BHARATI PAWASKAR
It was a smoggy morning in mid-November when three friends - Rohit Mehta, Maxie Lewis and Karl Coelho kick-started their Harley Davidson bikes from point zero where they had to return to in less than a month covering 10,000 km road countryside distance at the borders in India. The weather was perfect when they left Goa and as the trio travelled it got better and sometimes worse, depending upon the terrain they were crossing. Each of them was carrying basic necessary stuff with their baggage and their own bodyweight.
Though seasoned riders, they found the roads were bumpy, sloppy, rough and sometimes really smooth. The journey became really hard when they touched high altitudes. But the people they met on their way were so warm and hospitable that their smiles kept the trio moving ahead, despite bad weather, burning sun or chilling cold. Those who frequently undertake long journeys must be aware of how bad the weather can be and how one can fall prey to cheating from local crooks .
“Thankfully our bikes didn’t fail us. They remained faithful throughout the travel,” quips Rohit Mehta, director, Harley Owners’ Group (HOG), Goa who along with Maxie Lewis and Karl Coelho - rode into 21 cities in 27 days covering a distance of 10,000 kilometres and the trio were the only from Goa who accomplished this feat in 2018. “India is a beautiful country with diverse cultures and hospitable people, and we realised and experienced this first hand while on our wild journey. We started on November 12 and returned on December 9. It was a long yet thrilling ride covering some picturesque places and meeting some awesome people,” smiles Rohit who wishes to cherish this experience for lifetime.
The trio are achievers of Big 5 in 2017, albeit at different times. In 2018, there were 100 persons in India who did this and the trio are among them. All three have a particular make each of Harley Davidson bike on which they rode - Rohit on Fat Boy, Maxie Lewis on Heritage and Karl Coelho on Street Bob. It was a Goa to Goa tour. The trio travelled from Goa to Hyderabad, Vijaywada, Bhuvaneshwar, Kolkata, Gangtok, Guwahati, Kaziranga, Cherapunji, Shillong, Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Agra, Delhi, Deharadun, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Surat, Mumbai, Pune, and back to Goa.
Today there are 30 dealerships of Harley Davidson in India but earlier, when this adventure started in 2012, there were 21 dealerships, so the name 21/365 also known as Big 5 came into being. 21/365 is about visiting all the 21 dealerships of Harley Davidson in India.
Rohit, Maxie and Karl have travelled across India at different times. Safety is the priority in such rides. The safety gears are the main which the riders carry and use all the time. The trio started at 4 am on day one from Goa and touched Hyderabad at 5 pm the same day, maintaining an average speed of 100-120 km per hour. Discipline is very important factor in conducting this tour.
“If the time to kick-start is 5.30 am, we have to get ourselves ready and be at the spot at 5 pm, 30 minutes early. One has to be an experienced rider, trained to take care of the bike in case of falls or accidents, must know to change the tyre if punctured, fully equipped with medical kit in case of emergencies. We have to inform all the dealerships at least a month prior to beginning our tour,” elaborates Rohit.
Navin Kaushik of Goa Harley Davidson - was the key person whom the trio had to keep in touch with and call in case they needed anything on their way. Kaushik was responsible for providing them the backup assistance by co-ordinating with the on-route HD dealers and keeping help and support ready before the trio reached that spot.
The trio travelled close to 500-600 km per day with minimum 120 km per hour speed. “To keep the ride smooth, what was needed to feed constantly with, on our route was petrol (for their bikes) and food. With these two ingredients taken care of, we marched ahead smoothly. Indian Oil Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum pumps were the two constants we relied on,” concludes Rohit who plans to do more travels this year.
