A reunion like no other: The ultimate Royal Enfield jamboree

To be honest, Royal Enfield's REunions are not as big of an event when compared to their very own Rider Mania that happens once a year in Goa. But what makes REunions special is that instead of bringing the riders of the entire country under a single roof, it filters the diversified crowd into smaller batches such as North and South and thereby being able to make it a regional meet. Macroscopically, the success of REunions also proves that Royal Enfield has a fan base that ensures a packed house in such regional meets and that is something not many companies can brag about. 

The 2019 REunion South happened last weekend at Coorg, Karnataka. As a rider myself, I found this to be the best time to take my Classic 500 for a long spin and after taking my sweet time by riding to Bengaluru and Wayanad on the way, I reached Coorg on Friday. Even about 50 kilometres before the venue, it wasn't a task to spot hordes of Royal Enfield bikers throttling their engines and bringing the ghat section around the serene town back to life. With clearly marked boards, it wasn't hard to find my way to Club Mahindra Resorts which had been taken over by the riding community for the weekend. After crossing an arch at the entrance that mentions big and boldly that this is the venue for the 2019 REunion, I was directed to an empty ground that's been marked as a parking lot, especially for this event. With the main event starting tomorrow, Friday was spent settling down, looking around the property, meeting riders from different clubs and of course, in true Royal Enfield event style -- food, drinks and music with an open dance floor. 

Saturday, the 16th was what everyone waited for and the day started early. Right after a quick breakfast, the event's registration took place and various clubs enthusiastically got their names down for it. The events started with Assembly Wars which puts the mechanical skills of the riders to test. A team of riders has to assemble a bike and the fastest one to put the parts together wins. Even more than the adrenaline rush of the participants that's visible as they look out for parts while their hands are manoeuvring the screwdriver to tighten up a screw, it's the chorus chants of their friends motivating the participants that make this event a joyful one. And whatever pace they worked with, took the back seat for the next event, because it was time for the Slow Race. When the countdown ended, it was the skills the riders had on how they can coordinate with the brakes and accelerator, that was put to test. The competition that saw participants in everything -- ranging from the Himalayan to even Interceptors -- was won by a humble classic in the end. 

The lunch break was the perfect time for the participants of the next event to add on more proteins because the next in line was the Carry Your Bike competition. If the idea of a four-member team lifting an almost 200 kilograms wasn't tough enough, it was made harder with rules. The participants weren't allowed to wear any gears or use any equipment to lift the bike. The accessories too shouldn't be removed to reduce the weight and nor should the side lock be used. With strict regulations such as the team letting the bike touch the ground before the finish like getting disqualified, it was the ultimate test of strength and teamwork. This was followed by Maze Chase, where the participant must ride his bike along a preset path without losing his balance. Later in the evening, the events moved indoors where it came to an end with Arm Wrestling and Beer Drinking. 

The night was still young when dinner was served but the riders were busy with the band performances and DJ. Post a quick dinner, instead of heading back to their respective rooms, flocks of people decided to sit outside some of the rooms and discuss the return ride plans as well as exchange interesting stories of their previous rides. The next day morning, even before the sun came up, riders started leaving the venue to cover the most number of miles before it becomes sunnier. But before that, there were a lot of chitchats happening at the parking lot as riders bid goodbyes to their peers ranging from formal handshakes to bear hugs. Riders, being based in different parts of the country, the show of comradeship is understandable as they'll probably see each other after a long time in another biking event. The joy of making and refreshing memories is what makes the brotherhood stronger by the year and REunions make sure they happen quite often.