In Their Shoes

The Sherco TVS Factory Rally team invites us to the Sahara Desert to give us a taste of their rally bikes

- Rishabh Bhaskar

Trepidation. I guess that’s the feeling I’ve got as I mount the big Sherco dirt bike. In my mind, I think I’ve made the right choice. Of the four bikes that the Sherco TVS Factory Rally team has lined up, I chose the one with the smallest capacity. It seemed the least intimidating of the lot, at least on paper. Besides, my absolute lack of experience in riding a motorcycle off road made me opt for a beginner level motorcycle. I was so wrong. Barely a few meters out of the tent, the moment I hit the first mound of sand, I stalled the bike and almost fell off. My heartbeat shot up to the next level, as I struggled to find a secure footing and keep the bike upright. Beads of sweat kept rolling down my forehead. In that moment, I thought to myself, “Why did I sign up this?” But before I go any further, let’s just back this truck up, shall we?

TVS Racing has been spreading its wings by participating in international rallies, including the Dakar. In order to showcase how far they’ve come, the company flew me and a few other fellow journalists to Morocco, to witness the 2018 Rallye Du Maroc. It was quite a surreal experience to see top level rallyists blaze past on their 450 Dakar motorcycles. Even the riders in the Enduro class were no less spectacular to watch. They actually made riding offroad appear easy. I mean, how difficult can it be, right? Just stand on the bike and stay on the throttle.

Cut to two days later, at the ride experience that TVS and Sherco had set up in Merzouga, I was, atop a small sand dune, in the Sahara Desert, tired and wondering if I’m going to manage a day of riding in the desert.