Sonu Rajput fell in the world of motorbikes at a
very young age. When he was only 8 years old, he used to play with his younger
brother on a Yamaha RX100 motorbike, taken from his father’s (Mr Raju)
workshop.
On weekends and after school, while the other
children were engaged in age-appropriate activities, like bicycling, Sonu and
his brother rushed to their dad’s workplace to borrow one of the 80 motorbikes
that he owned at that time. What a playground for kids! Sonu and his brother
used to push the motorbike on the top of a hill and hurtled down the slope
alternately without starting the motorbike. For many months, this activity
became their favorite occupation during their spare time.
Sonu’s passion for motorbike has developed with
such intensity that he has never stopped doing anything in relation with
motorbikes as soon as he had the opportunity. When he didn’t amuse himself
hurtling down the slope with the motorbike, Sonu killed time to his dad’s
workshop washing the bikes or changing a wheel. This is the way Sonu started to
understand motorbikes mechanism and develop strong skills in that field.
Still too young to ride, according to his dad, and the
latter too busy to teach his son the basics of riding, Sonu was driven by a
deep desire to finally be able to ride a motorbike. As soon as his dad was away
from his company, Sonu grabbed his fetish motorbike to go for a ride and learn
himself how to control the engine. No one had yet explained him how to use the
clutch and how to control the motorbike in the ascents and descents. After few
falls and scrapes, Sonu finally understood the whole way a motorbike works. If
Sonu came back to workshop with some scratches, he tried to hide them from his
dad and although the latter would realize them, he pretended not to notice
anything and Sonu always escaped scolding. In fact, aware of his son’s
irrepressible desire to learn how to ride motorbikes, Raju had hopes that one
day his son would become as good rider as he is and would take over the
management of his company, and that’s what he did.
At only 13 years of age, as a professional rider,
Sonu did his first motorcycle tour to Leh-Ladakh (His dad was at that time the
only one in Himachal Pradesh to provided motorcycle tours to Ladakh) and cross
the highest motorable passes in the world, making him the youngest boy who ever
ride through this region still on his Yamaha RX100.
Ladakh 2010, Baralachala
One day, while going to his dad’s workshop as usual,
Sonu asked the mechanic a question, while the latter was working on a Royal
Enfield motorbike. He wanted to know what is unique about those motorbikes and
how it feels riding such a machine. The mechanic’s answer was short: “Once you
start to ride a Royal Enfield, you can no longer imagine riding without it”.
The sound, the feeling that it provides and its irresistible vintage side…
Indeed, Sonu has been quickly convinced. It was decided, he needed one at all
costs! After some savings, Sonu acquired
his first Royal Enfield motorbike for INRS 5,000/-. Although the motorbike
needed to be completely refurbished, Sonu worked tirelessly, from the wheels to
the painting, until giving a second life to his Royal Enfield.
A long story with the Royal Enfield motorbikes was just born.
A long story with the Royal Enfield motorbikes was just born.
A few years later, with a great selection of Royal
Enfield motorbikes and a good mechanical knowledge and strong riding experience
under extreme conditions, Sonu was finally ready to take over the management of
the company, providing lots of innovations and changes both on motorbikes and
itineraries.
Today quality is a result of 30 years experience
and Hardev Motors team works continuously to modernize the company and to provide
the best-in-class services.
From the land of Maharajas to the surrealistic
lunar landscape of Ladakh, passing by the lush valleys of Himachal Pradesh,
Hardev Motors keep on exploring ever further to offer more and more out-of-the
ordinary motorcycle tours, exclusively on Royal Enfield motorbikes, of course!
“Passion for motorbikes since 1985”
