Biking is a passion among many young corporate leaders today. Here's how they've learnt as much from the road as in their classrooms.
ET Bureau
Pull out your bike, hit the open roads and the world is your playground. ETPanache speaks to three corporate honchos who might be busy executives, but when the roads call, they are busier letting their favourite machines take the lead. Sanjeev Mohanty, Managing Director, Benetton India
Motorcycle: Harley-Davidson Road King (also owns a Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200 XC)
Beginnings: My uncle had a modified Fury and a Yezdi Roadking, which were extremely exciting to me as a child. He also owned a Royal Enfield that I was allowed to help him clean every weekend. That is when I started dreaming of owning a motorbike.
Current ride: My Pearl Blue Harley-Davidson Road King, 1700cc, V-twin is a touring monster on which I have done extensive modifications, right from exhausts to heavy breather to shock absorbers. The riding pleasure, the trademark thumping sound of the V-twin engine, the legend and the brand aura are amazing. I believe it is the most versatile, reliable and comfortable big bike in the Harley stable. It is suited for long 1,000 mile rides. I also ride a Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200 XC, a mean machine for any terrain.
Leisure ride log: I am sure there are riders who are able to ride more than me but I am still above average. I attended the Northern HOG (Harley-Davidson Owners Group) Rally in Pushkar. I have done many 1,000km + trips over the years. My favourite and the longest one is the National HOG Rally when I rode from Delhi to Goa. I have also ridden to McLeodganj, Narkanda, Rohtang. I plan to cruise through the Himalayas touching Spiti, Ladakh and Nepal or Bhutan this year. I try to do at least 2-3 big rallies in a year.
Lessons from the open roads: Riding a motorcycle has changed my perspective. When you are riding with your group, everyone is an equal. You are not a CEO or a businessman or a teacher; you are just a biker. You also learn you are operating in a high-risk environment, without the safety of a metal cage or an air bag.
Motorcycle diaries: On my trip to Goa, we arrived in Pune on the third day and my Harley stalled. The technician kept at it for hours without success. Almost giving up hope, I said a little prayer and started talking to my bike. About to pack up, the technician saw a small wire at the engine level that had snapped, an Eureka moment at 2.30 am. Fixing the wire in seconds, my Road King roared back into action. I truly believe this was divine intervention.
Mantra: It is true, four wheels move your body but two wheels move your soul.
Beginnings: Ever since I was a kid, I have had a thing for two-wheelers. It began with the humble cycle in childhood. I graduated to a moped, and then a scooter and finally a motorcycle in college.
Current ride: The Bonneville is perfect for city riding as well as weekend getaways. The posture is comfortable, which was of prime importance to me considering I have a bad back. What I adore about the motorcycle is that it is a perfect blend of a sports bike and a cruiser motorcycle.
Leisure ride log: Because of work commitments, time spent on motorcycles almost went to zero. I have revived this hobby. The launch of Triumph in India was a catalyst. I have made it a point to go for riding trips almost every weekend. I take off for places in and around Maharashtra with friends. On an average, we do 200-300 km every weekend. One of my favourite rides was to Goa and back recently.
Lessons from the open roads: It is rejuvenation for the body and the soul. And that automatically helps you at work, doesn't it?
Motorcycle diaries: The one thing I have learnt on the road is help always comes from unexpected quarters. During rides, at times you have a flat tyre or someone's motorcycle breaks down. And during those times in the middle of nowhere, some local walks in to help you. Or you miraculously bump into some obliging soul. It is always endearing and you feel all is not wrong with the world.
Mantra: No matter how hectic or crazy work gets, the road takes all the stress and tension away.
Beginnings: I have pretty much grown up seeing all old-school bikes from classic right gear shift mechanism, Bullets to Yezdi Roadkings. Ever since I was a kid I would dream of riding them all and used to pray that I grow taller overnight. Watching my father clean those bikes, take care of them and constantly talk about them, biking was rooted into my sub conscious.
Current ride: I have three Royal Enfield bikes, besides a few imported ones. I got my first Enfield right after school. There was nothing more I loved about the bike than its seating posture and its growling throttle. Taking the last exam in my high school and going home straight and hopping on the bike is my sweetest memory thus far.
Leisure ride log: In California, I found a Classic 500 army green-coloured Enfield, which I bought on Craigslist. I would take that bike out to the California 101 highway and shuttle between Los Angeles and San Diego. I'm not that regular at rallies but I go out with my friends on rides.
Lessons from the open roads: Riding gives me time to think and the peace that I get manifests at work.
Motorcycle diaries: When I pull out my Enfield, one that makes the most masculine throttle, people come up to me and say things like, "I wish I had a bike like that." That pretty much sums it all.
Mantra: Riding is so much like living life. Things go out of hand when one doesn't do them in limitations.
ET Bureau
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