Tag Archives: charity

Ride for adventure and to aid children

Variety the Children’s Charity will start its 2021 motorcycle ride calendar with the Adventure Ride leaving from Goulburn NSW this Sunday (14 March 2021).

Future events include the Postie Bike Dash in October 2021 and the 2022 Adventure Ride to be held again in March. For more details on Variety’s motorcycle rides visit the website.

This weekend adventure bike riders will roll through the Snowy Mountains, NSW South Coast and Central NSW to help kids in need and support regional communities.

The Variety Adventure Ride is a six-day motorcycle event departing from Goulburn on Sunday.

Participants in the Variety Adventure Ride commit to raising at least $2000 to take part in the road trip with funds raised to help Variety – the Children’s Charity supporting children who are sick, disadvantaged or living with special needs across NSW and the ACT.

If you can raise $2000 in the next couple of days you can join by registering here.

The ride is a celebration of the group’s completed fundraising efforts and also brings business into regional towns through accommodation, meals, fuel and more for the riders.

Variety NSW/ACT Acting General Manager David Small says the trip not only explores regions but also builds new friendships.

Veterans MC Victoria Chapter

“The Adventure Ride is not a race or a contest of any kind – it’s an adventure exploring the countryside by motorbike,” he says.

“Riders do all their fundraising before hitting the road – helping kids and their families who are doing it tough and providing much needed support to regional communities.

“The Variety Adventure Ride also benefits the towns it passes through, with more than $5,000 generally spent on local services and facilities in each town the group stops at.

“It’s a terrific way to help two groups of people at once – kids and businesses who all deserve a fair go.”

Variety Adventure Ride

  • Sunday: Goulburn – Araluen – Narooma
  • Monday: Narooma – Bega – Cooma
  • Tuesday: Cooma – Tumut
  • Wednesday: Tumut – Molonglo Valley – Yass
  • Thursday: Yass – Cowra – Bathurst
  • Friday: Bathurst – Goulburn

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Black Dog Ride returns to Red Centre

After the 2020 Black Dog Ride was cancelled due to the pandemic for the first time in its 11-year history, the event will return to the Red Centre in 2021.

The BDR, which raises awareness and funds for mental health, was started by Steve Andrews after his solo ride around Australia in 2009.

Since then, most rides have been to the Red Centre with one ride around the country and even a ride across the USA.

For those who couldn’t make the epic annual trek, there were also one-day red events.

In its first decade, more than $3million has been raised by Black Dog Ride with funds passed on to organisations such as Lifeline, Mental Health First Aid Australia and the Black Dog Institute, as well as many many small community based volunteer groups and not-for-profits.

However, this year’s event in August was axed and registrations refunded in full.

Organisers say registrations are now open for the 2021 epic Red Centre ride.Black Dog Ride

“Of course, we want this ride to be all about mateship and fun, and of course, raising awareness of mental health and suicide prevention, as we stop and talk with people along the way,” they say.

The following ride groups are making the trek.

  • NSW/ACT through South Australia, and up the centre to Alice Springs.
  • WA through South Australia, and up the centre to Alice Springs.
  • SA around SA and up the centre to Alice Springs.
  • Vic/Tas through inland New South Wales and Queensland, then across to the Northern Territory and south to Alice Springs.
  • The Qld/NT ride group will travel through inland Queensland, then across to the Northern Territory, picking up Territorians before heading south to Alice Springs.

To find out more CLICK HERE to visit the Red Centre 2021 website. Black Dog Ride speed limit despite

From there you will also find links to the registration portal for each state/territory group.

Beyond 2021 the organisers say they have new destinations in mind for future years.

So the 2021 ride may be the last opportunity to travel with BDR to the Red Centre for some years to come. 

Registrations are limited, so get in early.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Another Toy Run falls to COVID

The Melbourne-based Toy Run For the Father Bob Maguire Foundation has been cancelled due the COVID restrictions of 50 people at outdoor events.

It follows the recent announcement that COVID travel restrictions had forced the 43rd Melbourne Toy Run to operate as a virtual event.

In NSW, the 43rd Newcastle Toy Run will collect gifts, but the ride is off, while the Motorcycle Riders’ Association 41st Toy Run in Tasmania will go ahead as a restricted, ticketed event with details sent to ticket holders soon.

Toy Run For the Father Bob Maguire Foundation organiser Cate Hughes says the “tough decision” was made not only because of COVID restrictions but also to protect Fr Bob “who is particularly vulnerable due to his rare illness and age”.

Toy Run procession macka
Father Bob at a previous toy run

However, efforts to raise funds and gifts for the appeal are still going ahead.

Fr Bob or Foundation staff will be at Scotties Garage Toy Run After Party this Sunday afternoon and there are some “mystery rides” still on which will collect funds and gifts for the appeal.

GOMA motorcycle exhibit

There are now three drop-off points: 

  • Morgan & Wacker Harley-Davidson® Melbourne, formerly Northside Harley-Davidson®, 370 Cooper Street, Epping – Monday-Friday: 9:00am-5:30pm & Saturday: 9:00am-3:00pm
  • Bad Boy Bobbers & Customs, 97 Warrigal Road, Hughesdale, Tuesday-Friday 10:00am-5:00pm & Saturday 9:00am-12:00pm
  • Scotties Garage, 71 Miles Grove, Seaford, Saturday 5th December 10:00am-5:00pm; Sunday 6th December 9:00am-7:00pm; and Tuesday 8th, Wednesday 9th & Thursday 10th December 9:00am-2:00pm

“Although very disappointing to have to cancel last minute, I’m quietly confident that the riders, and now members of the public, will show their generosity at our drop-off points, with the added bonus of being able to accept larger toys/items that riders cannot carry eg bicycles, step on scooters etc,” Cate says.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Podcasting Duo Set Out to Raise Money for Macmillan Cancer Support

Supporting the Cause

Chrissy Rouse and Dom Herbertson are no strangers to the world of motorsport. Chrissy is the 2020 National Superstock 1000 champion while Dom is an Isle of Man TT top-10 finisher. These riders know how to get what they want, and they have set their sites on raising thousands of dollars for Macmillan Cancer Support through auctioning off their beloved signed racing gear.

If you’ve ever listened to the ‘Chasin’ the Racin’ podcast, you probably know this duo and their plan very well. For those of you who are less informed, the podcasting duo began their journey into this project earlier this week when they took a Shark Race R Pro helmet and got it signed by a ton of guests from their show; Michael Rutter, Mick Grant, Josh Brookes, and Niall Mackenzie, to name a few.

the fundraiser began on Monday, November 16th, and is planned to last for a total of 7 days to end on the 23rd of November. 

“It’s amazing to see everyone coming together to raise good money for a worthy cause,” the British champion continued. “With the crash helmet, anything raised is good, but if I had to guess, I would hope to raise at least £2000 – but I’ve got no idea if that will happen or not.”

The helmet is currently up on eBay with bids sitting at £1,020.00 and can be found here. In the event you have some rare racing commodities you would be willing to part with to help further their cause, please contact them on Twitter @motorbikepod and they would be happy to accept the item for future auctions.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Movember Teams With ‘the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride’ for New Veteran and FR Program

What Goes Hand-in-Hand With Open-Face Helmets and Classic Cafe-Racer Bikes? Moustaches of Course.

Movember has been a huge success since its inception in 2004. They have provided millions of dollars in funding to raise awareness for men’s health.

This year, they are partnering with Triumph to bring you ‘The Disguinshed Gentleman’s Ride‘. What started on the 27th of September has become a solo event for riders to register, fundraise, and take a ride through downtown taking photos on your classic bikes showcasing your glorious facial hair to support the men’s health initiative.

This installment in specific is geared towards supporting the mental health of veterans and first responders in Australia, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Ireland, and the USA.

In the event that you crash your bike, who’s there to save you? First responders put their own lives in danger every single day they suit up for work to ensure citizens like you and I are safe and out of harm’s way.

Unfortunately, they are disproportionately affected by suicide and other mental health issues when compared to the rest of the population. In 2019, record numbers of US police officers died by suicide; a spike from 172 in 2018 to 228 in 2019 according to ABC news.

An initial investment of 4.34 million dollars has already been secured over the next two years to support these heroes, and now you have the opportunity to partake in the event this year and make a real impact.

The organization states, “Applications for grants are open until 23 November 2020. For more information about the grants program, eligibility, how to apply, and process, visit movember.com/vfrgrants”.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Fallout from world’s biggest motorcycle rally

So what is the fallout from the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally last week, the biggest mass gathering in the world since the pandemic was declared?

Organisers had predicted attendance would be about 250,000, down from an annual average of almost half a million.

However, official figures are 365,979 which is only about 7% down on the previous year. Fewer people aged 60-70 attended as this is the age group statistically most vulnerable to COVID-19.

It seems many riders chose to thumb their noses at the pandemic.

This is despite 63% of the town’s citizens voting not to hold the rally. It went ahead anyway after a gift wholesaler in nearby Rapid City threatened to sue the council.

The world’s media was there to record the event, leaving some scratching their heads and others cheering for freedom.

Rally falloutSturgis world's biggest motorcycle rally fallout

The fallout in infection rates and deaths is yet to come as the incubation period ranges from two to 14 days.

However, the damage to motorcycling’s image may already have been done.

One of the results of the rally in the small town of Sturgis is that many of the 7000 residents, especially the elderly, will now go into a 14-day lockdown.

This will put a strain on the town’s Meals on Wheels program, so a fund was set up to collect donations for the charity.

Robert Pandya, a motorcycle industry veteran and founder of the GiveAShift motorcycling lobby group that initiated the fund drive, says they had hoped to raise $US8000.

Instead, they raised $15,750 online and collected an additional $1408 in cash along Lazelle St during the rally in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

That’s a total of $17,158 from motorcyclists and motorcycle brands both attending and electing to skip the rally.

”This was wild and completely unexpected,” says Jamie Helms, manager of the Sturgis Meals on Wheels program. “Due to COVID-19 some of our donations coming in have slowed down in the past few months, this fundraiser from the motorcycle community will help so many here in Sturgis! I am overwhelmed by the generosity!”
USA America Sturgis Rushmore South Dakota rally crowd fallout
Riders in the Black Hills of South Dakota

While the number of infections and deaths from the spread of coronavirus is not known, we do know that there were 50 crashes reported over the 10 days of the rally.

That’s up from 41 last year.

There were four fatal crashes with five people sadly losing their lives.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Win one of four Triumphs in solo DGR

Even though the pandemic has forced the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride to go solo this year, Triumph Motorcycle is back on board as the major sponsor.

DGR operations manager Ramsey Sayed says the event will still go ahead on 27 September 2020 around the globe, but as a “ride solo, together” event.

Riders who register online, fundraise at least US200 for Movember, dress-up, and ride as individuals and/or with a pillion will be in the running to win one of three Triumph motorcycles.

One random winner will get a Bonneville T120 and the three highest fundraisers globally will also win Triumph motorcycles.

Triumph Bonneville T120 Cranberry Red Aluminium Silver Fr Qtr
T120

The top fundraiser gets a Triumph Thruxton RS, a Hedon DGR Kingpin helmet and $US2000 worth of Belstaff apparel.

Second and third fundraisers get a Triumph Scrambler 1200 and Speed Twin as well as the Hedon helmet and Belstaff gear.

There will also be Belstaff and Hedon prizes for the top 50 fundraisers, while those who raise $US200 or more get a 2020 DGR patch.

Solo DGRDistinguished Gentleman's Ride ladies

“The focus for this year will be to connect riders from all around the world, despite their COVID-19 social distancing restrictions,” Ramsey says.

“We want riders to know that we may be socially distanced, but we can still be connected digitally. It definitely came at a difficult time.

“We not only need to take people’s local lockdown restrictions into consideration, but we also needed to consider how riders and hosts have been financially affected in losing jobs and security, and how this may have impacted their lives. It’s a three-degrees of separation thing, some hosts either had COVID-19, or knew someone who did, and even have family members who lost their lives because of it. We wanted to be sensitive to those who spend countless hours volunteering to run their ride, who may not be able to get involved. 

“The main thing we’d want people to be aware of here is that we know that some areas of the world might be opened up by the time DGR hits in 2020, but DGR isn’t only a local event – it’s a global movement – and when we have so many folks who are integral in running their rides who have been heavily impacted by this, we need to look out for each other.”

Many DGR fans may not like the virtual DGR idea but it will be a real test of the commitment of participants and whether they are doing it for the benefit of others and in the spirit of the event, or just for pleasure.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Riders help relay COVID-19 tests

Bloodbikes Australia is playing an integral part in transporting COVID-19 tests from suburban testing centres to medical laboratories.

Founder Peter Davis says they recently extended their free service offers from delivering blood to other medical products including breast milk.

However, they are currently being primarily deployed to take COVID-19 tests to medical laboratories.

“Our first runs of COVID samples started with our Sydney volunteer, Richard Alder, for St Vincents,” Peter says.

“It involved delivering consumables, label bags etc, picking up samples from the temporary testing stations and getting it to St Vincent’s Sydney laboratory for analysis.”

Bloodbikes Australia has become an integral part of transporting COVID-19 tests from testing centres to medical laboratories.
Richard picks up a sample

Tests ramped up

Two Bloodbikes Australia Brisbane volunteers have now stepped into the breach for Mater Pathology as thousands of residents of southern Brisbane and Logan City have queued up for hours to be tested following a new outbreak.

“Given the increased testing and the temporary, drive-through testing stations, the Mater Pathology couriers just couldn’t cover all the runs,” Peter says.

“Rather than delay analysis and results they called on Bloodbikes Australia, which is exactly our charter to fill in when all else fails.”

Peter has run samples from Metro Medical Centre Springfield Lakes and fellow volunteer Nick Carrigan has taken samples from a temporary testing centre in Cleveland.

Bloodbkes Australia tests
Nick picks up a sample

Both are delivering the tests to the Mater Laboratory at Mater Hill in South Brisbane.

“It was so great to feel like you’re helping in the COVID fight rather than being an observer,” says Nick.

Peter says the Canberra Bloodbikes Australia Volunteers may soon be doing test runs for the Canberra Hospital.

He called on people in medical services to contact him about providing services.

He says volunteers can contact the Bloodbikes Australia Facebook as demand for their services ramps up with the second wave of coronavirus infections.

Volunteers can also email Peter Davis on [email protected].

Peter recently rode to NSW and the ACT recently to visit volunteers before borders started closing down.

He says they now have 87 volunteers Australia wide on the NSW Central Coast, Sydney, Canberra. Western NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

Bloodbikes background

Bloodbikes started in Manchester, UK in 2011 and Peter launched Bloodbikes Australia in September 2019.

Volunteers make deliveries when all other methods have been exhausted and time is critical.

“It was started because there were circumstances when a motorcycles can be a lot faster than a car in making urgent deliveries of blood to where it is required,” Peter says.

Blood he has delivered has been used in surgery as well as transfusions for cancer patients.

Peter delivers blood supplies to the Mater Hospital
Peter delivers blood supplies to the Mater Hospital

“Bloodbikes Australia is entirely voluntary. We volunteer our time, fuel and motorcycles,” Peter says.

“We are not an emergency service and abide by all the road rules and speed limits. We are not police or ambulance ‘wannabes’.

“We are just motorcycle enthusiasts who want to make our passion for riding available to do some good in the community.”

As an essential medical service, urgent deliveries would also be exempt from any travel restrictions during the current pandemic.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Electric LiveWire aids pandemic recovery

Harley-Davidson has donated a customised electric LiveWire motorcycle autographed by the Davidson family to be auctioned to raise funds for the United Way Worldwide COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund.

The special edition LiveWire also has custom paint and carbonfibre accessories including screen, tail and tank trim.

It is being auctioned online at bonhams.com with auction fees waived. The auction ends on Tuesday 26 May 2020 at 4pm (EST).

The custom LiveWire is #500 of 500 “First Strike” edition LiveWires.

These are specially numbered versions created to celebrate the first 500 units produced of Harley-Davidson’s first production electric motorcycle.

“The Harley-Davidson design team created the custom paint and graphics on this motorcycle to accentuate the natural forms of the LiveWire,” Bekefy says.

“It’s a stunning motorcycle that is truly one of a kind.”

While the auction is available for participants from around the world, the motorcycle can only be registered and retained in the US.

The winning bidder and their guest will take part in an exclusive delivery experience and “behind-the-scenes” Harley-Davidson tour.

This private, hosted experience will include a tour of the Willie G. Davidson Product Development Centre and an archival tour of the Harley-Davidson Museum.

Harley-Davidson museum in MilwaukeeHarley-Davidson museum in Milwaukee

United Way to recovery

United Way’s mission is to aid those on the frontlines and those who are affected by this crisis around the world.

Harley spokesman Jon Bekefy says the company is a “longtime partner of the United Way”.

“(We are) inspired by their continued resilience in this crisis,” he says.

“Harley-Davidson is honoured to play a small part in the relief effort to inspire our community around the world about the open road ahead.”

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

MV Agusta donation helps virus testing

MV Agusta has bought a special coronavirus testing machine in the fight against the disease in one of the hardest hit regions in Italy.

The factory (pictured above), on the shores of beautiful Lake Varese near Milan, is in Lombardy which was one of the first regions to be hit by the virus.

MV Agusta Head of Communications Alessia Riboni says they bought a QuantStudio TM 5 Real-Time PCR System to donate to Varese community hospitals.

The sophisticated testing machinery, made by British company Thermo Fisher Scientific, is able to process up to 96 swabs in just 30 minutes and can b e operated remotely so it doesn’t have top be moved from hospital to hospital.

Testing times

Ventilator donate pandemic fight virus coronavirusVentilator machine

Several motorcycle companies around the world have donated ventilators, protective medical suits, respirators, masks, surgical gloves and alcohol wipes to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

They include:

  • Italian motorcycle manufacturer Benelli has donated two ventilators and 4500 Tyvek suits to the Italian Red Cross;
  • Yamaha America has donated 380 respirators, 49,000 gloves, 325 Tyvek suits and 18,000 alcohol wipes to a hospital in Newnan, Georgia. (Respirators are used to protect medical staff.)
  • Tyre manufacturer Pirelli donated $800,000, 65 ventilators, 5000 protectives suits, and 20,000 protective masks Milan health workers; and
  • KTM Asia donated 10,000 N95 protective masks to Philippine public hospitals.

Meanwhile, the MV Agusta factory has temporarily halted production like most other motorcycle factories throughout Europe.

There is not indication yet when the Italian ban on production will be lifted and production can restart.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com