Uniting Royal Enfield riders from around the world 

Rider Mania is India’s biggest and oldest bikers meet organised by BOBMC (Brotherhood of Bulleteers Motorcycling Consortium). This time the historic Rider Mania was hosted by FORE Nepal (Friends of Royal Enfield) with the theme ‘#CHALO NEPAL’, which was held in Pame, Pokhara. The event attracted more than 1,700 riders from Nepal, India, Bhutan, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia and other countries. Majority of the riders attending the four-day extravaganza were from India. 

The event was specially organised for Royal Enfield riders. Rider Mania was first started in 2003 at Goa which was organised by Vernon Dias. It is an annual event, organised by different rider clubs in a place of their choice and this year FORE Nepal got the chance to host the event. Back in 2003, there were only around 70 attendants. The number of riders has been increasing every year. In 2019, Rider Mania was hosted by India Bull Riders Motorcycle Club (IBRMC) which took place at Ghasiyar village in Udaipur. All the clubs participating in Rider Mania are part of the Brotherhood of Bulleteers Motorcycling Consortium (BOBMC). 

According to Promod Shrestha, mostly known as Goofy, vice-president of FORE Nepal and the coordinator of the event, the main motive of Rider Mania is to increase brotherhood among riders. Although riders may be from different clubs and countries, Rider Mania unites them all and riders are proud to be part of the brotherhood. Shrestha said, “The road brings us riders with the same passion together.” 

According to him, 60 percent of riders who attended the Nepal event had been to past rider manias while the remaining riders got a taste of what it is like to be part of a brotherhood for the first time. 

Autolife got to witness Rider’s Mania 2020 from the front seat. This year, over 100 clubs were participating in the event. For the first time, Rider’s Mania was held in Nepal and was one of the biggest rider’s meets ever held in the country. Majority of the riders were from different parts of India. Most of the riders came along with their group or club though there were solo riders as well and it’s worth mentioning that there were two riders riding solo from Bhutan. We got to see various types of interesting Royal Enfield motorcycles. There were old Royal Enfield models from the 1970s, some were made for track and one of the main attractions at the event was a 500cc Royal Enfield modified into a chopper. Riders even came on non-Enfield motorcycles like the Kawasaki 1000, Triumph Tiger 800, Ducati Scrambler 800 and Jawa. During the four day mania, we witnessed many exciting activities including games, concerts, race and many more. 

DAY 1 

On the first day, riders gathered in the Capital and rode to Pame in Pokhara where the event was happening. It was a sight to behold with riders of all ages riding in a convoy with the boisterous exhausts thumping along the way. 

On arrival, riders received a welcome drink in the form of a traditional Newari alcoholic drink called Aila. After that, riders had to register their names. Then the organisers officially kicked off the first-ever Rider Mania in Nepal by hoisting the official Rider Mania 2020 flag. It was then followed by a cultural programme performed by a local dance group. Riders also got to enjoy live music performed by various bands. The environment on the first day was electric with riders doing burnouts, revving their bikes, taking group photos and enjoying the music. Riders continued to stream into the venue throughout the day with some arriving at midnight. 

DAY 2 

The second day was mostly playing games and engaging with riders. We were pretty excited about the games. After breakfast, an influencers meet was scheduled. The local Gurung community from Pokhara even demonstrated their cultural dance. One of the sponsors for the event, Michelin Tyres, engaged the riders by organising several games where the winners won tyres from the company. To make the day more special, organisers chartered two aeroplanes, one hosting the flag of BOBMC Rider Mania 2020 while the other was busy showering the venue with flowers. There were games like tug of war, slow race, carry your soul where riders had to carry their bikes across the line and finally beer chug where the riders have to drink a bottle of beer in one shot. The environment was intense during the games and people were cheering for their teams and rivals alike. Besides the bike rides and games, there was various entertainment on offer like the musical session where the famous rock band Robin and The New Revolution performed live. It was the cherry on the top of an already exciting day and participants enjoyed it a lot. 

DAY 3 

On the third day, the event reached its zenith. It was also India’s Independence Day and with the majority of riders being Indian, a special event was organised. The BRS group of India hoisted the Indian flag and riders sang their national anthem. 

It was then time to kick off the dirt and skill race. Riders could choose to participate in three categories — Himalaya, 350 and 500. All three races were nail-biting encounters with riders pushing their Royal Enfield bikes to extremes for a shot of glory. 

Eventually, Hemant More from GWR Mumbai emerged victorious from all three races. It was no surprise that he won the races considering that he also won the Desert Storm Rally in India. Other riders attended the influencers meet followed by various games like arm wrestling and singing competition organised by Michelin Tyres. 

After the race, there was a Mods meet where the group leaders sat down to decide the host and venue for the next Rider Mania. After a prize ceremony for the various games, it was announced that the 2021 edition of Rider Mania will be hosted by Wanderers Group in Hyderabad. 

To conclude the event, members of FORE Nepal shared their experiences and talked about the event. A live performance by The Dreamerz along with a DJ continued the party atmosphere till midnight. 

DAY 4 

After spending the past three days with riders from all over the world, it was time to part ways. The biggest gathering of motorcycle riders in Nepal had strengthened the bond between riders, with memories to last a lifetime. 

During the event, we talked to some of the riders from different countries about their Rider Mania experience in Nepal. 

1. Pallavi Fanzdar, an Indian woman best known for her high altitude motorcycle riding also participated in the Rider Mania with her Ducati Scrambler. Fanzdar said, “I rode solo from New Delhi and it took me around three days to reach Pokhara.” Fanzdar also holds various records for being the first woman to ride eight mountain passes above 5,000m in a single trip and also received the Nari Shakti Award from the President of India. She also added that she enjoys all the rides and the trip to Nepal to attend Rider Mania was enjoyable. 

2. Nanshad Alam, a rider from BRS Group said that 42 members out of 50 attended the event in Nepal. According to Alam, it was the fourth time attending a Rider Mania for the BRS group. They travelled over 500km from Patna to Pokhara. Alam explained that while the journey was good, it was tough to maintain coordination among their large group of riders. 

3. Hemant More, who won all three categories for the dirt race said, “We (GWR Mumbai Group) came from Mumbai and covered over 2,500km in 3 days. We faced many problems along the way as our bikes were modified specifically for the track and not the road. Even the weather was out to get us.”