prayer time is 1:30pm).  However, Razin whom led the convoy made a stopover at Tasik Raban for a cupper.

Rik-Nox-me-Idrus

Nox-Razin

It really was a hot scorching day.  The pitstop was a welcome move by Razin.  By now, we knew that we would not make it across the border for our Friday prayers.  By the time we stopped again at Grik to re-fuel, it was already around 1:00pm.  And we arrived at the Masjid Air Panas just in time for our obligatory Friday prayers…

Our presence at the masjid attracted some attention - especially with the kids.  I guess not many bikers stop-over at this masjid…

With our obligatory ritual done, we headed towards the border.  Razin made a quick stop at the duty-free shop for his siggy supply.  Apparently its cheaper here than on either side of the border.

Photographer:  Idrus

There were not many people at the checkpoint.  But then again, this border crossing is not as popular as the one in Bukit Kayu Hitam.  Apart from Betong, the next nearest town is quite far out.  Thus for anyone whom wants to visit Haatyai or Krabi, the logical checkpoints would be Bukit Kayu Hitam or Padang Besar. 

Queuing to get clearance for our bikes.

It was already after 3.00pm (Malaysian time) when we finally got into Betong town.  Everyone was already quite hungry.  The consolation is, there are plenty of restaurants and stalls operated by muslim here.  So, halal food is no issue.

In fact, there are way too many good makan place in Betong!  The roadside stalls provide not only delicious food, but reasonably priced as well.  Between the five of us, and for the whole trip, we collected RM50 each.  And that was all that we spent on food.  Day 1 lunch and dinner; day 2 breakfast, cendol and dinner (lunch was a different story - more of that below…); day 3 breakfast (heavy) and light lunch.  Not too bad ehhh…  :-)

Kedai Abang Man… a popular stall amongst Malaysians

We spent the afternoon just walking around part of the town and ended up with having drinks at Kedai Abang Man (behind Plaza Betong).  The air tebu (sugar cane juice) and air pegaga (pennywort juice) are just superb!  especially during the hot afternoon.

That night, Razin took us yo another fine roadside stall for dinner where we had duck soup with noodles.  Excellente !!!  That about wrapped things up for the first day in Betong…. for me at least :-)

Mee Sup Itik - delicious!

Day 2, Saturday:  began with a walkabout around the hotel looking for breakfast.  Nothing fancy.  Coffee or tea, traditional kueh and  fried rice between us.  There was really nothing much to do that morning.  The agenda for the day was to attend a weeding reception at noon in Baling (yes, Baling in Malaysia, across the border); then visit the religious school along just outside Betong along the road to Yala.

I must salute Razin for his rapport with the authorities on either side of the border.  Going back into Malaysia to attend the wedding reception (of Razin's friend) in Baling, there were no hassle at all.  Smooth as silk it was.

Apparently, that wedding was of another biker from KL.  And there were many bikers (the groom's friend) attended the reception.  Two bikes plus many cars and trucks!  Yes, you got it right.  They actually drove (instead of riding their bikes) to this reception.  And they were to spend the night in Betong afterwards.

The group from "1 Liter Bikers" was also a part of the "convoy" to the religious school.  After about two hours of having "lunch" at the wedding reception, we made our way back into Betong.

Immediately after everyone cleared immigration, we re-joined at a roadside stall (some of us had cendol) for the convoy to the school.  This would be the charity part of the trip  :-)

while waiting for the rest of the group to arrive… cendol time!

The Masjid where this religious school is housed is located about 10km outside of Betong town.  When we arrived at the location, the staff and students were already waiting too greet us.

"Masjid Jamiul Khairi"

The group was treated with lots of local fruits.  But the main attraction was none other than the durian!

Well, it was a simple event.  We got there.  We had fruits and drinks.  The kids put up a nasyid (singing) show - just one song though - and then the highlight of this visit… presenting the donation to the administrator of the religious school.  RM5,320 was collected from this charity drive.  Not that much as they would need a lot more!  The fund is needed for building new classes as the present classed can no longer accommodate the ever increasing number of students.

Hopefully, we can come back with more donations to the school.  I would say they would need more than a hundred thousand Ringgit Malaysia (RM100,000 ++) to realize the project.

Day 3, Sunday:  By 8.30am, we were already checked out from The Modern Thai hotel.  Quite cozy and reasonably priced room rates (RM89 for twin bed, and RM69 for single bed).  I would definitely stay there again as it is located conveniently in town were everything is within walking distance.

After a heavy breakfast just as we left Betong town, we were on our way back to Malaysia.  We stopped at Grik and Simpang Pulai RnR for re-feul.  At around 1.30pm, we stopped for a light lunch at Ulu Bernam RnR, then its the home run for everyone.  Everyone arrived safely home well before 3.00pm that day.

I wish to thank the organizer cum tourist guide Tuan Razin Ong for a most enjoyable charity ride…  lets do this again!  :-)

Too many pictures to paste…. how about a slideshow?  :-)

The Breakfast Ride

Exactly as the title indicates.  Ride for breakfast (and maybe overtime to lunch!)

This is nothing new. I mean, bikers do this kind of thing a lot.  I am no exception.  Its a convenient excuse to go on a short ride, with little commitments.  After all, it is similar to the routine breakfast do that almost everyone perform on weekends.  Leisurely leave the house without the stress of having to punch in on time at the office, and arrive at the breakfast place knowing that you can spend as much time as you like.

Most of the so called weekend warriors like to do the "twisties" ride.  But of course they also have breakfast or similar meals at some point during or after their ride.  Same different.  For the so called weekend warrior, the determining factor is "which twisties" or which "track"?  Track, meaning the public road that offers challenges in terms of bends, twists and turns.  The more difficult the route, the more challenging it is, the more likely bikers will flock that route on weekends and public holidays.  Karak highway leading to Genting Highland (Awana) or Bukit Tinggi is the most popular "track" among bikers in Klang Valley.  The Kuala Klawang road from Cheras is also equally popular.  There are also other "tracks" away from KL - Simpang Pulai-Cameron Highland; Kuala Kubu Baru - Frasiers Hill and many more…

Whereas for our "breakfast ride", the determining criteria is "what and where are we having breakfast on Saturday?".  And as I said earlier, this can also be extended to "what and where are we having lunch?".  Probably, the best label for our ride is "The Makan Ride"! The "Durian" ride is a good example of our "Makan Ride".   A more recent one would be the breakfast in Port Dickson and also the Bidor Mee Kari Ride.  These two stories are here!


14th December 2013:  The PD Breakfast

Nowadays, my ride is too few and far apart.  Probably the days of long distance ride is gone (for now, at least). And what's left is the occasional ad-hoc short distance ride a.k.a The Makan Ride.  Also missing are my riding buddies from days gone by.  Nizam and Dahlan were the original riding mates from when I first first started serious superbiking.  Along the way, more came along during the days when the shortest ride would take us from morning till way past our kids' bedtime, if not an overnight do.  Then, one by one those guys hung their helmets and glove.  Maybe temporarily for some, but for most its permanent retirement!  Nizam and Dahlan still ride, and occasionally I still ride with them. 

Presently, my buddies are from the now defunct (?)  internet forum Superbike Malaysia (SBM).  Notably, Khairul Anwar @ Drifter, Zakir @ Zack and Dr. Zul Ahmad @ Dopto are my riding "gang" now :-) just to name  a few amongst many more.  There was a short period of scootering that took me and the guys from SBM (Ayabren (Hj Capt Azizi), Rik, Zulfa, (Allahyarham) Shah, Idrus, Nox, Halman (Halim), Azuwan, AsyrafR1, and few others) all the way to Krabi!  That was a really exciting episode in our biking life I would say.  Would there be a possibility of repeat?  Most definitely! But for now, breakie ride is just as good :-)

So there were were, in a fair weathered Saturday morning, embarking on what would later be dubbed as the "Ride Wey Ride" event.  The story behind that?  Too complicated to write about…. hehehehe..  But in a nutshell, its the call sign for a planned ride, enticing the lazy riders to come out of their bike-covers and join ride events :-)

Zack and Drifter was already weary at the RV point, Shell Bukit Besi on the North-South Hiway, as I was a bit late than the roll-out time of 8.30am.  When I got there, there were few messages on my phone from Zack.  So, immediately after the customary greets, we rolled out, after agreeing to do the Sepang - Lukut route to PD.  This rather short trunk road offers a few exciting twisties and could provide a respectable about of adrenalin rush for the twisties-junkies.  Not as challenging as the usual "tracks" of Karak or Kuala Klawang but its good enough for the sports bikers.

Drifter & Zack

In less than an hour later, we were already at PD.  And without any particular plan of where to eat, we scoured the roadside and decided to stop a what we saw was a decent place.  And it was not  a letdown! The Bangi Kopitiam is just next to a Asam Pedas stall.  Most convenient (for Drifter!).

The Menu - Bangi Kopitiam @ PD

While Zack and I stayed true to our intention, i.e. having breakfast, Drifter went slightly astray!  Zack had the traditional nasi lemak with rendang while I had toast with egg.  Drifter?  well, he went full scale and had nasi + ikan asam pedas.

 

Light, medium & heavy breakfast!

While were half way through our scrumptious breakie (or early lunch for one of us), we were greeted by a surprise when Ghaz arrived at this eatery!  It was indeed a pleasant surprise… 

 

Ghaz in the middle...

We did order a second round of drinks as we chatted and catch-up with Ghaz.  It has been quite a while since I met Ghaz, although we do communicate daily in our whatsapp group  :-) 

sharing light moments

The Three Machines

 Well, that was that.  It was getting close to noon.  Drifter had to be home as early as possible for another appointment.  So, we bid adieu to Ghaz and rolled out heading home.  We took a different route - the PD  Seremban Hiway and then the Seremban KL hiway.  Quicker but no twisties :-)

Arriving home about an hour later, we received news that Drifter's italian lady stalled just as he was reaching his home in Pitrajaya.  Luckily Baim, our buddy who is now running The Bikers Pit bakeshop in Melaka, was in the vicinity.  Baim helped to transport the RSV to a workshop of Drifter's choice in KL… and that's another story altogether… :-)

 

Maybe she's tired?

4th January 2014:  Mee Kicap Bidor 

The story goes like this.  Doc Zool asked in our whatspp group (SobatBaikMalaya) on Friday (3rd Jan) morning whether anyone wanted to go (repeat) to PD for breakfast the next day.  Though I responded, but it was more a question rather than a confirmation of agreement to join the ride.  I could not commit at the time as I had a few chores to attend to on Saturday. And there were no immediate or firm response from others in the group. 

Later that night, Zack prompted going for "landak" meal, to which I responded interest, however I needed to be home by noon as I have to send my dotter to the airport. After a number of messages exchange later, we agreed to go to Bidor for a curry mee breakie :-).  But Doc Zool was silent. 

Apparently he had already committed on another ride with Hanafiah when they were response from his earlier suggestion. Although there few others whom enquired about joining (notably Knizy @ Nizam), when I arrived at RnR Sg. Buloh  at around 8.35am - our agreed RV place - only Zack was there.  We waited until 9.00am - no one else showed up.  So, we rolled out, just the of us... 

The Dynamic Duo?

This was really a casual ride.  The plan - take the highway and go to the "mee kari" place just off Bidor toll exit, have breakfast, then shoot back via the "kampung" road.  I was no really sure what the route was for the return leg of this breakfast ride. 

very easy to find this makan place

The owner is a Reverted Muslim

Well, one thing was certain.  The place was crowded and the food - mee kari and mee kicap - was excellent! We had a bowl of mee kari each, and shared a plate of met kicap (albeit not an equal share…. :-) ).

Mee kicap

 It was already 11.00am when finished our meal.  And the workers at this eatery was in the midst of closing up for the day.  Apparently they only operate for breakfast, and only open till 11.00am daily. Our return route took us through some seriously nice and scenic locations.  Really wished I had a GoPro! Although some stretch of this truck road were bumpy and with pot holes, I would repeat riding through these neck of the woods anytime.  Speed less than 120km/hour, and with many unnerving moments (due to selfish motorist).  Not a factor! 

 The route: Bidor-Telok Intan-Sabak Bernam-Kuala Selangor-Shah Alam.  Passed through Sekinchan.  Errr…. not initially planned, but since we were in Sekinchan, and it was noon, it would be rude not to stop and try the mentarang!

The Roadside Eatery

 

about the size of our thumb…

The Ideal Partner for Seafood

 This roadside eatery also offers nasi goreng mentarang, mentarang celup tepung and sup mentarang.  But for us, its just mentarang bakar dipped in sweet-sour sauce is just fine.

… the aftermaths…

 We started with half a kilo, but ended ordering another half.  And for RM18/kg… its worthwhile!  For the not so familiar with mentarang, it is actually a type of clam and its living habitat is on the seaside.  Its scientific name is "pholas Orientalis". So, in a nutshell, or rather in a mentarangshell, that summed up our breakfast ride for the weekend.  The half-kilo each grilled mentarang was a good snuff lunch for us.  But wait!  this is the breakfast ride.. hehehehehe...

the breakie duo?