[the.shivaraj]

Hey folks,

I'm Harshith Shivaraj, from the land of IT companies, Bangalore. I have completed my MBA and currently working in a stock company. I have been browsing TBHP as long as I can remember and was craving to be part of this community for long and after 3 attempts finally got in. I lost hope after 2 attempts but my inner feeling did not give up.

I and my wife love long drives, wherein she likes to explore places but I like to be behind wheel. Cars with analog dials and butch looks fascinates me. I'm known for keeping cars in pristine condition. My 2006 Baleno is my personnel favorite which is running on some cool stage1+ mods and has plans to further push it. I'm a huge fan of older generation cars and would like to own Mercedes W123, Porshe GT3 RS, Yamaha RD350, Ford Mustang GT, BMW E60 M5, etc.

Cars/Bikes that we have owned in the past:

1.Hindustan Ambassador
2.Maruti Omni
3.Hyundai I10, which I learned driving and tried to mod with Cosworth CAI and black machined alloy wheels. Sadly sold it in 2013 and got a VW Vento 1.6 TDI



4.KTM Duke 200
Got her in 2012 and it from the first lot I guess. Every time I took her out she made me a celebrity, looking at the attention she got. Her acceleration, short gears, handling, made this a poor man's fast bike. I sold her in 2014 as I moved to Delhi for further studies.



5.Maruti 800
This car was the replacement for Duke and its small dimensions made it apt for Bangalore traffic. Had taken this to Athirapally waterfalls in Kerala and it was fun redlining and listening to 3 pot cylinder music. Sold in 2017, for something bigger.



Cars I currently own:

6.Maruti Baleno 2006
After selling Maruti 800, actually I was looking for OHC Vtec but could not find a pristine one, so this was the replacement and man she handles like a beauty. The way she builds speed has to experienced. I had to partially build it as all four struts were shot. The mod list includes 4*2*1 Headers, Short ratio gearbox, Cobra lowering springs, GTR 8J alloys with 205 tyres, KN filter, etc. I usually take it out for short drives. Needless to say, they stopped making good cars.




7. VW Vento 1.6 TDI
This car is on steroids and with Wolf map, it is on steroids plus. I use this only for outstation trips and family outings. Future plans are to upgrade to bigger tyres and alloys, full exhaust, and maybe bigger intercooler.



8.Maruti Zen
As Vento was too cumbersome in the city, I got a used Zen which we use almost every day and my wife uses it too. Somehow it is turning out to be a project car in the near future. It's a basic and fuss-free engine that I like about although its basic handling capacities craving for some stiffened dampers, still gets the work done.



8. Aprilia SR 150
Well, this is a hybrid bike trying to become a superstar. I mainly bought it because of the engine this excels in every part of it. Even my wife loves it. The only bleak point is average build. Still does household errands without a complaint.



9. Trek Competition
I use this every day for fitness purpose cycling 20kms. Very lightweight, agile, and good stopping power. Need to buy a cycle carrier to explore more places. When I start cycling I feel like covering more distance but time is the constraint.


Looking forward to sharing my experiences.

Regards,
Harshith Shivaraj

[Rehaan]

Hey the.shivaraj,


Welcome aboard!

That's quite a collection you've got - and it's very apparent that you don't like to leave things stock

Do take your time to warm up before going full-revvs on the forum.


See you around,
R

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by the.shivaraj

6.Maruti Baleno 2006
The mod list includes 4*2*1 Headers, Short ratio gearbox, Cobra lowering springs, KN filter, etc.

Some more details on this please, when you get a chance. Any difference with having K&N filter?

Welcome aboard. Glad to see an owner of this.

[the.shivaraj]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

Some more details on this please, when you get a chance. Any difference with having K&N filter?

Thanks, balenoed_ I will be making a detailed review regarding technical mods, w.r.t KN, the engine feels a wee bit of eagerness to accelerate but other than that is the suction sound at about 3-5k RPM which is addictive. I will be making a custom-sized flange or air filter box to keep any hot air.