TRIBEHOOD: V.I.R.G. Friendship Ride

Victory and Indian Riders Group (VIRG) Friendship Ride to Maran

Heavy Metal and Fuel Meet Nature

Story and Pictures by Wahid Ooi Abdullah

• 30 participants on 23 motorcycles.
• Total of 342.2 kilometres.
• Kuala Lumpur — Lubuk Yu — Maran — Gohtong Jaya

Humans are social beings; we desire a sense of belonging. But we do have our own interests and hobbies to placate our desires and we often share those interests with likeminded individuals.

While there are many forms of interests and hobbies (yes, including scrolling through Facebook the entire day), motorcycling opens the door to many more possibilities than one could ever imagine. One aspect is chasing that destination over the horizon and cherishing what you experienced, together as a group, thereby satisfying that desire of belonging. That also serves as why it transcends all creeds, background, occupation, race and religion.

That’s what motorcycle convoys are about.

Through the hardwork of Indian Motorcycle Malaysia and Victory Motorcyles Malaysia’s crew, they have organized “friendship” rides regularly throughout the year. “We hope these rides give rise to a strong spirit of camaraderie among the owners of the two brands, which results in sharing the same passion and pride for these beautiful motorcycles,” said En. Amir Abu Bakar, the Head of Company for these marques. “Sure, brand loyalty means business but it’s of no use if there’s no friendship among owners. It’ll feel empty.”

This daytrip’s main destination was the little town of Maran, in Pahang, which is situated halfway between Temerloh and Kuantan.

We rendezvoused at Shell Melati along the MRR2 (just before turn off to Karak Highway), instead of the usual biker checkpoint at BHP Gombak. But it was a great choice, since it was less crowded. Besides, this Shell station includes their deli2go section with great coffee, Tea Live and patisserie, so we sat down for some breakfast before the start. (It was also a great opportunity to try out Shell’s recently launched new fuel with Dynaflex, by the way.)

We rode via none other than on Karak Highway. The convoy proceeded at a smooth pace without any heroics, stopping afterwards at the Bentong Toll Plaza for a head count. There was a Traffic Police roadblock here but all of us got through without a hiccup. From there, we joined the LPT (Lebuhraya Pantai Timur, or East Coast Highway) and onwards to another Shell station at the Temerloh R&R area for refueling, cigarettes and hydration.

It was a straight shot to the Taman Eko Rimba Lubuk Yu from here. (Please search for Taman Ecorimba, Lubuk Yu in Google Maps or click on this link for more information.)

The authorities had built a large overhanging pavilion here and we sat down to a much welcomed lunch, with the river providing a tranquil backdrop. The cool stream enticed a few riders to take a dip, while a few chilled by chit-chatting among each other, a few just laid back and enjoyed the break. The Victory and Indian crew performed minor checks and small adjustments to a bike or two.

Soon, we bade farewell to the park and rode on a twisting asphalt ribbon that dissected oil palm and rubber estates. It’s obvious that the riders enjoyed this section as both Victory and Indian motorcycles were surprisingly adept at handling corners. We rode past the outskirts of the Maran town, passing the 126-year-old Sri Maranthandevar Temple along the way.  Apart from a few devotees waving and snapping photos of us, 400,000 devotees from all over the world would visit this temple between March and April for the Panguni Uthiram Festival.

We were soon back on the LPT and pitted at the Shell station at the Temerloh R&R (on the opposite side). The sun had started to beat down on us so everyone was topping up on fluids and wetting their faces and hair.

It was the last leg of the ride, hereafter, as we headed to Gohtong Jaya.

Again the Victories and Indians made short work of Karak’s sweeping corners, keeping even the most wide-eyed teenager driving his Mom’s Myvi at bay. Whoever said cruisers can’t corner? Hah!

Then things got “adventurous.” It had started to drizzle as we approached Genting Sempah, but it never got any heavier. But by the time we were a few kilometres up that mountain, it poured down on us. No one stopped as there was nowhere to do so safely with heavy traffic on the road. So we pushed on until we reached the NanYang Kopitiam (click here for the location). Everyone was soaked to the bone!

But the restaurant staff surprised us by providing us bath towels to dry ourselves off. Laughter returned as soon as the hot food and drinks warmed us up. The weather had also started to clear up.

The Victory and Indian riders wished each other a safe journey home before leaving. Friends had become closer and strangers had become friends.

In all, it was a successful and happy ride. More importantly, everyone returned safe and sound. Victory and Indian Motorcycle Malaysia had done a great job in organizing the ride, and we hope they’d continue to do so for a long time to come.

Do follow Victory Motorcycles Malaysia and Indian Motorcycle Malaysia on their Facebook pages.

PICTURE GALLERY