I just love bikes. It’s not the safest passion to have, but I guess it’s better than Russian roulette. – Ryan Reynolds

I have shared a bitter-sweet relationship with biking since I was 18. Having cheated death twice (being run over by a bus one time, slamming head on into another bus the second), I have stopped riding about 5 years now. My collection of 2 dirt bikes, 2 sports bikes and one automatic scooter have dwindled down to only the last one remaining in the arsenal. And that too, the scooter, isn’t going to last for long in the garage.

Something about bikes and riding got me excited when I was younger. The wind in my hair (pre helmet-sense), grasping on to the fuel tank with your legs, slouching forward to reduce drag, all of it. Above all else, the seriousness and focus it took, to control one. My buds and I would do 200 km road trips one way just to grab breakfast in another city. We would ride 400 kms to grab a beer on the other end of the spectrum. That is how much we love riding. PS: Never drink and ride. A bike, I mean, never drink and ride a bike.

When I heard of this group of Mumbai based bikers and their love for weekend rides on steadfast Royal Enfield and Yezdi/Jawa bikes, I just had to accompany them. Deepak Singh convinced me we could capture them on the move, which I thought made for some amazing shots.

The ride stretched across 200 kms on the Bombay Gujarat highway, the sky was overcast and we got tiny bits of sunshine. It was very weird, the weather for this time of year. But it was a fun day from breakfast to lunch, spending 12 hours on the road riding, shooting and having a bit of fun along the way.

Royal Enfield breathed “Retro Cool” into biking with the launch of the Continental GT mid 2014. I know for certain that when I start living in a city/neighborhood with better roads, I am going to pick one up for myself. As long as I can lower it enough for my legs to reach the ground!

As endless as my love for bikes, is Biker Style. Leather jackets, boots, denims, plaid shirts, wayfarers and a bad-ass attitude. Leather jackets are timeless. Throw them on denims or chinos, they look perfectly at ease. I even wear leather jackets to meetings with a tie. You obviously have to pick the right silhouettes and light cuts. Nothing too chunky or long. Unless you are ok looking like something from The Matrix Trilogy.

The Riders – Amit Mane, Dhiraj Phulwani, Kaushik Iyer, Sanskar Sawant

Images shot by Deepak Singh and Ankit Kadle

All biker backpacks by Viari

On Al Claudius:

Denims by Jack and Jones
Boots by Doc Marten
Sunglasses by RayBan
Shirt by UniQlo
Leather Jacket by Jack and Jones
Leather Gloves by Zara
Leather Sling by Viari

Bad-assery, Blogger’s own!

What is your idea of a weekend getaway? Go on, pop in your responses in the comment box.