Fun times begin with friends

Biking for the members of Pune Bikers Club is more of a passion than a mere hobby. This touring and biking club was started a year-and-a-half ago by four avid bikers Akshay Jain, Swapnil Shelkar, Abhijit Kulkarni and Bhushan Walimbe. And today, the club has around 20 members from various professional backgrounds.

The members form groups and zoom off to a choice of locations twice a month. Akshay Jain, one of the founder members, said, "As all four of us found touring with friends quite adventurous, we thought of starting this club. Slowly, the club grew and now, we have fun going out in a big gang of fervent bikers."

However, becoming a member of the club is not an easy task. The founder members go through each application carefully and then choose the members. Jain added, "We test the physical, mental and driving abilities of the applicants. Moreover, we make sure that none of our members have any criminal record." The group is only open to people between the age group of 18 to 30 years.

Good times
The members have made numerous trips across Maharashtra, Bhopal, Goa, Hyderabad and Guwahati. "Recently, five members of our group had been Ladakh, which turned out to be quiet an exciting trip," Jain said.

Jain admitted that choosing a place is quite tricky as it often depends upon the weather of the place they want to explore. He added, "In January next year, we are planning a trip to Goa as the climate would be good at that time. Besides, it will be less crowded."

Jain said that the group wanted to join the Riders Mania, which was held in Goa last month but they couldn't make. "It's not easy for every member to come for every trip, as everyone is busy with their professional lives. However, there is no obligation to join every trip. A trip can be planned with just five and six members too," concluded Jain.