[blackwasp]

Motorcycle racing enthusiasts in Bangalore now have one more way to have fun over the weekends. Slideways Motoranch, which is a dirt track on which you can ride motorbikes sideways, has come up on the outskirts of the city.

Running through teakwood and coconut plantations, the 650 m long track consists of 3 right handed corners and 5 left handed corners with an elevation change of about 8 m from the lowest to the highest point. Bikes have to be ridden in an anti-clockwise direction and the minimum track width is 6 meters. The track has been designed to comply with the guidelines set by the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM). The track has been designed with beginners in mind and therefore, does not have any jumps.

The company provides Kawasaki KLX 140 dirt bikes to participants. The bike develops over 24 BHP and has a seat height of 31 inches. A training session is conducted at the start of the ride to educated riders about the basics of riding on the track and control. Participants are expected to know the basics of riding a motorcycle.

Keeping in mind the safety of the participants, Slideways provides helmets, boots, gloves, jerseys and pants along with knee and elbow guards. Further, a first responder is on site and the nearest hospital is 5 km away.

The facilities are available only on the weekends in two sessions - morning and afternoon. The former starts from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm while the latter happens between 2.00 pm to 4.30 pm. A dedicated time (12.30 pm - 2.00 pm) between the two sessions is used for track maintenance using a roller and a dozer that are kept on site. The clubhouse, which is located at the starting point has toilets and changing and shower facilities.

Slideways Motoranch is located at Sy. No. 179/2, opposite Pepsi Factory (near Aiyappa Temple), Mysore Road, Bangalore. Bookings can be made through e-mail (slidewaysmx@gmail.com) or over the telephone (Link to the website).

Pricing (per session):
For one person - Rs. 4,000
For two persons - Rs. 3,400 each
For three or more persons - Rs. 3,000 each

A review of Slideways Motoranch can be found on Riderzone.












Link to the Team-BHP News

[Nilesh5417]

I wish them all the best but i have my doubts. The idea seems way ahead of its time unfortunately. The skills required to really slide your bike around are even more hard to acquire than lapping the MMTC track with a decent enough time. And do we have such a large dirt riding community? The few we have probably have their own bikes, gear and playgrounds too! So am not sure of how long will this survive at these price points with an already small set of people who will be keen for such an experience.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Motorcycle racing enthusiasts in Bangalore now have one more way to have fun over the weekends. Slideways Motoranch, which is a dirt track on which you can ride motorbikes sideways, has come up on the outskirts of the city.

Super cool thanks for sharing!

the 650 m long track consists of 3 right handed corners and 5 left handed corners with an elevation change of about 8 m from the lowest to the highest point.

650 m is a very good length. Go in a group, race & have lots of fun. Us Mods had gone to the dirt track @ Della (Lonavla) and had to be dragged away from the bikes / ATVs when our time was up.

Originally Posted by Nilesh5417

The skills required to really slide your bike around are even more hard to acquire than lapping the MMTC track with a decent enough time.

Not necessary that you have to slide . Newbies & first-timers can just enjoy riding around the track.

[RiderZone]

Originally Posted by Nilesh5417

I wish them all the best but i have my doubts. The idea seems way ahead of its time unfortunately. The skills required to really slide your bike around are even more hard to acquire than lapping the MMTC track with a decent enough time. And do we have such a large dirt riding community? The few we have probably have their own bikes, gear and playgrounds too! So am not sure of how long will this survive at these price points with an already small set of people who will be keen for such an experience.

You may be taking this place a bit too seriously, think of it as an hour of two of fun, or better still think of it as a weight-loss program with motorcycles.

Slideways doesn't exactly aim to teach you how to slide like a pro, there's no training at this point in time, you just go and figure it out for yourself. I think the idea is to give you a place to experiment if you enjoy dirt riding. If you do, they were planning to start a subscription service of sorts that you could use.

It may turn out to be unsuccessful, but someone has to start somewhere. The only other similar option in India is Big Rock, but it's a pain to book a session there. I don't know if there's a market for this kind of a place, but I sure would want a few around me, just for freedom of using someone else's equipment, pushing it to the limit, and then walking away. It's like getting to play with a baby, and then returning him to the parents when it's time for a diaper change.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Nilesh5417

I wish them all the best but i have my doubts. The idea seems way ahead of its time unfortunately. The skills required to really slide your bike around are even more hard to acquire than lapping the MMTC track with a decent enough time. And do we have such a large dirt riding community? The few we have probably have their own bikes, gear and playgrounds too! So am not sure of how long will this survive at these price points with an already small set of people who will be keen for such an experience.

Somebody who has a large enough piece of land by the side of the highway just outside of Bangalore is more enthusiast than entrepreneur, I would think.

I don't think he would need to make his money out of renting his bikes out for Rs.3k, which BTW is excellent VFM for that kind of experience.

I don't think he will survive, either - he will thrive.

[Bhatman510]

For a country that has a huge riding population, im surprised that India does not have a bigger dirt riding community. Theres quite the motocross event that TVS has and some foray of Japanese dirt bikes in India, but nothing like the USA or Europe where dirt bikes are now growing in popularity.

Having tracks like these help with also learning to ride in sketchy situations on the street. In the USA Motorcycle forum we were also mentioning in CA we have schools dedicated to dirt riding and flat tracking. Leads to much better awareness of yourself and the bike.

I bet once more people get intrigued, it will lead to more opportunities at the course.