BIKING

There is no particular reason why anyone would love to ride a bike. It’s more like an inborn instinct to learn to ride a bike. Same was the case with me. I had always wanted to ride a bike since I had seen one. Of course I learnt to ride only recently, like 5 years ago. Bike of choice- Yamaha enticer. Yes, Yamaha has a cult following around the world an no, I did not know about it.

The first bike I had been on was a 175cc Rajdooth. That was when I was a kid, maybe 3 or 4 years old. It belonged to my uncle and was notoriously famous for its oil leaks and over-heating. Sometimes it would just stop midway and refuse to start again till you poured tumblers of cold water on it to cool it down. But still there was a feel to it - sitting on the tank with my dad riding that bike, holding the handle with my tiny hands and imagining that I was the one riding it. Maybe it is this feeling that held its roots firm in all us kids’ minds that led to this biking craze we all share. My dad has got those burn marks; what I call the rider’s tag – silencer burning the skin on your leg and leaving a dark patch of burnt skin. I always felt that it was a sign of a rider. And although I screamed my lungs out when it happened to me, I feel proud that I have  got mine on my knee! Although my uncle sold that bike years ago, I still have photographs of it kept with me. And I boast saying I was born on to a bike and so I love to ride!

Dream bike? Yeah, Royal Enfield Standard 500! Haven’t bought one yet, but I will. Royal Enfield, primarily because I am Malayali and we have that bond in our blood. Every morsel of rice we eat gives us our big bellies and increases our love for Royal Enfield, trust me! And c’mon, who doesn't want to own a Bullet? It’s made like a gun and goes like a bullet. Has a hundred years of history to it and it is the best tour-er in India and the world loves it and it’s a Bullet for heaven’s sake – you cannot not love it! I have made plans to tour the country on the bull since I was in high school. I mean, we have such a big vast country and there’s so much to see and what better way to do it than on a bull? But when I would be doing this, I don’t know as of now! But I will, some day!

I chose enticer because it’s got the shape of a cruiser. I feel the purpose of riding on a bike is to feel the freedom that it gives you to look around and enjoy the vast world lying around you. Cruisers are the best way to do it. You ride slow, you ride comfortable and you enjoy the pleasure that it gives you. You need to feel one with your bike; you need to feel its heart to ride it best and when you do that, you experience the real freedom that riding can ever give you!

WEAR A HELMET. RIDE SAFE. LIVE FREE RIDE HARD.