The Modenas Kriss was the first motorcycle built by Modenas, the Malaysian national motorcycle company, and for years its best seller. Launched in 1996 as a 110 cc four-stroke underbone developed with Kawasaki, it reached more than half of the Malaysian four-stroke underbone market in 2000 and 2001 and remained in production, in one form or another, for well over a decade.
Modenas Kriss at a glance
| Maker | Modenas, Gurun, Kedah, Malaysia |
|---|---|
| Production | from August 1996 |
| Based on | Kawasaki Kazer AN110 underbone |
| Engine | 111 cc four-stroke single, Kawasaki-developed |
| Power | 7.5 PS (5.5 kW) at launch, 9.0 PS (6.6 kW) from 2000 |
| Fuel consumption | 44 km/L at a constant 107 km/h |
| Brakes | drum at launch, front disc from 1999 (Kriss 2) |
| Main variants | Kriss 110, Kriss 100, Kriss 120, Kriss SG, Kriss 110SE, Kriss MR1 |
| Market share | over 50% of Malaysian four-stroke underbones in 2000–2001 |
| Export | from 1997, including Cambodia, Greece, Britain, Iran and Vietnam |
| Successor | Modenas CT series, 2009 |
History of the Modenas Kriss
The first national motorcycle
Modenas — Syarikat Motosikal dan Enjin Nasional, the National Motorcycle and Engine Company — was formed in 1995, with Kawasaki, Sojitz, Khazanah Nasional and DRB-HICOM among its shareholders. Its factory at Gurun in Kedah was opened by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on 3 October 1996, and the Kriss was the model it was built for. Production began in August 1996, the motorcycle was previewed to the public during the National Day parade that year, and it was launched by Mahathir on 3 October. Under the skin it was a Kawasaki Kazer AN110 underbone with slightly different styling, using the same Kawasaki AN110 engine.
The bestselling underbone in Malaysia
The recipe worked. In its debut year of 1997 Modenas sold about 99,800 Kriss 110s, some 46 per cent of the Malaysian four-stroke underbone segment, and in 2000 and 2001 the model held more than half of that market. Affordability, performance, reliability, the availability of spare parts and very good fuel economy were given as the reasons; the Kriss 110 covered 44 km on a litre at a constant 107 km/h. In 2000 the AN110 engine was retuned from 7.5 PS (5.5 kW) to 9.0 PS (6.6 kW).
Variants and generations
A front disc brake model arrived in 1999 as the Kriss 2, sold in some countries as the Kriss 115 Sports. A cheaper 110 cc Kriss SG followed in 2002 but was phased out because of its unappealing design, and the whole family was facelifted in 2003 with new lights, new graphics and full-colour body panels. The 100 cc Kriss 100 came in 2004, using a 97 cc engine developed by Modenas in the same chassis but without a disc brake option. The Kriss 110 was phased out in 2005 to make way for the Kristar, then brought back in August 2006 as the Kriss 110SE because demand had never gone away.
The second-generation Kriss of 2007 moved to a 120 cc engine, essentially a rebored AN110 with a revised camshaft profile that Modenas called MAC-S, for Modenas Advanced Camshaft System. The Kriss 100 and Kriss 110 were then dropped in favour of the CT series of 2009, leaving the Kriss 120 alone until the 100 cc model returned in December 2011 as the Kriss MR1 — Motosikal Rakyat 1Malaysia, the 1Malaysia People’s Motorcycle. The Kriss 120 was in turn phased out to make room for the Ace 115.
Abroad
Export began in 1997, with Cambodia and Greece the first markets. The Kriss was later sold in Britain, South Africa, Iran, Vietnam, Turkey, Argentina, Malta and Brunei, and in Cambodia, Iran and Vietnam it was supplied as a CKD kit. In March 2013 a fuel-injected version of the CT series was launched in Greece under the name Kriss 125i EFI, using the 120 cc engine with fuel injection and a lambda sensor from Synerject; the same machine reached Malaysia in July 2013 as the Modenas 118EFI, priced at RM4,755.
Design and features
- Kawasaki engineering: the AN110 engine and the Kazer underbone platform gave the new company a proven basis.
- Economy: 44 km/L at 107 km/h made the Kriss cheap to run, a decisive argument in its class.
- Steady development: disc brakes in 1999, a 100 cc model in 2004, a 120 cc second generation in 2007.
- Long life: the name survived from 1996 into the 2010s through the Kriss MR1 and the Kriss 125i EFI.
Modenas Kriss versions
- Kriss 110 (1996): the original drum-brake model with the 111 cc Kawasaki engine.
- Kriss 2 (1999): front disc brake, sold in some markets as the Kriss 115 Sports.
- Kriss SG (2002): a lower-cost 110 cc variant, withdrawn for its outdated design.
- Kriss 100 (2004): 97 cc engine developed by Modenas, drum brake only.
- Kriss 110SE (2006): the 110 brought back by popular demand.
- Kriss 120 (2007): second generation with the rebored engine and MAC-S camshaft.
The Kriss was replaced in stages by the Modenas CT series, after the short-lived Kristar failed to take its place. The electric member of the family is the CTric. More machines are in the Modenas collection.
Video: Modenas Kriss II clutch removal
Video by Domeniko Qirici on YouTube.
Sources
- Modenas Kriss series, English Wikipedia: history, variants, export markets
- Modenas, English Wikipedia: company history, Kriss 110 and Kriss 100 details
