Wonderfully expressed Rossi! I feel like I was reading your R1 thread (when you had bought it), all over again. Lovely!

@GS: Congratulations, yet again.

Congratulations GS! Good job in expressing the emotions Akhil

Been a long time since we met huh?

Update:


Now that I've had to put in around 600kms on the bike, I have a few thoughts and pictures that I'd like to share.

This is a heavy motorcycle. There is no denying that and it will be wise, if you are of slight build, to give this bike a wide berth. Riding it in tight traffic is a challenge made worse by people gawking, pointing and sometimes being obnoxious. The sight of a big-bike seems to set the youngsters on RXs and Pulsars off in a rash weave through the traffic at insane speeds. I don't know if they are trying to impress me...I cannot understand what goes on in their heads! Get it wrong on the throttle through a tight corner and the bike will tend to fall over...you have to have power on and being a long-stroke V-Twin, power delivery isn't as smooth as an in-line 4 or a short stroke V-twin like the Ducati.

The handling is very acceptable once the bike gets moving above 10 kph and it is easy to ride it through traffic as you would a Karizma and the like. Very flickable and being right over the nose of the bike gives you a good measure of the distance to the front wheel - something you don't have on fully faired superbikes. The only worry is the massive tail section with the enormous exhausts protruding out each side - Have to be careful to pass with enough room for the pipes to get through as well.

The seat is VERY comfortable. As a habit, I don't wear underwear under my pants (hang on...there is more to this...). Instead I wear the "swinsuit" or "gym" shorts with the thin and slippery material inside for your man vegetables. These have no ridges/rough edges and won't dig into your butt on long rides. I am going to figure out padded riding pants and get them made locally. The seat itself has just the right amount of give - I think it is a brilliant touring platform. In traffic the seat tends to get warm because of the pipes but on the open road - very usable. The pillion will want to take the bus after about 100kms. Very cramped and gets pretty darn warm after about 30 minutes. Also there is nothing for the pillion to hold on to - there are aftermarket grab rails so I'll have to invest in that sometime soon.

Think of the MT-01 as an overgrown Karizma. It reminds me a lot of my Stage-2 modded Karizma...the way the power is delivered, the behavior in traffic and around corners. I'd like to say that the MT-01 is a Daddy-Zma minus the metrosexual name and the front fairing

This bike makes friends easily because it is an "Urban Cruiser" and not a "Superbike". People have the impression that Superbike riders are not to be messed with...but some of the nicest people I know ride superbikes. The MT-01 is like a tractor on two wheels...people are way more comfortable coming up to you to talk about it - which is alright with me as long as they don't touch.

There are some funny stories I wanted to share. The first was at the "Commercial Tax" office where I had to pay the entry-tax before proceeding to the RTO for registration. Someone had informed me that there was a 12.5% entry-tax and I calculated this to be around Rs.1,25,000. This came as a shock to me because I wasn't expecting this and hadn't budgeted for it. I was advised to go to the "Commercial Tax Office" and do the formalities. I resolved myself to go through with this and went there. The officer took a look at my documents and pulled out a calculator. I thought "Uh Oh!" and watched in horror as the numbers kept adding up to a massive sum. Then...all of a sudden...she added another line item called "Already Paid" and plonked the sales-tax amount into the equation. The end result is I was challaned for Rs.16000 and I called Akhil and my dad and informed them...the relief was palpable.
The officer was incredulous that anyone would want to pay 10 lakhs for a motorcycle...thats when I pulled out the Honda Civic vs. MT-01 argument and in the end she agreed that as long as I had a car already...it was alright to blow 10L on a bike. I rolled my eyes as I walked out from there...

This morning was a rush. I had to hit the SBI Treasury Branch to pay the entry-tax and then take my Form-20 to HDFC to get the Hypothecation details entered, signed and sealed. All this between 10:00am and 11:00am and then rush to the RTO to get the registration done. Needless to say things got delayed due to various reasons - traffic mostly - and I ended up at the RTO only at 12:00pm. My agent was delayed - yeah...more delays and things got a move on at snail's pace. By the time the RTO was shutting down, I had a number for the vehicle (got the number I wanted) and pretty much nothing else. Official vehicle inspection etc. will take place tomorrow morning at 10:00am.

The sad part is I cannot leave the vehicle alone for even a minute. Somehow Indians seem to believe that anything that doesn't have someone guarding it is free game. Touching, prodding, poking and there was this guy trying to rub away the dust from my instrument panel. I was livid! Fortunately my cousin was soon there to take over watch-dog duty while I helped with the RTO formalities.

So the plan is to ride to Bangalore and reach there by 3:30-4:30pm. I may need to get the vehicle serviced (1st service) before heading to Mumbai but I have to see how that pans out. Time isn't plenty...and I don't want to push the bike by running it for too long without break. I'm genuinely worried about making it back to Mumbai in time for work on Friday.

congrats buddy...

wowwwwww!! didnt knew that MT was so beautiful. amazing snaps. loved the torque daddy and the doggys in the picture.

really nice pics there GS & First service within a week!!!!

OT:
^^ hey what breed are those two pets near the MT, greyhounds??

Awesome! The more you write, the more we want to read! I respect the MT01. Please post more of it!
And please do meet Pune XBHPians whenever you drop by!

Each post you are making is making us all want to read more and more. Absolutely awesomely written and expressed! Liked the photographs too.

And yeah, which breed of dogs are they!? They match the height of the MT perfectly!

Those are both female Great Danes. The Harlequin is about 3 years old and she is the mother to the white one which will turn one in October. Both of them are incredibly lovable and friendly. Excellent temperament...

You can download the high-res pics from here:
Picasa Web Albums - Gurushankar - THOR

Thanks to everyone for kind words of support and encouragement. It has been a long and eventful journey that I hope many, if not all, of you will get to make at some point of time in your lives. Don't listen to the rest of the world...they will never understand what it feels like to own, enjoy and cherish a performance motorcycle. Gasoline won't last forever so enjoy it while it lasts.

I'll be posting my trip-log from the Chennai - Mumbai ride starting tomorrow. Keep your eyes on this thread

Your going to ride down in the rain?

Thanks guys.. it was nice to read your comments.

Here is the final video.. of GS taking Thor out for a spin for the very first time.

YouTube - Thor with GS Finally

Absolutely sir.. we need to meet soon.

@Bladerunner: He has to be at work on Friday, rain or no rain

GS and Akhil: My heartfelt thanks for taking us all along on this memorable journey of possessing an incredible motorcycle. Both of you have a way with the words. Your prose touches the heart, both with its humor and its solemnity.

The MT is street presence with ALL capitals. Even the 'spiritual' in the priest could not help getting attracted to the 'materiel' when personified by the MT.

GS: Your ride from Chennai to Mumbai will be the most memorable for years to come. The first long one on a newly owned bike like this is not a plebeian occurrence in anyone's life. Our best wishes for a safe journey.

These big bikes are sure a pain as crowd pullers. It does get on your nerves and even before looking for food or shelter, one needs to make sure of a quiet and undisturbed resting place for these big steeds. And this is primarily because people here do not respect privacy. They must 'feel' everything by hand, foot and bum, whether the owner of the 'felt' likes it or not. After a month or so of riding around on the R1 during the last GIR, we got so used to being looked at that we would wonder why heads didn't turn in our direction even while we walked across a road. Crazy. I don't envy those celebrities their lives.

But then when you ride a machine like the MT-01, you ARE a celebrity. That, in all honesty, is the only downside of owning a big bike.

Ride long and safe...
OF

In addition to what I said earlier; take off the front plate and put a registration sticker on the front fender.

Get the original KODO tank guard from someone you know in Europe; it changes the look of the bike completely, I kid you not buddy.

congrats gsferrari.
again a OT
whose Dane is that?

Thanks sir. I will need all the luck I can get considering the kind of mental weather I am about to experience. I could decide to leave the bike here in Chennai but that is NOT what I decided when I set out...and I am going to find my way through one way or the other.

Yes - I'm just keeping it there until the RTO inspection tomorrow morning...even the saree guard
Another MT owner in blr is heading to Germany soon and will be buying accessories. I'll be working on my list with him shortly. The tank pad definitely features in that list along with pipes and the front fairing etc.

The Dane's are mine and they run the show in the farmhouse where these pictures were taken