Inaugural Pure & Crafted Festival Singapore 2018 sees more than 1,000 attendees, preview of F 850 GS, stunt show by Mattie Griffin
SINGAPORE
– First iteration of the Pure & Crafted Festival in Singapore
– Open to all bikers and members of the public
– Stunt show by BMW Motorrad stunt rider Mattie Griffin
– New BMW F 850 GS previewed

BMW Motorrad Singapore kicked off the first edition of its Pure & Crafted Festival Singapore 2018 at D’Marquee Downtown East in Pasir Ris today – in fact it’s still on-going until 2300 on September 22, and 23 Sep from 1000h to 1500h so head down there now if it sounds up your alley.


A ride convoy on the morning of September 22 initiated the festivities, led by Mr Arnt Bayer (pictured above), the new managing director of BMW and BMW Motorrad dealer Performance Motors Limited, on a BMW R 1200 GS.

Mr Bayer took up his position eight weeks ago, replacing outgoing MD Mr Horst Herdtle who was in the role since 2015. For Mr Bayer, the festival is also a welcome homecoming of sorts, marking the first time he’s ridden a motorcycle in two decades.
“The first hundred metres felt a bit funny, but you know with motorcycling you never really lose it, and I quickly got used to it. In fact, I think it’s given me the itch to ride again, and I will be joining in some of the BMW Motorrad ride events in future,” said Mr Bayer.

The familial aspect of the festival is something BMW Motorrad places a big emphasis on.
“The motorcycling community in Singapore is a very tightly-knit one, and with Pure & Crafted we wanted to give something back by doing an event featuring things that they really appreciate. It’s about riding with friends, seeing the customised bikes, riding gear, there’s music, there’s something to drink, it’s a bit like an early Christmas for bikers!” added Mr Bayer.


Above left to right: Mr Arnt Bayer, managing director of Performance Motors Limited, Mr Anthony Chaw, manager of the BMW Motorrad division for Performance Motors Limited.
“Pure & Crafted is a celebration of motorcycling, it’s festival for all walks of bikers, we want to reach out to all riders, not just BMW owners, and show them what the brand is about,” said Mr Chaw.
“But more importantly, we also want everyone to relax and enjoy themselves at the event and feel like a part of the community.”

The Singapore version is naturally a little smaller in scale, but it’s entirely the same in spirit: Basically everyone is invited – there is no entrance fee- and here it has been expanded to include more family-friendly aspects.

“In the Singaporean context, we want to bring in bikers and their families during the daytime hours, but we also have the main party after 6pm to cater to our core clientele of motorcyclists,” he added.
Highlights from the event include the preview of BMW’s latest model, the F 850 GS mid-weight adventure motorcycle, and stunt shows by professional BMW Motorrad stunt rider Mattie Griffin.

The F 850 GS replaces the F 800 GS as the middle-weight adventure bike of the BMW Motorrad range, slotting in under the R 1200 GS, and above the entry-level G 310 GS model.

A new 853cc parallel-twin engine makes 95hp, and thanks to its unique firing order, will sound very much like its big brother, the R 1200 GS.

It’s armed with a full-load of advanced features, including a new 6.5-inch TFT display with BMW Motorrad Connected features, so you can pair a phone and Bluetooth headset to the bike.

The final spec is to be confirmed but local bikes should have electronic suspension adjustment (ESA), LED headlights, and the TFT system with BMW Motorrad Connected functionality.

One other highlight of the festival was the appearance of BMW Motorrad’s official stunt rider Mattie Griffin.

The 37-year-old Irishman has ‘inherited’ the role as ambassador of the brand with the retirement of stunt legend Chris Pfeiffer.

Griffin is the fifth-ranked stunt rider in the world, and wowed the crowd with his gravity-defying routine that goes far beyond the usual stoppies and wheelies, mixing in pirouettes, no-hands riding, as well as burnouts and other stunts while sitting on the forks of his F 800 R stunt bike.


 

 

There was a wide range of other attractions at the festival.

The full range of BMW Motorrad bikes were on display, but non-standard bikes were a big part of the flavour of the day, with a custom and showbike competition drawing more than 20 entries.  

Retail partners included Shell, Hodaka Motorworld, Metzeler, Automobile Association of Singapore, Beyerdynamic, Stone For Gold (leatherwork), 717 Custom Coatings, Motographer, Smurfiside (vinyl wraps), and motorcycle adventurer Juvena Huang.
Food partners included Udders and El Cubanos. Musical performances by local bands The Souls, Shagies, and Shirlyn & The Unexpected. 

The festival, which was first held in Berlin’s Postbahnhof in 2015, is a mix of motorcycle culture, lifestyle and music. The most recent edition in 2017 saw more than 10,000 attendees at the Altes Kraftwerk Rummelsburg in Berlin.

2018 sees the ‘main’ Festival take a break, but bringing the fun and revving on the road in Europe, and the event you see here.

Pure and Crafted seals BMW Motorrad’s reputation as the most active motorcycle brand here, in addition to its regular series of rideaway events (both in Malaysia and further abroad such as Taiwan and Germany), it also held its Grand Slam off-road event and launch of the G 310 GS in April this year and took part in the Wicked Wallop motorcycle festival.
More photos below: