My craze for bikes started very early in life by around 5 or 6 years of age. I used to stand outside my house and watch all bikes zipping by with fascination. I distinctly remember my room adorned with all kinds of bike posters for years. My father was in Govt Service and we were an average middle class family. When I was 8 years we had a guest at home who came on a cycle. Till then I had never ridden any two wheeler. I quietly picked up the cycle went near the fence, somehow managed to sit on the seat and furiously paddled away. Till date I cannot express the joy of my first two wheel ride. However I did not know how to stop the cycle or mount again till quite sometime. By the age of eleven I was riding Vespa and Lambretta scooters with aplomb.
My fascination for bikes was not just in riding but understanding the mechanics, designing and repairing on my own. When I was in 8th std I started working as a help for mechanic in the neighbourhood repairing bullet motorcycles. No one in my family knew as it was only during my play time in the evenings. It started with fetching wrenches for my 'Ustaad' but in six months I could assemble the complete engine, tune carburettor, repair the front shock absorbers and the works.
I used to save from my pocket money and buy bike magazines. I remember having read most of the bike repair books in my school library. There was no internet those days. When I was fourteen I requested my Dad to buy me a Royal Enfield. They were aghast. He still had his Lambretta and my elder brother who was a Doctor had a Chetak Scooter. They all counselled me against buying a bike, the dangers of an accident and wanted me to buy a scooter instead. But it wasin vain.
A couple of months and my father relented to spare me Rs 3000/- for my dream machine. It used to be a fortune in 1974. A new Bullet was costing three times as much. I decided to buy an Army Disposal Royal Enfield from Cheoki, near Allahabad. Army Disposal auctions used to be controlled by Mafias. A young lad like me could not even dream of opening my mouth in the auction leave alone buying one. But passion has no fear. On the day of the auction, in my school shorts and white shirt I went to the site, somehow managed to reach up to the Don of that area called B***** and requested him that I want a bike for myself. He was about 6 ft 2 in, handle bar moustache and a giant of a man. He looked down at me with mirth. I do not know what happened to him, he smiled and said ok take it. When the auction started and the bike in which I was interested was called for, he himself stood up, looked all around and gave the first offer. Not one person in that crowd opened his mouth. The bike became mine.
It was a 1979 model. It came like junk to my House as it did not even have a stand and was rusted due to exposure at the depot. My parents thought that I have sunk their hard earned money and my brother smirked at me. It took 8 months of day and night labour in my own garage. I dismantled the whole machine and went myself to buy spares from the wholesale market at Kanpur. Modified the machine beyond recognition. Double silencers, Fabricated Alloy Wheels out of Radiator fans of truck, installed double cam and dual brakes in the rear, tinkered with the gear ratio to impart higher RPM at higher speed, saddle seats, RPM Meters, etc. During the day I used to struggle with the modifications from one mechanic to another. During the nights I used to pour alone in my room over drawings, design of tanks, paint shades, stripes, design of saddle etc. When the bike came on road it was a rage and the talk of the town. It was for me a dream come true.
I took up a job as a night receptionist in a Hotel in Allahabad to earn enough to fuel my passion. I had that first bike of mine all through college and my early Army Days till 2002. I travelled nearly all over the country and loved riding it. The feel of the wind blowing on your face, open stretch of good roads ahead and the rising sun was my dream holiday. For those who are aware during the training at Indian Military Academy we are not supposed to ride anything but the govt issued bicycle. I drove my bike to Dehradun and parked it at a friends place in the city. On weekends when we used to get out pass I used to take my bicycle to my friends place. Pick up my Bullet, wear my full mask helmet and straight head for Mussorie!
It was in 1987 when I was at Deolali that I met a mutual friend who was into assembling Super Bikes. I rode Ninja ZX 10r and that was it!!!!!!!!!!! I now realized that this was what I needed. But a career in Army does not leave you with funds at the end of the month to save enough for a super bike. Years rolled by. My passion for a super bike grew only stronger. But by that time I had a son and a daughter and my desire to give them the best in life prevented me from investing a fortune on a super bike.
My wife and kids have been very supportive and constantly encouraged me to buy my dream machine. Truly I am blessed. I remember my wife telling me once. We were together in Mozambique where I was serving with United Nations. On the beach road I was waiting at a traffic signal in my SUV. A super bike came and stopped adjacent. When the light turned green, all we could see was the tail lights. I just said wow. My wife looked at me and remarked just wait you will have a better machine very soon. So True were her words
Now my passion had graduated to identifying the best bike that met my kind of riding. My research of the options available for a superbike in India made me home on to Honda Blackbird 1100 XX. By 2004 I wanted no other. It was a Sports Tourer. Exactly what I needed. Thrill of Sports and suitable for long distance riding. I had to wait for another two years before I could find a good clean machine in my budget and voila I also became a Super Biker. The thrill of this machine is simply outstanding. I have done more that 2000 Km in one stretch on a couple of occasions and have loved every moment of it. It is a near perfect blend of thrill of sports with comfort of tourer.
Unlike the popular perception that all Super Bikers are from a very rich background or spoilt children of rich parents, there are a lot of middle class blokes like us who have had a dream and in spite of odds, have gone on to realize the dream. If there is determination then all odds just wither away. Agreed that the prohibitive cost of the bike deters many of us to buy a super bike. If you tell any ordinary folk that you want to purchase a bike worth 10 lacs the looks you get is not funny- as if you need to go to a lunatic asylum! But then that is what passion is all about. Let resources not be a constraint for realizing your dreams. In the Nineties we never had options of buying a good legal super bike. Things have changed for the better. Not only we now have many options but also the facility of Bank Loans. So friends ‘just do it’as ‘you live only once’.
My fascination for bikes was not just in riding but understanding the mechanics, designing and repairing on my own. When I was in 8th std I started working as a help for mechanic in the neighbourhood repairing bullet motorcycles. No one in my family knew as it was only during my play time in the evenings. It started with fetching wrenches for my 'Ustaad' but in six months I could assemble the complete engine, tune carburettor, repair the front shock absorbers and the works.
I used to save from my pocket money and buy bike magazines. I remember having read most of the bike repair books in my school library. There was no internet those days. When I was fourteen I requested my Dad to buy me a Royal Enfield. They were aghast. He still had his Lambretta and my elder brother who was a Doctor had a Chetak Scooter. They all counselled me against buying a bike, the dangers of an accident and wanted me to buy a scooter instead. But it wasin vain.
A couple of months and my father relented to spare me Rs 3000/- for my dream machine. It used to be a fortune in 1974. A new Bullet was costing three times as much. I decided to buy an Army Disposal Royal Enfield from Cheoki, near Allahabad. Army Disposal auctions used to be controlled by Mafias. A young lad like me could not even dream of opening my mouth in the auction leave alone buying one. But passion has no fear. On the day of the auction, in my school shorts and white shirt I went to the site, somehow managed to reach up to the Don of that area called B***** and requested him that I want a bike for myself. He was about 6 ft 2 in, handle bar moustache and a giant of a man. He looked down at me with mirth. I do not know what happened to him, he smiled and said ok take it. When the auction started and the bike in which I was interested was called for, he himself stood up, looked all around and gave the first offer. Not one person in that crowd opened his mouth. The bike became mine.
It was a 1979 model. It came like junk to my House as it did not even have a stand and was rusted due to exposure at the depot. My parents thought that I have sunk their hard earned money and my brother smirked at me. It took 8 months of day and night labour in my own garage. I dismantled the whole machine and went myself to buy spares from the wholesale market at Kanpur. Modified the machine beyond recognition. Double silencers, Fabricated Alloy Wheels out of Radiator fans of truck, installed double cam and dual brakes in the rear, tinkered with the gear ratio to impart higher RPM at higher speed, saddle seats, RPM Meters, etc. During the day I used to struggle with the modifications from one mechanic to another. During the nights I used to pour alone in my room over drawings, design of tanks, paint shades, stripes, design of saddle etc. When the bike came on road it was a rage and the talk of the town. It was for me a dream come true.
I took up a job as a night receptionist in a Hotel in Allahabad to earn enough to fuel my passion. I had that first bike of mine all through college and my early Army Days till 2002. I travelled nearly all over the country and loved riding it. The feel of the wind blowing on your face, open stretch of good roads ahead and the rising sun was my dream holiday. For those who are aware during the training at Indian Military Academy we are not supposed to ride anything but the govt issued bicycle. I drove my bike to Dehradun and parked it at a friends place in the city. On weekends when we used to get out pass I used to take my bicycle to my friends place. Pick up my Bullet, wear my full mask helmet and straight head for Mussorie!
It was in 1987 when I was at Deolali that I met a mutual friend who was into assembling Super Bikes. I rode Ninja ZX 10r and that was it!!!!!!!!!!! I now realized that this was what I needed. But a career in Army does not leave you with funds at the end of the month to save enough for a super bike. Years rolled by. My passion for a super bike grew only stronger. But by that time I had a son and a daughter and my desire to give them the best in life prevented me from investing a fortune on a super bike.
My wife and kids have been very supportive and constantly encouraged me to buy my dream machine. Truly I am blessed. I remember my wife telling me once. We were together in Mozambique where I was serving with United Nations. On the beach road I was waiting at a traffic signal in my SUV. A super bike came and stopped adjacent. When the light turned green, all we could see was the tail lights. I just said wow. My wife looked at me and remarked just wait you will have a better machine very soon. So True were her words
Now my passion had graduated to identifying the best bike that met my kind of riding. My research of the options available for a superbike in India made me home on to Honda Blackbird 1100 XX. By 2004 I wanted no other. It was a Sports Tourer. Exactly what I needed. Thrill of Sports and suitable for long distance riding. I had to wait for another two years before I could find a good clean machine in my budget and voila I also became a Super Biker. The thrill of this machine is simply outstanding. I have done more that 2000 Km in one stretch on a couple of occasions and have loved every moment of it. It is a near perfect blend of thrill of sports with comfort of tourer.
Unlike the popular perception that all Super Bikers are from a very rich background or spoilt children of rich parents, there are a lot of middle class blokes like us who have had a dream and in spite of odds, have gone on to realize the dream. If there is determination then all odds just wither away. Agreed that the prohibitive cost of the bike deters many of us to buy a super bike. If you tell any ordinary folk that you want to purchase a bike worth 10 lacs the looks you get is not funny- as if you need to go to a lunatic asylum! But then that is what passion is all about. Let resources not be a constraint for realizing your dreams. In the Nineties we never had options of buying a good legal super bike. Things have changed for the better. Not only we now have many options but also the facility of Bank Loans. So friends ‘just do it’as ‘you live only once’.
Col Satya Waiting for Sep to ride with you to Nubra. - Nitin Anand
ReplyDeletejust an exceptional inspiration for the young riders of the middle class family those gets shatter before they achieve..thanks alot sir.
ReplyDeletemy fathers in the army too still he bought me harley as he knew how bad i wanted it
ReplyDeleteHATS OFF - Col. truly loved it - I read this twice and couldn't believe the things that you had to do to get your hands on the machine. Id say it was fairly easier for me to do that. I just had to save up for about 5 yrs n few months to get my hands on my babe. I'v met maam and I know the family rule - and thats the reason I see someone from your family always there with you - thats something which most of us would love to have. HATS OFF Col.
ReplyDeleteGOD BLESS :)
Gaurav
Very informative, thanks!
ReplyDeleteCheap Radiators & Radiator Fans