The Long Itinerary of Romanian Motorcycling
Romanian motorcycling. Surely, to the outside world, this notion sounds more like a fantasy. It would appear that Romanians were so busy fighting for their dignity and freedom during communism that it was impossible for any other “unnecessary” activity to be conducted. But the irony is that it was actually these kinds of activities that gave people a reason to go on and keep hoping for the better. Each of them secretly looked for something to escape their every day life and started living “underground”. Some chose books and foreign magazines. Some chose music. Other turned to motorcycling.
It was tough without a doubt. The communist regime made it almost impossible for people to do something other than what the “leaders” had planned for them. It is rumored that the secret meeting point for motorcyclists was in Bucharest where the “Favorit” cinema stands today. The “Lucky point”, they called it. And on the long run it turned out to be lucky indeed.
The 90's
The first years after the fall of the communist regime made it possible for bikers to change their Russian motorcycles for models imported from Japan or Italy. Those truly passionate were willing to sacrifice all their spare time and money for this “unusual” interest. It started from a homogeneous community, a time when the common man could only spot a motorcyclist on the street on very rare occasions. All motorcyclists knew each other and were bonded by this passion that animated them. With time, the community started to diversify and to include various types of sportsmen.
Nowadays, there are several well-defined categories among Romanian bikers. Some enjoy taking long trips on their motorcycles especially designed for touring. Some are crazy about “challenging terrains” and choose the enduro bikes, while others are pushing their limits to the max by going for the supersport motorcycles.
No matter the category they belong to, motorcyclists are spreading all over the country. No one can argue with the fact that we can nowadays talk about a real community of this sort in Romania. Regular people, car drivers, the media, basically everyone is starting to pay attention to the roaring sounds of the motorcycles’ engines. Even though there are no professional circuits for official competitions in the country, serious talks on this theme are more and more included in the investors’ agenda. Until then, if you want to get to know this unpredictable world of adrenalin and freedom, it is good to know that Romania is also a place you can consider. Just watch out for the bikers’ meetings schedule for 2008!
Adriana Niculescu
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