Easy Riding, Is Something Different for the Family

Not sure what to do with the kids on weekends Mum and Dad? Kids, are you bored with playing football and shopping? Well, an enterprising Omani businessman may just have the answer. Especially for all you ‘not so Harley Davidson,’ biker enthusiasts out there. Fares al Abri has a flourishing motorbike rental business that he has been growing for two years, and utilises an extensive plot of land adjacent to the Eshraq Roundabout. Simply follow Al Rauda Street beyond the Al Mouj Roundabout and entrance, for about a kilometre, and you will arrive at the Eshraq Roundabout. A hundred metres further on, on the right, is the ‘playground,’ that is, from the evidence of last weekend, a seriously popular destination for some eager young Omanis. Amis Kumar, Rubel, Mannam, Usman and Alamin make up a well-trained and experienced team of instructor/assistants as Al Abri directs the overall operation, where parents bring their kids, from beginners to those obviously quite experienced, to ride an astonishing range of four-wheeled quad bikes. These are among the “best, most reliable, and safest of bikes,” explained Amis, as he showed off their seventy plus quads ranging from the tiny Suzuki, and Polaris, medium sized Polaris and Mongoose, to the Can-Ams, and even a couple of massive Kawasaki Teryx 800’s. Catering to beginners, and doing everything the right way is “important to their business,” said Al Abri as he demonstrated their health and safety procedures and personal safety equipment, including a wide range of full-visor and open-faced helmets for all ages and sizes. He also emphasised their preparedness should accidents occur, with his staff well-trained in First Aid, and comprehensive First Aid resources on site. The instructor team are very adept at preparing the youngsters for their first rides, as all users must have an induction, and depending on the assessment of the instructors, ongoing instruction and support. All staff are also equipped with radios to ensure immediate responses should any incident require action, whether in the form of a mechanical breakdown, or even as mundane as a bike running out of petrol. Really, watching these youngsters charging and cavorting around on the sand, you will want to do the same! It’s probably the thrill of a Harley, without the risk of falling off. The bulk of their business takes place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, when they operate from 7 am till midnight, and 8 am till 10 pm the other days. Al Abri estimates close to a hundred bikers a day use their ‘playground,’ and aside from the fact that it is a growing business, he enjoys the way that, “a lot of kids come the first time and they are so shy, but within a few rides they are so different, so confident. It must be good for them.” So, Mum and Dad, if you’re unsure what to do with the ‘ankle-biters,’ the kids, or those pesky teenagers, why not get them down to see Fares and his team, and enjoy a cuppa, a juice, or an icecream, while your offspring take a confidence building, fun, quad bike ride. Just think of all that sand, and all that space being a massive playground for them, and all you have to do is pay a few rials. I think it’ll be worth it! Oh, and did I mention, there’s no reason why big brothers, Mums, Dads, Aunties and Uncles can’t give it a go either? The wind in your face, the speed, the freedom, and you begin to understand why bikers say they “ride a bike to add life to their years.”