Dejavu Moment...Date:16th July.Woke up from bed to see it happening again.But this time i wouldnt be able to witness it as i am 300kms away from the place where the event is happening.

Flashback to the year 2002 and i got my first bike in the form of Victor just a day after the above mentioned date i.e 17th July which is a good 7 long years back. A kid then (just passed Class-12th),i didn't know how to ride a bike and learned the art of riding by the petite yet highly impressive machine. Fast forward to the year 2009 and it's my younger brother's turn to get his hands on his own machine.But the only difference is that he knows riding as well as driving and is pretty good one at that.Last time our family saw a new machine was a Scooty for my sister in the year 2004 (along with the Optra).So a newer machine was always on the anvil but it never happened in those years thanks to some financial troubles we were facing.

My Brother...Now and Then!!

On Left you have the ‘Fastest’ bike of TVS and on the 'Right' you have the “First” bike from TVS!!





Initially the newly launched P220 was definitely in my list for it providing the most bang-for-the-buck and superlative performance but for a college going kid it would be just too much obviously due to the mileage factor creeping in.He was initially tilted for the P220 but later he made up his mind for the "Menace".He didnt want a bike for show-off all he wanted was a pure no-nonsense machine, no bamboozled graphics and no over-the-top claims.He was craving for brute power, sharp handling and more importantly a non-intimidating factor which naturally points to the Apache tribe.These machines have this uncanny capability to take on the higher machines in an unfussy manner and that has/will surprise(d) a many.
So the machine was finally booked at Oberoi TVS in Bhubaneswar on 1st July and we eventually became the first one to book the 180.There are 3 TVS major dealerships but Oberoi even if it's smaller it actually sells the most.Initially we were told the bikes would be available before 10th of July but that was delayed and was a setback as my brother was supposed to get the bike on 11th(his birthday).So we didnt have any other option but to wait.Then finally we got a call from showroom people citing the arrival of the bike but they didnt get the colour "white" in the shipment.My brother rang me up and i asked him to straight away contact the other 2 dealers as there might have been a goof-up(normally happens).And luckily there was a White "unbooked" White 180 wrongly routed to Ashirvad TVS. Following my instructions, brother asked them to book the bike on his name and asked them not to assign it to anybody else.Dad was out of station at that time and immediate cash arrangement was a problem but he sent the cash on 15th.And we quickly cancelled the previous booking at Oberoi(got the refund of booking amount of 1000 bucks).So, 16th of July was the day when the bike was first launched in Orissa and we were the 'first' ones to get the bike delivery in Bhubaneshwar(as well as the state). And yeah, the bike already got the customary first-bike "puja" by the showroom ppl, the day before.

Bike at the showroom.Puja has already been performed by the dealer people.



Bike being Teflon-coated!!


On the afternoon at 4 P.M finally the bike was getting readied and the usual procedure of registration, insurance was handled by my mom.The on-road price of the bike came out to be Rs.70,040/-.The bike got a teflon coating and finally after the payment and other settlements the bike was out of the showroom and became my dad's(it's his money, after all) 11th acquistion as a vehicle. My mom became the pillion and my brother's friends on their bikes(mostly RTRs) followed them clicking pics which made it look like a RTR Rally.Our car was following the whole procession. After getting a 'puja'(again) in a nearby temple he set off to buy a new helmet. So this is the chain of events which took place right from booking of the bike till the delivery. Phew!!

Mods, please excuse this pic!!




Puja being performed








Some pics of the 'White' Menace!!























Black & White




The "Menace" besides the 'real' Menace i.e the floods!!


His friend's machines..Expect a drag report, soon!!






And on the other end, one of my friend also got the 180 at Bangalore, on the very same day!!





And yeah i am currently not at Bhubaneshwar.I am currently posted at Sambalpur.All i am doing is posting the pics and writing just a experience what i have gathered listening to the phone call and by ogling at those pics. A full blown ride review from me would be expected but that should be happening in the month of August.And it would be better for me as the running-in would be over by then and it will be better to explore the machine's full potential, then!!

Everything is going downstream for me at the moment with me all thanks to the downfall of a big IT giant.So my career is in shambles right now and i will be still riding the good ol "Minimi" of mine for a while.It has impressed me a lot and still manages to provide a smile on my face even after those 7 years.Till then i would have to do with the "Menace".And yeah i still see some amount of "44,778" bucks which we spent On Victor in RTR as because of this machine only a company name TVS came to be known as a bike maker.

..The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination...

>>> spideRweb
http://twitter.com/BeingSpiderweb