FIRST BIGWING CENTRE OPENS IN SETAPAK
THE first of four Honda BigWing centres opened recently at Ee Tiong Motorsports Sdn Bhd in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur. Known as “The Destination for Riders”, the BigWing centre consists of a state of the art showroom, service centre, parts and accessories corner and customer lounge. The overall distinctive concept is to provide a cool, sophisticated and premium atmosphere for unique customer experience.
Boon Siew Honda Sdn Bhd (BSH) is looking to meet the diversified market demands in Malaysia through the BigWing concept.
The other three BigWing centres will be opened in Penang, Selangor and Johor. With the opening of these BigWings, BSH is targeting a 30 per cent increase in sales in the big-bike segment, which translates to roughly 1600 units.
The launching was officiated by Malaysian Motorcycle and Scooter Dealers Association president Wee Hong together with Boon Siew Honda managing director and chief executive officer Nobuhide Nagata.
“We are focusing on providing exceptional user experience, which is beyond customer’s expectations. We are ready to excite the world,” said Nagata.
Setapak was chosen as the first BigWing based on its central location and large customer base. The 5,535 sq ft facility provides more space and comfort for Honda consumers.
In addition, the BigWing centre will be holding frequent activities, such as international convoy events and biker gatherings.
More privileges will be offered to BigWing customers such as a complimentary Honda BigWing Member Card, which grants a minimum 10 per cent discount on genuine Honda parts and accessories, special insurance packages, technical advice, breakdown assistance and exclusive invites.
“Last week, we celebrated the launch of the centres with more than 100 customers in conjunction with the MotoGP Winter Tests. They were really excited with the track experience in Sepang Circuit and the meeting with World Champion MotoGP riders. To BigWing customers, we will provide a variety of extraordinary activities,” he added.
The opening of the first BigWing centre also coincided with the launch of the X-ADV, the CRF1000L Africa Twin and the CB1000R, which are targeted to be available to the market in the first half of this year. These are all complete built-up models and are priced highly competitively.
Currently, no definite figures are available, but the X-ADV is expected to retail below RM70,000 and the standard CRF1000L Africa Twin at below RM80,000. The more premium CRF1000L with bigger fuel tank and Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) is expected to come in below RM90,000.
The X-ADV is a new concept of adventure scooter, conceived by Honda Italy, equipped with a 745cc parallel twin engine, combined with the DCT. The crossover scooter is at home either in city traffic, touring or dirt trails.
The DCT system allows two transmission modes, automatic or selectable via a toggle on the right side handlebar switch. Gears are selected via toggle switches on the left handlebar switch. It features rallystyle digital instrumentation, LED headlights, 21 litres of underseat storage with a 12V socket, manually adjustable rake windshield, keyless ignition and built-in immobiliser.
The CRF1000L is Honda’s largest Adventure Sports motorcycle. It is powered by a four valve, 998cc parallel twin, dubbed the Unicam, producing 70 kW @7,500 rpm and 99Nm@6,000 rpm.
For this year, the Africa Twin now has Throttle By Wire (TBW) system, which introduces three riding modes to suit riding conditions. The Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) system is also extended in range to seven levels, excluding Off.
The DCT system on the Africa Twin features the standard manual mode, just like the X-ADV, allowing gearshifts through toggles on the left handlebar switch. The two auto modes - D and S - are for fuel economy and sport mode, respectively. There is also a G mode, which modifies control of the clutch for off-road situations.
In addition, there is a 30th Anniversary Africa Twin model with a unique tri-colour scheme to celebrate the launch of the XRV650 launch way back in 1988.
The standard CRF1000 Africa Twin is equipped with a six-speed transmission with a shift-cam design shared with the CRF250R/450R and equipped with a slipper-assist clutch. Other than the transmission, it shares the same Unicam engine with its’ DCT sibling. The HSTC system is standard on the CRF and features three levels, excluding Off. The CRF1000 has a slimmer 18.8 litre fuel tank, compared with the 24.5 litre L model. All CRF1000s come with a dizzying variety of accessories from engine guards to aluminium saddlebags.
For more information on the BigWing centre and the variety of bigbike Honda models, visit Ee Tiong Motorsports Sdn Bhd at 384-390, Jalan Pahang, Setapak.