Delhi Bikers

Melvin & Sahil, the duo behind YOUNG KID CUSTOM'S  On most Delhi Bikers Breakfast Run one tends to meet many who dream of doing something more with their motorcycling passion. They would love to “go set up a shack in Goa or a guesthouse in Manali” or “start a tour company and ride for a living” or “build custom motorcycles” The older they are, the more elaborate their plans and even more extensive the reasons why they cannot do it. “It’s complicated” is usually the final answer before they change the subject. The younger bikers may have similar dreams but their reasons for not attempting is usually because “I don’t have money” or “family will never agree to it” or “am keeping my options open” or “it won’t work in Delhi” Then I met Melvin Sehgal and Sahil Kumar on couple of our rides. They were giving no excuses. They wanted to build custom bikes and they were not waiting for permission from the world. Delhi’s youngest bike builders have launched YOUNG KI...

Early morning 'Breakfast Run'. Spangmik to Tangtse. From day into night. We were enthused and refreshed by our miraculous sleep, which felt more like an incredible escape from the jaws of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). The last meal Ray had was the previous day’s lunch but he still chose to skip the breakfast. The Ladakhi drivers advised us to return to Leh instead of going to Tso Kar.  Some said it was “Bone shattering!” while others warned, “there is no road”.  We had already taken a huge risk by riding without acclimatizing and to continue further in our shaky state would have been foolish. The wild shades of the mountain could not hide the blizzard brewing behind it. Adventure motorcycling is about calculating your risks so you can keep riding. Plans are made to serve us not the other way around. Trouble starts when we stubbornly stick to an itinerary when wisdom tells us to be flexible and modify. So we headed back to Leh via Changla. I will never fo...

Like chained elephants they rumbled by. On our way up we had wondered why all those Indian Army trucks had metal chains around their wheels. Now when we were on the other side of Changla Pass, stuck in knee-deep snow, we knew why. Soft snow + road tyres + high altitude = what were we thinking? With fresh snow to fall into and plenty of people to help us up, s lipping and sliding we squeezed past the one truck that had blocked all the traffic. Layer upon layer of Vanilla Ice Cream. The ride down was spectacular! With all the taxi’s held up at the pass, we had the entire road to ourselves all the way to the police check post in Tangtse. By the time I got off my bike I was thoroughly intoxicated by the experience.  Stopped to register at the Tangtse Police Station. Got to pet the dog for free. We hoped the person who rode this is still alive. A wrecked Enfield at the check post put things i...

Riding down the South Extension flyover I scan the service lane for parked bikes.  Last month nearly 300 bikers had turned up for the Breakfast Run.  This time, I spot just one.  Warm welcome, short instructions, easy ride.   But does it matter? No. Not if there are no sponsors to please or any reputation to keep. Maybe one day no one would come. There would be enough clubs doing weekend rides that are far better organized with super deals and destinations. Then Delhi Bikers Breakfast Run (DBBR) would have run its course.  But that day was obviously not today because soon there are 150 bikers. New faces same old relaxed vibe Many new faces…almost all are there because someone personally recommended the Breakfast Run or dragged them along. And as usual over a dozen clubs are represented. DBBR attracts many first timers who eventually join one of these clubs.  And the number of ladies who pitch up on their bikes or sit pillion be...

Here’s the bottom line right on top: You think the prize you will get is free, but it is not.  It will cost you your time, energy and most likely, your credibility. In the last couple of years, the frequency with which virtual vote gathering has taken off is phenomenal. You are promised a ‘title’ that proves you are a ‘better biker’ than all the other bikers in the country. It seems highly pretentious until you remember we are in Delhi where titles matter. A lot.   The irony is that most of us are so focused on scoring our own prizes that no one is really paying attention to others' prize.  If we did, we may see the absurdity of winning based on our ability to garner enough votes. But who cares as long as we get our 15 seconds of fame and couple of hundred ‘congrats’, ‘likes’ and ‘shares’. Usually from the same constituency who voted us in. At the end of your vote harvesting, you may also get a fancy certificate, photo-op and vouchers for your passi...

Sticker Happy Delhi Biker at the front desk (Nepal Trip-2009)  Another factor that distinguishes a Delhi Biker from all other mortal motorcyclists is our fascination with stickers.  Not sure if this is a nationwide phenomenon but we seem to excel in the cheapest and quickest form of ‘bike-modification’. Who cares about performance, what matters is how the bike looks! So we wrap the Pulsar, Discover, Avenger, with more and more stickers until it weighs few kg’s more. Why? “Its my Style” says the one on the fender...the rest is in Punjabi  which I don't know.  But a t times I do feel as though I’ve had a full conversation with someone but all I did was read what’s plastered all over their helmet and bike. Stickers are how I display my motorcycle résumé. As bikers we can’t always be praising ourselves. I mean, once the blog is updated, the album posted, the video uploaded and the t-shirt printed…its only natural to summarize it with a sticker.  ...

My '95 Enfield's handle bars going the Israeli way. En route to Pushkar.  A Delhi Biker is usually found roaming around his second home, that is, Karol Bagh.  What Nehru Place is for video game junkies and hackers, Karol Bagh is for bikers.  Anything you want fabricated, replicated, restored or resurrected, there is always someone who knows someone who can 'help'. You can’t possibly go on an epic bike trip and not visit its glorious gali’s (streets) to stock up on more metal and chrome you logically need. One of my regular hangouts back in the day used to be Khajanchi . It was a treasure house of assorted bike accessories. That is, before it turned into a religion and split into denominations. The irony is that these shop owners must have kitted out hundreds of bikers to head out on trips, but have seldom left Delhi. In 2002-03 outside Khajanchi you would find Israeli’s who spent hours harassing Jeetu to get them a higher handle ba...

‘Hells Gift’ the one name that got the Beasters in line. That is, until July came along to rename him as ‘Dosa’ Let's be honest. If there was no Royal Beasts, chances are there would be no DBBR today. In 2003 I went to attend the GIR (Great Indian Rock concert) at the Hamsadhwani Open Air Theater, Pragati Maidan. Everyone was head-banging inside except for a wild looking bunch in the parking lot next to their Enfields. I thought they were ‘security’ since most were in combat gear. Intrigued, I went over to ask how they got their bikes inside since no one was allowed.  Bobbee ahead of his times by going back in time A very cocky looking Sardar replied “Depends what you ride dude”  I said, “I have an Enfield” He then told me how to bring my bike in.  That was my first encounter with Bobbee Singh. The next person I remember meeting was Rishi aka July. He had an impressive bike and when I asked about it he made it sound like it had parts t...