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It is with a great deal of humility, weariness, jubilation and pride that I announce the birth of "Thor" to this community.
Thor was born on the 4th of July and I believe the thunderous note of it's dual-cannon-exhausts did great tribute to the celebration of Independence by the citizens of USA.
Thor is the last of 5 MT-01 conceptions. The first 4 miscarriages had me convinced that I would never know what it would be like to father a healthy 200+ kg 1670cc infant. Even the 5th attempt was a troubled one with unexpected complications that resulted in heart-break, rage and depression. It is never easy watching the fruit of your labor dying a premature death and the familiarity of the symptoms were hard to accept this time. Somehow fortune, in the form of a healthy donation from my own parents and some enthusiastic friends at HDFC, came to Thor's rescue and he was pulled out from the abyss and into the real world.
I solicited the help of my cousin (who owns a Bolero) and drove down from Mumbai to Bangalore. Rossiter (Akhil), in the meanwhile took delivery of Thor on my behalf and went over it with a magnifying glass to pick out any potential points of worry. Thor was parked safely in his garage...awaiting my arrival. As we drove into Nelamangala near Bangalore, Akhil rode out to meet us on the MT01. As I was dressed in shorts/tee I declined an opportunity to ride Thor right then and there and requested Akhil to proceed and guide us to his house. Along the way we came upon some fantastic roads in the form of "Nice Road" and I changed my clothes in the middle of a 6-Lane expressway because I couldn't watch the MT01 and not sample it's insanity for myself.
There are videos of my antics, thanks again to Akhil. I am sure these will come up here along with picture of Thor and friends.
My first ride on Thor was like being thrown into the middle of 300 fierce spartans all wanting to explode out the back of the bike and stab me. First gear...roll on the throttle and let out the clutch, the shudders of power pulsed through the bars and the seat - this is as strong a sensory experience as I have ever experienced! Accelerating through the gears gave me a really close look at the back of my skull as my eyes threatened to sink backwards and pop out the back. It is IMPOSSIBLE to explain the feeling of going quickly on an MT-01. Other superbikes are ho-hum in comparison when it comes to speed. They lack the drama that you will come to associate with high-speeds on the MT-01. On a Hayabusa you can do 250 kph without a care in the world. While the MT-01 can't do more than 210 kmph, even at 100 it feels like it is going incredibly quick. The wind, engine-note, vibrations and the incredible console make every ride...an EVENT.
Around the city the bike is well behaved but heavy to handle. I am big and resonably strong so no issues for me. The kind of attention the MT draws is on another level. People flock around if you stop somewhere even for a few seconds. I stopped near the Vaniyambadi toll-plaza on the way from Bangalore to Chennai and ALL the officers there ditched their stations and stood around the bike gawking away. They gave me water to drink and they were all incredibly polite despite their intense curiosity.
In the city though it gets worrying because people look at you while they drive and their vehicle tends to go where there are looking...which is AT me!
Another problem is that they seem to be DETERMINED to get you to turn the headlights off gesturing and making weird signs and faces to get my attention. Everyone wants to take a photograph with the bike (most of them ask me to step out of the frame
) and everyone wants to tell everyone else what they think about it. Impromptu white-board sessions and conference calls occur around Thor all the time.
It feels like being a flunky, groupy...a celebrity's entourage...a . Behind the helmet you can be a monkey, movie-star, politician, criminal and pretty much anyone you can imagine and nobody would care. You don't matter anymore...
It is all about the bike...and that is why the MT-01 is so special. There are too few of them out on the streets for instant recognition. Nobody has seen one and that "exclusivity" adds to the joy and, sometimes, frustration of owning one and using it on a regular basis. You will be instantly recognizable and people will go "oh it is mr. so and so who lives here and watches lesbian porn...". Soon there will be no secrets.
I've decided that this bike I will take to the grave...unless it takes me there first. I have a lot more to say but I'll let Akhil (Rossiter) say his bit and post the pics and videos...
Thor was born on the 4th of July and I believe the thunderous note of it's dual-cannon-exhausts did great tribute to the celebration of Independence by the citizens of USA.
Thor is the last of 5 MT-01 conceptions. The first 4 miscarriages had me convinced that I would never know what it would be like to father a healthy 200+ kg 1670cc infant. Even the 5th attempt was a troubled one with unexpected complications that resulted in heart-break, rage and depression. It is never easy watching the fruit of your labor dying a premature death and the familiarity of the symptoms were hard to accept this time. Somehow fortune, in the form of a healthy donation from my own parents and some enthusiastic friends at HDFC, came to Thor's rescue and he was pulled out from the abyss and into the real world.
I solicited the help of my cousin (who owns a Bolero) and drove down from Mumbai to Bangalore. Rossiter (Akhil), in the meanwhile took delivery of Thor on my behalf and went over it with a magnifying glass to pick out any potential points of worry. Thor was parked safely in his garage...awaiting my arrival. As we drove into Nelamangala near Bangalore, Akhil rode out to meet us on the MT01. As I was dressed in shorts/tee I declined an opportunity to ride Thor right then and there and requested Akhil to proceed and guide us to his house. Along the way we came upon some fantastic roads in the form of "Nice Road" and I changed my clothes in the middle of a 6-Lane expressway because I couldn't watch the MT01 and not sample it's insanity for myself.
There are videos of my antics, thanks again to Akhil. I am sure these will come up here along with picture of Thor and friends.
My first ride on Thor was like being thrown into the middle of 300 fierce spartans all wanting to explode out the back of the bike and stab me. First gear...roll on the throttle and let out the clutch, the shudders of power pulsed through the bars and the seat - this is as strong a sensory experience as I have ever experienced! Accelerating through the gears gave me a really close look at the back of my skull as my eyes threatened to sink backwards and pop out the back. It is IMPOSSIBLE to explain the feeling of going quickly on an MT-01. Other superbikes are ho-hum in comparison when it comes to speed. They lack the drama that you will come to associate with high-speeds on the MT-01. On a Hayabusa you can do 250 kph without a care in the world. While the MT-01 can't do more than 210 kmph, even at 100 it feels like it is going incredibly quick. The wind, engine-note, vibrations and the incredible console make every ride...an EVENT.
Around the city the bike is well behaved but heavy to handle. I am big and resonably strong so no issues for me. The kind of attention the MT draws is on another level. People flock around if you stop somewhere even for a few seconds. I stopped near the Vaniyambadi toll-plaza on the way from Bangalore to Chennai and ALL the officers there ditched their stations and stood around the bike gawking away. They gave me water to drink and they were all incredibly polite despite their intense curiosity.
In the city though it gets worrying because people look at you while they drive and their vehicle tends to go where there are looking...which is AT me!
Another problem is that they seem to be DETERMINED to get you to turn the headlights off gesturing and making weird signs and faces to get my attention. Everyone wants to take a photograph with the bike (most of them ask me to step out of the frame
) and everyone wants to tell everyone else what they think about it. Impromptu white-board sessions and conference calls occur around Thor all the time. It feels like being a flunky, groupy...a celebrity's entourage...a . Behind the helmet you can be a monkey, movie-star, politician, criminal and pretty much anyone you can imagine and nobody would care. You don't matter anymore...
It is all about the bike...and that is why the MT-01 is so special. There are too few of them out on the streets for instant recognition. Nobody has seen one and that "exclusivity" adds to the joy and, sometimes, frustration of owning one and using it on a regular basis. You will be instantly recognizable and people will go "oh it is mr. so and so who lives here and watches lesbian porn...". Soon there will be no secrets.
I've decided that this bike I will take to the grave...unless it takes me there first. I have a lot more to say but I'll let Akhil (Rossiter) say his bit and post the pics and videos...
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