Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Time and Place
Took out my trusty old ride last Sunday after nearly a year. The interlude was not quite intentional but after buying a car, I just never got around to taking the bike out. My watchman was quite insistent on the virtues of keeping the engine in running condition by riding it at least once a month. Didn't happen.
Well, Sunday was just one of those days... Went down expecting to pay for my negligence with sore muscles from kicking the Bullet to life. 6 kicks. 6 well timed kicks. That's all it took for the bike to roar to life. Added a can of oil, filled up petrol and filled in air at a station about 2 kms off and the bike was back in its element. And so was I. Could'nt believe that I traded this excitement for the closed-in ride of a car. Zen and the Motor... came back in flashes. Wow! was I a fool or what!
20 mins later, sense prevailed. I was out at noon, the dust was everywhere and, while the ride was exciting, the roads and the rest of the traffic was not. Realised (not for the first time) the meaning of Time and Place.
A Time for everything and everything in its Time.
Ditto Place.
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Well, Sunday was just one of those days... Went down expecting to pay for my negligence with sore muscles from kicking the Bullet to life. 6 kicks. 6 well timed kicks. That's all it took for the bike to roar to life. Added a can of oil, filled up petrol and filled in air at a station about 2 kms off and the bike was back in its element. And so was I. Could'nt believe that I traded this excitement for the closed-in ride of a car. Zen and the Motor... came back in flashes. Wow! was I a fool or what!
20 mins later, sense prevailed. I was out at noon, the dust was everywhere and, while the ride was exciting, the roads and the rest of the traffic was not. Realised (not for the first time) the meaning of Time and Place.
A Time for everything and everything in its Time.
Ditto Place.
Labels: Bike
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
The Bug
Been blog surfing like my good friend Brijesh suggested and I was pleasantly surprised at the route I took. First off, Pawans' page and then onto Rohan's blogs. Couldn't help but notice the effect that the Bike has had on them.
Well, I concur!
My affair with the Bug (that's what I call her) started in June 2000. Here I was shopping for a 2 wheeler when I come across my ex-landlord, who happens to have a Bullet showroom and who runs the best Bullet garage in Bangalore right under my erstwhile abode. We get to talking and I commit the faux pas of asking him to recommend a bike..u know the CBZ or Fiero kind. Ah! Did I mention that Anand of Teknik Motors is built like a bull and that his forearms are the kind that would have Schwarzenegger nervously eyeing his trophies and quietly slinking off to the gym? Thankfully, this time, he did not *pat* me on the back but quietly asked me to try out a bullet the coming saturday. Well, what did I have to lose? Only my innocence! :D
From the time I took out a 500cc monster and felt the gently thump of the beast, I knew I had to possess one.
2 weeks later, I was the proud (but not vain) owner of the Bug(Machismo A350). My reasons for naming her thus are many but the gist is: The bunched up look (I've shortened the silencer for a meatier growl), the unassuming confidence of the bike (u need to only pull up at any signal to see that), Dire Straits, the gentle need to be first off the post (ok, this is my need but hey, I can almost feel her reproaching me if I don't do it!) and the fact that we have this relationship of bugging each other. For instance, I'd be very late for a servicing and would coax her to see me through the week with the promise of the best care on Saturday. (So far, I have not broken that promise). At other times, she'd give me niggling problems but nothing so serious that muttering under one's breath and a few sweet talks would not solve :)
Earlier when my office was a nice 25 min ride from home (from Indiranagar to ITPL) with the last 10 mins on absolutely open roads, I used to ruminate on the bike. Ya, just thinking of the day, the solutions to some of the previous days' errors, life in general, etc. was an everyday activity at 80kmph. Just the thing that I miss now. You see, ruminating while riding on Hosur road is just not what you'd commit and live to tell about it.
For a long time I would not wear the helmet because "I wanted to feel the wind in my hair" and also because I felt (no, really...it was a gut feel) that I was safe on board the Bug. I still feel the same but I am wiser now and not so inclined to reduce my chances. So all you guys out there on bikes, Do Strap On That Helmet. Serious.
Now I'll leave you with the lyrics to the Bug by Dire Straits....
The Bug - Dire Straits
Well it's a strange old game - you learn it slow
One step forward and it's back to go
You're standing on the throttle
You're standing on the brakes
In the groove 'til you make a mistake
Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're a fool in love
Sometimes you're the louisville slugger
Sometimes you're the ball
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're going lose it all
You gotta know happy - you gotta know glad
Because you're gonna know lonely
And you're gonna know bad
When you're rippin' and a ridin' and you're coming on strong
You start slippin' and a slidin' and it all goes wrong, because
Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're a fool in love
Sometimes you're the louisville slugger baby
Sometimes you're the ball
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're going lose it all
One day you got the glory
Then you got none
One day you're a diamond
And then you're a stone
Everything can change
In the blink of an eye
So let the good times roll
Before we say goodbye, because
Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're a fool in love
Sometimes you're the louisville slugger baby
Sometimes you're the ball
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're going lose it all
|
Well, I concur!
My affair with the Bug (that's what I call her) started in June 2000. Here I was shopping for a 2 wheeler when I come across my ex-landlord, who happens to have a Bullet showroom and who runs the best Bullet garage in Bangalore right under my erstwhile abode. We get to talking and I commit the faux pas of asking him to recommend a bike..u know the CBZ or Fiero kind. Ah! Did I mention that Anand of Teknik Motors is built like a bull and that his forearms are the kind that would have Schwarzenegger nervously eyeing his trophies and quietly slinking off to the gym? Thankfully, this time, he did not *pat* me on the back but quietly asked me to try out a bullet the coming saturday. Well, what did I have to lose? Only my innocence! :D
From the time I took out a 500cc monster and felt the gently thump of the beast, I knew I had to possess one.
2 weeks later, I was the proud (but not vain) owner of the Bug(Machismo A350). My reasons for naming her thus are many but the gist is: The bunched up look (I've shortened the silencer for a meatier growl), the unassuming confidence of the bike (u need to only pull up at any signal to see that), Dire Straits, the gentle need to be first off the post (ok, this is my need but hey, I can almost feel her reproaching me if I don't do it!) and the fact that we have this relationship of bugging each other. For instance, I'd be very late for a servicing and would coax her to see me through the week with the promise of the best care on Saturday. (So far, I have not broken that promise). At other times, she'd give me niggling problems but nothing so serious that muttering under one's breath and a few sweet talks would not solve :)
Earlier when my office was a nice 25 min ride from home (from Indiranagar to ITPL) with the last 10 mins on absolutely open roads, I used to ruminate on the bike. Ya, just thinking of the day, the solutions to some of the previous days' errors, life in general, etc. was an everyday activity at 80kmph. Just the thing that I miss now. You see, ruminating while riding on Hosur road is just not what you'd commit and live to tell about it.
For a long time I would not wear the helmet because "I wanted to feel the wind in my hair" and also because I felt (no, really...it was a gut feel) that I was safe on board the Bug. I still feel the same but I am wiser now and not so inclined to reduce my chances. So all you guys out there on bikes, Do Strap On That Helmet. Serious.
Now I'll leave you with the lyrics to the Bug by Dire Straits....
The Bug - Dire Straits
Well it's a strange old game - you learn it slow
One step forward and it's back to go
You're standing on the throttle
You're standing on the brakes
In the groove 'til you make a mistake
Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're a fool in love
Sometimes you're the louisville slugger
Sometimes you're the ball
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're going lose it all
You gotta know happy - you gotta know glad
Because you're gonna know lonely
And you're gonna know bad
When you're rippin' and a ridin' and you're coming on strong
You start slippin' and a slidin' and it all goes wrong, because
Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're a fool in love
Sometimes you're the louisville slugger baby
Sometimes you're the ball
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're going lose it all
One day you got the glory
Then you got none
One day you're a diamond
And then you're a stone
Everything can change
In the blink of an eye
So let the good times roll
Before we say goodbye, because
Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're a fool in love
Sometimes you're the louisville slugger baby
Sometimes you're the ball
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're going lose it all
Labels: Bike
