Hyderabad city bikers off to goa!

Asia’s largest bike festival is back and several city bikers are all set to ride out on their bikes to participate in the India Bike Week 2016 that will be held on the 19 and 20 of February in Goa.

The event has turned into an annual pilgrimage for bikers and over 5,000 of them from across the country are expected to participate in it. From Hyderabad, around 200 bikers are going. With the number of modified bikes in the city gradually increasing, Neeruz Jain, an avid biker, whose Harley Davidson came second at last year’s event, feels IBW is a great platform to showcase one’s passion for innovations and modifications.

“Even before I bought my bike I had purchased accessories worth '10 lakh. That’s how important it is for me,” he says. Talking about the modifications he has done to his bike, he says, “I have modified my bike to look like a ‘dragger’, which not only looks great but has heightened its performance in terms of speed and pick up.”

He will be competing at the event with his Harley Davidson Heritage Softail. “I have done some changes on it as well. I have given it a decent paint job to give it a retro look. Also, I have added a lot of accessories,” he says.

Motorcycle veteran Shaam Kapoor’s Harley Davidson Fatboy has grabbed several eyeballs at the event and has won the last two consecutive years. He says, “To celebrate 112 years of Harley Davidson, my bike has been adorned with 111 different logos of Harley and there will be one more on my helmet. These logos look like they have been stitched on a jacket. The centre of the tank has Sir Harley and Davidson standing in front the first factory, which is the soul of the theme.” However, the bike will not be competing this year as Harley will be using it as a display bike, he adds.

Several biking groups are also going to participate. Vinod Kumar, a member of Bikerhood Hyderabad Motorcycle Club is enthusiastic. “I haven’t slept the entire week,” he says.

He will be riding out with over 70 other members of his group on 40 super bikes — from a Triumph to Suzuki Intruder and Harley Davidson.