Three years ago, when I heard 'Captain' Jack Sparrow referring to his 'Black Pearl' (for those unfortunate enough who have not seen Pirates Of The Caribbean movies yet, Black Pearl is a pirate ship owned by Jack ) as freedom, I thought of becoming a Pirate myself. I thought I should own my personal vessel, make people call me 'Captain', and roam forever in seas; free, independent, 'azaad'. . .
But waking up after this fantastic dream, I realized I would have to first build a time machine (or steal one from Area-51) and go back to the 17th century to become a pirate and build a pirate ship. Hence I decided on the next best thing: My Own Mean-Machine!
For next few weeks, I studied closely at all the motor-bikes available in India, within a reasonable price-tag of course! (I guess that the amount of time we spend awake is directly proportional to the possibility of sounding practical).
After due consideration, I zeroed in on my 'ride-to-be': Bajaj Avenger 220.
It had everything that I was looking for:
a. Raw Power (220 cc)
b. Style (Harley Davidson of India)
c. Shaped for long-Rides (Avenger is categorized in a separate bike-type: Cruiser).
d. Oil-cooled engine (for longer rides; well I will be going to Ladakh sometime on it!!)
e. Within Rs. 1 lakh (anything above that, my dad would have asked me to buy TATA NANO instead),
and let's not kid ourselves, last but far from least:
f. Lowest-height bike available in India (my both feet touch the ground :p :p :D)
All this thinking/dreaming started around 2 years ago (beginning of the year 2011).
When I arrived in Mumbai, for first few months, there were other stuff to take care of: Rent a home, buy few home applicances (Refrigerator, Gas connection, etc); that kind of stuff. So the question of buying a bike remained side-lined.
But now, 2 months ago (9th August, 2012) I finally brought home the beast!
"Midnight Black", "MH04 FM 8293".
Well I had to cajole/convince my mother first (who, if it were upto her, wouldn't have let me get my driver's license even now) to let me buy a 2-wheeler, and beg/borrow from my Dad (interest-free loan :p). All went well finally, and I am now the proud owner of my own 'Black Pearl'.
And truly, My Boeing is the purest form of freedom I have ever felt! I can just go down to my building's parking anytime (they didn't let me bring it up to my home; trust me I tried!), turn the key in two locks (it has a separate handle lock), push the button (it doesn't have a kick-start), put it into gear, open the throttle (a.k.a race or accelerator) and ride into the wind!
Adding onto the pleasure is the fact that Mumbai sub-urbs and other places around Mumbai (e.g. Mumbai-lonavala road) are a paradise for any biker.
Oh it feels great to feel that bull between my legs, to experience that power in my hands!
Well surely it sometimes makes me want to dig my own oil-well (doesn't give that much mileage: 30-35 kmpl), but what the heck! I made the choice knowing all that. The 'boeing' rocks and "Feels Like God".!!!
P.S.: Question: What is written on the rear-view mirrors of my bike:
Answer: "Warning: objects seen in mirror are disappearing rapidly!"
But waking up after this fantastic dream, I realized I would have to first build a time machine (or steal one from Area-51) and go back to the 17th century to become a pirate and build a pirate ship. Hence I decided on the next best thing: My Own Mean-Machine!
For next few weeks, I studied closely at all the motor-bikes available in India, within a reasonable price-tag of course! (I guess that the amount of time we spend awake is directly proportional to the possibility of sounding practical).
After due consideration, I zeroed in on my 'ride-to-be': Bajaj Avenger 220.It had everything that I was looking for:
a. Raw Power (220 cc)
b. Style (Harley Davidson of India)
c. Shaped for long-Rides (Avenger is categorized in a separate bike-type: Cruiser).
d. Oil-cooled engine (for longer rides; well I will be going to Ladakh sometime on it!!)
e. Within Rs. 1 lakh (anything above that, my dad would have asked me to buy TATA NANO instead),
and let's not kid ourselves, last but far from least:
f. Lowest-height bike available in India (my both feet touch the ground :p :p :D)
All this thinking/dreaming started around 2 years ago (beginning of the year 2011).
When I arrived in Mumbai, for first few months, there were other stuff to take care of: Rent a home, buy few home applicances (Refrigerator, Gas connection, etc); that kind of stuff. So the question of buying a bike remained side-lined.
But now, 2 months ago (9th August, 2012) I finally brought home the beast!
"Midnight Black", "MH04 FM 8293".
Well I had to cajole/convince my mother first (who, if it were upto her, wouldn't have let me get my driver's license even now) to let me buy a 2-wheeler, and beg/borrow from my Dad (interest-free loan :p). All went well finally, and I am now the proud owner of my own 'Black Pearl'.
And truly, My Boeing is the purest form of freedom I have ever felt! I can just go down to my building's parking anytime (they didn't let me bring it up to my home; trust me I tried!), turn the key in two locks (it has a separate handle lock), push the button (it doesn't have a kick-start), put it into gear, open the throttle (a.k.a race or accelerator) and ride into the wind!
Adding onto the pleasure is the fact that Mumbai sub-urbs and other places around Mumbai (e.g. Mumbai-lonavala road) are a paradise for any biker.
Oh it feels great to feel that bull between my legs, to experience that power in my hands!
Well surely it sometimes makes me want to dig my own oil-well (doesn't give that much mileage: 30-35 kmpl), but what the heck! I made the choice knowing all that. The 'boeing' rocks and "Feels Like God".!!!
P.S.: Question: What is written on the rear-view mirrors of my bike:
Answer: "Warning: objects seen in mirror are disappearing rapidly!"
bajaj should pay you for the publicity... ;)
ReplyDeletehahahaha. . . .I don't ask for too much, just around 3K every month, enough for petrol :D
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