Mumbai: Garage party for bikers in Khar

Joshua Crasto at the workshop. Pic/Shadab Khan

It's time to shift gears for the folks at Garage 52, a niche motorcycle workshop in Khar. It's been five years that they have been dismantling, restoring, assembling and servicing all sorts of high-end bikes in a roughly 1,000-sq ft space in a nondescript bylane. But, the lease for the place has now run out. So, they are shifting location to a new spot near Bandra Talao. And they are throwing a bit of a party with art and music to bid farewell to their existing home.

It is, frankly, the sort of place that is to biking enthusiasts what a candy shop is to a child. We pay a visit on a weekday morning to find around 10 luxury bikes in various stages of being worked on. Three servicemen are treating these with the sort of precision that doctors reserve for delicate surgeries. Our point of contact is Joshua Crasto, who runs the place. We find him on the phone fixing the nitty-gritties of the party, and once done, he takes us into his office room filled with biking bric-a-brac. There, he explains how Garage 52 is much more than a workshop. Instead, it's an effort aimed at building a genuine community of motorcycle lovers in Mumbai.

For example, the place encourages a hands-on approach, supervising customers when they express interest in learning how to service their vehicles themselves. Then there is the active thrust that Crasto gives to motorcycle art. "It's been one of our pet projects since we started. I had a bunch of friends doing it and they had nowhere to display their work. Galleries cost a bomb. And motorcycle art is still not really considered an art form in India. People are aware of it in Pune. But in Bombay, everyone's still stuck in the Harley scene. No one's like, 'Let's see what the motorcycle culture is all about,'" he says.

The 35-year-old adds that there will be a bunch of motorcycle artists at the party, mingling with the crowd, painting helmets, and displaying their work on the walls. The music department will be taken care of by the likes of Siddharth Basrur, who will play an acoustic set, and electronic producers such as Schlick. The evening will essentially be a step forward in Castro's vision of fostering a community of bikers in the city. So, drop by even if you have a passing interest. For, who knows? It might kindle the start of a lifelong love affair.

On Tonight, 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm
At Garage 52, Lilaram Bhuvan, Khar West.
Log on to garage52.com to RSVP

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates