Motorcycle Diaries THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON EXPERIENCE
ABILASH MIKHAIL LOBO
CONTENTS
THE JOURNEY THE SPIRIT THE TECHNICALITIES THE RIDE & THE RIDER
THE JOURNEY It was a pleasant morning. It was 5:30 AM, on the 1st of June, 2014. The venue was Tusker HarleyDavidson showroom on Lavelle Road, Bangalore.
Sipping on to his cup of tea, he looked like the Harley-Davidson was made for him. He rode the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy.
He provides me a background of the company and adds, “Harley Davidson is a legend that was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, to survive the Great Depression. The first Harley Davidson bike was introduced in While having a conversation with 1903 but the first blueprint for the him, few other bikers had already Harley_ was completed by Bill come. He then introduced me to his Harley in 1901.� fellow rider, Ratheesh Nair. The first rider came along approximately 10 minutes later. He was Naveen Prasad, travelling all the way from Bellary, Karnataka, to take part in this ride - a distance of well over 300 kilometers.
Rightly said! He starts his bike, all geared up, and the thump out of its engine is so evident that we actually had to scream to have a proper conversation! The group I was embarking on our journey with is called the Riders Republic. The beauty of the group is that they ride on the same road but have no concept of a leader. They believe that there is no first among equals. We headed to our destination: Kamat Hotel, Chikkaballapur.
THE JOURNEY Quickly, the scenery changed from urban to rural. The roads were wider and the traffic, reduced. Cruising in a Harley-Davidson made more sense now. The loud hum of the engine suddenly became something which I got used to.
The district of Chikkaballapur is one of the newly created districts of Karnataka. Born in the year 2007, it was created by remodeling the already existing Kolar district.
The town happens to be a major link of North Bangalore area. The Through the journey, we got to north-south six-lane National see some beautiful sceneries. The Highway 7 (NH-7) as well as the sudden shift of the backdrop to the East-West State Highway 58 go countryside was pleasing. through the district. A rail line runs north from Bangalore to the Without knowing, we had town of Chikkaballapur, east past wandered off into a different district Doddaganjur to Srinivaspur and altogether, leaving Bangalore south to the town of Kolar. behind.
THE SPIRIT While anyone can dream to own a Harley, very few actually earn it. The very few who actually end up earning it, earn it in style. They say that a bike makes you a motorcyclist, but an apt attitude makes you a biker. That distinguishes a HarleyDavidson rider from any other rider. Though they don’t have a leader, this principle makes everyone a leader and at the same time, everyone a follower. Ratheesh Nair added on to this by saying, “Owning a Harley is an expression of freedom. Not everyone has it in them”.
AT THE VERY END OF THE GROUP STAYS A GROUP OF 5- 6 BIKERS, WHO FORM THE SWEEP. THEY ARE THE ONE’S WHO MAKE SURE EVERY RIDER IN THE FRONT WENT BY WITHOUT HARM.
THE SPIRIT Usman Sait, a regular at the Sunday rides, was accompanied by his brother, Zahir. In conversation with him, he mentioned about the deep sense of understanding the riders had towards traffic rules, respect for people and general outlook. A true rider never breaks traffic laws and is completely aware of his surroundings. Even as part of the riders, the basic signals of the road are provided by every biker - right from the beginning of the group to the very end. They make sure that not just their ride is safe but also the ride of other commuters is as safe as possible.
THE SPIRIT The level of understanding and execution of traffic laws and respect for commuters is exceptional, as told to me by Zahir. The riders make sure every sign delivered by the first rider is communicated to the ones behind them - right down to the very end. With the advent of technological marvels, the usage of radio communication as well as Bluetooth is well utilized by the riders. This proves beneficial to them for verbal communication as it is almost impossible to communicate with the heavy, pounding sound of the engines in the background.
THE TECHNICALITIES Owning a Harley-Davidson isn’t just about the Sunday rides, the million eyes on you, and the multitude of benefits. Sometimes, it is also about knowing your bike. The Indian market consists of mainly thirteen offerings from Harley-Davidson. The esteemed list consists of the Street, Superlow, Iron 883, Forty Eight, Super Glide Custom, Street & Fat Bob, Fat Boy & Fat Boy Special, Heritage Softail Classic, V Rod, Street Glide and the Ultra Classic Electra Glide.
THE RIDE & THE RIDER Every Harley rider is unique just like the bike itself. I had the opportunity to hold a conversation with several riders. Everyone had their own story to tell. Ratheesh Nair was first to go. Upon asking him about how a HarleyDavidson unique, compared to other bikes in its class, he replied: “Harley-Davidson not only distinguishes itself from the rest of the bikes of it class, for its shine and chrome, but also for the distinct and patented thump that comes out of its V-Twin. An old biker saying comes into my mind: ‘you want to be happy, be in love but you want to live, get on a Harley’.”
THE RIDE & THE RIDER Before the end of the day, I was curious to know what it feels like to ride a Harley-Davidson. Ratheesh was all geared up and ready to go, just when I asked him if I could ride along with him and he obliged. The sound was definitely higher than that an onlooker feels. It was just impossible to talk to him while the engine was on. After the ride was done, he said, “Undoubtedly, Harley ride is one of the finest rides anyone could feel, to find happiness and explore oneself. We have our group members who have done cross country rides on their Harley exploring not only landscapes but more importantly exploring themselves; pushing their limits and the bike just pleases you.�
THE RIDE & THE RIDER That wasn’t the end of it. I was introduced to Shiva Prasad, one of the regulars at the rides. What he managed to do was something that I never imagined can be done on a Harley-Davidson. The tire burn was fine, but the part which I couldn’t imagine was the moment when he removed his left hand off the clutch and the bike remained stationary, thanks to the wonderfully crafted front breaks.
AS PART OF DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY MODULE OF MY FIRST YEAR’S FOURTH TERM AT RAFFLES MILLENNIUM INTERNATIONAL, WE WERE SUPPOSED TO MAKE A STORY USING PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY US FOR PHOTOJOURNALISM ASSIGNMENT. I CHOSE TO DO IT ON ONE OF MY FAVORITE BIKES’ RIDERS’ GROUP — HARLEY-DAVIDSON: RIDERS REPUBLIC. UNLIKE THE OFFICIAL HARLEY OWNERS GROUP (HOG), THIS GROUP IS A COMMUNITY OF BIKERS WHO HAVE NO LEADER. THEY RIDE AT THEIR OWN PACE BUT MOVE IN HERDS. THEY BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE NO FIRSTS AMONG EQUALS. ALL PHOTOGRAPHS WERE TAKEN ON SUNDAY, 1ST OF JUNE, 2014.