Triumph’s 2024 Scrambler 1200 lineup has been revealed, with the NEW and more accessible 1200 X for the road and beyond, PLUS an updated 1200 XE for the tar, for adventure touring and extreme off-road fun.
Featuring Triumph’s high-power 1200cc Bonneville engine with torque-rich performance, off-road ready 21-inch front wheel and Triumph’s premium quality and finish, the two new models look set to raise the bar even higher for performance and style.
The new Scrambler 1200 X delivers the same exceptional core capability, commanding riding position, and torque-rich performance Scrambler customers love, combined with a generous specification of equipment and technology. Built to be more accessible, the Scrambler 1200 X has a seat height of 820mm, reducing to 795mm with the accessory low seat, a dedicated feature that offers exceptional functionality at a more competitive price and a 16,000km service interval to lower the cost of ownership.
The new Triumph Scrambler 1200 X comes in a choice of Ash Grey, Carnival Red and Sapphire Black.
The cool and capable Scrambler 1200 XE also hits the road in the new year sporting updates including latest-generation Brembo Stylema® calipers, new suspension with enhanced adjustability, enhanced styling details and improved touring capability.
The 2024 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE comes in a choice of Baja Phantom Black, Baja Orange and Sapphire Black.
Due on our Triumph showroom floor in early ’24! Preorder now at your adventure specialist City Coast Motorcycles: Call (02) 42287392 or email: bikesales@citycoastmotorcycles.com.au
Triumph Motorcycles has released a brand-new enhancement to its advanced Showa semi-active suspension across the all-new Tiger 1200 range, which was first launched in November 2021. Active Preload Reduction has been developed to reduce the rear suspension preload as the bike slows, allowing the seat heights to be reduced.
For the road focussed GT Pro and GT Explorer, there are currently two seat height settings – 850mm and 870mm, while for the all-terrain Rally Pro and Rally Explorer these are 875mm and 895mm respectively. Through the accessory-fit low-seat option, riders are already able to lower the seat position by an additional 20mm, giving a lowest seat height of 830mm on the GT family and 855mm on the Rally family. The new feature allows these seat heights to be reduced further.
Depending on the combined weight of the rider, pillion and luggage, Active Preload Reduction could lower the riding height by up to 20mm when the motorcycle comes to a standstill. New customers will be able to access this new minimum preload feature by simply pressing the ‘Home’ button on the switch cube for one second, while The new update will be available to existing Tiger 1200 customers at City Coast Motorcycles during their next service.
“This new feature can be enabled on the fly, lowering the centre of gravity at slower speeds, making it even more accessible, thus offering riders more confidence at slow speeds and better contact with the ground as they come to stop,” Triumph Motorcycles Chief Product Officer Steve Sargent said.
The all-new Tiger 1200 was designed to be the world’s most capable, agile and manoeuvrable large-capacity adventure motorcycle. The Tiger 1200 GT Explorer, with its 30-litre fuel capacity, was even the bike of choice for Enduro World Champion Ivan Cervantes when he broke the record for riding the furthest in 24 hours on a motorcycle.
Former paratrooper and motorcycling enthusiast Chris Allen has been deployed to Africa, South East Asia and Central America, retiring as Major. After hanging up his army boots, Chris led international security operations in East Timor, oversaw counter terrorism measures in the wake of the September 11 attacks and was headhunted to protect our nation’s Sydney Opera House. In 2008 he was appointed Sheriff of NSW. Chris is now a full-time author residing and riding on the South Coast. We chat to him about the inspiration for his action-adventure novels and the vital role motorcycling serves in his personal life.
Where did your love of motorcycling begin?
“Honestly, years ago but I only finally got around to taking it up in 2017. When I was in the Army, a lot of my mates had bikes and it was one of those things that I wanted to do but didn’t prioritise. Around 2017-18 I was going through a very tough period personally and a friend suggested I take up riding. I know the cliché is that any middle-aged man buying a motorbike is a classic mid-life crisis, but in my case – and I know this to be true for many others – it was all about my mental health. The process of learning to ride, choosing the right bike (a Yamaha 650 V Star, which I called ‘The Sheriff’) getting out on the road and embracing the total experience of riding got me through one of the toughest periods of my life. For me it’s all about quiet solitude and peace of mind. I absolutely love it!”
“I have a beautiful 2014 1700cc Triumph Thunderbird LT, which I call ‘The Major’. In one of life’s meant-to-be moments, I’d brought ‘The Sheriff’ into City Coast Motorcycles for a service and rego check. Once I’d handed it over to Les, I decided to have a wander around the showroom for what I thought would be a casual browse. I was chatting with Tim about bikes and looking at the new Triumph Bonneville range, when my eyes fell upon the Thunderbird. It was love at first sight; a classic cruiser in the red and black livery, with all the quality and style that you can only really get with a Triumph. I couldn’t ignore the fact that it was exactly what I wanted. So, I took it for a test ride and the next day found myself trading in my beloved 650 and taking the reins of a 1700. The first time I sat on the bike and was getting ready to head off down Keira Street, I remember feeling pretty intimidated because I’d never ridden anything more than my 650. I have to say though, as soon as I eased off the clutch and got going, the Thunderbird pretty much rode itself. It was an incredible experience and I loved it immediately.”
You served as a paratrooper for many years. Did you get to ride on two wheels on any missions?
“As much as I’d love to say ‘Yes’ to this, sadly the answer is ‘No’. Although, the prospect of a Steve McQueen Great Escape moment would have been sensational! That said, as a paratrooper there was never a shortage of opportunities for an adrenalin rush. From memory, McQueen rode an early 1960s Triumph in the Great Escape, which they modified to look like a wartime German BMW.”
Chris is a former paratrooper who served with the Australian Army, retiring at the rank of Major
As a returned soldier, what role does motorcycling play in your life today?
“For me and a lot of other ex-soldiers, motorcycling is all about mental health and the total enjoyment of the experience. Every ride is different, and you have to be thinking all the time. That’s why it’s so good for you mentally. If you’re going through something in your life and you’re feeling totally consumed by it, getting on the bike allows you to reset. Whenever I’m in the garage and look at the Thunderbird I know there’s an adventure just waiting to happen. And, if you can, that’s the moment to gear up. Once I was off my Ps and my boys were old enough, I started taking them both out for rides. They loved it immediately. I take the approach that it’s super important to give kids a healthy respect for riding as early as possible. In short, motorcycling has been life-changing for me. It’s something that can only be truly understood by doing it.”
You are a well-established author. Do you derive inspiration from real life experience?
“Yeah, a lot of the general background to my main characters and the situations they experience are loosely based on my own career and life, and also some of my closest friends. Obviously, however, when you’re writing action thrillers you have to make everything much larger than life in order to make it exciting for the reader. I wouldn’t survive half of the stuff I’ve thrown at my main protagonist, Alex Morgan, in the Intrepid series! He was lucky to survive the first book! I’ve taken the approach that it’s important to find a strong balance between realism and escapism. I like to make the reader feel like they’re right in the middle of the action while also taking them on an adventure. The greatest compliment I’ve had from many of my readers is when they tell me they’ve missed their bus or train stop because they’ve been so engrossed in the story. As a writer, you know you’ve done something right when that happens…even though I feel bad that they’ve missed their stop!”
In 2008 Chris was appointed Sheriff of New South Wales
OK Chris, what’s the connection – how does your Triumph Thunderbird LT (The Major) fit into the current book you’re penning?
“I’m really excited about this new book. It’s a departure from my Alex Morgan/Intrepid series which is unapologetically, very action-oriented. The new book features a character named Benjamin Rhett and is much more of a traditional thriller. It’s set mostly here on the NSW south coast – in and around Wollongong, along with some international connections. The reason I said discovering the Thunderbird at City Coast Motorcycles was a meant-to-be moment, is that when I originally started developing Benjamin Rhett’s story a couple of years ago, I knew that motorcycling was going to be an important part of Ben’s lifestyle. At that time, I’d been researching what my next bike would be and when I recently started working on the draft from 2019, I found that I had already written in the Triumph Thunderbird LT (in red & black livery) as the bike! So, you can imagine that when I was chatting with Tim that day and saw the bike just sitting there, I knew I had to have it. Like me, Ben is in his 50s and riding is a huge part of his mental health regime. He has a lot of personal history and trauma to come to terms with and the Triumph is integral to that process”
Has your character Benjamin Rhett always loved motorcycles, or is this a new relationship?
“I’ve kept this story relatively close to my own experience of riding. So, yeah, for Ben it’s a new relationship that came into his life at a time when he really needed it.”
Chris says. “it was love at first sight” when his eyes fell upon a 2014 Triumph Thunderbird LT at City Coast Motorcycles
Where’s your favourite place to go for a cruise?
“The NSW South Coast is one of the best locations to ride motorbikes. From the National Park north of Stanwell Tops, over the Sea Cliff Bridge and along the coast, all the way down to Berry, Nowra or beyond to Jervis Bay, you can’t go wrong. Depends on my mood. I even enjoy the ride up to Sydney occasionally, although I hate dealing with the traffic once you’re up there.”
The Thunderbird’s perfect for a cruise with a pillion. Have you taken your boys for a spin?
“I actually haven’t taken the boys out on the LT yet!! I’ve been waiting for the nicer weather and focusing on me getting more familiar with the bike.”
Where to from here, Chris; are there any other bikes you’re planning to add to your collection?
“It’d be very easy to try and sound cool by saying Triumph’s Speed Triple 1200 or the Rocket 3, but I’ll leave those to the younger folks! To be honest I’m more inclined towards the Tiger adventure bike range, the 900 or 1200. A great mate of mine has recently bought one and he loves it. I can’t see myself ever getting rid of my Thunderbird, so if I was to get a Tiger, they’d be sharing space in the garage.”
Chris Allen is a full-time author, penning adult adventure/thriller fiction including the Intrepid series
Chris has four novels in his Intrepid series: Defender, Hunter, Avenger and Helldiver. He is currently finishing the first trilogy in the Intrepid series called, The Dark Heart which will be released in 2022 and includes the stories: Ranger, Shapeshifter and Spider.Chris is also working on the first in a new thriller series featuring motorcycle enthusiast and south coast resident, Benjamin Rhett! This new book will be in all good book stores in 2023.
Trail bike access to popular NSW areas such as the Watagans and Newnes State Forest is under threat.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service – who manages many key riding areas such as Newnes Plateau and Cullen Bullen State Forest – is planning to close access to singletrack trails for motorcycles in only a few months.
The current plan is for 4WDs to have dedicated trails that can be shared, but single track will be off limits.
Clearly this will negatively impact the enjoyment of recreational trail riders, especially those located in Sydney and surrounds. What can we do about this? In the first instance, we all need to sign the petition addressed to the Minister for the Environment.
The petition asks that funding is provided for a strategic plan for motorcycle trail and adventure riding – something that NPWS needs to consider if it is to allow singletack access to motorcycles. The petition also asks for the singletrack access decision to be overturned and that the Minister of Transport introduces a recreational registration system similar to the one used in VIC to enable better compliance with legal requirements.
Please consider signing the petition at the link below before 26 August 2022 and ask your mates to do the same:
DGR Wollongong’s Four Cure Team. Image by Biz Sites
On Sunday May 22nd, local motorcyclists rode in the name of men’s health and raised a bumper $164,032 – impressively smashing the city’s previous record of $155,225.
In 2022, the world-wide event held in more than 100 countries amassed over $5.8M USD for charity partner, Movember. The local ride, hosted by Jane and Tim from City Coast Motorcycles, has become a fixture on the calendar of classic and vintage motorcycling enthusiasts.
For two years running, the South Coast city has placed in the the global ten. Efforts by Wollongong participants has not gone unnoticed, with some special guests joining them this year. A 225 strong crowd greeted DGR Founder Mark Hawwa with applause and plenty of selfies ahead of Wollongong’s scenic route. Mark responded:
“I want to say a massive thanks for everyone that’s here today. This is one of our first rides out of COVID. I know that we did have a ride last year, but globally most of the world had still been shut down. It has been incredible to see everyone connect with the concept – everyone dressed up so fine. There’s so many guys and girls here as well and it is really special to our team to have you guys here and to be here,” Mark said.
L to R: Movember Country Director Rachel Carr, DGR Founder Mark Hawwa, Ride Hosts Jane & Timothy Sim from City Coast Motorcycles. Image by Keogh’s Vision Photography
Since 2018, DGR Wollongong has featured one of the world’s most successful teams – Four Cure – of which Phill Critcher and Ermond Morelli placed second and third individually in 2021 and received new Triumph Motorcycles as prizes.
In 2022, the local ride has had three fundraisers feature in the global top 20 as well as five in Australia’s top 20; namely Phill Critcher (1st), Ermond Morelli (2nd), John Volcanovski (4th), Ray Tubman (7th) and David Critcher (19th). Wollongong’s Madylan Hannah also ranked as the world’s 6th highest pillion fundraiser.
Movember Country Director Rachel Carr was excited to experience the magic of Wollongong for the first time after two years of social distancing, restrictions and isolation:
“I think more than ever we all truly value the power of connection and community and that really is what Movember and DGR is all about and why this is so special.
“This small coastal town, this amazing event in Wollongong continues to blow our socks off every single year. You are always right up there with one of the highest fundraising events, globally – it’s just incredible!”
Embraced by proud family and DGR Founder Mark Hawwa, Wollongong’s Madylan Hannah is one of the world’s highest pillion fundraisers for 2022. Image by Keogh’s Vision Photography
Rachel continued:
“The money that we raise this year is going to go towards directly funding projects that will help improve social connectiveness, life satisfaction, mental health and wellbeing for motorcycle riders, and that is just so special to me.
“I feel really proud that we have been able to cultivate something that will directly support members of your community – people that you would hopefully know over the years and I really look forward to celebrating the impact of that work with you,” enthused Rachel.
Ride Hosts Tim and Jane Sim lead #DGRWollongong 2022 on their Triumph Scrambler 1200 Steve McQueen Ltd Ed. Image by Keogh’s Vision Photography
Ride Host Jane Sim reflects on the success of Wollongong’s Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride:
“Every year, Tim and I are determined to create a special experience and we’re heartened by the support of the motorcycling community. We’ve seen families ride together, hope built and life-long mateships made. Above all, it is a great feeling to unite for such an important cause and help make a difference.
“This is a team effort. When Tim and I put the call out local riders, businesses and media care enough to get behind the event. We’d like to extend our gratitude to all volunteers, the Illawarra Mercury, ABC Illawarra, Wollongong City Council, Lake Illawarra Area Command and the generosity of our sponsors,” said Jane.
Take a look at some of our own snaps from The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride – Wollongong. Were you there? Feel free to share; please remember to tag your proud ride host, City Coast Motorcycles.
Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR) hosts Tim and Jane Sim from City Coast Motorcycles were privileged to award a pair of new Triumphs to global top fundraisers, Phill Critcher and Ermond Morelli.
Congratulations to 2021 DGR top global fundraisers Phill Critcher and Ermond Morelli (2nd & 3rd place)
Given the event took place in over nine hundred cities and two of the three prize winners hailed from the same location – Wollongong, Australia – it was a double celebration, marked by the presence of Founder Mark Hawwa along with Ramsey Sayed and Mikey Stojcevski from DGR HQ.
“What a fantastic day down here in Wollongong with City Coast Motorcycles giving away two new Triumphs – a Bobber and a Bonneville T120 – to Phill and Ermond for being the two highest fundraisers in Australia and two of the three highest fundraisers, globally,” said Mark.
“It shows just how well Wollongong punches above its weight in regard to the riding community, the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride and people helping other men in need.”
(L to R): ) DGR Operations Manager Ramsey Sayed, 2nd global prize winner Phill Critcher, Team FC’s Ken Smith, DGR Founder & Director Mark Hawwa, 3rd global prize winner Ermond Morelli, Team FC’s Colin Carr, DGR General Manager Mikey Stojcevski and DGR – Wollongong Ride Host Jane Sim
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is a niche event uniting classic and vintage style motorcycle riders all over the world. Participants raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer, and mental health and suicide prevention programs on behalf of charity partner, The Movember Foundation.
Phill and Ermond have participated since 2018 when they established their team of four, The FC’s (Four Cure). It has grown to seven-strong and in 2021 it ranked the third highest fundraising team worldwide.
Distinguished Fundraising Team “The FC’s”
2021 marked the fifth year our family-owned Triumph dealership has presented DGR – Wollongong. In that time the local ride has amassed some $350,000 (AUD) for men’s health. Dealer Principal Tim is humbled by the result:
“It’s been an honour having Mark, Ramsey and Mikey from DGR join us in delivering these magnificent Triumphs, today,” said Tim.
“Jane and I couldn’t be prouder of our local event which gets so much love and support from the Wollongong region.”
Tim and Jane lead the 2021 Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride – Wollongong. Image courtesy of Jay Dubbs for Keogh’s Vision
Phill Critcher who placed second globally said DGR 2021 was a terrific day for all:
“This time we started at Stanwall Park and finishing at the Mt Kembla hotel really topped it off. The venue and afternoon of good music, drinks and plenty of conversation with fellow riders was great. All I spoke to were impressed with the day.
“Firstly, thank you to our hosts Tim and Jane from City Coast Motorcycles and congratulations on the successful effort they put in to organising this day.
“A big congratulations to the Wollongong participants that put in, yet again, a great fundraising effort.
The inaugural DGR – Wollongong held in 2017. Since then Ride presented by City Coast Motorcycles has gone on to raise $350,000 (AUD) for men’s health.
“To Mark and his team at Basecamp DGR, congratulations! I hope you guys are proud of the team you have, and the continual growing success of this fundraising event. The international attention this has created is phenomenal. An idea created by a ‘few guys in Sydney’, well done fellas!
“To all the sponsors that support this event, thank you. You are a big part of the success of this totally admiral charity event that I’m sure touches most in society today in some way.
Triumph is the Global Sponsor of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride and has now committed to another five years.
“Finally, to our team “Four Cure” – warm up your engine boys for 2022; we’re off again. I would like to thank the members that didn’t turn up to the presentation at City Coast Motorcycles last Thursday. Our team donation to start the fundraiser, commences at $4,000. Your generosity should be acknowledged.
“Anyone that would like to have a great little ride in good company with some vintage and classic bikes to look at, come and join us all on the 22nd of May and support prostate cancer research and men’s mental health.
DGR Global Prize winner Phill rides his new Bonneville Bobber
Phill could not wait to take in our beautiful coastal scenery on his new Bobber and reported back within the hour:
“Just got to Kiama and it honestly feels great,” said Phill.
“The only road bikes I’ve ever ridden are the Z900 and Harleys. This is beautiful, I really am so happy with the bike!
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride 2022 will be held on Sunday May 22nd. Registrations will open on March 28th atgentlemansride.com
Ride Your Motorcycle Week returns from Nov 29 to Dec 5. This year’s focus is getting riders back on their bikes after lockdown as the summer riding season beckons. The event will push for riders to dust off their motorcycles and get going whether they prefer dirt riding, race tracks, commuting or adventuring.
Image by Keogh’s Vision Photography
Previously known as Ride Your Motorcycle to Work Week, the change of name is intended to broaden the appeal of the event. Throughout the week advertising will encourage motorcyclists to dust off their bike of choice and get busy having fun.
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) Chief Executive Tony Weber explained the intention of the event was to remind riders of the efficiency and ease riding a bike offered, as well as promoting riding’s positive impact on mental health.
“When you’re on the bike, there’s nothing else like it. But life gets in the way. Ride Your Motorcycle Week is just a little extra push to get your bike serviced ahead of riding season, take the bike to work or take the long way home, take day the off and reconnect or just go and have an adventure. This is the week to start doing it.
“COVID has obviously changed the way Australians think about commuting, but the name change is about more than acknowledging working from home,” said Mr Weber.
The event also aims to draw attention to two-wheeled transport as a potential solution in COVID-19 recovery:
“Riding has a real role to play in helping Australia get back to work, offering socially distanced transportation and alleviating congestion and parking issues. As ever, our secondary goal is to capture the attention of policy makers who too often overlook riding in developing transportation infrastructure,” Mr Weber explained.
So what’s in it for you? Just two words: Solidarity and safety…
By joining this National Ride Your Motorcycle Week, you are joining a motorcycle fraternity in which thousands of people are active participants. That’s a lot of people power. The more people who ride, the more we are noticed. And that makes the public road a safer place for all of us.
Rider safety is an industry priority. That’s why before you take your bike out of its winter ’mothballs’, it is important it receives the once-over from your authorised dealer, City Coast Motorcycles. Because no-one (apart from you) knows your bike better and has all the factory-backed expertise to have your machine in tip-top shape for the long summer of riding ahead.
RIDE TO WORK WEEK OFFER
Mention “Ride Your Motorcycle Week” when booking a service at City Coast Motorcycles between November 11 and December 3. 2021 and receive a complementary $20 City Coast Motorcycles gift card. Call 4228 7392 or BOOK HERE.
With fundraising due to close on Sunday June 6th, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride – Wollongong has passed the incredible milestone of $150,000! Meanwhile, it has been in a tight contest with London for 2nd position out of over 700 cities worldwide.
Participants Phill Critcher and Ermond Morelli are on track to come 2nd and 3rd globally out of over 65,000 riders, while their team – The FC’s – is also ranking 3rd. Since City Coast Motorcycles introduced the ride to Wollongong in 2017, almost $350K has been raised to support Movember. This is an outstanding achievement and we could not be prouder of our riding community who have wholeheartedly embraced this niche event for classic and vintage motorcycles.
Below are some images we captured on the day – click on the thumbnail to open the gallery. We are happy for you to share them on social media; please give ride hosts City Coast Motorcycles a nod if you do so.
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR) have partnered with Movember for a new community program aimed at better connecting male motorcyclists. We chat with Mark Hawwa – the Founder of DGR, Throttle Roll and Ride Sunday – about this special initiative.
Mark Hawwa – Founder of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR) has been going since 2012. How did it start, and how have you seen it change over the years?
I had just come back from a trip to Japan and fell in love with their mix of a classic and custom motorcycling scene. When I got back, I was determined to get a bike that could bring that style back here to Australia, but none of my mates rode that kind of bike, so I started the Sydney Cafe Racers. As the custom style caught on, I started seeing people from around the world get into these groups and we connected over a joint love of custom motorcycles. Then the idea for DGR hit me when I saw a poster of Mad Men’s Don Draper sitting on a Matchless motorcycle in his beautifully tailored suit and thought it was a really interesting way to show a motorcyclist. At the time in Australia, we had a lot of issues with public perception of “bikies”, so it motivated me to spread the word throughout these groups and get everyone riding on the same day on their classic and vintage style bikes to dress dapper and ride together to break down that negative stereotype. That was 3,000 riders in 64 cities, and now we’re connecting 116,000 riders in 678 cities, so quite a lot has changed!
DGR Wollongong. Image by Garry Gao
DGR has a special relationship with its global charity partner the Movember Foundation. How did the idea of the DGR Social Connections Challenge come about?
The relationship with Movember formed in 2016. We were working with various Prostate Cancer Foundations around the world to localise people’s donations and provide them with tax deductibility, but it was a tough job. We connected with Movember and everything just moved forward naturally. We have really similar goals in how to provide support for men and are actively funding a wide range of prostate cancer research and mental health programs to connect men in motorcycling.
The DGR Social Connections Challenge came about with us knowing how dedicated our community through DGR was in fundraising and in changing the way men communicate, so we thought it was finally time to help bring specific programs targeted at all riders to make a difference to them directly. This program isn’t just for people in DGR, but for every single male motorcyclist. We’ve never done anything like this before and Movember was really excited to build out a program that helps us better connect with riders as a part of their “going to where men are” approach to mental health. It really is a world-first and we’re honoured to be able to bring this to the global riding community.
What countries are involved?
Currently, we are accepting pilot programs in Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK, and Canada as these are the areas that we can directly offer funding and support. Once the pilot programs go through the Challenge, there is definitely an opportunity for them to scale further and operate in more areas.
Are the grants open to groups as well as individuals?
Absolutely anyone is welcome to submit an application. Groups or individuals. We’d also recommend you have a mate or two helping out as this is potentially a 15-month program if you get through to Phase 2, so having a bit of friendly support wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Image by James Macintyre
How will the Challenge be carried out?
The Challenge will be carried out in two key phases at this stage. It’ll be broken down as Phase 1.1, Phase 1.2, Phase 2, and Phase 3. A maximum of 25 grants valued at up to AUD $7,500 will be awarded internationally under Phase 1 of this opportunity.
Step 1 asks applicants to submit an Inspiration Statement. The applicants with the most creative and innovative ideas will be invited to pitch their idea. Successful pitches will be considered upon receipt of a signed, short-form Movember funding agreement which will lead them into Step 2.
In Step 2, development funds will be provided to assist in research, engage with the targeted group, design and create an initiative plan over a 9-week period that has the potential to be piloted. This is the core period where we can really give attention to people’s ideas and see if they can work.
From here, the best candidates will be invited into Phase 2, where we really get into the nitty-gritty of the program. A maximum of ten pilot project grants valued at up to AUD $75,000 will be awarded internationally under Phase 2 to carry out implementation of pilot project plans over a 12-month period. This is where programs will really scale up and take serious shape to test out the ideas and try to bring riders together in the process.
Continued investment may be forthcoming in Phase 3 for those projects that show the greatest promise for ‘scaling up’ at the end of the pilot period. This is an extended piloting phase, so the continuation is really dependant after Phase 2.
The great thing about this is event programs that are not invited into Phase 3 will be in a position to keep working at their ideas. The support that we’re looking to provide over the course of the next 15 months will give our applicants a huge level of insight into how they can scale and succeed their ideas.
Image by Keoghs Vision Photography
How will the grant applications be judged – what are you looking for?
We definitely have a few things we’re looking out for in this. If the name is any indicator to you, we’re looking for ideas that help connect riders socially, outside of the DGR community. This is a really wide-net to men in motorcycling, so it should be something that connects all men, and especially, those guys that may be a little harder to reach when it comes to connecting. With the focus on connections, we are also looking at programs that strength peer-to-peer support and can allow us to provide positive role models and mentors to all riders, and improve everyone’s knowledge about mental health and suicide prevention.
What’s involved in submitting an idea?
All you need to do to get this off the ground is register online HERE and submit an Inspiration Statement by July 6th. From there, you may get invited into Phase 1.1 to pitch your concept with a few other pieces. You can find a more detailed breakdown of this at www.gentlemansride.com/blog/dgr-scc
How soon will the funds be allocated?
Funding will be provided within the Phase stages by Movember, so successful applicants will be able to allocate those funds to areas that will help them succeed best. The great thing here is Movember will be with them all the way to help identify where these funds might be best placed.
Is this something DGR and Movember plan to do on an annual basis?
Who knows?! This is a first-time for us, so once we get through it, we’ll absolutely be reviewing and seeing just how successful the concept is. In some way, I’d like to though. It’s really important that we’re funding programs where our riders need it most, so this will absolutely be a test of that.
Some very distinguished Wollongong gents. Image by Keoghs Vision Photography.
Given that the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is a global event, what changes can we expect for 2020 with varying COVID-19 social restrictions worldwide?
Worldwide, we’re looking at a Solo Event for 2020, which will eliminate mass events and have riders taking to the streets on their own to raise funds for the event. It’s a tough one, because some are able to hit the road in groups or alone, and others may not be allowed to ride at all, so we need to find a way to engage everyone. To achieve this, riders around the world will be encouraged to dapper up and either hop on their bikes if they’re able to, or to snap a shot of themselves with their classic and vintage styled motorcycle and join us online. The focus for this year will be to connect riders from all around the world, despite their COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. We want riders to know that we may be socially distanced, but we can still be connected digitally.
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 them and each other.
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