The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride or DGR is a global event that is organised in association with Triumph Motorcycles across different cities on 22 May each year. This initiative aims at bringing together classic motorcycle and scooter riders to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer and men’s mental health. The criteria to be a part of the ride are really simple – own any classic motorcycle or scooter and show up in your finest suit.
This year, the Mumbai edition of DGR was hosted by Shantanu Naidu, the young assistant to Ratan Tata, who was astride a Yezdi Scrambler. And to extend their support to him, the Jawa and Yezdi ‘Kommuniti’ riders showed up in considerable numbers. The concept of DGR resonates directly with Jawa and Yezdi’s ethos of ‘ride to give back’ and this was evident by how Jawa and Yezdi motorcycles took precedence over the line-up on Sunday that consisted of motorcycle brands to the likes of Royal Enfield, BMW, Triumph, and Honda.
The ride started at 8 am from Starbucks Fort and took a route that covered all the legendary spots across South Bombay. Each and every rider in the convoy was dressed in his/her dapper best which naturally turned a lot of heads on the road. We were part of the convoy too astride a Perak that was sent to us by Jawa. Not only did the Perak grab a lot of attention with its uber-cool styling but also proved to be a wonderful companion for the ride. It was utterly refined and a complete delight to ride on the streets of Mumbai.
Speaking on the occasion, the spokesperson for Jawa and Yezdi said, “The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride is a global motorcycle event raising funds and awareness for prostate cancer research and men's mental health programs. At the core level, it directly resonates with the ‘ride to giveback’ ethos of Jawa and Yezdi brands as well as riders from our ‘Kommuniti’. With Shantanu Naidu leading this year’s DGR in Mumbai on his Yezdi Scrambler, it also gave us an opportunity to bring our Kommuniti riders together for this ride in order to contribute to the cause that this ride stands for. Apart from the serious intent of this ride, looking dapper and riding their Jawa and Yezdi motorcycles on the streets of Mumbai (and other major cities in India) was an added motivation for our riders. As a brand, we see ourselves constantly contributing to such causes through the spirit of motorcycling and our Kommuniti in the future.”
