MORE THAN METAL

This year's Motoverse proved that community thrives far beyond a single brand

- By Manaal Mahatme

Motoverse never begins at the gates of Vagator.

It starts much earlier, out on the highway where the sun’s still rubbing its eyes and the air smells like petrol and vacation. Usually, the ride to Goa is an unofficial pre-show — herds of Royal Enfields rumbling down NH 66 like loyalists returning to their temple. But something felt different this year. The convoys looked... mixed. A Classic led one pack, but right behind it sat a Triumph Street Triple 765. Another group had a Himalayan, a KTM 390 Adventure, Hero XPulses, even a Kawasaki Z900 that looked like it had taken a wrong turn but decided not to change course.

Two different groups confirmed the same thing when I asked if they were all heading to Motoverse, despite half the bikes having nothing to do with the winged badge. That was new. That was big. That was the moment I realised Motoverse had outgrown the idea of being a Royal Enfield loyalist pilgrimage. It had become something larger and looser, the kind of cultural magnet that pulled in anyone who loved two wheels, regardless of what logo sat on their tank. The next three days would only cement that feeling. Though to be fair, riding into the venue alongside Hanumankind, Siddhartha Lal and B. Govindarajan didn't hurt the whole 'this year is different' intuition.