“Driving a motorcycle is like flying. All your senses are alive. When I ride through Beverly Hills in the early morning… the scents that wash over me are just heavenly,” British actor Hugh Laurie once said.
On a weekend morning, you may spot them outfitted in distinctive biking gear and riding impressive motorbikes. You see them on country roads, travelling in a group as part of a long road trip. A growing number of people in Bhubaneswar are taking to their motorcycles and exploring roads less travelled. These are guys who want to cover the entire length and breadth of the country on their bikes. One can get tired of driving cars but not bikes, say the members of these close-knit biking groups.
There are many bikers who team up to form their own group. They plan their journeys in detail, from the destinations to camping and all the other little things that need to be taken care of on a trip.
Sunday POST met a few biking group members in the city to hear about their biking experiences.
Syed Musadique Ali is the director of Kalinga Chapter, a group of bikers who own only Harleys. The chapter has more than 200 members from Odisha. Musadiq said, “The group was formed in 2016 with only 20 members; the number of members has increased 10 times in two years. As the company has its own workshop in the city, many people opt for Harleys. We have both male and female members. There is no age restriction for members. Nowadays, many people want to explore the routes to popular tourist destinations on their bikes. And our group is no exception. We have covered almost all the major tourist places in the country, but this year we went one step ahead of others, going beyond India’s border to neighbouring Bhutan. One thing that is common to all these excursions is that they all go through places which are highly picturesque and replete with rich heritage. Some stretches of the roads are well laid, allowing for smooth rides whereas others are rocky and narrow, making the journey challenging.”
Musadique continued, “Anyone who has a Harley-Davidson can be a member of our group. We have certain rules that apply to everyone in our group for each tour. If he or she fails to follow these rules, we cancel their membership. The rules are meant to ensure safety of long-distance bikers.”
Bibhukant Ray of Bhubaneswar, a member of the group, said, “I have been a member of this group from 2017 and been part of many long road trips, including trips to Goa, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and Bhutan. The Ladakh and Bhutan tours are my favourites till now. On the Ladakh trip, we drove through three higher mountain passes to reach Leh, the administrative centre of the region. We stop over after every 150 km of continuous ride during our tours. However, in the case of Bhutan, we had to halt every 50 km as most of the roads are in valleys with a fair number of curves across the routes. Riding on bikes through the scenic places of India is an exciting experience. It is true that going for a long drive on a bike is thrilling but our group is also very concerned about safety of the bikers. We always plan tours at least 30 days in advance as there are people in the group who are either businessmen or are working and they need to plan their schedules ahead. Before starting on the ride, we set some rules for the tour. They are:
∙ The bikers in the tour need to be in riding gear before the start of the trip
∙ Every tour has a captain who plans the travel, the line-up of the members and everything else
∙ The captain moves in front followed by the others
∙ The speed limit for the tour is decided according to the available road condition but cannot be more than 100 kmph
∙ The biker who drives slow will be at last but second in the line for the tour
∙ Overtaking is not allowed among the group members
∙ One back up rider, last in the line, will take care of the rider who stops at any moment during the tour
∙ The night halt stations are decided in advance but during the day the group stops every 150 km
∙ Bikers are not allowed to ride after sunset
∙ Nobody is allowed to start until all the members are ready for the ride
∙ Nobody can leave the tour without the permission of the captain
∙ One cannot stop driving during the ride until/unless there is an emergency
Shabrez Ahmed of Bhubaneswar, the youngest member of the group, owns a 1200 CC bike and was excited about sharing his experience with Sunday POST. He said, “Some people go on long drives to have a closer view of nature, but I go on such expeditions to enjoy the sheer pleasure of bike riding. For me, riding a bike is all about seeing new things, gaining new impressions, and having different experiences. It is about removing the veil that lies between nature and us and discovering nature that is always pure, mysterious and bountiful. So far I have visited places like Goa, Daman, Diu and Nagpur. My father Alimuddin Ahmed is also an ardent bike rider like me. I learnt riding from him and one thing he always tells me is ‘safety first.’ So before going for a drive, I wear all the required protective gear for motorcycle riding that weighs not less than 25 kg. This includes gloves, boots, knee and elbow guards, long protection sleeves, body armour jackets, and ankle support grips among others.
Another popular biking group is ‘Bikers Republic of Odisha.’ The group is a closed one with only 20 members. All of them have high end bikes of different brands. The group is the oldest high-end bikers group in the state.
Member of the group Sarfaraz Khan said, “The group was formed in 2012 with ten people who were interested in riding bikes and going for long drives. Most of the members of our group own a sports bike. We go for long drives not to escape the hustle and bustle of city life but to be as close as possible to nature. Our expeditions are not like college picnics which come once in a year, we go on rides whenever we get time to spend with friends.”
Saurav Sengupta of Bhubaneswar, a member of ‘Bikers Republic of Odisha,’ has a 950 CC bike. He said, “I joined the group in 2016 and my first ride was from Bhubaneswar to Barkul, Chilika. Although the ride was short, I learned a lot about discipline and safety concerns. Later, we visited many tourist places of Odisha as well as across the country. We follow certain rules before the start of our journey, like:
∙ We assemble at a specific location and start our journey from there
∙ We form a mirror-to-mirror line up so that everyone can spot his fellow rider while driving
∙ There is a biker at the end of the line who is known as sweeper who is responsible for all the bikers reaching the decided halting station
∙ No one is allowed to stop his bike without any reasonable cause
∙ Overtaking co-riders is strictly prohibited
∙ Nobody is allowed to offer a lift to anyone during the ride unless there is an emergency
Apart from going on long drives, biker groups arrange ‘Bike Nights’ once a year in the city. The event seeks to build team spirit and unity among the bikers in their respective groups. All the members are invited along with their families.
Talking about ‘Biker Night,’ Musadique said, “This year, we have planned to celebrate the night at a city based premium hotel December 21. All the group members along with their families are invited. All members contribute for the event. During the event we felicitate riders who have covered most kilometers and different places in India. We also award those who observe all the safety rules during their tours.”
Surajit Kumar Mishra of Bhubaneswar is a member of the bikers’ club ‘REal Pride Riderz.’ A software engineer, he owns a 350 cc Royal Enfield bike and loves to go on long rides. He said, “Our members only ride ‘Royal Enfield’ brand bikes. Our team leader is Prabhu Dutta Patel, the most experienced among us. We have a WhatsApp group that keeps us informed ahead of the trips. I recently visited Vizag while some other group members went on trips to Goa, Ladakh, Nagpur and other places. Every second Saturday of the month, we sit together and plan journeys. Safety and discipline are major concerns of our group. Before the start of any ride, we make sure that everyone wears all the safety gear.”
“We also wear special T-shirts with the group’s name printed on them when we go on a trip,” added Mishra.