Motorcycles have been an integral part of my life and since day one it has always been about owning a beauty and riding one. The dream has always been waking up to a beautiful motorcycle parked in my driveway and looking at the sun bouncing off the chrome.

Two motorcycles which have been very dear to my heart are, my first motorcycle Honda VFR 400R and the other being Nandi built by Rajputana Customs. There were many other motorcycles but somehow these two are the ones I loved the most. The first one coined “The Death Machine” coined by a close buddy of mine , was a beautiful bike but I guess I was not prepared for a motorcycle like that and I has 2 big crashes on it. The second was the bigger one and almost disabled the motorcycle. But it just kept going. I wept the day I had to sell it.

The second being Nandi was a recent addition from the boys from Jaipur.

Now let me go from the start. I contacted Rajputana Customs’s Vijay Singh on 31st January 2010. From being just a customer we eventually became close friends and the most shocking thing is we are yet to meet. This bike was completely conceived online with the exchange of tons of emails,photographs and shit load of telephone calls. Vijay has been from day one the perfect gentleman and has given his best to this motorcycle with all his heart.

The motorcycle arrived on January 14th ,2011.I couldn’t wait to get the wooden cage off the bike and get started !! The courier people took an hour to just remove the cage surrounding the motorcycle and once off the ramp of the warehouse I was just waiting to jump on to this beauty and ride it.

The key turned smoothly and the roar of that 500 made my heart go faster with every thump. Scared of the massiveness of the motorcycle I slowly kicked it into gear and even with that fat 300 I was jolted backwards with the sheer power of this baby.

Stopping for a quick fuel stop and hounded by questions, and kicking into gear I started my 120 kms journey after switching off my telephone and nothing but the major road in front of me. I started from Cuttack to Bhubaneshwar and even though hounded by motorcycles on the road once I hit NH 5, it was smooth sailing from then onwards. The bike is extremely powerful and even with the rear tyre (which by the way was completely my idea) it tends to surprise you with its sheer power.

Once I crossed Jagatpur and hit the highway the smile on my face was intoxicating and yes people passing by also reciprocated by jumping out of their windows and giving up the thumbs up sign or grinning like crazy. Tons of cars slowed down and kept clicking pics and yes it might be fun at beginning, but it tends to get to you especially if you are looking for a nice lonely ride.

I stopped at a couple of places to relax and enjoy as this ride was my last ride as a bachelor and I was getting married in another 2 days. The phone being switched off also helped a lot !! The bike is a beauty to ride though for the novice the hard tail might be a bit hard to swallow. And the low clearance needs a bit of maneuvering to avoid the hideous speed breakers on the road but u will get used to it. The bike demands to be ridden. It is like a bull which needs someone to guide and again the rear tyre does not spoil the handling. On the contrary it is very much adds to the appeal of cruising down the road providing the required stability for such a long wheel base.

The bike color is beautifully done along with helmet which is in the same matching colors. The drop down mirrors need some getting used to , but cant be replaced with anything else as they add the old school charm. The gear shifts are smooth and clean and are amazingly well positioned for the perfect riding stance. The build of the bike is very tight with no signs of ugly welds or mismatched body panels !! The copper wiring running behind to the taillights are just something completely out of the box and whenever I look at the bike the quality of the detailed work on the motorcycle is "oh so sweet" !!

The springer forks upfront is something innovative and although they might look like nothing , are wonderful and do more than expected from them in terms of providing the necessary suspension . The light switch was very tricky to find and was hidden well underneath the seat.The logos all over the motorcycle are tastefully done and show how much pride has been taken in doing this work.

Rear mud guard is a work of precision and almost kisses the rear wheel but in my oh so many rides has never once created a problem.Springs underneath do their job perfectly but since they were made for me they might not work perfectly for a lighter person in terms of body weight.Both brakes both upfront and rear are a marvel and no issues there.Leather work including the seat, handles and foot rests could easily last 20 years. Handle is perfectly positioned and easy again for me to ride but for a shorter person might be a tad difficult.

The bike overall was a huge success in terms of workmanship and customer satisfaction and yes after my terrible first custom cruiser experience and now dealing with Vijay , this bike has again restored my faith in custom motorcycle manufacturing in India. The only thing I can complain about it that I wish I has a bigger garage …..And also that i had to leave the bike in India before traveling .... Counting the months to get back on to this bike again !!