An article from The Hindu Times dated Sunday 29th November 2009

/ To beat stress, one must cultivate a hobby, it is said. But the hobby itself will give pleasure only when the person pursuing it has a passion for it. And that is how some get into biking as a hobby - it is such a passion that no expense is spared to keep it going.
Arul Rajesh says, IT professional, "Biking gets me away from the monotony. On the highway, there is a freedom that cannot be matched by anything else." His romance with the bike started when he was young, and he found himself attracted to engines and two wheelers. "I hate closed vehicles. I love to ride any bike, and follow unexplored routes. The destination is not as important as the journey is."
Echoing these thoughts, 60-year-old G. Subhash Chandra Bose, says, "I find excuses to ride the bike. Even for long distances, my family travels by car but I follow them on my bike." He is employed in a fuel company and his work is also with automobiles of all kinds. "I have always believed that one must live one's life fully and completely, and in order to do so, you must equally pursue your passion at work and at play. For me biking is not merely to pass time, it is more a passion and lifestyle," says he, who feels that biking also makes him feel younger. "Most of my biking friends are half my age," he adds laughing. He has been riding for 40 years.
For these avid bikers, no distance is small. Travelling in a group or alone, they have traversed roads that lead up to the Himalayas. And the preferred bike of travel is the Bullet that is very comfortable and safe. Sridhar Doss, an IT professional, entered the biking world late, in 2004 when he was already over 40. The mundane rut of professional life demanded that find a hobby to make life interesting. He joined biking clubs to be with like-minded people, and in 2005, took off for Ladakh. "I had done a trip to Ladakh on car and had wanted to do it by bike. Now, every year we try to do one long-distance ride." He also wants to go to Lhasa by bike. "It is very exhilarating,

going to these exotic places on bike, being on top of the world, literally," he adds.

For Maya Ganesh, a copywriter, the interest started when she was in college when she saw a batch mate riding a Thunderbird, and acquired one of her own three years back. "I like cruisers like Bullet more than the button start vehicles. The mechanical ones are more fun, and I have done long rides - to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kodai, Ooty, Pondy. In January, I will be going to Mumbai with Rider Mania' When she started, there was some hesitation, but she heard that there were other women riders too, that encouraged her to look at this more seriously.

THE MACHINE

For these passionate riders, it is not just one bike that will satiate their passion. Maya, for instance, has a Thunderbird, a Yezdi and an Ind-Suzuk Arul too has a Yezdi, which he calls the Road King, a. Royal Enfield, a Yamaha and Mofa. The thrill is in acquiring old bikes and making them road-ready. Like for instance Mofa, that has been out of production, or Ind-Suzuki, with the same story. Finding the parts and adding them to make the bikes motorable is another passion the bikers share.

And with the bikes come the need for maintenance, keeping them road-ready at all times, adding fitments that make it convenient to ride through all terrains, and get riding gear to protect since the speed at which you travel on highways makes one equally vulnerable to accidents.

"Maintaining a bike does not involye repairing it, and instead of taking" it to the bike shop, the biker should do it himself, as he only has to lubricate the parts, replace them if needed, and tighten those parts which have become loose, and adjust those that are out of place. There are no special tools required in maintaining a bike either and it can be done by using simple and inexpensive tools as well. The biggest advantage of maintaining a bike is that it prevents serious problems from happening later," points out Bose.

Arul adds that it is a question of regular check-ups and having spares ready so that on the highway, one can fix any problems and be on one's way. He has also fitted his bike with extra lights and luggage space, keeping in mind requirements for long distance travel.

Maya has learnt maintenance the hard way, while on the roads, as she says that bulk of her experience has come when on the road. This has also made her inclined to understand the technology of the bike, speak its language - so to say. And since for these bikers, the bike is a matter of pride, it is kept in ship-shape, and no expense spared.

Riding gear is another must all bikers definitely spend on. The ones in India are expensive and quite rare to come by. One of the most popular shops for getting riding gear is Cramster in Bangalore. Many also prefer to get it from abroad, through travelling friends.

Biking is also a group thing, and there are several biking groups with their own dos and don'ts. The groups have their own training sessions for newbies, teaching them the basics of highway riding, handholding them and training them in formation rides till they are ready for the road and long rides.

Clearly, it is not a hobby that can be taken lightly. It is expensive, and comes with a responsibility to oneself and others on the road. But, it is clearly fun all the way too.

The Data Booklet for the new Royal Enfield ‘Thunderbird’