For them, superbiking is a way of life

They like the freedom it gives. They like to leave the world behind them and be with their machine. It is the world of biking. In this world, they are not alone. The band of brothers have a common goal – ride to glory. Welcome to the world of superbiking.

India has woken up big time to the world of superbikes and Bengaluru, in particular, is turning out to be the undisputed leading city in this culture.

“We consistently sell more premium bikes than Delhi and Mumbai,” said Madhan Mohan of Rideventur Kawasaki, adding that it is more than 20 bikes in a month.

"Bengaluru is cosmopolitan. A lot of them are taking to biking, tourism and biking. Many of them go biking on weekends. During Covid times, they are fed up at home. There is also a huge influx of motorcycles that are suitable for touring. Earlier, only the rich could afford them and they bought sports bikes. But the adventure bikes can be used every day. Earlier, these were not available in the market. Now, brands have brought in premium bikes for everyday use, you can take them for work and go out on a weekend,” he added.

Bengaluru has always been like that. But with incomes rising and more bikes and loans available now, people are tapping into the hobby now.

Manohar Joshi is a cinematographer by profession but is an avid biker. “Bengaluru is a hub for Indians. It is not just a Karnataka City, but it has people from Delhi, Mumbai, Kerala etc. Plus, there are tons of places near Bengaluru to visit in the 300 Km radius, while that is not the case with other metros. Even for Chennai, it is okay because they can travel to Kerala. But for Bengaluru, there are at least 250 places within 300 Km,” he says.

"Bengaluru is a weekend hub for bikers. Sports bikers visit restaurants etc. But for adventure bikers, the number of places goes up. They want to explore trails and nature places.

“The weather and community matters. Whoever settles in Bengaluru wants to explore due to the good weather 12 months a year. In Delhi, there is fog and heat and in Mumbai, it is difficult to get out of the city due to the traffic,” he adds.

Praveen KM, a software professional, adds: “Apart from the great weather, there is lot of variation of terrain one can get if you ride out from Bengaluru. You get the mountains or the sea and you can get to experience different states. This is the centre of South India. It is the IT capital; it is a commercial place and people can it afford too."

However, with these superbikers, it is not just about riding out and having fun. They get involved with social causes and responsibilities too.

Aravind K, director with a major consulting company, says: “Bikers are now even riding for social causes. Some delivered medicines during the lockdown. Some delivered cancer medicines outside Bengaluru in coordination with the administration and police. There have been many similar instances. These are the efforts being made.

“In a group that predominantly has Harley-Davidson bikes, we work for social causes. We ride at a slow pace. It is hobby. That is the experience. It is a culture. Even as a hobby, we were doing it on smaller bikes," he adds.