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Until a few years ago, I was happy riding my '87 Yezdi CL2 which had been with me for quite some time but I always yearned for more power due to my constant trips and dependency on highways for getting from point A to B. My work required extensive travel and being in my mid-20s, I still preferred to ride a motorcycle rather than shift to cars. I enjoyed the unparalleled experience of making faces at cars stuck in traffic blocks and toll gates and whizzing past them but the issue at hand was the CL II, although quite the looker, was low on power. The same sucker I made faces at would pass me by while I still trotted slowly at 60.
So eventually, I planned to trade my CL II in for a Roadking, which was met with much resistance from the family, which I guess I have already discussed in some previous threads. So I went what the heck and just gave in. The search for a brand new motorcycle started, initiated by my younger brother, who was then in his early 20s and naturally wanted something quick. I was brooding in the corner most of the time thinking of my Yezdi and the fun times I had with it but eventually had to join the party. I still wasn't really interested in getting a brand new motorcycle so my brother did the digging and brought me the options on a silver platter. I believe it was - The Himalayan, The Gixxer and another motorcycle I can't seem to recall. While the others were quite surplus on the road and I liked to motorcycles that were rarer on the road ( which has its downsides and I'll get to that), I decided to go with the Suzuki. Although it was known well for its atrocious aftersales and bad spares availability, I thought, it being the flagship product within most dealerships, I would be treated differently.
The first dealership I went to showed me this MotoGP livery that had just rolled out and I was gobsmacked as soon as I saw it. You couldn't differentiate It from those GP-litre class bikes from a distance. Transferred the token amount and waited for an entire week after which the dingleberries informed me of the lack of availability and that it would take another 4 weeks to be restocked. Also, conveniently, the prices had gone up apparently. I fumed out of the dealership and walked into the next one got the matte black version and took the delivery on the very next day. I was ecstatic for the next couple of months, the after-sales was perfect at JOS Suzuki, Angamaly and the motorcycle was a gem. Plenty of power for the highways, good torque in the lower revs for some wheelspins and overall fun bike, but the issues started cropping up after a few years.
I had shifted from my loathing corporate career to becoming a motorcycle tour leader and was gone for a year with back-to-back tours, mostly on Royal Enfields as is the norm in the industry, and had started gelling well with the upright position and slow-paced riding. Now the criteria had switched again, I'd always loved slow paced riding over quick bursts ever since I started riding, excluding the initial years when one's blood is pumping full of adrenaline and you just want to pin the throttle till you end up plastered on a wall or till the engine blows a head gasket. Coming back home, the Gixxer stuck out like a sore thumb. I couldn't sit upright but it still was comfortable compared to the competition.
To be continued..
So eventually, I planned to trade my CL II in for a Roadking, which was met with much resistance from the family, which I guess I have already discussed in some previous threads. So I went what the heck and just gave in. The search for a brand new motorcycle started, initiated by my younger brother, who was then in his early 20s and naturally wanted something quick. I was brooding in the corner most of the time thinking of my Yezdi and the fun times I had with it but eventually had to join the party. I still wasn't really interested in getting a brand new motorcycle so my brother did the digging and brought me the options on a silver platter. I believe it was - The Himalayan, The Gixxer and another motorcycle I can't seem to recall. While the others were quite surplus on the road and I liked to motorcycles that were rarer on the road ( which has its downsides and I'll get to that), I decided to go with the Suzuki. Although it was known well for its atrocious aftersales and bad spares availability, I thought, it being the flagship product within most dealerships, I would be treated differently.
The first dealership I went to showed me this MotoGP livery that had just rolled out and I was gobsmacked as soon as I saw it. You couldn't differentiate It from those GP-litre class bikes from a distance. Transferred the token amount and waited for an entire week after which the dingleberries informed me of the lack of availability and that it would take another 4 weeks to be restocked. Also, conveniently, the prices had gone up apparently. I fumed out of the dealership and walked into the next one got the matte black version and took the delivery on the very next day. I was ecstatic for the next couple of months, the after-sales was perfect at JOS Suzuki, Angamaly and the motorcycle was a gem. Plenty of power for the highways, good torque in the lower revs for some wheelspins and overall fun bike, but the issues started cropping up after a few years.
I had shifted from my loathing corporate career to becoming a motorcycle tour leader and was gone for a year with back-to-back tours, mostly on Royal Enfields as is the norm in the industry, and had started gelling well with the upright position and slow-paced riding. Now the criteria had switched again, I'd always loved slow paced riding over quick bursts ever since I started riding, excluding the initial years when one's blood is pumping full of adrenaline and you just want to pin the throttle till you end up plastered on a wall or till the engine blows a head gasket. Coming back home, the Gixxer stuck out like a sore thumb. I couldn't sit upright but it still was comfortable compared to the competition.
To be continued..
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