Team-BHP - Let's chat!

Dear TBHP members,

Many years ago I thought of registering to T-BHP . As I started the registration process, I was thrown upon a lengthy form that required quite a bit of information. I never filled the form and thought to myself that these guys seem like a snooty set of people and I don’t need them.

Years went by and I kept getting linked to the forum in one way or the other. As time went by, I realized the quality of articles of this forum and the ‘Military’ style discipline of the same. For starters, the registration process acts a very efficient filter.

I made my first attempt and only at the registration in November 2014 and here I am writing my first post after3 years!

A little about myself : I belong to Meerut, UP. I have been born and brought up here. Like many others here on the forum, I have been around automobiles since my childhood. I remember asking my relatives to get me “World Car Book” from abroad every year. This was the wonderful 80’s. Those were the good times as computers and tablets were not around and books were actually read again and again. I remember my family had an 800 and a fiat during that time.

Then came 1995 and I got my first mode-of-transport – A Suzuki Shogun. Man - that was some machine. 14BHP was a lot in those days and a 2-stroke air-cooled engine was a true gem in the perfect sense of the word. It was all blacked out and had great balance. I sold that bike a few years back to a friend. He still uses it occasionally.

Came 2001, I got my first car, a Maruti Zen. It was a silver LXi model and I had ICE’d it pretty good. It had protruding wheels (they made a lot of sense back then), amp, woofers, auxiliary lights etc, etc. My friends and me had a lot of fun with this car during those days. Late teens and out-of-control adrenalin!

And then came the mother of all THE Mitsubishi Lancer. Now, that was a car made to be customized. I really adored that car. Handling of the car was precise and with a leech like chassis, it stuck to the road like glue. I had upgraded the stock 13” wheels to 15’s. I think the size of tyre was 205/55/15. This is the perfect size for the lancer. Ofcos it was a bad ass when it came to ICE. The only downside was that it was underpowered. I think only 87 bhp or something. Enjoyed it for good 5 years or so and man do I still regret selling the lancer.
Anyways, after selling the lancer, I just used the other cars in the family as I could not find something that I could really make my own. You see, I am a one car person and I don’t like to change too often.

In the year 2010, I heard that Harley Davidson is coming to India. “We give you mangoes and you give us Harley” – apparently this is what India had to say to the USA ☺. I registered to the Harley bootcamp and did a test ride on 1st May 2010. I first test rode a Sporster Roadster 883R. It had 140mm GC and the ride height was too much for me. Didn’t quite like it. Then I tried the Sportster Low ( not superlow, LOW is no longer in production). Loved it instantly and got it booked then and there. Came back and kept thinking if I made a mistake and did it make sense to spend insane amount of money on 2 wheels. I am glad that better sense prevailed and I got delivery of my HD LOW during the end of August 2010. I was told that it was one of the first 50 bikes sold by HD in india. This love affair with HD continues as I write this post. We have a small riding club – Mutineers Motorcycle Club. Currently I ride a Harley Super Glide Custom – beautiful and classic Harley! Love it.

In 2014 I bought a BMW 325i, E90. This 6 cylinder machine brought a huge smile on my face everytime I redlined it. It was nimble, powerful and precise. Engine had a beautiful roar to it. You have to hand it over to the Germans for their attention to detail. The weight distribution is immaculate. This car sits quite low and has an aggressive stance. Currently, I drive a 520D 2017 M Sport. This is tractor like torque and is quite comfortable. Does not quite have the handling the 325i but great for Indian roads.

I am a DIY person. Have been playing with tools and machines all my life. From CNC plasma cutters to the humble lathe; been there, done that.

I am also a hifi / home theatre person. Built my first home theatre in the year 1995 with a LD player , Woodstock amp and speakers. As time went by, I kept upgrading the stuff. Today it is my occupation and I custom design and integrate home theatres and hifi. There is nothing like converting your passion into your hobby.

Hope to contribute to this amazing forum.

SK