Skip to main content

My new old bike

So the inevitable's finally occured. I've got myself a Royal Enfield - a classic Bullet Standard 350. Well....technically I haven't entirely got possession yet as the papers are with the mechanic, but short of him closing shop and running off somewhere, I can safely say the bike's
mine, mine....all Miiiinne!!!

Thanks to my colleague Robin, who's a bike/racing enthusiast and his neighbour Darren who's also passionate about Bullets for their help in ferrying me around the city looking at prospective candidates, riding the bikes and giving me their expert opinions while I stood by and gawked. On the flip side...if I find the bike is not to my satisfaction....I know who to kill!!

Ok, now that the mandatory vote of thanks (read boring stuff) is over, onto more exciting details. As mentioned earlier, this is a Standard 350, 1996 model, complete with the classic thumping sound, right side gears, contact points ignition with ammeter, decomp lever etc. Not one of the new 'almost-bullets' you get today. Got it for 16K, which I think is a decent deal. Bike, of course, is in dire need of servicing, repairs and body work. I already had my newbie Bullet initiation ceremony yesterday, when I exhausted myself kick-starting the bike for 20 mins. But that, as accurately diagnosed by Robin, was due to dirt in the carburettor and is fixed for now.

But enough with the monologue, here's some pics of the bike.

Note the rust on the front wheel. The wheel wobbles from side to side while riding, so one gets the impression the bike's doing a jig on the road.












The bike came with authentic Kannada number plates, to impart that Desi flavour, at no added cost. The bike, by the way, is originally from Bellary and was transferred to Bangalore.















Note the Saree guard with intricate designs, an excellent add-on to prevent my future Mrs from getting her nine-yard entangled in the wheel and choking to death.











The blind leading the blind - Thats Mukund giving me gyan on the Bullet.













Not too visible, but this is an excellent piece of memorabilia. If you squint hard enough, you can make out the previous owner's name, T. Narasimha Rao, etched out on the handlebar in Kannada, probably with a compass, like I did on my school desks in kindergarten.









Now, you just need to close your eyes to get the picture of Mr. T. Narasimha Rao, dhoti tucked above his knees, serenly riding the Bullet through the paddy fields of Bellary past herds of grazing buffalo, chased by children with snot running down their noses.


So, to quote those innumerable museum guides..."Its not just a bike, its a piece of India's own heritage".

Comments

Pushuka said…
Neat!! Congrats on a most excellent acqusition, dude... So have you christened her yet? (And dude, please tell me it's a she...)
5:34 PM, March 03, 2006
Indira said…
Congrats on your new girlfriend boy! SHe looks cool! Just hoping and praying that the 20 mins kick-starting ordeal lessens in time! Be nice, be gentle, and most importantly...keep her well-groomed ;)
6:50 PM, March 03, 2006
Anonymous said…
Great bike.. Kaushik. BTW where did the good ole splendor go ?
12:47 AM, August 03, 2006
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

School reunion

Ok, so lets first get the obvious out of the way. The blog has died. Not a pleasant state of affairs, I know. But then there are few things unpleasanter than a chance glance upon a once closely-clasped-to-your-bosom thingy revealing the last entry dated December 25, 2008. An accurate description of the state of affairs would be, I believe, forlorn and woebegone. So here then, is an attempt at resurrection. No clue, really, if it will work. Sometime in the past 373.25 days, I think I managed to lose the writing habit entirely. And in a little corner of my head lurks the fear that these things, once lost, don't really return. But I guess that's a matter beyond me. I'll do what I have to, and leave the rest in the capable hands of the Woman Upstairs. (been trying shed the male chauvinist part of the MCP image for some time now) One of the things I've been thinking about off late, is the meetings with the DAV gang. Going into flashback mode, I was one of those kids that com...
3 comments
Read more

Reflections on wheels

Riding is one of those things that I find naturally, instinctively appealing. It’s not so much something that defines you, but something that lives within you. The characteristics that define me as a biker are there, have always been there, I think, in me. The physical act is just something that opens the door to those parts of me. It lets me do what I want to do and be who I want to be. And yet, when in conversation someone refers to me as “a biker”, I find it vaguely distasteful. It immediately serves to brand me with a certain stereotype. A rebel perhaps, or a braggart, or a wannabe cool dude, and more often than not something of an oddity. None of which is true. Biking is no more an unnatural act than, for instance, gardening, and is no more rebellious than watching a play is rebellious. It’s not all about high-brow philosophy and Pirsiguesque thoughts, of course. I love all of the little things, starting from the envious little sideward glances I get from fellow commuters as the...
16 comments
Read more

Trip to Kundadri

A narrow winding road passing through lush green forests. The trees arch across overhead on either side to form a natural canopy, the ground below covered by twigs and fallen leaves. The silence broken only by the gentle patter of rain, the singing of a thousand crickets and the thump of a Bullet, the idyllic scenery broken only by glimpses of a fellow rider far ahead in the distance – There are few experiences more soothing to a man’s soul. The Bare Essentials Destination – Kundadri Betta, in the Shimoga district of Karnataka Daywise Breakup of the ride – Day 1: Bangalore – Tumkur – Arasikere – Shimoga – Thirtahalli Day 2: Thirtahalli – Kundadri Betta – Agumbe – Sringeri – Kuppalli – Koppa Day 3: Koppa – Chickmaglur – Kemmangundi – Birur – Tiptur – Tumkur – Bangalore Distance covered – Approx 1000 km Memories stored – Innumerable Day 1 - The Onward Ride The preparations started as with most other rides. Last minute tuning of the bike, calls and e-mails to one another discussing sp...
11 comments
Read more