Motorcycles, music and the general atmosphere of celebrating life on two wheels. That was exactly what TVS MotoSoul 2023 was all about, and what better place for it than Goa? With the exponential growth of motorcycling communities in India and the enthusiasm to come together and celebrate just that, TVS has struck the right chord with the second edition of this festival.
Riding down to Goa, we got to experience the touring capabilities of the Ronin, one of the latest launches by TVS. This time around, we decided to take one of the lesser-known routes and I can barely express how much of a difference is made to the journey with a good motorcycle and beautiful twisties. Personally, it was almost tear-jerking at a point and I guess some journeys are just that good.
The first day of MotoSoul saw the unveiling of four new custom motorcycles built on the Ronin platform. TVS commissioned three custom bikes from three different design houses and built the fourth one in-house. The first one was the Ronin Agonda, a scrambler-style motorcycle built by JvB Moto from Germany. The second bike was the Ronin Musashi designed by Indonesia’s Smoked Garage in a futuristic-brat style. The third custom motorcycle, the Ronin Wakizashi, was designed in India by Rajputana Customs in a cafe-racer avatar.
The highlight, of course, was the Ronin SCR, the Ronin-based scrambler bike built in-house by the TVS Design Team. Featuring knobby tyres, wire-spoke wheels, and a high-mounted dual-pipe exhaust, the SCR also features a revised LED headlamp, a new leather-finished single seat and tweaked ergonomics and a custom paint job to finish it off. Sadly, these projects were all just to showcase the versatility of the Ronin and will not translate into production units.
Upon entering the venue, one could see the display of TVS’ race bikes of the past and present, highlighting the brand’s 40 years of racing prowess and performance DNA. TVS MotoSoul also saw several activities for participants like the Dirt Race, Moto CrossFit and the Obstacle Race. All great fun to watch, but I decided to bury myself in the lovely cuisines available at the different stalls at the venue. There were also stunt shows for the public who had come to enjoy the festival.
Talking about attendance, the venue seemed to be bustling with activity. I could see people from all across the age spectrum, but a welcome sight was the younger crowd. On the entertainment and music side of things, attendees were treated to performances by Lucky Ali, Pineapple Express, Nikhil Chinappa and Nucleya.
Another interesting point to mention was that there were participants who had ridden all the way from Nepal and Bangladesh, among the various rider groups from across the length and breadth of the country. Nothing like a good motorcycling festival to bring the world together, eh? Looking at the turnout and overall fun we got to experience at MotoSoul 2023, we can’t wait for the third edition!
SLIDE CHECK- JANAK’S POV
The plan was to ride down to MotoSoul on TVS Ronins, and I had all the time to experience the #Unscripted motorcycle once again since I rode it last during the first ride. Throughout the ride, I couldn’t help but have thoughts leaning towards a flat-tracker vibe for the motorcycle. As things would turn out, TVS was thinking of exactly the same as the company announced the Drift-R Cup series with modified Ronins for flat-tracking.
These flat-track Ronins had been built in-house by TVS, complete with minimalistic and lightweight body panels, a wider and taller handlebar, a thin hard foam seat and flat track tyres. I don’t think I could have asked for anything more because the Ronin already packs a punchy motor and has the low-slung stance, well-suited for flat-tracking.
I, along with the other journos got to sample the flat-track Ronins around the rather tight oval track for a couple of laps. With the reduced weight and modifications, the difference was immediate as the flat track Ronin was absolutely fun to ride, despite the limited time at hand. TVS aims to promote flat-tracking with the Drift-R Cup series soon, and I for one, look forward to getting slideways on the flat-track Ronin soon.
