I
f you’re not keen on riding in hot, humid,
conditions then Malaysia is probably not
for you. You can expect temperatures in the
low to mid 30s 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 along with rainfall that explains why
some of the roadside gutters are two metres
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 rather wet, but Malaysia has some of
the most awesome bike-friendly roads you’ll find,
with hundreds of kilometres of well-surfaced
sweepers and hairpins, with light traffic and
drivers who pay attention to bikes and don’t
32 KIWI RIDER
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 certainly just hire a bike and
do it all yourself, Sarah and I decided to book
a six night, seven 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.
Our flight took us to KL, getting us there the
day before the tour started. We’d booked
ourselves into a cheap hotel just 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.