Rider Mania 2013, Goa, India

I still fondly remember the day and time when I bought my first Enfield back in April 2007. Until then I humped a Yamaha. Then I graduated and became a man, and rode a battle ready, World War II tested motorcycle. Enfield has indeed come a long way from its humble beginnings in Britain to a permanent home and Headquarters in Madras, India.

Made like a Gun, Goes like a Bullet – that’s the tagline of the oldest model of a motorcycle still in production in world automotive history. I own a Bullet Electra which has the same cast-iron engine and chassis designed by the British era engineers in 1955.

Riding is always a pleasure. Now imagine, like-minded bikers riding on the same brand of motorcycle coming from all over the nation to a single pristine beach at Goa. India has the second largest motorable road network in the world with over 3 million km of roads of which 46% are paved. Some states have made helmets compulsory while others have too many riders to keep them in check. India is geographically the seventh largest piece of land and world’s largest democracy by population. You can imagine the craze when riders from all parts of this diverse nation ride to one location for a three day party.

Various groups and clubs from all over the nation registered and planned their trips in advance. They all started a day or two ahead of the target date of 22nd November. I rode with the Enfield Corporate Showroom gang at Bandra, Mumbai to Vagator Hill, Goa.

What I present to you is a feast to the eyes, heart and soul. This photo feature covers the very essence of biker spirit – a universal feeling of freedom, liberty and brotherhood. The titles of the photos are the caption for them. Thanks to Bandit and Bikernet.com gang for allowing me to give you an insight into continued biker movement from the other hemisphere of your world.

We are all the same. Leather, tattoos, beer stains, scars, blood, iron and steel and a lot of heart. Here you get a glimpse of Bike Events in India, for all American Harley-Davidson fans to glimpse. Enfield in India is as good, great, bad, and as worse as your H-D Made in America.

Do leave feedback and I will be glad to answer any questions for anyone planning to go on an official Enfield Trip. They ride annually to Himalayas, to Rann of Kutch desert, to the Southern Odyssey and of course our Annual Festival to Goa: RIDER MANIA! Refer: http://royalenfield.com/rides/events/

Rider Mania is India’s biggest biker festival hosted by the iconic motorcycle brand Royal Enfield. Thousands of loyalists ride to Goa during the third weekend of November to challenge themselves and their machines to various tests as planned by the organizers. As the sun sets, the party starts begins…..

Dirt Track Race:

Separate classes for 500 cc and 350 cc

Qualification: This will be held in the autocross format. Riders with the top 10 times will make it to the finals.

Finals: This will be a mass start.

Technical specifications for motorcycles:

Engine Mods: No restrictions on Engine modifications.

Riding Gear: Everything listed below is mandatory.

Full-face helmet, Knee & shin guards, Ankle length boots, Armored Motorcycle Jacket.

Tires: Only Royal Enfield OEM tires, Michelin Sirac and MRF Meteors are allowed. Any other tires including Knobby tires are not allowed.

Trials: Common event for 350 cc and 500 cc

Event format: Every participant must complete an obstacle course without putting his leg down or going out of the prescribed track. Penalty points are awarded everytime the leg comes into contact with the ground or the wheel goes outside the track. The participant with the lowest score wins.

Figure of 8: This is a team event where all the team members have to complete a loop riding around a track which is in the shape of the digit 8. The idea is to complete this feat without any of the participants putting their foot down in the shortest time possible. Team size is 4 participants. Cumulative time taken by all 4 team members is the time for the team.

Slow Race: The rider taking the longest time to complete the track without putting his leg down or going out of his/her lane wins. A pillion rider is compulsory.

Carry your bike: A Rider Mania Goa special, this is the only time the bike rides on the riders. A 4 person team has to carry a Royal Enfield Motorcycle across a distance of 30 Meters. First one to cross the finishing line wins!

Cleanest bike: Need we explain? The one spotless gleaming machine chosen by the judges wins!

Assembly wars: A team event (4 persons per team), that requires you to remove both the wheels, Throttle/Clutch cables from the bike, then carry the same across a small track to the Judge for verification and then put them back on the bike and ride the Motorcycle over a fixed distance. First one to remove the parts, get them verified and put them back and ride the bike across wins!

Arm wrestling: This is an event where you put your muscle power against others. There are separate entries for men and women. One who pins down the opponent emerges the winner!

Most popular bike: Royal Enfield gives each of the riders present at Rider Mania 2013 a chance to Judge the Custom bikes. Each registrant will receive one Voting card and he/she can vote for the Custom bike that they feel they are most attracted to among the ones on display. That bike will be declared the Most Popular Bike and will receive a trophy. Royal Enfield invites Custom Bike builders to enter their creations for the Best Custom Bike and the Most Popular Bike contests. Royal Enfield will select 20 bikes out of the submissions and will pay a maximum of Rs. 10,000 per Motorcycle towards transportation costs.

Beer Drinking: This is the event in which you hold a pint bottle to your mouth, tilt your neck and let gravity do the rest. The rules will be decided on the spot based on the number of entries.

Other Events: Last year we had the innovative Lemon and Spoon Race which is same as the one many of us have seen earlier; to race across a small stretch holding a spoon in the mouth and a lemon placed on it. Albeit this time it is to be done on your Royal Enfield motorcycle while riding. Expect such innovative fun activities involving you and your Royal Enfield motorcycle this year too.

Exhibitions:

Library: Check out rare books and periodicals on Royal Enfield’s illustrious history and the line-up of models down the years. Read up on the best motorcycling magazines and journals and brush up your knowledge of the adventures of the two wheeled kinds.

Movies: Feast on a host of movies, videos and documentaries highlighting the fun aspect of motorcycling and the life around Royal Enfield. This audio-visual delight plays non-stop in the lounge area where you can get your dose of Royal Enfield history, tips on riding and watch the adventures on the Royal Enfield national rides happening all around the year.

Gordon G. May ~ The epic rider who rode from England to Chennai on a 1953 500cc Royal Enfield in 1988 ~ around 13500 kms !!! Sharing his experience about the Indian trip.

Read more about Gordon G. May and his trip here: http://www.overlandtoindia.co.uk/the_rider.html

Food & Drink:

Traditional Indian spicy treats and Continental cuisine; you shall get everything under one single roof in the food court spread out at the venue. We have ensured that you get to pick and choose your favorite delights from the refreshing menu to please your palate. The huge beverage counter shall cater to your thirst all through the day as you enjoy the various events and in the evening when you just want to laze around with a drink.

Garage Sale: Are you a bargain hunter? If you love great deals, then garage sales are a great way to stretch that rupee as far as you possibly can. Look out for garage sales at this Rider Mania and get that gear you have been looking for. Great deals will be up for grabs, early birds the advantage is yours!!!!

Tattoo Artist:

“G” Graduated and got her BFA degree from the JJ institute of applied arts in Mumbai. She also won awards for her work in typography, graphic design and advertising campaign in her final year.

“G”started her artistic endeavors as an art director at J Walter Thompson, after which she moved on to work with TV channels like channel V, Fashion TV, Sony music and radio stations such as Go.fm. She has essentially worked a lot on print media, merchandise and online. Working on several projects for MTV and Cartoon network.

After about 8 years of advertising she designed, manufactured and exported fashion accessories. The Rebirth of an artist-“G” As an artist its always been “G’s” quest to have a valuable experience of various mediums. She was always very intrigued by tattoo art and finally had the time to start working her gifted skill on art. She began working out of her own studio as a tattooist at Lower Parel, Mumbai 3 years ago.

“G” personally enjoys custom designing tattoos and creating a unique design and art which her clients can wear for a life time. Now she has set up base in her favorite place –GOA . She owns & runs her own studio out of Porvorim.

This Rider Mania “G” created custom tattoos especially for the festival. Hard-core motorcycle enthusiasts planning to get custom tattoos checked out “G’s” art at the venue.

Rider Mania is not just about the 3 days of events and happenings that take place at Vagator, Goa. During that weekend Vagator is buzzing with the familiar sound of Royal Enfield motorcycles and the friendly laughs and banter of biker brothers. There are many places around Hill Top which encourage these bonding sessions after the events and add to the afterlife factor. There are many places which are ‘Royal Enfield’ friendly in Goa !