DBBR – ‘Delhi Bikers Breakfast Run’ – An Experience.

Google DBBR and the first few links will tell take you to the New York Stock Exchange displaying details of a company that is well established and has been doing well as a business entity.

Expand DBBR to ‘Delhi Bikers Breakfast Run’ and Google tends to throw back similar results on a group that hasn’t been doing too bad for itself either. If you haven’t heard of them already, ‘Delhi Bikers Breakfast Run’ was formed by Joshua John, a pastor, an artist, a drummer and most of all a man who almost always carries a smile and has a very different perspective on the meaning of living life to the fullest. Joshua and a group of dedicated volunteers help organise clean, fun filled and help create an environment that is safe with riding buddies that respect each other. 

A far stretched cry from any road hooliganism, his organised rides can be summed up into three words, RIDE, RESPECT & RELAX, very simply put ride with us, respect other riders and their machines and use this opportunity to relax while having fun. 

I have been fortunate to have ridden with the DBBR group on a couple of occasions and if you haven’t had the opportunity to have ridden with them, then I’d suggest like their Facebook page, watch out for the next ride (usually on Saturday mornings) saddle up and a good ride is guaranteed.

I remember my father riding Royal Enfields back in the 70’s & 80’s and he speaks of his love for BSA’s, Nortons, Ariels & Sunbeams even today. He was passionate about motorcycles and often would tinker with his own bikes to make them look different. There was a time when he had the RE logo engraved into stone and set it on his fuel tank; it was one of kind which I have not seen replicated to date. My first brush with motorcycles came in the form of a Yamaha RX 100 that belonged to my brother. It was his brand new RX and I personally could not imagine myself changing gears, concentrating on acceleration while engaging the rear and front brakes all at once. Eventually tried to take a right turn without checking my rear view mirror and as expected, someone rear ended me as a result of which my brother was staring at a dent in the tank on his brand new bike. That was in 1991, ~24 years ago at age 15 (yes, I know underage but you’ve been there and done it as well).

I got my first own excuse for bike in the form of a Hero Puch Turbosport, gifted to me by my father, a  65cc, manually operated 2 gears, carburetted, alloy wheels and plenty of fun. Yes, I’ve had my fair share of accidents but the difference is I have learnt through them. Since then I’ve owned several motorcycles and my love and respect for them has only grown. It’s a constant learning and you end up discovering new things about the way a motorcycle performs and yourself as a rider every day. Whether you evolve or not is up to you.

As you can imagine, I have been riding for some time now and for a while have preferred to ride alone or with folks that I have personally known over the years. Friends moved on and it was getting increasing challenging to find or bump into people who shared the same passion for riding or looked at a motorcycle the way I did. People like talking about motorcycles but the ones I bumped into mostly saw it as a mode of transport that was perfect for rush hour traffic. The motorcycle was much more than that to me.

When I first heard of DBBR, Bikers Breakfast Run just sounded wrong – Did they mean at the end of a ride, force questionable food down ones throat to see who made it to the loo on time? I had to find out for myself and so accepted to ride one Saturday morning, I was pleasantly surprised. 

As a first timer or veteran, you are welcomed with the same enthusiasm from Joshua and his group. Over the next few rides I was also impressed with the number of new riders that joined this group. The ride usually starts from the Lacoste, South Ex. And ends at a well-known dhaba for breakfast. This provides a great platform for likeminded individuals to connect and share their experiences and love for The Motorcycle and the Art of Motorcycling. The ride attracts a range of motorcycles, from Super (expensive) bikes to the legendary Royal Enfield. What I liked is that the group considers everyone to be an equal and does not give any special preferences to anyone.

Take it from me, once astride a motorcycle, mechanically they are all the same with two wheels and an engine. The smile that follows is for free and can be experienced no matter what you ride. 

I think this is where newbies should start, ride with the group, connect with tenured riders who are ever helpful to provide assistance on queries that you may have related to riding style, riding gear, routes, destination rides and well just about anything under the sun. Get back to the Facebook feed and there is always someone who would have captured a great photo of you having a good time, a photograph that you never had to put-on a smile for.

DBBR is a gang, it’s a club, it’s a lifestyle, it’s anything you want it to be as long as your meaning of riding a motorcycle follows three very simple rules – RIDE, RESPECT & RELAX.            

Text: Sheldon Dcruz

Photos credits - DBBRs Facebook Page (KD Singh Chauhan)