25. Straight Talk- The real Indian Superbiker

My tryst with super-biking happened in a manner no different than how it happens to any 18 year old. I was usually armed with second hand info fresh out of a glossy auto mag. I vividly remember going crazy seeing the bhp figures increasing with every new model that hit the market year on year. Until I turned 23, the superbiker in me was relegated to just figures that I learnt by heart from the mags. I used to ride an ’82 Royal Enfield those days and I truly thought it was a super fast bike. Every time I downed a gear and wrenched the throttle, I swear I felt that tearing acceleration. Since this was my only frame of reference, I innocently believed that the superbikes might be a “little” faster than my Bullet. I’m sure many of you reading this post feel the same way about your existing sub 250 cc bikes also.

It was in 2003 that I finally got a pillion ride. What better bike than the mystical R1? The bike belonged to a mechanic buddy of mine and I can safely say that those ten seconds made me a believer. I cannot tell you what the feeling was. I mean I can but it would be no different than what you’ve read in the numerous auto mags. All I can say is that whatever notions I had on superbiking completetly changed post that ride. I found my humble Bullet to be a rather slow bike. Post that moment every cell in my body craved to own a sbk.

It finally happened seven years later. It sure was a long wait but It was worth it. The reason behind this post is an attempt to convince you that it does not take being born with a silver spoon to buy a superbike. Regular, middle income blokes can and usually are the people who end of being Indian Superbikers. This is not my imagination; I ride in a group that has almost fifty riders. Barring a few, everyone else has either saved up for a long time or bought the bike on installments.

The first hurdle to cross is of course, the budget. Well today we are living in perhaps the most interesting time as far as a biker is concerned. Every other day we get reports of a new company launching or an existing one bringing in new cheaper models. Now, one needs to ask himself which is the bike that would fall within his means. Let me take the cheapest bike as an example. For roughly five lakhs you could be the proud owner of a Ninja 650 by the time you turn 28.

Here is how it works.
Age 23 – graduate from college and apply for a professional course
Age 25- graduate from B-school or any other such stream
The minimum salary that someone earns once you begin work is around 4 to 5 Lacs a year. This would mean you take home approximately Rs 35,000 home every month. Make it a point to keep aside Rs 5000 every month for a bike fund in any instrument that gives you around 10% return on investment. By the time you turn 28 ( in three yrs) this amount would have touched 2 lacs. The bike companies understand that people are increasingly interested in opting to make a purchase through an auto loan. A certain company has already tied up with banks to offer loans to potential buyers.

Now that you have a capital of 2 Lacs, you need to take a loan of another 3 lacs. Keep in mind that you have been working for three years and your salary has now increased to close to 7 Lacs based on a healthy 10% increment year on year. Which means you are taking home close to 50,000 every month. A loan of 300,000 for 3 years at 11% interest will roughly come to close to Rs 10,000 every month. After paying of the EMI, you still have around 40,000 left for you every month and you’ll have a gleaming superbike parked in your home. There are a lot of If’s and But’s that must be going through your mind. All I can say is that I’m someone who bought my bike based on the above philosophy. If it worked for me I see no reason why it won’t work for you.

Friends of mine from B-school find it hard to believe that I invest 10,000 every month on a depreciating asset. I can’t agree more that a machine will always be a depreciating asset as far as pure monetary value is concerned, however hand on my heart, I can claim that this has been the most fruitful investment I’ve ever made. Super biking opened avenues that I never knew existed. I was new to Delhi when I bought my bike and I had less than five friends in the city. Today I have made some incredible friends who share the same passion. I’ve had the honour to ride bikes of my fellow club members and I can safely say that there are very few bikes left to ride. Each time I’m on the bike I get more than enough attention and all this for just 10,000?? I think it’s a steal.

The real super biker is one who worked hard to earn his ride. I’m sure there are many people out there who could walk into a store and buy the bike because they had the means to do it. I truly doubt if the same person would wake up at four AM on a Sunday when the whole world is fast asleep, to clean his bike and take it for a spin before the traffic makes it impossible. The real biker makes sacrifices everyday to live his super biking dream. Be it skipping that extra movie or having to decline an invite to party on a Saturday night or postpone that expensive purchase so as to ensure he has enough money for fuel and service.

I would encourage everyone to know that it’s a myth to believe that only the super rich can be superbikers. All you need is a strong desire and determination along with hard work. Have these three, I promise you that you’ll be on a bike in no time.
Until then ride safe and dream hard!