When you think of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, what do you picture? I’m pretty sure the majority of you will think of large cruisers rolling along against a picturesque backdrop, with good-looking guys and gals dressed in leather and denim apparel. 

Performance? Not the first word that comes to mind. Style? Most definitely.

Well, Harley-Davidson is more than just a rolling fashion icon. Their bikes and engines are some of the best in the world, and can easily stand toe-to-toe with some of the motorcycle world’s finest.

In order to demonstrate these capabilities, they kickstarted the Dirt, Road & Track (DRT) experience in 2022. Now in its second iteration, I got a chance to get in on the action.

As the name suggests, this event showcases some of Harley-Davidson’s best over different venues and terrains, enabling one to experience the famed Milwaukee soundtrack in a variety of situations.

The first station I was allocated to was Track, and Harley-Davidson had closed off a circuit – 8 speed Khaoyai – in order for us to wring the Nightster Special and Sportster S at full chat. 

The circuit had a good mix of straights and a nice set of sweeping corners too, allowing me to really feel the speed and manoeuvrability of the sports bikes. And when you get track time all to yourself and no limits imposed on the Revolution Max engines, the obvious answer would be to mash the throttle and let the bikes sing.

Next up was the Dirt section, which took me and the Pan America across a small section of the Khao Yai countryside. The Pan America really shines here, and its 1250cc Revolution Max engine was more than capable of providing enough oomph to traverse any obstacles. 

It’s essentially a plug-and-play package for braving offroad trails, rolling over some undulations, loose surfaces, and inclines as easily as Sunday morning.

Finally, the Road part of the event saw my group take a ‘scenic’ ride up to Khao Yai National Park. By definition of scenic, well, when you have this much power at your disposal, you gotta let loose a little right?

The outbound journey saw me piloting the Breakout, with its Milwaukee-Eight 117 V-Twin Powertrain beckoning me to turn up the heat and race across the countryside. Sadly, we couldn’t ride into the national park itself as the bikes were deemed too noisy, but it meant a bike swap for the journey back.

And into the hot seat of the Fat Boy I went. This was arguably the most comfortable of the bunch, with its laid-back riding position and off-set pedals. It’s comfy, but it isn’t a slouch either, as the 114 Milwaukee-Eight heart sitting underneath was ever-ready to pump out beefy amounts of torque.

This is definitely one for the books. I mean, where else can you easily try out each discipline of Harley-Davidson’s range in a fun yet safe environment? 

But, the biggest takeaway from this experience isn’t the bikes, but the culture. Harley-Davidson has always had a deep cult following, and once you’re part of the gang, it’s easy to see why. Underneath the boisterous engines and loud exhausts, you feel like you’re part of a family, and regardless of what you ride, you’ll know that you’re in the company of like-minded individuals.

If you get the chance to experience it, I strongly urge you to give it a shot. You’ll understand what I mean soon enough.

Big shoutout to the Harley-Davidson Asia Emerging Markets Team and all of the people who made this event possible, you guys are awesome!

#UnitedWeRide

Photo Credits: Harley-Davidson Asia

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And there I was, spending hours under the scorching sun sampling an array of Porsches with the guidance of world-class Porsche driving instructors. The resulting sunburn didn’t really matter when you’re up close and personal with some of Stuttgart’s finest.

‘Porsche World Road Show’ (branded PWRS for short) is the German marque’s ‘touring’ test-drive programme, which travels around the world in order for participants from all walks of life to sample the current crop of Porsche models. It has currently been hosted in five continents and over 40 countries, particularly in territories without a Porsche Experience Centre. 

The 2023 Porsche World Road Show Singapore is intended to act as the catalyst for Porsche’s 75th Anniversary activities in Singapore. This event also puts owners and prospective customers alike behind the wheel of the current crop of Porsche models, giving them a taste of what their cars can do when pushed to the limit.

Since Singapore does not have a proper race circuit, Porsche had to settle for the grounds of the Changi Exhibition Centre for their festivities. Credits where it’s due, they did an absolutely smashing job.

With a combined output of over 10,000 bhp, the 26 cars brought in for PWRS Singapore are flown in from Germany and are left-hand-drive registered units. These were scattered throughout the 4 stations erected around CEC, which included closed-circuit handling, off-road, launch control and a shalom course.

Porsche understands the need to drive cars hard, which is their way of interpreting how you can appreciate their cars better. Funny humour these Germans, but one I can definitely get behind. 

Hence, this fleet of German knights is reserved solely for the PWRS tour. This means you can thrash them around to your heart’s content. The only things hotter than the ground temperature that day were the brakes on those demo cars. 

Part of the festivities also features a convoy-led on-road session, done in Singapore registered right-hand-drive unit. This provides ample demonstration that the cars aren’t just rubber shredding machines, but are also dignified city cruisers when dialled down.

On to the real stars of the show. Porsche brought out its entire toy closet for us to enjoy, which included multiple variants of the 718 and 911, Macan and Cayenne, and the all-electric Taycan. They even brought out some of their more hardcore brutes, such as the 718 Cayman GT4 RS and the latest generation 911 GT3 RS.

This event also served as the launch of the 992-generation 911 GT3 RS in Singapore. Sadly, attendees were unable to get behind the wheel of this winged beast, as it had instructor-driven duties for the handling course.

Ultimately, while the Porsche World Road Show was an absolute blast, the cars were not the only highlight of the event. The people that attended the event alongside me were like-minded individuals who share the love of squealing tyres and unnecessary g-forces, and these are the folks who made the event so much more memorable.

This is something which a brand like Porsche exemplifies extremely well. Regardless of nationality, age or background, Porsche is an entity that connects petrolheads together, evoking a sense of belonging that revolves around the iconic sportscar brand.

If this is how we kick-start the celebrations, I can’t wait to see what’s in store next!

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Photo Credits: Sean Loo (@auto.driven) & Adrian (@adrianvanq)