The fertile paddy fields and the ripe grains ready for the harvest are a beauty to be adorned while riding to office on my RedBull to my office.
The new logo design on my Redbull's fuel tank was a boring one for me. So, decided to switch it to the old logo design.
As far as biking is concerned, I bought my first bike in the year 2000. It was a Hero Honda Splendour - a 100cc motorcycle. I bought it because commuting to my office direly needed a bike for me.
In 2003, I got married and after 7 years of married life, my wife needed a bike. There had been a necessity of a vehicle for
my wife to tend to adhoc needs at home, especially for our two little kids. I zeroed in on TVS Super Excel moped.
Dad was already having a old moped (TVS 50 XT) and I was having a 100 CC bike. The problem is that there was neither sufficient space to park a third bike, nor my wife could ride my dad's old moped.
When I bought my bike, the cost of petrol was Rs.24 /Lt (year 2000), by year 2010 the price escalated to Rs.50 /Lt. On the other hand, there had been many headaches on my daily commute such as stray dogs toppling many of my biker friends. During the year 2004, I too tasted a long skid on a oil spilled turn, luckily I escaped with bruises which needed a weeks leave from work. Over the ten years there had been a considerable increase in irresponsible drivers giving bad surprises. To add to this, casual loiterers just peep in after an accident, support the irresponsible localite who was the cause of the accident and the gang come against the poor bikers and plunder money out of katta panchayaths. Few of my friends have been casualties of this bad system that still prevail around us.
Given the expenses involved on fuel and the horrible accident stories happening around, I decided to tick off the practice of riding the bike for daily commute to office.
It had been a great time owning the fuel efficient 100cc Splendour bike and maintaining it in mint condition. This bike commanded a great price on the second hand market too.
Since, I switched to public transport for my daily commute; my bike got into riding mode only on fewer occasions; Though its not a great experience using the government buses day in and day out. The crew of the government buses give surprises with their absences, as well there comes lot of reschedule in case of festivals. We usually get atleast two surprises in a week. Ofcourse these are the opportunities in getting used with a Plan B and hopping on to any other buses or getting help from bikers for their pillion seat and do the commute. Though these are full of surprises, is gives stomach chills, its a safer mode ! At first the change over was little harder, but over a few months I got used with the public transport.
The Super Excel moped that is gonna be brought for my wife would suffice in times of my needs. So, by the year 2010, I sold my bike and a couple of weeks later the new Super Excel moped made its entry. So by then, my dad's TVS XT (old moped) and the new TVS Super Excel got to be parked at home and serve our needs of transportation.
After the new moped came in, my dad's old moped became a thing to worry as it needed plenty of visits to the mechanic. After much effort we successfully persuaded Dad to sell it off.
Bigger bikes from Royal Enfield have had a bit of kindling my joy a little, for many a time. Though its a sub conscious thingy.
The thing that attracts in this Royal Enfield bullet is the cult design that had gone in since the British War Era. Till this day, the military design with tiger eye lamps makes the pull, rather than the technology behind these bikes. The Dud Dud thumps that come out of the roar of the bullets are a music that still play in our ears even though the bike itself had gone off from the scene for more than a while.
It was during this time that the Royal Enfield company have been inviting its Twitter fans for factory tour. I had great time visiting the historic Royal Enfield factory at Tiruvottiyur. It was then for me to plunge in and know more about Royal Enfield.
I did put in sufficient time to approach the owners of the RE bikes. It was then I got to bump into people who had owned the old Cast Iron RE bikes and also the new RE bikes. The cast iron bikes are the ones which have brake on the left; gear shifter on the right and the new bikes have brakes on the right and gear shifter on left side. The old ones have separate sections for the engine, gear box, clutch and an exclusive neutral shifter. The new ones have a technology termed UCE which have all the three combined into a single section. Neutral shifter is a pedal, which helps the rider to shift the gear from a higher one to to neutral at a single tap. This facility is available only in Cast Iron bullets.
Then I searched for people who had owned both the kinds. A lot of interesting things that unfolded before me over a period of more than a year. Having fished so much of interesting things about this bike, I decided to try buying the cast iron type of Royal Enfield bike. These types of bikes had been stopped of production many years ago and its not possible to buy a new one.
I expressed my desire to my family. This was the point wherein all the problems started. I faced a stiff opposition from each and everybody at home against buying a old bike. I generally await for a consensus from my family, of-course they are the ones who care me the most. So I respected their arguments especially from my well experienced Dad. He was too particular not to go for old vehicles since there may be legal problems.
After so much of tiff at home, on one night, at about 1.30 a.m. my dad was awake and me too. Since, the idea of buying a old bullet was still in discussion, day in and day out, we jumped into a debate with him telling the problems associated with buying old bikes and me trying to prove my stand. Then, mum chips in and expressed that the time is 2.30 a.m. and why this hulla bullah at the brink of the night. It was a hard situation wherein my well researched work of over a year is getting pushed down.
Then my Dad goes in asking his friends and relatives about the bike. Problem started as no one voted in my favour. I then did a postmortem of his method and found that my Dad has asked the people who were not users of Royal Enfield bullets. After a bit of hard time, everybody at home left me alone without vouching my decision.
Though I was clear on my judgement based on my home work of more than a year, having nobody to support me, did put my intuitiveness into a difficult situation. It was a hell of a situation that I decided to make the next step of approaching the local mechanics and bike brokers to know the availability of the old bike.
Now, Selvam Anna, my neighbor and a old time bulletteer came into the scenario. His effort helped zeroing in on a bullet and after verifying the documents the bull was bought on 7th Jan 2012.
My biking experience started with buying a new Hero Honda Splendor bike in the year 2000. I owned it for 10 years and rode it more often on daily basis to office which is a 25 kms ride. In the year 2010 I sold it off and bought a TVS Super Excel moped. This was done as there as there have been a dire need of a vehicle for my wife to tend to adhoc needs at home just like going to my son's school, to shops, to doctor, etc.,
So, for the past an year, I was riding the Moped whenever I need to go out.
The experience so far on the road was that, there were too many vehicles either chasing me or overtaking me. The more the traffic jam, its a burden of many people honking to press their way and overtake. With riding the moped, the trouble escalated. More people chasing in bikes and honking continuously till I go to the extreme left side of the road.
But today was a different experience riding my Royal Enfield Bullet.
Today evening, I was riding back to home from office. The distance is 25 kms with less than a half on well populated area with ample traffic. Traffic congestion will be there for hardly on 4 kms in my journey. Since I am not yet used up with the bullet, I was riding it in slow speeds of around 45 kmph.
I got to notice that, there were people who were silently following me while I was riding slowly. On the side mirror, whenever I notice a vehicle nearing me from behind, I pull to left to give way for them to go by. But the surprise was that, some of them never overtook me. There were vehicles such as a Hundai Accent car, a lorry, a school van which were coming from my behind. Since I am in the mindset of not to rev up my engine, I decided to go to the left extreme on the road. But to my surprise, the vehicles which can overtake me at a faster speed, never did so. The Car wallah was following me for nearly a kilometre. Then there was traffic congestion and then only he sped past me. These people never honked to over take me. The car wallah overtook me because there was no way for him to still follow me.
Its a new kinda experience which gave me goose bumps while riding on the road. The Royal Enfield really commands more respect on the road.
My Royal Enfield made its first coming home on 7th Jan'11 almost a month ago. But so far I never got the
chance to have a ride this 1990 workhorse.
Why?
On the first day, Selvam anna,
my neighbour, who was instrumental in buying me this Bullet rode home.
He had a bullet years ago. I did not have the confidence in riding this
bullet the first time that too a 20 kms journey at dusk. Selvam anna
drove the bullet home on the first day, while I drove his Splendour bike
while coming back after the purchase of this bullet.
Why I did not have the confidence is that, the bullet is little old, I
am new to the right side gear shift thingy. Added to this is; it was the
first day and I did not take risk, that too at dark.
After we
reached home at about 8.00 p.m. I rode the bullet in my narrow street
for nearly an half hour. Got little used up with the right side gear shifting.
What followed was a loss of air pressure on the rear tyre. Realized
that, the back wheel had a very old set of tyre and tube. So, the
following days, I could not enjoy getting used up by riding it.
What
followed was the daily ritual of parking it outside on the street before I leave to office and then
parking it inside the house in the evening for the following couple of days. This is
done to give way for my narrow verandah at home to get the other moped
for daily runarounds.
By this way, I got used up with new experience of
handling the heavier machine. Thats, moving it little away, parking it,
then moving it inside and then parking. The tyre drew a flat the
following couple of days. Meanwhile, we completed the most important
thing of transferring of owner name in the Registration & Insurance
Records of this bullet. Once all the hulla bullah were over, it was time
to call for the puncture shop.
Another important ritual of the bullet. Thatz KickStarting it.
As
far as I knew with the owners of the old bullets, its the first ritual
that needed to be learnt before attempting on riding this beast. On the
first couple of days, it was little tough.
The ritual goes like this... Firstly; kick the starting lever with the
de-compressor switch engaged. Secondly; ensure the amps show zero.
Thirdly; kick the lever without engaging the de-compressor.
Wow.
The legend roars up with the Dhud Dhud thumps. This is the sound
that is still making people turn their heads at the first know of the
approach of a bullet. This alone made me go for buying this legend. This
thump is the unique of its class and gets to be called "Goes like a
bullet".
As days passed, I got satisfied with my ability to make the engine fire up. Still the bullet had not been running on the road.
Next
day, the puncture shop man came and set it right. The next call was
made to the mechanic who came in the evening to ride back the vehicle to
his shop situated at Koliyanur Koot near Villupuram. A 40+ kms ride from Cuddalore.
So, almost a month has passed and the bike is still getting ready. Few
days I got to prod the mechanic to make the work faster. He promised to
give me the vehicle, minus some of the major works to be done
afterwards.
BTW, I need to attend the upcoming technical training
organised by Royal Enfield this Saturday the 11th of Feb. This program
carries content of what is needed to the owners of Royal Enfield. Though
I am a owner of a Royal Enfield bullet for the past one month, I hardly
rode 4 kms on this bullet. Without a riding experience, attending the
training program would be of little worth. So, I had been hardpressing the
mechanic to give me back the vehicle.
The next couple of days I should go to office on my Royal Enfield bullet and get to know more of this bike.
So,
yesterday evening, I made a call to the mechanic to enquire about the
progress. He was of the mood to give my bullet by Thursday and told that
many of the work on the engine has been over. I was adamant to him to
give me the bike yesterday itself. After my office hours, I pressed my way to his shop to be
drawn aback by his absence and the shop kept shut. Adding fury to me is
his mobile phone was switched off.
An hour had passed and he made his presence to me. Then I came to know
that, he has bought his son a brand new Apache bike. He had just now finished the
rituals and came to the shop with the new bike.
It was
over an hour I was waiting there and he obliged to attend to my vehicle.
The work started by 6.30 p.m. He is very disciplined in his work and
took step by step of adding the little parts on to the head of the
engine. Its very interesting to see the work getting bit by bit in
progress. Finally after two hours into his work, he fired the engine.
The thump was so nice and pushing my spirits up. It was about 9.00 p.m. and
he assured me that the work would be over in another half hour.
My home is 40 kms from there and I was cat on wall on how well I could reach back home on the bullet.
After
finishing the work on the engine, he opened up the headlight. There
were so many wires lying in a haphazard way. The earlier owner has not
paid attention to detail on the circuitry in the vehicle. Mending the
wire points and making the headlight come up was a very tiring process
with many hiccups. As the clock was ticking past 10.00 p.m. I decided that its not safe to ride at this time of the night.
My
father in law's house is just 1 Km away from this place. I then changed
my itinerary and informed them of my situation. Around 10.30, with the
bike still giving a hide and seek, with my stomach giving the ringing bell, I decided to have my dinner. So, I
went to FIL's home and finished dinner and came back by about 11.00 p.m.
At around 11.30 p.m. the mechanic finished the work on the head light
and it was much an ease of mind for both of us. Then, he went on to
correct the broken front brake lever.
Once the parts on the right side
handle bar were opened up, it was another work waiting. The wires
leading to the brake, accelerator and clutch had worn out and the
mechanic decided that it should be replaced. Its luck at that juncture
that he had a set of all these with him to be used for another Royal
Enfield bullet which is in his next schedule of restoration. He decided to use up those inventory for my vehicle. So, now the work
of replacing the clutch cable, accelerator and front brake is started.
It took another hour to get finished. As the clock ticked 1.15 a.m. the
mechanic declared that, I could now take my bullet. Though there were
still pending replacement jobs needed for the front shock absorbers,
inner sprocket and a link on the drive chain, I made it a point to drive
the bike for a few days before I go for the customer technical training program.
Reached FIL's home at 1.30 a.m. and called it a day. Had a good sleep and started my first ever bullet ride to office the next morning.
Today
morning, I succeeded in firing up the engine within the first five
kicks that too in a cold weather. The ride to the office was bit
enchanting. As few more scheduled replacement workx are pending, I am
confident to gather an initial experience of the bullet. After my office hours, I drove the bullet back to my hose in Cuddalore. So, the honeymoon with the bullet has started with today's ride of about 50 kms.
Riding was so far satisfactory. But the bullet still needs to be replaced of its front shockx, rocker and the inner sprocket. Until these things are done, the ride for me would be bit harder. Anyway, should take up this experience so that I could learn more about the intricacies with this machine.
Dhud dhud dhud. Awaiting to learn more from the Royal Enfield training program. Until then, Bye Bye.
