Time to hit the road

All roads will be leading to Chennai this weekend with several riders coming together to take part in the Southern H.O.G (Harley Owners’ Group) Ride, which is all set to take place from September 28.

Harley-Davidson, the American motorcycle manufacturer, is organising the event for the second time. The riders will cover a distance of 380 kilometres from Bangalore to Mahabalipuram this Saturday.

Over 250 Harley-Davidson owners from across India — including New Delhi, Pune, Mumbai and Chennai — are riding down to be a part of this event. While there are 100 riders expected from the northern and southern parts of the country, there will be 50 from the eastern and western regions.

There has been a surge in demand for the vehicle as well as those interested in taking part in the activity. Bangalore is definitely at the forefront with maximum registrations in the City. Md Rizwan, a businessman in the City, who will be taking part in the event for the second time, is hoping that this ride is as exciting as the previous one. Thrilled to be part of the event, Rizwan said, “It was my dream to own a Harley-Davidson and I picked one up three years ago. I’ve always had two-wheelers and at the first opportunity I got, I bought a Harley-Davidson.” He added, “Owing a Harley-Davidson is one part and customising is another. A lot of us bike owners spend considerable amounts of money customising the vehicle to the best of our abilities.”

These riders, who never miss an opportunity to take their bikes out, ensure that they hit the road at least once every month.

“We are active riders, who constantly go out as a group. We mostly ride towards the outskirts of the City,” said Salamath Sharieff, secretary of the Tusker Harley-Davidson. “And with around 100 riders expected from Bangalore and Chennai, it’s turned out that the two cities have the highest number of riding enthusiasts. Last year, around 120 people were part of the event, which included family members as well,” he added.

“It’s a fresh location with a number of new riders. Although, we network otherwise, this is particularly exciting,” said Premjeet Shetty, head, marketing at Dell and assistant director, Tusker Harley-Davidson, who will be taking his family along.
In an effort to ensure that the riders experience the authentic Harley-Davidson lifestyle, there are a number of engaging activities which have been organised.
Some of them include acoustic music den and live rock band performances. Members of H.O.G’s can also lay their hands on Harley-Davidson merchandise or even get themselves inked.