Hi,
Petrol has been in my blood since as long back as I can remember - lately diluted with some diesel too. I had my first accident at 12, when I stole the keys to my dad's Amby and took it for a spin round the block. Learnt to drive properly on a Morris 8 at the age of 15, and since my brother and I were solely in charge of its maintenance (on a shoe-string budget), I learnt the hard way about side valves, 4.5x19 tyres and variable-jet carburettors. A neighbour who owned a garage took pity on us and let us tinker in his garage whenever we could bunk school. Soon, though, I was addicted enough to spend hours there (to the great ire of my parents), and learnt about camshafts, timing chains (no belts in those days), gear synchronisers and how the differential works (and how to smoke and drink tea endlessly!). The British Council Library in Kolkata, where I was born and spent the first 26 years of my life, provided an endless supply of books on auto engineering (I learnt that two stroke diesel motors existed too!). My first 2-wheeler was an Avanti Garelli moped, and in its first 3 months I managed to drown it in one of those monsoon floods of Kolkata.
Befriended a motorcycle mechanic, and soon started to learn about all kinds of bikes too - the Avanti went, and a Rajdoot 175 Deluxe (with telescopic front forks, not the folding fork system) came. Then an LML Vespa 150DZ. Both in 1985. I've still got that Vespa, though I haven't ridden it for the last year or more. Rust was a perpetual problem in Kolkata, so I stripped Vespa when it was one year old, had a friend sand-blast the paint off and zinc electroplate the whole chassis, and assembled everything back again. Never needed a full paint job on that vehicle again.
Once I learnt repairs, the fear of breaking down on long drives left me. The driving / riding bug bit me so hard, I took out the Vespa - to Puri, to Jalpaiguri, then to Delhi, and even Ahmedabad. Our honeymoon ride was it, from Delhi to Alwar, Agra and back (more on that later). On 4 wheels, Kolkata-Delhi was an annual trip, until I moved for good to Delhi in 1996.
Apart from my addition to automobiles (and photography), I qualified as a dentist from Kolkata, did my post-graduation at Ahmedabad, and live and practice in Delhi now. I also teach at a dental college in Modinagar, which entails a 140 km round trip every day (I don't employ a chauffeur).
My current rides are an Accent Viva CRDi (4 years, 88,000 km), and a Swift ZXi (1-1/2 years, 30,000 km). The Vespa is my lucky charm, and though I haven't ridden it for some time, it still fires up first kick, and I'll keep it till I die.
Found a 6-cylinder scooter on the roads of Delhi, hope you enjoy the photos.
Looking forward to a great time on T-BHP.