- Moto Guzzi telah menganjurkan Moto Guzzi Sunday Ride pada hujung minggu yang lalu.
- Tunggangan Moto Guzzi yang pertama dianjurkan secara rasmi oleh Moto Guzzi Malaysia.
- Tunggangan ini menuju ke Gohtong Raya dan Bentong.
What’s the best way to build camaraderie and a family of bikers? Go on a ride, of course.
Moto Guzzi Malaysia organized their first official ride since relocating to their new home at Gasket Alley, Seksyen 13, Petaling Jaya.
Modestly called, “Moto Guzzi Sunday Ride,” the outing was planned to gather the number of Moto Guzzi owners in Malaysia for a relaxing ride to Genting Permai and onwards to Lemang To’ki 2 (the main Lemang To’ki outlet is closed) in Bentong, Pahang.
Guzzi and other motorcycles owners started gathering at 8.30am. Another great aspect of motorcycle rides is that one will get to see a pleasant mix of different bikes, and we weren’t disappointed this weekend.
There was a California, a number of V7 Racers including one which was customized into a scrambler, a V7 Anniversario 50, V9 Bobber, and a Norge tourer. There was a myriad of bikes of different makes too.
We pushed off after a safety briefing by the ride marshal and Juan Chow, riding at steady pace behind the marshal all the way to the BHP petrol station just after the Gombak toll plaza. We noticed the traffic was exceptionally heavy for a Sunday.
Everyone took a quick breather from the scorching sun while the marshals did a quick headcount.
From there it was a short ride up to the Nanyang Kopitiam Restaurant at Genting Permai. Apart from the Starbucks adjacent to it, Nanyang has now become was already packed with groups of bikers. We caught sight of celebrities Afdlin Shauki and Johan seated not far from us.
After a quick brunch, he descended back down to Karak Highway and headed to Bentong.
If traffic was heavy along the highway, it was worse when we reached the town. By now the convoy had gotten strung out as we had to navigate around other vehicles.
A traffic jam is the worst place to be for any biker, because that’s when car drivers start misbehaving out of frustration. A car cut right across this writer’s front wheel, and a 4×4 darted out of the intersection to Fraser’s Hill. Another car swung into our path, as if refusing to let us pass.
We finally reached Lemang To’ki after battling the traffic, only to realize that the marshal had mistakenly led us to the closed outlet.
We doubled back toward Bentong town but the guy in front of our group of eight bikes had lost touch with the marshal. Seeing a shaded and safe area, we pulled in and stopped. A rider in the group got in touch on the phone with someone and told us that there had been an accident.
The Yamaha T-Max ridden by a Moto Guzzi staff was T-boned by a mini SUV which charged out of an intersection the town, and both victims on the bike were taken to the Bentong Hospital. As my pillion was the other pillion’s housemate and BFF, we decided to just swing over to the hospital nearby.
The rider suffered a broken left foot. His pillion fared worse as her left knee was torn open. We feared the worst, but she suffered no broken bone after being X-rayed, thankfully.
Both are now recovering at home.
In closing, I would like to comment that it had been a relaxing ride, and it would’ve been perfect if not for impatient drivers. It was nice to see the participants getting along well, as they joked and laughed about the ride when we stopped at Gohtong Jaya. Also, a word of advice: Please be extra vigilant should you ride to Bentong on weekends and public.
Organised by Hawa Motor Club and Ipoh Road Clan together with support from the Malaysian Cancer Society, and hot on the heels of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR) last month, the Pink October Charity Ride (POCR) 2017 proceeded well today.
While DGR sought to raise awareness towards prostate cancer in men, POCR’s objective was a campaign to highlight breast cancer research.
About 200 participants congregated at the Malaysia Handicraft Development Corporation’s (Perbadanan Kemajuan Kraftangan Malaysia) grounds for the flag off.
There was a good mix of motorcycles: From mopeds and scooters, to standard bikes, naked sportbikes, adventure-tourer and 1000cc superbikes; besides the large number of customs and café racers – including the famous Puting Beliung (“tornado” in Bahasa Melayu).
Participants were provided a white T-shirt with the words “Pink October Charity Ride” emblazoned on its back, patches and stickers. They may also donate to the Malaysian Cancer Society (Yayasan Kanser Malaysia).
As more and more riders, young and old arrived, it soon became apparent that this wasn’t a ride which encouraged only female participant. There were as many men as there were ladies. It’s encouraging and heartwarming to see that both the Pink October Charity Ride and DGR transcend the gender barrier, despite both rides sought to raise awareness for afflictions common to respective genders.
And despite gutter politics kicking up religious and race issues, everyone rode together for a common cause, regardless of religion, ethnicity and creed. How common is it to see a 150cc café racer ride alongside an R 1200 GS? Or a Triumph Street Twin next to an S 1000 RR?
The participants were briefed by the Chief Marshal and Royal Malaysian Traffic Police escort, before being flagged off.
The convoy proceeded at a steady pace until it reached Naza Auto Mall in Petaling Jaya.
There were lucky draws and a helmet bidding session throughout the day. Participants were also offered a free health check-up, free of charge.
Seeing the success of this Pink October Charity Ride 2017, we hope the event will continue next year with even more participants.
Part of the MotoGP experience is the bike convoys thats organised by various bike brands or club. I was lucky enough to be invited by Givi, the Italian bike accessory manufacturer to join their MotoGP convoy on Sunday race day morning. (more…)
So we’ve covered the official part of the travelling but how about the other parts? Here I share what I learned over the years about travelling in Thailand or other countries. (more…)
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