For a recap of the first 4 money-saving tips:

1. Slow down off the blocks

2. Ease of the throttle

3. Tune down for better mileage

4. Stock up for major savings

5. Get correct tyre pressure

If you think your tyres have nothing to do with it, I’ve got news for you: hey dummy, this is a double whammy! Choosing the right tyres — and tyre pressure — is one of the most important things for a motorcyclist. Just ask Rossi!

Not only does riding with the right tyre pressure give you better mileage, it lessens tyre wear – which means even more money is saved because you have to change your rubbers less often. Make it a habit to check your tyre pressure each time you stop for fuel. If you’re not sure how many PSI is ideal (which depends on your weight, the size and type of tyres you’ve fitted, etc) a quick call to your mechanic should do the trick.

It’s safer, makes riding more of a joy, and saves you money. What more reasons do you need?

6. Perfect gear change

Now, this is a bit trickier and takes some practice. But ensuring you’re riding on the right gear at all times – ok, at least most times – can be a most rewarding experience. We know it’s challenging, especially with the start-stop of city riding and on a top-end sportsbike, but just try it. You won’t be disappointed with the results!

Not only does it save a bucketful of petrol, finding the right gear every time makes it a joy to be on that 2-wheeler.

Try them out and let me know what you achieve. Meanwhile, stay on course for the next installment!

HANOI — More than 800 workers at a Japanese motorbike factory in northern Vietnam have gone on strike for higher salaries, officials said Friday. The walkout at Yamaha Motor Vietnam’s factory outside Hanoi is the latest in a rash of strikes at factories across Vietnam this year driven by galloping inflation, which topped 25 percent in the year to May.

Workers at the Yamaha plant began striking Tuesday to demand the company raise their salaries by 20 per cent, according to Ha Thu Minh, an officer in the company’s personnel department. Minh said the workers had yet to return to the job.

The striking workers, who receive an average monthly salary of 1.05 million dong (US$63), are also demanding the company raise spending on their daily lunches from 13,000 dong (78 cents) to 15,000 dong (90 cents) per meal, according to news Web site Dantri.

Source: The China Post

If you missed first article in our special 5-part feature on saving money amid soaring petrol prices, it is available here.

And in case you missed it, I did tell you at the end of that article to stay tuned to this second installment. Stay tuned, geddit?

3. Tune down for better mileage!

What did you expect? The equation is simple: the more power your crotch rocket packs, the more gas it guzzles. And while we’ve worked relentlessly to jack up the bhp on our machines, the time has come to go the reverse direction.

Unless you’re riding a race-dedicated machine (or you’ve got money to burn), contemporary machines have more than enough torque to pull away from traffic in normal street riding. The truth is, you don’t even need that much power on city streets!

So, unless you’re planning plenty of trips to the Pasir Gudang, Sepang and Tuas circuits, hop on down to your mechanic and request he tunes down your engine for less power and better fuel economy. even dropping your idling rpm a couple of notches can go a long way in saving money.

If you’ve got money to burn, forget about the whole series altogether. And donate generously to ThrottleZine instead.

4. Stock Up for Major Savings

Forget Leo Vince, Yoshimura, Arrow and K&N. Unless your 2-wheeler rolled out of the factory with these specs, of course. Returning your bike to “stock”, or original factory conditions, is one of the most obvious fuel-saving methods, albeit one of the most painful measures for the biker.

That after-market exhaust, air-filter and carburettor can boost bhp remarkably. But in this time of belt-tightening, it’s best to hang those pipes on the wall above your bed until further notice. Sorry folks, if you want to save money, you just have to sacrifice on a bit of performance.

Damn.

We’re just glad Malaysia is in favour of the “small man“!

Meawhile, gear up for the next installation in our 5-part special!

Throwing a couple of magnets into the fuel tank is rumoured to yield considerable improvements on fuel consumption. Unfortunately, the Myth Busters are likely to have a field day with this one.

Short of stealing petrol from unsuspecting victims (hell beckons, brother), or worse, giving up riding altogether, there are some tried and tested methods to lighten the strain on your pocket.

1. Slow down off the blocks

Take a long hard look in the mirror. That’s right, wise guy, you’re no Valentino, Dani, Casey or Jorge. Now, stop acting like a MotoGP racer!

I’ve noticed more than a few fellow bikers with Parkinson’s Disease that seems to affect only the right side of their bodies. Experts are studying whether these seizures are triggered by normal frequency red light. How else do you explain the violent muscle spasms that compel their right hands to work the throttle incessantly - when they are standing still at the traffic lights?

Seriously though, acting like a bat out of hell from every stop line is more likely to win you a couple of traffic tickets than the chance to stand on the podium and shower champagne on grid girls. And don’t even think about licking it off them after, you perve!

Gradual acceleration is not only safer, it consumes less petrol and saves you a whole lot of money.

2. Ease off the throttle / Free-wheeling

Think of the throttle as a faucet: every time you turn on the tap, some of that precious petrol is pumped out. Of course, the engine needs fuel to burn before it operates. Yes, that’s why they call it a motor-cycle. But sometimes, we crack open the throttle more than we need - or even when we don’t need to.

Cruising, the engine functions at the optimum energy spent vs work done efficiency. Each time you accelerate, you force the engine to do more work, hence increasing the need for more fuel to perform the task. For best fuel efficiency, accelerate gradually to a comfotably cruising speed, for example 90km/h on the expressway, then try your best to maintain that RPM until you need to decelerate on exiting the highway. With limited acceleration-deceleration, the engine does less work, which translates into lower petrol spendings!

Remember: the motorcycle engine works like the human body. Think back on the dreaded annual school cross-country runs we were forced to do. Jogging at a constant pace throughout could be tortuous, but much less tiring than the guys who chose a walk-sprint-walk-sprint strategy. The human body - and the motorbike engine - were just not made to function that way!

And when you get to the downslopes, it was less tiring to just open your stride and let gravity do the work for you. Likewise, pulling in the clutch and shutting the throttle for long downhill sections make more sense. Why use the engine when gravity is in abundance?

While maintaining cruising speed and free-wheeling down slopes might seem insignificant and penny-pinching strategies at best, our test results yielded remarkable dividends. The same 14.5-litre tank of petrol actually covered 10% more distance with this method alone. Every little bit counts!

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Which is why I found this cartoon particularly funny and appropriate.

What measures do you take to combat rising prices? Do share with us!

Singapore’s March Inflation Accelerates to Fastest in 26 Years
By Shamim Adam

April 23 (Bloomberg) — Singapore’s inflation accelerated in March to the fastest pace in 26 years, adding support to the central bank’s decision this month to allow the currency to strengthen further.

The consumer price index jumped 6.7 percent from a year earlier, after gaining 6.5 percent in February, the Department of Statistics said today. Economists had estimated a 6.8 percent increase. Prices fell 0.1 percent from February.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore in its twice-yearly review of the exchange rate on April 10 unexpectedly targeted a stronger trading range for the currency. The appreciation of the Singapore dollar, which has risen to an all-time high versus the U.S. currency, is helping reduce import costs as food and energy prices climb.

“The uptrend in inflation is still very much intact and it is a validation of the central bank’s policy,” said Vishnu Varathan, a regional economist at Forecast Singapore Pte. “Oil prices have not abated and food prices are on the rise.”

The Singapore dollar has gained 6.7 percent this year. The central bank, which previously sought a “gradual and modest” strengthening, this month allowed a stronger currency through a surprise “upward shift” in the policy band.

The monetary authority expects 2008 inflation to average at the “upper half” of its forecast range of between 4.5 percent and 5.5 percent, after prices gained 2.1 percent last year.

Food Prices

Food prices, which make up 23 percent of the index, rose 7.6 percent in March from a year ago, following February’s 6.7 percent increase. From February, food prices dropped 0.2 percent.

The price of rice, corn, wheat and soybeans have all reached records this year, spurred by competing demands from the animal-feed, food and biofuels industries while stockpiles dwindle. Singapore’s government is distributing cash and food vouchers to its citizens as part of fiscal measures to boost the economy and ease the burden of rising prices.

Transport and communication costs, the second-biggest component at 22 percent of the consumer price index, climbed 7.9 percent in March from a year earlier. From February, transport and communication prices fell 0.2 percent.

Oil prices at record highs are increasing fuel and transport costs for consumers. The Singapore government doesn’t subsidize pump prices, leading petrol companies to pass on the rising gasoline and diesel costs to car owners.

Housing costs, the third-largest component of the price index, climbed 8.1 percent from a year earlier. From the previous month, housing prices dropped 0.7 percent.

via 

Now, that’s an original way of looking at it. Haha.

Do you have any good bumper stickers to contribute?

via

Goh and Sam have made it past China, into Pakistan!

Well done, and keep the Singapore Dream burning bright!

It sounded grand: 2100 hrs at The Cathay, BikeFilmFest 08. But the only clues I was even at the right place were 4 classic motorcycles displayed in a 3 by 3-metre space (accompanied by 2 standing posters ominously keeping watch, evidently lest the ancients wandered off) at the ground floor of The Cathay — the grand old dame of Singapore cinema.

And that was it.

Why, were you expecting more? Honestly, so was I. 4 classic bikes and 2 standees. Beautiful as the oldies were, they hardly contrived to “create a massive buzz”. I couldn’t even find any information — either on the ground floor or the cinema lobby — on the BikeFilmFest at The Cathay. No list of BikeFilmFest movie timings and details; no promotional posters; and, in fact, no mention at all that there was even an event going on! Did I hear ‘cocktail reception’? Don’t even think about it.

So, armed with a couple of (complimentary) tickets, I approached the friendly staff tasked with tearing the movie stubs.

“Is there a Bike Film Fest or something going on?” I asked.

She looks at my tickets, and nods.

“What show is it?” I continued, half wondering if I should just get the hell out of there.

No reply, as she looks down at a piece of paper and mumbles something.

“Ok, nevermind. Is it any good?”

“Erm, from feedback we’ve received, it’s quite good.” she chirped. Ah, finally, staff training comes in handy.

That’s the second time I’ve heard cinema staff use that line. And my experience in PR tells me it’s a whole lot of bull. Nobody ever bothers to “feedback”. The first thing I do after a movie is rush off to the bathroom, then outside for a smoke, not go to the counter staff and tell them how much I enjoyed the movie.

What the heck, let’s give it a go. How bad could a bike flick get?

“The Motorcycle Diaries”, the sign at the entrance read. Cool, I thought, as images of an epic journey on 2 wheels roared into my head. And it started off just as I expected.

23-year-old Ernesto Guevara de la Serna puts medical school on hold to join his 29-year-old friend, Alberto Granado, on a life-defining trip across South America on a 1939 Norton 500 that has seen better days. Dubbed La Poderosa, or “The Mighty One”, the Norton looked like a wreck from the start. And after a series of crashes, it finally gave — with two-thirds of the movie left to go! And that was the end of motorcycles in this movie. So much for a bike flick.

But still, it was a journey. The initial promise of ‘freedom’ on 2 wheels is something a biker can relate to - and, indeed, relishes. Forget med school and the resulting ‘bright future’, Ernesto thought. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For one stuck in a competitive, commercialistion-centred country like Singapore, I had a lot of respect for Ernesto’s decision. After all, I believe, there is more to life than the relentless pursuit of money and ’success’.

The true “epic journey” in this film was not on a motorcycle. The highlight is a scene of Ernesto swimming across the river that separates the two societies of the leper colony, to spend the night in a leper shack, instead of in the cabins of the doctors. This journey implicitly symbolizes Ernesto’s rejection of wealth and aristocracy into which he was born, and the path he would take later in his life as a guerrilla, fighting for what he believed was the dignity every human being deserves.

The kicker comes at the end, where it is revealed that Ernesto went on to join a revolution, and was to be immortalised as a legendary leader, known henceforth as “Che” Guevara. That instant saved the day.

As an event, the BikeFilmFest was not bad. It was just non-existent. As a biker film,’The Motorcycle Diaries’ was painful to watch. Don’t get me wrong. The movie deserves its 2 thumbs up. If for nothing else, it breathed life into the face on a million t-shirts in Bangkok.

This 2004 production is a masterpiece as far as socio-political films go. But at a film festival for bikes, it was awkwardly out of place. “The Mighty One” spent more time being pushed than being ridden, and at the end of the day, it was good riddance when it was finally laid to rest. You can’t help but wonder if BikeFilmFest organisers are leaking as much oil as La Poderosa and threw this movie into the cauldron just because there was the word “motorcycle” in the title.

‘The Motorcycle Diaries’ is a great movie. But watching it at BikeFilmFest 08, I couldn’t help but leave more than a little disappointed.

But the real news is the long-standing rivalry between Pedrosa and Spanish compatriot Jorge Lorenzo, who moved to MotoGP after outstanding results in the125cc and 250cc categories. At the 2005 German GP, Pedrosa audaciously cut in front of the #48 bike attempting to pass him, sending the hapless rookie Lorenzo crashing out of the race. Pedrosa went on to win the race with a bent exhaust from the incident, but claimed he did not see his Spanish rival.

Lorenzo’s team manager Dani Amatriain rubbished Pedrosa’s explanation:

“I am surprised by the comments of Dani Pedrosa who claimed he did not see Jorge. I think maybe he should change his helmet because obviously the one he has at the moment doesn’t let him see very much. From what I saw, and have subsequently seen on television, I am very clear on who the aggressor was and who wasn’t…”

To rub salt to injury, Pedrosa pipped Lorenzo at the final race of the 2005 season — which was also to be their last 250cc race together — to prevent Lorenzo from taking over his record as the youngest ever 250cc Grand Prix champion.

Now in the MotoGP category, there seems to be little separating the Spanish rivals on the track. Pedrosa currently leads the pack with 41 points after 2 races, following his win at Jerez, but Lorenzo is hot on his tail just 5 points behind, after impressive starts in Qatar (2nd place) and Jerez (3rd place). They even had to be ‘forced’ to shake hands after the race. Hell, this rivalry is heating up. But it makes for an all the more interesting MotoGP, so it’s good news for us fans!

The leader board after 2 races in the 2008 MotoGP season stands at:

1) Dani Pedrosa - 41 points

2) Jorge Lorenzo - 36 points

3) Valentino Rossi - 31 points

4) Casey Stoner - 30 points

5) Andrea Dovizioso - 21 points

6) James Toseland - 20 points

7) Nicky Hayden - 19 points

8) Loris Capirossi - 19 points

9) John Hopkins - 13 points

10) Shinya Nakano - 10 points

Yes, read that again, please. Valentino Rossi is in 3rd place, ahead of defending champion Casey Stoner!

Rossi ran a superb race in Jerez, making his way to the front of the pack after a disappointing time in the qualifying trials. While he never looked like coming close to matching Pedrosa for pace, Rossi showed great composure in battling to second place, then keeping Lorenzo and Nicky Hayden at bay throughout the race. Save for a potentially embarrassing miscalculation toward the end, where the Italian started celebrating by pumping his fist — with one more lap to go and Lorenzo less than half a second behind! His pit crew must have gone crazy over the team radio. Realising his mistake, Rossi threw a long hard look to check Lorenzo’s position, then launched forward to continue racing. Tsk, tsk, tsk. What an amateurish mistake by everyone’s favourite #46! It’s a good thing he managed to hang on to his lead over the chasing Lorenzo and Hayden. At the end, Rossi looked well pleased to finish on the podium. And honestly, we’re glad to see him back to (almost) his best.

And where was Stoner? Off the track, mostly. The reigning world champion skipped off onto the gravel — not once, but twice — in a day in Spain he’ll want to forget as soon as possible. Stoner finished an abysmal 11th place, clawing back after his initial off-road trip relegated him to the back of the queue. While a disaster for the Australian and Ducati, the Jerez-Stoner incident is a reprieve for the other racers. There is just no stopping Stoner. He has been formidable in recent times, and short of a mechanical failure or trips into the gravel, it is hard to see Pedrosa, Rossi and Lorenzo keeping up with his pace.

Two races down, 16 to go. What will Estoril in Portugal on April 13 bring? I can’t wait to find out!

Oh don’t be shy now, you can even nominate yourself. (We won’t tell, we swear…) *wink*