EVEN though the rumbles of some 100 Harley-Davidson bikes have faded at Lake Gardens. the visit of the participants of the South East Asia Harley Owners Group (SEA HOG) Rally 2010 left a permanent mark at the park in the form of a tree.
The Cassia Rainbow Shower tree was planted by the Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Fuad Ismail and the bikers whose mean machines attracted plenty of park-goers’ attention and admiration.
“I selected this tree for its hardiness and its beautiful pink and blue flowers. It’s quite a rare tree as well,” Fuad said.
He added that hopefully the rally and its riders would return the following year to witness the tree’s growth and maybe even get to see the tree’s trademark cascading blooms.
In touch with nature: Fuad (second from left) accompanied by members of teh group planting a Cassia Rainbow Shower tree to commemorate the Rally. Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200cc owner Linda Abas said it felt good to be able to contribute back to society.
“After burning up a lot of fuel and producing carbon monoxide particularly over the past few days, it is really good to do something for the environment,” Linda said.
The businesswoman in her early 30s has been in many convoys and rallies over the past two years, initially on the slower Sportster 883cc, but this is the biggest one she’s participated in so far.
“I used to get left behind a lot on the old bike which is why I changed it.
“Like most female riders, I thought that too fast a bike wouldn’t be suitable for me but when I started riding, I realised I could handle rumbling as fast as the rest,” the Kuala Lumpur local said.
Linda, who is the only female bike owner in the rally of 300 strong consisting of riders from 22 countries, said it felt awesome to be in a rally this big.
Awi Ali from Singapore said he was proud to be in the SEA HOG Rally 2010 and loved watching the public’s response.
“My body may be old but I feel young when I’m riding my bike.
“Also, this is the first time I’m taking part in a tree-planting event and it is just great,” 71- year-old Awi, a lorry driver, said.
Classic beauty: Awi taking Fuad on a ride on his 100 Year Anniversary Harley-Davidson Heritage Springer. He is usually accompanied by his 67-year-old wife on his 100 Year Anniversary Harley-Davidson Heritage Springer motorbike which he bought 12 years ago.
“I believe that with patience, everything is possible to achieve,” he said.
Singaporean Alvin Ow Yong, 50, who runs his own business in marine equipment said he bought his Road King barely two weeks before the rally.
“Owning a Harley is a lifestyle in itself. The fact that HOG is an international network with chapters throughout the world is something amazing,” Ow Yong said.
He said the tree they planted at Lake Garden’s square when it grew will resemble the HOG network with its many branches.
The seven-day rally from June 4 to 11 that started in Singapore and will end in Krabi, Thailand involved participants from America, Canada, Scotland, France, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Brunei, China, Japan and even Hong Kong to name a few countries.
Fuad said that the tree was one of the many big signature trees including the Madagascan Morenga, Australian bottle tree and African baobab that will be planted in the public park during the first phase of its upgrading.
“We will also be ‘curing’ the existing big trees here such as the mahogany and ficus that have been left uncared for in this park that is more than a hundred years old,” Fuad said.
He added that they will also be planting trees that bear familiar names such as Johor, Melaka, Semarak, Ipoh, Merlimau, Sentul and more.
“Many people do not realise that a good number of places in the country are named after these trees,” he said, adding that there are other rare trees in the park including the sausage and cannonball fruit trees.
The second phase will see the park gaining a clearer identity via a proper entrance gate and maybe even bicycle and trishaw rides.
“The boathouse may be upgraded to provide fine dining as well and if cartoonist Datuk Lat agrees to it, we could be seeing a kampung-theme playground as well,” Fuad said.
The Harley Owners Group Brunei (HOGB) Chapter set off for the first ever SEA HOG Rally yesterday. 
