The group organised a ride to visit the container art which was placed around the state of Penang as part of the attraction to the state. This was organised by The Penang International Container Art Festival (PICAF) and the containers were place in 5 different locations. There are 2 in the mainland and 3 on the island. There are stories behind each art which can be read here.
The plan was to tackle the ones on the mainland first before heading back to the island and incorporate a round island ride as well. The Penang riders were gathered at the usual Caltex petrol stop before heading off to the next stop which is a lay-by after the bridge for a regroup before heading off to the breakfast stop.
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Route discussion before kick stand up
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There was a miscommunication somehow between 2 riders. As I had my GPS on I was to lead the group so after the bridge while I was slowing down to pull into the lay-by 2 of the riders overtook me and when they noticed I was stopping they slowed down but they were already passed the lay-by. One of them did a U-turn to regroup but the other went on ahead. We were all gathered at the lay-by waiting for him and when he finally turned up, he said he was not aware of the plan to re-group after the bridge.
When all are finally accounted for, I started to lead the group to our breakfast spot which was at Cef Jane. This also serves as a meeting point for the mainland riders as well. One of them was there early and he managed to secure us both parking seats in the shop.
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VIP parking in front of Cef Jane coffee shop
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There area a lot of food variety and the food was not bad. We informed the rest riders of your location to meet should they decide to join at the last minute.
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The group waiting for breakfast to be served
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After about an hour of rest and dine we departed to the first container art which was just around the corner from the breakfast stop.
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Bikes galore at Dataran Pemuda Merdeka
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The plan was to have a drone up and capture some drone shots of the bikes and us hanging around the container art but there was a connection issue between the drone and the controller. The engineers in the group went to see what was the issue and suggested some solutions which did not work.
Hanging around and trying to figure out a solution for the drone
In the end one of the riders had to go back to home to pick up his drone. While he was headed home to pick up his drone we decided to proceed to the other container art location which was half hour away and he would meet us there.
Both sides of the container art at the Dataran Pemuda Merdeka
We suited up, started the bikes and proceeded to the next location. The ride was uneventful but fun cause there was little traffic on the expressway to Aspen Vision City (AVC). I was a bit worried that it might be a little hard to park the bikes at AVC as the container art is placed in a park and there was no designated parking and we had to park by the side of the road. Luckily for us that was not the case.
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Managed to find parking right in front of the Container Art
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While waiting for the other to arrive with his drone, we were still trying to troubleshoot the first drone. The first thing i did was to take photos of the art before it was swamped with people.
Both sides of the art at AVC
While waiting for both drones (one on the way, the other still in troubleshooting phase) to be up, we decided to goof around the container art.
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The GSes will always need to be parked together and away from the rest of the group
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While goofing around I got a call from the second drone pilot stating that he had overshot the turning to AVC and he was on the way to the bridge instead. What a day for drone pilots. I guess we were not meant to have drones on this trip. Informed the group about the news and we decided to head to the next art which was at Balik Pulau in the island. As we started to walk towards our bikes the second drone pilot arrived and we ended up spending more time there with drone shots before heading off.
The trip back to the island was an interesting one. We were diverted to use the motorcycle lane for the second bridge but there was a loophole in their parking area which led us out onto the car lanes. This is where the fun starts. We let loose our bikes and everyone was going full throttle on their bikes. I was always curious on how fast the Vulcan can go with the throttle fully open but did not manage to test it out on the normal expressway due to traffic. All I can say is that I satisfied my curiosity and it was both exhilarating and scary at the same time. My advice for going high speed on public road is to do so on a certain stretch with a limit in mind and no traffic around eg I will go a certain speed until I reach that point of the highway but the best place to speed it on a race track.
Before we left AVC some riders were asking about fuel stop so we stopped at the first petrol station when we reached the island.
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Refueling and a bit of leg stretching after going high speed on the bridge
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After the fuel break we proceeded towards the next container art in Balik Pulau. For this leg of the trip another rider took point as he has been there before. Soon we were riding through twisty mountain roads towards the town of Balik Pulau but turned off before we reached the town. The container was placed a bit off the road and we had to ride off road for a short stretch of road to reach the container.
The bikes were parked all over the place due to the single lane gravel track. While we were there there was a car which came from the opposite direction and before we could assist to direct the driver or move the bikes to avoid getting hit but the driver just continued pushing through without a care in the world.
From here we were supposed to head to the next stop which is the one in town but some of the members wanted a quick stop at the nearest coconut shop. We left the art and proceeded to make our way through the Balik Pulau town towards Sardon Hill.
Little did we know that the coconut shop was closed so while the rest of the group discussed on the next best place for a coconut stop, I decided to take this opportunity to snap a quick 'I was here' photo.
After this stop i noticed that there was something amiss with my phone holder. It was getting looser with every bump I went through. I decided to pull aside to check what was the issue and found out that the socket connecting to the holder was broken. I had to figure out a safe and secure temporary placement for the holder and also to reduce my speed to avoid it dropping off and dangling on the bike while riding.
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Damaged phone holder
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Because of this issue, me and 2 other riders were separated from the rest of the group. We tried calling some of the group members but none answered their phone so we decided to head towards the group's favorite coconut stall in town in hopes that the rest of them are there. On the way there was a road block and currently the enforcers are coming down on those with modified exhaust and additional accessories installed. One of us had a modified exhaust and when he saw the road block ahead he made an illegal u-turn and went another way.
He called me to inform me where he was waiting and cause he was not used to this area of the island, I told him to stay put and we backtracked to pick him up before proceeding to the designated coconut shop. The first thing we saw before we reached the shop was a group of bikes parked there. We found an empty lot, parked our bikes and regrouped with the rest.
The group enjoying the coconut drink break
After this refreshing break, majority of the group decided to call it a day and forego the final 2 container art which was in town and at Karpal Singh drive. It was a hot day and we had been riding for some time under the hot sun and the group just wanted to get home to cool down.
Remember to ride safe, be vigilant and keep the rubber side down
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