” Dude,we took a wrong turn” said Larry when we realized we were no where close to the INDIA BIKE WEEK 2014 venue. We were lost, so we decide to retrace our route back to a point we were familiar with, and that’s when we see it, a flatbed truck with a spanking new Harley Davidson Street 500 and follow it straight to our destination.
On reaching the venue,we were helped out by very patient volunteers at the reception counter and as soon as our registration was done,off we went into a world of bikes, music and food. A world where a person is respected not because of his age or his educational qualification, but by the number of kilometers on his odometer. A world where your love for motorcycles is all that is needed to identify who you are and the way you treat your motorcycle would show what you are made up off. A world where destination is as important as the journey and the experiences it brings along.
One could see the passion for motorcycles in everybody’s eyes today and for once a biker would feel at home , talking with like minded people who understand your love for motorcycles instead of telling you that you could have got a car that could seat 5 people in comfort for that money. People who you could discuss with, compare ride stories and experiences with, people who understand why a journey to Ladakh is better on a bike then in the comfort and safety of a SUV
Frankly speaking I am not the biggest fan of cruisers ,I am more inclined towards faired corner carvers, but it still doesn’t change the fact that the star attraction of today was the Harley Davidson parade, where about a 1000 Harley Davidson motorcycles roared in led by Mr Anoop Prakash M.D Harley Davidson India. Castrol too made our day by bringing in Scott Redding. A few questions later, we spoke with Martin Da Costa CEO 70 EMG and festival Director, Keertan Adyanthaya managing director and Mr Anoop Prakash M.D Harley Davidson India, where they expressed their expectations from INDIA BIKE WEEK 2014.
The show stopper motorcycles on display were the choppers the level of detail work gone into these bikes was just astounding. The choice of base bikes varied from bullets to Harley Davidson to rd 350 to even a pulsar. Make no mistake though , these bikes were just drop dead gorgious, words and photographs cannot do justice to the work put in on these motorcycles. This was the first time in my life that i wanted to be more around a Harley Davidson or a Royal Enfield than any of the superbikes around the place. Bike builders like
- Rajputana customs
- Rag and Bone customs
- Reza Hussain Choppers
- Moto exotica
- Bombay custom works
- Tj motor works
- Transfigure customs
These companies had to built a bike in a months time money no limit, then these bikes would be brought and displayed at INDIA BIKE WEEK 2014. The bikes will undergo a vote off, where every biker at INDIA BIKE WEEK 2014 can vote for his favorite motorcycle . More the votes better are the chances of winning.
MOTOcross free stylists landed in Goa just today morning, and the fact that they were tired and jet laged didn’t stop them from putting on one of the most breathtaking shows at the event. Back flips, superman, cyclists , etc were several freestyle stunts i saw only on TV until today, and this experience i will never forget..
Harley Davidson launced its new Street 500,although the exact price is still not known, it is said to be priced between 5 to 6 lacs, this will be HD ‘s cheapest bike. The bike already created a stir among other bikers, tomorrow we will try and see what the HOGS think about this bike. For quite some time the sportster range undergone the wrath of being called “not a proper Harley” , so lets the fate of the new HD Street 500
INDIA BIKE WEEK 2014 is an evolution of a revolution
don’t miss the last day of IBW 2014
See you there…..
Article by Lloyd Dias
Photographs by Larry Afonso
