MALAYSIA

IF YOU’RE NOT KEEN on riding in hot, humid conditions then Malaysia may not be for you. You can expect temperatures in the low to mid 30C’s year around, and you can expect your smartphone weather app to tell you that it feels like 40C+ on a regular basis. Add 80% humidity and rainfall that explains why some of the roadside gutters are 2m deep and you’d think you were looking at a place where a 2000km guided motorcycle tour would make for a great survival challenge. The thing is that yes, it’s bloody hot and humid and can be wet, but Malaysia has some of the most awesome bike-friendly roads you’ll find anywhere, with hundreds of kilometres of well-surfaced sweepers and hairpins with light traffic and drivers who pay attention to bikes and don’t try to slow you down or kill you. So, forget the weather (but pack waterproofs and spare gloves) and think of the upsides.

Whilst you can just hire a bike and do it yourself, Sarah and I decided to book a 6 night/7 day guided tour around the Malaysian Peninsula, including a rest day in Penang, with Malaysian Motorcycle Getaways (MMG) who operate out of Kota Damansara in the Kuala Lumpur suburbs.

The flight to KL from Sydney landed us there the day before the tour started and we had booked ourselves into a cheap hotel a short taxi ride from the MMG base. The hotel room was about the same size as an airline toilet and about as comfortable as a jail cell but hey, it did the job.

Rocking up to the MMG offices at around 8:30am on Day 1 we were greeted by Feizal and Zahed, the tour operators. We’ve known these guys for a while via Facebook but this was our first actual meet and they’re two of the nicest blokes you could hope to spend time on the road with. We would be accompanied by Zahed and one other guide, on bikes (one at the front and one trail),