tibby

Nice write-up. Good to know your story is similar to mine (except that I picked my R15 almost a year later).

Its always wonderful to pour your heart out, & I'm sure you're happier now.

Hope to catch up with you sometime. I see that you were a part of the tri-state meet. Why don't you come for a g2g?

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My views on the YZF-R15 V2.0: http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/news/198...tml#post699240

My test-ride experience of the YZF-R15 V2.0: http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/news/198...tml#post725556

The pleasure is when your rear wheel slides, and you bring it back; and when the front wheel lifts, you take your time bringing it back.

pradeepa

This story is a bit similar to mine.

My fascination with bikes started when i went to a relative's home as a child and saw a motorcycle racer taking a turn at full tilt. That caught my imagination and probably wired my mind in some way.

My first stint with a motorized two-wheeler was my dad's Bajaj M-50 (the predecessor of the M-80). I still remember trying to do a cold start and the 20 minutes of kicking and frustrating time that i had with it. But after it started, riding it and cornering it was a joy. Ofcourse i also learnt from the other riders that honking was the norm and that's the only way to get your way.

Scene cut... i move abroad to work and then return back to my homeland for good.

Now after seeing the powerful and loud motorcycles abroad, i felt that the indian motorcycles were more like bicycles with a motor (little did i know that they were restricted because of the restrictive gas and noise emission norms here in India). Since i had started to earn on my own, i decided to pursue my passion and decided to buy the Bajaj P220. But when i reached the showroom and laid my eyes on the P200, i fell for it. Also the long delivery time of the P220 pushed me further.

My initial rides were scary since i was used to driving abroad with buffer spaces around me and riders/drivers with etiquettes. Also i wasn't comfortable with the pedal-gear-shift. To add to it, the P200 handling isn't very good and it had a large turning radius. Result: several crashes (one was at 5 kmph ). But then eventually i learn how to ride it and get used to the handling. But still road-rage keeps creeping up due to the mindless and blind drivers in India and the infrastructure. Bike-India becomes my regular collection of magazines.

Scene cut...i stumble upon the xbhp forum. I register and find several mature and knowledgeable folks here. Here i learn about counter-steering, terms like highside/lowside, parallel twins, V-twins, tips on how to drive with scientific explaination and articles like hard-torque on the xbhp magazine. Result: now i am a more mature and controlled rider. Now i don't lose my temper and give way to rash riders. All in the quest to become a better rider and to keep riding my motorcycle forever and ever.

Kudos to all for keeping this forum alive and kicking...

shrinathrao

hey nagoo - Same story of yours but the bike here was a splendor and than upgraded to R15, had crashed badly and after a month break i am gonna ride my R15 again from today slow and steadily as my left wrist was fractured all i can say is each and every crash or life saving moment keeps on teaching you something buddy.

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If you don't ride in the rain, you don't ride. ~Author Unknown

Don't argue with an 18-wheeler. ~Author Unknown

Gray-haired riders don't get that way from pure luck.

You don’t stop riding because you’re getting old, but you get old when you stop riding.

sunil.s.acharya

nicely done dude ,your story is true to every biker,and that thing about motorists in bangalore is very true, some people just aren't responsible and when they realise that it'll be too late

jigar2speed

Welcome to Xbhp Sunil...

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My thoughts are subjected to personal experiences/internet articles. Please read my comment carefully before replying. :)

sunil.s.acharya

nice to hear from u guys

jd666

a heartfelt account...

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My offerings to the gods of speed -

- KTM Duke 200
- Yamaha RXZ 5 speed

nagoo

Dude ..me too fractured my left wrist once on R15 when i brought her new ..but i didn;t got even a scratch other than that .. after 2 months i started riding again .. i ran over white marking on the road which is slippery during the corner in that crash .. now i am very careful when i am riding on sand and these white markings ..they are more dangerous than any maniac on the road

shrinathrao

2 months i appreciate your patience brother
i just finished 1 mth 1 day yesterday and started riding her, what to do cant resist riding her, so riding slowly and carefully

__________________
If you don't ride in the rain, you don't ride. ~Author Unknown

Don't argue with an 18-wheeler. ~Author Unknown

Gray-haired riders don't get that way from pure luck.

You don’t stop riding because you’re getting old, but you get old when you stop riding.