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Buying a superbike was probably the most thought about decision in life, not just because it cost a bomb, not because it is an irrational decision from the point of view of any non-biker but also because I was spoilt for choice for once. Almost all major superbikes in the world are available in India. So the first question was whether to buy (a) Sports bike (hayabusa – like that of my dear friend and colleague – Arup, R1, Fireblade), (b) Street fighter (Ducati – that sent the pulse & purse racing, CB1000R, MT01- Yamaha had discontinued it and had replaced it with the beyond budget V-Max and finally(c) Cruiser – (the entire range of Harleys and Suzuki Intruder). The decision between these was a tough one given the fact that I had never ridden a superbike. The most powerful bike that I had owned till then was my beloved Bullet Electra. After test riding, pillion riding and sometimes just revving the engines of superbikes in respective showrooms and reading thousands of reviews, I asked myself just one question – Do I like riding hard or do I like riding long. The answer was simple, the reason I bought my bullet after my Karizma was that I liked riding long distances on the endless highways. I don’t take my bike to office (even that is long distance – but train is faster). The answer popped up – its got to be a cruiser – So three choices – Harley – Sportster, Harley – Dyna and Suzuki Intruder. I test rode these three before deciding but in my heart the choice was made the moment I saw the intruder. It was love at first sight – the bike was everything that I ever wanted in a bike. Immense power, drop dead looks, persona, character, technology all in one. I enjoyed the harley test ride, but my heart was elsewhere. I confirmed the decision to the dealer on the evening of Harley test ride.
The wait was long but not so long, within a week on the auspicious day of Akshay Tritiya, the intrusion happened. It was delivered at 10:30 at night. The tempo was followed by a huge crane, the mechanic from Matrix told me that it is required to unload the vehicle, so I asked innocently why can’t we use a plank and slide it down. Then it was explained that the bike comes from Japan in a container and that container weighs over 350kgs. The Crane was required to help fix the front tire to the bike as well. It took 3 hours to assemble the bike and despite the late hours, there was a crowd of at least 30 people watching it well beyond mid night. It was finally ready to rumble and the moment I switched it on, the bike did a full namaste on the speedo-meter with the needle going from zero to 240 to zero. The light console lit up with multi colored lights, I felt like a child in a toy store. The odometer showed the mileage as 0.0 km, I was the first person to switch it on and ride it outside the factory gates. Well well!!!, it felt more like an adult rather than a child this time. The ceremonial coconut was broken by my better half (not on the bike but on the ground next to the bike) and I pressed on the ignition. The light dimmed for a second (weren’t we taught to switch off the lights, every time we started the engine), well the light can not be switched off, the engine rumbled to life, it had the solid deep throated sound of a cruiser no whine, just the solid thump, sounded similar to the thump of the bullet but a lot more sonorous and throaty. My dear wife hopped on in the pillion seat and for the first time I drove this beauty (or shall I say the beast) for 25 metres from the lawn to my garage.
Then began the wait for temporary passing, documentation and ofcourse the weekend. After a week of giving rides to friends & family on crowded back roads of Navi Mumbai, I finally had the documents with me to finally bring the Shark to water. The first ride was from Vashi, Navi Mumbai (Home) to Bandra to get the much coveted 97 octane. I am yet to do some long distance riding (the pre monsoon showers have put a temporary break on my Bombay – Pune weekend ride) so the Vashi-Bandra experience would have to do for now.
During the rides in my neighborhood, I had noticed the power of the bike and the insane torque, but taking it out on the highway was a completely different experience. I was advised to keep the RPM at less than 3500 till the 1st servicing and I had all the intentions of keeping it that way. The moment I hit the Palm Beach road, the bike became a different animal altogether, the thump from the massive engines settled into a rhythm. The first time that I let the throttle lose I was almost thrown off the saddle more like a Spanish bull rider. While I had read about the 0 to 60kmph in 2.1 seconds in vaious reviews, to actually experience it was mind blowing. Some of you seasoned super bikers might not realize but for a person who had been riding a bullet and whose superbike experience is limited to some sketchy test rides on crowded streets, it was like being fired from a canon. I managed to hold on and moved to the next gear. With a torque peak at 3200 rpm, the acceleration was more than I could handle at times. How could I complain about not being able to go above 3,500 RPM in the breaking in period, when it was higher than I would have otherwise gone to in my first few rides. I was not used to ‘the feet in front’ sitting stance of a cruiser. However, the fear of speed, stance and the weight of the bike (350 Kgs dry) lasted for just the first 5 kilometers. I was soon speeding along the highway to Bandra with an ease of a veteran Iron Butt. The wind howling under my helmet and the tarmac moving at insane speed just below my foot peg. I was in a different world and right then I realized that the Intrusion is now complete and my life has changed forever. The kilometers kept disappearing and I was back in to the big bad city in no time.
It was great till Sion and then I had to turn into the infamous Dharavi area. I forgot to mention earlier that I had put in 2 litres of HP – Power in the bike to enable me to take it to Bandra which is 20 Km away. As you can guess, I had cut it too thin. Just 1 kilometer before the petrol pump, the bike gave up. Fortunately there were 2 of us on the bike and I had to leave my friend behind standing in 40 degrees of heat next to the road with a swell looking bike while I took the Jerry can (originally meant to carry an additional 10 liters of 97 octane) to the petrol pump. The petrol pump guy flatly refused saying that they were not allowed to give petrol in Cans.The heat was beating in to my head and I was also worried about my friend standing in the Dharavi traffic jam. Even the auto rider tried explaining to the petrol pump guy – (Inki bike bahut badi hai, 4 aadmi mil ke bhi dhakka nahi de sakte). The only way out was to request a fellow biker to put the petrol in his bike and then to transfer the same into the can. In Mumbai, its never too difficult to find a good Samaritan and in no time I was back to my bike with the all important liquid gold. I began with apologizing for being so late (the whole argument with petrol pump guys and finding a bike had taken a lot of time). My friend, despite the heat, was in a good mood and told me that loads of people have been taking interest in the bike and he had not even realized that I had been away for almost an hour. Some of the quotes I represent in English–
- This bike must be running on diesel?
- This will take less than an hour to get to pune
- This has 9 gears (I have heard this one several times since, they confuse RPM and gear)
- How much did you pay for it?
- Did you buy it in Japan?
- Does it actually go to 240 kmph?
- How many CCs?
- Look it has a radiator?
- Can I click a picture?
Anyways, continuing with the story - We were out of the crowded Bandra and Dharavi roads in no time. While the bike is not difficult to maneuver in packed Mumbai roads despite its weight, it is also no fun, you can’t enjoy taking a thoroughbred stallion for a wedding procession. However, the fact that the bike responded well while cutting through auto-rickshaws at 20kmph, further strengthened my desire to take the bike to all the places that I can including sometimes to office (post the rains ofcourse). The return ride involved checking the max speed that I could reach while staying well within 3,500 rpm. I realized that the bike could comfortably cruise in the 5th gear at 3,500 rpm (with another 5,500 rpms to spare) at a speed of 140kmph. God only knows what will happened when I finally hit the red line on the RPM, can’t wait to get the first servicing out of the way. Stopped for a little photo session as well on the highway, one has to take care of the family and friends on Facebook, afterall owning the bike is not everything
I have just done 550 Kms on the bike, with 3 noteworthy rides including one where I took it to office in time to catch the first Mumbai monsoon disruption of the season and an 80 km circuit ride through Panvel, Uran, JNPT and back to Vashi. I will write again once I am less in awe of the machine, I have taken it out for a 500km spin and when I find myself to be knowledgeable enough to comment on the performance aspects of the bike. Right now, anything it does is oh so beautiful to me. However, I would provide some quick specifications – shamelessly copied from one of the reviews as well as what I love the most about the bike.
Specifications
Displacement:
1783 CC
BHP
127 BHP @ 6200 RPM
Torque
160 Nm @ 3200 rpm
Engine type:
V2, four-stroke
Compression:
10.5:1
Bore x stroke:
112.0 x 90.5 mm
Valves per cylinder:
Four
Fuel system:
Injection
Fuel control:
DOHC
Cooling system:
Liquid
Front suspension:
Inverted telescopic, coil spring, oil damped
Rear suspension:
Link type, coil spring, oil damped
Front tyre dimensions:
130/70-R18
Rear tyre dimensions:
240/40-R18
Front brakes:
Double disc
Dry Weight
347 KGs
What I love the most
Immense power and pick up – for the first time more acceleration and speed than I can handle
Oh so good-looking – see for your self
Amazing road grip – probably due to giant rear wheels – broadest on planet
Attention magnet (I have had people driving Pajeros and BMWs flag me down on the highway to chat about the bike)
Comfortable at all speeds but specially comfortable in long rides, no pain in the butt after hours of riding (this will be tested further post monsoon)
The intrusion in to my life is so complete that at times I wake up in sleep and have this insane desire to go see the bike at that moment. It is a pity that I live on the 16th floor, I would have parked it in my living room if I had that option!!!
- Atul Kumar, Navi Mumbai
Photographs bv my Friends - Tushar Kamble and Sylvester Alappat
Congratulations, once again. Getting a 'big bike' is a dream that we all share, and good to see that you've actually gone ahead and realized your dream. 
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