Royal Enfield Slide School 2024: Sun, Sand, And (Somewhat) Sideways

A beginner’s perspective of what happens when asked to “go sideways” on two wheels

Royal Enfield, once synonymous with relaxed touring, has steadily increased its involvement in motorsports. We’re already aware of the Royal Enfield GT Cup, a championship where riders compete astride race-spec Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 bikes. That said, circuit racing is a concept that most people understand and hence follow. However, the grand old Indian bikemaker also has its eye on the lesser-known contest of flat track racing, a mostly American sport held on sandy, oval-shaped tracks. Moreover, Royal Enfield has been competing overseas in the sport for a while, fielding purpose-built Royal Enfield Interceptor 650-based racers. 

Closer to home, the bikemaker has been schooling prospective racers on the Himalayan FT 411. Based on the Royal Enfield Himalayan 411, the FT 411 has 18-inch spoke wheels (instead of a 21-/17-inch setup), and all the non-essential parts – lights, crash protection, even the front brake – have been removed. It was on these bikes that we got our first taste of flat-tracking. 

The Gear

The riding gear worn by seasoned flat-track racers resembles that worn on the racetrack. This includes a full-face helmet and full-length leather riding suit with armour at the knees, hips, back, chest, shoulders, and elbows. However, instead of full-gauntlet gloves and lightweight track-spec riding boots, flat-track racers wear offroad-appropriate half-gauntlet gloves and motocross boots, with a metal plate attached to the sole of the left boot. What for? You’ll know soon enough.

Meanwhile, we were in mostly road- and offroad-spec riding gear, conducive to the hot Indian climate. Yours truly, hence, was in full off-road gear (off-road helmet with goggles, single-piece vest with chest, back, shoulder and elbow protection, pants with hip and knee armour, and motocross boots). 

That said, if you’re interested in enrolling for the Slide School, you need to come in with your helmet, gloves, and ankle-high boots, as Royal Enfield/Autologue can provide you with knee guards.

Riding Basics

Considering the Royal Enfield Slide School is a training programme, you don’t necessarily need to be an “expert” rider, and basic motorcycle riding ability is enough. That said, you’ll need to think outside the box. That’s because while all other forms of riding involve sitting aligned with the bike, on a flat track bike you rotate yourself to the left (the only side you’ll be turning) with the right knee locked into the tank and left leg out to ‘catch’ the bike as it leans.  

Once in motion, throttle modulation is the only way to gain or shed speed, as you won’t be changing gears (since the Autologue Flat Track is pretty short), and you don’t have a front brake anyway. Approaching the turn, you straighten the left arm – pushing down the handlebar – while keeping the right elbow up and out. Here’s where the extended left leg helps you maintain balance, as it skims the surface of the track (hence the metal sole).

The Guidance

Suraj Giri, a prototype engineer at Tork Motors, was our trainer for the day at Autologue Ranch in Marunji, Pune. He has ample expertise in riding on all terrains, and the electric off-road bike spotted at the 2022 Pune Offroad Expedition was his brainchild too. For the day’s training, he had set up a series of cones at both ends of the track, and our task was to navigate around these cones, gradually increasing our speed while maintaining the throttle input and lean angle.   

If done properly, we would have made a wide arc at both ends of the oval track, with the rear tyre spraying out dust, making for a glamorous action shot. But being beginners, we found ourselves more often than not either overshooting the track limits or getting careless and being thrown off the bike. However, after repeated riding – and feedback – sessions, we were gradually kicking up more and more dust, without straying out of the playing field.

Future Plans

So, mission accomplished? Not at all. Being our first outing, there is still tons more to learn before we can consider ourselves masters at flat-track riding. However, the dose of confidence and skills it gave us, to combat low-grip situations, will help us get over the fear of wet, slippery roads, come the monsoons.

And for its part, Royal Enfield has big plans as well. First is expanding the number of training programmes, to develop more prospective racers. Royal Enfield currently conducts the Slide School at Autologue in Marunji (near Pune, Maharashtra) and Big Rock Dirt Park at Kolar (near Bangalore, Karnataka), where you can avail a half-day training session for Rs 2500 or Rs 3000, respectively (full details on Royal Enfield’s website). The bikemaker also plans to open another facility near Jaipur (Rajasthan). 

But that’s not all; Royal Enfield is also planning on phasing out the FT 411 in favour of a possible FT 450 (flat tracker based on the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450), as its performance is more on par with its sibling in the American competitions. 

Ultimately, though, the 2024 edition of Royal Enfield’s Slide School was an eye-opening experience, and considering it’s also quite affordable, we hope it becomes a monthly ritual at the office!