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8/8/2019 Royal Enfield the BEAT October 2010
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The Epic Ride
SouthernOdyssey
www.royalenfield.com
R OY AL EN FIELD IN FR AN CE AN D AR GEN T IN A G E A R C H E C K KEEP R IDIN G CAMPAIGN
OCTOBER 2010
+ BROTHERHOOD CAFE
+ BLAST FROM THE PAST
+ HIMALAYAN ODYSSEY 1
RiderMania
2010 m A r k e t i N g N e W S L e t
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ride calendkick Startkick Start
Its an honour to be able to write here again. First of all
our apologies for making you wait for so long for the
bikes you love so much. As a company we are grateful
to you for your patronage and passion for Royal Eneld.
We are trying to ensure that you see this passion being
reciprocated through our brand stores, dealerships, sales
d riding experience.
On the experience front we are trying to have more and more
des both at a national and local level. We are now operating rides
many parts of the country these include the Himalayan Odyssey,
uthern Odyssey, Tour of Rajasthan, Tour of Ra nn of Kutch, Tour
NH17 and we are trying to add a couple of more rides next year.
hey all have different characters and offer a unique experience.
r those who nd it difcult to dedicate enough time to these
des, we are doing interesting stuff through our keep riding
mpaign. These are basically weekend rides through Royal
neld dealerships and brand stores.
Not only will this enrich your relationship with your bike but it is
so a great way to make new friends and see nic e places. In today's
ressed out world its simply a great way to unwind. We are also
ying to surprise you with some interesting destinations next year.
So keep in touch with your local Royal Eneld Dealership. I hope
you have not missed the Royal Eneld Rider Mania 2010 in Goa.
Its a great opportunity to meet like minded enthusiasts and is an
important event for all of us.
On the product front we have developed new tyres for the Classic
which is amongst a host of other minor improvements to enhance
your experience even further. Also we now nd our entire model
range riding on the UCE platform. On one hand we are sad that we
will no longer be producing our older traditional engines but on
the other hand we are delighted with the performance, reliability
and customer feedback on the new UCE engine both in the 350cc
and 500cc form. At the same time we are also committed to ensure
parts availability for the older engines and vehicles. In Royal
Eneld we believe that a Royal Eneld is for life. Many of our staff
and customers even when they upgrade or buy something else like
a car still keep their Royal Eneld and don't sell it.
I thank you all once again for making the UCE transition such
a large success,
— Shaji Koshy
Divisional General Manager, Marketing
ou would like to contribute to THE BEAT email us at [email protected] EDITORIAL TEAM Shaji Koshy, Sachin Chavan, Praveen P Sathaye
Greetings from the Editorial Desk!
Start this epic ride with a chanceto visit the birthplace o yourbike - the Royal Enfeld actory
- the birthplace o a legend. Followedby a complete day on an exclusiverace track - a practical course aimedat improving riding techniques,skills and saety consciousness withguidance rom some o our mostexperienced actory riders. Saetyis a primary concern that underlinesleisure and adventure motorcyclingrides undertaken by Royal Enfeld.
On this trip, water comes in twoflavors, resh and salt. Feel thewhis o salty sea breeze on yourweather-beaten ace as you ridealong the east coast to Rameswaramand Kanyakumari - the southern-most tip o India. The coastal road islargely smooth & straight with co-conut palms and a view o the deepblue sea; it skims the coastline anddisappears into the beach at someplaces and dives into thick bananaplantations where it curves, rises &alls like a roller coaster ride.
You shall then venture intoendless scenic landscapes through
interior roads that will test yournavigation skills. You would alsoride past the back waters o Keralaand then through the jungles, thewild lie reserves, over plenty o hillswith steep gradients and sometimestreacherously narrow hilly roads, asyou encounter wildlie in the ormo wild elephants, bison and deer, toname a ew. During this ride
through the dense woodlandso southern India you would get achance to see wildlie up close. Onthe hill tops you would ride throughmajor tea, coee and spices planta-tions - the world's envy or centuries.
You are in or a surprise with thesouth's oerings. Not only is this atrue test o man and machine with3000 kilometers o path and over22000 meters o ascent, it also givesyou an opportunity to spend timewith likeminded riders and share theRoyal Enfeld passion in some o themost scenic environments and thatIndia has to oer.
TOUr DaTES:
12th – 25th Decembe 2010
Southern Odyssey
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on the road ne
Royal Enfeld is pleased to an-nounce its Annual Biker Festhappening in Goa rom 19th
21st November 2010. The themehind this est is ‘The Thump Thatnds’ as we celebrate the reunionRoyal Enfeld riders across the
orld who converge to this oneace to celebrate this occasion.For three days starting in No-mber, hundreds o Royal Enfelders rom all over the country willnverge at The HillTop, Vaga-in Goa or the Royal Enfeld
der Mania 2011 to celebrate "Theump that Binds" them together.e event in its eighth edition ise one where you meet passionateeminded Royal Enfeld ans, swape stories, discuss motorcycles,d pit your skills against eachher in competitive events like Dirt
Track Racing, Trials, Slow Race, ArmWrestling and the unique 'Carryyour Royal Enfeld' event. Atersundown the party begins with rockbands and DJ's belting out somecool music late into the Goan night.Other major attractions would bethe access to rare Royal Enfeldliterature and video ootage romthe archives and genuine RoyalEnfeld merchandise. There wouldbe stalls selling gear, tattoo artistsand lots more which would ensurethat you carry back something moreapart rom just ond memories othe Royal Enfeld Rider Mania 2010.
This is one event which neitheryou nor your Royal Enfeld wouldwant to miss out on. So pack yourbags, check your bike and head outor Royal Enfeld Rider Mania whenall roads lead to Goa!
Royal EnfeldRider Mania
InternationalMotor ShowRoyal Enfeld is participating at the InternationalMotor Show being held at Bogotá, Columbiarom the 4th to the 15th o N ovember. Known as"Salón Internacional del Automóvil" this automo-tive show currently in its 12th year is one o thelargest automotive airs in this part o the worldand about 40 leading brands shall be participat-ing in the same. Royal Enfeld is going to show-case its heritage and products or the frst timeat this Fair and its stand shall not only showcasethe modern motorcycles but also glimpses romthe illustrious past which have added to makethis legendary marquee.Royal Enfeld shall be showcasing its 350 ccas well as 500 cc models all o which oerClassic British motorcycle appeal along withmodern technology. The warrior bikes as theyare aectionately called are certifed to complywith EURO 3 emission controls. At this FairRoyal Enfeld shall also oer basic M otorcyclemaintenance courses or Mechanics ree o costduring this air
Saddle Sore RunJishnu C, a Royal Enfeld enthusiast and a proud owner o 3 Royal Enfeld motorcycles rom Brecently took a shot at the "Saddle Sore" an endurance ride (classifed by the Iron Butt AssocUSA) in which the rider is required to cover 1000 miles (roughly 1610 KMs) on his MotorcyclHours. He took his trusted Royal Enfeld Machismo 500 and rode out on the highway startingTumkur towards Pune on his Motorcycle. He turned round ater pune and sped back towards thus covering a total distance o 1740 km in 22 Hrs 59 M inutes. His attempt was done on 8thAshutosh Mahadik, an avid Royal Enfeld enthusiast and rider rom Pune rode out to Bangalo
29th Oct 2010 or his Saddle Sore attempt. Choosing to lethe vee hours o the night, he rode out at 3:00 AM towardollowing the NH 4 and turned around ater Neelamanglahis path back to Pune. Finally ending his ride at RTO, Neabridge, at 2:06 am have done 1700 kms approximately in approximately. Average speed m aintained in this challengdurance ride is 73.77 kms/hour! He was welcomed by elrom his club as well as riends and well wishers who hato see him fnish his eat.We congratulate Both these riders or their endeavour anthem luck or more such adventurous rides in the uture.
Guinness RecordBangalore, 30th Oct. Today the Corps o Military Police, Indian Army attempted to surpass the current worldo maximum number o people transported on a single motorcycle. For this eat they chose the Royal Enfeld500 Motorcycle. The earlier record was o 47 people established by the Brazilian Army on a 1200 Cc Multi-cMotorcycle way back in December 1995. The CMP men set o by making 48 people accommodate themselvthe Royal Enfeld Classic 500 and cover a distance o 1 km in continuous motion. The army men attempted thbraving heavy crosswinds but eventually managed to get all the men on the motorcycle and travel the manddistance o 1 KM to qualiy or this record. This eat was carried out at a Military Airport under supervision opert riders rom the CMP and representatives rom Royal Enfeld. Ater surpassing the current record the CMnow want to raise the bar by attempting the same ormation and covering a distance o 1.5 Kms. We congrathe Indian Army men or this record and wish them luck or more such endeavours to come. We eel proud toassociated with this eat demonstrating power and strength o the motorcycle and the riding skill o the CM
Jishnu C
Ashutosh Mahadik
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dealer neWS
TOP 10 DEALERS
Dhone AutomobilesPune
Manmohan Auto StoresChandigarh
Barnala AutomobilesLudhiana
Royal MotorsAmbala
H.S.R ServicesBangalorer
Soniya MotorsMumbai
Jalandhar MotordJalandhar
Jaycee MotorsAmritsar
Souther MotorsChennai
Ess Aar MotorsNew Delhi
J U L Y ' 10 - S E P T ' 10
royal enfield’s newest dealershiPsw dealerships that were recently
ded to the ever-growing Royal
field network.
AGARWAL TRACToRsNajibabad, UP
LAGhWAL AuToMoBiLEs
Hoshiyarpur, Punjab
RAViduTT AuToMoBiLEs
Ferozepur, Punjab
ANJANA MoToRs
Kadappa, Andhra Pradesh
GANPATi AuTo LiNksBilaspur, Himachal Pradesh
RoYAL RhiNoBaroda, Gujarat
3
1
5
ne
FREELANMECHANITraining: 34 Freelance mwere invited to the 'FreeMechanics Meet' to eduthem and train them on platform in Rohtak, Hary
FREESERVICECAMPRoyal Enfield organised a FreeService Camp for its customersat their dealer Lamba Enterprisesin Delhi from 20th March 2010 to22nd March 2010. A Total of 39customers were attended to inthis camp.
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neWS
R OY AL E N F I E L D OV E R S E AS
The first correspondence began with Mr JoRGE ALVAREZ from Argentina in September 2008 for distributorship of RoyalEnfield motorcycles in the country. After the submission of
he distributor profile and information forms he was invited to theactory for the introductory meetings and after returning back fromndia in February, 2009 they began with the Argentina showroomroject. The construction of the showroom began in July 2009 and
was ready for operation by December 2009.Mr Alvarez chose to locate in Laboulaye because it was their
ome town and, more importantly, the town’s central locatatonwould make it easier for them to expand the business across entire
rgentina. The Argentina showroom has a modern look and animpressive display of the RoyalEnfield motorcycles inside theshowroom.
Mr Alvarez, owner of the Argen-tina Showroom, has always beeninterested in motorcycles and histwo sons were motorcycle racerssome years back. He supportedthem during their race career. Anavid motorcycle traveller, Mr Alva-rez rode with his wife and friendsto many places in Argentina, Brazil,Chile, Bolivia and Peru. Finally, hedecided to translate his passion formotorcycling into a business andthe idea of a Royal Enfield dealer-ship came from one of his sons ashe felt that the Royal Enfield bikeswere the best choice for such aventure.
Nowadays, Mr Alvarez worksalong with his family, bringing his
passion and excitement everyday in this brand new RoyalEnfield Argentina showroom .The distributor has many acces-sories on offer along with theRoyal Enfield motorcycles like bagholders, saddle bags, the baskettrailers and also three exclusiveexhibitors for displaying the bikes.They also have sidecars to offerwith the bikes and are shortlyplanning to offer apparel as well.
Jean Burdet and a friend started a small motorcycle mainte-nance outfit called Trophy Motos in 1998. Based in the south-ern suburb of Paris, this company started to distribute Royal
Enfield motorcycles and also became the Royal Enfield technicalexperts for the French sales network.
In 2004, Christophe Salem joined the company; meanwhileTrophy Motos became Ural sidecar distributor for Paris area. In2005, the previous Royal Enfield importer stopped the activity henceJean and Christophe applied to become the Royal Enfield Frenchimporters. June 2005 saw the creation of hERiTAGE iMPoRT, thenew French distributor of Royal Enfield. With the decline in the Uralsales they saw that the sidecar business was in great danger andJean Burdet started to think about designing a sidecar for the RoyalEnfield motorcycles.
Most French sidecar makers wanted their sidecar to be a perfectfit on every type of motorcycle. It meant that the sidecar frame hadto be versatile and adjustable for each situation. The outcome wasa heavy, cumbersome and difficult to adjust contraption, which was
also very expensive. Jean decided to design a sidecar dedicatedto the Royal Enfield motorcycle and with the help of a well-knownFrench sidecar maker Jean created the “Black Pearl”, an unique“bolt on” light sidecar frame with a “bolt on” plastic boat-shapedbody. This Black Pearl sidecar is equipped with a shock absorberand the total weight of the complete sidecar is less than 50 kg thusrequiring no additional brake at the third wheel. The lightweight“Black Pearl” sidecar does not affect the performance of the mo-torcycle and it passed the braking test of the DRIRE office — theFrench administration body that homologates vehicles.
All over France, Heritage is selling approximately 30 “Black Pearl”sidecars a year. At the end of 2010, Jean hopes to have two other
sidecar plastic boat versions tobolt on the Black Pearl frame.To justify a drastic increasein their sidecar production(around 150 a year), theywould have to be in position tosell these sidecars all through-out Europe. For the same theyalso intend to seek clearancefor European Homologation.
www.ryalenfel.fr
A R G E N T I NA F R A N C E
dealer prof
Saini Motors, the Royal
Eneld dealership at
Margao opened for
business in 1998.
Prior to this they were actively
involved in the 2-wheeler
retail spares business where
Royal Eneld was their
main brand from which
they later diversied to all
100cc Categories and other 2
wheelers. The man at the helm
of Saini Motors, Kamaljeet
Saini (popularly called Bittoo)
still remembers how during
his college time he used to skipclasses to go to the workshop
while his friends went to watch
movies. He used to patiently
sit with the mechanics and
observe what makes the
legendary Bullet Engine move.
The mechanic’s explanation
was simply “KICK MARO,
START KARO, GEAR MEIN
DALO, AUR RIDE KE MAJE
LO”, roughly translated as
“Kick-start the Bike, Put into
gear and just enjoy the ride”!
This was the explanationevery time but somehow never
satised this young inquisitive
man. So he decided to take up
Mechanical Engineering after
completing his graduation and
his love and passion towards
the Royal Eneld Bullet kept
growing day by day. He goes on
to confess that way back then
he did not have enough money
to buy even a second hand
bullet neither had the guts to
ask his father to buy one so he
started saving his daily pocketmoney and nally bought his
rst Bullet (of course a pre-
owned one) in 1987.
He says that he had never
thought that someday God
would shower his blessings
on him and he would become
a dealer for Royal Eneld
motors in 1998. This happened
after putting in 10 years of
hard work in the spare parts
eld. Today, the dealership is
managed completely b
members who have div
the work and responsi
amongst themselves an
operate as a single unit
Kamaljeet looks after b
operations of the deale
and handles customer
grievances while broth
Jaswinder monitors sp
and service and sister-
Narinder Kaur heads t
function.
The team work at th
dealership has helped
grow in a steady mann
they are averaging a sa
odd bikes per month a
to touch the 50 mark b
end of the year. The de
has already spread its wand opened more outle
other parts of Goa nam
Margoa and Mapusa. F
on, two new branches
and Ponda are planned
They strongly believ
aiming for 100 per cen
customer satisfaction a
motive. They have also
been involved in the Ke
Riding philosophy adv
by Royal Eneld and re
organized a Monsoon P
ride for nearly a dozen
and staff members of t
dealership. This ride w
the outskirts of the Mo
wildlife sanctuary and
through a mix of differ
terrain thus providing
experience they will ch
a along time.
Reckoned as the ma
/ service point of Roya
in Goa, Saini Motors h
received their accoladein the form of being aw
the Best Dealer in thei
owing to their attitude
customer satisfaction a
state-of-the-art works
facility. Staffed with m
who have been trained
Royal Eneld, this dea
also provided much re
support to the riders o
Royal Eneld Tour of N
ride this August.
Saini Motors Kamaljeet Saini, the Royal Enfield dealer in Goa, is driven by customer satisfaction and was recently awarded the 'Best Dealer in the Region'
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keep riding rider prof
It had been just about
a month since I took
delivery of my Royal
neld Classic 500 and I was
ing to take the ‘bull’ on a
ng ride. When I went to the
and Store to collect my RC
ok and Insurance, Venkat
ked me if I was free during
e following week-end for a
de to Pondicherry. I almost
apt with joy, but maintained
ool appearance and told
m I am free and would most
obably join, even though in
y mind I was already half way
wn to Pondicherry!
D-Day! I reached the Brand
ore at around 7.30AM and
und 2 riders already there
art from the RE team. Hari,d back, sitting on the steps,
d Mohan, meticulously
aning his bike. The rest of
e team soon arrived; Ganesh,
akash, Rajeesh, Vivek,
rya, Adith, Karthik, and
kumaran. A small round
introduction later we were
ven an instruction sheet
ntaining the directions to
r destination and also the list
mobile numbers of all the
riders. The camaraderie within
the team was very good right
from the word go!
We took off from the Brand
Store around 9.00AM and
the rst stop was to fuel up at
Kottivakkam. The next stop
was at the toll booth on the
ECR, where we were joined
by 3 riders from V40, one
of Chennai’s Royal Eneld
motorcycle clubs. The thrill
began almost immediately
once the V40 guys joined us.
Till that time, we were going at
70-80kmph, but had to really
throttle up just to keep the V40
guys in sight! We next got a
break at Hotel Mamalla, where
we had breakfast.
After breakfast, Venkatrequested the V40 team
to explain us the basics of
group riding and they were
kind enough to oblige. Vijay
explained the formation we
are to follow and the ground
rules. Couple of things were
made extremely clear. Nobody
should overtake the lead rider
and nobody should fall behind
the sweep, each one sticks to
their positions in the staggered
formation. It was decided that
we will maintain a speed of
80 kmph up to Pondicherry
without stopping anywhere
in between. If for any reason,
somebody needed to stop,
he would have to switch his
headlight on, and the entire
group will stop.
The ride was just purethrill! 80 kmph was really not
80 kmph — at least my own
speedometer went up to 100
at times! And my helmet was
producing all kinds of shrill
whistling sounds, irrespective
of whether the visor was up or
down! What an experience!
Our next stop was the
Royal Eneld dealership in
Pondicherry, where we were
served snacks and beverages.
The V40 guys went their
separate way from here as they
had other plans!
We had a pretty late lunch
at Hotel Rams and then
proceeded towards Adventure
Zone in Madhuranthagam,
with Pugazh the Royal Eneld
seasoned rider leading the
pack. We arrived at our
destination at around 7 pm.
We had a relatively relaxed
evening, just spent in getting
to know each other better.
Sharing jokes and small funny experiences in life as well as
what we saw and felt during
the ride that day!
The next morning, we played
volleyball and cricket. It was
so good to see the ‘child’ inside
us come out unabashedly
and indulge in fun and frolic.
After breakfast, we went for
off-roading at the Palar river
bed, which provided us a
challenging turf to play on. We
rode on all sorts of surfaces
– loose sand, some water,
through thorny bushes, on
slush, and the ‘Bull’ negotiated
all the surfaces with ease, even
though it left me dehydrated.
Venkat gave us some useful
tips on negotiating different
types of surfaces, which was
really helpful. Using the tips we
managed to tackle and conquer
the terrain.
After calling it a day we
headed back to Chennaiand nally made it to the
restaurant called Pit Stop on
the ECR, at around 4.30PM,
which was our nal stop. It
was really heartening to see all
the guys eager to do more and
more trips, and we decided to
keep in touch with each other
and also with the guys at the
Royal Eneld Brand Store to
organize more such rides!
nNarayaNaN KG
French Connection
Born on the 10th of
February, 1958, As
Snas Na
from Pune has been an avid
biker ever since he attained
the eligible age for riding
motorcycles. He began to
learn about motorcycles by
observing his dad each morning
starting his 1952 Jawa CZ-250
cc motorcycle before taking
off to ofce. Gradually over a
period of time he requested his
dad if he could start the bike
for him each morning, he was
praying that his dad would say
‘yes’ and luckily Naidu Senior
agreed and also allowed himto ride a short distance but
only on Sundays. So started his
riding career but unluckily one
ne day in his excitement he
skidded over a sharp ‘U’ turn
just before he was leaving for
ofce and that brought his bike
escapades to a grinding halt.
He was soon back in the saddle,
but just a bit more careful and
methodical.
He has actively been involved
in motorsports also and rst
participated in the PARA
Motocross on his Royal Eneld
(1962) and fared pretty well for
the Finishers Trophy. The next
big thing was the 1981 Mumbai
to Pune via Pen Motorcycle
rally covering nearly 1000 kms
on the Royal Eneld again.
He has also been quite active
in the car rallying sector with
many Himalayan Car rally trips
too. Since 1990 he has actively
been taking part in the vintage
mMotorcycle events.
In 2006 he headed out to
the Himalayas again as part of
the Royal Eneld HimalayanOdyssey on his 1962 Bullet and
his machine despite being the
oldest on this ride never failed
even once while covering the
distance of 2500 kms in 14
days. In January 2007 he rode
from Pune to Nagpur for the
Rider Mania covering total
1700 kms. In Jan 2008 he rode
to Hyderabad for the Rider
Mania again covering close to
1300 Kms. And in 2009 again
went for the Ooty Rider Mania
covering 2700 Kms and for the
Goa Rider Mania covering over
500 Kms in just under 9 hours.
He is also part of the Royal
Eneld club from Pune called
the Roadshakers.
In September 2009, Naidualong with few of his fellow
club riders namely Eashwar,
Vikram Singh and Rishabh
embarked on an exhilarating
journey through the scenic
Himalayas in the Northeast
part of India. The group
covered a distance of 4,080km
in 27 days amidst splendid
natural beauty risding along
owing rivers and amazing
waterfalls. This trip has made
him more passionate a
biking and has inspired
to explore other such p
of natural beauty acros
country. Out of the ma
memorable experience
on this ride the most a
one was when he was c
a wild yak for quite a d
in Bhutan. In this trip
saw the lifestyle and ha
the local people of the
East. During this ride t
had the privilege of visi
Tawang, but couldn’t go
the Indo-China border
Bumbla Pass.
This year he has ridd
the RMX in Mumbai a
as to Satara for the Mo
Madness ride covering
kms out of which 150 k
was off-road through m
and slush. He also rodehis biker brothers to ce
the 8th anniversary of h
this September and is n
planning to ride down
for the Royal Eneld R
Mania 2010. As far as r
enthusiasm and the sp
concerned it is abunda
this gentleman who ha
allowed the number of
riding dampen his spir
manner.
Ashok NAidu
The Bulleteer
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onlgear check
GA, the Belgaum-based
lmet manufacturer recentlyunched the LS2 range of
lmets in India. These are
ghtly pricier than the
pular AGV FVS helmets
t have turned out to be
ad better nevertheless.e LS2 Dream helmet has
en reviewed here which
available in a choice of
ossy as well as matt finish.
This is probably the lightest
ality motorcycle helmet currently
ade in India and extended rides do not put
o much strain on your neck. It is also lighter
to carry around.
The cheek-pads and
cushions inside the
helmet are top classand they do not lose
shape easily and are
also removable and
washable.The visor takes very
little effort to open
or close and opens
in smooth steps, yet
the securing on the side is
strong enough to keep it open at the desired
position. The visibility is great, although the
helmet comes with a mirrored visor, you can
change it to clear visor at the store you pick itup from.
The noise levels in this helmet are really low,
even with the vents fully open and there was
very little wind noise inside the helmet. This
happens mainly because of the chin curtain,which stops the wind entering from below the
helmet.
The helmet shell size is much smaller com-pared to the other international brands and
you will look a lot less like an alien when you
wear it and there are various snazzy graphics
options available for the range. My personal
favourite is the one which has a classic racing
motorcycle artfully blended into the helmet.
The helmet is perfect for long rides/riding
in the city and has a lot more style than most
other helmets available. It is priced at Rs 2900– Rs 3100 and available nation-wide.
sANThosh ViJAY kuMAR
Continuing with the tradition of blogging by members of
Royal Enfield who speak out about their experiences and
adventures in riding as well as in life at Royal Enfield, the lat-
est member to join was our Managing Director, Mr SiddarthaLal. He wrote about how his passion for the Royal Enfield
motorcycle stemmed from his adolescent days and how he
felt for the company and the products with time. Te blg can
be accee at: www.ryalenfiel.cm/RE_blg/blg_c.
ap?b=14
Bikers often fall prey to what is generically known as the
Biker Lifestyle trap. Often they forget what initially bonded
them together as brothers on the road, and neglect the very
motorcycles that created the riders they are today. They con-tinue donning their club colours but somewhere down the road
forget what the club brotherhood stood for. Read what Sachin
Chavan from Royal Enfield has to say about the same in this
blog on the website. www.royalenfield.com/RE_blog/blog_dsc.
asp?bid=12
ROYAL ENFIELD IN SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE WEB:Royal Enfield has its own page on Facebook and serves as a platform for enthusiasts from all over the world to share information as well as
to read interesting updates associated with this legendary marque. The Royal Enfield enthusiasts on Facebook share their ride stories, ac-
complishments as well as their ‘ride’ photographs on the Fan page. Some of them also come up with queries as well as complaints, which
they express on this page. It is this high level of activity that keep all the enthusiasts abreast with the latest about Royal Enfield and also
serves as an informal means of communication between the organization and the fans all over the world through social media. Find Roya
Enfield Fan Page on Facebook atwww.faceb.cm/page/Ry
Enfiel/130157783693645?ref=
Royal Enfield also reaches out toand followers through Twitter an
this platform to tweet about its a
as well as broadcast those speci
Enfield moments. This channel a
helps send out updates during m
the rides that are conducted by R
Enfield all around the year to giv
ally an hour by hour or milestone
milestone account of the progresescapades. Y can fllw Rya
n twtter at: twtter.cm/@ry
you ride a bike regularly, you realise
u have special needs that extend
yond just your riding gear. Your
one, your laptop, your clothes,
ur watch—everything needs to be
ugher and stronger.
The OtterBox Defender Series for
ackBerry Curve 8900 offers the best
protection for your Blackberry. For
e phone’s protection, rstly, there
a clear protective membrane that
des over the the keypad area; then
o high-impact polycarbonate shells
clamp down over the phone. Lastly,
the third layer is a durable silicone
skin that covers the phone.
All the connectivity points and ports
like charging/data transfer, head-
phone have their own rubber aps/
doors to allow access and the only
thing exposed is the track ball. The
OtterBox comes with its own ratchet-
ing belt clip holster and as soon as
you place the phone into the holster it
goes into power saving mode. Its just
a slide-in and slide-out mechanism
but with a very reassuring and solid
feel to it.
Even though the BlackBerry is not
exactly a sleek phone, the OtterBox
makes it humongous. And you can
forget about trying to carry it in your
pocket because every time you remove
it your whole pocket will spring out in-
side out due to the sticky silicone skin.
There are other fringe benets
as well — the OtterBox makes your
BlackBerry child proof as well. I feel
much more condent of giving the
phone to my 16-month child who
seems to think that the phone is
meant to be ung to the ground after
you get bored with the buttons and
trackball.
All in all a great buy for someone on
a bike or any person who spends a lot
of time in tough conditions. Currently
retailing at approx $49.95 on the
OtterBox website, this is also available
on amazon.com as well as e-bay with
some amazing deals too.
SAchiN chAvAN
OtterBox BlackBerry Curve 8900 Defender Series Case
VEGA LS2 HELMET
ACCESS TO ALL SIDEBUTTON FEATURES
ACOUSTIC VENTS TOTRANSMIT SOUND
USE OF CAMERA AND FLASHTHROUGH WINDOW
LAYER 1: THERMAL FORMED PROTECTIVECLEAR MEMBRANE TO PROTECT SCREENAND KEYBOARD
LAYER 2: HIGH-IMPACTPOLYCARBONATE SHELL
LAYER 3: DURABLE SILICON SKIN
ACCESS TO SYNC/CHARGE JACK
SCULPTED CONTOURFOR GRIP
INCLUDED HOLSTER STYLERATCHETING BELT CLIP
(NOT PICTURED)
B L OG S
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tour of rajaSth
The Royal Eneld Tour of Ra-
jasthan is a ride off the beaten
track exploring the famed
desert landscapes of Rajas-
than and is an adventure like
o other with the numerous sand tracks,
mooth highways and the lavish Rajasthani
ospitality. This ride began with the scru-
ny of the motorcycles and the riding gear
all riders on the 15th of October 2010, in
ipur. A brieng on the ride terrain was
ven to the participants along with what
expect in terms of hazards a s well as the
citing things ahead.
On 16th Oct, the Bikers, after being
agged off from the Royal Eneld Brand
ore, had a great time riding out from
ipur to Mahansar covering around 200
m. They stayed in a palace at Mahansard had a fun evening gathered around a
mpre feasting on local cuisine and brew.
or Sunil, hailing from Punjab, this was
e rst long ride on his recently acquired
oyal Eneld Bullet. Despite nding the
rrain difcult it was the sheer enthusiasm
the fellow riders and the guidance by the
oyal Eneld lead rider that egged him on.
n day two, the 17th of October, the riders
oved towards Bikaner. En route they took
detour and tried their hand at negotiating
nd crossings and some serious off-road
riding. The Royal Eneld machines took
the rough terrain in their stride and the rid-
ers had an adventurous time trying to ma-
noeuvre through the soft sand shtailing
and sliding every now and then giving the
riders a thrilling experience.
By the 18th of October, the riders had now
acclimatised to the terrain and climate of
Rajasthan. Despite being October the heat
was still high with temperatures reaching
over 40 degrees centigrade during the day.
En route from Bikaner to Jamba the riders
came across a watermelon eld fortuitously
during lunchtime and feasted on the farm
fresh produce right there under shady trees.
It was a very pleasant experience as the rid-
ers were parched after riding over the sand
dunes and this feast delighted them. Jamba
is famous for its sand dunes and the ridershad a gala time negotiating the same again.
The ride did have its share of spills but noth-
ing could keep the riders off their machines.
This day they experienced what they termed
as raw nature at its best and were thrilled
to see the open sky lit w ith numerous stars
when they camped outdoors at night.
On 19th October, Ankush and Gaurav,
who despite being local residents of Rajas-
than discovered many remote roads and
villages during this ride which they had
never known earlier, thus discovering their
own homeland in a different and adventur-
ous manner. This day saw the riders move
from Jamba to Jaisalmer. After reaching
Jaisalmer they also visited the legendary
Jaisalmer Fort and some of the famous tem-
ples around this city.
On 20th October the riders started early
from Jaisalmer as they had a longish 280
km ride in the daytime heat. The terrain
was marked with wide open vistas all over
with the lone road snaking towards the
horizon. They rode till Tanot where every-
one took a lunch break. En route to Tanot
they also encountered some swampy lands
where man and machine had to prove their
combined mettle to cross over. After Tanot,
the riders rode to the historic battleeld of Longewala where the Indian Army stopped
the enemy right in its tracks inicting heavy
damage to the invaders. This is evident by
the devastated Pakistani tanks strewn over
that place. The bikers clicked pictures w ith
the remains of the war machines and re-
lived those historic moments of victory and
valour that the Indian Army stood for. They
then headed over to Sam for the night. Post
dinner they had a gala time listening to Ra-
jasthani folk music and watching artists
perform local dances. Surprisingly a lot of
foreign nationals were also around
and took active interest in playing
the local music and dancing to the
Rajasthani tunes.
21st October saw the riders move
out from Sam early in the morn-
ing, as they had to go through small
villages and by-lanes to come out
towards Jodhpur. They proceeded
slowly as there were chances some of
them just might take a wrong turn.
They also rode slowly as there were
children and animals darting all
over the place. People often stood
by the roadside and looked at the
cavalcade of riders rumbling along
creating a dust storm as they rode
in unison. After Sam the riders rst
stopped at the famous Akal fossil
park which houses a huge collection
of fossilised trees from prehistoric
times, indicating that Rajasthan too was once a dense green forest and
then due to climatic changes and
rapid deforestation had changed
into a desolate desert. After Akal the
riders moved on towards the Jodh-
pur highway stopping for lunch at a
highway dhaba. Villagers were very
impressed by the riding gear donned
by the riders as well the impressive sight of
nearly two dozen gleaming Royal Eneld
machines. The second regroup point was
just a few kilometres before Jodhpur where
the riders assembled in a close staggered
formation and then rode into Jodhpur’s
trafc-infested streets in the evening. Eve-
ryone made way for this rolling juggernaut
and people even waited at crossings to let
the convoy of thumping Royal Eneld rid-
ers pass through.
22nd October was a ‘rest’ day for the rid-
ers who till now had a fair share of rum-
bling through desolate broken roads, sh-
tailing on sand dunes and riding through
dusty village lanes with children and hens
running helter-skelter and nally landing
in the desert city of Jodhpur. The Marwarfestival was on in its complete fervour and
the riders enjoyed this well-deserved break
to soak in the colours of R ajasthan and bask
in the heavenly hospitality. Some riders did
ride through the city just to go around but
overall this day was to recharge, replenish
and rest!
The Riders had stayed at Sardar Samand
Palace in Jodhpur where they enjoyed the
evening with a cool dip in the pool there.
After the rest day all the riders were reju-
venated and on 23rd October rode out to-
wards the Om Banna temple also called
as the Bullet baba Temple dedicated to a
Royal Eneld Motorcycle deity. They took
part in the rituals there and also offered
the traditional prasad of ‘Bullet’ beer to the
deity. Visiting the Bullet temple was an ex-
perience none of the bikers would forget be-
cause here their god was actually personi-
ed right in front of them. After the temple
visit they packed some lunch for themselves
and moved off the road and on to the loose
sand, gravel and rubble towards the fa-
mous Ranakpur Jain temple. After a few
moments of peace and solace at the temple
the riders moved on to the last section of
the day’s ride to Kumbalgarh. It was here
that they saw some good hilly roads with
ample twisties making the ride a funlledrollercoaster one. That night they stayed at
a camp in Kumbalgarh and the night re-
mained young with all the riders sharing a
song and dance around the bonre and see-
ing the cold weather of the Rajasthani hilly
regions for the rst time.
24th October was an out-and-out rid-
ing day. Clear instructions were given to all
the riders that they would perhaps have to
cover maximum distance over various ter-
rains, ranging from good tarmac to abso-
lutely nonexistent roads and going off road
into the desolate desert la
There were sections where t
could hardly do little more th
30 kmph dodging boulders, g
sand, often standing on foot p
gotiate the treacherous terrai
good day’s riding they reache
where they camped for the nig
it had been a long and tiring
riding extended well into the
the bikers all decided to call
quickly and retired. They
themselves for the nal ass
next day as the ride comes to
Jaipur on 25th.
On the morning of 25th
the riders left early from Aj
hit the road to Jaipur. En r
stopped at the legendary sal
Sāmbhar—this is where the
machines made mincemea
rough terrain rolling clouds ofcreating a whirlwind. The rid
feel the traction shifting from
front wheel as the terrain al
between hardened dried sal
soft sand. Jean, the Canadi
felt that he had a lot to learn
way the Royal Eneld riders
rode the motorcycle. He felt
rode like experts in handling a mo
of huge proportion like the Roya
and over such unforgiving terrai
lot of things to learn from them
ised that the riders I had seen so f
Canada and America aren’t as ta
skilled as the riders with whom I w
here in Rajasthan. The whole cow
of riding that he saw made India f
to Mexico in terms of lifestyle w
stretches the envelope of his com
to go a little beyond and get the ex
out of the over the edge riding on
terrain in uncomfortable weather.
The thrill and adventure during
took away the feeling of discomf
pletely. Jean at 49 still felt like a
old with the amount of adrenaline by his body into his bloodstream. T
the ride was the second highlight o
day’s activities where the riders ro
highway side by side like cowboys
on their stallions in some old West
ie. The ride formally culminated
riders rolling Jaipur—the same pl
where they started nearly 10 d
They cheered each other for co
the ride and then after freshenin
a blast to celebrate the achievemen
member the adventure.
Tour of Rajasthanext and photographs by kanwardeep singh dhaliwal
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The Royal Eneld Tour of NH
17 was designed to give the
riders of Royal Eneld motor-
cycles a glimpse of the serenesurroundings around the leg-
dary NH 17 — the Mumbai-Goa High-
ay. The route would lead them through
tle-seen sea shores of the Konkan and
ist-laden mountain roads of the western
hats while winding their way from Mum-
ai to Goa via Karwar. The riders trickled
on the 14th of August 2010 to Panvel
ar Mumbai for the motorcycle and rid-
g gear scrutiny as well as getting briefed
out the ride.
On 15th August the riders got up to an
early breakfast and after the informative
brieng on riding techniques and the route
in general they rode and lined up outside
the new Brand Store at Nerul, Navi Mum- bai for the ofcial opening of the Brand
Store and the ag-off ceremony. On the
occasion of Independence Day the tri-
color was unfurled by Mr Sagar Naik, the
Mayor of Navi Mumbai, who along with
the Commissioner of Police, Navi Mumbai,
Mr Ahmad Javed inaugurated the Show-
room. After wishing luck to the riders the
Tour of NH 17 was ofcially agged off by
the honorable commissioner and the rid-
ers sped off towards Panvel in formation
to hit the highway towards Pen. The rst
re-group was at a restaurant near Mahad
where the bikers had their ll of some nice
south Indian snacks before heading out to-
wards Khed. A brief regroup at Khed andoff they were towards Dapoli, the coastal
town off the beaten track which was the
rst diversion off the NH 17. A quick dash
through interior smooth roads led us to
Karde beach where we all checked into a
sea facing hotel. That evening the sight of
an open vast beach tempted all the riders
to pick up their bikes and go drifting and
shtailing on the beach.
16th August saw the riders start a little
late as the route ahead wa s somewhat eas-
ier and would follow close to the sea coast.
A short ride to Dapoli for fuelling up and
then an internal road parallel took the rid-
ers to the ride-on ride-off ferry from the
Dabhol jetty to cross over the creek to Gu-haghar. We went through the ghost town
of the erstwhile Enron project and rode
down into Guhaghar for some scrumptious
Konkanastha Maharashtrian meal. A short
walk on the Guhaghar beach and we were
all refreshed for the road ahead. Taking
the Hedavi-Velneshwar coastal route we
landed at the Rai-Bhatgaon Bridge, one of
the most impressive structures in Konkan
and arranged the bikes together for a
group photograph. We also took turns tr y-
ing to get some nicely panned prole pho-
tographs on our bikes on this ‘long’ span
of bridge. After this we headed towards
Ratnagiri and rode through some more
scenic locations before riding into a hotel bang in the middle of the city. Clouds had
started gathering in the sky and it rained
all though the night.
17th August saw the riders sweating it
out at the brieng time because of the high
level of humidity. We had to load one bike
into the truck as the rider had hurt her hand
and we did not want to risk it by putting
her to test again. We left Ratnagiri and
after hitting Hathkhamba moved straight
on NH 17 till the village of Oni. This time
we diverted in the opposite direction up
into the Western Ghats towards A
ghats. The black tarmac shone li
tening snake as we rode up into th
and the surroundings got more aexhilarating when we reached th
the ghat. The mist and clouds and
of condensation on our eyelashes
experience heartfelt and even mo
orable. We rode into the village
and then rode back via another g
through Gaganbawda back on to t
ato reach Kankavli. This day wa
with heavy rains all throughout
us got drenched to the bone.
The next day morning, 18th Au
us get the one bike back on the ro
nh 17 r
The NH-17 RideMumbai to Goa with a Twist! An adventurous journey on a Royal Enfield
y praveen sathaye, photographs by harshad sharma
nh 17 ride
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nh 17 rnh 17 ride
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ad missed the action as the rider too had
covered. So after a late start waiting for
e downpour to reduce we started off
ain towards the south on the highway. At
udal we stopped for a regroup and then
oved westwards towards Vengurla. On
e way to Vengurla a small mishap owing
a dog dashing across the road put one of
e riders out of action but the group rode
ut to the Vengurla light house and then
scended towards Sawantwadi. From
wantwadi we climbed the legendary
mboli Ghats, famous for its twisty roads,
eenery and numerous waterfalls. Each
rn we took while climbing the ghats led to
ore and more beautiful sights as the rain
ayed hide and seek with us. The ghats had
tnessed a landslide a few days back and
e workers were still clearing the debris
ut we managed to make our way though
umping over all the broken patches inndence. Finally we reached the top in
rkness and mist and slowly rode into our
otel. That night as we walked to the res-
urant for a meal the sights and sounds of
e jungles and the magical reies made
e surroundings come alive.
19th August was one of the earliest starts
e had on this ride as we had some large
stances to cover over some tough ter-
in this day. After a delicious breakfast
aded towards the Kavle Saat point near
mboli where several waterfalls culminate
to the valley forming a green bowl. It
as here that most of just wanted to spend
me but since we had a long way ahead of
we moved quickly. We entered Belgaum
ound lunchtime and crossed the city’s
ustling trafc to our scheduled lunch
reak point at Khanapur in Karnataka.
he next stretch was the Dandeli Forest
eserve where the smooth roads were lined
th dense forests on both sides. We rode
n smoothly negotiating curve after curve
l we reached one point where the road
mpletely disappeared. This bad patch
as the one which took its toll on most of e riders as they stood up on the pegs a nd
ipped the tank in between their knees to
aintain balance as they wobbled over the
tches and huge potholes. Adding to the
venture was slush and puddles which
ade negotiating this section even more
fcult. Finally all the riders managed to
me out of this and back on smooth tar-
ac as darkness fell and the forest came
ve with its sounds. The last stretch to
arwar was done in darkness as the riders
lled into the hotel tired and exhausted
but completely thrilled at having complet-
ed a most awesome riding day.
20th August was ofcially the last day
of the ride as everyone woke up lazily and
slowly dragged themselves out of their beds.
A late breakfast and then we all moved to
the War Museum in Karwar where we had
a guided tour of the warship on display anda lm show on one of the naval battles of
1971. From Karwar we moved into Goa in
no time and rode straight to Palolem beach
and settled down to some Goan food and
the sea for company. After a rather relaxed
and languid lunch which took over 2 hours
we moved to the Dealer’s establishment
in Margao, Saini Motors for a nal check
up on all the bikes. We were welcomed by
refreshments at Saini Motors and clicked
some photographs and interacted with the
staff there. After getting the needful done
at the dealership it was time to get back
into Margao city and settle down in the
hotel. The evening started off with a slide-
show of selected photographs of the ride
along with some light music and a lavish
dinner which all of us enjoyed to the full-
est. The whole atmosphere was alive with
each of us remembering funny incidents
and interesting places we saw all
the days. Indeed it was an exp erie
of us would ever forget in our lifet
The next day as each and everyo
they started moving out and headed
their destinations. The riders disp
some of them stayed back in Goa
back to their respective places the
This group was unique as it ha
come in not just from Mumbai a
but also from Virar, Kolhapur and
as well as riders from Delhi. Also
group was vast spanning a 22-year
to a 71-year-old one, but the age g
seemed visible as the spirit of adve
motorcycling united all of us as on
nh 17 ride
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Royal Eneld supported The In-
ternational Expedition for Can-
cer Advocacy and Survivorship,
aimed at spreading awareness on cancer in
the remote areas of Ladakh. The expedition
was led by Capt Dr Ritu Biyani who has been
actively involved in this cause for a long time
and represents Highways Innite, an NGO
from India actively involved in conducting
Breast Cancer awareness workshops.
Conducted from the 11th of September to
the 26th of September 2010, the event was a
15-day rally from Leh to Chandigarh. The ex-
pedition included motorbike riders and pil-
lions, four wheel drivers and co-passengers,
and also raised funds for the foundation’s
ongoing projects. The expedition aimed at
inculcating a positive attitude among peo-
ple affected by cancer, and to generate peer
support among participants by helping raise
awareness through workshops.
Royal Eneld provided them with the mo-torcycles which they rode across the harsh
terrain. Perched on the motorcycles were
the ‘PINK’ ladies, cut-out gurines which
symbolised their triumph over breast can-
cer. Accompanying the riders were a the
rider-mechanic duo of J Rajkumar and
Jassa Singh who not only looked after the
motorcycles in case of breakdowns but also
taught them tricks and tips of negotiating
tough terrain on the motorcycle. A skill they
had to use often as they rode through some
of the harshest routes riding through snow,
slush and broken roads.
The main attraction of this entire pro-
gramme was that the riders rode through
Khardungla – the highest motorable road
in the world, thus proving that in their bat-
tle against cancer they can easily do most
challenging tasks and so can other affected
people. The riders ascended Khardungla
through South Pulu where they stopped for
about an hour for permit checks and road
opening information. The altitude did affect
them despite having stayed in Leh sufcient
time to acclimatize but they were getting
short of breath. They had food at the can-teen—local deep fried bread (interesting!)
and piping hot tea.
The ride up over the Khardungla Pass
was short in terms of kilometers covered but
signicantly long in time. The tarmac gave
way to gravel, sand and rocks and (as they
rode further) to snow, slush, trucks, buses,
animals and it was probably the hardest ride
they all said they had ever done. The group
left the pink ladies along with the prayer
ags at Khardungla top as a symbol of their
endeavour. Unfornutaely, the knick-kn ack
shop on K-top was shut so the only s
they got back were their broad sm
photographs and a sense of achiev
having ridden to the highest motor
in the world at 18,380 feet. They
their attitude and the unmatched
ance of the legendary Royal Enelcycle with the success of their expe
There were times when one of t
had to get off the bike due to ex
or injury and Raj took over riding
torcycle but most of the time the g
having a time of their life on the mo
while creating awareness about th
and promoting early detection an
breast cancer.
The Nubra Valley was another
part of the Himalayas to ride into. Th
tains and road were not too bad w
rough patches thrown in now and
a few places where they even rode
a stream. After Nubra they rode b
Leh and then proceeded to Tso M
camped at the lake. After conduct
workshops they moved on from
Pang, Jispa and then back into M
many places the roads were wash
and they had to look for alternat
or ride through slush and broken
their destination. The ride was cu
in Manali. The all-woman expedi
sisted of 7 riders from Australia wh
selves were breast cancer survivo with 2 more members from India.
Royal Eneld was proud to be a
with this expedition for spreading aw
enabling the courageous lady rider
ing to the world that cancer can b
and defeated with sheer grit willp
knowledge. October is celebrated w
as the Breast Cancer Awareness M
which various organizations do th
show solidarity to the pink ribbon.
supporting this ride Royal Eneld
done the same.
pink ribbon
Solidarity for the Pink Ribbon– The Royal Enfield way!
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blaSt froM the paSt
Bullet 535 Lightning he Lightning was the rst ‘Cruiser’ style motorcycle from the Royal Eneld factory in Chennai and it revolutionised the way peopleoked at the legendary Bullet. The Lightning boasted of a 535cc engine with 25bhp available on tap and a 0-60 kph time of 5.7 seconds.
weptback high-rise handlebars and comfortable bucket seats meant that one could cruise all day in comfort on the Lightning. Thewooping shape of the teardrop tank and the striking two-tone metallic paint job made this motorcycle stand out handsomely.
was also launched in a 500 cc avatar as the Citybike. The Thunderbird, which became the most popular of all Royal Enelds later, alsook some cues from the Lightning in terms of basic design and styling.
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flaSh baflaSh back
The Royal Eneld Himalayan
Odyssey in 1997 was the one
trip that started it all for me.
This trip, organized by Royal
Eneld, was the rst Hima-
yan Odyssey in its truest sense. I had been
ding—even before undertaking this trip—
places where we would earlier go by bus
d train. Although I started riding longstances, it was for either visiting an out
town relative or sometimes doing a hill
mb to a fort or to play a football match in
e next town.
The invite for this trip came with a com-
etely fresh perspective, as this was a ride
st for the sake of riding. For most of us on
e ride it was the rst time we were braving
e elements and riding in the Himalayas.
y father knew the area well so he had
arned me in advance that it would indeed
tough; but I wasn’t worried at all—the
only thing I had in abundance was a lot of
condence. My basic reasoning was that
there were 40 other riders and obviously
they couldn’t “all” be better than me. Also
in 1997 you didn’t see many young people
(yeah! I was young at that time) on an En-
eld motorcycle; generally you always saw
older people. So I assumed most people on
the ride would be older than me. So if things
really got uncomfortable then there would
obviously be a lot more people getting more
uncomfortable before I did. The nal as-
surance for me was when my father told me
that in case of any emergency I should goto the nearest army establishment and tell
them that I was an army ofcer’s son and
they would do the needful.
The 1997 trip was a complete learning
experience for all of us including the organ-
izers. And there was no denying that it was
a wonderful experience. In those days going
to Ladakh on a motorcycle didn’t have the
legendary value or even the sense of achieve-
ment attached to it that it has today. Today
other bikers look up at you with awe, respect
and (yes, sometimes!) envy when you tell
them that you have been to Ladakh on your
Royal Eneld. That time the reaction was
pretty much a nonchalant “oh ok”. Unless
and until you actually went there you never
realized how bad the road surfaces could be
or how much fun you could have there — by
and large people simply had no idea of the
Ladakh experience. No one briefed us about
altitude sickness or a heads-up on the kind
of roads we would be encountering. In the
morning we waited for the Royal Eneld
guys to start riding and sometimes if we
were out in the front we again waited just to
reconrm that we were on the right road. Ihad very nice riding company — Siddharth
from Pune and Pedro from Goa—but I gen-
erally rode with the fastest guy I could nd.
Come lunchtime and destination reaching
(end of ride) time we would dutifully fol-
low the Royal Eneld guys and get the best
rooms.
On the way to Ladakh, riding from Chan-
digarh to Manali we found a lot of young
and old “sardarjee’s” on scooters riding
alongside on the highways, some with their
wives sometimes even kids and some lug-
gage too. From Manali to Rothang there
were mostly young boys on scooters (again)
trying to race us and I must admit the local
buys were pretty quick on scooters. There
were hardly any bikes. As they say in ‘ol
Blighty’ – it was the “Mods” versus the alien
outsider “Rockers”.
As we rode into the desolate landscapes,
we soon realized that even 2 tents pitched
together are good enough to classify as a
hamlet and that place to be ‘named’. Those
days Sarchu, Pang, Bharatpur all these
legendary villages probably just about a
dozen inhabitants with visitors taking anoccasional break there. There was hardly
anybody who was in a hurry on the road
and Manali to Leh was a leisurely journey
to be done in 2 or 3 days even for a tourist.
Our bikes were the most comfortable things
on the road. There were no fancy cars and
SUVs, only beat-up buses and Sumos. Ve-
hicles would come and halt at these dhaba-
tents and people would almost immediately
stagger out in all directions and puke. To-
day, people are more conscious of what they
should expect and come prepared for that
terrain and weather.
The roads were denitely a nightm
many. I still can’t make up my mind
roads were worse in 1997 or 2010. I
ferent road every year. Actually I th
different road every fortnight. Since
the rst time for us in Ladakh no o
what to expect. Every one imagined
coldest place they had been to and p
just a little more warm clothing. We
never heard of altitude sickness and
puking by any participant was just
ed to motion sickness on the twisty
roads. We were only used to hills th begin and end as you travelled on th
But these hills we saw around were
different; they never ended till you
The spirit of the Royal Eneld gu
the participants on the 1997 Himal
Odyssey however was amazing. I w
without knowing a soul and came b
friends for life. I must say that I hav
versed the same road many times a
the past 13 years, but this was an ex
which I relive every time I venture f
the Himalayas time and again.
Himalayan Odyssey 1997— in Retrospective.
text ANd photogrAphS by SAchiN chAvAN
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holding on to Bullets. Goans are known
for their relaxed culture, popularly called
“Susegad”, but we at Café Bullet Goa tradi-
tionally believe bikes are supposed to have
the gearshift on the right side. The clubculture is a relatively new phenomenon in
Goa because we have traditionally been
lone, free-riding spirits but we are slowly
getting cohesive.
riderS:The riders form the foundation
for Cafe Bullet Goa and bikes the pillars.
Sunil Dharwadkar, the main driver behind
Cafe Bullet Goa, took the initiative and
fullled the dream of having a Bullet Club
in Goa. Sunil rides not one but two bullets.
Bullet 500 and his favourite is the 350 Bul-
let which he has customized it giving a 1951
Classic look.
Faisal Shaikh is one of the most enthu-
siastic riders of the club. One can wake
him at anytime, and he is always ready to
ride his machine. Faisal rides a Bullet 500.
Arun Arsid also known as the sweeper
rider of the Club, loves to roar down the
roads on his Bullet 500. Prajhot Pednekar,
the backbone of the club, who rides the
Bullet 350 is also known as the recovery rider. Prasad Padwal the 108th member
of the club got himself a royal ride at the
young age of 23.
the rideS: The rst ride after forming
the ofcial club was a trip to the Om Beach.
Before this the club had also organised
rides to at Sindhudurg fort at Malvan and
to the Mangeli waterfall. The Om beach
- Gokarna ride was a total distance of
around 400 km and 12 hours of pure riding
pleasure.
The ride which was to begin at 6
am was agged off at 7:00 am, cou
the susegad factor and another rea
was the thundering rains. One by o
riders joined in and set off to roar
the roads. After a few hours riding
NH17, the Karnataka border welco
and the riders headed to Om beach
some rest and relaxation while tak
the beautiful surroundingsit was t
return back to our homes in Goa. O way a few machines needed attenti
that did not put brakes on the jour
The bikes were made to cool and w
topping the machines were all set t
back. As we all reached Goa back,
but lled with some special memo
only thought on mind was, when is
trip?
cl
if anyone would want to s
their riding life story they c
email pp@
T
here are many thumping
machines in Goa, riding all
over the state, which can
be found at times climbing
green mountains or some-mes just parked around the sands of the
lden beaches. Thanks to the like-minded
umpers, Café Bullet Goa was born out of
ehard fans of Bullets a nd their passion
r their bikes. We all know Bullets are not
st machines, but a part of one’s life and
ey continue till the end of life. As they
y, “Royal Eneld’s will live forever”.
It was in November 2008, at the Thun-
r Ride organised by a local radio chan-
l, where all the riders all over from Goa
me together, that the idea a Bullet club
for Goa originated. Cafe Bullet Goa is
the brain child of a Bullet maniac and ace
shuttler from Goa, Sunil Dharwadkar and
his friends. Sunil along w ith other Bullet
fans started looking for more folk sharinga similar passion. Then in 2009, we met a
veteran Bullet rider and a diehard Bullet
lover, Anoop (The Off-roader) at the Royal
Eneld Rider Mania organised in Goa, who
gave us his viewpoint and rich experience
and motivation to ride together.
In the Initial days there were very few
members and plans were always to make
it big. It was a dream for all of us and we
wanted to make it happen in Goa and we
started with small rides in and out of Goa.
Café Bullet Goa’s rst ride out was to Sind-
hudurg Fort at Malvan with seven riders.
This was the ride which ignited the re
of tripping on our royal rides to different
parts of Goa and surrounding places. It
was a rainy Sunday on the 22nd of Augustto be more precise when the riders planned
a trip to Mangeli which became special as
the club “Café Bullet Goa” formally came
to existence and got its name. What looked
just as an idea had now become a family of
Bullets. Starting with just six Bullets the
club now has more 300 fans and more than
30 active riders with more and more still
joining the club.
WhAt mAkeS uS differeNt?
We are Goans and we have learnt to walk
Birth of Café Bullet Goaafé Bullet Goa, as the name suggests, is a melting pot for Goans, their Royal Eneld Bullets and their
houghts which revolve around these machines.
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