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10 minutes ! Yes that much time and I couldn't think what I should start with. This is going to be like, just like the way you plot and plan the way you would propose to your first love and mumble and fumble some nonsense later. But, you do get her at the end of the day ! Don't you ? And that is all that matters.
When the bug bit:
Zoom and back to early January in 2009 when I first started riding regularly. Breaking free of the shackles, I was put on, from riding a 2 wheeler for 5 years. A drowsy summer afternoon saw me tiptoeing out of the house as my mom was asleep and take my brother's couple of month old 2008 blue R15 and start and ride it off ! A monumental moment in my life, nevertheless in shorts, a tee and a pair of slippers. I take one round of my locality of around 500 meters, stop in front of my house and grin as my mom, who had woken up by now, hurled abuse at me from a floor up. But the deed was done and there was no stopping till I had my limbs on from there.
The upgrade cross-road:
It is 2014 and I had been happily riding the R15 for almost 6 years now munching up miles, mostly in the city and a little out of town. Not for once had the idea of upgrading occurred to me. I used to be an avid auto mag reader when the first pulsar came into the market and the Matiz looked futuristic and I watched CARTOON NETWORK. I knew all the specs like the back of my hand but time had taken its toll and I was hardly aware of what was going on. I was an aam janta who knew the Hayabusa and the R1 and didn't know how many cylinders those bikes had or which version was running on the roads now or what bikes were available in India. I just knew they were crazy expensive and only for wallpapers and wall posters.
But all this changed one fine day, early in 2014, as I watched an auto show on TV.
They were featuring the Duke 390 (Thank you KTM) . I was astonished by the numbers and the price and wanted to check it out with no intention of buying it as I, just, couldn't think that I could afford a Bike. It was the college mindset somewhere I guess.
I was out for some grocery near my home and there was a KTM showroom just 400 meters from my home so thought of stopping by and I didn't know I would come out with a dream to realise. Went in, looked around, a big green, super bike like bike grabbed my attention. The store guy told it was the Kawasaki Ninja 650R (Thank You Bajaj for putting it there) . It looked wonderful. I was smitten and the cross road was here.
The Road to the Roadbuster:
Thanks to Google, I had more than enough information about the 650R. It was my wallpaper and I had seen uncountable YouTube videos. Also gathered information on how I would have to replace the brake lines and pads and the headlights and how it is a wonderful machine for touring but turns you into steamed broth in city traffic. The paycheck from my job still wouldn't allow me to bite it yet though.
Then TRIUMPH happened in Bangalore and I got myself a better paying job. Did a bit of googling again and again, the wallpaper, the videos, the reviews of the Striple struck me like a hammer. This was, for the first time, I came to know of the existence of the Kawasaki Z800 in this world, as one of the Striple's competitor in chief in Europe. I read about its weight disadvantage, checked out the price that was 70K higher, knew about the absence of a TD and ruled it out without a thought, immediately (Phew ! Close One !).
Loved the Striple in the test drive though I had a slightly aching hand and a few stalls. I had never ridden anything faster than the R15 so the power seemed overwhelming, capable of producing a joker like grin. The Arrow sounded like nothing else on the road.
Just as I was about to bite the bullet, I had to travel abroad for work, postponing the purchase. While I was enjoying myself along the Arctic circle and meeting Santa in his snow laden village,
a few articles had come up and robbed me off my dreams !!! TRIUMPH had displayed the figures wrongly in India since launch. They were caught and a huge fiasco was unfolding and TRIUMPH were keeping mum about. TRIUMPH Striple was out of contention then and there. Soon I was back and found nothing else in the same genre in India. And then made the best decision, out of boredom, by calling Kawasaki again as they told they had a test drive now.
I went for the TD on the planned date and I thanked destiny once the TD was done with. What an idiot I was to not take a TD and rule the Z800 out of the equation !!! It was by far the more matured than the Striple. It was calm. It purred into your senses. It told ' As you wish my Master ! '. The weight and height was a non issue (I am 6 feet and 90 kgs). The surge of power was significantly higher and thanks to Striple's price rise, it was only about 10K costlier.
Since I was already into december and there was no waiting period, I waited a bit, some disappointing news, doing the moolah jugaad, the researches, the wallpaper, the videos all over again. As I was going about this, another music-to-my-ears news hit me, the Z800 was now available in Green ! The color I craved for ! A Kawasaki has to be Green and a Ducati Red and that is how the world works.
2014 turned into 2015. A few drinks later, another news hit me like the cupid's arrow ! A 50K discount till 31st March ! Decision was made. Multiple test drives. A futile visit to the TUSKER HARLEY, thanks to the Street experience, the pathetic customer handling and common sense in me. Back to back test drives of the Z800 and the Striple were all done away with. My heart told, the decision was spot on.
Parents and brothers had to be convinced and turned out pretty supportive in spite of the initial shock ! What-On-Earth-Are-You-Doing-Moments a plenty gave way to acceptance and good wishes ! All good when the Destiny wants you there.
Kawasaki in Bangalore are a bit unimpressive. You would feel like you are dealing with people who are like those ones who would do anything to sell you some chinese stuff by blabbering something or the other. As rest of India got discounts on the ex showroom, Bangalore was getting it on the OTR. It looked all very grey. But, like so many times already, destiny took the driver's seat once more. The prices were slashed further. A massive 75K discount on the ex showroom price. Quite a few great advises (from XBHP and the 'other'BHP especially @djay99 and at a later point of time @Shreeni0403 ) later and a few dozen emails to the Khivraj's GM later I had finally signed the booking amount's cheque on the 28th Feb and full payment one on 7th March for the, what the GM told, last green Z800 in India, till next batch comes in sometime next month, and was promised to be delivered by the 24th March. The buying process has been smooth thanks to the warnings from the owners and the early clarifications that I made sure of with the mighty Gmail (What would I do without Google I wonder ! ).
The Name, Roadbuster :
Roadbuster would be familiar to the earthlings who have been following 'THE TRANSFORMERS' for the Autobots or the Decepticons or Megan Fox or Rosie Huntington Whiteley (This Woman though ! Nope ! I am Not hitched yet !). The name suits perfectly. I love the Autobot and couldn't think of anything else. The jagged brutality, the Green mean fighter for the good side, the combative leader ! The brawny fighter ! The brawny agile Street Fighter !
Roadbuster is Here, Almost !
Tomorrow is D - day and the wait is killing me from inside now. All ready ! All set ! Or Am I ? To give wings to my dreams ! It would be to live the dream as I would drive it from Indiranagar to BTM (Not quite the 'Open Road' ) . Even when I went for PDI of my Roadbuster, I did not have the sensation that it was mine, though it had a magical '1' on its ODO. Still felt like I was checking another TD bike. Don't know what emotions would I be subjected to tomorrow !
The day, the freaking monumental day of in life that would finally have my very own name on a RC book, card these days ! The camera is ready, The new gear is on the hangar, The free OLA cab is booked is ready :P but I guess, I am not but I will be ! She did say 'Yes' at the end of the day !
...More to Come from tomorrow onwards... About the kilometers, the damages to wallet, the accessories, the suggestions and all that practical stuff !!!
...Photos coming in soon
... BTW, It is insanely comfortable in the traffic. More reports coming in soon !
When the bug bit:
Zoom and back to early January in 2009 when I first started riding regularly. Breaking free of the shackles, I was put on, from riding a 2 wheeler for 5 years. A drowsy summer afternoon saw me tiptoeing out of the house as my mom was asleep and take my brother's couple of month old 2008 blue R15 and start and ride it off ! A monumental moment in my life, nevertheless in shorts, a tee and a pair of slippers. I take one round of my locality of around 500 meters, stop in front of my house and grin as my mom, who had woken up by now, hurled abuse at me from a floor up. But the deed was done and there was no stopping till I had my limbs on from there.
The upgrade cross-road:
It is 2014 and I had been happily riding the R15 for almost 6 years now munching up miles, mostly in the city and a little out of town. Not for once had the idea of upgrading occurred to me. I used to be an avid auto mag reader when the first pulsar came into the market and the Matiz looked futuristic and I watched CARTOON NETWORK. I knew all the specs like the back of my hand but time had taken its toll and I was hardly aware of what was going on. I was an aam janta who knew the Hayabusa and the R1 and didn't know how many cylinders those bikes had or which version was running on the roads now or what bikes were available in India. I just knew they were crazy expensive and only for wallpapers and wall posters.
But all this changed one fine day, early in 2014, as I watched an auto show on TV.
They were featuring the Duke 390 (Thank you KTM) . I was astonished by the numbers and the price and wanted to check it out with no intention of buying it as I, just, couldn't think that I could afford a Bike. It was the college mindset somewhere I guess.
I was out for some grocery near my home and there was a KTM showroom just 400 meters from my home so thought of stopping by and I didn't know I would come out with a dream to realise. Went in, looked around, a big green, super bike like bike grabbed my attention. The store guy told it was the Kawasaki Ninja 650R (Thank You Bajaj for putting it there) . It looked wonderful. I was smitten and the cross road was here.
The Road to the Roadbuster:
Thanks to Google, I had more than enough information about the 650R. It was my wallpaper and I had seen uncountable YouTube videos. Also gathered information on how I would have to replace the brake lines and pads and the headlights and how it is a wonderful machine for touring but turns you into steamed broth in city traffic. The paycheck from my job still wouldn't allow me to bite it yet though.
Then TRIUMPH happened in Bangalore and I got myself a better paying job. Did a bit of googling again and again, the wallpaper, the videos, the reviews of the Striple struck me like a hammer. This was, for the first time, I came to know of the existence of the Kawasaki Z800 in this world, as one of the Striple's competitor in chief in Europe. I read about its weight disadvantage, checked out the price that was 70K higher, knew about the absence of a TD and ruled it out without a thought, immediately (Phew ! Close One !).
Loved the Striple in the test drive though I had a slightly aching hand and a few stalls. I had never ridden anything faster than the R15 so the power seemed overwhelming, capable of producing a joker like grin. The Arrow sounded like nothing else on the road.
Just as I was about to bite the bullet, I had to travel abroad for work, postponing the purchase. While I was enjoying myself along the Arctic circle and meeting Santa in his snow laden village,
a few articles had come up and robbed me off my dreams !!! TRIUMPH had displayed the figures wrongly in India since launch. They were caught and a huge fiasco was unfolding and TRIUMPH were keeping mum about. TRIUMPH Striple was out of contention then and there. Soon I was back and found nothing else in the same genre in India. And then made the best decision, out of boredom, by calling Kawasaki again as they told they had a test drive now.
I went for the TD on the planned date and I thanked destiny once the TD was done with. What an idiot I was to not take a TD and rule the Z800 out of the equation !!! It was by far the more matured than the Striple. It was calm. It purred into your senses. It told ' As you wish my Master ! '. The weight and height was a non issue (I am 6 feet and 90 kgs). The surge of power was significantly higher and thanks to Striple's price rise, it was only about 10K costlier.
Since I was already into december and there was no waiting period, I waited a bit, some disappointing news, doing the moolah jugaad, the researches, the wallpaper, the videos all over again. As I was going about this, another music-to-my-ears news hit me, the Z800 was now available in Green ! The color I craved for ! A Kawasaki has to be Green and a Ducati Red and that is how the world works.
2014 turned into 2015. A few drinks later, another news hit me like the cupid's arrow ! A 50K discount till 31st March ! Decision was made. Multiple test drives. A futile visit to the TUSKER HARLEY, thanks to the Street experience, the pathetic customer handling and common sense in me. Back to back test drives of the Z800 and the Striple were all done away with. My heart told, the decision was spot on.
Parents and brothers had to be convinced and turned out pretty supportive in spite of the initial shock ! What-On-Earth-Are-You-Doing-Moments a plenty gave way to acceptance and good wishes ! All good when the Destiny wants you there.
Kawasaki in Bangalore are a bit unimpressive. You would feel like you are dealing with people who are like those ones who would do anything to sell you some chinese stuff by blabbering something or the other. As rest of India got discounts on the ex showroom, Bangalore was getting it on the OTR. It looked all very grey. But, like so many times already, destiny took the driver's seat once more. The prices were slashed further. A massive 75K discount on the ex showroom price. Quite a few great advises (from XBHP and the 'other'BHP especially @djay99 and at a later point of time @Shreeni0403 ) later and a few dozen emails to the Khivraj's GM later I had finally signed the booking amount's cheque on the 28th Feb and full payment one on 7th March for the, what the GM told, last green Z800 in India, till next batch comes in sometime next month, and was promised to be delivered by the 24th March. The buying process has been smooth thanks to the warnings from the owners and the early clarifications that I made sure of with the mighty Gmail (What would I do without Google I wonder ! ).
The Name, Roadbuster :
Roadbuster would be familiar to the earthlings who have been following 'THE TRANSFORMERS' for the Autobots or the Decepticons or Megan Fox or Rosie Huntington Whiteley (This Woman though ! Nope ! I am Not hitched yet !). The name suits perfectly. I love the Autobot and couldn't think of anything else. The jagged brutality, the Green mean fighter for the good side, the combative leader ! The brawny fighter ! The brawny agile Street Fighter !
Roadbuster is Here, Almost !
Tomorrow is D - day and the wait is killing me from inside now. All ready ! All set ! Or Am I ? To give wings to my dreams ! It would be to live the dream as I would drive it from Indiranagar to BTM (Not quite the 'Open Road' ) . Even when I went for PDI of my Roadbuster, I did not have the sensation that it was mine, though it had a magical '1' on its ODO. Still felt like I was checking another TD bike. Don't know what emotions would I be subjected to tomorrow !
The day, the freaking monumental day of in life that would finally have my very own name on a RC book, card these days ! The camera is ready, The new gear is on the hangar, The free OLA cab is booked is ready :P but I guess, I am not but I will be ! She did say 'Yes' at the end of the day !
...More to Come from tomorrow onwards... About the kilometers, the damages to wallet, the accessories, the suggestions and all that practical stuff !!!
...Photos coming in soon
... BTW, It is insanely comfortable in the traffic. More reports coming in soon !
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