Motorcycling Safety

A long time ago, we were advocates of motorcycling safety. Back then we only had an old video camera. These are the days of Go Pro. I wonder what we can produce now, but more importantly, I think about championing for our pet causes, the things we did when we were younger because we believed in a cause.

Alan Lin (Spectrum), Alan Swee, Traffic Police Safety Branch CO (Simon) and me had met at the cafeteria in Traffic Police HQ at Ubi, talking about motorcycling safety in Singapore. It led to an attempt to form a civic society group, but that did not take off.  What was easier to accomplish was a simple video advocating the use of safety gears, not just for touring in Malaysia and Thailand, but for every day use.

Starring Endlessloop, HotMilo, Dynno DeBeast, Debbie Lim and Kelvin

Produced By Debbie Lim and Kelvin (Pplater)

Resources: Street Smart by Alan Lin

Panjang Garage: A trusty motorcycle repair shop for older model motorcycles up to 600cc

At Panjang Garage's shop front

28 May 2019

It is too easy to miss this shop out. Being sandwiched between units with eye-catching signboards makes his shop seem like the neglected sibling in a large family. It is a shop sans signboard which is located at Block 53, Paya Ubi Industrial Park at Level 3, #03-37.

Ah Peng, who is the man at the helm, is a lanky and sinewy figure (hence the name of the shop as 'panjang' in Malay means tall) walking around the shop with his cigarette in his right hand brooding over prevailing bike faults for solutions is a sight that many of his regulars are familiar with. His banter with his customers is a regular feature as well. Most importantly, there was never a time when he could never solve any pesky bike issues on our 2004 FZ6 as it had relatively simple electronics

Cool eh? Like a boss. Lol! (Pic taken from the Panjang Garage Facebook Page)

The shop is fuss free with its basic fixtures like its dangling white florescent lamps, slightly blackish flooring and its greasy tools strewn across the space. However, do not let that faze you. There is definitely order in that mess. You should definitely let your next visit to the mechanic be at Panjang Garage if you are riding an older model motorcycle without too many buttons and electrical functions. Panjang's mechanical servicing is reliable and priced competitively over other shops.

I have known Ah Peng for 11 years now, I have seen him progress in life from a chief mechanic at Planet Motorcycle Repair Shop to a boss of his very own shop.

It was 5 years ago that I started learning how to do bike maintenance in preparation for the upcoming trip. There was no course out there that I could sign up to learn. Hence, I started looking at YouTube videos, committed the steps that I had seen to memory and hoped for the best when I executed them.

Ha! There were many times I was stumped as the problems that I encountered differed totally from those video tutorials I had studied. Whenever I got stuck with a step, Ah Peng would point out my mistakes and I would improve. He has graciously lent a helping hand when others have totally ignored me.

After many years of cuts, bruises, burns, scars and toughened skin on my hands, I finally tasted the fruits of my labour and I could finally be accountable to myself that I gave it my all. I would not have been able to do these maintenance if not for Ah Peng's kindness. His gift to us will benefit us for life. 

Vaccinations - Frivolous or essential?

A collection of jab stamps

16 May 2019 (Written by Debbie)

Preparations would most likely be centered on destinations, route planning, budgeting, weather planning, gear, etc. Apart from the customary Yellow Fever vaccination (else you would be barred from entering the country), many travellers do not discuss the topic of vaccinations.

Health is an essential part of travel too. This cannot be sidestepped. "What?! This vaccine costs USD $180 (SGD $250) per person!" or "I don't think my luck has run out. Nah! I rather save the cash for other expenses." These remarks are all too commonly heard. You are right that these jabs are costly. Because they simply are. We already spent about USD $2k (SGD $2.7k) for 2 persons so far. However, we think that the money spent on these vaccinations is essential.

Our good buddy, Charlie Tseng, emphasized the importance of vaccinations and to leave ample time for all the shots. Start your jabs at least a year before departure.