KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian has made Malaysia proud by coming in second at the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building in Germany.
The competition took place from Oct 3 to 7, recently.
"This acknowledgement gives me motivation to make better custom bikes in the future," Omar @ Maharani Jumiran, 48, said when contacted.
Omar remarked that although he only managed to get second place, his custom ride called 'Bone X' managed to attract attention and opened the eyes of many to his ability in this industry.
"It has been my dream to compete in an international custom bike competition ever since I ventured into this field.
"My efforts bore fruit when I won first place in a national competition last year, defeating seven others.
"The win meant I was qualified to represent Malaysia at the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building," the Klang born lad said.
He added that he expected success would be in his hands when 'Bone X' received positive reviews from other custom bike enthusiasts.
"It took me six months to build 'Bone X' at a cost of RM60,000. It was completed in Nov 2017 using a classic 1965 AJS 350cc one cylinder engine.
"This engine is special because it has a long cylinder that gives off a unique sound.
"I was inspired by a builder from Japan, Cikara Hagata. Almost 90 per cent of the bike was made by hand and the rest involved engine parts, tyres and the brake pump," he said.
According to him, apart from the shiny chrome detailing that was an eyecatcher, the other element that made 'Bone X' stand out was the two spring coils on top of the bike that served as shock absorbers for the front and back tyres.
This he said was a first in the world and he had developed it himself.
"I am grateful and excited to have been given the chance to make Malaysia proud in this field," he said.
Talking about his hopes and dreams, Omar said he would build a more extraordinary custom bike and return to the same competition in 2020 to win it.
At the AMD World Championship, first place went to a contestant from Russia and third place went to a contestant from Hungary.