Biking culture: Does it really exist in India

Biking is all about self rejuvenation, reclamation and what not; atleast that is what it is in my mind. You ride a bike to soothen your soul, not to look cool or showoff

BHPian saikishor recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I’m not starting this thread because of some superbike crash that took place recently, this question kinda ponders in my mind looking at the influencers that exist in today’s social media pages.

What is biking? What do motorcyclists do? Who are motorcyclists? The one person who I feel is apt for a passionate motorcyclist is Mr.Subhabrata Marmar aka Shumi from Motorinc. I stumbled upon his new channel very recently and have been hooked since. The way he explains and displays stuff makes his intention clear. I mean, you can tell that man was born for motorcycles. That kind of passion is what makes someone a true biker or a true motorcyclist. Another name I can recall is Zohair Ahmed but now he has moved to cars and no longer does motorcycle content.

So yes coming back to what is biking and who are bikers? In my opinion, bikers are people who are passionate about riding and their bike ONLY. Bikers don’t and shouldn’t care about stuff which is not related to bikes. Those were the things which I associate to bikes.

Now if I know what biking is, then why am I starting this thread? Well as a young guy, who loves his bike to the core and goes nuts whenever he parks it and looks back at it, I feel the biking culture is being diluted and the terms biking and biking culture themselves are being diluted. These so called influencers are conveying wrong stuff to the younger gen like me. I mean, biking in India has become more of a show off kind of thing nowadays. Biker meets are all about showing off your expensive bike with its triple expensive accesories, photos, videos and what not. Photos is still fine but showoff IMO is not fine. These showoff guys are conveying the wrong image to the younger gen.

See I’ll take my example. I am 20 years old, currently in my engineering 2nd year. Buying a bike and going on good rides was a dream since I was 13. I finally got my first bike when I was 19. My dad paid for it, and he pays for my petrol, maintenance, gear etc etc. All is good till here. I know my limits mentally and financially, so I do what ever is feasible for me(gear purchases, rides etc). So now what happens when a guy like me wants to buy a bike for himself or lets say has a bike with him already, but now he watches some influencers video, gets hooked and wants the same expensive stuff on his bike too? If he’s someone like me who relies on his parents for his stuff, won’t his parents feel pressurised? Is this how biking culture is meant to be? Absolutely not. Biking is all about self rejuvenation, reclamation and what not; atleast that is what it is in my mind. You ride a bike to soothen your soul, not to look cool or showoff whatever you have to people who dont give a rat’s ass about bikes.

Another example I have in my mind are biking groups. I am a kinda silent member of 2 biking groups. I joined one in January, and the second one quite recently like 2 weeks ago. Situation is the same in those groups also; there is a lot of spam instead of actual bike talks. I might get kicked out after someone reads this from the group but it is what it is. I feel like exiting them, lets see I will if I find it pointless in being there.

Sorry if my post went too long but all I want to say is, biking culture is a literal joke in India at this point. I mean, look at content creators like Fortnine, Motorinc etc and look at other chapri content creators (no offense).

And lets not talk about guys who started with motorcycles as their thing but now do home tours, babysitting videos and what not.

I would like to hear others views and see if there is a possibility of changing this to a small extent atleast.

Here’s what GTO had to say on the matter:

All I can say is:

• We should stop being purists.
• We should stop being elitist, even indirectly.

To me, anyone who loves to ride is a biker. Whether it’s Manson on his 954RR, or the banking clerk who enjoys his Splendor. Axe77 on his Triumph, or a student on an Activa. I reiterate, anyone who loves to ride is a biker.

I follow a similar philosophy in the 4-wheeled world. In fact, this thread was my idea. This one was my idea too.

Me, Aditya, Omkar & gang are as much of car guys as anyone on the planet. We drive 50 cars every year between the three of us. From economy hatchbacks to deadly-fast EVs to 8-cylinder mean machines. Yet, if you see our real-life experiences & comments on those threads, we also enjoy driving Corollas & Hectors.

Anyone who loves to drive is a car guy, IMHO.

Here’s what BHPian am1m had to say on the matter:

Boss, we were having these exact same conversations 25 years ago in engineering college! And I’m sure 25 years before that, people at that age would have been having similar conversations.

So it’s nothing new and not limited to bikes. It’s about the age you are at and trying to find your identity. It’s the basic human need to find a ‘tribe’ and prove (mainly to themselves) that their ‘tribe’ is ‘better’. It’s the same sentiment/urge that allows politicians to manipulate people based on nationality, and makes us so suceptible to marketing and advertising through pop-culture, whether it’s Royal Enfield, Justin Bieber, Live free XUV, etc etc.

Do what works for you. If you like riding alone, go for it, if groups work for you, go for it. Just be wary about people trying to sell you a product, packaged in emotion. All the brands do it. And now even people have become personal brands.

Spend more time on the bike than off it, and you’ll be just fine.

Here’s what BHPuan bf1983 had to say on the matter:

Biking culture is being diluted no doubt about it but you still get a good number of bikers who love biking for the sake of biking.

Just last week I went for a bike ride and our group consisted of two Ninjas, two KTM 390 ADVs and two retro bikes (an old Bullet 500 and a Honda CB350). So we had a great mix of bikes and nobody was trying to show off. Whoever would go ahead would stop and let everyone catch up before traffic dispersed us again. This is not something new and we see such groups all over Mumbai. So biking culture is still very much alive and we shouldn’t let these chapris who call themselves Youtubers dictate their version of biking culture.

Here’s what BHPian Ironhide had to say on the matter:

Sai,

What you have brought out is genuine and from the heart. Motorcycling was all about exploring new places, taking in the sights and sounds and feeling the wind in your hair. Instead, what it has turned into is a kind of Social Media oneupmanship in colourful filters.

Your observations about Fort9 & Shubhabrata Marmar are spot on. They are genuine motorcyclists and their content is well researched, engaging, entertaining and carries the weight of experience. Another guy with similar content for travel goes by the name of Toll free traveller. His travelogues on a Thunderbird earlier and now on an X-Pulse are a delight to watch. Why go too far, in our own forum we have riderzone who writes beautifully and passionately about all things motorcycle. Even Dileep Menezes, another BHPian writes beautifully about his explorations – on a Xpulse (though he has a Tiger too). There are motorcyclists of all hues on our forum itself – from the likes of Ashvinprakas who used to do interstate trips on his eminently capable CT-100B and is a DIY enthusiast when it comes to motorcycles, to aargee & vijayanand who are veritable authorities on CBR 250R to the indefatigable rb2399 who munches miles for breakfast, lunch and dinner on his V-Strom.

So don’t let all the made-up, and phoney balderdash that passes for biking culture on social media bother you and keep you from doing what you love – motorcycling. Ride safe, travel, explore, and enjoy the sun on your face and the wind in your hair.

Happy Motorcycling!

Cheers!

Here’s what BHPian SoumenD had to say on the matter:

Was an avid 2-wheeler tourer back in 2007-2011(did some 22k kms across India) when social media wasn’t as influential yet. Yes we had forums like xBhp(been more than a decade I last logged in) where I learnt about safety gears(still have my DSG mesh jacket somewhere) & long distance touring. But by 2010/11 itself this show-off thingy had started and I remember discussing these same things that you mentioned.

Personally I feel if someone is getting influenced by wrong folks(again what’s wrong for me might be right for someone else), there’s very little we can do. An adult is expected to choose his own poison judiciously. I don’t care about the social media influenzas doing their thing. Its a free country, people can do whatever they like, follow whoever they want to.

For me motor-biking is a very personal thing which is liberating. Still see it that way and hope to get back to it soon.

Here’s what BHPian R-Six had to say on the matter:

I echo with GTO’s sentiments! Everyone who ride a bike is a biker!

And in India, biking culture doesn’t necessarily always mean, the breakfast rides or the most coveted ride up to the Great Himalayas! It is also about the milkman, a regular 9-5 Joe who couldn’t yet afford a 4 wheeler, or that middle-class family man who manages to accommodate his entire family on the splendor so that he doesn’t have to shell out extra for a taxi. Its about those too. They have their own stories as well!

Bike culture for a little kid could even mean, that fun joy ride within the society before his/her dad goes to work in the morning.

So lets not try to narrow down the biking culture to just those long rides, instagram worthy pictures and reels or the youtube videos. Its much more than that for a country like us.

But we do hear your concerns though. All the motovlog culture and the easy accessibility to the electronic devices have made it looks like biking is all about the fancy rides to beautiful locations. Lets accept it, it is there on the internet because there are people who are ready to consume such content. They offer what sells, And if we look at it that way, whom should be blamed in the first place?

And the above quote sums up what biking brotherhood is all about! You get to meet strangers on your rides and who knows, he is going to be your riding partner for longer than you imagine!

Anyway, I see you are quite young. Still trying to find out where you fit in. Take your time, go for joy rides with your riding groups, no harm in that. You may ride solo too. Sooner or later you will figure out what sort of rider are you. And that is how you’ll begin your biker journey!

Until then, ride safe and yes, keep riding!

Best,

R-Six

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