My Ride Up To Volcano Tangkuban Perahu, Subang, West Java, Indonesia - With The New Pirelli Angel CT Tyres

Indonesia ranks 4th place in being the most populous country with approximately 255 million people
residing there.

Credits to indonesiajourney

Made up of thousands of volcanic islands, the capital of this Southeast Asian country is Jakarta.

Speaking of volcanoes, boy am I excited as I will be riding up to a Volcano called Mt Tangkuban Perahu with..

Pirelli's all new ANGEL™ CiTy tyres!
They are Pirelli's first tyres to be produced from their new factory here in Subang, Indonesia.

Special thanks to Pirelli and Hodaka Motoworld, I get to witness how these tyres are made from scratch, before experiencing it myself through the ride.

Took a 2 hour flight from Singapore to the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, before taking a 4 hour bus ride to Bandung where I checked into Hotel Sheraton, Bandung.

There are direct flights from Singapore to Bandung but none of the flight times matched the event's itinerary.

Room with a pool view

I heard Jakarta is known for their severe traffic jams. Thankfully I didn't have to experience it as the traffic was pretty smooth sailing all the way.

First up, we headed to check out Pirelli's newly set up factory in Subang.

It was huge, built on many acres of land, and fitted with tons of equipment required to produce up to 20,000 tyres a day.

That makes a whopping 7 million tyres a year, all to cater to the demand in the Asian market.

Credits to youtube

The motorcycling scene of Southeast Asia is dominated by small capacity bikes ranging from 125 - 300CC, most of them used for the purpose of commuting through city to city. Hence, as it's name suggests, Pirelli's newly launched Angel CiTy tyre was created to cater to daily riding needs.

The main purpose of Pirelli creating the Angel CiTy was to significantly enhance the durability, resistance and safety features of today's tyres which an everyday-biker needs.

Establishing a stronger presence in the Asia market, Pirelli aims to penetrate into the needs of the dominant class of bikes here. Together with their intensive R&Ds and constant upgraded technologies, the exclusive tyre supplier of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship intends to set its Angel CiTy tyres as the benchmark for 250CC bikes.

For a daily rider, one of the key points we look out for when choosing a tyre is its excellent mileage, versatility be it on smooth or bumpy tarmacs, rain or shine, and comfort. This is achieved in the Angel CiTy from the materials used, to the tread design of the tyres.

Now that we're filled with the knowledge of how the Angel CiTy is carefully formulated and created, let's take it for a ride!

Fitted onto all these 250 - 300CC bikes, we took the tyres out for a test!

 Actually, we just wanna ride ;)

Our safety and smooth traffic is ensured with Indonesia's police marshals riding along with us.

It was a short ride, around 40KM.

But the roads were pretty steep and windy through the countless mountainous sharp bends, some parts bumpy with uneven patches, as we gradually climbed in altitude.

The weather was cooling, at 18 degrees.

Standing at 1,830m above sea level, we arrived safely at the top of Volcano Tangkuban Perahu and the smell of sulphur was eminent.

How could any of us miss a photo at this popular scenic spot?

 

Especially with such a view like that. It was absolutely stunning.
We were right on the edge of its crater.

Tangkuban Perahu is an active volcano, but it lay quiet today with just a little bit of smoke sipping out from the centre.

Is this where I learn how to make a lava cake? :p

Credits to youtube

Ok that was too cold of a joke hahaha.

Honestly, the ride was too short to observe all the factors the Angel CiTy has promised in theory. But I can't deny the presence of an improved grip on the cold, wet, rough tarmac surfaces.

I'm definitely supporting the movement of small bikes making the switch to a safer and more well-improved tyres. Who says only cheap, lousy sotong tyres are worthy for kup kias (small road bikes)?

Say Hello to the all new Pirelli Angel CiTy.

Say Hello to a safer ride!

The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride 2015 Singapore

So you've heard of the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride (DGR), and perhaps you know that it's a motorcycle event where hundreds to even thousands of bikers decked out in their suits and ties, combing the streets on their classic motorcycles.

But, what's the story behind?

Let's find out!

Credits to Triumph Motorcycle Singapore

 

Founded back in 2012 in Sydney, Australia, the movement behind DGR is about raising funds and awareness for Prostate Cancer research, in hope to find a cure for it.

Some Key Points About Prostate Cancer

- Prostate cancer is also known as Adenocarcinoma
- It's one of the most common cancer among men in the U.S.
- More than 27,000 men die from prostate cancer each year in the U.S.
- Causes of it are subjected to various factors like age, diet, genes
- It affects the prostate glands, causing poor urine control
- Treatments for it ranges from Radical Prostatectomy (prostate is surgically removed) to Conformal Radiotherapy

Widely participated by over 400 cities around the globe this year, more than 30,000 well-dressed bikers looking really dapper are gathered together for this worthy cause.

And DGR (Singapore) is proudly organized by Motorwerks.

It was a lovely Sunday afternoon where I met up with a friendly bunch from the V-Max biker group in town as we made our way to the first DGR meet up point - Spruce @ Upper Bukit Timah Road.

Upon our arrival, we were instantly greeted by an overwhelming crowd - Bike enthusiasts of all sorts!

From your old school Café Racers, to modern classic vespas (some attached with adorable side cars), to quirky done up Scramblers and other funky two-wheelers!

I'm proud to be soaking in this atmosphere here with my baby Ducati..

And all these fine gentlemen!

Just last year in 2014, more than 20,000 bikers from 58 different countries participated in DGR, successfully raising more than USD $1.5 million for Prostate Cancer research.

This year, DGR has doubled its fundraising goal to USD $3 million.

How adorable can this get? Ferrari vespa side cars! How is this hooligan??

Raising awareness for men's health aside, there is another positive impact intended with such a well-themed motorcycle event. 

In the past, people tend to associate the image of bikers with hooligans, which has stained the mindset of many even up till this modern day and age.

But here at DGR, where men (and some women) eloquently dressed in their tailored suits and bow ties accompanied on their classic rides, it's an effective way to combat against the common negative stereotype image of bikers.

This is one of the biggest convoy I've been in

Not just that, but it's through such an event where it brings bikers from different walks of life, regardless of the different make and model of bikes we ride, all together.

It's just AMAZING seeing all these fellow bikers who share a common passion for life on two wheels!

And it's great bumping into friends and even family here too! All of us with big smiles on, catching up over light drinks.

Looking around, have you wondered.. What makes motorcycling?

To some, it's may be a mode of transport, or a sport, a hobby. Eventually, it integrates into your lifestyle and naturally, you are part of this lively community.

What a delight too, to see people bringing their pets into the event! It just adds life to it! This little bull dog is way too cute as it readily poses for photographs taken by amused passerbys (like myself haha).

It's a full house here as we made our second stop at Duxton Hill.

Check out the massive crowd. We (bikers) penetrated the whole area, into the carparks, even getting in between cars, overflowing onto pebbled-walkways. Definitely not something you see every other day!

From the female bikers: Here's to seeing more Gentlemen on their rides! ;p

My first experience here at Distinguished Gentleman's Ride has been fantastic, witnessing such a fabulous turn out with so much positive vibes around, clearly displaying the celebration of classic custom made motorcycles ridden by good mannered motorcyclists.

Why settle for mediocrity?

Distinguish yourself and be that Gentleman today ;)