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



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



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



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.



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.

[email protected]

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'



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



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



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



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



nh 17 rnh 17 ride



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



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!



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.



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



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.

Royal Enfield the BEAT October 2010

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Transcript of Royal Enfield the BEAT October 2010