Ride PH holds first PH Moto Heritage event at CW Home Depot Ortigas

TV personality and motorcycle enthusiast Jay Taruc celebrated the first anniversary of his new motorcycle TV show Ride PH last weekend with a huge bang as thousands of riders trekked to the first-ever “Philippine Moto Heritage Weekend” held at the compound of CW Home Depot Ortigas and Ortigas Technopoint’s 7-storey parking building roof deck.

The event also became the culminating point for the annual celebration of the “Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride” a global event held since 2012 with over 120,000 riders in 650 cities worldwide who come in dapper retro-inspired attires and vintage suits to pair with their classic motorbikes. These riders wore their Sunday best for a cause, to raise funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and men’s mental health.

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride was founded in Sydney, Australia by Mark Hawwa and it was said that is was inspired by a photo of Mad Men’s Don Draper riding a classic bike and wearing his finest suit. It was why Hawwa decided to organize a fund raising themed ride and at the same time found a great way to correct the negative stereotype of men riding on motorcycles, and connecting niche motorcycle communities together. In 2012, some 2,500 riders celebrated the “DGR” across 64 cities and had since then raised over US$5million.

Sunday breakfast rides is not new even in the local motorcycle scene. It was very active as early as the 1940s, where motorcycle communities would hold drag races, and club rides, probably their own versions of leisure rides back in the day. This was what Jay Taruc had in mind in reviving this bygone on last week’s event.

The event is a gathering of sorts, full of stories about that vintage bike your grandfather used to ride.  From big bikes to classic scooters, they came in all forms and sizes. There were a few survivor bikes that were showcased in the event with their patina-covered original paint and leaky motors.

For them, the sight of your neighbor’s vintage 70s Honda CB750 is reminiscent of their growing up years, hoping that their favorite uncle’s Harley Davidson that will soon be passed on to them. To others, it could be that old beaten up Lambretta LI 150 Special ridden by your newspaper delivery man whizzing by every morning.

According to Taruc, “We want to cherish these precious memories, embrace them, celebrate them at least once a year, as part of our own “moto heritage”. And share them to our neighbors, and to the world. We also want to honor the riders before us.”

The main attraction of the Moto Heritage Weekend was as a well-curated vintage bike show where some 50 vintage, classic and antique motorcycles and scooters competed for honors and special awards. The organizers have tapped foreign moto experts to judge these classic rides.

As part of their advocacy, the event also had talks and discussions on the local moto restoration scenes, here and abroad.  Motorcycle brands with a rich riding history like Harley-Davidson, Vespa, Royal Enfield, Indian, Scrambler, Moto Guzzi, Ropali Classics, Kawasaki and Yamaha also showcased their brand new models to the riding public.

Not to be left out, the event also offered mini-motorcycle training lessons to the kids inside a controlled and safe indoor riding track.