Image Courtesy: BOBMC Rider Mania
The Inception: Sometimes a small idea can lead to great outcomes and the BOBMC Rider Mania is most certainly one such phenomenon. To understand the makings of this phenomenon, one must trace its origins back to the times when it all started with a simple idea of getting together and riding with fellow Bullet aficionados. Royal Enfield Motorcycles have always had their fair share of fan base both within India and elsewhere in the world. That being said, their riders never had a major common platform where they could come together and connect to other fellow Bullet riders from across the length and breadth of the country; share their joys and grievances, and celebrate the spirit of riding a true classic such as Royal Enfield. In fact, for quite some time there were several negative stigmas and stereotypes attached to the brand Bullet, some of which are prevalent even to this day. However, all that started to change slowly but surely, as we entered the new millennia. As Royal Enfield started to catch up with the 21st century technology, the nostalgia for the old classics grew stronger and stronger. The Brotherhood of Bulleteers Motorcycling Consortium (BOBMC) Rider Mania in its current shape and form is the divine manifestation of that nostalgia and love of riding a classic motorcycle.
When Vernon Dias of the Madras Bulls Motorcycle Club conceptualised the idea of Rider Mania back in 2002, even he probably hadn’t imagined how massive the event is eventually going to turn out to be.
Image Courtesy: BOBMC Rider Mania
The Actualisation of a Dream: Surely enough, with the help of fellow riders from some of the old motorcycling clubs of southern India, Vernon and his mates managed to put together the first event in Jan, 2003. The event received a decent participation of approximately 70 riders and was held in one of the most happening places in India; Goa.
Rider Mania was born.
Royal Enfield were quick to recognise the potential of such an event and jumped the Rider Mania bandwagon. The next version of the event in 2004 was thus hosted by Royal Enfield. The event was still held in Goa, but the participation nearly doubled to approximately 130 riders.
In 2005, the participating clubs decided that Rider Mania needs to be a rotating event, organized and hosted by one of the participating clubs and held at a different part of the country each year. And thus, Rider Mania became BOBMC Rider Mania.
Image Courtesy: BOBMC Rider Mania
The word brotherhood took an entirely new meaning under the realm of BOBMC. It became a platform for the riders not just to get together and have fun riding around, but an actual platform where Royal Enfield riders connected to each other, and share their experiences with one another. Many a new life long friendship were formed and for the first time the Royal Enfield community within the country started to look like a close-knit and well organized band of brotherhood not be messed with.
Ever since then, Rider Mania has been all over the country and the participation has grown to thousands of riders every year, coming in from all nooks and corners the country and even from outside the national borders.
The rest as they say is history…
To get a real sense of how the event has evolved year on year, check out the history section of BOBMC official website.
Image Courtesy: BOBMC Rider Mania
2016 - What to Expect:
If the past is anything to go by, the 2016 BOBMC Rider Mania should be nothing short of epic. There is a rolling tradition within BOBMC to outmatch the previous events in everyway possible and you should rest assure that this years’ event hosts ‘Wanderlust’ of Nagpur, are leaving no show unturned in making sure that when you go back from the event, you’d have countless memories to cherish for your lifetime. Aside from the regular fanfare, camaraderie and merrymaking that we’ve come to associate with BOBMC Rider Mania, Wanderlust have already promised to throw in a lot of surprises your way. With thousands of bikers from over 50 clubs converging at Nagpur come 22 Jan, the hosts are making sure there’s something for everyone. The foodie, the music buff, the adventure lover; everybody’s going to get their hands full and will have plenty to indulge with and oh, did we mention that Trip Machine Company is going to be there too? To cater to your last minute leather cravings and up your style quotient, and also to give you a glimpse into some of those premium leather surprises we’ve been working on for you. Now back to the Wanderlusts. Let’s introduce you to some of these guys.
Take a look into the lives of Wanderlust-ers:
They pride themselves in their lust for life and like to refer to themselves as ‘Thunder gods.’ And they’ve been around long enough for us to not take their words lightly. This is not their first time hosting the event and they did a fantastic job of it back in 2007, so you should be expecting nothing less than monumental. Need we say, these would be the right guys to contact in case you had any last minute queries about the event before you hit the road.
BOBMC - What does the Future Hold?
While a lot of people might think that BOBMC is already into its heydays and it couldn’t get much better, nothing could be further away from the truth. While it’s true that the Bullet fraternity has been growing by the day and there probably wasn’t a better time to own a Royal Enfield motorcycle in the last half of a century than now; it is also true that organising events for and coordinating with such a large community presents its own set of challenges. New Riders bring in new ideas and eccentricities, and BOBMC has to ensure that they remain open and democratic in accommodating every voice without compromising on their core principles. This is not going to be easy. The last 15 odd years have revolutionised the motorcycling scene in India and brand Bullet has made a comeback that we all once hoped for. But with that, the exclusivity that Royal Enfield bikes once used to symbolise is slowly diminishing. This is where the Brotherhood steps in.
They have to ensure that regardless of the size of the fraternity they convey to each of their member what they stand for, which is the spirit of riding a classic. The motorcycle itself is a mere symbol and the spirit lies within. That spirit should never be compromised. What does the spirit entail? Everything that is good about being a human being. Being a positive force in the world, being a giver rather than taker, being humble and grounded, you catch our drift. If you’re still not sure what we’re talking about, watch how our fellow brothers from the south saved another during the Chennai floods recently:
Notice how as the man is struggling to prevent himself from drowning, the Cagers continue to watch through the safety of their cages while the brothers rush to form a human chain and save the man. This is the spirit we celebrate each day and everyday. We hope that as the future unfolds this spirit grows stronger and stronger. We hope that BOBMC can lead the new generation of Bullet lovers into imbibing this spirit and living by it. For now, we keep Rockin’ Hard!! We hope to see you in Nagpur. Drop your comments below and tell us when and how you plan to get there.
Note: In order to avoid any misgivings, we’d like to clarify that BOBMC Rider Mania is not in anyway associated with the annual Rider Mania event in Goa hosted by Royal Enfield.
We will be present at the BOBMC Rider Mania, where we will be showcasing our collection of Handmade premium leather goods along with our future releases.We hope you are coming too!!
Please check out our Collection of Premium Leather Goods for your motorcycles by clicking on the link below
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