Hi guys, CK is back again and I think I have a few things to share with guys.

First and foremost, my bike almost broke down again. Almost but just not yet, hehehe. Sigh, just like old people, old bikes are also more prone to illness and diseases. Nonetheless, the difference is that bikes are just machines... a human life is much more valuable(like obviously, duh!!!). Anyway, talking about how my bike almost succumb to illness, it was all due to a small rubber O-ring on the radiator. The bike was leaking coolants all the way to the workshop. I was so afraid the bike might just stall mid-way or blown up into pieces, hahaha. Hmm... and I thought the repair would burn a hole in my pocket, luckily the mechanic just charged me RM10. Luckily; LOL.

The second thing is something I am not proud of. Last weekend was pretty messed up for me. I told myself that I just gotta keep my cool but somehow I lost it. Damn it!!! F@#% it anyway. Idiot deserves it. Who ask him to come asking for it. I did warn him not to provoke me again but he just didn't want to believe me. Fine. Now, he is paying for it; a swollen eye. LOL. Nevertheless, the issue is over. I don't wish to talk about the past no more. Let bygones be bygones.

The third thing is that I am pretty messed up myself. Hmm... a quote from Goo Goo Dolls song titled Name, "scars are souvenirs you never lose, the past is never far". Well, I agree with quote and it actually reflects on my real life, at least it reflects the situation now. Mind you, I am using the word "past", meaning it is the past, history. My past was never far. Anyhow, I gotta keep a distance unless I am left with no options. So far so good I can say.

The forth and maybe the most common thing is that, I am still counting. It has been close to 2 weeks and 5 days since I last met her face to face. I know why people call me dumb cause her house is just like maybe less than 5 KM from my house. Everyone said I can just drive over to her house. Well, I don't think they really understand. It's not the distance. It's not how far. Even if it is a matter of distance, I am pretty sure no one can measure it, for there is no metric unit for it.

Lastly, it's Christmas eve today. Wow, talking about how fast time flies. Another year is going to be over. Hmm... no Christmas wishes this year. Duh!!! let's be realistic. The world's economy is facing a recession now and our Santa is probably feeling the pinch too; LOL. Back to being serious, I think I am going to be pretty insane tonight, hehehe. That was how I celebrated it last year and considering that I am celebrating it the same way this time around, things wouldn't change that much. I will keep you guys informed of the progress. That's it for now... back to work...

Hello to everyone. Today has been quite a fun day for a motorcycle geek like me, hehehe....

A few days ago, I can't help but to notice that the carburettors on my bike was leaking petrol. Damn it, haiz... I should have expected this considering the bike is just a few years shy of my age. To be exact, the bike is already registered for 15 years, but still going strong. Nevertheless, you want to ride the bike, you have got to maintain and service the bike. To be honest, I think I made a bad choice preferring bikes over cars but it's too late to change my mind. Anyway, I am very satisfied with the bike, minus the maintaining and servicing part which burned a hole in my pocket; LOL.

At first, I wanted to have my bike serviced at Cartoon's shop, but for Gods sake he is one hell of a blood sucker. I took my bike to his shop and ask him for some suggestions. Well, he suggested that I get the carburettors cleaned and serviced. Hmm... I am no mechanic but I guess I have got to agree with him that is in getting the carburettors cleaned. But there is where the agreement ends. I asked him how much will it cost me to get the carburettors serviced and guess how much he said, a whopping RM85!!! Geez... I am already in a "tight" situation lately and you are asking for RM85 for a job that maybe take you an hour and cost you nothing at all? I think I will pass...

This has left me with no choice but to go to Bulldog's shop (I don't like Jessie's place nor those big shops). Well, I don't really like the mechanic there but they are more friendly; as a matter of fact they are more pocket-friendly. The mechanic doesn't do a very thorough job and most of the time, he will recommend you cheap parts and accessories. I HATE him for recommending dad to fix that Duro tyre now fitted on the front wheel. Anyhow, he says he will charge me RM60 which I tried to negotiate with him and finally we came to an agreement, RM50. Yeah... let's get our hands dirty.

We disassembled the tank, the airbox and finally the carburettors. Wow... I have to say the carburettor on my bike (twin carbs) is pretty huge. Hmm... but thank god they are rather frugal on the fuel. Later on he disassemble the carburettors and cleaned them, sealed them and fix them back. No more leakage. Done... but there goes my RM50. Somehow after the service, I felt that the bike had better response and was smoother than ever. Okay-lah, it was worth spending that RM50.

Next... For those who had seen my bike up close, you sure can't help but to notice how THICK the seat was. Duh... the previous owner certainly knew something about comfort, adding at least 3 inches thickness on the seat. Haiz... sorry, it's not to my liking. After servicing the carburettors, I went around town to find someone to help me do the seats. And again, I met another blood sucker. Hmm... I told him that I needed to get the seat back to its original shape and thickness, and to rewrap the seat. Guess how much he said? RM90. I was like, "What??? RM90???"

I really don't get people nowadays. Why must they charge young teenagers like me so expensive? Do they think that all young teenagers are stupid or I am stupid? Why on earth do you need RM90 to reshape and rewrap the seat? It's not that I am using some expensive alcantara to wrap my seat which I am sure you don't even have it even though if I wanted it. Fine. I continue searching until I bump into this shop, Yang Cushion somewhere in Perak Road. Well, the boss is very friendly and more importantly he was also like Bulldog's mechanic, pocket-friendly. He wanted to charge me RM60 to get it done and as usual, I negotiated with the guy and finally he agree on RM55. I have to say, he did quite an okay job. I was pretty satisfied. I have to say, being a lil' thick face and trying to find alternatives and negotiating saved me RM70. Now that makes a lot of difference to the damage done to my pocket. Hahaha...

Finally, my bike looks a lil' prettier/ more handsome now after reshaping the seat. But I still have a lot of things to do. Next most important thing that I am going to spend on the bike is investing on a set of good tyres, maybe from Metzeler or Bridgestone. It depends on my budget though. I may settle for a set of Maxxis. I've been doing a lot of research on this tyre manufacturer from Taiwan and so far, the reviews on their product has been quite satisfactory. But one thing is for sure, I am not gonna spend my hard-earned money on Duro's. NO WAY...

DONE. It took me half a day to get the whole thing done. I was rather tired when I reached home at 2 p.m. For your info, I slept at 3 a.m last night and woke up at 7.30 a.m. Hmm... what I did was a secret and shall remain as a secret. All and all, maybe I was thinking of something, or maybe someone. Without taking lunch, I lie down on my dad's reclining chair and I just doze off. I woke up at 5 p.m and here I am blogging about my activity for the day December 19, 2008. That's it for now. Until my next post, this is CK... a motorcycle geek... hehehehe...

After much waiting for the never-will-arrive Kawasaki ER6-n, I have given up and continue my search for a used high powered motorcycle. Among the bikes that I have considered includes the Honda CB400SF, Honda Shadow VT600, Honda Magna 750 (I blogged about it before) but never once did it cross my mind that I will "meet" what I would say, one of the rarest bikes in Penang, previously owned by a very nice uncle, the Honda NTV650 Revere.

The Honda NTV650 Revere is the European version of the Honda Hawk GT647 which has now achieve its cult status in the United States. Both bikes uses the same 52 degrees V-twin 600cm3 engine, but it is bored out to achieve 647cm3 and utilizes a single overhead cam with 3 valve per cylinder and features the twin spark ignition. It produces about 50 something horsepower and 56 Newt. The Revere, compared side by side with the Hawk, has a larger fuel tank for better touring capability and a longer rear section. Besides that, it uses the shaft drive which is maintenance free compared to the chain drive of the Hawk, but the Hawk uses a better chassis which is made from aluminum compared to the Revere's steel frame.

On the run, the Revere feels a bit panicky. The front suspension is a wee bit on the soft side, but the rear seems adequate though. Surprisingly, the bike is capable to handle corners much better than you think it can. For your info, the Hawk and the Revere was regarded as a high tech motorcycle back then when it was launched in the late 1980's. It was probably one of the first few bikes back then to use the Honda Pro Am single arm on the rear of the bike. Besides giving it a really nice design for the swing arm and wheels, it also helps in weight reduction and enables the use of the single suspension, better known as Monoshock.

The bike is claimed to achieve the 62 mph sprint in under 4 seconds, but it seems a bit optimistic. Nonetheless, it will achieve 62 mph within the 5 second range. The only complaint that I have about the bike is that it is somewhat under equipped. The meter gauges only shows a speedometer, a tachometer, temperature, high beam, turn signals and neutral gear. It lacks the fuel gauge which is an important feature. The gearbox though claimed by others to be less precise, to me, it is okay but just a bit rough as you can hear the 'klonk' sound when you shift up or down.

So, hmm... why did I suddenly talk a whole lot about the Honda NTV650 Revere? It is because it is my bike now. The uncle has finally agreed to sell it to me, at somewhat a high price many has claimed. Though, dad has bought it for me. Hehehe. I am a happy man now, contented. I can finally say I am a proud owner of a very rare bike in Penang. Hahaha (freaking show off here, mind you, it is an old bike, so nothing to show to people). Alright, done talking. It is time to go back and polish the new member to the collection of bikes at my house now, beginning with the monster muscle bike, dad's Honda CB1300SF, his Honda EX5, my Yamaha Lagenda Z and my Suzuki FX125 cyber sport, THE HONDA NTV650 REVERE.

The same original colour, the same wheels, totally original...