Easy Riders

Delhi boasts several stunt biking communities as well as individual bikers. Most of them can be seen in action at college festivals and corporate events. “The pay ranges from Rs 70,000 to Rs 1 lakh for every performance which is divided among the performers,” says Monty. He is the founder of a 35-member group called Legal Crime Club (LCC) in the Capital. “This biking community is a part of our efforts to tell people that stunt biking isn’t bad or illegal,” he says. To even out the reputation of the sport,which is marred by hooliganism,the three-year-old club has performed for several social awareness initiatives. Monty has also performed stunts for a yet-to-be-released Yash Raj film called Lafange Parinde.

In the world of freestyle stunt riding,speed isn’t important,grace and fluidity are. “It took three years to master this move,” says Monty about the Flamenco Circle Wheelie,for which he is famous in the biker community.

For Ankit,founder of the biggest stunt riding community in India ,RODS (Ryderz of the Storm),with members in 26 cities,performing stunts is as an avenue to “satiate an adrenaline rush”. After watching Laurence Fishburne burning rubber in the 2003 Hollywood film Biker Boys,Ankit got hooked to biking,but was gifted a Scooty instead. Gradually,he acquired a Pulsar and began to copy stunts from films and the Internet in his backyard. RODS was formed in 2006 to bring other stunt bikers together. “We connected through social networking sites and it wasn’t long before we had more than 80 members from Delhi,” says Ankit. “One of the cardinal rules of biking communities is to obey traffic rules.”

Stunt riding in India is an unorganised sport with many scattered bikers. Sunny Bhatia,22,a freelance stunt rider for three years,is among the veterans in Delhi. “Since I work individually,I am free to choose where to perform and whom to collaborate with. The money is fairly better in such cases,” he says. His last major performance was at the 50th anniversary celebrations of Maharashtra in Mumbai last month.

The bikers are self-taught and have several stories to tell about wrecked bikes and broken bones. Monty recalls spending two agonising months a few years go,recovering from a fall which fractured his ankle and resulted in 17 stitches. “My performance improved after the accident,” he says with a chuckle,leaning against his modified Pulsar,with wheelie bars,hand brakes,and a scratch-guard on the side. Modifications such as these can cost upwards of Rs 10,000. Ankit,who does not have any modifications on his bike,swears by the durability of his rear brakes,“The rear brakes need to be in perfect condition to ensure our safety.”

The clubs meet once a week at dawn at a secluded location,to avoid prying eyes and the police. “Space and the cops are big problems,” says Vas Dev Singh aka Ginny,17,from Moto Xploit,a biking community formed two years ago. “It’ll be a long ride before cops understand that everybody on a bike isn’t a troublemaker.”