Part 47 - Motorbikes suspension in the world... (",)

Motorbike suspension - back end.

Twin-shock, regular swingarm The classic motorcycle suspension system. An H-shaped swingarm is pivoted at the front to the motorbike frame. On either side there are basic coilover units which provide the suspension. The shocks are inside the coilover units. This is about as basic as you can get on a motorbike and has been around for as long as the motorbike itself. This style of suspension began to fall out of favour in the 80's due to weight considerations and the availability of newer, stronger materials. It was also not a particularly robust design by modern considerations. It all got a bit bendy and flexible under extreme riding conditions, and the only way to make it stronger was to add more metal, which added more unsprung weight, which reduced the efficiency of the suspension.

Monoshock, older style, regular swingarm In 1977, the first monoshock system appeared to niche markets and racers. It has actually been around in one form or another since the 1930's, but it was only in the early 80's that monoshocks started to appear on production bikes. Monoshock is actually a Yamaha trademark, but it has become synonymous with the design in the same way as people in the UK refer to vacuum cleaners as hoovers. (The Honda version is called Pro-Link). The premise was that manufacturers could save some weight by redesigning the rear suspension and removing one of the coilover units. Monoshocks are still coilovers, but there's only one and it's mounted centrally to the swingarm. On earlier models, the rear swingarm was a sort of basket with a linkage at the top-front. The monoshock sat nearly horizontal in the bike.

Monoshock, newer style, regular swingarm On the current monoshock designs, there is now a complex linkage at the bottom end which joins the coilover to the swingarm itself, and its important to lube the joints in these linkages regularly. They are very exposed to the elements when riding. The linkage adds leverage to the suspension plus it allows the coilover to be mounted more vertically. Ever in need of less weight (and hence more speed), those clever engineers who devised this variation were able to remove the 'basket' part of the swingarm, and revert to the traditional "H" shaped arm, only with a bit more welding here and there and stronger materials. Hover your mouse over the image to show a closeup detail of the linkage.

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Monoshock, single-sided swingarm The ultimate evolution of the monoshock design is the single-sided swingarm. These are super-strong, super-lightweight swingarms like you might find on a VFR800. The advantage of a single-sided system is that the wheel can quickly be taken out and replaced. Not really a huge advantage for you or I fiddling with our bikes at the weekend, but for Moto-GP style racing, it does make a huge difference for the pit crew. Single-sided swingarms need to be pretty heavily engineered because they bear the all the stresses from the rear axle offset to one side. With the traditional double-beam swingarm, the design needs to have longitudinal stiffness to stop it from bending. With the single-sided design, it needs to also have torsional stiffness to stop it from twisting under the offset load. As a result, single-sided swingarms are typically a lot larger and have a huge amount of cross-bracing inside them.

One shock or two? The frothy subject of frappuccino damper oil.

In the good old days, motorbikes had two shock absorbers on the rear of the bike, as shown at the top of this section. As suspension evolved, the dual rear shocks were replaced with a single unit, but the question is why? The answer, it turns out, is pretty simple. In a dual-shock system, the suspension units are typically attached very close to the rear axle. This means that as the suspension compresses and expands, the shock absorber pistons are travelling in a stroke which is nearly the same as the full deflection of the swingarm. Hitting a large bump might deflect the rear axle upwards by 10cm and back, resulting in the same 10cm stroke in the shocks. Do this a lot and the shock absorber piston begins to behave like the plunger in one of those natty little cafetières or milk-frothers - it agitates the damper oil so much and so frequently that the oil begins to heat up and foam or froth. At this point it not only looks like frappuccino foam but it has about the same damping properties too, and thus loses its ability to perform as it should. This is known as fading shock absorbers.
Enter the single shock absorber system mounted towards the front of the rear swingarm. The swingarm might still have a lot of travel at the axle, but basic geometry shows you that closer to the pivot, the deflection is much less. This translates into shorter shock absorber movements which in turn means less opportunity for the damper oil to froth. The ultimate evolution of this is the complex link monoshock system (also shown above), where a complex series of levers reduce the shock absorber travel even further. Typically multi-link setups like this also have some amount of variance in them so that they have a different amount of deflection in the first part of the stroke to the that in the second. This means a single shock absorber unit can respond better to changing road surfaces, soaking up the smaller bumps and shocks with ease and comfort without sacrificing the ability to respond to the occasional mountain or pothole.
As a side note, you'll notice as you read the section on BMW rear suspension below that the monolever and first-generation paralever had a single shock but it was mounted close to the rear axle. This had all the disadvantages of a dual-shock system without any of the advantages of a single-shock system. For the second-generation paralever, the shock was moved closer to the swingarm pivot, thus bringing the design in-line with the small-deflection idea.

Rear monolever. In 1980, BMW introduced the world to the monolever suspension system on the back end of their R80GS big dirt bike. Little did anyone know at the time that it was a sign of the radical design changes to come. Most BMW bikes, modern ones anyway, have shaft drive, so its a given on a beemer that one side of the rear suspension is going to be pretty beefy because it has to house the driveshaft and ultimately the rear drive. BMW capitalised on this and with the monolever, they created a single-sided suspension system, much like the Yamaha monoshock, but the shock / strut unit was mounted to one side of the bike, rather than in the centre. The driveshaft ran down the inside of the single-sided swingarm and into the rear drive. This design helped eliminate the need for beefier engineering at the front of the swingarm which would have been needed to resist the torsional load of having the wheel mounted to a single-sided swingarm.

Rear paralever, first generation. In 1987, BMW improved on their design and introduced the paralever suspension system on the back end of the new R100GS, a system which found its way on to their K1 sports bike too. (Note : This is an improvement of a suspension system originally fitted to the Magni Sfida called Parallelogramo. It was also available as a kit for Moto Guzzis in the 80s. Parallelogramo itself is a derivative of a prototype suspension of the same type shown on the MV Agusta 500 in 1950) Paralever uses the same basic principle as monolever but adds a lower control arm to the mix and an extra pivot point between the main swingarm and the rear drive. The effect is that the old pivoting swingarm now becomes part of a skewing parallelogram system - in fact a geometric double wishbone system just like in a car. This added lateral stiffness to the suspension, but it also kept the rear drive at the same orientation relative to the rest of the bike. Because of the extra link at the rear drive, the strut / shock unit was turned over so that it was "the right way up", and it was still mounted to one side of the bike. Because the whole system now acts as a double swingarm, it substantially reduces the change of load response of the driveshaft. Using this type of suspension was also the impetus for BMW to change to using the engine as an integral stressed member of the frame, which allowed the swingarm and suspension components to be bolted directly to it.

Rear paralever, second generation. In 1993, the second generation paralever system appeared on the R1100GS. The basic design was the same as the original paralever except that the strut/shock unit was moved away from the side of the bike and on to the centreline, bringing it more in line with the monoshock type system. It also gained a remote preload adjuster and spring plate height adjuster. This new paralever was made of aluminium instead of steel so it was lighter than the original whilst maintaining the strength needed for the single-sided shaft drive system.

Rear paralever, third generation. Skip forward ten years to 2004 - which tells you how good the paralever II was that its design didn't change in nearly a decade. The third generation paralever appeared in the new R1200GS. This design is similar but at the same time noticably different to its predecessor, and at the time of writing is now the current BMW rear suspension of choice. The control arm was moved above the shaft drive from underneath, and the rear drive was changed to have a hole through the middle of it to save weight. The unsprung weight of the latest generation paralever is considerably lighter than its predecessors. That's not to say that it couldn't still be used as a substantial bludgeoning weapon if you got it off the bike, but in engineering terms, it has slimmed down considerably.

TQ to www.carbibles.com for sharing this article...

Part 44 - My Review on PayPerPost (PPP)... (",)

This is a simple way to get paid to blog by doing Blogging. Got a blog? You can start make money blogging today! We'll show you step by step how you can use Pay Per Post to make money with your blog.

The idea is simple. Advertisers pay you to blog. You get paid to blog by writing about the advertiser's web site or their product. Many times they don't care if your review is good or bad they just want you to link to their site. A few days after you post the advertisers review your post to make sure they follow their requirements. You can even earn better rankings by writing good blog posts, and get paid more. A few weeks later Pay Per Post pays you to your paypal account. It really is that simple. Watch the video to find out just how easy it is to make money blogging.

A number of readers have emailed me about a new opportunity for bloggers to make money in a system called PayPerPost to drive traffic to your blog.

The short of it is that they sign up advertisers who want bloggers to write about their product, service or company and then pay bloggers to do that.

This is how they pitch it:

To Advertisers:

“PayPerPost is an automated system that allows you to promote your Web site, product, service or company through the PayPerPost network of bloggers. Advertise on blogs to create buzz, build traffic, gain link backs for search engine ranking, syndicate content and much more. You provide the topic, our network of bloggers create the stories and post them on their individual blogs.”

To Bloggers:

“Get Paid to Blog. You’ve been writing about Web sites, products, services and companies you love for years and you have yet to benefit from all the sales and traffic you have helped generate. That’s about to change. With PayPerPost™ advertisers are willing to pay you to post on topics. Search through a list of topics, make a blog posting, get your content approved, and get paid. It’s that simple.”

All you need to do is head over to the PayPerPost.com Website, fill in a quick and easy form where you give details about yourself and your blog, choose from a wide range of categories you're interested in blogging about, then just wait for approval. Once approved you'll then be eligible to choose from a list of offers from clients who are prepared to pay YOU to write a post on your blog about their product or service.

Part 41 - MotoGP 800 - Art & Science... (",)

MotoGP 800 - Art & Science

A closer look at the new 800s

With the new era of 800cc MotoGP well underway, our spies in the paddock have managed to snap some pictures of the new bikes. Here is a sampling from the first few races of '07.

The Ducati Desmosedicis have shown incredible straight-line speed, and Australian Casey Stoner used that to his advantage to win three of the first six races. At Mugello, one of the fastest circuits on the calendar, the four Ducatis (Stoner and Loris Capirossi on the factory entries, Alex Barros and Alex Hoffman on the Pramac d'Antin bikes) were fastest, with Stoner reaching 201 mph, just 7 mph shy of the fastest speed carded at the same track in '06 by a 990cc machine. The frame consists of short tubes running from the steering head to each cylinder bank of the V4 engine and a large carbon-fiber subframe mounting to the swingarm pivot (that mounts to the crankcases) and the rear of the engine.

The '07 Yamaha M1's engine and frame layout are very similar to the '06 990cc version's, although the motor appears significantly more compact front to back. Interesting bits include loads of electronics with quick-release connectors, CNC-machined crankcases, O2 sensors in each exhaust pipe and the engine mounts at the front of the crankcase and rear of the cylinder block.

Nicky Hayden's Honda RC212V sported Unit Pro-Link rear suspension at the opening Sepang tests (left), but by the fourth round, in Shanghai, China, a standard rear setup with the top of the shock mounting to a frame cross-member was being used (above). The bulk of the fuel is carried under the seat, opening up the airbox area and putting the heavy fuel nearer to the overall center of gravity, reducing the effect on handling as fuel is used over race distance. Note the carbon shroud over the rear exhaust pipes as they arc over the cross-member, as well as the rubber thrown onto the inside of the swingarm.

Another view of the Honda RC212V. Of all the 800cc MotoGP bikes, the four-cylinder Honda is the most changed from its 990cc predecessor, the five-cylinder RC211V in this case.

New tire rules for this year limit Bridgestone and Michelin to 31 tires for each rider at each race, chosen before the event. The Michelin runners struggled at the first few tracks, where no testing had taken place, unable to make tires to order the day before the race as had been the previous practice. A clause in the ruling allows an unrestricted number of tires for Dunlop riders on the Yamaha Tech 3 team.

The Kawasaki ZX-RR's rear shock has a linear transducer for data acquisition attached. A threaded insert in the frame allows ride-height adjustment, as opposed to an adjuster on the shock itself or an adjustable-length rod on the linkage.

This Brembo caliper on the Ducati Desmosedici is a work of art: Machined from solid billet, the caliper houses four radially ventilated pistons and two carbon-fiber pads.

Visit http://www.sportrider.com/index.html for more info...

Part 40 - Car Engine Oil Use On Motorcycle???

Dinosaur bones: All oil is not created equal. Believe it or not, there is a difference between automobile motor oil and high performance racing oil. It behooves you to learn the facts.

Q: IS AUTOMOTIVE MOTOR OIL BAD FOR A MOTORCYCLE?

A: Not bad, but probably not the best. Why not? It is designed in reverse order to a motorcycle oil. The priority hierarchy of automotive motor oil is: (1) Maximize fuel economy. (2) Reduce emissions. (3) Offer protection for the moving parts. Today's automotive motor oils do not have the same degree of extreme pressure and anti-wear agents that they did just a decade ago.

Q: WHEN WAS AUTOMOTIVE OIL AT ITS BEST?

A: Oil changed ten years ago when automakers were pressured to clean up the air. Since 1993, the entire automotive industry has worked to reduce exhaust emissions. Automotive motor oil must adhere to the performance categories set by the American Petroleum Institute (API). These are called the API Service Categories. The API categories have been around for 50 years, but for the first 35, the categories were upgraded six times to meet the demand for higher engine performance.

The current American Petroleum Institute (API) designation is SL. The API SL oils are designed to provide better high temperature deposit control and lower oil consumption. SL oils are missing important agents that improve extreme use lubrication. In their place are friction modifiers that improve fuel economy.

Q: WILL AUTOMOTIVE MOTOR OIL HURT MY BIKE?

A: It could. If you're using an automotive motor oil in your racing four-stroke, you're not buying the best protection. An API SL oil is missing vital anti-wear components: the most common being zinc, phosphorus and sulfur. These agents are harmful to the catalyst that is used to diminish the level of pollutants in automobile exhaust.

Q: WILL AUTOMOTIVE OIL HURT MY CLUTCH?

A: Yes. The friction modifiers in motor oil improve fuel economy by making it easier for the gears, bearings, pistons and rings to slip, slide and turn inside the engine. Unfortunately, these friction-minimizing agents also make it easier for the clutch in a motorcycle to slip. If you are using automotive motor oil in your bike, apart from CRFs, you are losing hook-up and acceleration, as well as reducing the life of the clutch.

Q: WHY SHOULD I MEMORIZE THE ACRONYM "JASO"?

A: As soon as it became apparent that the American government was mandating economy over protection, the Japanese Automotive Standards Organization (JASO) developed a standard specifically for performance fourstroke motorcycles. JASO designates two different four-stroke oil classifications: MA and MB. The MB oil is low friction and the MA is sans the friction enhancers.

Q: WHY ARE MOTORCYCLE SPECIFIC OILS BETTER?

A: Motorcycle specific oils are pumped up with five times the anti-wear, anti-scuff and extreme pressure additives of regular motor oil. As an added plus, motorcycle oil does not include molybdenum disulfide and other friction modifiers that wreak havoc on clutch performance.

Maxima, a popular motorcycle oil supplier, starts with an API SG Service Category base oil, the last formulation that wasn't regulated as to the amount of zinc-dialkyldithiophosphate (zinc, phosphorus and sulfur) it could contain. Maxima then boosts protection through a proprietary mix of performance additives. The end result is a motorcycle oil that doesn't break down under extreme heat and is tough enough to cushion meshing gears.

Q: WHICH FOUR-STROKE RACING OIL SHOULD I USE?

A: If the bottle of oil doesn't list that it is an API SG Service Category or JASO MA spec, it's not good enough for your motocross bike. Although a bottle of oil might say "motorcycle specific" or "safe in wet clutches," the best endorsement is the API SG or JASO MA designation. It's better to be safe than sorry.

There is a caveat that applies to CRF owners, however-which we will clear up in a few paragraphs.

Alphabet soup: To be on the safe side, if your oil isn't labeled as an API SG or JASO MA oil, then don't put it in your YZ-F, KTM, KX-F or RM-Z.

Q: WHAT VISCOSITY SHOULD I USE?

A: The most popular viscosity is 10w40. It's thin enough not to bog down the crank and offers ultimate protection under an extreme load. Every owner's manual lists the recommended oils, brands and viscosities.

Q: HOW IS A CRF LIKE A CAR?

A: The Honda CRF250 and CRF450 oil system separates the combustion side of the engine from the transmission. The CRF separates the engine sump to keep the metal shavings from the transmission from floating around in the same oil that is used to lubricate the piston, rings, and rod and crank bearings.

The upside of this design is that the CRF can use a slipperier JASO MB-spec oil in the top-end, while using a JASO MA-spec oil in the transmission.

Q: WHAT ABOUT THE CRF TRANSMISSION?

A: Do not use automotive motor or gear oil in the CRF transmission. If the gear oil label doesn't have the word "twostroke gear oil," "safe to use in wet clutches," or the API SG or JASO MA designation, don't use it.

Q: IS IT BETTER TO SEPARATE THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION OIL?

A: Yes and no. Honda uses separate oil for the CRF's top-end and transmission. This is not a new idea. BSA did it decades ago. Yamaha, Kawasaki, KTM and Suzuki use the same oil in the top-end and tranny. Which is better?

Separate oil: The benefit of separating the oil, like Honda does, is that the top-end is not contaminated by clutch debris or broken teeth. Additionally, the heat of the combustion side does not thin out the transmission and clutch oil. The CRF can use an MA-series oil in the transmission and slippery MB-series oil in the top-end.

The downside is that the oil quantity in each chamber is reduced (to approximately 650cc), increasing the need for more frequent oil changes. Any oil loss, no matter how small, becomes critical when you have a small pool to draw from.

Shared oil: The benefits of using the same oil throughout the engine, like the RM-Z, KX-F, KTM and YZ-F, are that the large supply is less likely to reach critical levels, overall engine temperatures are reduced and oil changes aren't demanded as frequently. On the downside, shared oil engines must use an MA-series oil for the clutch (which means that the top-end doesn't get the benefits of the slippery MB friction modifiers).

CRF twins: Honda CRF250 and CRF450 owners can use a JASO MB oil in their top-ends and a JASO MA oil in their transmissions. Everybody else must run an MA or SG oil. Say what?

Q: WET SUMP DRY SUMP OR SEMIDRY SUMP?

A: Don't get tconfused by these terms. By definition they are different, but in action they all work about the same.

A wet sump engine has a pool of oil in the crankcase. A dry sump engine doesn't store oil in the crankcase, but instead in a remote tank and the oil lines. A semi-dry sump engine is, in reality, just a marketing term for a wet sump engine that tries to elevate the crankshaft out of the pool of oil.

The Yamaha YZ-F is a dry sump design. All other four-strokes use wet sumps, although they go to great lengths to avoid the negatives of an old-school oil pan under the engine. Suzuki and Kawasaki coined the semi-dry sump terminology, but the KX-F and RM-Z are at the very least semi-wet sump engines.

Q: CAN OIL MAKE MORE HORSEPOWER

A: Yes. Special blends of low viscosity ester synthetics can protect like a 30W under extreme use, but let the crank spin like it has a OW. Zero weight is the same viscosity as water.

But, the real secret to getting horsepower out of four-stroke oil is to use less of it. Most modern four-stroke engine designers try to keep the crank (and even the transmission gears) from being submerged in an oil bath. It takes horsepower to slog these parts through heavy oil. Thus, lessening the amount of oil that pools at the bottom of the crankcase or gearbox increases horsepower.

Q: HOW OFTEN SHOULD I CHANGE MY OIL?

A: Yamaha recommends changing the oil and oil filter every five rides. Honda's Eric Crippa advises changing the engine oil as frequently as possible and changing the oil filter every fifth time. One of the problems with a frequent service regimen is that it provokes people to use cheaper oil.

Q: CAN I LEARN ANYTHING FROM MY OLD OIL?

A: Yes. Pay careful attention to the condition of the spent oil. If it looks and smells dirty, you need to service it more frequently. Extend the time between service intervals if the oil appears and smells clean.

High-end race teams, Formula 1 and Reno Air racers send their used oil out to have it analyzed. Laboratory tests can use a spectrograph to determine what metal particles are in the oil-and whether that particle evidence could be pointing towards a potential failure. This is too expensive and extreme for a local racer, but you should always sift used oil for broken clutch plates, teeth from gears or any 'other unusual conditions.

Q: WHAT OIL SHOULD I USE IN MY FERRARI?

A: Unless you are a factory rider, you can skip this question. If you want the best protection for your 360 Modena Berlinetta, run an Ester Synthetic, API SG, JASO MB, four-stroke, motorcycle racing oil.

Small print: You have to look hard to find the service categories, but don't give up. Under the "SAE 10W40" number, Maxima lists its Maxum4 oil as exceeding API SG and JASO MA standards.

Eagle eye: If you see the word "Moly" on a bottle of oil, keep it away from the tranny on your four-stroke.	Small print: You have to look hard to find the service categories, but don't give up. Under the "SAE 10W40" number, Maxima lists its Maxum4 oil as exceeding API SG and JASO MA standards.

Part 39 - My Ride Report To Tasik Bera, Pahang 28-29 Julai 2007... (",)

Tasik Bera

Like tropical rain thundering down to cool the heated earth, lakes have a strangely cooling effect, even if it's only part of a moving scenery. There are only 2 natural lakes of respectable size in peninsula Malaysia and both of them are found in the state of Pahang - Tasik(lake) Bera being the larger of the two. Tasik Bera is important for its biodiversity. This is Malaysia's largest natural lake. It is a shallow, seasonal, riverine lake system that flows into the Pahang River (Peninsular Malaysia's longest river). It is home to 94 fish species, approximately 200 bird species; and endangered reptilian species such as the Malayan False Gharial (a freshwater, fish-eating crocodile), the totally protected Striped Giant Soft-Shelled Turtle, the much sought after Malayan Giant Turtle, reticulated pythons that can grow to a length of 18feet, prehistoric looking monitor lizards and lots of frogs species.

Large mammals have also been seen in the area and tell tale signs of their existence can be found along nature trails: claw marks on tree trunks, fresh droppings, paw prints along the banks of the lake.

The lake stretches 35km by 20km and covers 7,000 hectares of complex, interlocking ecosystems made up of open waters, reedbeds, ponds, lakes, rivers, dry lowland forests, fresh water swamps, pandanus and blackwater swamps (peat). At Tasik Bera, there is still a chance for the fauna and flora to survive and to rejuvenate despite looming threats that the lake will dry up in the near future as water sources disappear due to increasing conversion of forests to palm oil plantations and excessive siltation and soil erosion caused by uncontrolled logging activities and development.

The Lake People

The highlight for most visitors to Bera is a visit to the Semelai villages. The Semelai people call themselves Semaq Tasik (the lake people) and have been living in the lake area; working on the land - planting crops such as paddy, bananas, tapioca, sugarcane etc for over 600 years. They were accomplished forest farmers, practicing the age-old method of shift cultivation. The farmers rotated their crops on that same clearing of land until the soil in the area was no longer suitable or fertile enough to sustain another cycle of good harvesting. Then they collectively moved to another area. When one plot of land was being worked on, the old areas were left to regenerate. Excellent example of forest management! During the Emergency period (the 1948-1960 Communist uprising), the government decided to relocate the free-roaming Semelai families into settlements. A majority of them settled at POS Iskandar, the largest Semelai settlement area at Bera. But there are still splinters of families living in small villages scattered around the lake. Today, shifting cultivation is no longer practiced due to limited land space source of income for the Semelai mainly derives from tapping rubber on their 6-acre 'government-sponsored' land, working as labourers at nearby logging camps, harvest from the surrounding forests & lake, making handicraft and offering various adventurous and cultural eco-tourism activities and packages.

Feeling the heat - the lake trip

The rental for a 5-6hour lake and visit trip (a 1½ hour ride each way) costs RM150 per boat. Advice No.1 This boat trip to Kampung Jelawat at Pos Iskandar is only available during the monsoon season between November and February when the waters in the lake is high enough for the boats to traverse). We were each given a lifejacket; and were reassured that if anything was to happen along the way, we were fully insured. Comforting words from ones safely planted on dry land and waving us off! Advice No.2; bring something comfy to sit on for the trip. Our boatman, Basri skilfully steered us into the labyrinth of the Pandanus swamp. Advice No.3: don't forget the sun block. Here, we understood why they had to use these small flat-bottomed boats.Any larger and we wouldn't be able to maneuvre through the narrow shallow canals created by the screwpines (Pandanus sp.). Having moved to the front of the boat, we realised that although we had the best view, it definitely wasn't the best seat in the house! Pushing into the narrow openings created by overhanging screwpine leaves - we found our new seating arrangement a big disadvantage. With rough overhanging rasau leaves constantly raking our faces and startled spiders dropping onto us time and again - we ended up pretty messy at the end of the ride.

The Pandanus (Screwpines) Swamp

Screwpines are locally known as rasau. The Semelai people use its leaves for weaving into mats, baskets, and food containers. This has helped manage the spread of the screwpines. Now, however, they have found that replacing the rasau leaves with mengkuang leaves, another type of the Pandanus sp., is much less hard work for them and just as good. They no longer harvest the rasau leaves on the lake as Mengkuang can be found growing wild on land. With no one harvesting the leaves,the screwpines began to grow at an alarming rate, closing up large areas of the lake, cordoning sections into secluded bays and creating a complicated labyrinth of narrow waterways with lots of dead ends.

From KL

East Coast Expressway to Tasik Bera Resort

Take the KL - Kuantan Highway or better known as the East Coast Expressway and exit at the Temerloh exit toll. Drive towards Temerloh town and out towards Kuantan. There will be signs showing the way to Kuantan. On the way out of Temerloh town, there is a roundabout and here, take the 9 o'clock on the roundabout to Tasik Bera. This old road will take you to Bera town. There will be clear signs to Tasik Bera from here. From Temerloh town to Bandar Bera is about 30km and at the turnoff from Bandar Bera to Tasik Bera Resort is another 18km or about 1/2hr drive.

Travel time: 2.5 - 3 hours

From Johore

Follow the North-South Highway to Yong Peng. Turn off at Yong Peng towards Segamat on route 1. At Segamat turn right into route 12. Follow this route for another 60km and then turn left at Kampung Landak. There are Tasik Bera signs along the way, just follow this for another 55km until the last sign shows a left turn into the last 5km stretch to Persona Resort.

Travelling time: 5hours

Some pics in the ride...

Click to enlarge...

Hehehe, that all this time...
See u in next convoys...


P/s: At night there is xtremely cold, i put on my leather jacket to sleep, hehehe great memory i can't forget...