NUMBERS…. They have such mystery to it, so much of ambiguity
if the context is unknown. We all have grown up on numbers, right from the moment
you came into this world, the time of your birth, how much you weighed. Numbers have always been a part and parcel of our entire lives. Even death
cannot escape numbers, the time and day of your death in the death certificate issued by the Doctor.
Numbers will always have a vital role to play in our lives.
But for me the above numbers are very random in nature,
there is no pattern or anything. Take a guess if you like? Although these numbers
are in an increasing variance, which in a way represents going higher or
growth, simply put they are the cylinder capacities of the motorcycles which I
have owned and ridden over the last 16 years.
The first bike I bought was the Kawasaki Caliber in the year
2001 and the only reason I liked the bike was because that was the most comfortable
bike for my height, i.e. I had enough of legroom!!! literally speaking. My legs
wouldn’t touch the handle bars while turning the bike. I’m 5’11 inches and the
other bikes available were kind of small for my height. And the other reason
was that it had a round headlight. The others came in weird shapes and sizes. Rectangular,
squarish, etc. At this point I never even imagined that I would be riding a
500cc bike today, 15 years later. It’s been a really long time, my preference
for bikes changed over a period of time. I used to like sports bikes for their
sheer design and their uber powerful engines (800cc, 1000cc, 1200cc, etc. etc.).
And yes speed was always an attraction with the bigger motors.
and post that trip I just didn’t want to do anymore long rides on sports styled bikes. I was done, my ass just wasn’t meant for sports bikes. The CRUISER, the kind of bikes which you don’t speed, but enjoy the ride with comfortable seats, handle bars positioned to give you complete control yet keep you alert at all times. That’s when I started riding the Royal Enfield Electra (346cc) which actually wasn’t mine, I had exchanged it with by brother since I would do a weekend ride once a month. It didn’t make sense riding the Unicorn on the weekdays and take the Enfield on the weekend. You do the long rides with the bike you ride every day, that way you are well aware of the bike condition, else you would be surprised.
The Royal Enfield was a bike which I had disliked the most, it
was heavy, mileage was terrible, the bike was noisy with serious vibrations - all
the more reasons which made me never buy one in the first place. In fact the
first bike I ever rode was my brother’s second hand Enfield (Yeahh!! I know it’s
a little confusing) and I almost took it on the footpath the first time I rode
it. This near collision experience made me hate the Enfield even more. But looking back, I now realize that I would have been a proud owner of a Royal Enfield Bullet since 2001, had I liked it then. But everything changed when I decided to take my brothers Royal Enfield Electra to Goa the second time around. It was the most comfortable ride I had had in a really long time. I had been to Pune on the Caliber, Goa on the Unicorn, but the second trip to Goa on the Enfield was the best. It was one smooth ride, no qualms whatsoever, I could ride for a distance at a stretch, the bike was steady at 100kmph. We would have to take regular breaks just to go easy on the engine, but it was one of my most memorable rides to date. Enjoyed each and every mile of the 1200+ kms ride to Goa. Looking forward to many more road miles.
Today I’m proud and happy that I have my own Royal Enfield
Bullet 500, that I can call my own, I do not have to return it to anybody (I
had to return the RE Electra to my brother which I had exchanged with my
Unicorn!!!). It’s been an amazing affair so far, like my brother says “The
Bullet is my first wife!” I’m sure my wife will be a little envious, but that’s
okay. Every guy has a special something with their toys.
I hope and pray that the Bullet 500 helps me travel many a mile,
exploring newer places, unknown destinations, new roads and highways and keeps
me safe and secure through the many miles that I will travel with her.
Godspeed.
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