A group of 12 Malaysian Ducati riders successfully completed a rigorous 23-day adventure ride across North-Eastern China recently. Organised by Welly Ducati Sungai Buloh dealership with the full support of principals Ducati Malaysia (Next Bike Sdn Bhd), the Ducati Strada China Adventure 2013 saw the group cover more than 6,000 kilometres and taking more than three weeks to complete.
Leading the group was Welly dealership principal and veteran adventure ride organiser Ngo Yoke Kwang, or better known as Kwang. The group’s bikes mirrored its eclectic riders very well and were comprised of 10 Multistradas, one Hyperstrada, and one Diavel. Over the course of more than three weeks, the 12 riders and their machines traded the comforts of familiar food, king-sized beds, and smooth highway asphalt for an adventure ride of a lifetime across one of the world’s most difficult terrains, experiencing the local cuisine and hospitality along the way.
Starting from the city of Tianjin, the route took the dozen riders across some of the most breathtaking sights the Chinese Republic has to offer. The route saw the group ride all the way into Heihe, which sits in the provinces that hugs the borders of the recluse state of North Korea. The group also rode across other picturesque sites that included the golden rice fields of the Three River Plains, the republic’s largest barrier lake Jingpo Lake, as well as a ride along the infamous 100km-long ‘Red Beach’ via Panjin before reaching the tour’s finishing point in Dalian city, the supposed fashion capital of China.
The adventure not only proved the rider’s mettle, it was also one that debunked the myths surrounding Ducati bikes. Not just a brand renowned for on-road performance, the recently concluded Strada China Adventure ride proved that the famed Italian bikes maker and its finely crafted products were just as tough as others at conquering difficult terrain. As bikes are banned from using highways in the republic, the group’s trek across the region’s back roads involved them overcoming the sometimes unpaved paths and its obstacles such as muddy rivers, gravel-filled roads, and overcoming routes that were submerged under floods. Even after overcoming this, the group still had to face the uniquely harsh conditions set by the republic’s notoriously fiesty motorists in the rural provinces, giving the riders plenty of close calls especially when riding through some of the more populated areas in the region.
What made it worthwhile to overcome the challenges during the ride was the fact that the group got to see and experience China outside the regular tourist hotspots. “I did not organise this as part of a club activity or as a business. We came together as friends on a holiday and to enjoy riding together,” said Kwang, the owner of Welly Sungai Buloh and the trip’s organiser.
Speaking of the event, Joint Group Executive Chairman of Naza Group, Dato’ Wira Hj SM Faisal SM Nasimuddin said, “Ducati has always prioritised the rider, durability, performance and safety. We saw all this being displayed perfectly during the three week ride and I am proud to say that not a single problem was faced by any of the riders or their machines, and this is the essence of Ducati. We are proud to be able to make this a reality for our owners, and will continue to support any Ducati event that lives up to the core essence of a Ducati.”
Kwang is looking to turn the China Strada Adventure ride across the less beaten path of China into an annual affair.
