Harley-Davidson Dirt-Road-Track Experience: A Harley Harley Holiday

If it isn’t a ride, then what is DRT?

It’s an experience! Ok, picture yourself at a place like Soma Vine Village in Nasik. They grow different kinds of grapes which eventually become wine. Each with their individual flavours, texture and assortment of cheese that goes well with it. All their products can be purchased from your local wine shop, but when you crave wine, you may scan all available options but more often than not, end up buying the safest bet, the one you like the most. Fair?

Now, you may like a particular wine, your friend does another, and I like a third. We like what we like and that sentiment keeps evolving. But places like Soma Vine Village allow you to experience all their products in a well organised and guided manner. It's the same with Harley-Davidson motorcycles and DRT. Harley has come a long way from making just monochromatic cruisers.

When Varun, Kingshuk and I were catching up with Samarth and Imran (folks from HD’s APAC Marketing team) it was apparent, this wasn't a first-ride for their 2023 models. DRT is more than that, it’s like a one day wine tasting experience at a beautiful getaway destination where you spend a whole day buggering about on bikes. Here you sample everything Harley in small bite sized pieces, understand the brand’s new portfolio better, and of course, have fun! 

DRT last year was just limited to journalists, but this year, Harley opened the experience to customers as well. So, you could be a patron cruiser owner, riding Fat Bobs, but for a day, you can sample what ADV riding on a PanAm feels like. Didn’t enjoy that? How about putting in a few hot laps on the Sportster S or the new Nightster around a pretty little racetrack, somewhere east of Bangkok? 

The best part of the event is that HD isn't limiting you to just a few bikes. In front of us was Harley-Davidson’s entire 2023 range and some specials like the Fast Johny too. You can sample as many bikes as you can. I personally sampled five motorcycles of the lot. I rode the Sportster S, Nightster and Nightster S, Pan America Special and the Fat Bob. Spent a relatively short duration with each one, but the event planning was so seamless that, we jumped from riding the Sportster and Nighster on track, to hitting a fun trail on the PanAm, and finally concluding the experience on a brilliant 50km ride to Khao Yai National Park (it’s beautiful), Thailand’s first national park, on a Fat Bob.  

See, a few years ago, I had the opportunity to wrestle a Street Glide after accidentally discharging all of its 158Nm by twisting my wrist a bit too enthusiastically; and later, spent a good two weeks with the Pan America 1250 Special riding across the salt pans of Rajasthan to the snow clad mountains of Spiti. Both were real Harley-Davidsons, but both had distinct personalities. The Street Glide - heavy on the pallet, but smooth. It’s like fine wine, you don’t chug gallons of it like a recovering alcoholic throwing his coming-home cocktail party. You enjoy it. The PanAm, on the other hand, tastes like that freshly fermented batch, kicks you on the back of your throat, super fun. Drink enough and you’ll be face down in the mud (pun intended).

With these two very vivid experiences at hand, DRT gave me a quick look at all the other flavors that could be had if you were ever to buy a Harley-Davidson. I am a big fan of the Revolution Max 1250 powertrain, it’s rowdy, and I love it. Loved it on the PanAm, loved it on the Sportster. Although, the Sportster is not my flavour. What came as a delightful surprise was that plucky little Nighster. Jaw dropping fun is that smaller 975cc Revolution Max motor, has a total younger sibling energy. The bike is light, flickable and the whole bike felt like it was trying to escape from under me, but I kept giving it gas and laughing like a mad, but happy man.