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PERMAISURI: Netizens yesterday praised the creativity of two young men from Kampung Banggol, Setiu, who managed to ride their motorcycles through a deeply flooded road.
The brave and ingenious efforts of Ikram Shahidi Mat Kail, 24, and his brother, Muhammad Zakaria, 22, awed the public here yesterday evening.
The modified Modenas Kriss 110 and Honda C70 motorcycles they rode not only functioned when fully submerged in water, but could still move at a fast pace even when water-level reached the riders’ necks.
Ikram Shahidi said he and his brother, who both work as mechanics, began the project out of curiosity, but did not expect it to work so well, and the best part is it only took them two hours to make the necessary modifications.
They managed to pull off the feat by placing the fuel tank (made from a water bottle), carburetor, exhaust and engine vents higher up to enable the machine to operate while inundated in water.
“In fact, last year, I tried to do it but did not succeed, because the motorcycle engine died in the water. However, I decided to try again recently, and from various input received from fellow motorcycle enthusiasts, we managed to complete the modifications within two hours.
“Both of us were just going around the village yesterday evening, but I never expected the video footage taken by some of our friends to go viral, and many were impressed with our creativity,“ he said when met by Bernama at a workshop near Kampung Banggol, yesterday.
Muhammad Zakaria, who is affectionately known as ‘Pok Ya’, said the project was just a side hobby, and was made to go fishing in flooded areas, as well as to catch birds.
The two brothers have never received formal training, but have been interested in motorcycle components since childhood, and had worked with other mechanics for several years before opening a small workshop in the village.
“If there is an opportunity, we would also like to get some formal training, as we plan to make an amphibious motorcycle in the upcoming flood season. We can also help bring villagers to safety,“ he said.
Meanwhile, Persatuan Belia Sepadu Banggol committee member Khairul Afendi Ibrahim said residents of Kampung Banggol were proud of the achievement by the two youngsters, as it put the village on the international map.
Khairul uploaded four videos of the brothers riding through flooded waters at 6.35pm on Tuesday, and to his surprise, found the status trending on Facebook, receiving more than 1,000 comments and 23,000 shares (as of 8.30am yesterday).
“Actually, I just shared the video of our villagers’ innovation for fun, I never expected it to go viral, and even now, I am receiving messages on Facebook from all over the world including Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos and the United States.
“I have also received hundreds of friend requests on Facebook,“ he added. — Bernama