VFRP leans with Yamaha Tricity Launch

The Vega Force Rider's Pack had always made it clear , especially considering the group name , with what type of motorcycle they preferred. However , when Yamaha Motor Philippines, Inc. introduced its new Yamaha Tricity and launched a Yamaha Tricity Grand Test Ride at the SM City Cebu North Open Parking on May 9 and 10, 2015, as motorcycle enthusiasts, the pack didn't want to miss out on the chance of experiencing the Yamaha-Exclusive LMW Technology.

Yamaha Tricity

with Sir Kris Mendoza at the Yamaha motorcycle display

As early as 6am, some of the members where already in line with the registration booth so they would be the first to test out the Yamaha Tricity. Yamaha already had a customized track prepared that featured ramps and different road surfaces to showcase the abilities of the Tricity and as they made their way in the track, they were able to get the feel of the LMW technology or Leaning Multi-Wheel which allows two independent front wheels to adjust to different road conditions. It's a different touch to how they were used to the handling of the Vega Force motorcycles but since it's a product of Yamaha, it was indeed a smooth ride for those who were able to test it.

VFRP testing the Tricity

Track for the test ride

Prepping for the test ride

VFRP feels the new Tricity on different types of road surface

The rest of the day , the pack were already all around the venue , taking advantage with the London themed backdrops for the Yamaha Tricity displays for picture taking and selfies and of course , joining the fun side activities where they got a chance to win Yamaha items.and also get their new Yamaha Club Id.

the pack enjoying the event

The Big Ben backdrop perfect for picture taking

VFRP boys waiting for their turn for the pic

waiting in line to test the Tricity

the pack posing with a Yamaha Girl

By day two, the event took into a more serious atmosphere as the Yamaha Club presidents from Yamaha Club Visayas and Mindanao had the Yamaha Club Presidents Meeting held at Sarrosa Hotel and afterwards, those who were not able to do the Tricity test ride on the first day, had the chance of doing the test ride on the second day.

group pic at the Yamaha Presidents meeting at Sarrosa Hotel

eating time!

Yamaha's big bosses were present in the event including YMPH Sales and Marketing Director, Kaoru Ogura; After Sales Section Manager, Tomoyoshi Inoue; Visayas Region Sales Manager, Carlo Monterola; and Marketing Section Manager, Ryan Jude Camus and they were ready to answer any questions regarding the launching of the new Tricity in the region during the press conference.

The event then became star-studded as the pack was among the many people who greeted the celebrities who graced the event and wanted to try out The Tricity including Yamaha Club member Gerald Anderson and couple Daniel Matsunaga and Erich Gonzales.

VFRP hunk Larrie Badilla poses with ABS CBN hunk Gerald Anderson

 with Erich Gonzales

By the end of the event, the Vega Force Rider's pack took home Yamaha items and the experience of the new Yamaha Tricity. 

VFRP member showing off his Yamaha Goodies

VFRP groufie

VFRP Pres. and Vice Pres ready to test out the Tricity

And as the pack would put it, If ever you would be planning of experiencing a new type of motorcycle, you already know what product would RevsYourHeart.

VFRP Goes Hot in 2k15! Mainit Springs + Round South Escapade

 It's 2015 and what a way to jump start the year than with a Round South Ride with the pack! Of course, we had a stopover in mind which was Mainit Springs , Malabuyoc. Our route? From our kick off point at Caltex Mango, we traveled a few hundred kilometers to reach our destination at Mainit Hot Springs and left to follow the road via Oslob and back to the city to complete the round south experience.

road pic!

stopover for a quick breakfast at Barili

this was our route for our round south ride

We knew that it was going to be a loooong ride so we started early. At 6:00 AM (call time was supposed to be 5:30 AM o_O) , we left early from Caltex Mango just when the sun just showed itself from the sky. We made sure that all our motorbikes would have enough gas or much better, a full tank for the ride so we had a few stopovers at gas stations and at Barili we had to stop for a 15-minute break for those who wanted to eat breakfast and gather what money we have to buy food for our trip. At exactly 11:00 AM , we arrived at our destination at Mainit Springs. 

Mainit Springs Entrance

You would think that the place is empty because when we arrived, no one was staying in the cottages but when you would go to the spring, all the people are already soaked in the pools.

Entrance fee is Php20.00 per head and you have to pay for parking as well. Php10.00 for motorcycles and Php20.00 for cars and since we were like almost 20 in total, that's gotta be a lot of pay just from our group alone. 

We noticed that most of the visitors do not rent the cottages as the rates were at Php200 for 3 hours and some would just go to the springs and then leave when they're done. Since we were not from the place, we opted to get ourselves settled but not with the cottages 'coz they actually have tables that we can rent. The long ones were Php50.00 and the smaller ones were Php40.00 so we chose to get one of each.

the pack taking a selfie while settling in our tables

Everyone decided not to go jumping right into the hot springs first since we were all exhausted from the long ride. We decided to eat whatever food we brought in and share it to everyone since most of us were on a tight budget and wait for the rest of our food to arrive (from the money that we have gathered from Barili earlier). When most of us were filled and our energies raised, it was off to the springs for us!

42.6 C pool. Hot! Hot! Hot!

We were given a little bit of briefing when we arrived just so we know what we were gonna be experiencing. Mainit Hot Springs is actually a river flowing from the mountain top and there were several points that the water's temperature is high. From those points, they have created a mini pool so the heat will just be in one area. There were 3 pools all in all having temperatures of 35.8 C , 36.1 C and 42.6 C. For the hottest pool, we were warned not to stay longer than 10 minutes since they said the water had a mix of sulfur in it or something like that, with our without any history of high-blood, your blood pressure would really go up.

36.1 C at the left and 35.8 C at the right and the cold flowing river in-between.

After we changed into our shorts and tshirts we went down to their river. At first, we were wondering where the hotspring was because the first touch of the river, the water was really cold. Then we saw the pool and the moment we settled ourselves in, it was heaven. Just the right amount of heat. We stayed at the 35.8 C pool since the two other pools were a bit crowded. Aside from the pools, there was a hidden area where the flowing water came from and the water there was like cold as ice but it was beautiful because it was hidden from view and there were rock formations that surrounded the waters.

chillin' with the warm spring

only a few dared to soak their body on the hottest pool!

We enjoyed ourselves with the warmth and the coldness of the waters and before leaving, we didn't want to miss out on the chance of trying out the hottest pool and well , all we could say is that 10 minutes is definitely too long! The water was very hot and you had to let your body be used to the heat before you can really submerge yourself in the water.

Last Pic before leaving

GO VFRP!

At around 3pm, we were all packed and ready to go because there was still a long way ahead before we can arrive back to the comfort of our homes. No matter how fast our motorcycles were running , we couldn't stop night time from falling while on the road and we were still at Oslob at that time (that's still a long way to go before reaching the city) but no matter how exhausted we are, we had to make it back and it was like around 8pm that we separated from each other to go home.

picture taking at Santander

motor pic at Santander

 From the fun, excitement , relaxing spring experience to the exhaustion, tight budgeting, flat tires, body cramps, not to mention the ghost-issue after the rides, this first ride of the year was definitely an experience worth remembering for the pack! 

the ever-so-trending Ghost pic. Look closer at the right hand side just near the last pole.

VFRP RIDER OF THE MONTH: JENOVAH MAGALLANES

Yes! Finally, 2015 is here! It's a new year and a new chapter for the pack and since we're talking about "new", let's all welcome our new set of officers and get to know our new President! Yep, that's right, as the pack celebrated their Christmas Party 2014, it has been officially announced that the newly selected officers shall start their term and continue the best practices and activities that the previous officers have started making this year as productive as last year, if not, make it even more fun and unforgettable for each member of the pack.

Before you get excited in meeting the new President, let's do a little recap and meet our new set of officers!

CLUB OFFICERS: (click on their names to go to their facebook page... ><)

President:                  Ginn Alfred "Jenovah" Magallanes
V-President:               Larrie Badilla
Secretary:                  Joseph Anthony "Onyot" Romarate
Treasurer:                  Patrick Casicas
PIO:                           Manolito Gantalao

                                  Carl Lewis Amador Reataza

Councils:                   Ralph "RJ" Go
                                  Carl Jude Opolentisima 

                                  Ricky Montilla
Official Marshall:       Harry Celeste 

                                  John Michael Nava

                                 Gaudencio Baguhin

Official blogger:        Jennykarla Celeste

Don't worry as the year progresses, we shall get to know more of each of our new officers and of course the rest of the pack as well. In the meantime, Let's first get up close and personal with your new Alpha

photo courtesy of Underbone Tuner Online Magazine

*Vega Specs*

photo courtesy of Underbone Tuner Online Magazine

Motorcycle name (if any): StreetBender

Motorcycle Type: Vega Force 1DV2

Colour: Gold

Year bought: 2011

Previous or other motorcycle: Honda XRM Limited Edition & Honda Wave Dash

Recognitions received for the motorcycle: Featured in Inside Racing Magazine

Farthest ride with your motorcycle: 120kph

*Bikers Profile*

Name: Ginn Alfred “Jenovah” Magallanes 

Age: 30

Birthday: July 29, 1984

Location: Carcar City, Cebu

VFRP member since: August 2012

VFRP position: President

Q. Most memorable moment in VFRP?

A. First ride with the pack to Moalboal. That was February 3, 2013 with  27 motorcycles.

Q. What was your main reason for buying your Vega force?

A. The main purpose was for daily use at first. I didn’t expect that I would jump into the pack.

Q. Most unforgettable experience with your motorbike:

A. Trying to beat a red light and it ends me with a very large scar in my right arm.

Q. Why join VFRP:

A. Want to meet more friends, gain more knowledge about MC.

Q. Biggest achievement with your motorbike.

A. Too far from there yet.

Q. What’s the one thing that you really want to get for your motorcycle?

A. One thing you say? I'm still on the process of figuring it out.Hahahaha.

Q. What are your plans for your motorbike 2 to 3 years from now?

A. After modifying it, I’ll make at least 1 entry for motor show then I’ll leave it as what it is. Also, aiming for higher CC is in top of my list.

Q. How has the group changed your life?

A. It teaches me how to widened my thoughts and understanding someone's feeling, how to extend my patience into the higher level and of course how to value friendshipand camaraderie.

Q. As the newly elected president of the Pack, any plans or activities that we could look forward to?

A. Yes! A lot.  Most of it is Community Service. And with the help of all the members, we’ll take this club into another level of a legit Non-Government Organization. 

photo courtesy of Underbone Tuner Online Magazine

There you have it guys! You have seen your new president in action and definitely you can see him more in the next few months.

Until the next article! Watch out for February as we celebrate the love month by featuring the VFRP Couple of the month!

VFRP Ang Pinaka : Top 6 Best Moments of VFRP 2014

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!!! 2014 has ended and today marks the first day of the year 2015. A lot of things had happened and 2014 became a productive year for the Vega Force Riders Pack. As we say goodbye to the year that has gone by, let us all look back and reminisce the moments that made 2014 special for the Pack.

Here are the top 6 Ang Pinaka Best and Memorable Moments of VFRP 2014!

#6 YAMAHA GP

July 2014, The Vega Force Riders Pack made its way to Cebu Kartzone to join the Yamaha GP 5th leg and if they were just spectators from the previous events, now they were officially part of the race. 

To make it even more challenging, they competed against each other for the top 3 slots that will represent the Pack for the overall tournament. 

It was a very fun to watch the boys battle each other being known as first timers in the racing field. Compared to other clubs who you can see are veterans already , they were just chillin' all the way to the finish line and like the announcer had said "just like doing a long rider in the road".

Top 3 - Harry Celeste, Patrick Casicas, John Dryden Gabuya

Of course the top 3 was chosen and it was Harry Celeste, Patrick Casicas and John Dryden Gabuya who represented the pack and competed against the top 3 from the other groups. They may have finished last but the experience made the whole event worth remembering.

#5 RIDES, RIDES, RIDES

A motorcycle club will never be complete if there were no rides and 2014, they got a lot. Most of the rides would end up in a specific location where they can relax after a long time in the road .

Take the round south for example, the pack took the 4-hour-journey (felt like 6 because of all the stopovers!) with a destination of Oslob at a private resort so everyone could enjoy the beach. Of course the moment everyone was there, it became a challenge for leaving because of the location. You can definitely say the place would take your breath away literally speaking once you have experienced going up and down a hundred flight of stairs O_O.

If the group had conquered south, they made sure to make their mark in the west part of Cebu and from the beach, they experienced the beauty of Mantayupan falls in Barili. After the falls had experienced a setback a few years back when it dried up after an earthquake, It has gone back to its beauty and attraction which the Pack was surely to enjoy.

Several other roadtrips has been made covering the most remote parts of Cebu and what a way to end the year than a year-end ride to Simala, Sibunga with a little bit of community service in the side. Well, with all the rides happening in just one island, pretty sure the pack would be able to make their mark in the whole island of Cebu.

#4 VFRP 2ND YEAR ANNIVERSARY

2014 had marked the second year of the founding of the Vega Force Riders Pack and after everything that the pack had gone through , they deserve a celebration with matching Lechon! 

Several members have come and gone (from the pack!). Some of the founders are still there and some are already inactive but in their second year anniversary, you can say that the pack is going strong. A lot of new faces has joined in and the numbers are growing.

And being able to celebrate the second year is something the the Pack is very proud of knowing that their will always be more anniversaries to come and celebrate.

#3 UNITY RIDE

This year was also a year of intrigue and politics that had affected not just the pack but the motorcycle community as well. With the government trying to release policies that had gained the motorcycle rider's attention (somewhat negatively), it paved the way for everyone to join hands (or join bikes ><).

Although the said issues had somehow died down or taken into back seat at the moment, the groups had realized that they were not alone and if they needed to stand together, they could always rely on each other if they needed to stand for a cause, thus the Unity Rides was born. 

November, motorcycle riders all around Cebu gathered including the Vega Force Riders Pack to get to know each other, hang out and of course ride all around Cebu to let everyone see that different groups can come together if needed to show their strength and Unity as one riding community.

#2 CSR ACTIVITIES

Reaching out to the community has aways been a goal that VFRP wanted to meet even when the pack was just starting out. So by December 2014, Yamaha Club made that happen for them.

Yamaha Club has needed a Club that would assist them with one of their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Activities and of course the pack did not waste the chance and volunteered to represent Yamaha. With the first ever community program, VFRP was able to help provide school children with new sets of school supplies at a remote community in Naga, Cebu giving them not jut their needs in school but also the motivation to continue their studies no matter what hardship they are into. Who knows, someday one of those kids they have helped would grow up to be a rider or a member of VFRP in the future. ^^

Of course before the year ended, VFRP went ahead and met their goals not just once , not twice but three times as selected VFRP officers joined another yamha club csr activity together with other Yamaha club groups and the latest one where in even Bagyong Ruby did not stop them from giving the kids at CarCar Cebu new sets of school supplies.

 Read the full article on this event here

#1 YAMAHA CLUB GRAND EB - DECEMBER, 2014

Now that we are down to our top 1, There is no other way to top the list than feature the first ever Yamaha Club Grand eyeball 2014 .  

With a lot of firsts that the group has experienced for the year, this would be one of the most memorable.

Yamaha Club aims to gather all groups that has been created for Yamaha and recognizing them as part of 1 big Organization and one big Family.

Of course VFRP is present in the event and was able to gather more than 60 members which was a also a first of the group.

The event was highlighted with games, food and of course Yamaha Babes with the whole agenda is to show the camaraderie and unity from each one of the riders.This became a time for different riders to show off their different types of Yamaha bikes based on their clubs like the MIO,  FINO, FZ, Sniper, even an all-girls group and of course, Vega Force. You couldn't believe how many bikers there are in Cebu was in the event and every one of them showed just how an advocate they are to Yamaha.

The pack may not have won from any of the events but they definitely stood out with their naughty cheer "VEGAONS!|" making them one of the most memorable group in the event.

More on VFRP at Yamaha Grand EB article.

So the year ends with a bang as we greet the new Year with fireworks, horns, drinks , and food and probably by now a lot of people are still suffering from hangovers from last nights partying .With everything that had happened this year, we are definitely looking forward for a much more eventful and exciting 2015. Cheers VEGAONS!