Festival of Thump - Bali Style

Festival of Thump - Bali Style

There’s nothing like seeing thirty beautiful motorbikes to get the juices flowing, is there? That was the scene in the Deus Backyard last weekend. With an awfully long time between events here at the Deus Temple of Enthusiasm, we finally sunk our teeth into something we hold near and dear. A homespun celebration of the tradition of customizing thumpers. A little thing we like to think of as the Deus Festival of Thump. Whether they arise from the holy trinity of locally obtainable blank canvases, the ubiquitous Yamaha Scorpio, the often sought XS650’s, or the nowadays less common, Honda Tiger or from other equally known brands, they all have one thing in common, a single cylinder.

It doesn’t matter if they are big bore or small, these workhorses propel the people of Indonesia about their daily lives and the art of personalizing them in Indonesia, has long been something of an art form.

We decided to celebrate the community with an afternoon long event, and put forward Prizes for Best Restoration and Best Free-for-All. We also had one category for all those who were on ground during the day, the People’s Choice Award.

There were over fifty bikes that entered to be part of the event, but with limited real estate in the Deus Backyard we had a super tough time whittling them down to the thirty that could comfortably fit.

While we were going through the selection we did let a couple of twins slink in. We couldn’t resist and being the guys who owned the clipboards we came at it with a lot of flexibility and inclusiveness.

People and bikes began arriving from around ten. We shot all the bikes and riders (Be sure to check out the separate Blog Post) before they wheeled off to their places.

People knew what lay ahead and settled in for the duration with an ebb and flow of mingling and chitchatting. The best thing about these events in Indonesia is the camaraderie. There was plenty of different camps and clubs. Each took up different positions around the yard but over the course of the afternoon the lines are blurred, and they all got on. The joked with each other and were all genuinely happy to be a part of something a little different to what had gone on before.

To bring a layer of legitimacy to the proceedings we invited two of the best bike builders in Bali to join Arwin to preside over the judging. Arwin is our own head mechanic and bodyworker supreme, he’s had a most heavy hand in every bike pushed through our Bengkel (Garage) over the past eight years. Kedux, the owner of Kedux Garage is something of a Rockstar to the greater custom community here in Indonesia. He’s also a hell of an artist and designer. The other judge was Ajus, owner of AMS Garage. His guys push out some of, if not the best aluminum work, of all the garages in all of the Indonesian archipelago. I know, massive praise but not without a huge amount of respect for what they do. Gentlemen, thank you so much for coming along and helping out.

The three of them also held a masterclass where they talked through technic, trends and staying true to your own wants and desires when building bikes. Amazing peek behind the curtains on what they all do to stay on course.

We had the incredible Dennisha Sinay & Geri Centuri on the mic’s all day. Their banter informed, amused, educated and probably once or twice, frustrated one or two who made up the mass of people who filled the backyard. They kept the focus on things when attention spans waned.

The judges had their work cut out for them to whittle the two categories down to just three. Best Restoration or Classic
1st Yosef Gumilar - Yamaha XS650.
2nd  Ketut Kartika - Harley Davidson Knucklehead.
3rd Gede Arya Pramadika - BSA B44

Best Custom
1st. Dewa Putu Putra Pratama -  Honda NF100 - Chopper
2nd Dika Kambing - Kawasaki KZ200 - Chopper
3rd I Made Pranawijaya - Kawasaki KZ200 - Skinny Chopper

The crowd played their part choosing the best on field, with the People’s Choice Award. A single bike that above all else displayed all the qualities we were looking for. It was no surprise to anyone when Dika Kambing took it out with his KZ200 Chopper.

I’d be errant to not slide in here at this point and say it was an incredibly late call we made to hold the event, less than a month out, and as everyone knows, these things can suck up a huge amount of time in planning and execution, so kudos to all the Deus Staff who gave it their all, the behind the scenes who spruced the place up a bunch, to the incredible brush people who came onsite to do some trick pin striping and a rad artist who goes by the handle, ‘Kidney’ to redo the long overdue graffiti that lives on the wall behind our skate ramp. Keep an eye out, he’ll be back for a show in the Deus Gallery in 23!

The Deus Café folks rose to the occasion and put on a bunch of fill ya’ tummy food specials, offered all and sundry some super delicious thirst quenchers and doused the place with DJ’s and three bands that transformed our show and shine into an amazing party.

Full disclosure, the event also gave us a chance to invite some of our distributers and resellers over for a bit of a thank you, meet, greet and eat. Made perfect sense to give them, and all the other punters who dropped in to see what the commotion was all about, a sneak peek at our new summer range which was ready to hit the racks, the new Deus x Eastpak Collection & the new Deus x Barstow 100% Goggles.

ENGLISH TEXT BELOW

Sabtu pagi, 17 Juni 2023, menjadi hari yang ditunggu-tunggu oleh 250 peserta reli sepeda motor dan 80 kontestan flat track race di Bali. Itu merupakan acara Rally & Camp Tasik Adventure keempat yang diselenggarakan oleh komunitas pecinta motor trail vintage yang lebih dari sekadar menggemari motor dual purpose era 80-90-an. Dikenal sebagai Trail Asik Adventurer, AKA… Tasik Adventure yang telah menunggu setahun untuk merencanakan dan mengerjakan nya demi tidak mengecewakan siapapun yang ikut berpartisipasi.

Coba kamu bayangkan , ada dua sisi koin berbeda pada event kali ini. Yang pertama adalah Reli. Mereka memberi nama Challenge "Tantangan", menjadikan setiap peserta sebagai "Penantang" Challenger. Jadi, di tempat parkir Sangeh Monkey Forest, sambil menikmati keteduhan pohon jati raksasa yang awet muda, 250 Penantang parkir untuk menerima kode QR untuk etape pertama rute reli. Seluruh perjalanan adalah 3 etape dengan 3 titik pemberhentian. 4 jika Anda menghitung tujuan.

Ada beberapa motor keren di sana, Honda XR, Yamaha DT, Suzuki TS, Suzuki DR, dan beberapa custom modern, motocross dan scrambler. Sekitar sepuluh atau lebih, mereka berbaris di titik start dan memulai rally dari sana. Misi setiap orang adalah menyelesaikan setiap tahap dan berhenti di 3 titik pemberhentian untuk mendapatkan kode QR untuk bagian berikutnya. Keindahan Bali selalu menjadi pendamping, saat kami terbang di sepanjang kombinasi jalan aspal, jalan pedesaan, dan jalan tanah di daerah Tabanan. Kami perlahan-lahan terbang tinggi dan semakin tinggi ke perbukitan dan pemandangan sawah dan hutan akhirnya habis, sebenarnya lebih seperti perlahan menjadi satu ketika kami sampai di tujuan. Bali Outbound Farmstay (BOF) yang juga menjadi tempat berkemah semalam. Jika Anda mengumpulkan semua kode QR Anda, Anda mendapat medali Rally sebagai bentuk penghargaan.

Sisi lain dari koin yang disebutkan sebelumnya, atau event kedua, adalah balap jalur datar (flat track). Atau dalam hal ini jalur dengan landasan yang tidak rata karena tempat mereka membangun jalur itu berada di atas tempat yang dulunya terdapat dua sawah terasering. Jadi titik start finish lebih tinggi dari jalur lurus pertama dengan penurunan pada tikungan pertama dan sedikit menanjak pada tikungan kedua. Saat kami masuk ke BOF, kami sudah bisa mendengar suara motor flat track dan sorakan penonton yang berkumpul. Kami parkir dan membuat jalur jalur seperti lebah.

Keseruan seutuhnya pada acara, disaat tingkat kesulitan tambahan dimasukkan ke dalam jadwal sore hari menarik perhatian yang sangat luar biasa. Mereka berhasil menarik sekitar delapan puluh peserta, terbagi dalam 4 kelas: Kelas Mesin Horizontal, Kelas FFA 4T Max 250cc, Kelas FFA 2T Max 250cc Flat Track, dan Kelas FFA Big Bore.

Antusiasme untuk balapan flat track sangat terasa. Kegembiraan tumbuh saat kami melewati babak penyisihan dan membangun sesuatu yang luar biasa untuk final setiap kelas. Tidak ada kata menahan, mereka hadir untuk memenangkannya. Pembalap dari setiap komunitas bersaing sengit di setiap kelas. Nama-nama seperti Maulana Sandi, Dewa Dimas, Harris Manasi Ride, Nova Rider Sing Mebekel, Ferry Rider Sing Mebekel, Bontok Giga MX, dan lain-lain tak main-main, sebagian besar dari memamerkan skill mereka tanpa mengesampingkan sportifitas dan keselamatan.

Trek dengan permukaan tanah liat merah keras yang kering memberikan tantangan. Di awal, para pembalap disuguhkan dengan bagian menurun pada tikungan pertama, setelah itu mereka memeras gas di bagian trek lurus sebelum berputar ke kiri lagi tapi kali ini menjadi bagian menanjak pada tikungan kedua. Itu memaksa mereka untuk menggabungkan keterampilan balap trek datar mereka dengan banyak teknik motocross. Pada akhirnya, semua pembalap bersenang-senang dengan debu tanah liat merah yang menutupi segalanya dan semua orang.

Saat matahari terbenam ke arah cakrawala, saudara dan sahabat motoran kami meraih pecahan cahaya terakhir untuk mendirikan tenda mereka dan dalam persiapan untuk berkemah malam. Matahari menghilang di balik Gunung Batukaru memberi semua orang pemandangan yang menakjubkan, tetapi segera menyelimuti kami dengan udara yang jauh lebih sejuk dari dataran tinggi di Baturiti Tabanan ini.

Percakapan tentang rute reli dan balapan flat track mengalir dari pintu tenda semua orang yang berkemah, yang lain membaringkan tubuh mereka yang lelah untuk mengantisipasi perjalanan keesokan harinya, perjalanan yang relatif santai ke Pantai Pasut.

Dengan begitu, acara Rally & Camp Tasik Adventure 2023 pun berakhir. Sampai bertemu lagi tahun depan, salam untuk semua penantang, pengalaman yang luar biasa.

Berikut daftar pemenang Kelas Flat Track:

Flat Rack Horizontal Engine Class Winners:
1. Chiko GTT Bali
2. Panduk Pisaga Delodan
3. Andika Monkey Brothers

Flat Rack FFA 4T Max 250cc Class Winners:
1. Nova Rider Sing Mebekel
2. Ferry Rider Sing Mebekel
3. Bontok Giga MX

Flat Rack FFA 2T Max 250cc Class Winners:
1. Sandi Maulana
2. Dewa Dita
3. Eponk Road Country

Flat Rack FFA Big Bore Class Winners:
1. Dewa Dimas
2. Haris Manasi Ride
3. Sandi Maulana

Saturday morning, June 17, 2023, was a highly anticipated day for 250 motorcycle rally participants and 80 flat track race contestants in Bali. It was the Fourth Rally & Camp Tasik Adventure event organized by a community of vintage trail motorcycle enthusiasts who love more than fanging about on their dual-purpose motorcycles from the 80s and 90s. Known as the Trail Asik Adventure Community, AKA… Tasik Adventure people had waited a year for the follow up and none were disappointed.

Just so you can get it straight in your head, there’s two very different sides to this coin. The first one was the Rally. They hung it under the banner of “Challenge”, making each partaker a “Challenger”. So, in the carpark of Sangeh Monkey Forest, which enjoys the shade of giant ageless teak trees, 250 Challengers parked up to receive the QR code for the first leg of the rally route. The entire ride was 3 stages with 3 stop points. 4 if you count the destination.

There were some amazing bikes there, Honda XR’s, Yamaha DT’s, Suzuki TS’s, Suzuki DR’s, and some custom modern motocross and scrambler bikes. In lots of ten or so, they lined up at the starting point then let them out for the event. Everyone’s mission was to complete each stage and stop at the 3 stop points to get the QR code for the next bit. Bali’s beauty was the constant companion, as we flew along a combination of asphalt roads, rural roads and dirt tracks in the Tabanan area. We slowly winded up high and higher into the hills and the views of rice fields and forests finally ran out, actually, it was more like blurred into one when we reached our destination. Bali Outbound Farmstay (BOF), which was also to be the overnight camping spot. If you collected all your QR codes you got a Rally medal as a form of appreciation.

The other side of the aforementioned coin, or second event, was the flat track. Or in this case staggered track because where they had built the track it was over a spot that had once held two rice terraces. So the Start finish straight sat higher than the return straight with a drop on the first turn and an uphill bit on the second. As we were pulling into BOF we could already hear the flat track bikes and the assembled crowd cheering. We parked up and made a bee line track side.

What an absolute corker of an event, the added degree of difficulty jammed into the afternoons schedule made for the most marvelous distraction. They’d managed to attract around eighty participants, split over 4 classes: Horizontal Engine Class, FFA 4T Max 250cc Class, Flat Track FFA 2T Max 250cc Class, and FFA Big Bore Class.

The enthusiasm for the flat track races was palpable. The excitement growing as we whittled down through the heats and building to something of a crescendo for the finals of each class. There was no holding back, they were in it to win it. Racers from each community fiercely competed in each class. Names like Maulana Sandi, Dewa Dimas, Harris Manasi Ride, Nova Rider Sing Mebekel, Ferry Rider Sing Mebekel, Bontok Giga MX, and others were letting nothing slip, flaunting their skills without compromising sportsmanship and safety. Mostly.

The track, with its dry hard red clay surface, presented challenges. Off the start, the racers were presented with a downhill section on the first turn, they hit the gas on the bottom straight before spinning left again but this time into an uphill section on the second turn. It forced them to combine their flat track racing skills with a slew of motocross techniques. In the end, all the racers had fun with the red clay dust lay across everything and everyone.

As the sun dipped towards the horizon, our compadres and accomplices grabbed the last shards of light to set up their tents in readiness for a night of camping. The sun disappeared behind Mount Batukaru affording everyone a magnificent view, but immediately enveloping us in the much cooler air of these high grounds here in Baturiti Tabanan.

Conversations about the rally route and the flat track race flowed out of the tent flaps of all those who camped others bedded their weary bodies down in anticipation for the next day's ride, a comparatively leisurely meander down to Pasut Beach.

With that, the Rally & Camp Tasik Adventure 2023 event came to an end. Until we meet again next year, greetings to all challengers, what an amazing time.

Here is the list of the days winners:

Flat Rack Horizontal Engine Class Winners:
1. Chiko GTT Bali
2. Panduk Pisaga Delodan
3. Andika Monkey Brothers

Flat Rack FFA 4T Max 250cc Class Winners:
1. Nova Rider Sing Mebekel
2. Ferry Rider Sing Mebekel
3. Bontok Giga MX

Flat Rack FFA 2T Max 250cc Class Winners:
1. Sandi Maulana
2. Dewa Dita
3. Eponk Road Country

Flat Rack FFA Big Bore Class Winners:
1. Dewa Dimas
2. Haris Manasi Ride
3. Sandi Maulana