Tag Archives: The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride

Distinguished Triumph up for grabs

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A one-off Triumph Thruxton 1200 RS is the big price for the top fundraiser this year in The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR) to celebrate the event’s 10th anniversary.

Ride founder Mark Hawwa of Sydney says the one-of-one motorcycle designed in collaboration with Triumph Motorcycles is “an exciting way to honour” the 10th anniversary.

Triumph has been the major sponsor of the DGR for the last eight years.

Since 2012, the event has connected hundreds-of-thousands of classic and vintage style motorcyclists from more than 100 countries and raised $US27.45m for men’s health. 

The unique Thruxton was designed, painted, and customised in Triumph’s UK paint shop.Triumph Thruxton 1200 RS

It will be the first prize in the “Gentlefolk Competition”.

To gain entry to the competition, fundraisers need to follow these four steps to unlock four “badges”:

  1. Complete their Profile;
  2. Donate to their own Profile;
  3. Complete a Random Donation; and
  4. Raise a minimum of $US250 (about $A320).

All entrants will receive a 2021 DGR Commemorative Prize Patch and a single entry into the competition to win the DGR Thruxton RS. 

Prize winners will be drawn by the DGR when fundraising closes on 6 June, 2021.

Mark describes the DGR Triumph Thruxton RS as “a piece of DGR memorabilia that brilliantly represents the committed efforts of our dedicated gentlefolk around the world”.Triumph Thruxton 1200 RS

Honda CRF450R Motorcycle MY2021

Other fund-raising incentive prices are:

  • Three other new Triumph motorcycles;
  • Custom top-50 fundraiser Hedon helmets with a 10th year anniversary design;
  • Up 10 Hedonist helmets custom-painted by 10 renowned artists and auctioned off during the campaign;
  • Belstaff classic motorcycle outfits for top fundraiser and sprint prizes for event fundraisers; and
  • ELF lubricants prizes. 

There is still time to register for the 2021 DGR. Just click here.

The ninth annual event went virtual in 2020 because of the pandemic, resulting in the number of participants and fundraising for the Movember Foundation being halved.

From this year the men’s health charity event is permanently moving to May from this year.

Organisers hope the shift to May for the northern hemisphere riding season will better suit riders and increase fund-raising opportunities.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Virus hits DGR fundraising

Instead of riders hitting the roads together, they were asked to socially distance by riding solo and posting their ride on social media with the catch cry “Riding Solo, Together”.
As expected, participation in the September 27 event and fundraising was subsequently down.
This year the event raised $US2.74m and attracted about 56,000 motorcyclists from 171 countries.
Still, the DGR has raised more than $US25m for men’s cancer research and mental health issues since it was founded by Mark Hawwa in Sydney in 2012.
Mark Hawwa Distinguished Gentleman's Ride hipster Ride Sunday Triumph Bonneville ladies biggest
Mark Hawwa
“I’m continually blown away by the DGR community and their incredible support for each other and Movember,” he says, acknowledging that the pandemic “presented some pretty huge barriers”.
“Even with thousands of miles separating riders in towns, cities, countries and continents there was a common goal and a universal connection,” he says.
“The key thing we all need to do right now is stay socially connected even when physically distanced; it’s actually crucial and it saves lives.
“The money raised is needed more now than ever, and countless lives will be saved through the achievements of those riders. Thank you on behalf of all at Movember and more importantly the men in all of our lives that we support.”
The ride is dedicated to bringing men and women together from around the world to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer research and men’s mental health programs on behalf of The Movember Foundation.
Almost 1 million men lose their lives annually from suicide and prostate cancer.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Distinguished Skram riding sunglasses review

The distinguished Skram riding sunglasses have been designed to allow riders to continue to ride on into the night.

They have been designed by Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride founder Mark Hawwa and the three different designs certainly do look distinguished.

Moto Skram glasses

Mark says Skram Motorcycle Eyewear is “a product that as motorcyclists we wanted to wear” and was a joint effort by him, colleague Rocco Repice and optometrist Elias Combes.

The flexible sunglasses cost $199 with a choice of brown tortoise shell (“Havana”) or black frames.

They are claimed to have 100% UV protection with shatterproof polycarbonate lenses that makes them the “most protective” sunglasses on the market.Skram sunglasses

Skram glasses are also available in clear and yellow photochromic lenses that transition to a tint when exposed to the sun.

Prescription lenses are also available for an extra $159.

Mark says they “searched for years testing over 50 different lenses until we found the set that we could put all of our trust into”.

He sent us a pair of Moto Ones to test and here are our results.

Skram Moto OnesSkram Moto Ones sunglasses

Skram Moto Ones arrived in an elaborate box that was way bigger than the glasses themselves.

Inside is a handsome leather carry pouch, cleaning rag, distinguished keyring with leather tag and a useful keyring tool.Skram Moto Ones sunglasses

The tool unscrews to reveal two small screwdrivers for tightening the arms of the glasses as well as other uses.Skram Moto Ones sunglasses

These lightweight glasses have sturdy and flexible frames that don’t get bent out of shape as you put them on. They actually become more pliable the more you use them.

However, the arms are a little thick and may pose a problem with some helmets. They can also be uncomfortable against your ears in a tight helmet.

We tested the acetate lenses with a UV sensor and found they give pretty good protection.

Skram sunglasses
Light tint after a few seconds

The photochromic tinting effect is quite slow to transition from clear/yellow to tint which means you will come out of a tunnel into broad daylight and squint for a few seconds.

Vice versa, if you ride into a tunnel you have to wait several seconds for the full tint to disappear so you can see clearly.

They also won’t tint to the maximum level if you are wearing a full-face helmet, even with a clear visor or a tinted visor open as helmet visors reduce UV rays.

Skram sunglasses
The darkest tint in direct sunlight

You need direct sunlight on the glasses.

We found even our Biltwell Gringo which has no visor prevented sunlight because of the thick “brow” overhang.

A peak will also shade the glasses and prevent them fully tinting.

The instructions say it takes a few wears to reach the full photochromic effect. That’s what we found too. Right out of the box, they weren’t great, but after a couple of weeks they improved.

However, they never really got all that dark, compared wth our normal sunglasses.

Skram sunglasses
Skram glass at the back compared with Ray Bans (left) and Flying Eyes

They claim they will tint to 80% darkness in full sunlight and meet Category 0 to 3 sunglass standards with 0 legal for night riding.

Mark says the glasses are “perfect for those who wear open-face and 3/4 helmets as well as those who like to ride with their full face helmet visor open”.

We couldn’t test the shatterproof ability of the lenses, but they aren’t scratchproof. We lightly used the tool on the corner of the lens and it easily left a small scratch line.

While they do work better with an open-face helmet, they are not wrap-around, so over about 80km/h you get a lot of wind in your eyes.

This can lead to windburn over time which can promote dry, itchy eyes and, in extreme cases, possibly blurred vision.

And despite all the wind that gets in behind the glasses, we found they fog up fairly quickly on a rainy day, even with an open-face helmet.Skram sunglasses

Conclusion

These are certainly quality, stylish sunglasses, but they aren’t much use for most riding conditions.

However, they work ok around town on a fine day. For example, they would be an excellent pair of glasses to wear on a DGR ride … so long as it isn’t raining!

Website: www.skram.cc

Facebook: www.facebook.com/skramcc

Instagram: www.instagram.com/skramcc

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Oil in the Blood custom bike film

A two-hour feature film on the worldwide custom motorcycle phenomenon titled Oil in the Blood is coming to your computer and/or TV screens soon.

Australian custom builders and Sydney’s Throttle Roll custom motorcycle festival are featured in the film.

It was directed by life-long biker Gareth Maxwell Roberts who tells us he is “currently speaking to distributors to secure a release date”.

“It’s most likely to be a digital release. We are looking to secure completion finance, either through investment or sponsorship.”

It follows the recent release of a similar film about the custom motorcycle scene in Australia, called Handcrafted.

Oil in the Blood

Gareth is a former racer and a founding member of the Bike Shed club in London.

He has been filming for the past three years with producer Lucy Selwood.

They’ve interviewed nearly 300 bike builders, riders, journalists, artists and racers in Britain, Europe, Japan, Australia, The Far East, Africa and the US.Oil in the Blood custom motorcycle movie

They’ve spoken to major manufactures Harley Davidson, Yamaha, Royal Enfield, Ducati and BMW.

They filmed at The Bike Shed in London and Paris, The Malle Mile, Wheels & Waves in Biarritz, The Trip Out, The Brooklyn Invitational, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride in London and New York, Indian Larry’s Block Party, Dirt Quake, Snowquake, The Malle Mile and The Trip Out in rural England, The One Moto Show in Portland, Mama Tried in Milwaukee, Mooneyes in Tokyo, and The Handbuilt Show in Austin.Oil in the Blood custom motorcycle movie

Among the film highlights are riding a custom bike in the Sahara, flat track racing in dusty bowls and indoor arenas, ice racing in Wisconsin and in the Alps, and the American Wall of Death in the Texas sun.

They’ve shot dozens of cool custom bikes being ridden through the urban streets, the twisting mountain roads, through the rolling green countryside and the scorched flat plains.Oil in the Blood custom motorcycle movie

They’ve filmed choppers, café-racers, flat trackers, sprint bikes, electrics, old school specials, urban brats, $100k+ beauties and $500 “rippers”.

Oil in the Blood will also screen at the Mama Tried Show this weekend (February 15-17) in Milwaukee, Chicago’s Logan Theatre on February 21, Petersen Museum in LA on April 5 with more US dates to be announced soon.Oil in the Blood custom motorcycle movie

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com