Hey everyone! big thanks to the mods for approving my request to join the forums. Let's start by saying that before march of this year I had absolutely no interest in motorbikes. I was a hardcore car guy, drooling over sports car pics, saving bucks to buy a jag or a mercedes. That being said I was not too unfamiliar with two wheelers, I am a mountaineer by passion and riding a cycle in the mountains was something I enjoyed a lot, so I was quite good at balancing and controlling a two wheeler on uneven terrains.

I have a friend who has a 6 year old CBR150, and he's a crazy biker, almost everytime we meet he'd talk of new bikes in the market etc but I wasn't too interested in those talks. That all changed on 8th of March, 2018 when I was down because I was unable to complete a job I had taken due to technical faults and I was brooding alone in my bedroom. I had some money left from the previous job and I was just browsing amazon for buying stuff (I'm a shopaholic lol), but then it hit me why not buy a motorcycle and see what is all the fuss about, isn't it just a cycle with a motor slapped on it? I called my biker friend and said hey I have like 1.5 lac right now and I think I will go buy a bike tomorrow, give me a few options. He sent me a few ones (which I dont really remember right now) and I loved the look of R15 v3.0 so I decided I will go to yamaha showroom the next day.

The next day I had a date, but I decided to visit the showroom anyway. Took her with me, entered the showroom and I was probably the most out of place guy any person would see in a motorcycle showroom. I had no idea what to look for, or what I would like in a bike. My date said when people go to buy new vehicle they have a smile on their faces and that I was weird, which I concur. I grabbed hold of a salesperson and asked them if R15 v3 was available or not, he said the bike had a waiting period of more than a month so I said if I can sit on a few bikes they had in the showroom and after sitting on a few I thought R15 v2 was the lightest and would be easier for someone like me who have never ridden before.

I asked him if they can deliver the bike to my home and when they told me that would I like to go for a test ride I replied that I had no idea how to ride a motorcycle and I got the look that I probably have murdered their entire family. I paid the money, signed the papers and the guy delivered the bike to my home. My mom called me up saying some guy just left the key of his bike and went away and I was like yeah that's mine, I just bought it. XD

Now time to learn riding. Now I was no newbie to throttle control and clutch, I have driven 30000 kms of a manual car both on road and off road and I know how gas, clutch and brakes work. All I had to do now was add that with my cycle skills and train my muscle memory. Watched a couple of youtube videos, put a big "L" sign on the bike, and off I went at the very high speed of 20-30 kmph. I rode like that for a week, and then slowly started increasing my speed when the roads allowed as I gained confidence. Everyday was a thrill after that, and I got why people likes biking so much. I get it why it gets your blood pumping when you zip through the air at 140 kmph, the wind trying to force you off the seat as you buckle your head under the windscreen. The smell of earth, the leaning when on a turn, dragging knee, the adrenaline when you save the bike from a tankslapper, an adrenaline junkie got the best drug and I was in love, with the aspect of motorcycle riding! I also did a custom paint job on the motorcycle to make it unique soon afterward. It was my baby.

However the bike felt slow after a while. Riding for a month, it was so hard to get the machine cruising comfortably above 120 kmph on the highways, the low end had very little torque and you constantly had to change gears in the urban traffic. Don't get me wrong, R15 is beast of a machine in the 150cc segment but you can only ask so much from a engine that small. Also I'm 6'1" and riding that superbike position was kinda tough on my hands and back.

So I started doing proper research this time to look for a new bike, a bike that would suit me, a bike with over 80bhp, electronic aids for when I am touring, big brakes, the bike had to had full fairing looks but also it should have relaxed riding position, the pillion seat should be comfortable, the torque should be available quite low in the rev range. And man oh man had ducati made a bike that seemed like it was just built for me, it was the perfect machine for me, the Ducati Supersport. I have booked the bike and I hope to get delivery in about two week time, looking forward to a whole new riding experience of a litre bike.

So this was my story, hope you guys enjoyed it. Pictures of my motorcycle are below:
R15 with the custom paint job

Supersport in the showroom


Also just a note, I ride in full gear almost all the time and do not unnecessary risk or engage in rash riding as one may think because of my love of speed. I only speed on three lane highways when the road is clear and it daylight, I have driven multiple times on those road and I know them fairly well. I do not encourage anyone to ride in a way that would endanger themselves or others, do not participate in road race or any form of competition while riding with another bike on the road.

PS would love if anyone told me how to put on a profile picture