We’re weaving in and out of traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road and queue jumping in a way that would normally have drivers leaning on their horns in rage. But they’re not. They’re slowing down and staring with mouths agape. Some are even taking pictures.
It could be the thumping techno beat pumping from our ride’s six speakers – two at the front, four at the back. Or it could be the blue neon disco lights on its flanks, the UAE flag flying proud from the back of our seats or simply the spectacle of two women grinning like idiots as they ride pillion on the back of two motorbikes.
We can’t help it, though. It’s not every day that you get to see Dubai from the armchair comfort of a Honda Gold Wing. This great hulking 1,800cc beauty has been the king of the touring bike world since it was launched in 1974. Back then, they didn’t have the in-seat heating, satellite navigation, iPod and mp3 connectivity or cruise control that make them such a breeze on the road today. Not that riding them takes any effort on our part. With experienced bikers at the helm navigating their way through the perils of Dubai traffic, we simply have to sit back and enjoy the view.
We are on tour with FlyBike, a newly launched service offering tourists and residents alike a chance to see the city from a different perspective: from the back of a chauffeur-driven motorcycle or tricycle, steered by a seasoned biker.
These days, you can see Dubai from the leather-bound interior of a limo, strapped into a helicopter or seaplane, by abra and even by amphibious water buses that travel by land and sea. But unless you have the nerves of steel required to get a motorcycle licence in the UAE (or a death wish), you wouldn’t normally get a chance to take in the sights of the city by motorbike – until now.
If it seems like a hip, cool way to hit the road, then Anna Yakovleva is the perfect poster girl for its launch – a smart, striking Russian blonde in sparkling gold Tommy Hilfiger jeans. “We get an amazing reaction from everyone who has tried it,” she says. “It is something new; no one else does it in Dubai.
“With the music going, it is an adrenalin rush and is like seeing the city anew. It is for people who want to discover Dubai in a new way.”
Yakovleva, who is FlyBike’s business development manager, moved to Dubai five years ago from Italy, where she was used to zipping around on a Piaggio 135 and “everyone was on a Vespa”. She plans to apply for a tricycle licence and become the company’s first licensed female rider. The bikes are not an option; weighing in at 400 kilograms each, they’re too unwieldy for petite frames.
Depending on your time and budget, you can book a bike or trike as a passenger for one, two or three hours. There’s also an option to rent them if you have a motorcycle licence, which has been eagerly received by women buying vouchers as gifts for their spouses.
So far, no women have rented bikes for themselves, but the chauffeur-driven option has proved surprisingly popular with ladies. Sixty per cent of customers so far have been female.
That puts myself and The National’s photographer Sarah Dea in good company, as we strap on helmets, complete with Bluetooth headsets so that we can communicate with our riders on the journey and get a running commentary, and are given a safety briefing.
There isn’t much that we need to learn. With adjustable suspension, the Gold Wing is one of the sturdiest, most stable bikes on the market, and short of flailing wildly from side to side, there isn’t much that we can do to tip it. Sinking into the buttery soft leather back seat is as comfortable as sitting on the cosiest recliner. There are handlebars on either side but I barely need them as we glide off.
My rider, Jamshaid Gulam, a 23-year-old born in Dubai and whose parents hail from Pakistan, is bike-mad and got his licence in 2008. He owned a Yamaha R1 2001 and a Honda 600cc before his mother ordered him to get off two wheels, terrified for his safety.
But when he saw FlyBike’s advert for experienced riders, he couldn’t resist applying for his dream job. As we set off, he switches the sound system on full blast. Unfortunately, as I forgot to bring my own iPod to plug into it, it pumps out awful, preprogrammed techno music at headache-inducing volume. I immediately ask him to switch it off.
The one-hour route takes passengers along Jumeirah beachfront and the Palm Jumeirah, while a longer trip can take in Zabeel Palace and Dubai Creek, although tours can be customised to take in any sights that you wish. I have to admit to being a little cynical as we set off from the office headquarters in Dubai Marina. After six years of living in Dubai, can there be any hidden pockets that I’m not familiar with?
But as we cruise along Al Sufouh Road at a leisurely 60kph, I’m blown away by how different the landscape looks. Without the pressures of having to concentrate on the road ahead behind the wheel of my BMW with my eyes focused ahead, and open to the elements as the wind whistles against my helmet, I find I’m seeing and noticing a lot more.
There are the gleaming new tram stations dotted along the informally named Beach Road, already taking shape and seemingly ready and waiting for the first tram to pull in, tantalising glimpses of the royal palaces’ manicured lawns bursting with purple and pink floral arrangements, and construction, construction everywhere. We see Dubai physically taking shape in readiness for Expo 2020, rather than just reading about this project and that. It’s a revelation.
We stop at the picturesque Umm Suqeim beach and are immediately mobbed by tourists, who turn their cameras to us from the more obvious attraction of the Burj Al Arab on the horizon. Some even want to be photographed standing alongside our vehicles with us on board, grinning with their thumbs held aloft.
It’s amusing and somewhat addictive to see people’s reactions to my bike and Sarah’s trike. Heads turn. Strangers wave. Children and adults alike gawp in awe.
I can’t blame them – the Gold Wing packs a punch and it’s not hard to see why it’s been dubbed a “two-wheeled car”. With six cylinders and that hefty weight, you would expect it to be cumbersome, but it has all the thrill of a lighter bike as it clings to bends, yet feels as smooth as, well, my Bimmer.
We glide onto the Palm Jumeirah and just as we hit my favourite stretch of road in the whole city, the glorious arc from east to west of the Palm’s crescent, the sound system jolts to life with ambient Latin tunes, Gulam flicks on the cruise control and it’s sheer bliss gazing out over the vast expanse of sea to our right and the panorama of the marina in the distance.
I brace myself as we come off the Palm and prepare to hit Sheikh Zayed Road again. Surely not everyone can be as accommodating on a six-lane thoroughfare?
Sure enough, bang on cue, an impatient fast-food delivery motorcyclist shoots across our lane without looking and Gulam has to brake suddenly. Even that hiccup is as seamless as can be expected though and we travel on to Zabeel Palace, the home of Sheikh Mohammed, Ruler of Dubai. As we circumnavigate its vast walls, it seems to go on forever.
It’s impossible to go beyond its arched gate, but the public driveway up to it has become a tourist attraction, packed with busloads of visitors admiring dozens of peacocks strutting about the lush lawns. There’s something of a festive atmosphere as they snap away at the proud birds, who shriek loudly at the intrusion, to little effect.
With more time, we could have gone as far as the creek and the older parts of town. Yakovleva says that it’s a novel way of seeing the city: “You see the contrast between the old and new and watch everything en route. Even residents who have been here for some time notice something new.”
So far, the company has not advertised and has attracted customers simply by word of mouth and social media. “The bikes themselves are the best ads,” says Yakovleva. FlyBike has four bikes and three trikes – 2010 models with less than 5,000 kilometres on the clock, shipped from the US (where new models cost about US$50,000 [Dh183,650]) and customised in Russia.
And aside from slightly creaky joints as I inelegantly dismount – more down to my lack of fitness and eased by the engine ventilation near the knees – it’s a breeze to ride pillion.
The service runs from 10am until midnight, meaning that you can take a daylight tour or see the city lights at night. There’s even a Dh260 “arrive in style” service, which means that you can swan up to the latest red-carpet event on a motorcycle.
I can see one hitch with that, even if you’re brave enough to risk your Versace dress and Gucci heels on the back of a bike. As I remove my helmet, Gulam looks aghast and politely suggests that I might want to freshen up. I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror and do a double take. Stiff with wind and dust, my hair is standing on end in a halo around my head and bears an uncanny resemblance to Doc Brown from Back to the Future.
Still, despite the helmet hair, the whole experience is worth it. Just take a hairbrush. And don’t forget your iPod.
• FlyBike costs Dh260 for a one-hour tour with a rider and Dh208 for each additional hour. Rentals cost from Dh1,300 per day. See www.flybike.info for details or call 04 360 6867.
[ weekend@thenational.ae ]
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