Syed Ahmad Abdul Hadi Syed Hussein is the guy on the Modenas GT128 with registration number of QSM 17 which has finished travelling to 24 countries totaling 30,000km. I got the chance to meet him at the Shah Alam Bike Week and he is very friendly to be interviewed.

His bike there was dirty and looks like it haven’t being washed for a long time, I wonder why he didn’t clean his bike. He said that he only wash his bike once and that is the time when the bike is still in Malaysia. The reason why the bike is dirty and why he didn’t wash his bike is because the bike actually carries all the dirt along the journey to 24 countries. There is a dirt from Nepal, dirt from London, dirt from Thailand and many more countries. So, I think, that is a great reason why he didn’t wash his bike.

Hadi also tells me that the longest ride in a day that he has ever made is about 800km+. That is a very long journey in a day a rider can take. I’m sure the butt hurts. That is why long distance journey are also called ‘Iron Butt Ride’. Bro Hadi also admits that the butt does hurts.

When asked about maintenance of the bike, he said that he use to change the engine oil every 2,000km and he always try not to exceed this mileage as it can cause major engine problem. So far this method works. Anyway, he also tells me that for every 1000km, the oil inside the engine will be reduced, so a top up oil is always needed. He also needs to prepare for tyre puncture and for this, tube is always carried as a backup even he uses the tubeless type tyre. For small puncture, the tubeless tyre can easily be repaired, but the tube are for situation where small repair are not possible. This can helps in an unexpected situation. Sprocket set also need to be changed and regularly maintained as it is prone to attracts dirt such as sands that can make the sprocket become loose (wear and tear). One more thing that needs to be maintained is the air filter especially when traveling in snowy condition and sandy dunes. Bro Hadi tells me that in one occasion, he managed to scoop a handful of dirt inside the air filter. How does he knows the air filter needs to be cleaned? He said that the bike will be come throttle-heavy and slow to response since the air are now not easy to get to the carburetor.

Listening to his stories directly from himself are really inspiring and full of education. It makes me want to go further and travel long distance too. Thanks bro Hadi!

2 more pictures and link to his site after the jump  (more…)