Ruminations of an aging wannabe Biker

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Ruminations of an aging wannabe Biker.

Hi Guys ,

I have for a very long time now, been thinking of sharing my thoughts and aspirations with all of you . For too long I have just sat on this thought and done nothing about it. In many ways the story of my life, until a few weeks back I just decided that enough is enough and I decided to act on this thought of mine , The result is the article below.

There comes a defining stage in every one’s life, wherein, one single incident or news could trigger off a stream of thoughts, a wave of emotions and then suddenly the finiteness of life hits you. This happened to me a few months back and I sat down on a Saturday morning staring vacantly out the window as my thoughts culminated in a stroll down Memory lane.

Let ‘s start at the very beginning , A very good place to start ( As per Julia Andrews in Sound of Music), I remember more than 4 decades ago in my teenage (I can heat the gears clicking in your head as you do the math and think , God, this guy is prehistoric ) pleading with my father to let me ride his Lambretta Scooter for just a bit. I remember vividly the first day I was allowed to ride it and did so successfully. I think it was the happiest day in my life. I would always be looking for an opportunity to ride my Dad’s Scooter, always the first one to volunteer for running errands, dropping relatives at the Bus stand and so on and so forth. As soon as I went to work, I initially traded it for an Explorer (I am sure the majority of you would not have even heard of this bike by RE), I then graduated to a Kawasaki Bajaj RTZ. Then started my journey with Bajaj and I have been a faithful customer through thick and thin. I have had my fair share of heart burn, more than fair share as a matter of fact, disappointment and frustrations with them but for some unfathomable reason I have been unable to break away and look elsewhere. I was then an ardent Biker. However, I could never go on long trips, something I always dreamt off

Then unfortunately life happened. I got married, Priorities changed, I spent more than a decade abroad and all my dreams were rudely shoved to the rear end of a long list of requirements and demands. I returned back in 2005 and faithfully resumed my relationship with Bajaj. A Caliber Croma followed by a Pulsar 180 and then a Pulsar 200 NS. Never mind that my Bikes were sparingly used, in mint condition, the odometer reading was only in 4 digits, whenever Bajaj announced a new premium model, I lined up to buy it. However, I was still running the corporate rat race and could not find the time to act on my dreams. The fact that Societal norms did look upon strangely, any person in his fifties who thought about driving a motorcycle even for commuting and short errands when he could afford a 4 wheeler leave alone touring did not help my cause as I could not bring myself to break free. Then the Bajaj Dominar was launched in end 2016 and the bug bit me again. My 200 NS was still in mint showroom condition and had registered just a few 1000’s on the odometer, I voraciously consumed every article written about the Dominar on BHP , every U tube video and bored my friends to death regarding the virtues of this bike , but I still could not get down to getting rid of my 200NS and buying it.

Which brings me back to the Sunday morning when a stream of events suddenly hit me. By then I had eventually surmised what millions had done before me and will surely do in the future as well i.e the futility of the rat race. It finally dawned on me on a Eureka moment that, neither do we belong to the rodent species nor is life a race. Sanity prevailed and I philosophised that while one definitely does have a duty to attend to the needs and priorities of the family and near and dear, one is also obliged to be fair to oneself. Especially when you suddenly realize that one is unlikely to inhabit planet earth for ever despite one wishing to do so and that the proverbial biological Clock is ticking and time is running out .Or in 20 :20 parlance a cricket fan would say, one suddenly realises that one is now at the business end of life , it is now or never. I got up from my chair put on my sneakers and headed out to the nearest Bajaj Show room, The decision had been made. I would continue my tryst with Bajaj. The Dominar would soon join my long list of Bajaj Motorcycles.

Alas I was in for a rude shock. Bajaj never fails to surprise me Probably shock would be a more appropriate term. I was told that I could not get a test drive. I could not believe that Bajaj would expect potential customers to part with about Rs 2 lakhs of their hard-earned money without even getting a feel of the motorcycle. Things got even worse, when I was arguing with the Sales representative, he magnanimously told me that if I booked the vehicle, then he would allot the Bike and then offer me a test drive on that Bike.By this time I was very close to losing it totally. What this Sales representative was telling me effectively was that if I booked a Bike, then he would condescend to offer me, my own Bike for a test drive. This was the proverbial last straw on the Camel’s back. I fumed out of the Showroom and even thought about the unthinkable, shifting loyalties. However, some bonds are just meant to be forever. I shot out a plea vide E Mail to the Bajaj Representative and I got a prompt reply that I could get a Test Drive at another location.

The experience at this dealer’s place was just the very opposite. They were extremely courteous and offered the Test drive at a time convenient to me. The Test drive confirmed what I knew all along that the Dominar 400 was the Bike for me. The Bike was booked, Payments done. Bhp articles guided me and pre delivery checks were done and within a few days I proudly drove a green Dominar 2019 UG to my house. The first port of call was obviously the Temple and Gods Blessings were sought. I named it the Green Monster, I then started devouring every article on the net, Bhp in particular and every video on You tube regarding accessories for the Dominar. I spent so much time on the Tab watching Vlogs  on you tube and installation instructions that the better half got quite suspicious as to what I was up to on my Tab. Deliberations , Comparisons and a zillion discussions later I decided to part with my money in favour of Lluvia’s Windscreen , Number Plate Holder, Rear Pillion Back rest, Handle Bar risers. I then got the Knuckle guards and Mobile Charger from GP Road.

I was now itching to take the bike on a long Drive. In 6 Weeks of using every opportunity to drive locally I had just pushed 450 Kms on the odometer. I got the first service done. It went off uneventfully. Now was the time to think about a long drive, the dream of my life. Immediate family was not amused at my idea. The common line of argument was, that guys pushing 58 sat at Home reading “The Hindu “and watched Serials on TV. They did not go around buying bikes, leave alone 400cc Bikes . Long Drive forget it, you need to get your head checked.

Would I chicken out again as I had done for the most of my life and conform to perceived Societal norms. Well miracles never cease. After severe introspection I decided that come what may, I would tick this box of long drive off my Bucket list. Hence along with my friend Vicha (who has been a loyal friend and supporter all along and has egged me on  throughout this long journey ) we began our plans . once again discussions and arguments and eventual agreement on Yelagiri as the destination. The week end was chosen and we planned to start early on a Saturday Morning The distance was about 230 Kms and we had planned a 5 .00 am start. Friday brought a few hiccups as Vicha was down with cold but luckily late on Friday evening We decided to go through with the trip. I had purchased a new back pack on Amazon a few days back. I was extremely excited about the whole trip and I was (in my wife’s words) like a Kid in a candy store .

Saturday dawned, I got up early, got ready, checked my Bike, and my Wife who had by now watched a few Motorcycle travel videos along with me, graciously said that she would flag me off and did so after cautioning me to be careful.

Vicha with his Pulsar 180 joined me and off we went on my first long Biking trip (Well, to be fair not so long).

The Green Monster and me - All set for the Trip to Yelagiri

We left Vicha’s place at 5.30 and hit the Bangalore highway. It was still dark and we had our headlights on. We hit a little bit of traffic at Poonamalee and were gliding past Saveetha Medical College as dawn broke. It was a pleasant Morning and conscious of the fact that since my engine was new and I had to conform to running in norms I stayed around 60 kmph . This did not go down very well with my friend Vicha who was zooming away in his Pulsar 180.

At about 7.00 am we stopped for our first cup of Coffee at a small Tea shop at Sriperumpudur. After a small break we resumed our journey and just after we crossed Kancheepuram I heard a loud roar from behind and very soon we saw a group of almost 15 Super Bikes most of them Harley Davidson’s. I swerved to the left and watched in awe, as some of these Bikes were huge and were zooming past with blinkers flashing moving at well over three digit speeds. Most of the cars also let them go past and this was indeed a sight to behold. We stopped for Breakfast around 9.00am near Vellore (not a very pleasant experience).

My insistence of keeping to the prescribed speed limits during the running in period was slowing us down and we had another break for a cup of Chai and I filled up Petrol at a Petrol Bunk as I had read in many of the BHP reports that there is no Petrol Bunk in Yelagiri. Hence it was only around 11.00 am that we started climbing up the hills and the Dominar performed effortlessly as it pulled without breaking a sweat. Enroute, at almost every picturesque Hair pin bend there were a group of Bikers taking snaps and recording their activity for posterity. We stopped near a group of young College kids who had come in a varied mixture of Bikes  including a Hero Splendour  and a Yamaha . Vicha offered to take a snap of all of them together and the kids were pleased. They offered to return the favour and we had a few of our snaps taken as well. During that brief halt we saw several group of Bikers zooming past including a group of Dominar’s which made me mighty pleased. I then realized that the Biking culture had indeed caught on in India and that was a sign of great things to come.

 With my Friend Vicha (with the cap) –“ A Break on the way up the Hills “

We resumed our journey and the Dominar was a pleasure to drive on those
hairpin bends. Very soon we reached the top and booked into a very comfortable Hotel. Lunch was once again not a very good experience and I was told that the crowd at Yelagiri was so heavy during weekends that many of these establishments could not cope with the crowd.

Posing for the Camera – At the Hotel in Yelagiri

We lazed out during the evening, went Boating and had Dinner at a very small but well-maintained restaurant. This was manned by the Owner herself and the service was very focused. We enjoyed our simple but tasty Dinner and took a stroll around the small town. There was a nip in the air and the cool weather was welcome change for guys from Chennai.

Breakfast Time

The next Morning after a reasonably sumptuous Breakfast , we decided to head back to Chennai. We wanted to reduce the number of halts as much as possible to ensure that we reached Chennai by 5 .00 pm latest. Once again the Dominar cruised comfortably in the mid 60’s and it was a testament to my will power that I did not twist the throttle further to let the Green Monster loose. We broke off for Lunch at about 2.00 pm and then headed Home, The home stretch was done with just a break for Chai and some snacks . Wherever I stopped the Dominar with all its accessories, attracted a lot of attention with a lot of people curious as to its make, price and of course the inevitable question about Mileage. This Bike is definitely a head turner.

Back to Chennai

 I parted ways with Vicha near his place and headed home with a wide grin on my face. I was very happy that I had finished my first Road trip and the trip meter read about 470 Kms. Folks at Home were happy to see me back in one piece, There was no doubt at all, that I had made the correct decision in choosing this Bike with a lot of positives. Since so much has already been written about the positives, I thought I could just highlight pain points that in my humble opinion were issues which could have been addressed better and had scope for improvement. (These are my personal observations and I could be wrong)

1.     Weight distribution made the Bike a bit difficult to handle (especially for small made men and those getting on in age (as your truly). Is that the reason or is this an issue which plagues all Bikes with this displacement?

2.     Despite all the hype about the LED Headlights, I thought that they were good, but not great and I decided to supplement them with LED add ons.

3.     I did feel some vibes on the handgrips and foot pegs, but I am hoping they will fade away as I pile on the kms on the odometer.

4.     The turning radius was an embarrassment especially when one was trying to make a U turn in a small crowded Street. Once again not sure if it is a reflection of my Driving Skills or lack of it or is actually an issue

Which brings us to this oft discussed question, if this Bike is actually so good why then is it then selling such disastrously low numbers, some 300 odd, in November 2019 . Is it, that we Bajaj Fans are so obsessed with its positives that we are underplaying its disadvantages, Is it the Marketing Harakiri that Bajaj committed by taking on RE?  Obviously, it cannot be that sales of Bikes with such engine displacement will be so low because RE’s Continental has returned 4 digit figures for the same period if I am not mistaken. Or is it a combination of all these factors and some more. I would really like the opinion of the Experts on this one.

I have rambled on for too long now, another reflection of the years I have already spent on Planet Earth. I therefore apologise for boring you guys to death if I did so. I have now added on a few more accessories to my Green monster and am looking forward to my next trip. I am sure that I am the butt of many Jokes in the neighbourhood about this Old guy who is nuts, but then Hey! Who cares ,after all you only Live once and as famous Abe said

Take care Guys, Ride safely and Please do strap on your helmets.

Adieu