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Seychelles’ motorbike lovers get first-ever bike show with more to come

Victoria, Seychelles | May 3, 2016, Tuesday @ 15:48 in Entertainment » LIFESTYLE | By: Madiha Philo and Betymie Bonnelame | Views: 5591
Seychelles’ motorbike lovers get first-ever bike show with more to come

Bike lovers in Seychelles hosted their first show ever in the car park of Le Palme Residency ( Jean-Francois Barallon)

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(Seychelles News Agency) - The roaring and revving of motor bicycles caught the attention of the Seychelles’ public on Saturday when the bikes passed by Le Palme Residency in the northern district of Anse Etoile where a group of bike lovers hosted their first show ever in the island nation.

Jean-Francois Barallon, one of the organisers, says he and other bike-loving friends decided to host the bike show to promote motorcycling in the Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.

‘Nothing has been done so far for bike lovers [in Seychelles]. There are a lot of people who love bikes and bikes are becoming popular as well, so we decided as a group of friends to come together and organize a show,” said Barallon better known as Jeff.

He added the show, which was done in the parking of Le Palme Residency, was for people to come and have a good time, look at the motorcycles, participate in discussions and at the same time have fun with some music, food and drinks. 

One of the most popular attractions in the show was the Ducati Diavel 1200c motorcycle, and many in the crowd wanted to take it for a test drive.

One of the most popular attractions in the show was the Ducati Diavel 1200c motorcycle ( Jean-Francois Barallon) Photo License: All Rights Reserved

The Ducati is a cruiser motorcycle manufactured in 2010 with automatic ignition and an engine resembling that of a car. It can reach a maximum speed of 272 kilometers per hour with 121 kilowatts of power, and a tank capacity of 17 litres of fuel.

It is the only model of its kind in Seychelles at the moment and belongs to local gym owner Gilles Pinchon.

‘Since I was a child I loved bikes, I had pictures of bikes covered on the wall in my room. Eventually when I turned 18, I got my first bike which was an SVA Enduro 125cc because I couldn’t get a bigger bike at that time. But when I turned 20, I got a bigger one a V-Max 1200c,” said Pinchon, who added that: ‘I have loved the Ducati for a while so when I got the opportunity to buy one I did not hesitate.”

There are a lot of people who love bikes and bikes are becoming popular in Seychelles ( Jean-Francois Barallon) Photo License: All Rights Reserved

Another motor bicycle that awed many attendees of the event was the BMW R1200cc belonging to well known body builder Jaques-Allain Hoareau.

This model is also a cruiser motorcycle manufactured from 1997 – 2004 and became a hit when it featured in the James Bond Movie ‘Tomorrow Never Dies,’ which is where Hoareau said he saw it for the first time and fell in love with it instantly.

‘Having a motorbike is something that is great fun. You have a problem you just jump on your bike, start and let it take you wherever it wants to without thinking you can see yourself in a place that you would have never expected. It is a good form of meditation, and this is how I live with my bike,” Hoareau said.

The promoters say there will be more motor bike events in the near future ( Jean-Francois Barallon) Photo License: All Rights Reserved

Barallon, the organizer, is going even further to promote motor bicycles in the Seychelles. He is the editor of ‘Ride or Drive’, an automotive magazine he is publishing bimonthly for the past year.

‘It (the magazine) includes cars, bikes and other interesting topics. It’s got new cars that agents give me to test, and I talk about it in my magazine to give people an idea of the product. People also come to me with their personal cars that have an interesting history, modification, tuning, adventures that they have been through with their motorbikes,” Barallon said.

If you love motor bicycles get ready for more events and much bigger coming up shortly, say the organizers.

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