Ready, set, go!

The first time Priyanka Kochhar sat on a bike was to tide over a bad phase in life. A failed relationship prompted her to do the classic, post break-up ritual — go out, hang out with new people and do new things.

“A friend of mine owned a Royal Enfield that I wanted to try for the longest time. I was in a phase of ‘Oh hell, why not?’ So I gave it a shot, and haven’t looked back since then,” she recalls. What started as a casual bike ride around town, soon opened a world of possibilities for her.

For someone who taught herself how to ride, Priyanka has built herself quite an impressive profile in a short span of two years. But even as she rides bikes professionally today, she feels that something is lacking in the industry. And that is the number of female bike riders. The biker from Mumbai is careful not to describe the biking scene as male-dominated, but at the same time feels there is a lack of equal representation.

“I don’t exactly want to use male-dominated to describe the auto industry. I look at it more as the auto industry has had its share of boys playing with toys. And I think it’ll be fun to see more women in the mix. It would also represent a healthy democracy in the auto industry,” she says.

She adds that women could provide a unique perspective on motorcycles. And, to encourage more women to become bike riders, Priyanka is extremely supportive to her 1,19,000 followers on Instagram.

“A lot of young girls follow me and ask me how to go about professional biking, where to begin and other queries. And I try my best to answer all of their questions.”

Through her posts, Priyanka hopes for the positive. “My aim is to, in whatever way possible, get more women to ride motorcycles. Even if I can make one per cent of a change to the overall scenario, I have done my job as an influencer,” she says with a smile.

When asked what she thinks of the biker chick stereotype, Priyanka laughs out loud. “It is an incredibly ridiculous stereotype. People believe that it is only lesbians or tomboyish girls riding bikes, but no! Anyone can be a biker chick,” she says.

A few years ago, when Priyanka moved from journalism to bike riding professionally, she greeted the new possibilities with open arms and an open mind. She, however, complains that she wasn’t taken seriously in the beginning.

“There were so many times that I wasn’t taken seriously by people. In fact, even today, there are times I am looked at apprehensively. But this is very important to me, and I make it work.”

The biker advises young, aspiring female bikers to go ahead without a doubt. “If you want to be a professional rider, there is no one stopping you but yourself. Hop on that bike already!” she concludes.