For a while now, the biking culture in Goa
has stepped up to another level with the Goa Chapter of the Harley Owners
Group, aka H.O.G, being one such group of passionate riders. Assistant Director
of the Goa chapter of HOG and Panjim resident Karl Coelho states that the group
was formed in 2014 after the opening of the Harley Davidson showroom in the
state.
Touring the country and beyond national
borders on a motorcycle has always been the dream of Karl Coelho and he got to
fulfill this dream on May 20 this year when he, along with two fellow riders –
Savio D’Souza and Amyn De Sousa – rode their Harley Davidson motorcycles from
Goa to the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan to participate in the 2nd International
India Hog Rally. This week long ride through Bhutan was organised by Harley
Davidson India in collaboration with The Bhutan Hog members led by Dashu Sangay
Wangchuk of the Royal family of Bhutan. About 25 riders from India joined the
rally this year.
This epic journey covering almost 8,000kms
traversing seven states of India – Goa, Karnataka, Telangana, Andra Pradesh,
Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal – took a lot of careful advance planning
as well as physical and mental preparation. The journey from Goa started early
morning on May 13. They reached
Silliguri, West Bengal on May 18 and crossed Jaigaon, the border town of India
into the town of Phuentsholing in Bhutan on May 19.
“It was an exhilarating feeling to have
crossed the border into another country on a motorcycle and a dream had come
true! The Bhutan Border gate is an ornate arch which once crossed, shows the
stark difference between India and Bhutan,” says Karl.
The three riders said that the chaos of
traffic, pedestrians, garbage and animals on the India roads gave way to a
quaint and serene town with clean broad roads, organised traffic and parking,
soft spoken people and a general feeling of calmness only broken by the roar of
their motorcycles.
Visas are not required for Indian nationals
and after receiving a permit for the riders and the bikes, the official rally
took off. “The ride took us through this beautiful Himalayan kingdom on winding
roads through some of the most picturesque locales in the world where road
conditions changed from smooth tarmac to almost non-existent rubble paths,”
adds Karl.
“Thirty Harley-Davison motorcycles riding
in perfect formation was a sight to behold and the excited waves from the ever
smiling local people made the ride in this beautiful country even more
special,” says Savio D’Souza.
“The week-long 1,000km ride took us to the
capital city Thimphu and the other main towns of Punakha, Bhumtang and Paro.
The ride ended on May 25 with all the riders, who became as close as family
members, each going their separate ways, adds Amyn De Sousa.
“This was a once in a lifetime experience
that gave us a newfound respect for our Harleys, as they endured all types of
terrain without any problems, as well as showed us how diverse India is, the
way only a road trip can,” adds Karl.
Speaking about the preparation for the
trip, the riders said that hotels too had to be researched for parking and
safety and booked in advance as safety of the bikes was of paramount
importance. Proper clothing, full safety gear and wireless communication
devices also had to be stocked up.
The
H.O.G organise five major rallies in a year in India and the next one is in
Kochi in September. The touring bug has caught on and many of the Goa hogs are
gearing up to ride to this event.
