Jul 2010 - Royal Enfield

ROya L E N F I E L D I N U Sa
GEaR CHECK
K E E P R I D I N G Ca M Pa I G N
www.royalenfield.com
JulY 2010
H I M A L AYA N O DY S S E Y 2 0 1 0
to greater
heightS
MARKETING NEWSLETTER
kick STarT
greetings from the
editorial Desk!
M
ore than five decades of existence of Royal Enfield
has undoubtedly established its brand image in
India and abroad. The single cylinder push rod
engine thumping its unique beat is legendary
in villages and towns the world over. The Bullet
identity is very special and royal and Royal Enfield is blessed with it.
Debates on the quality of the Bullet were never in the front stage of
its existence until recently. Proliferation of numerous commuter bikes
with good quality and features has awakened the Bullet customers to
demand quality and enhanced durability. The last decade witnessed
voluminous field complaint reports and demand for trouble-free
vehicles, in addition to the Royal Enfield motorcycle's unique features.
In 2005, Royal Enfield identified more than one hundred field
defects on performance and durability concerns in various systems
NEWS
and components. Improvement of hygiene of
the bike has become the paramount task.
Three years of focussed attention to identify
corrective actions and implement them in
the areas of design, supplier components, inhouse machining and assembly, painting and
plating and resolving field issues has yielded
substantial improvements and reduced field
complaints. Perennial problems of premature
engine seizure, joint leakages, silencer rusting,
clutch and gear box related problems, starting
issues, electrical failures etc. in Bullet, Electra,
Machismo and Thunderbird were contained.
Stringent controls were introduced in the Shop
floor for clearing the supplier components for
fitment and machine components for accuracy
and for scanning engines and vehicles under
PDI prior to despatch.
The development and introduction of
UCE engine in 2008 has given tremendous
opportunity to raise the design quality, process
and production quality and also to improve
field performance of the engine, many fold.
It has resulted in leak-free joints, consistent
fuel delivery performance, reliable electricals,
highly durable mechanical components that
have elevated the quality of engine to a higher
paradigm. The sales pitch achieved with UCE
engine in Thunderbird is testimony to the
quality status.
The introduction of Classic 500 and 350 and
Electra UCE and Bullet UCE have added to the
upward swing of the product quality experienced
by the customers.
There are well trained quality personnel at
Royal Enfield continuously attending to field
quality issues, supplier quality requirements,
in house quality performance, aesthetics of the vehicle and the new
product quality in all respect. Attached to these groups is a team of
metal tuners and measurement specialists to continuously improve
the engine and vehicle performance
The better quality of our vehicles was the result of higher interactions
amongst teams, sincere efforts, intelligent directions and skillful
executions of all corrective actions. As quality has no top limit, there
are always further heights to climb, Royal Enfield has to get obsessed
and stay obsessed about it.
One of the most important factors for product acceptance,
sustenance and higher demand is the quality of the product to the
customers. At Royal Enfield, it is well understood that a market is
never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated
with a bad product and the purpose of our business is to create and
keep a customer for generations.
—K P Nair,
Vehicle Programme Management,
Royal Enfield
kpnair@royalenfield.com
If you would like to contribute to THE BEAT email us at schavan@royalenfield.com EDITORIAL TEAM Shaji Koshy, Sachin Chavan, Praveen P Sathaye
2
Tour of
Rajasthan
Southern Odyssey
If you like to ride steep gradients, catch a glimpse of exotic wild elephants,
bison and deer, get deep into jungles and feel the gentle sea breeze along the
coast, this is the ride for you. On this trip, water comes in two flavours, fresh
and salt. The Southern Odyssey starts with a chance to visit the birthplace of
your bike – the Royal Enfield factory – and a training session on a race track
with guidance from some of our most experienced factory riders. East Coast,
West coast and the southernmost tip of the Indian mainland – all these are
included in the itinerary of the Southern Odyssey. Apart from this, the convoy
of Royal Enfields will pass through picture-perfect tea, coffee and spice plantations – the very reason why the world flocked to Indian shores for centuries.
The Southern Odyssey gives you a chance to experience your Royal Enfield
over these magical roads. Rediscover the south, rediscover yourself.
The Tour of Rajasthan is a
ride far off the beaten track
that will test your mettle
and build your talent on the
famed deserts as well as a
ride on some of the best
tarmac in the country. Ride
on routes that few ever
ride on, country roads,
sand dunes, hills, jungles,
highways as good as landing
strips, a dry salt lake and
all with little or no traffic.
Then there’s the border road
where your Royal Enfield will
be the only vehicle passing
through some of the famous
1971 battlefields. And we will
stop en route to pay homage
to a temple devoted to a
Royal Enfield Bullet. The ride
will coincide with the Marwar
Festival at Jodhpur. Sumptuous Rajasthani meals and
breathtaking monuments is
a treat at almost every stop.
Stay has been organised at heritage properties, a castle hotel, a palace and
luxury dune tents. We have found another elusive rider’s paradise. Couples
can also register for an adventurous getaway.
Tour of NH 17
Tour of North East
Royal Enfield heads out for a new adventure into the virgin lands of North
East India. We have charted out a 11 day route through dense jungles,
broken tracks, over high mountain passes, on snow-covered hills and rarely
traveled roads in the wild. The trip will be challenging and fun-filled with
plenty of riding in these backyards. While the main theme is an exhilarating
experience, the underlying emphasis is on safety in every aspect of the ride.
Royal Enfield provides service and medical back-up to provide confidence
not just to the first time participants but also to their friends and family. The
Tour of North East has expert and experienced pilots to guide the group in
various areas of bike riding and coping with the weather and terrain.
Take a scenic tour winding around the legendary NH 17, often dubbed as
the West Coast Road having inspired a couple of bollywood blockbusters on
the lines of “Bombay to Goa”. While the main theme is on riding through
places around the scenic Mumbai-Goa highway, the highlight is to romance
the western monsoons, walking through clouds at one moment and strolling
on the vast beaches watching the waves create magic the next moment,
or gorging on strawberries one moment while sipping on a hot coffee. Each
and every moment of this ride is one which will certainly give you moments
of discovery where the sheer bliss of riding to remote places and riding in
enchanting weather on your Royal Enfield will make it seem like an experience of a lifetime. Riding in the rains has always been a romantic, lively
and exciting experience for many and Royal Enfield will provide service and
medical back-up to provide confidence not just to the first time participants
but also to their friends and family. The Tour of NH 17 has expert and experienced pilots to guide the group in various areas of bike riding and coping
with the weather and terrain.
3
dEalEr NEWS
dEalEr prOfilE
ROYAL ENFIELD’S NEWEST DEALERSHIPS
TOP 10
DEALERS
APRIL'10 - JUNE '10
Passion Play
RE Dealer Javeen Mathew's passion for Royal Enfield takes him on an epic ride
Dhone Automobiles
Pune
Royal Motors
Ambala
1
Manmohan Auto Stores
Chandigarh
Barnala Automobiles
Ludhiana
2
3
New dealerships that were recently added to the
ever-growing Royal Enfield network.
1
2
3
4
5
6
4
suVaani mOtOrs
Pondicherry
rr mOtOrs
Indore, Madhya Pradesh
blue saffire mOtOrs
Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh
aGarWal traCtOrs
Najibabad, UP
rOyal riders
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
rOyal enfield brand stOre
Nerul, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
Jalandhar Motors
Jalandhar
Ess Aar Motors
New Delhi
HSR Services
Bangalore
Southern Motors
Chennai
Soniya Motors
Mumbai
South Delhi Motorcycles
New Delhi
5
4
J
aveen’s, the
authorized Royal
Enfield dealer at
Kottayam in Kerala,
is an exclusive Royal Enfield
dealership with specialised
service centre and spares.
Started in July 2008 by Javeen
Mathew, a Royal Enfield
enthusiast, who proudly rides
his LB 500 sporting some
great modifications to make it
a special motorcycle. In a short
time Javeen’s has managed to
gain the confidence of many
a Royal Enfield customer
and has established a name
and fame for Royal Enfield
in the region. This is also due
to Javeen himself being a
customer of Royal Enfield and
catering to all the needs of the
customer. Other attractions
at Javeens include trendy
bike accessories, Indian and
imported helmets along
with some classic motorcycle
miniature models sold as
collectibles.
Javeen also helps organize
adventurous biking, rallying
and long rides and even guides
his customers in customization
of motorcycles. He has been
involved in getting branded
merchandise to the enthusiast
and has even helped form a
local Royal Enfield riders club.
Javeen’s passion for restoring
old Royal Enfield motorcycles
keeps this man tinkering away
endlessly at his workshop.
His love for motorsport led
him to organize the Bullet
Mountain Challenge – a
homegrown event especially
for Royal Enfield riders which
has become a big attraction
in the past few years. He has
participated in various rallies
and motor sport events since
1989 and is the main organizer
of the Rubber City Challenge
(the ultimate close circuit mud
track event), Pagal Jump, Pagal
Wheelie, Rubber City Rally and
Motor Gymkhana.
Even after participating and
conducting all these events,
his thirst to reach on the top
of the world in his all-time
favourite Enfield Bullet made
him sleepless and restless.
Javeen’s level of enthusiasm
is evident from the fact that
in order to participate in the
Himalayan Odyssey 2010,
he started preparation way
back and even quit smoking
to maintain a high level of
physical fitness for this ride.
Finally, on 19 June 2010, he
made his way to Khardung
La from Delhi. After having
completed the Himalayan
Odyssey successfully, he
continued the journey as part
of his Him-Sagar expedition
by riding from Khardungla
to Kanyakumari on his
Royal Enfield to touch the
southernmost point – Indira
Point – to spread awareness
about global warming.
His epic journey took
him from Delhi through
Jaipur-Gujarat-MumbaiGoa-Bangalore-Madurai–
Kanyakumari–Indira Point–
Kottarakkara Chengannur
Thiruvalla-Changanasserry
and finally ended on 19
July 2010 at Kottayam. The
companion for the journey
was his favourite KL05-Z690,
a single seater Royal Enfield
Bullet Machismo 500, painted
fire engine red and equipped
with 20-litre fuel tank, freeflow exhaust, steering damper,
a Thunder Bird front fork
assembly and a sump guard.
The gear and brakes were
taken back to the old position
to have the feel of an Enfield.
Tyres used were 4.25-18 (rear)
and 3.25-19 (front).
Javeen’s ride to spread
awareness about global
warming found him many
admirers en-route. At Jaipur
he stayed for three days as he
visited nearby villages and the
sarpanch of Choutee village,
Manider Singh Yadav, was so
pleased and moved that he
had this to say: “Hamara 57
sal ki zindagi mein tourist ko
hum ne bahut dekha hai, lekin
kabhi bhi koi itna safar kar ke
hum gaonwalon ko seekhane
nahi aya.” (I have seen lots
of tourists in my 57 years of
life, but no one had travelled
this much to teach us). In
Gujarat he stayed for four days
visiting the remote villages
like Sikka, Salaya Santhalpur
and Sidhada. The villagers of
Sidhada provided night stay
and organized a cultural show
for their hero in his roaring
red Enfield. Further down the
road, warm receptions with
activities were arranged at
Goa, Bangalore, Kanyakumari,
Kottarakara, Thiruvalla,
Kodimatha and Kottayam by
various Bullet club members
and organizstions.
The culmination of his ride
was marked by a ceremony on
19 July 2010 at Thirunakka
Maidanam, Kottayam in
the auspicious presence of
Hon. Justice of Supreme
Court, Padma Bhushan K.T.
Thomas, which was arranged
by Municipal Council, JCI
Kottayam, Y’s Mens Club,
Public Library, Kerala
Merchant’s Association, Press
Club Kottayam, Nature Club,
Kottayam Club, CSI Church
Committee, Rubber City Motor
Sports Club, Pala Bullet Club
and Kottayam Bullets.
5
NEWS
USA
IN
D
L
IE
F
N
E
L
A
Y
RO
kEEp ridiNg
Nirvana at Mount Abu
First-timer Nikhil Paul’s account of the ride to Mt Abu organised by Sarabhai Motors, Ahmedabad
25
r
Oyal enfield Was tHe marQuee sPOnsOr
at the Venice Vintage Motorcycle Rally which took
place in Southern California. Reckoned as the world’s
oldest motorcycle brand, Royal Enfield’s presence
was made significant by the presence of the Design
Chief Singaravelu ‘Siva’ Sivakumar and Andrew
Ananthraj who looks after Exports. This participation brought along with it the legacy of the brand and not just the
motorcycles. The executives from Royal Enfield actively interacted
with the cognoscenti present at the event taking feedback from them
on their thoughts on the ideal enthusiast motorcycle. Needless to say,
a lot of interesting information was captured which would help in the
planning of future motorcycle designs from the Royal Enfield stable.
The Venice Vintage Motorcycle Rally formally started off on Sunday,
July 11 at Venice, California. Besides the competitive ride event, the
other attractions were the hunt for a Classic Biker Beauty and a Miss
Venice Vintage Pin-up contest featuring participants decked in classy
retro-style swimsuits.
Kevin Mahoney, President, Royal Enfield USA (a division of Classic
Motorworks) was also present on the occasion and laid emphasis on
showcasing the Royal Enfield Classic motorcycles. He said that the
creative direction for the new Royal Enfield motorcycles has always
been influenced heavily by the inputs collected directly from the riders and enthusiasts and this process helped Royal Enfield understand
the exact need of the rider/enthusiast. He went on to state that the
Royal Enfield motorcycles were built by, and for the people / riders
who loved classic bikes. He also emphasised that events like the
Venice Vintage Rally provide an excellent avenue for the vintage and
classic motorcycle community to help shape the future of the Royal
Enfield model line.
This fact was actually proven by the number of people asking what
vintage did the Royal Enfield Classic belong to, thus creating that
aura and charm of the days gone by. At the venue giant Royal Enfield
banners were placed across walls. The new Royal Enfield Classic
motorcycles were on display and Royal Enfield staff were there to
talk to people who expressed their curiosity about the motorcycles
and giving them more information about Royal Enfield in the USA. To
sum it up in a few words, the Venice show was definitely an inspiring
display of the Royal Enfield brand to this part of the American market
Along with the Vintage show, Royal Enfield team also visited the famous Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum to see the various famed
motorcycles of yesteryears that had made a significant impact on the
motorcycling world in general and had become legends in themselves. A few Royal Enfield motorcycles also were part of this unique
display of exquisite motorcycles and the team felt real proud to see
examples of their marque earn a place in this prestigious museum.
6
Royal Enfield
machines, 28
riders, smooth
open roads,
sounds exhilarating? Well I
can tell you, it’s Nirvana! And
that is exactly what I felt on
the ride to Mt Abu organised
by the Ahmedabad RE dealer
(Sarabhai Motors). I am
Nikhil Paul, employed with
an automobile company and a
proud owner of an Electra 5S
for the past one year. Finally I
got the chance to live with her
like a real rider on this trip.
Day 1 17th April was the day
I had been eagerly waiting for
because that was the day this
ride to Mt Abu was going to
happen. We all assembled at
6 am at a very famous garden
in Ahmedabad. As the riders
came in and as an increasing
number of Royal Enfield
motorcycles were parked, the
morning walkers were giving
us scared looks. The sight
was intimidating! Men with
the common passion –riding
their Bullets – had already
started to get to know one
another. After a short briefing
on riding and safety tips we
fired up our Enfields and the
sound of 25 beasts let loose
must have shaken up the whole
neighbourhood.
We made our way to the
highway in single file as
instructed and regrouped at
a petrol pump. After tanking
up, helmets were strapped on,
throttles twisted and we took
off! We had first-time riders
like myself and experienced
riders like Kaustabh Misra
(RE Ahmedabad dealer and
tour organiser) and Pradeep
Chaurasia (ASM, RE) who took
charge as lead riders.
Our first break came up at
a restaurant a few kilometres
before Mehsana. After
appeasing our hunger we took
off again and this time as the
traffic thinned out, all the
wrists were doing the same
thing–full throttle on! And the
sound was just magnificent
with 25 bikes roaring in
symphony. And for me, a first
timer it was NIRVANA! I had
never experienced anything
like this ever before and I had
the biggest smile on my face.
As there were many first-time riders, we had a few
stops to regroup. After 5 hours
of some really fast riding we
made our pit stop at Abu Road
just before the climb to Mt
Abu. We freshened up and
gave the bikes some rest as we
were in for some really tough
uphill riding. Again we had a
briefing on how to ride on hilly
roads. We were divided into 3
groups, fast, medium and slow
as per the rider’s skill. The fast
group left first and the others
followed with a gap of a minute
each. The ride up was an
experience of a totally different
kind. The twisting roads and
the exhaust beat bouncing off
the mountain were a simply
superb aural experience. We
all regrouped midway at a
nice open space were all the
bikes were parked in a row.
This was the customary photoopportunity with all the riders
standing besides their bikes
with smiles on the riders and
shine on the rides.
Due to some oil spillage
in the road two of our riders
skidded off the road. Thanks
to the slow speed they were
riding at, no one was hurt and
the bikes just suffered a few
minor scratches. The second
7
keep riding
rider to skid off immediately
signalled us to watch out for
the oil spill and made us stop
on the road side. After all was
checked and assured that no
one was hurt, we were back on
the road and by 2:30 pm we
rode into our hotel. After the
check-in and half an hour’s
rest we were back on our
bikes for a gruelling session
of off-road riding. We made
our way slowly to the outskirts
of the town and soon were
on dirt winding up and down
the curvy track. We came to
a halt at a completely rocky
and elevated ground which
was perfect for our off-roading
session. After our leaders
(Kaustubh and Pradeep)
scoped out the terrain and
tracks we were ready to go.
With the bikes in first gear,
one by one we rode down to
the open path near the foot
of the chosen hill. There was
decent amount of mud which
we waded through and soon
we were making our way up
the elevated ground. The
torque for which the Enfield
our famous for was flowing
in abundance as we made our
way up. We reached the spot
where it was safe for all of us
stop for a breather. From there
was the real climb on totally
rocky terrain which we had
to ride up and boy it was one
tough climb. I had confidence
in my bike but not myself so
I wisely opted to stay down
but those who had nerves of
steel didn’t need to think even
once. The sight of those riders
rocketing up the path was
just jaw dropping. Neither the
riders nor the machines felt on
foreign paths. It was like the
paths were made for our Bulls!
After spending a good hour
and a number of photographs
we made our way back to the
town. We had one or two riders
stuck in the mud but the locals
and the torque helped them
out in no time. Our second stop
was Nakki Lake, a famous spot
8
NEWS
Free
Service
camp
Royal Enfield organised a Free
Service Camp for its customers
at their dealer Lamba Enterprises
in Delhi from 20th March 2010 to
22nd March 2010. A Total of 39
customers were attended to in
this camp.
in Mt Abu. As the machines
rode down the road to the
lake, the sounds of the bulls
were enough to clear the way
with no horns required. After
spending some time by the lake
we headed back to the hotel.
After all the riders had
freshened up, we all gathered
up for nice relaxing session
under the starry sky. Jokes,
experiences, stories and a
formal introduction followed
till the wee hours of the night.
The bed never looked so
inviting to me because the first
day was super exhausting but it
felt perfect.
Day 2As all of the riders had
slept late in the night so it was
inevitable that all got up late.
But along with me a few other
riders had to experience the
early morning ride and so we
were up at the crack of dawn
to roar down Abu’s deserted
roads. We made our way to
a place called ‘Gau Mukh’
which was on a higher ground
than the city. The view of the
land below was just breathtaking. We headed back to
the hotel and as we reached
the riders were all ready to
hit the breakfast. We had a
super group photo-session
lined up after the breakfast. 25
riders and 25 bikes parked in
a semi circle. After the photosession we took off to explore
Sunset Point from where the
eagle-eye view of the ground
thousands of feet below us
was spectacular. Soon it was
time to head back as we had
a long and hot ride back to
Ahmedabad. After tanking up
our rides we were again back
on the winding roads of Abu
at 12 noon. Downhill riding
again is again something very
tough but all that is required
is patience and control. But we
had our second mishap and
this one was really serious.
One of the riders was pushed
into the cement railing by a
rowdy truck driver. He hit
the railing with his head and
skidded a good 8 metres on the
road on his chest. But thanks
to the helmet and the riding
jacket that he was wearing, he
escaped with just a bruise in
his leg. Even the bike did not
get too damaged and was in
riding condition. This shows
the importance of a helmet
and safety gear while riding.
Helmet is must whenever you
are on a two wheeler. After
reassuring that he and his bike
were fine we were back on the
road. And in an hour’s ride
we were back in Abu Road
our first stop for lunch. The
wind seemed to be blowing
in a mildly violent way but it
was nothing to what was in
store for us. As we left Abu
Road to hit the highway the
winds picked up speed. We hit
the highway and twisted the
throttle against a strong head
wind that was so violent that
our bikes felt a little shaky.
But as a few kilometres were
chewed up , headwind felt like
an old friend and were back
to speeding our way down
the highway. We had decided
that we are going to reach
Ahmedabad without having to
switch on our headlights. The
rides and riders both needed
to cool down as the heat was
scorching and we had been
riding hard so we stopped just
outside Palanpur. One of our
rides had a breakdown and
so the bike had to be repaired
too. After the job was done
we were back on the highway
and the break had helped us
cool down so we were soon
thundering down the hignway.
The third stop was in Mehsana
at the Dudh Sagar dairy shop
where we all gulped down
flavoured milk and ice cream
to cool ourselves down. The
highway between Mehsana and
Ahmedabad has a lot of traffic,
but after some fast, skilled
and orderly driving we were in
Ahmedabad at 7:30 pm.
Freelance
Mechanics
34 freelance mechanics were
invited to the Free Lance Mechanics Meet to educate them and
train them on the UCE platform in
Rohtak, Haryana.
Mega
Service
Camp
A Mega Service Camp was
organised at HSR Enterprises,
Bengaluru from 4th May, 2010
to 8th May, 2010 for all Royal
Enfield owners and a total of 125
motorcycles were attended to in
this camp.
Royal Enfield conducted a Mega
Service Camp at Karnal from
22nd July, 2010 to 24th July,
2010 at Monga Motors, Karnal.
A total of 82 bikes were serviced
during this mega service camp.
9
gear check
DESERT STORM
Dateline: Dubai
CAMELBAK HYDROPAK
An efficient way
to drink on the go,
the ever popular
Camelbak Hydropak
is the most popular
hydration pack available in India. One of
the first hydration
packs to be seen
in the motorcycling
scene in India, this
versatile hydration
pack is ideal for all
sorts of activities and
features a low profile
and a comfortable
design. Although it
appears small, it can
comfortably carry 1.5
litres of water. Using
the suction nozzle is
also very easy as it
easily reaches into a
helmet by opening
the visor a little bit.
The water capacity
is sufficient for 2–4
hours of riding.
The drinking pipe
also is long enough
to suit riders of any
height and adjustable
shoulder straps can
The Dubai Royal Enfield Enthusuasts kick up a desert storm every week on their C5 machines
make this pack sit
comfortably on you
back based on your
preferences. It also
does not interfere
at all with the
helmet or any jacket
protrusions.
The Dubai Royal Enfield
enthusiasts initially started off with
fortnightly rides but with time have
started doing regular weekly rides
on Fridays. A total of 32 Royal
Enfield motorcycles were sold in
Other features
include
• External zip pocket
for keys and essentials
• Easy, convenient
filling with external
cap access to the
water reservoir
• Low-profile design
keeps pack stable
and doesn't interfere
with helmet
• Soft mesh harness
is comfortable and
breathable
• The later (2010)
models also have
reflective colours and
piping to increase
low light visibility
Dubai itself in a short time and 28
people joined in as members of the
riding group. On every Wednesday
we send ride invites to all riders by
email that has the ride route, map,
expected ride distance, time, terrain
and the lead rider’s name. Rajan
and I lead our rides and we always
have a support SUV with water, soft
drinks, snacks and mechanic.
We open our showroom on
Friday morning around 5.30 am. We
start from our showroom around
6 am. (Due to fast approaching
summer, we will start at 5.30 from
mid May onwards). The lead rider
explains the route again before the
ride and explains group ride rules.
We stop few places for photo stops
and coffee.
The ride usually takes us through
AGV FVS HELMET
some back country roads, mountain
The AGV FVS
helmet is perhaps
one of the most
popular helmets
used by riders in
India who regularly
tour. The AGV FVS
helmet is one of the
oldest models of
the AGV line-up and
has been around in
the Indian market
for quite some time
but people swear
by the worthiness
of their AGV FVS
helmets. All the
AGV shells available in India have
more or less same
quality as they are
closely similar.
The visor on the
AGV helmet is not
prone to scratches
easily, however
tinted and black
visors are a little
extra dark making
12
riding in low light
conditions a bother.
Also the visors are
not anti glare hence
oncoming lights are
often reflected right
inside the helmet.
Removal and refitting of the visor is a
simple process and
once the knack is
understood a visor
replacement is just
a 5-minute job. The
removable liner is
washable but warm
and humid weather
ends up making
you sweat. It's
advisable to wear a
beanie or balaclava beneath the
helmet. The major
flaw of this helmet
is the build up of
moisture inside.
The vents provided
are not sufficient
and hence the visor
fogs up on cold and
rainy days. Luckily
the visor has adjustable steps and
you can ride with
the visor slightly
open. Available in
solid colours like
Matt Black, Canary
Yellow, Pearl White
and also in some
snazzy graphic
designs these
helmets are manufactured in India
by Forma Sports in
the Rs 2000 – 2500
band, which is quite
affordable. Some
stockists also keep
Moto GP (Rossi)
replica imported
AGV helmets which
are similar in dimensions but priced
at least 10 times
higher than the
AGV’s manufactured in India
roads, roads along the desert and
few off-road mountain and wadi (dry
river bed) tracks. Our longest ride is
around 400 km and shortest ride is
around 200 km. We are planning for
wheels. But I have to
months since I’ve got my C5; al-
few two-day rides during next riding
repeat this here – see-
though we’ve ridden on many occa-
season (October to March).
ing the Classic at the
sions, I’m always looking forward to
Bike Show recently
my next ride out with the Bulleteers.
“Royal Enfield Owners club of
was a case of love at
I’ve always had a lot of fun riding
Middle East and Africa” on Face-
first sight for me. The
with the Bullet boys – I guess a lot
book (www.facebook.com/#!/group.
subsequent demo ride
has to do with the effort Nelson and
php?gid=198654472533&ref=ts)
a couple of days later
his team take in planning interest-
where you can find some of the ride
was a mere formality.
ing routes every week. Equally
photos. If you want I can send some
A couple of days, a pre-
importantly, making arrangements
more photos.
mature ICICI retirement
We formed an online group
We shall continue to ride even
for refreshments and breakfast! The
plan and an overwhelm-
count on the support from the local
sight in our rear-view mirrors of his
during peak summer also. Perhaps
ing sense of nostalgia later, and I
dealer. Nelson and his team are
now familiar Pajero with seasoned
we just might start the ride earlier
became the proud owner of a 2010
stars. Knowing that my C5 is in the
mechanics and a bunch of spares
and ride for a relatively shorter
Royal Enfield Classic 500!
safest hands with them allows me
makes us a pampered lot of riders.
the luxury of tinkering with bits and
One could get used to this!
technical guy. I know as much
bobs on the bike. As always, a bike
I could go on, but there’s so many
about the insides of a motorcycle
is never ever completely done and
more rides to come, so much more
Love at first sight – this is
as George W. Bush knew about
that’s the way it is with my C5. it’s
fun to have, so many more bugs to
probably an overused term when
running a country. Its therefore
always a work-in-progress beauty.
eat while grinning ear-to-ear…..
describing a very desirable set of
very reassuring for me that I can
On the road, it’s been less than 3
distance.
Nelson Suresh Kumar
I’m not (yet!) a very hands-on
Riyaz Neem
13
hiMalayaN OdySSEy 2010
hiMalayaN OdySSEy 2010
The seventh edition of the famed Himalayan Odyssey tested the mettle of 60 riders on their Royal
Enfields as they battled the elements to ride to the roof of the world
TO GREaTER HEIGHTS
The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a
lifetime. The sheer pleasure of discovering
oneself while surmounting the challenges
of perilous terrain is a tribute to the togetherness, the attitude and the bond that
a motorcycle can create amongst total
strangers.” - SACHIN CHAVAN, LEAD RIDER,
HIMALAYAN ODYSSEY, 2010
I
t is this happiness that a bunch of
riders set out to pursue early morning on 19 June, 2010 from India
Gate, New Delhi, as the seventh
edition of the Himalayan Odyssey
was flagged off by RL Ravichandran, CEO,
Royal Enfield Motorcycles. This edition of
the Himalayan Odyssey charted a slightly
different course and extended the definition of arduous adventure riding. Going beyond Khardung La
into Nubra valley and exploring
virgin territory, this annual ride
organized by Royal Enfield delivered incomparable excitement to
all its 60 participants. The addition
of the new route this year meant
additional preparation, physical
as well as mental, to tackle the un14
known and undiscovered. It also required
a little extra determination and grit from
everyone to be prepared to tackle this territory earlier not known to the Himalayan
Odyssey. Pre-ride preparations also meant
higher levels of physical fitness, which was
verified by a physical fitness test conducted
by Royal Enfield for all participants. Running 5 km and doing 50 push-ups certified
all of them to be having the basic fitness to
tackle the harsh terrain and the difficult
climate. The youngest member of this entourage was all of 22, while the oldest was
nearly touching 60, an open testimony to
the fact that where there is a will, there is
a way. En route, medical help for
the bikers
and mechanical help for their machines
was always on-hand 24/7 in the form of
a doctor who was also riding along and a
couple of support vehicles carrying mechanics and spares.
The flag-off ceremony began with the
chants of morning ragas, a ‘rose-and-tilak’
ceremony for all the bikers by children before the the riders moved out in two-by-two
formation, the thump of their bikes accompanied by the high notes of the classical
crescendo. After the flag-off and an escort
till the outskirts of Delhi, the group of bikers stopped for their first break at the Rasoi
Dhaba for parathas and meeting up with a
special rider who had participated
in the earlier Odyssey. They immediately set off again making good
speed as they rolled into Chandigarh by mid-day and settled into
their hotel. The summer heat took
a toll on the riders as well as the
machines but in true Himalayan
Odyssey spirit it was all attended to and the next day everyone
was ready to hit the hills.
The 2nd day saw the riders
move from the plains to the
foothills of the Himalayas. Erratic tourist traffic and haphazardly driven trucks
on the winding mountain roads couldn’t
prove to be any deterrent to this bunch of
enthusiastic bikers who reached Manali in
good time. It was here in Manali that some
of the participants caught a glimpse of
snow-laden peaks for the first time.
The 3rd day the ride up from Manali to
Keylong was a little strenuous for the newbies as it crossed the first mountain pass in
the route—Rohtang La, 13,051 feet high.
The ride up Rohtang was made more difficult by sporadic drizzles of rain as well
as a few flat tyres as the bikes encountered
rough roads for the first time. Rohtang itself was suffering from chock-a-bloc traffic due to the overflow of tourists but the
Royal Enfield machines made good use of
their power and torque to coast up steep
slopes and wiggle through narrow places
before the descent into Khoksar for lunch
and rider registration at the police checkpost. Keylong saw half the group stay in
a hotel while the other half stayed in huts
alongside a monastery that has an exhilarating valley view of the confluence of the
Chandra and Bhaga rivers coming together
to form the Chenab. Keylong was the place
by which most of the riders as well as bikes
had their first set of repairs done on them
and the terrain now onwards as well as the
climate was going to be tough. It was here,
at Tandi, that we had the last fuel pump before Leh, a long 356 km ahead.
On the 4th day we moved on from Key-
BY PRAVEEN P SATHAYE
long towards Sarchu as we ascended up
to the notorious Barlacha La pass at an
altitude of 16,500 feet, which had just
been cleared for traffic and still had snow
piled up 10 to 15 feet on both sides of the
road. The narrow road did have its share
of traffic jams but for our motorcycles any
gap was big enough to squeeze through
15
hiMalayaN OdySSEy 2010
16
hiMalayaN OdySSEy 2010
17
himalayan odyssey
knocking off some snow from the sides as
we moved ahead and descended into Sarchu. At Sarchu that we realised that we
had gained a lot of height as well as had
suffered a significant drop in temperature
in a relatively quick time. To make matters
worse we stayed in quickly put together
Alpine-style tents and had to brave windchill as long as we were outdoors. Some of
us did fall sick here as symptoms of Acute
Mountain Sickness reared its head but the
doctors on duty made sure each and everyone was fit the next morning as we started
off towards Leh.
T
he 5th day ride from Sarchu
to Leh was one gruelling ride
as we first encountered the
21 hairpin bends of the Gata
Loops and climbed into Lachung-la and then descended into Pang riding through some breathtaking landscapes
for a lunch break and regroup. As we moved
into Pang most of us were exhausted but
just about had the energy to go forward.
We moved on from Pang and crossed the
vast and deserted More Plains before riding up to Tanglang La, the second highest
motorable pass in this region as well as the
world at 17,500 feet. It was cold and windy
up there and we barely stopped for a few
minutes just to click the few customary
photographs and roll down quickly to Upshi from where Leh was a smooth ride on
paved roads.
The 6th day was a day off for all of the
participants but the technicians worked
overtime to ensure that the bikes were kept
in good shape for the next big adventure,
namely Khardung La. After a well-earned
and well-deserved day’s rest in Leh we set
off towards Khardung La on the 7th day of
the Odyssey. As we ascended the slow drizzle we had encountered turned to sleet and
the temperature started dropping drastically. By the time we reached the checkpost
at South Pullu, visibility had dropped down
to a bare minimum and we could hardly see
anything. We still managed to go on and
crossed the highest motorable road in the
world at Khardung La (18,380 feet) amidst
freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall.
The snow and ice on the road was making
riding difficult but after crossing North
Pullu, we rode into a very different landscape of Nubra Valley which has the amazing many-hued desert mountains and soft
sand dunes donning the horizon. The temperature had also become more comfort18
able as we rolled into Hunder and stayed
in comfortable tents at a picturesque camp
along a swiftly flowing stream.
On the 8th day we had plans to go via the
newly-opened Wari La route but because
of the bad weather the pass had still not
opened and our camping sites at Tsokar and
Sakthi had not been supplied adequately
so we decided to retrace the route back
via Khardung La. This time the legendary
group photograph took place at the sand
dunes of Nubra Valley and what a spectacle it was. The ride back to Khardung La
was better as the sun was merciful and was
shining in its full glory. Most of the snow
we had encountered had melted which led
us to a new problem — deep water crossings. This time Khardung La was still cold
but sunny and we could spend considerable time taking photographs and enjoying the moment on the top of the world.
We camped in a meadow at Rumtse under
the shadow of Tanglang La that night after
crossing Upshi.
On the 9th day it was Rumtse to Sarchu
with a quick dash across More plains. At
Sarchu most of us were quite relaxed now
as we had got quite acclimatised to the altitude as well as the weather and had started to soak in the scenery. Bigger tents with
cots had also been set up and so the night
was spent in cosy comfort, a far cry from
our earlier experience at Sarchu.
The 10th day saw us fuelling up for contingencies we moved on to Keylong via
Barlacha La—luckily for us it was not
blocked or completely snow laden, but we
did have some tricky water crossings that
were swollen with snowmelt. At Keylong
some motorcycles did need some work on
them as they had taken a battering. Despite being built strong, the harsh terrain
and riding conditions do take a toll on the
riders as well as their mounts.
On the 11th day of the ride from Keylong
we took a different route again to explore
the Spiti Valley by moving towards Gramphu instead of Rohtang and then after
some really challenging water crossings
and extremely rough roads reached Kaza.
The ride to Kaza was definitely eventful
as we also passed pretty close to Chandra Tal and saw amazing sights. The ride
up the 16,000 feet high Kunzum La pass
was made more exciting with rains having
washed out most of the roads and replacing
them with muddy fast flowing streams.
On the 12th day after tanking up at Kaza
we headed towards Kalpa where in we descended further into Kinnaur valley region
of Himachal Pradesh. The roads had now
become better but were still a set of winding twisties around cliffs. Rain had started
now and we were all getting drenched as
we were riding down into warmer and
more populated areas. Kalpa was definitely a sight to see with the Kinner-Kailash mountain in the background and lush
green forested valley in the foreground.
On the 13th day after taking ample rest
at Kalpa we all realised that the ride was
slowly coming to an end as we had moved
from difficult roads into easier stretches
and more and more traffic infested roads.
We rolled into Narkanda which was the
last of our hill stops.
On the 14th day as we descended further
from Narkanda we were nearing Delhi it
also marked the end of our epic journey.
Withdrawal symptoms had started affecting all of us as we again wanted to rather
head back into the mountains rather than
descend further into the plains. Finally we
reached Parwanoo after bypassing Simla
and Kalka and riding through coniferous
forests via Chail.
On the 15th day the last and final leg of
the ride was from Parwanoo to Delhi on
the NH 1 and we hit 4-lane highways and
fast moving traffic. As we neared Delhi the
climate was getting hotter and hotter and
our bikes and bodies which had endured
minus 4 degrees were now starting to feel
uneasy as we neared 40 degrees centigrade.
Slowly all of us trickled into Delhi and rode
towards Gurgaon where all of us had been
accommodated in a lush green country resort. As the last of the riders of the Royal
Enfield Himalayan Odyssey 2010 rolled
into the Holiday Resort in the outskirts
of Delhi, the whole atmosphere was reverberating to the loud thumps of 60-plus
Royal Enfield motorcycles and their riders
cheering away as the ride successfully culminated.
After reaching the final point all of us
were overjoyed at the accomplishment
we had just achieved and the adventure
we had enjoyed. Soon it was time then to
pack up the bikes and the luggage and finally bid adieu to our companions on this
epic journey. This was a journey in which
we reached the highest motorable point in
the world and had discovered a new world
within our own worlds. That evening we
all let our hair down and enjoyed the music and food to the fullest at the party that
was organised to celebrate this spectacle.
60-plus bikers had embarked on this epic
journey just a couple of weeks back and had
all reached back safely after traversing the
mighty Himalayas as part of the legendary
ride that was the Royal Enfield Himalayan
Odyssey 2010.
19
blast from the past
Royal Enfield Bullet G2, 346cc, OHV single
The 1949/52 Royal Enfield Bullet G2 was one of the most versatile machines of its time. The 350cc engine was a torquey little number that
would become famed for both its ability to plod on at low speeds and its willingness to romp along when called upon to do so. At its heart,
a 70mm x 90mm bore and stroke was contained in an iron cylinder deeply spigotted (recessed) into a vertically split alloy crankcase. The
alloy cylinder head (also spigotted into the barrel) had its valves set at 90-degrees to each other and featured cast-in valve seats and a castin spark plug insert. It had an Amal carburetter, a Lucas magneto that fired the engine and the sturdy 1-up, 3-down four speed Albion
gearbox bolted directly to the back of the engine giving a compact design. Stopping power came with 6-inch front and rear brakes. Suspension consisted of Enfield's own telescopic front fork (two-way damped) and, more controversially, Enfield’s own brand of swinging arm
frame that signalled the demise of the rigid frame trials bike. And over the next decade, the Bullet, with its neat and compact rockin’n’rollin
chassis, was a common and consistently formidable force on the muddy weekend trials arena leaving most of the rest of the competition
struggling on with their increasingly dated and uncompetitive plunger or rigid chassis.
No points for guessing which modern day Royal Enfield motorcycle has derived its inspiration from this brilliant traditional single .
20
21
weather gods
weather gods
photograph by harsh man rai
Weathering
The Storm
Headline for this
Intro to this story too
T
his summer as I got back to my desk after a long time, I
could not escape the inevitable conversations that people have about the rising temperatures and how bad the
summer was going to be. It brought back memories of my
friend Surya – some of you might have had the pleasure
of his company. It wasn’t unusual to have him butt into a ‘weather’
conversation and say “there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad
clothing.” It generally put an end to the conversation about weather. I
suspect he stole this line from the SAS survival manual that he carried
with him with more respect than the Bible or the Gita.
For a motorcyclist, the weather in India does pose a huge challenge.
It’s OK if you are riding between a narrow band of 10 to 15 degrees in
hot or cold conditions, but when your ride takes you from 5 to 35 then
you have a serious problem on your hands. And many a times that’s just
within the same day. This phenomenon has led me to quite a few laughs
over the years.
How many times have you seen guys with new jackets sweating it our
really bad cause they haven’t figured that there is a removable liner?
I’ve worn a jacket for 5000km, and then crashed, (and got hurt) 20km
after I removed the jacket. Yup, I felt it was too hot!
Removable liners are the best. If it’s hot, and you feel there are chances of rain then you need to take a call; you can wear the removable
waterproof liners and be hot throughout the day (yes, I have the best
of the breathable ones but it doesn’t work as advertised: ask me how I
know) or you can change when it starts to rain. Fine! So you get on the
bike and there is whole bunch of riders behind you. Its overcast and
you know it could start pouring any time. You mentally start checking
shelter areas where you could stop and change. When a whole group of
riders are riding the first guy to stop at the slightest sign of rain is generally considered a wimp. And most of the times as soon as the riders
are all geared up the clouds disappear and the sun comes out to test the
breathability of your gear. It’s as if you are part of a larger comedy show
When you decide not to be intimidated by the light drizzle and
wait for the real downpour you can’t find any shelter like the ones you
passed there is simply either no cover, or there are too many people for
you to have room enough to strip and put the waterproof liners in your
suit. They become harder to put on under pressure and it’s definitely
not helped by the fact that you are already slightly wet. When you finally get your clothing right and start believing in Surya’s dictum, you
need to stop, either to eat or for attending a breakdown or just waiting
for someone who got left behind. Most riding jackets don’t have hoods
and you can’t take off the helmet for the fear of getting your head wet.
So there you are being comfortably rain protected, saving your head
with the helmet. Not really a great feeling!
This is just the rain but both cold and heat also pose its unique problems! Do tell me how you guys actually deal with the weather when riding. Right now the ceiling fan on my head feels like it’s an exhaust fan
and I am definitely on the wrong side of it. I silently wish that the guys
who designed our office uniforms had spent more time with Surya.
- sachin chavan
22
23
ONliNE
ridEr prOfilE
re’S web
worlD
a primer to royal enfield’s social and digital media initiatives
that’s helping build our online community
the enthusiasts and keep them updated on
the various developments happening either
in terms of products or events. One such
instance was the regular updates on the
progress and adventures of the riders during the Himalayan Odyssey 2010. Regular
updates not only helped family and friends
keep track of the progress of the riders but
after the Odyssey was over it turned into
a discussion forum with nearly 50 of the
riders uploading their photographs and
sharing them on each others’ walls and
commenting on the same. The discussions
kept the memories alive and actually most
of the participants felt as if they never got
off the Himalayas.
The Facebook Profile can be accessed at:
eaStern enthuSiaSt
Mark Shullai from Meghalaya recounts his enduring love story with his royal enfields
www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.ph
p?id=100000958202582&v=info&ref=ts
WEBSITE: The Royal Enfield website
www.royalenfield.com has been in existence for quite some time and over time has
been getting richer and richer delivering a
whole new set of features and interesting
links for the Royal Enfield enthusiast. In
fact by the time the next issue of The Beat
comes out next quarter the website would
have undergone a sea change in terms of
look and feel as well as functionality and
features associated with it. One of the
main features in terms of content are the
Blogs we are writing on the website.
Blogs on the Website: A lot of corporates
have started a new trend of publishing the
thoughts and experiences of key stakeholders as part of their corporate blogs. The
blogs on our website are currently penned
by Sachin Chavan, Santhosh and Dr Venki
Padmanabhan and give an outline of general industry trends, life at Royal Enfield
and the riding lifestyle in general. This blog,
besides being informative, also doubles up
as an interesting read, humour included as
it is a reflection of one’s individual amusement with several things in life.
Do read these blogs at the following link:
24
www.royalenfield.com/re_blog/index.asp
Feel free to put down your views as comments on the blog. We look forward to
hearing what you feel about them
FACEBOOK: Royal Enfield Motorcycles
is active on Facebook and has already established contact with over 2500 people
over the social media network. This platform is currently being used to reach out to
The Facebook group from Royal Enfield
is called the Royal Enfield Discoverers
where we encourage people to define and
enjoy that one moment of discovery where
they find new places, people, adventures, or
simply rediscover themselves while riding
on their Royal Enfield motorcycles. This
group is a platform for discussions and also
has breaking news, event notifications and
image libraries (photo galleries) shared by
all the members of the group. The Royal
Enfield Discoverers also shall serve as a
platform for Royal Enfield enthusiasts active on Facebook to receive notifications
about events as well as other updates with
reference to Royal Enfield products and
services.
The Royal Enfield Discoverers on
Facebook can be accessed at: www.
f a c e b o o k . c o m / h o m e . p h p? # ! / g r o u p .
php?gid=110631395635463
H
ey guys, my name is Mark
V Shullai and I am 29
years old. I was born and
brought up in Meghalaya
also known as the “Scotland of the East”, a part of the 7 sister states
in the North East. I was always fascinated
by the Royal Enfield Bullet. I got my first
350 cast iron engined Royal Enfield in the
year 2000. Now I have got a Thunderbird
AVL 350, fully loaded 2007 model which
I usually take on all my rides as well as a
1975 model STD 350 CI. My relationship
with the Royal Enfield grew stronger listening to my father’s stories about this
motorcycle which he use to own. In spite
of all the problems the older model gives
those days, I still cannot think of riding
anything else. I’ve always wanted to go on
long rides on my motorcycle. I had heard
a lot about a Bullet club in
my town, named RERAM
(Royal Enfield Riders Association of Meghalaya),
I have always wanted to
join the club and today I
am a proud member of
RERAM – thanks guys
for the brotherhood!
The various rides that
I have ridden to are:
Rider Mania 2009 in
Ooty, which was great
fun, met most of the riders from different
places who participated. It feels so good to
have a lot of motorcyclist around.
Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, I had a
lot of fun riding there, the terrain was challenging with a lot of slush, landslides, rains
and not forgetting the cold temperature at
Sela Pass, which is at an altitude of 13700
ft ASL, where I was all drenched, fingers
numb, but it was simply awesome. Went
for a ride ahead of Tawang to a lake named
Shungetsar which is also known as Madhuri lake which freezes 5 to 6 inches on the
surface during the winters. While riding
to this lake, I had to cross an altitude of
14615ft ASL. It was great fun!
The club has organized a lot of social
activities like riding for AIDS Awareness,
Disaster Management, Christmas carolling and other activities
in which I always take
part.
I am obsessed with offroading and always love to
ride just to test myself and
bond more with my motorcycle, because I have to
understand how it handles
and how I should handle it.
When I take my bike to the mechanic
for repairing, I always like to sit around
watching what he does, because I want to
learn how to do it myself. So, that way I
tinker with my bike a lot on my own, because that will help a lot when going on
long rides to places where there are no
mechanics or a sudden breakdown in the
middle of nowhere, be it my bike or my
friends. I for one feel blessed,
since it is through my Royal
Enfield that I have made
more friends from all over
India and abroad especially
from the biking community
and this has taught me a lot
about the other cultures
and religion of different
states and countries which
in turn has given me a
feeling of self satisfaction,
confidence, tolerance and
it has changed my perception on how I feel about people living in
other parts of India and the world. Being
a member of a riding club I have been able
to ride my bike to places in Meghalaya and
the North East where an ordinary tourist would not have seen, in fact there are
places in my own State which I have never
heard of and never seen, places which are
so beautiful that I would have regretted not
seeing if not for my loyal iron steed. The camaraderie and the bond within the circle
of the biking community is so strong that
sometime I feel that we are brothers and a
feeling like that will transform itself into a
very long lasting friendship which is very
hard to break. The best part of the ride is
when I am done for the day and sitting with
the other riders over a drink which is when
the fun begins, sometimes it is pulling each
other’s legs and there are other times when
one of us strums on the guitar and the sessions begin, but the worst time is when I
get up the next morning and loading my
bike at times I wish I can ride without the
headache of re-loading my saddle bags and
just RIDE ON…
IF ANYONE WOULD WANT TO SHARE
THEIR RIDING LIFE STORY THEY COULD
EMAIL ppsathaye@royalenfield.com
25
keep riding
keep riding
Riding – the ROYAL enfield way
Royal Enfield’s “Keep Riding’ campaign seeks to promote the leisure motorcycling culture in India
by involving local communities of Royal Enfielders in local rides while teaching rider safety, riding
skills, motorcycle maintenance and emergency first-aid training
T
he “Keep Riding” Campaign
was started off by Royal Enfield to ensure more and more
Royal Enfield owners actually
went out for leisure rides and
thus be part of the leisure motorcycling
culture that we are strongly supporting. In
other words it was to encourage the owners
to do what the Royal Enfield was meant to
do and do it on a regular basis. Be ridden
across vast terrain and taken out. This was
primarily done to guide the enthusiasts
at a regional level as many of them don’t
have access or the resources to undertake
any of the national level long rides we organize. Many of these enthusiasts are not
able to get themselves accommodated on
the National rides purely due to limited
26
number of seats also as most of these rides
happen far off from their hometowns thus
making it difficult for them to participate.
They would definitely be up for it had it
been somewhere close to home and it is
here where the regions play an important
roles in conceptualizing as well as organizing these regional rides. Under this campaign the regional riders from Royal Enfield would organize a short ride preferably
over a weekend and would lead the owners
who join in to enjoy the ride and encourage
them to have more such rides on their own
too. These regional rides are spearheaded
by our ride champions who motivate the
customers to take up leisure riding and to
take to it seriously.
Recently in April a Rider’s training pro-
gram for Royal Enfield staff was also organized to support this campaign where in Riders from all regions came down to Chennai
for this program and were taught the finer
things about riding. The first half of the day
was training time at the race track where
basic motorcycling skills focussing on braking, acceleration and negotiating curves on
tarmac was taught to the riders through
guided sessions and practice runs around
the track. The second half at the track
helped everyone perfect the skills they had
learnt on the track earlier in the day and
demonstrate some good riding skills.
The next day it was time to put these
skills to test when all the riders set out to
Yercaud for a tour. Basic touring skills and
road riding skills in the real world of high-
ways, ghats, off road patches and traffic
were put to test during this ride as we all set
out from Chennai on the highway towards
Yercaud. Driving through some rural parts
of Tamil Nadu through sweltering heat did
take some toll on the riders but then it definitely was an experience worth cherishing.
At the hotel in Yercaud basic bike assembling as well as disassembling skills were
put to test where one team of riders was
asked to disassemble a bike while it was
the rival teams job to reassemble the bike
in the same amount of time and render it
ride-able. The ride homewards was accom-
panied by thundershowers which tested the
all weather capability of the riders. Overall
a well spent the 2-day period learning and
verifying skills for riding on the highway.
Once the riding and basic bike maintenance part was done what remained was to
train these riders in first aid and safety lest
on one of the rides something unfortunate
happened and they would have to take any
medical action. A basic first aid and accident relief course was organised which
across 2 days taught about the various
types of hazards and injuries as well as the
basic life saving techniques used to rescue
or treat people in such a mishap. Besides
basic first aid and bandaging etc the course
also taught CPR which in today’s world
can make a life and death difference to an
injured or unconscious rider. This course
earned them a certificate in life saving and
first aid at the end of the program.
After spending a good week getting
trained in Chennai the regional riders went
back smarter and sharper and went about
putting in their effort for the keep riding
campaign by organizing more and more
rides for the Royal Enfield owners and enthusiasts from their region. Today the ‘keep
riding’ campaign has become a successful
movement across the country with rides
happening every month across all regions
with some rides actually having an attendance of about 70-odd bikes across 3 different locations converging on a single point.
Raising the bar a step further we have also
seen 3-day rides covering over 1000 km
with a significant number of enthusiasts
turning up, thus bearing testimony to the
fact that we have been successful in inculcating the riding spirit in the Royal Enfield
owner and making him an true blue rider
enthusiast.
27
on the road
28
dealer
29
brotherhood
raging bulls
The Royal Indians Enfield Owners Club has become a nation-wide clarion call to all
passionate Royal Enfielders, from newbies to pros, to ride and explore
R
oyal Indians Enfield Owners Club is a National platform for all bull heads operating out of India’s own
Silicon Valley – Bangalore.
It all started when I, Biswaroop (aka BB),
Smruti and Heiner all three unknown faces who met on Royal Enfield Rider Wants
Rider section, set out on an unplanned
road trip to Ooty via Mudumalai Forest
from Bangalore and named the ride Jungle
Thump. Destination was fixed, road unknown, no fixed accommodation, but one
thing in common – To Ride and Explore!
The journey of 750 km led us through some
beautiful reserve forests, steep ghat sections, extreme off-road riding and tented
accommodation with no basic facilities,
30
with on and off sighting of deer, wild elephants and some spine-chilling wild calls
of animals in the dead of night, as if they
were discussing arrival of two-wheeled
intruders. The experience of 2 nights and
3 days of riding and being in the wild was
captured in the form of a Trip Log in one of
the leading motorcycle magazines of India.
This experience lead us to believe that we
want to come back to mother nature more
often and discover the wild side of riding,
and share the experience with more like
minded riders.
The next ten days at office after our return, were engaged in figuring out a name
for the Club that had got formed on this
ride and its logo; the clear thought was to
have a very close resemblance to the Royal
Enfield heritage. Finally the name and logo
got shape in the form of Royal Indians Enfield Owners Club, not specific to any city
since we wanted this to be a platform for
like-minded riders spread across the country to form their own city groups by the
same name and share the same passion.
A few months later we announced a ride
to Kemmangundi hills from Bangalore
on 15th Aug, 2009 and the Independence
Ride was attended by a group of 10 riders
from Bangalore. The wheels for RIEOC
started rolling and has gathered momentum quite fast since then. The Facebook
community group was formed immediately after, followed by Orkut Community
group and we announced our presence on
a website, which triggered riders from different cities to join the club. A chain reaction started and city moderators were appointed in Lucknow, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Goa and Bangalore.
Today RIEOC emerged as a serious business albeit with no intention of generating
money, but to ensure that Club guidelines
and rules are followed by all City moderators, every group ride is monitored by Road
Captains appointed by Moderators in their
City. Riding now became more like a culture and safe riding became the most important ride rule. A core team of 5 RIEOC
members across cities kept monitoring City
activities and were also responsible for encouraging people to take up more rides for
fun and submit trip stories for others to do
a virtual ride.
While RIEOC members would take
up weekend rides across Cities regularly,
someone pointed to a USA-based biking
website which encourages riders to take
up the World’s Most Challenging ride –
The IBA Saddle Sore 16K. Preparations
started immediately, interested riders got
themselves busy in discussing the routes,
difficulties, expenses, planning and finally
the day came when 12 RIEOC members
emerged on the most painstaking and
challenging journey to cover 1600 km in
less than 24 hours. Kanwardeep Dhaliwal (aka KD) from Royal Enfield arranged
for necessary technical support en route,
the back-end support team from a chosen
few RIEOC members kept the thump up
by monitoring the riders location on GPS
and the continuous interaction with riders were updated on Twitter to keep the
followers informed. The event ended with
some minor technical snags but the mission was successful, and RIEOC as a group
completed saddle Sore 16K.
While the main intention of RIEOC was
always to encourage riders to hit the road
more often under safe riding conditions,
very soon a talent hunt began amongst existing members in January 2010 to build
our new home www.royalindians.com
and the results were unbelievable. Deejay
took the initiative and with constant and
genuine feedback from Shiv, Arun, Lohith
and other members, our new home www.
royalindians.com was launched on 18th
March, 2010. From its inception in May
2009 till today, RIEOC has more than 250
members across India, many of whom just
enjoy being virtual members on the Facebook fan pages and the remaining enjoy
the smell of burning rubber on the outstretched roads. The members of RIEOC
are a mixed breed of newbie’s to the bullet world, pro riders, seasoned road rollers
and some expert bullet technicians, but the
passion remains one-the Royal Enfield.
– contributed by the royal indians team
31
32