In conversation with Priyanka Kochhar – Instagram’s @bikewithgirl

Priyanka on getting on to two wheels

“The interest was always there. I always wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle, so I kinda went online and looked up all the tutorials I could and figured out how to ride. I was learning how to shift gears but I knew what a sequential gearbox was. And it was just a matter of time before I was actually riding. There was a lot of falling, since I was learning on a heavy Royal Enfield. When I finally did it, I did it without any gear or helmet even. But I was doing it and that was the biggest and happiest moment of my life.”

The Insta story

“It was never supposed to be a ‘journey’ on Instagram, to be very honest. It was literally just supposed to be a photo album that I had opened for myself. I just wanted it to be like a documentation of sorts for myself. And I thought Instagram would be the perfect way to do that. Which is why at the beginning, my profile had my name. But then people started following me, after which I wanted it to be as impersonal as possible. I didn’t want people to know that it was a model having an account. So yeah, it wasn’t supposed to be what it is now, but then I got followed a lot. So I made it into a thing where I just started riding as many motorcycles as I could.”

On the struggles of being a woman biker in India

“I’m still facing it! It’s never easy, to be very honest. I’m still at it. I’m in something of a shit-storm right now. Because I just spoke about rape recently on my Instagram. And it was taken in a really bad way. People just think that you’re supposed to ride motorcycles and inspire them and that’s all they want to hear from you. The minute you talk reality, you bring them out from the dream world you’ve built for them, they can’t take it. I’ve had people say horrible things for the last few days about stuff like “you’re a woman, you’ll never know” and more of that. So it is a constant battle. And then there’s the entertainment lot that feel “oh she’s a girl, she’s good looking, she’s a model” so keep using it. It is a battle and once upon a time it used to really affect me. But now I don’t give a damn anymore. I’m just doing what I have to and I’m doing it because I’m having fun.”

Juggling between modelling and motorcycling

“I have a modelling agency in Mumbai and I’m also represented by two agencies abroad. One in the US, and the other in Thailand. So whenever there’s a job, for now what we’re doing is that at the beginning of every month, they sit down with me and ask me what my free dates are. And we decide accordingly. Modelling is such a life that you could go a full month without a job. So I’m really happy. Motorcycles are keeping me company, its keeping me involved and honestly I think motorcycles have taken over my life.”

Favourite motorcycle ridden yet

“I recently rode the Triumph Street Triple RS. I really enjoyed riding it. Especially in terms of its cornering capabilities. At least for someone like me, I feel that naked motorcycles aren’t the best when it comes to corners compared to supersports. I know the RS is a naked too but it will just blow your mind at corners. It made me just smile inside my helmet throughout. Apart from that, also really like the BMW R NineT. The three days I had that motorcycle, all I did was look for the slightest of vibrations coming out of one place in the motorcycle and I promise you, there was none. It’s just amazing. The Germans really know how to put together a bike.”

A message to women riders

“I’m not here for women. Yes, I am here to speak out for women because I myself know that the struggle is real when it comes to being a woman in a society doing two things that are unconventional. 80 per cent of the people who follow me are men. And that’s why I’m constantly telling them “let them dream, let them do, it’s okay if they want to be something else or be different”. And it’s not just women, I feel that we’re all pressured into being somebody that our parents want us to be, or society wants them to be. And that’s what I really want. I want them to start thinking outside the box. In the end, just be what you want to be and do what you want to do. We may fumble and fall, but that’s just a stepping stone for the next step.”