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 favourite 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 to him how to use the clutch and how to control the motorbike in the ascents and descents. After a 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. 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 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”