In the winter of 2014, Ankit Gandhi decided to give a purpose to his eight-year-old love for biking and took up the Saddle Sore Challenge by The Iron Butt Association, United States. One fine morning, he kick-started his Avenger 220 (which he fondly calls Black Pearl) and took off from Bengaluru, with his friend Shivaram. Armed with GPS and mobile charger installed on the bike, he covered 823 kms through Bengaluru- Chitradurga- Davengere- Hubli- Belgaum – Kolhapur- Satara –Pune in 10 hours and eight minutes.
A screenshot of the Throttle app
“It was nerve-racking and unbelievable initially but at the end of the half-way mark in Pune, I felt exhilarated and motivated to do the return bit,” says Gandhi, who after taking a break of half-an-hour, resumed his return journey and completed the ride of 1,690 kms in less than 21 hours. “The Challenge entails a biker to clock 1,000 odd miles in less than 24 hours. Though I like slow rides, I can endure long continuous rides without taking many breaks.”
A screenshot of the Throttle app
The Challenge ride made Gandhi realise the needs of a motorcycle biker and the techie in him set out working on one-stop solution to biking needs. “I faced issues like bad roads, crashing of GPS midway and all the while I felt the need for a guiding mechanism, a comprehensive platform for all kinds of information and help related to biking.” That's how Throttle, an exclusive mobile app for Indian bikers was devised in 2016. Right now, Throttle has over 58,000 bikers and nearly 2,000 riding clubs on board and addresses Two Billion US dollars market in India. “Our target was to reach only 25,000 bikers in the first year. We are adding 200 – 250 bikers a day now and close to 900 rides have been successfully executed through Throttle,” beams Gandhi, the COO of Throttle Auto Solutions Pvt Ltd.
Throttle connects people from the biking world, random travellers, auto mobile experts, accessory players, ride planners, writers and clubs.
“The app is basically a virtual hangout place, where they can share ideas, exchange experiences of riding, manage rides and clubs and buy and sell anything from used bikes, gears, jackets and boots. There are over 150 products in the e-store and classified sections,” says Gandhi. “We also keep users updated on the latest happenings in biking from across the globe. Throttle's services have been hailed especially by foreigners who want to travel in India. The information on roads, specially designed route maps and live tracking come handy for anyone who's on the road.” The app is so popular among members of the biking subculture that Gandhi has been a perfect planner for famous bikers in the country. “Ride management is a major feature on the app, that helps you organise solo and group rides, including scheduling pit-stops. We are in the process of introducing SOS feature so that in case a biker is in trouble midway, the people in his radius will get alerted,” says Gandhi, who has a team of 22 people working on the app. “It's an evolving process and we aim to support and popularize the growing biking culture in India.” Throttle app is available on both Google PlayStore and Apple Store.
