The group organised another ride and this time it is to Perak. I have always wanted to visit other states on the bike so I jumped at the chance to join the ride. The itinerary was to depart at Caltex Egate at 0730 hrs and meet the other riders in the mainland at Shell Juru.
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Plan of the ride of the day
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At Shell Juru after those who require refueling and tyre pressure check, the group had a pre-ride briefing from the organiser, William before departing to Canning Garden, Ipoh for breakfast.
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A pre-ride briefing before taking off
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The journey to Ipoh was uneventful. There was a speed trap along the way but I was alerted by the kind lorry driver on the opposite side of the expressway. As this is the first time riding on the expressway, it is a very eye opening experience. It was nice to open the throttle and let the Vulcan loose after so many years of owning it. I did not go full throttle but enough to taste the power. The best gadget on this trip is the throttle lock. Comes in very useful on expressway speed which allows me to rest my right hand.
As the group consist of both fast and slow riders, along the way they stopped at one of the rest stop to refuel and also to take a break from fighting the wind at high speed as most of them are riding naked bikes with no wind protection. I missed the message that they went for a fuel stop until another member who was trailing me informed me of their rest stop. I told the group I would be riding ahead and regroup after the Ipoh toll.
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Regroup after the Ipoh toll to have a stretch and plan out the next part of the trip
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After regrouping and another briefing on the next part of the plan, we rode into town as a group led by William. As usual, I was one of the last bike in the group as I had my gps so I could 'herd' all those lost bikers and bring them safely to the destination.
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Breakfast spot: Canning Dim Sum
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Some decorations around the dim sum place
This is the first time I am eating Halal dim sum. The taste is acceptable but, sorry to say this, I still prefer the taste of the chinese dim sum. Since there are about 14 people, we split into about 4 groups. Do not ask about the pricing as one of the member on the same table as me opted to foot the bill which was very kind of him. Thank you Mr Heath!!
Once our belly was filled, we were ready to hit the road to Kafe Banjaran, Cameron. Unfortunately Heath was only accompanying the group until Ipoh for breakfast so he headed back to Penang alone. Rode through town and stopped at the Petronas petrol station at the foot of Cameron to refuel before heading up.
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Fuel stop for those who needed it before heading up Cameron
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The road up to Kafe Banjaran consist of nice twisty roads. There are occasional slow traffic compared to the Gerik highway but not a major issue with a bit of twist of the wrist. Continuing on not far from Kafe Banjaran, would bring us to Brinchang, the top most town of Cameron Highlands. We stopped to stretch our legs, have a little pow-wow and enjoy the cooling weather at Kafe Banjaran before heading back down to the petrol station.
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An impressive row of bikes but unfortunately there are too many of them to get all at a closer shot
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The view at Kafe Banjaran
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After resting enough and chit chat (aka everyone was feeling hungry), the group decided to head to the next stop which is Yong Suan Cafe for lunch. It is back down the same route to the petrol station as some did not manage to refuel before they headed up. This also serves as a regroup point before heading into town.
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Refueling before heading to lunch
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The group decided to take this opportunity to stop and rehydrate to wait for those who needed to refuel. While waiting for them to get ready, went into the shop get something light to eat but came out with this instead.
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Cornetto Unicorn ice cream; Uni-Cornetto
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We saddled up once more when all is ready to head for lunch. The traffic in town is heavier than previously as it is near lunch time and the group got divided but all arrived safely at the destination.
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Bikes parked in front of Yong Suan
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Lunch: Chicken Nasi Kandar with salted egg
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Luckily it rained while we were having lunch and not on the way down from Cameron. We chatted away while waiting for the rain to subside and at the first sign of the rain stopping, we paid for the food, geared up and headed back.
The journey back was interesting. The beginning of the ride back was clear and the rain started again after we left the town of Ipoh. I did not bother to stop to put on our rain gear as it was pointless as we (mainly me) were already wet from the sudden downpour. It was my first time riding highway speed in the heavy downpour and now I am looking for gloves with a wiper attached to it. It is a good thing that the rain stopped after Bukit Merah town and by the time we reached home we are 90% dry.
Overall, it was a very interesting and enjoyable journey. Although the group consist of mainly fast riders, they do wait for the slower ones to catch up before proceeding to the next checkpoint.
Relive video of the entire trip
Remember to ride safe, be vigilant and keep the rubber side down
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