Royal Enfield Rider Mania 2022: Royal Treat

 I want to begin by making a confession. Of the many firsts in life that I’ve looked forward to having experienced, attending the Royal Enfield Rider Mania has always been among the top on my list. It intrigued me to find out, first hand, what it is that makes thousands of Royal Enfield customers throng the annual festival of motorcycles, music and more. Not to mention, the Rider Mania this year was being held after 2019, promising to be bigger and better than ever. No prizes for guessing who packed their bag, mounted it on their Royal Enfield Hunter 350 long term bike and set out for Vagator, Goa, as soon as the plan was confirmed.

To be honest, Rider Mania kicks off a day prior to the official opening of the event, with the narrow streets of Goa buzzing with the sounds of Royal Enfields of all kinds. From old Bullet 500s and the Classic 350s to the Himalayan and the Interceptor/ContiGT 650s, Royal Enfields had literally taken over the streets of Goa. A quick look at the registration plates revealed people had ridden down to the most popular tourist destination in India’s western part from all corners of the country. KL, KA, WB, AS, MP and more were seen on a number of REs. Isn’t it obvious that motorcycling can unite a country? Anyways, the next three days I spent at Rider Mania left some incredible pictures plastered in my head.

The theme for this year was ‘Moto Verse’, which is short for Royal Enfield’s motorcycle universe. In fact, there were sub themes to different areas around the sprawling premises of Rider Mania. Moto Thrill, for instance, was where the dirt track races were held. It was quite a sight to see dozens of riders, atop Bullets and Classics, replete with high-mount mudguards, knobby tyres and aftermarket exhausts, slip and slide around the track to see who’s first. The pace may have been slow and you’d feel for the riders muscling these heavy machines around the track, but the action was pretty entertaining. Other activities like the RE Slide School – riding an FT411 flat-tracking bike on an oval mud flat, which lets you pick up vital skills in understanding traction or the trail school – and hill climb time attack kept a number of people engaged.

On to the Moto Reel section, a large projector showcased films and the work of a number of people who left us mere mortals awestruck. The films and talks, especially by Dakar heroes CS Santosh and Ashish Raorane left many slack-jawed as they opened up about their experience of competing in one of the most gruelling rallies in the world. Then, there were heartwarming stories that were screened, such as Royal Enfield’s epic ride to the Everest Base Camp.

In between attending a variety of other events and performances by musical greats such as Divine, Parvaaz, Thaikkudam Bridge and more, I also took time to gawk at some astonishing custom builds that showcased the power of imagination. A good deal of my time was also spent admiring the stunning GT Cup bike and ‘Dunaali’ – the drag bike made by Inidimotard that has taken the Drag Racing World by storm. Another highlight was the astonishingly detailed 1:3 scale model of the Classic 500, yours for Rs 68,000 only!

Besides the motorcycles, this year’s Rider Mania also highlighted the beauty of art and its expression on canvases ranging from a motorcycle’s fuel tank, a helmet or even a T-shirt. Then there were curated rides to different parts of Goa – heritage sites and pristine coastline.

But over and above all of this, a constant during the three-day event was the sense of belonging and camaraderie that was omnipresent. Imagine thousands of people, gathered to celebrate Royal Enfield, sharing a common love for motorcycles made by the company. As unbiased as I should be, considering I’ve my journalist hat on, I cannot imagine any other Indian two-wheeler manufacturer being able to achieve such loyalty and passion from customers as RE does with Rider Mania. It’s a testament to the fact that buying a Royal Enfield not only gets you a motorcycle but also an entry into a vast community. It’s no wonder that the company decided to reward them by throwing open bookings for the Super Meteor 650 exclusively for those who attended Rider Mania.

In the end, although I do not own a Royal Enfield yet, it made me wonder what it’d be like to buy one of their 650s. Such is the impact of attending what is possibly one of India’s most popular motorcycling events. For now, I’m glad I’ve struck it off the firsts-in-life list