Anant Pandey

Pure motorcycling. That has been Royal Enfield’s tagline as well as a phrased Bible verse when it comes to how they function as a company. This has started reflecting in their recent products as well as their flagship rides. However, where it all culminates and makes absolute sense is Rider Mania - now dubbed MotoVerse. A celebration of biking brotherhood where Royal Enfield riders and other motorcyclists flock to Goa every year, in either wolfpacks or as solo voyagers. This time around, RE took the rebranding to a whole different level where the term ‘MotoVerse’ took the centre stage. A universe of motorcycles, that is what my peanut-sized brain can think of this soldering of words. We also flew down to Goa to experience what turned out to be a fest sprinkled with enthusiasm, adrenaline and almost 15,000 attendees over three action-packed days! Right after landing in Goa, it became clear. The next few days, there would be no sleep but a lot of action, thrill, chill and sweat! But yours truly pulled up his socks and was all up for it. A surprise awaited for us media folks right after entering the portal called MotoVerse. In a rather psychedelic setting, Royal Enfield unveiled the Shotgun 650 - the fourth motorcycle based on RE’s 650cc platform. Based on the SG 650 showcased at EICMA 2021, the Shotgun is a factory-made, custom bobber, the first of its kind in its segment in India. While the Shotgun bowled us over with its smashing paint scheme and stance, the Himalayan 450’s pricing sweeped us over in the evening. The rest of the day was reserved for everything in between including trail and slide schools, races across different categories, fun competitions and electrifying music performances. Bird’s eye view would have revealed that the MotoVerse was actually a mini universe, with different planets and stars orbiting around each other. A living organism, filled with everything related to pure motorcycling. From the peaky, snow-capped Himalayas to the beaches of Goa, the all-new Himalayan found its way to the MotoVerse as a whole area named BaseCamp was dedicated to it. It actually turned out to be a heaven for Himalayan’s potential customers as they got up and personal with the motorcycle and got the whole download about this latest globetrotter from RE. Royal Enfields have always been closely knit with custom motorcycle scenario as they have always presented themselves as a blank canvas for custom houses to paint their wild imaginations. This time around, RE dedicated a whole area to amazingly customized motorcycles called Shed Builds. From a retro rat motorcycle to gorgeous cafe-racers, from hardtail motorcycles to functional ADVs, Shed Builds had it all! After getting spellbounded by such amazing builds, I moved to the MotoThrill area which was reserved for just thing - racing action! Another first was the Hunter Hood, an experiential ride through a curated course designed to highlight the agility of the Hunter 350. Riders across every level of expertise also got the opportunity to acquire and test their new skills at the Slide School, Trail School and Ace The Hill. The routine was the same everyday for me. Wake up, go see what’s hapenning at MotoVerse, take a breather to catch up with some of my old friends, party, repeat! The main stage was dubbed MotoSonic and it performed the role of a centre stage really well as it saw electrifying and gravitating performances from celebrated artists such as acclaimed multi-lingual singer Benny Dayal, indie-pop duo Ranj & Clifr, up-and-coming artists Oaff x Savera and experimental Indian electronica artists, Tech Panda x Kenzani. Other fan favorites included Parikrama, Seedhe Maut, Midival Punditz Ft. Karsh Kale and Kutle Khan. As the lights went out on the MotoSonic stage during the last day, the attendees couldn’t restrict themselves from hugging other fellow motorcyclists and non-bikers as well. After three days of celebrating the brotherhood and motorcycling lifestyle, grind and deadlines awaited us at the other end. Photos: Royal Enfield

Anant Pandey

Motoverse 2023 - A Universe Within!

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