Superbike club cruises into city

AHMEDABAD: Almost 18 years back Saurin Shah, a lawyer from Ahmedabad, used to own a motorcycle. Couple of months back, he happened to pass by the Harley Davidson showroom in the city and began checking out the motorcycles there. One of the gleaming machines that run on a 1,600 cc mill caught his fancy. Shah could not resist himself. Within half an hour Shah had placed an order for the motorcycle to be delivered at his residence.
"The moment I saw the machine, I fell in love with it. I did not even take a test ride. I took the first ride with my wife riding pillion," said Shah.
Shah's passion has now found company of a group of 55 owners of Harley Davidson motorcycles across the state. They have formed a formal riding club called 'Harley Owners Group' (also known as HOG) of Gujarat. The riders group was announced at a riders' meet at Daman on March 5. Around 20 owners from Ahmedabad rode down to Daman, to celebrate the event. Here, they were joined by another group of around 40 bike lovers who came riding their motorcycles from Mumbai.
"We have around 55 riders from Gujarat in the group at the moment. There are another 15 riders in various places, like Surat, Rajkot, Navsari, Vadodara, and Vapi, who may join. We will be reaching out to them soon. With the formal group in existence, we are trying to chart out a series of rides to be organized through out the year," said Vishal Amin, 39-year-old Amdavadi. Amin has stopped driving around in his car since he bought his 883cc motorcycle.
The owners of these American V-twin classic motorcycles include students, professionals, and businessmen, with their age group of an equally wide band ranging from as young as 19 to over 60.
"I spend my Saturdays and Sundays riding my new motorcycle. I hardly enjoy driving my car anymore," said Shah who is also planning to explore the Himalayan terrains on his motorcycle in the next few months.
Profiles
Sahil Dalal, 21, finished college last year and is setting up his own business. Three months back he bought his first ever motorcycle, a 1,200 cc Harley. "I never owned a motorcycle. I had decided that if I ever buy one, it will only be from this series of big V twin engine. It is a proud thing to own one of these. Apart from the fun of its unique exhaust notes and the high torque, the feeling of brotherhood among the riders is equally enjoyable," says Dalal. In last three months he has clocked 3,000 km on the odometer. "Now I am looking forward to more group rides through the HOG. These group rides are an opportunity to meet like minded people and share similar passions."
Vishal Amin, Ahmedabad based manufacturer of cement-pipes, is 39-years-old. Amin bought an 883 cc motorcycle around 10 days back. "I had been riding motorcycles for the last three years. The last one I owned was a 250 cc machine and I was eager to upgrade to a heavier and more powerful engine. Recently a friend brought an 883 cc motorcycle. After seeing and test riding his motorcycle, I quickly bought a similar one. I have stopped using my car altogether," Amin adds with a smile.
Nawed Ansari, 19, is in second year of BCom course. Ansari had bought an 883cc machine around three months back. Though he wanted to buy a 1,000 cc super bike, his father he did not want him to go speeding on city roads. Ansari's father, who runs a bakery, however, agreed with the idea of buying a cruiser as it is a motorcycle that is fun to ride at low speeds as well. "Popular belief that these motorcycles need straight and empty roads is not correct. I have been comfortable riding my motorcycle into the busiest of the places at rush hours," says Ansari.
Srijith Panicker, 21, is a IT entrepreneur who bought an 883cc model around three months back. "I used to own simple motorcycles and used to move around more in cars until I recently went to check out jackets at the showroom. There, one of the staff fired up the engine and I instantly fell in love with the roaring sound of the exhausts. Two days later I came back to the showroom and picked up one," said Panicker. He has driven more than 5,000 kilometers now. "I am the rises so much that I am already planning to upgrade to bigger engine," he says.