JOIN USWhen Abhishek Sircar, a software professional, returned to Bengaluru after a short break, most of the riders he used to ride with had left. So one of the first things he did was to contact a biking forum called www.xbhp.com to get like-minded Yamaha riders to come together. “I received responses from seven riders. That’s how the first eight riders (including me) came together to form a club. Then we decided to take it a step further by creating a Facebook page (www.fb.com/yrcindia) for inviting riders, in order to grow as a club governed by proper safety guidelines,” explains Abhishek, one of the founding members of the ‘Yamaha Riders Club’.
This was the beginning and today what holds the riders together is their emphasis on quality and not quantity.
“We relate to the club because of the quality which has been imbibed in its culture. The riders respect each other and the machines they ride. What started as a biking club has grown into one big family,” explains Abhishek.
Dempsy, an employee with HP, says that he was also impressed with the quality of the group. “It was a Facebook post that first caught my attention and then I decided to be a part of the club. But what really impressed me is the positive attitude and zero tolerance towards speed,” says Dempsy. Sachin, a designer with General Motors, couldn’t agree more with Dempsy when he says, “I found the group to be extremely disciplined and dedicated. They wouldn’t ride without the safety gear and this is also what made me feel instantly comfortable with them.”
There were many in the group who used to ride solo and began riding in a group only after they joined the club. “I understood that riding in a group has its own charm only after I joined the club. There’s exchange of much information and one learns a great deal just by interacting with the riders,” says Saquib, a software engineer. Arnab, another rider, pitches in saying, “Our association goes beyond riding. We are more like a family.”
Echoing Arnab’s views, Sauban, a graphic designer by profession, says he didn’t feel alienated when he joined the group.
“It’s not about who rides better or faster but it’s about riding together and in a disciplined manner,” says Sauban.
Most members of the club say that they look foward to the rides. Sojan, another member who began riding only recently, says that his wife also joins him on the rides. “My wife rides pillion and there are days when she reminds me about the ride. Such is the enthusiasm of not just the riders but their families as well,” he says.
Riding with this group is like an addiction, say young professionals Avinash and Yogesh. In fact, Avinash confesses that he knew after the first few conversations that this is where he belonged. “You don’t feel any kind of compulsion and the only criteria is that riders have to play by the rules and ride safe,” says Avinash.
Yogesh adds that he is so attached to the club that he got a tattoo of the same engraved on his arm.
“Today, if I ride with a sense of discipline and abide by the rules, I owe that to the group. I like the fact that every member of the group is selfless,” he adds.
Some others like Ronnie feel that being with the club is a way of life. Saurabh, who works with the Income Tax department, says that riding with the group gives him the perfect break from the world of accounts that he is stuck in five days a week.
(The group can be reached on www.fb.com/yrcindia)