Royal Enfield Beat Jan 2011

8/6/2019 Royal Enfield Beat Jan 2011

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RrM 2010

www.olfld.om

r o y a l e n f i e l d i n u k a n d u s a g e a r c h e c k k e e p r i d i n g

january 2011

+ HandcRafted in cHen

+ Bulls of sHiMoga

War-Horse:

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m a r k e t i n g n e w s l e t



2

kick start

Dear Friends

I wish you all a prosperous, successful and fantastic ‘TRIP’ into

the new decade !

The last time I wrote the editorial on “The Beat” was way

back in June 2006. That was after one year of my assuming the

CEO’s role in August 2005, the year we celebrated 50 years of Royal

Eneld in India.

I made 3 important commitments to you.

1) To x basic product hygiene and ‘must be quality’ - First

2) To expand the product range to attract new segment of

customers

3) To create a visible & vibrant brand identity for Royal Eneld and

respectable street presence.

I am sure you will all agree that we have struggled hard to deliver

and we nally passed the test, but not got a distinction yet. In our

Annual Dealer Convention held in Dec. 2010, I could see the signs

of success and pride in you. We have a ne mix of young and new

entrepreneurs along with our most

experienced dealers, with a clear

vision, sharper focus and achievablesuggestions and well established best

practices in meeting our customer

expectations.

Now, what next?

Royal Eneld has committed to

a) Expand capacity by investing on a

new state of the art manufacturing

plant, to be operational in 2012.

b) To launch two new bikes in 2012, to

attract again the younger, performance

seekers & leisure cruisers.

c) To raise the bar on ‘quality’ in parts,

in gloss & sheen and denitely in‘perfecting the UCE’ to deliver ‘Top

Notch’ reliability and performance.

d) To expand reach in the domestic

market in sales, after sales support,

besides creating a ‘global foot print’ in

unrepresented markets outside India.

From our passionate and involved

dealers & distributors I once again

seek your commitment in

1) Delivering 100% “faultless” bikes

post PDI to our customers.

• Predictive & Preventive “post sales

service competence”.• No “Vehicle off the Road”, on

account of parts not available in your

dealership, even for a day.

2) Adequate but well-maintained

3 ‘S’ facilities in your dealerships,

conrming to RE Brand standards.

3) Your personal focus to deliver

more than 95% by registering continuous improvement in all

the parameters affecting product and customer satisfaction

measures.

4) Last but not the least “keep riding” to become your “monthly

marketing activity”.

The Royal Eneld Team under the leadership of Dr. Venki, as the

CEO has more than committed to augment required support to the

marketing & sales team, in all your initiatives to sustain the lead, you

all have established in making Royal Eneld what it is today.

“Success is the difference between where you started and where you

nished”.

Thank you for all your patience & support to me as CEO in the last

5 years which I cherish a lot.

With best,

— R.L. Ravichandran

Executive Director – Eicher Motors Ltd.

If you would lik to contribut to The BeAT mail us at [email protected] editorial team Shaji Koshy, Sachin Chavan, Praveen P Sathaye

frm h ceo' dk!



3

upcoming rides

• T h e i T i n e r a r y •M A R C H 1 2 - 1 9 , 2 0 1 1 , 8 d A y s

AHMEdABAd• ZAinABAd • LiTTLE RAnn • dHOLAViRA • GREATER

RAnn • HOdkA • indiA BRidGE • LiTTLE RAnn • AHMEdABAd

There are many places one can in India to have

a memorable motorcycle ride, but the Rann of

Kutch provides something more. If a ride to the

Himalayas is a more moving, spiritual experience,

then riding in the Rann of Kutch with a group

of riders, traversing sparsely populated salt ats

is a real adventure. Among other things on this ride you shall

rediscover the numerous constellations lost from the view and

memory of many in the urban smog; marvel at the wonders of

a 4000 year old Harappan civilization site at Dholavira; shoot

the wild ass of the Rann, with your camera of course, and stay at

serene countryside resorts. This ride will denitely be etched in

your memory for years to come.

Royal Eneld Tour

Of Rann Of Kutch



4

dealer neWs

The Annual DealerConference, 2010 was

held at Aamby Valley

city, Lonavala. This

place is about 122 kms from

Mumbai city and is a complete

delight to the eyes with its

scenic beauty resting in the laps

of Sahayadri Mountain range of

Western Ghats.

The invitees were given a

‘Royal’ reception and were

guided straight to the venue.

After the welcome note fromMr. Shaji Koshy, Divisional GM

Sales & Marketing, and the

lightning of the inaugural lamp,

the event started with Mr. R.L

Ravichandran, CEO giving a

brief description of the agenda

of the event. He explained

how the company faced and

successfully managed, one of

the biggest challenges in 2010,

i.e. 100% transition to the new

platform of UCE engine. The

celebration of this success wascarried out with enthusiasm

and gusto by over 120 dealers at

the ADC. He marked that both

the customer and dealer base

is moving towards a younger

generation.

Dr. Venki Padmanaban,

COO, started the round of

presentations with his talk

on delivery satisfaction. He

threw some light on the future

growth plans of the company

and how the production

target of 70000 bikes in

2011 could be achieved in the

same manufacturing plant in

Chennai. Mr. Ananth from

Teknik Motorcycles , Bangalore,

explained how “service can

pay for sales” and how just

by ensuring proper systems,

service revenues can support

entire dealership's expenses.

Mr. Arun Ramadoss of HSR

Services, Bangalore talked on

“How to sell a long waitingperiod” and the importance

of employee satisfaction. Mr.

Kaustubh Mishra of Royal

Riders Ahmedabad, elaborated

the concept of ‘Keep Riding’

which the company lives by.

He explained how dealers can

work to attract more of their

customers to participate in

rides organized by them and the

ultimate gain to dealers from

the same.

Mr. R.L. Ravichandran, CEOgave the dealers a glimpse of

what the year 2011 holds with

the unveiling of the 2011 new

model line up . Electra 350 UCE

'Forest Green', Electra 500 EFI

'Riviera Red', Classic 500 Desert

Storm, and the Bullet 500 were

displayed and much appreciated

by the dealers.

In sync with Mr. R L

Ravichandran explaining the

passion for the Royal Eneld

brand by both customers

and dealers, a short lm was

screened about a new dealer,

Mr. Khurram Vohra of Classic

Motorcycles , Chennai, who

started his dealership in 2010,

about how his interest and

passion for the product and the

brand right from his childhood

led him to become a part of the

Royal Eneld family.

Mr. Sachin Chavan, from the

Product Management Group,

one of the most experienced and

respected riders in the country

gave a glimpse in to the virtual

world of the Royal Eneld and

asked the dealers to be active

on the online social networks.

He presented the features of

the new proposed Royal Eneld website and how it promises to

be more exciting and engaging

not only to customers but to

dealers as well.

To show the dealers what goes

into manufacturing these bikes

and what gives Royal Eneld

motorcycles their essence, a

special lm titled “Handcrafted

in Chennai” prepared by the

advertising agency W+K was

shown at the event. This lm

reinforced the fact that Royal

Eneld motorcycles are still

made by hand and this is

what gives the bikes its unique

‘handmade’ value in a city like

Chennai which has kept its

tradition and culture alive, just

like the brand of Royal Eneld.

Mr. Siddartha Lal addressed

the gathering and shared the

future vision of the company and the Royal Eneld brand

in global perspective. He

emphasized more on the global

branding of the product and

his vision of how Royal Eneld

should be pronounced together

along with ‘Riding’ in any part

of the world. He also shared the

major initiatives the company

is investing in to enhance the

production capacity.

The other event on the

agenda was the open housesession, Mr. Siddartha Lal, Dr.

Venki Padmanaban, Mr. R.L.

Ravichandran and Mr. Shaji

Koshy answered the queries

and questions of the dealers on

various issues.

The event culminated by

awarding the dealers for

outstanding performances.

These awards were presented

for top performers in Sales,

Keep Riding, Service, and

Spares on both regional and

national level. A standing

ovation was given to the

bike enthusiast and dealer

friend Mr. Javeen who rode

around 5000km during his

epic ride which also included

participation in the Himalayan

Odyssey 2010. After the formal

part of this event was over, the

people then enjoyed the dinner

and took to dancing to the tunes

played by DJ.

Annual DealerConference

Mr R.L Ravichandran lightingthe ceremonial lamp

The proposedElectra 500 EFI.

Open House:Time or Q&A.

The proposed ClassicDesert Storm.

Felicitating Kaustubh Misrathe Ahemdabad Dealer.

Not just business talk butsome pleasure too.



5

neWs

The Royal WizardThe smash hit movie Harry Potter and the DeathlyHallows is said to have given Royal Eneld andWatsonian Squire sidecars a signicant popularity.In the lm, Royal Eneld 500 tted with a Wat-sonian sidecar is eatured with Hagrid riding thebike and Harry Potter sitting in the sidecar whilstthey zip through London at night, dodging trac.In true Harry Potter magic orm, the bike fies, too.It is said that the lm producers Warner Broth-ers bought about 9 bikes with the model nallyselected being a blue Manx sidecar. Royal Eneld iscurrently attempting to retrieve one o the ‘combos’to put on display. There has been a notable boostin Royal Eneld motorcycle sales as a result o

all the publicity. Royal Eneld (UK) /Watsonianspokesman Dan Sager agreed to this and said “Onthe nal day o the Carole Nash Motorcycle Showin Birmingham a guy came onto the Royal Eneldstand and bought a bike and sidecar then andthere as it looked just like one used in the lm”.Warner Brothers had asked Royal Eneld to keepthis inormation under wraps till the rushes o themovie went public but the motorcycle has shot toame ater the release and the appearance in thisblockbuster. Dan urther added “There have alsobeen a huge number o hits on our website, as wellas on sites like Facebook, as people are realisingthat you can actually buy them.”

A RecordfeatThe Army Service Corps (ASC) Torna-dos Team successully mounted 54

Persons on a single Royal Eneld500 Motorcycle on Sunday the 28tho Nov 2010. This record attemptsurpasses the earlier attempt o 48people on a single motorcycle whichincidentally was also set on a RoyalEneld motorcycle by the Corps oMilitary Police, Indian Army. Themotorcycle used or this attempt didnot have any modications in theEngine or this eat.

AustrianEaglesThe Austrian Eagles, a groupo Royal Eneld riders o theAustrian Embassy in New Delhirecently organised a charity riderom New Delhi to Neemrana.Service support was given byRoyal Eneld service team romNew Delhi



6

handcrafted

A Work of ArtA Royal Eneld is a rare breed in an age o mass-produced, user-riendlypredictability. This is a mechanical motorcycle, handcrated with love,engineered with purpose, and designed in a way that gives each ma-chine its own unique character. This character is reinorced by Royal En-eld’s cultural DNA - by where it was born, and by where it is now built.Its classic British pedigree shows in every line, while the gleaming newengine hints at the devotion that has enabled this legendary marque tothrive in the outskirts o Chennai. This lm “handcrated in Chennai” -

which will be released on the web and on select media channels in thenew year - is a tribute to the wonderul people who build, sell, ride andmaintain these beloved machines, and is a heartelt tribute to the citythat Royal Eneld calls home. Brainchild o the legendary media wizardBharat Sikka the movie was shot in Chennai capturing glimpses o thecity and its unique culture and inside the Royal Eneld actory laying em-phasis on the way artisans use their hands to give shape to this uniquecreation o art, the Royal Eneld motorcycle. Here are a ew glimpseso the making o the lm, and some stills rom the lm. The lm can beviewed on YouTube in the royaleneldmedia channel or downloadedrom the Royal Eneld Website.

watch the movie: http://www.youtube.com/user/royaleneldmedia



7

company neWs

“Soft Skills”Training ProgramA Training program was conducted at Delhi on “Sot Skills” or R2 & R3rom 24th to 25th Nov 2010. A total number o 23 supervisors rom R2 andR3 attended the program along with 6 Royal Eneld TSMs and RSMs.

New Ofce for PD TeamThe Royal Eneld Product Development team recently got a revamped newoce premises at the Thiruvottiyur actory. This used to be their earlieroce and it underwent extensive reurbishments and changes in the pastew months. Extensive work was done to create a completely new look orthis oce and the PD team nally shited back here. This was inauguratedwith an auspicious puja and celebration. The oce boasts o state o theart, ergonomically designed interiors and the entire team which sits here isquite delighted about the same.

Panoramic view o the new oor New Ofce Desksand Furniture

Pooja celebrations toinaugurate the new set up

Ravi KiranAKA Trooper

Ravi Kiran AKA ‘Trooper’ has beenriding motorcycles ever since hemanaged to stand in line at the RTOand get a learner’s license at theage o sixteen (or sub-50cc twowheelers). He has been riding RoyalEnelds rom 2006 when the touringbug bit him and has been activeamong the many an-clubs aroundthe country. He has owned twoThunderbirds in the past and is nowin the process o acquiring a UCE500. A true blue tourer, he has beenor a couple o Rider Mania estsand has done a air bit o touringall around the country. A mechani-cal engineer by qualication, and aweekend garage monkey, he livesand breathes motorcycles. He wasearlier employed with an auto com-ponents manuacturer. He has joinedthe PMG in the month o December2010 and will coordinate productplanning and new product launchesat Royal Eneld.

Adarsh Saxena

Meet our New Team Members

Adarsh has been riding Royal En-elds since the day he turned 18. Hisriding stint started with an Electra4s gited to him by his Dad, andeventually lead to him owning themighty powerul Machismo LB 500.A computer engineer rom Mumbai,Adarsh has worked in the IT industryand then chose to pursue his passionby tinkering around with motor-cycles rather than hammer awayat keyboards. A physical tnessreak he has represented the IndianJunior basketball team in a couple otournaments and besides being thecaptain o the Mumbai UniversityBasketball team or two straightyears. He has joined the PMG as asenior engineer and shall be activelyinvolved in company rides, commu-nity events and other activities.



8

dealer neWs

TOP 10 Dealers

Dhone AutomobilesPun

H.S.R.ServicesBngo

Soniya Motors Pvt. LimitedMumbi

Royal Motorsamb

Manmohan Auto StoresChndigh

Ess Aar MotorsNw Dhi

Southern Motors,Chnni

Teknik MotorsBngo

Shahila Expositions Pvt.LtdGuwhti

Lamba Enterprises Pvt.LtdNw Dhi

OC T ' 10 - D e C ' 10

Royal EnfiEld's nEwEst facilitiEsNew dealerships were recently added

to the ever growing Royal Enfeld

network. Some more additions to the

service network were also in the orm

o new state o the art workshops at

some o our established dealers.

1 ManMohan auto StoreS,

Chandigarh

2 n a MotorS, Trichy

3 royal engineerS, Hyderabad

4 Sri VelaVan MotorS,Chennai

5 aMPS MotorS, Nellore

6 Jaycee MotorS, Amritsar

2 43

1

65

Free Service

cHecK uPA ree service check up camp wasorganised at Malik Automobiles,Sonipat on the 10th and 11th oNov 2010. A total o 19 motor-cycles were serviced

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9

keep riding

For me, it all beganalmost a month and

a half prior to the ‘big

ride’ when my very

dear friend for years and a fellow

biker mate and enthusiast, Var-

un, introduced me to the con-

cept of the event 'Royal Eneld

Rider Mania' which happens in

Goa. Even after an instant deci-

sion in mutual agreement, Var-

un and I had a million thoughts

of what all we would like to do

before and for the ride. Foremostcame getting our bikes in shape

and testing its limits within lo-

cal surroundings to be better

versed with what could pos-

sibly go wrong or what should

we be wary about when riding

on a stretch as vast as 2600

kms to and fro. And to no sur-

prise, our menacing bikes, my

Thunderbird 2002 and Varun’s

Classic 500 did a fabulous job of

thumping with pride all along

and taking all that came in itsstride with absolute ease. The

16th of November 2010 dawned

and the ride that was to change

our persona as riders awaited us.

Inspite of very little sleep due to

excitement of the big ride, yet,

fresh and immaculately dressed,

we assembled at the Royal Rid-

ers dealership in Ahmedabad

at 5:00 am. After a prolonged

session of ‘chai’, Pradeep Chaur-

asiya, our lead rider for the ride

briefed us on the do’s and don’ts

whilst on our ride. I distinctly

remember 2 pointers that he

said – 1.) This is not a race and

2.) Do not try to copy anybody.

Point taken and registered,

the rst set of instructions that

would turn us from rowdies to

riders, we were off for the ride of

our lives. Next stop, at Baroda,

we had 6 more riders joining us

and adding to our team of 5.

The ride proceeded with our

average speed now being about

80kmph. As the familiarity

and understanding between

the riders and their bikes kept

growing stronger and deeper,

the average speed grew to a

whopping 100kmph and that

too in unison. t t

b B so to say. Be

it on smooth or bumpy roads,

we wouldn’t stop for anything.

We must have attracted over

a million eyeballs and were

greeted with a lot of excitement

and cheers by the onlookers. The

Bharuch dealership ensured we

got a hero’s welcome, complete

with refreshments and snacks

and by the time we crossed

over Valsad and took our last

halt within Gujarat, we were

one well coordinated unit of 13

bikes eagerly awaiting the next

patch of ride. Then together

came nightfall and the least

enjoyable patch of the ride – we

had entered Mumbai to get to

our abode for the night halt.

As the next day dawned, 17th

Nov 2010, each member of

the ride woke up with a vast

hunger – the hunger to RIDE

more – everybody wanted more

that morning. Well, that’s why

they say “watch your words”. We

did a lot of riding and I mean a

LOT. After an endless wait to

have some more riders joining

in from Mumbai, we set off on

the journey of NH 17 – next

destination – GOA……!!! But

hey, not so soon! That’s not what

destiny had in store for us. I had

a puncture in my rear wheel

and was saved by a whisker as it

occurred seconds after a sharp

turn that I had taken at about

80kmph. The rear wheel sh-

tailed as it deated and we spent

a good hour getting it xed as

the rescue van with the spares

was way behind our speedingdemons! Just as beautiful

the ride was in aspect of the

locales around, the roads were

equally challenging. Continuous

stretches of bad patches of

road again were slowing us

down….were getting us tired…

were testing our patience and

limits…! Visibility got poor

and the roads got worse. We

crumbled as the excitement

faded away with daylight and

nightfall saw us hunting for ahotel to lodge ourselves. Some

were bruised and some were

battered and as is obvious all

were deated out of energy. But

then after one of the many chai

halts, a miraculous turnaround

happened as we just pushed the

envelope a little and reached the

night halt! Boots off, Gloves off,

Bikes parked. Riding part over.

Party begins. It denitely called

for the soda to pop and mingle

with the whiskey. “Eat, drinkand celebrate as tomorrow we

reach our goal” was the mood of

the night. We drank like shes,

we ate like hogs and we slept like

babies. 1 room – 16 people – part

of the brotherhood…!!!

At break of dawn on the

morning of the 18th we got up

stretching after a much needed

slumber. Ready, charged,

prepared, excited – Goa!! –

here we come. By now, after

having covered over 650kms,

the remaining 160 kms felt like

stone’s throw distance away. Goa

had amassed us and before we

realized, we were all well within

it. The excitement grew even

further and after a quick lunch

session, we headed straight

for the venue hotel ‘Julie Jolly’

near the Anjuna/Vagator beach

area via the murky gullies of

a siesta-sleepy Goa. However

the venue was a total contrast.

Riding to Rider Mania Goa 2010 Story of my epic journey to The Royal Eneld Rider Mania 2010 and back!

text and photographs By nishit saigal



10

keep riding

Bustling with energy and

jostling between the woods was

the ROYAL ENFIELD RIDER

MANIA 2010 event setup that

waited with a symbolic welcome

extended to us as we rode

downhill into the lap of banners,

barricades and loud speakers

19th nov’10 – day 1 @

rm’10 – goa : Rajat, another

dear friend who came directly

from Pune that morning

especially for the 3 day RM

event, woke me up. At the venue,

after picking up our red Rider

Mania T-shirts and trying

them on to our best t, a lot of

photographing followed. Pics of

the venue, the logos, the events

and the T-shirts were taken infrenzy. As the events for the day

unfolded, we had registered

for all 3 events for the day. The

gure of 8, slow bike racing and

Towing. Infact, we did pretty

great in the ‘gure of 8’. Our

relay team had Nipun, Varun,

Rakesh and Myself and by the

end of the contest we missed

being in the top 3 by a whisker.

Hard luck but great fun! Some

stupendous music from DJ

Blackjack kept us punching theair while we showed no signs of

stopping to gurgle those dream-

priced pints.

20th nov’10 – day 2 @

rm’10 – goa : With adrenaline

running at its peak now, we

jumpstarted the next morning

with a lot of plans, determined

to see all of them through. This

was to be the most eventful

day for us. The rst event of the

day at the RM venue was the

very mean Dirt Track racing.

Each rider zooming in and

trying to outdo the other on

that unfriendly track was the

scene. Some crashed, some sped

and some persisted while the

onlookers made a hullabaloo

outside. The day was to go

on, with event after event. In

the evening we nally ended

up at Club IVY at Baga and

from there on, senses were

sent packing away. With lovely

dames around us and some

sensational and timeless tracks

from the Rap, Reggae and

House genres, we set the oor

on re and danced till we’d drop

from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Ah, what a

party….!!! Followed by a snack,it was time to crash and so we

did.

21st nov’10 – day 3 @

rm’10 – goa : The biggest

and most awaited ride was to

happen today. THE GROUP

RIDE! To ride across Goa with

all the participating fellow

riders was a thrilling experience.

About 200 Royal Enelds of all

shapes, sizes and colours with

about 300 participant riders and

pillions lled the Goan streets

as we made a single-le convoy across town. The onlooker’s

eyeballs popped and sound buds

went for a toss with the roar that

our bikes cumulatively made.

Surely enough, we attracted

a lot of attention, respect and

some envy! We felt like kings

and surely enough, our day

was made. We ventured out for

some shopping after the group

ride as we had decided to keep

day 3 aside for the same. Beads,

T’s, shorts and bandanas…!

We bought them all. We came

back to the venue to watch the

scintillating rock-show at the

venue till it ended and having

the last leg of those amazingly

priced beers, we bid adieu to the

venue that gave us the time of

our lives.

the ride Back home:

Monday, the 22nd of Nov.

saw us awake and ready (not

really) at 6:00 a.m. to head

back homewards. Still very

prominently sleepy, the face

of each rider showed a tinge

of resentment at leaving Goa

at that hour. But, what’s to be

done is to be done. Refueled

and loaded, we set off by 6:30a.m. Yet again, led by Pradeep,

we chose a different route from

the one that we had endured

on the way earlier. NH 17 – no,

thank you! NH 4 – oh yeah

baby. After exiting Goa, the

change in route took us via the

very very picturesque Amboli

Ghats. We swayed at 80kmph,

turning and speeding at every

straight patch. The NH 4 was a

stretch of several kilometers of

paper smooth highway roads.

It was a fast rider’s absolute

dream coming true. A halt before we ventured out on that

heavenly patch gave us time to

prepare for the speed and aim

at the next stop only after the

next 120 kms. After a halt taken

for lunch and after getting my

bike xed, what we aimed at

was a perfectly comfortable

night halt at Lonavala. The

roads continued to be lovely

and occasional tunnels added

to the resonation of the thump

resounding and scaring away

the other scavenging vehicles.

We belittled them with our

revs and poked fun at their

speed with our 2 wheeled iron

demons. It gave us the much

needed boost to carry on

with beaten and tired bodies

but with massaged egos. We

took a break for the night at

Lonavla and at dinnertime a

healthy conversation about our

individual professions went

on air and we spoke for 2 good

hours while we had our drinks,

gave ourselves reasons to be

hungry and then at the end of

it went off to hog in the middle

of the night. After a heart-full

platter of various types of food,

we called out ‘good night’ toeach other back at the hotel and

crashed

Tuesday 23rd Nov, we were up

and dressed again at 6:00 am,

after a short refreshment session

of chai and all, we zipped off into

a rather eventful day, this time,

on the road. As we rode into

Mumbai the city was already

bustling at 8 a.m. in the morning

but we managed to get out of

city limits well within time and

hit the highway to Gujarat. Ah…after 7 days, the highway to

home was just so clearly visible

at this juncture for the 1st time.

Next stop was for breakfast

where we gulped down some

food and some took a quick

nap too. Off again in about 30

minutes, we were condent

that we’d make it home today,

the farthest destination being

Ahmedabad. Finally as each

of us had swept and managed

to get to Baroda safely. That’s where we ate, hugged and bid

good-bye and nally slept.

home run: 24th Nov 2010,

we woke up at leisure and Varun

and I zipped to Ahmedabad,

the last 110 kms in 1& ½ hours,

fully refreshed to narrate these

endless tales of the ride of our

lives to eagerly curious friends.

Each picture taken in the trip

(almost everyone who had

a camera has close to 350+

pictures) has a story to tell. This

camaraderie won’t die away

so soon for sure. The madness

that has bestowed us in this trip

is beyond compare and is as

precious as the most expensive

gems in world. I would like to

heartily thank Royal Eneld

for organizing such a grand

event like Rider Mania 2010 and

making my rst ever trip to Goa

so very memorable.



11

Jaycee Motors Corporation - a

unit of Jaycee Group having

an annual turnover of Rs 370crores has been an authorized

dealer of Royal Eneld motor-

cycles since 1964 providing sales and after

sales services The journey for Jaycee start-

ed in the year 1952 with a vision seen by

Mr. M.P. Aggarwal. They were appointed

as Distributors of NBC Bearings for the

states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal &

J&K. Then in 1953 they were appointed as

Distributors for Hind Cycles for the

states of Punjab & Haryana.

As a part of the trading activities

they have also been dealing in ferti-lizers since 1969 as distributors for

Chambal Fertilizers, Shriram Ferti-

lizers and National Fertilizers. The

group today is also involved in vari-

ous manufacturing activities having

facilities at Amritsar, Faridabad &

Bahadurgarh. They manufacture

Auto Parts & Tractor Parts as O.E.

suppliers to JCB, Escorts Construc-

tion, Mahindra & Mahindra, , Inter-

national Tractors, and many more

manufacturers. They are also manu-

facturing Diesel Generators under

a JV with Eicher Engines catering

to demand of telecom and industrial

sectors etc.

Their Royal Eneld business has

seen many ups and downs during

the last 4 decades. Initially the busi-

nesses, was looked after by Mr M.P.

Aggarwal along with his brothers

and were appointed sub dealers of

Madras Motorcycle Co. Ltd. Putting

it in the words of Mr Aggarwal "I

still remember the price of the 1st

Bullet sold was Rs 4000/- approx and the

dealer margin was Rs 100. At that time

quotas were xed for production and theorder booking was supposed to be done

almost 8 months in advance. The only

model available at that time was the Bullet

350 after which a Mini Bullet, Fury, Mofa

were launched in succession."

Mr Suresh Aggarwal started looking af-

ter the Royal Eneld business in the early

nineties right after Punjab came out of the

crisis. At that time it was again like start-

ing from scratch due to difcult situations

prevailing in the region. Not a single mo-

torcycle had been sold for a span of about

10 years during the militancy problem. It

took a lot of effort and time to restore the

status of the bike since it had lost its fame

during that tenure. Within no time Royal

Eneld got popular with the rich farmersof the district and soon became the status

symbol among the rich in the city.

The day to day activity of the Royal

Eneld business is being looked after by

Kanav Aggarwal now who is the 3rd gen-

eration into this family business. He says,

"I personally started looking after this

business in the year 2005 but then went

off to do my MBA from Cardif f, UK in the

year 2006 and came back in 2008 and

rejoined the business. Personally to me

Royal Eneld has a lot of sentiments at-

tached to since it is the oldest business weare running as of date. Secondly the mo-

torcycle itself is a legend in itself just for

the simple fact that it is probably amongst

the few motorcycles which has sustained

all changing scenarios in the world since

1932 and this machine has been selling

with almost the same technology since

then."

Kanav further adds "I myself love the

performance of the machine and the

1st bike I ever rode in my life was the

machismo 350cc owned by one of

my friends. Even though I could only take it a short distance as I could

not balance the monster machine I

promised myself I would own one

someday. I just have one ambition

set for myself with this dealership

i.e. to become the most customer

friendly dealership in terms of serv-

ice and sales satisfaction. Thanks to

the team I have now I am optimistic

that we are progressing very fast

towards it."

He concludes - "We have recently

moved from our old showroom to a

new one, which has roughly 3000 sq

ft of showroom area and 3000 sq ft

of workshop area. Today we are in a

position to service 70 motorcycles a

day easily. I'm not a hardcore bul-

letier but yes I am still try ing to con-

vince my family to let me own one for

my pleasure riding. Just to full this

dream we have started a small riding

club in Amritsar where we just do

short trips of up to 100 km's to just to

break out from our daily routine."

dealer profile

Across Generations –Serving Royal Enfeld customers



12

18 n 2010, as the sun

slowly descended over

the horizon, the quiet

surroundings of Vagator

Hill Top was broken by

the steady and loud thump of a lone Royal

Eneld motorcycle. A Well kitted r ider on a

motorcycle sporting Kerala State registra-

tion plates, he had travelled nearly a 1000

kms that day just to make sure he reached

the largest biker festival in time. A few ques-

tions asked, pleasantries exchanged with

the Royal Eneld crew at the site and off

he was towards the nearby hotel to unpack

and crash out for the day and prepare for

the celebrations that would formally kick

off the next day; the Royal Eneld Rider

mania 2010.

19 n 2010; the bright pleasant

morning saw scores of riders trickling in

from all over the country as they rode into

the venue and were guided to an exclusive

parking lot where they parked their shiny

contraptions of chrome and metal and af-

ter registrations walked into the event area.

Complete strangers, exchanging just casual

smiles at the registrations counter shared

their individual ride stories as they walked

into the venue and collected their Rider

Mania goodies, stickers for the helmet/bike

and a bright red tee shirt for the event. A lot

of them immediately changed into this new

t-shirt to show their solidarity while some

still proudly had their last year’s t shirts on.

As the day proceeded, this parking lot

became a notable collection of metal and

chrome shining brightly in the brilliant

sunlight. The riders walked inside and

after the casual look around started off by

gorging the food and beer. Yes, what per-

haps caught the attention of these riders

was the beer offer, quite refreshing for the

sunny afternoon. Some of them also relaxed

around in the lounge area where motorcy-

cling movies were screened for them and

books and magazines on Royal Eneld

and general motorcycling were placed for

their reading pleasure. Conversations got

initiated as people saw more familiar faces

from past events and also got acquainted

with newer people from different places

One common factor bonding them – The

Thump – and one common point of discus-

sion – Their motorcycle and The Ride they

undertook to reach the place.

The events started off late afternoon with

the popular `gure of 8’ being the rst bik-

ing skill event where a team of 4 had to do a

closed course in between the palm trees and

complete a “gure of 8”. Being the rst event

it was one big mobilizer of the crowd who

immediately gathered around the events

area to witness the same. This event did at-

tract quite a number of participants as all of

them wanted to test their biking skills and

almost all of them swore by the capability of

their bikes to undertake such a manoeuvre.

Ashok Naidu, in his late 50’s from Pune had

own in from Pune as he couldn’t get his

rider mania

Ry e Rr M 2010text by praveen p sathaye photographs by praveen p sathaye & cécile cellerier



13

bike along said “I wanted to participate in

this event so i teamed up with some of my

old friends and rode one of their bikes. Our

team did a good run and we came in 3rd.

I may not have my bike here but i am not

going to miss out on the fun!” Indeed it was

this spirit with which a lot of riders all over

the country (and world) rode into Rider

Mania 2010. A few minutes later the second

event, the Slow Race took place where the

riders had to ride over a short distance in

a straight line and the guy to ride in last

without stalling or keeping the feet on the

ground was the winner.

All this while the pace of the events was

maintained by the crowd tapping away to

some peppy numbers by India`s No 1 Rock

DJ “BlackJack” and the air was alive with

the sounds of strumming guitars and vo-

ciferating thumps of the Royal Eneld ma-

chines. Throughout the day the “Custom

Bikes” kept rolling in and were lined up for

display for the competition. As the sun went

Grand entrance to the venue

The Trials

Slow Race



14



15



16

down on the rst day`s events the crowd

gathered around the centre stage and were

treated to a mind-blowing performance by

the Bangalore based band “Thermal & a

Quarter”, whose Lead singer Bruce, himself

a self confessed Bullet rider and fan since1996, kept the crowd dancing and scream-

ing late into the night. The day ended on a

great note as the bikers rode back from the

venue after getting to know what was in

store for them at this event in the coming

2 days.

20 n 2010: the 2nd day of Royal

Eneld Rider Mania was much warmer in

terms of weather as well as the response of

the crowd. A prominent club from Banga-

lore rode in bikes in a staggered formation,

showing their excitement with a rhythmic

set of honks and throttle blips announcingtheir arrival in style. They were greeted at

the venue entrance by old friends meeting

after a long time as well as curious onlook-

ers who wanted to know more about them.

A customary group photograph was clicked

under the large Rider Mania banner hung

on the main gate, and the riders walked in

to join in the celebrations.

The proceedings of the day began with

the Dirt track races for the 350 cc and the

500 cc Royal Eneld motorcycles. This

outdoor event took place on a specially con-

structed circuit where a huge wigwam was

placed and the DJ played some good mu-

sic to match with the sound of the revving

thumpers in the pits. The races started with

the roar of engines as the riders opened

throttles to negotiate the rst uphill sec-

tion of the course. The circuit was quite

bumpy with grass on some curves mak-

ing it quite a challenge for the riders. The

event had its share of spills and thrills. The

thumping roar of the engines kept the at-

mosphere alive as Pravin Patil and Baljeet

Gill respectively walked away with the 1st

The Music

Custom Machines-Works o Art

Beer guzzlingcompetition

Women’s Armwrestling



17

rider mania

position prize in the 350 cc and the 500 cc

categories respectively as the crowd braved

the heat and stood around the track cheer-

ing for their favourites. Baljeet Gill AKA

Chotu, as he is affectionately called was ex-

tremely happy with his victory “I am feelingsimply great, awesome” he said, his trusted

mechanic Alex also joined in the celebra-

tion amidst claps and cheers.

The special guests of honour at the event

this day were Dr Venki Padmanabhan,

COO Royal Eneld and Mr Shaji Koshy,

DGM Marketing Royal Eneld who came

all the way to Rider Mania to interact with

the fans and the fanatics of the `Thumping

Machines`. They had a great time interact-

ing with all the riders and their families

as well as the media. A short break saw

the Custom bikes being judged by the jury panel. The bikes were judged based on the

theme behind their customization, aesthet-

ic appeal and the prominent `sound`, of

the legendary Thump. The second session

outdoors was the Trials where the motor-

cyclist had to negotiate the marked course

and had to cross tyres, boulders, bales of

hay et al on their Royal Eneld Machines.

This was perhaps one of the most challeng-

ing events of all as only 9 of the 21 starters

managed to nish.

All through the day the crowd was kept

on their toes and swaying to some good

chart busting music by DJ BlackJack and

as evening descended on the venue Trance

and House music took over as DJ Ghani

set the whole venue ablaze with his best

of Contemporary/Trance Mixes. The Prize

distribution happened in the evening where

trophies and gift vouchers were presented

to the winners of the events over the 2 days

of Rider Mania. This day being a weekend

the venue was denitely bustling with a

larger crowd.

21 n 2010: The Last day of Royal

Eneld Rider Mania started off rather easy

on Sunday. The hot action packed races

and musical nights of earlier days had been

quite a thing for most of the Royal Eneld

riders present there. The day started off

with the Cleanest Bike competition and

out came the polished metal and shiny

chrome. A Bullet from Goa immaculately maintained walked away with the trophy.

After that was the ‘Assembly Wars’ com-

petition where teams of 4 had to remove

the front wheel, rear wheel, throttle ca-

ble and clutch cable from the motorcycle,

run across a short distance to get them

inspected and then put them back on the

motorcycle and ride it out. The team from

Goa with all their screaming, shouting and

heaving managed to do it in a very short

time and rode off with the trophy. A movie

‘On Any Sunday’ played for the viewing of

the motorcycling enthusiasts gathered atthe lounge as these competitions went on.

Later in the afternoon the Beer Guzzling

competition and the Arm Wrestling com-

petition started, where even the women

did not step back and guzzled pints, exed

their muscles to ght for the trophies. John

Smith who came in 3rd in the beer guzzling

competition took it all in Great Spirit. He

hails from the UK and with his wife Trudy,

has been in India for quite some time anda familiar face at Royal Eneld events. “Its

fun to take part in these events, compet-

ing with fellow riders with whom I share

the bond of being a Royal Eneld Rider”,

he said.

In the afternoon, all the Royal Enelds

rode out for the Celebration Ride, as a

show of solidarity, brotherhood, pride and

spreading a message to the locals about

safe riding by donning helmets and main-

taining strict discipline on the road. It was

a sight to see hundreds of Royal Eneld

machines ride one behind the other in asingle le thumping in unison and the awe-

struck bystanders admiring the machines

with dropped jaws or wide smiles. Cécile

Cellerier, a photographer from France was

visiting Rider Mania with her friends and

found the whole collection of motorcycles

an absolutely awesome sight. “I have always

been fascinated by the Bullet motorcycle as

many of my friends in Chennai have this. I

rode down from Mumbai to Goa with my

friends to attend the Rider Mania and what

an experience it has been.”, she added with

a pronounced French accent “I also rode a bullet for the rst time in my life and what

fun it was”

In the evening the prize distribution cere-

mony happened where winners of the events

of the day were handed over their trophies

and felicitated on stage. The Most popular

custom bike results were also announced and

the undisputed winner was the rather radi-

cal but awesome Royal Eneld 3 C concept

bike by Javeen Mathew from Kerala. Javeen

was ecstatic with his victory and came on

stage, along with his wife, his patient part-

ner in this signicant venture, to receive the

award. Later in the evening the rock band

‘Tidal Waves’ performed some of the most

popular rock numbers and set the evening on

re and the bikers took to head banging with

renewed enthusiasm. As the music went soft

by the late night, the bikers all bid goodbyes

to each other promising to be back at Rider

Mania 2011 next year in November and cel-

ebrate THE THUMP THAT BINDS.

Someone had rightly said, at Royal En-

eld Rider Mania you meet as strangers,

ride as friends and bond as brothers.

Biker slogans

Heart o the Matter

The Celebration Ride Lineup



18

rider profile

H

ailing from Delhi, Tejas

Dutta a young 27 year old

Marine Engineer spends

almost half of the year outat sea, on mighty ships.

So whatever time he gets back on land he

cherishes it in doing what he loves most.

One of his core passions is riding out on

hi Royal Eneld Electra. The motorcycle

denitely speaks volumes of the personal

attention Tejas has given in doing it up. Yes

his motorcycle has been customised and

looks like one mean black monster. Be-

sides the customary escapes further north

from Delhi to beat the heat, Tejas un-

dertook one of his longest rides this year,

down to Goa. He rode off form Delhi to

attend the Royal Eneld Rider Mania 2010

and after riding down through Rajasthan,

Gujrat and Mumbai eventually turned

towards the NH 17 on his way to Goa.

Relying completely on his instincts and

his trusted Black low slung Bullet (with a

noticeable loud thump, due to the custom

exhaust pipe). Riding alone for most of

this ride he teamed up with some riders

from Mumbai who were going to Goa for

the Royal Eneld Rider Mania and rode

along with them. Accompanying him on

this ride is his DSLR which he uses liber-

ally capturing every signicant moment of

the ride, taking back countless memories

with him after each ride. A tness freak,

he maintains a strict regime of pumping

iron when on board his ship and boasts

biceps to be envious of. Bagging rst

place in the Arm Wrestling competi-

tion at the Rider Mania Tejas clearly

demonstrates that form follows func-tion and proudly exed his muscles

as he took the prize at the awards

function at the end. Soft-spoken but

with a sense of humour to match, he

did win many friends on this ride as

he has been on his earlier adventures.

Having seen the perils of sea-life he

understands that risk is something

that needs to be tackled intelligently

and exercises the same caution while

riding. He will almost always be seen

fully kitted up and negotiating high-

way trafc with skill, not getting into

any tight spots. He denitely looks

forward to spending more and more

time on his bike and ride out mostly

all by himself, being one with the

road and nature, clicking away with

his camera, whenever he is back on

shore. If some day you come across a big

burly matt black loud Royal Eneld Bul-

let Electra with a prominent red star on

its tank and the rider in navy blue overalls

and protective riding gear, be sure it’s Tejas

on one of his rides around the country.

Mr Mrr

Riding down to Goa

Tejas Dutta and his Black Electra

Tejas on Stage aterwinning the Armwrestling competition



19

international

R oyal Eneld was repre-sented at the Carole Nash

Motorcycle Live at The

NEC, Birmingham by the

UK distributer Watsonian

Squire and few ofcials from India. This

exhibition drew a crowd of nearly 100,000

people, who braved the rather bad Novem-

ber weather to make it to this fest. Start-

ing from Nov 27th 2010, this 9 day event

almost ran packed days with prominent

manufacturers showcasing their productsand unique concepts here. The Show had 38

manufacturers and almost 200 other ex-

hibitors’ displaying their contraptions and

ideas and showcasing special interactive

themes thus giving visitors nonstop enter-

tainment at the show

Royal Eneld showcased the Clas-

sic range of motorcycles apart from the

Fury, a at tracker variant customised by

Watsonian Squire in the UK and powered

by the 500 cc fuel injected

powerplant. The Fury would

appeal to a young motorcy-cle enthusiast owing to its

inspired design, wider han-

dlebars; completely changed

seating unit, chrome head-

light, chrome indicators

and twin exhausts. This

model also attracted quite a

number of accolades owing

to its unique paint scheme

and at tracker design. The

other major attraction at

the Royal Eneld pavilion

was the Wizard’s ride. Yes!the motorcycle that Harry

Potter used in his latest

ick “The Deathly Hallows.”

Although Royal Eneld had supplied these

motorcycles to the producer of the movie

long time back, they were tight lipped

about it till the movie was nearing comple-

tion. This motorcycle also proved a big hit

amongst young children who for a large fan

base of the teen wizard.

On display were a number of interesting

attachments/contraptions like closed sidecars, trailers etc for the motorcycle from

Watsonian Squire who are pioneer manu-

facturers of sidecars in the world.

The Royal Enfeld Fury

The Watsonian Squire pavilionwith various sidecar designs

Mr R.L Ravichandran(CEO, Royal Enfeld) on themotorcycle eatured in the

Harry Potter blockbuster

los angeles inter-national motor show

After clearing the stringent California emis-

sion norms earlier in the year Royal Eneld

appended its efforts towards this region by

participating in the Los Angeles Interna-

tional Motorcycle Show in Long Beach Cali-

fornia. The booth also featured a prominent

side-car combo on a 500 cc Royal Eneld

besides the Classic 500 motorcycles. A lot of

the visitors were quite inquisitive about get-

ting their Royal Enelds in California now,

as earlier it used to be quite a task for them.

Visitors were quite amazed to see the unique

combination of classic retro appeal and styl-

ing combined with modern technology and

emissions in a single unique package. Curi-

ous potential buyers never ran out of ques-

tions at the booth about these motorcycles

and their advent in California.

Ry e irMrhw:NEC Carole Nash Motorcycle Show Birmingham



20

Wat a p f t LaTp l at tp? f b

't B' .

Name:

address:

PhoNe No: email id:

royal eNfield motorcycle owNed:

1 m y

other motorcycle owNed:

1 m y

other Vehicle owNed: (Besides motorcycles)

1 m y

AssociATion WiTh Any moTorcycLing cLubs:

TeLL us AbouT The secTions you Like in “The beAT”

WhAT more WouLd you Like “The beAT” To cover?

WhAT WouLd you WAnT To conTribuTe To “The beAT”?

kindLy mAiL The Form bAck Tous AT The FoLLoWing Address:

Pvn P s, PmG, ren, tuvu hg r,tuvu, cnn 600019









24

flash Back

Royal EnfieldFlying FleaThe Royal Eneld Flying Flea was one of themost exciting of all models owing to its heroicrole in World War II. Having the origin of itsdesign in a German built DKW, this motorcycle

was ofcially called the “RE” and was powered by a 125 cc engine. This machine played a pivotalrole in the war as its most dramatic use was by the Royal Air Force paratroopers. The motorcycle

was placed in a special Royal Eneld designedsteel tubular ‘cage’ which had a parachute at-tached to the same. Dropped from an aircraft this

bike would oat down along with the paratroop-ers who then would then achieve great mobility over the rough terrain.

This was a motorcycle which could tackle the challenges of war-torn landscapes and alsoproved to be a great means of transport in civilian life as well. It was this versatility whichprompted Royal Eneld to continue production of this motorcycle even after the end of the war in 1945. The civilian version was equipped with some more creature comfortsand painted in a utilitarian black colour. With a top speed of about 45 MPH and a fuelefciency of 100 MPG this soon became a very popular runabout. The subsequent variant

which appeared in 1948 had the speed increased to 47 MPH. 1950 saw a major turn inthis motorcycle as it got telescop-ic front forks, a larger section

tyre, deeper fuel tank and a muchneeded colour change from Blackto a classy looking Silver Grey.The following year the motorcy-cle got a new frame and engineand was ofcially christened the“RE2”

This motorcycle formed the base for the development of thenext model from Royal Eneldnamely the Ensign which waslaunched in 1952 powered by a148 cc engine.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDY BAILLIE; ROYAL ENFIELD & IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM



25



26

On June 10th 2009, with

few of his friends Kennith

Harsha went to Ladakh

on some 2 stroke motorcy-

cles. They did have quite

a successful ride but the low oxygen levels

and the need for frequent gear changing

while climbing made the ride one difcult

endeavor. It was here that he saw that theRoyal Eneld motorcycles were cruising

across this harsh and formidable terrain

in a rather easy manner. It was this unique

capability of the Royal Eneld motorcycle

which left him awestruck and impressed.

During his ride he noticed that barring

their 6 bikes almost all the other riders

around were riding on Royal Enelds. Af-

ter coming back from the Leh ride he im-

mediately purchased his rst Royal

Eneld, the Bullet 350 1986 model

and got hooked on to the legen-

dary thumper. Initially he found itslightly difcult to ride owing to its

peculiarities but in a few days’ time

and effort it was easy for him to ride

the thumper.

Soon he and three of his friends

Dolphy, Karthik & Nagu started

doing long rides on their Royal En-

eld motorcycles and a brotherhood

formed. They didn’t have a formal

club at that time but on many of

their rides they met and interacted

with some Bullet Club members and

got motivated to form their own club. Once

the club was formally formed they started

looking out for like-minded passionate bul-

let riders in and around their area. Within

a few days they were able to nd ve more

Royal Eneld Riders and the member

count increased. Kennith rode to Goa to

attend the Royal Eneld Rider Mania 2010

and met loads of Royal Eneld riders from

all over the country and rode back to Shi-

moga with very pleasant memories and a

trophy to boot. It was time to focus on the

club again but they found it quite difcult

to nd the name for the club; and at last

settled down for a traditional name “Bulls

of Shimoga” (BOS). The club was formally

inaugurated on 11-12-2010 and a brother-

hood was born.

The main helmsmen of the ‘Bulls of Shi-

moga’ are a bunch of enthusiastic, energetic

and vibrant riders. The foundation & back-

bone of the club is Kennith Harsha Kotian.

He is a very passionate rider and loves to

ride on dirt and twisties. Kennith is a proudowner of 3 Royal Eneld motorcycles, a

1968 Bullet 350, a 1986 Bullet 350 and a

Machismo LB 500. Dolphy Pinto; affection-

ately known as the 'sweeper of the club' as

he often is the tailing guy on rides, is a me-

chanic with a sound knowledge of Royal En-

eld bikes, rides a Bullet 350cc 1961 model.

Karthik Naidu is youngest rider of the club

and a very passionate bulleteer and volun-

teers to do almost all the club work. He rides

a Bullet 350 1985 model bike. Nagabhushan,

known for his jovial nature and sense of

humour almost has everyone in splits with

his wise cracks and jokes. He rides a 500 cc

Machismo. H. K. Kashifa Ahmed, the well

built bullet rider of the club and a good tech-

nician, owns the Royal Eneld showroom

in Shimoga. He rides his 350 cc 1985 model

bike. Rokesh. G better known as Rocky,

rides a 350 cc TBTS. Abhishek another

amicable fellow rides a new 350 cc Electra

Twin Spark. Suresh A S, is the senior most

rider of the club and is often looked up as

the main guiding force of the club; he rides a

Bullet 350 cc 1985 model bike.

One of the rst rides after the club was

formally established was a ride to Agumbe.

They have often ridden with each other

purely as friends but the feeling of the

Thump that binds was altogether different

when riding as a club. Agumbe is famous

for being second highest rain forest in In-

dia and a popular tourist destination. Theride started at 6 AM in the morning, and it

was very cold with a thick blanket of mist

almost covering the road. It was indeed

very difcult to ride in the cold wind and

with poor visibility it was difcult to make

out oncoming trafc. But harsh riding

conditions aren’t what stops adventure

bugs. They rode with caution and reached

Agumbe around 9 AM, but still suffered

from low visibility due to the dense

mist. This winter ride was denitely

one of the most adventurous and

exciting ones the club has had ina while, but the icing on the cake

was the reaction of the other tour-

ists and bystanders to this group of

thumping majestic machines. The

riders ended up being the center

of attraction of the time. A lot of

people holidaying in this region

were impressed by the thumping

machines and some even requested

to be given a short ride on the ma-

chines. Some of the bystanders were

so thrilled that they too wanted to

own a bullet. The riders left Agumbe at 12

noon and went for a small dirt ride inside

the forest. The ride was one lled with

thrill and fun, including its share of spills.

The group then proceeded for lunch to

Thirthahalli around 2 in the afternoon and

then reached Shimoga back at 5:30, just

before sundown. Being one of the rst rides

this one was denitely an experience for

many to remember and cherish. With time

the club denitely is slated to grow and get

more and more ambitious in terms of rides

and other activities.

B shm(B.o.s).

cluB



27

revieW

One Lie to Ride written by Ajit

Harisinghani describes in detail

the adventurous tour almost

bordering on being labelled as

an expedition o the author rom

Pune to the pinnacle o motor-

cycling adventure, Ladakh. The

journey gets sparked o owing

to a promise to a dying riend

and a lielong love admiration

almost bordering on devotion

to the legendary Royal Enfeld

motorcycle. Although this book

doesn’t highlight the intricacies o

the motorcycle or load you with

technical jargon it does defne the

experience in simple understand-

able words. However there is a

slight shade o overkill because

even otherwise simple incidents

and occurrences have been

over described at a couple o

occasions making it sound more

like a rather generous usage o

vocabulary rather than a clear cut

description o eelings, percep-

tions and experiences.

The unique thing about this

book is that it describes India as

an Indian sees and experiences.

Somewhere when any oreign

author describes his journey

around India the descriptions and

words always depict his amaze-

ment at the warmth but in this

case it comes across as narration

o expected behaviour. Ajit knows

what to expect rom people in

India and when he sees it he

just afrms the same through

this book. Ajit Harisinghani has

spun a wonderul narrative o a

journey where you almost eel as

i you are riding pillion on a 4,300

kilometre adventure rom Pune

in west-central India all the way

north, through Jaipur and New

Delhi, all the way up to Leh and

Jammu. Humour too has ound

its place in this epic narrative o

adventure where he makes small

jabs on typicality and tendencies

we all exhibit rom time to time.

Highly recommended, this book

actually makes a great surprise

git to busy people who would

just need an excuse to skip out

o their mundane lives and see

the more descriptive and highly

interesting lie o a motorcyclist

travelling around the country

without actually going there.

Although it does not contain any

tips or tricks on how to ride and

maintain your motorcycle nor

does the book suggest how to

ride over difcult terrain but still

does narrate interesting aspects

o the riding liestyle rom time

to time. This book makes a great

read or people who ride and ride

ar but will also inspire a once

been biker to take brush the dust

o his motorcycle and take to

the road.

The book does not have many

photographs o the ride, the

terrain or the adventures but the

language and usage o descrip-

tive vocabulary actually puts the

image right in ront o your eyes

without straining your imagina-

tion. The reader is oten transport-

ed to the hills, and dusty terrain o

Ladakh and those who have been

there almost instantly get remind-

ed o their past adventure. This

book is not just a story o an old

guy riding out to the hills, some

adventures which the author nar-

rates removes the age aspect as

what he eels and narrates is what

anyone o any age would have

elt and expressed. Though not a

single long narrative this is com-

posed o numerous short stories

as each one unurls as the author

makes his epic journey.

There is however a small

side-eect associated with read-

ing this book; i you are not a

motorcycle adventure or travel

enthusiast this book just might

make you one.

r: ★★★

B OOk r e v i e w

The Fieldsheer Mach 2 Mesh jacket has been one o the most

popular jackets rom this well-known riding gear manuacturer.

The one reviewed in this article is the 2007 model that has actu-

ally been upgraded slightly in the past 3 years into an altogeth-

er new model but older stocks are still available online or great

deals. The main advantage o this jacket (like other mesh jacketsin general) is the comort in hot weather conditions as the mesh

allows cool air to pass through. The removable thermal liner

(that can be zipped on the inside o the jacket) makes this jacket

usable even during cold weather conditions, a act which was

borne out during the Royal Enfeld Himalayan Odyssey 2010

where I wore this jacket in the coldest conditions possible. The

only disadvantage is that the inner liner is not waterproo hence

during wet weather one would require a waterproo outer shell

to be worn over the jacket.

The CE-approved armour provided in the jacket or the elbows

(long enough to cover the orearm), shoulders and the back

have been designed or the riders comort. One o the primary

reasons or opting or the Fieldsheer Mach 2 Mesh is that it also

eatures abrasion resistant “leather” patches in place o the

mesh on the shoulders, elbows, stomach, and parts o the back.

This adds another level o protection, as these are the most

common abrasion points on a riding jacket in case o a all. The

jacket has a Velcro adjustable, micro-eece collar with padding,

which adds to the rider’s comort. The reective strips on this

jacket make it highly visible at night. An 8-inch waist zip con-

nector at the back allows the jacket to be attached to compatible

Fieldsheer pants. r: ★★★★

Fieldsheer Mach2 Mesh Jacket



Royal Enfield Beat Jan 2011

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