Harley fans head to sunny Goa for H.O.G Rally

The Harley-Davidson brand is getting dearer to the Indian enthusiast by the day. The company has grown tremendously ever since it set foot here in 2010.

The year 2014 has ended on a strong note for Harley-Davidson India as the company completes five successful years in the country.

“Since we began our journey in India five years ago, Harley-Davidson has fulfilled dreams of personal freedom for thousands of brand enthusiasts. More than 8,000 Harley-Davidson owners are riding on Indian roads today, a testament to the customer experience we deliver to our owners,” Harley-Davidson India Managing Director Anoop Prakash says.

The brand’s India story is something that Harley aficionados and owners want to celebrate in full swing. The element that brings owners and fans together is the iconic buildup to the name Harley-Davidson, and the cult-like status it evinces.

Ask Sultan Nassur, a Bengaluru-based entrepreneur who rides a Harley-Davidson Forty Eight from the Sportster family. “I’m attached to the brand because of the cult and the culture it brings forth. Harley-Davidson has its own lifestyle and nothing can match it,” he says.

Sultan and over 350 Harley owners from Bengaluru will join thousands more from all over India at the biggest H.O.G Rally (H.O.G stands for Harley Owners Group) ever at the India Bike Week 2015, due to be held during February 19-21 in Goa.

The 3rd India H.O.G. Rally will celebrate the brotherhood, passion and camaraderie that Harley-Davidson owners are known for all over the world. Out of 350 Harley owners from Bengaluru, five are women who will be riding down to Goa.

H.O.G is a sponsored club, managed by Harley-Davidson for enthusiasts of its motorcycles, which was created in 1983 as a way to build strong relationships with customers, bringing them closer to employees.

The Goa H.O.G is expected to be one of the largest biking events in the country. One of the passionate women Harley owners from Bengaluru is Nimmi Suri, a 62-year-old entrepreneur who rides a Harley-Davidson Street 750.

Practised on a TRV

“I started riding a bike because one of my male friends said that at my age, I could not ride a motorcycle. So the next day, I went to Tusker Harley-Davidson and picked up the Street 750. I had never ridden a bike in my life and there was a three-month wait. So in the meantime, I bought a second-hand TRV (two-rider vehicle) and practised every day until I got my bike licence in July 2014,” Nimmi says.

Expressing her enthusiasm for the H.O.G Rally, Nimmi adds, “I expect to have a lot of fun during the rally! It’s always great to meet riders from all over the country. All my preparations are done for the ride. It’s my first Indian H.O.G Rally and I’m sure it will be great to experience the Harley culture with all my H.O.G. brothers and sisters.”

Another rally highlight is the first ever Dealer Custom Contest featuring 13 radical custom Street 750 motorcycles.  This is the first year that Street 750 owners are being welcomed at the India H.O.G Rally.

Preparations for the rally are happening on all fronts and riders are already banking on the passion they possess for the brand.

According to Vinayak Nayak, a Bengaluru-based entrepreneur and owner of a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy of the Softail family, “I have been a part of all the India H.O.G. Rallies, and I’m extremely excited about the 3rd edition.

I expect it to be bigger and better than all other rallies so far. We have already prepared a ride plan from Bangalore to Goa with minimal stops. The plan was shared with all the riders, so that everyone is well prepared.”

“Well, this is my 3rd India H.O.G Rally, and it’s a superb initiative in the true spirit of riding and freedom. This is one platform that brings all riders across India under one roof. Loads of fun, biking stories, networking, and most of all the brotherhood,” Farooq Ahmed, a Bengaluru-based industrialist, who rides a dark custom Iron 883, said.