Ride Report #2: Group ride to Grik

Was recently invited to join a group ride to Grik by a LYN member. He sent me the plan and route and I told him I would be the trip to Grik. This would be the maiden trip for the Vulcan out of Penang. To be honest I could not sleep the night before either from the excitement or over-thinking.

Plan of the trip. 2 hr and 53 mins from our starting point to our destination. A total of 6 hours riding time including return trip

On the day itseld, I packed all the necessary items and got ready to leave at 7:10am. It was drizzling and was praying that the weather stays clear and dry for the entire trip.

All geared up and ready to leave

Those that are from the island would meet-up at the Caltex near Tesco Udini before meeting the rest at BHPetrol near the Prai JPJ. There were a few of them already waiting at the station when we arrived. Introduced ourselves to the group, had a little chat while waiting for the rest to arrive. We were scheduled to depart at 7:30am but was a bit delayed which was expected.

A little pow-wow session while waiting for the rest to arrive before departing

When the rest arrived, filled up their tanks and ensure that they have the correct tyre pressure, we departed to the second meeting point to meet the rest of the group. I did not expect to see so many bikes there. There were 3 other groups of bikers also getting ready for their Sunday ride.

More waiting and pow-wow sessions while waiting for the rest to fill up their tanks and perform the necessary checks

After a short briefing and advice from the group lead to those who are new to the route, we departed. We were enjoying the route until we came across a car which highlighted us. This could only mean 2 things: accident or road block but I am assuming it is the latter. A few minutes later we were stopped at the road block. The officer asked for licence and road tax. Gave him the licence and when I wanted to show the road tax he said just waved it off. I guess he was just testing to see if I have renewed my road tax after the lock down was lifted. According to the group, they usually wave bikes through but not today.

Waiting for the rest after the road block. Sadly some of them was given summons due to the licence plates which did not abide to the rules but that did not dampen the spirit

Took this opportunity to plug in the phone to the USB charger as the phone battery was draining fast. This could be due to the fact that the GPS and Relive was on at the same time. There are some nice curves on this route and the road condition was perfect. There was one corner which was tighter than the rest which requires more leaning of the bike more to avoid running wide.

We had another fuel stop to stretch and refuel as this is the last fuel available until the town of Jeli. I decided to not take any risk and refuel since I only have half a tank left.

Stretching and discussing about the earlier roadblock while waiting for those to relieve themselves and refuel 

From this point on we were warned that the road condition would not be that great as there are potholes all over the place and were cautioned to ride slower. The road consist of a lot of twisties and signs to beware of wildlife crossing. We were hoping to come across elephant or deer crossings but luck was not on our side. The scenery was magnificent and the weather condition could not be any better. There was another road block but the police waved us through.

One of many of wildlife crossing signs along the road

From the petrol stop, we have about 80km before our destination which is the Titiwangsa rest stop. We rode over the Taski Temenggor which was lovely. There was also a huge Royal Belum sign at the top of a hill but we could not stop to take a photo of it.

 

Image taken from Arus Belum blog

 

Continuing with the scenery and good twisty roads, we soon arrived at our destination. It is the only rest stop with restaurant, toilets and surau before the town of Jeli. It was a nice place to stop to rest and take in the view. There were a lot of other bikers at the stop, some resting before heading on to Jeli and some like us are there to rest before heading back.

 

When we reached the destination, I found out that the back seat was loose and did a quick inspection and found that the screw has dislodged and is now part of the landscape.

Missing screw for the passenger seat

The logical thing to do now is to ride slower, go over less bumps in order to not lose the seat. It was an interesting ride back as I tried to ride as fast as I could while avoiding potholes. Since there is nothing else I could do about the missing screw, I relaxed with the group and enjoyed the scenery and the cooling temperature.

This is the only scenery from the Titiwangsa rest stop. The view is magnificent as is the weather

     

Enjoying a well deserved rest and catching up before heading off

Total of 12 bikes joined the ride

 

We finally departed when we were starting to feel hungry. Next destination: Restoran Kari Kepala Ikan Salim (Salim Curry Fish Head Restaurant) which we passed on the way to the rest stop. 

A well deserved lunch. Luckily it was not a heavy lunch as I was feeling very famised by the time we reached the restaurant

From here on, the group parted ways as it is the same way back and some had to go back urgently as they have some matters to attend to. Had another pit stop to stretch my legs as I was starting to get the numbing sensation due to the vibrations. To be honest this was our first time riding for such long hours

Vulcan safely back home after 6 hours riding time

I took the next day off from work as I was aching badly when I work up. Was feeling better by lunchtime so I called up Sheng Fatt to ask if I could bring the Vulcan in for a check as there was a few issues which needs attending to:

• Missing seat screw
• Low battery voltage (jumpstarted using Beatit B7)
• Sticky gear shifter when downshifting
• Bar end at the throttle was loose

They manage to rectify everything except for the bar end. It was tight but I do not remember the gap between the handlebar and the bar end to be that huge. I asked if there was anything I could do to reduce the vibrations on the handlebar and the only solution was to fill it up with something heavy.

When I reached home I found it weird that the rear seat for the Vulcan was loose. Removed the seat to check what the issue was and found that they have indeed managed to replace the screw but they used a sleeve for the screw on the main seat which meant they could not place the passenger seat hook on it and they opted to remove it. Managed to solve the problem with a little filing which could have easily been done in the workshop. Was a bit disappointed with the service there today.

 

I learned a few things from the ride:

•  I would need to get new gloves as the one I have is 'thin' at the palm area which makes me able to feel the vibrations from the handlebars. I would require to find thicker palm gloves and until I do, I guess I will be skipping out on spirited riding.
  
• Adjust the suspension on the Vulcan as it is very soft and we were bouncing around on the seat.
  
• Need to either get a new seat/cycling shorts/air cushion on the next long trip to prevent back sore
  

Relive video of the Grik ride

Remember to ride safe, be vigilant and keep the rubber side down