Motorcycle Philippines

A Ride Report to Sierra Madre

For almost a month, rain kept pounding and pounding the metro, leaving bikers everywhere with nothing to do but clean their bikes and hope that the coming weekends would be different. For members of Bigboar Bikers Ph. things were no different and frustration piled up week after week as rain continued to pour down on Sunday mornings leaving them ride-dry! Thus, to address this issue, the members came to a consensus that a ride must be done ASAP and agreed that nearby Sierra Madre would be the destination come weekend rain or shine only that this time, they thought of doing things a little bit different….

And so, on that glorious day of Sunday, 06 Aug, the good Lord heeded their prayers with the warmth of sunshine! Members wore their game faces and began to get busy but this time, instead of taking their big bikes, they, with the exception of three, came in all shapes but same sizes – a little bit smaller!

Shell Marcos highway was the rally point and by 7AM, members came piling up – pres jeff, ng8, danny with their Honda wave, VP nid4spid with his Beta ark, treasurer ginoboy on his Sinski Bigboy, 400_killer on a Jet Euro, mike riding his reliable Yamaha Jog and dextoy, Suzuki_uno and teejay, who, had too much to drink the night before, brought the wrong bikes and came in riding a VTZ, GSX-R and a CBR, respectively.

By 8:30 AM, they, together with what seemed to be hundreds of bikers, negotiated their way up to Sierra Madre. While the ride was not as fast-paced as it used to be when riding a larger displacement bike, it was no less thrilling as the twist and turns of the Sierra Madre mountain brought out every inch of riding skills in them in running the fast curves. The group was also fascinated with the way some underbone and scooter riders blast past them who, like daredevils, make breathtaking turns on twisties at such speeds only trained riders for these bike can do! True enough, as most of them were just starting to ride smaller bikes, all they could do was watch and admire! Moreover, riding small gave them more time to appreciate the beauty and scenery offered by the route as they cruise on long straights and hilly slopes. Riding was also less stressful as underbone and scooters offer ease in operation and needless to say, cheaper in terms of fuel consumption.. Nonetheless, the group also had their share of minor setbacks during the ride to include a busted belt, some slides and skids as a result of the long layoff from biking. Additionally, members learned that it was not such a good idea to buy bottled gasoline there due to impurities…. It’s just sad that the members had to learn the hard way. Nevertheless, the ride and the experience was all good!

By lunchtime, the group, together with other biker groups, came in to enjoy a sumptuous meal of bulalo. For PhP 45.00 an order already good for 2 persons, it was a good deal and the group had managed to make the most out of it with ice cold sodas, veggies, rice, etc. After taking their meal, the group went up again and spent about an hour or so at the sierra madre lodge vicinity to enjoy the scenery and the cool breeze whilst discussing future rides and plans for the group. By 3 PM, they were already on their way back and made a stopover at the HQ / tambayan in nearby Marlon’s Billiards Marikina.

Summing it up, the ride was a great experience as this was the first time for them to ride small bikes as a group. True that small bikes do not offer the same rush every speed junkie would aspire for but nonetheless, it offers a different kind of adrenaline rush exclusive to scooter and underbone riding and requires a different set of skills that need to be learned and mastered. Kudos to the Big Boar Bikers Ph. for another milestone!