Team-BHP - Resting in Peace

Hello everyone,

I am Abhinav, 25 years old, born in dharamsala and have spent most of my adolescent life in shimla. My fascination with automobiles dates back to when i was around 6-7 Years old(if i remember correctly). during my winter holidays me and my family used to pack our bags and go to our native place. the journey to the village had to be taken through rough terrain (100-odd Kms were covered in 6-7 hours with the last 20-odd kms taking 3 hours).

I still remember sitting on the engine cover of the TATA 1210 buses beside the driver mimicking his actions with the steering wheel with my own imaginary one, driving narrow roads with steep cliffs and trees all around(blissful).
another love of mine was my dad's Yezdi(used to love sitting on the tank while my dad used to drive around) which to my sorrow was sold off before my legs could even touch the ground. i still miss it.

fast forward to 1998 when my dad finally bought his first car, a M800 in oasis green(first one in shimla). i was still considered very young and was never allowed to learn to drive it(although my uncle used to let me take control of the steering wheel once in a while) so i took it upon myself to change that. my excuse those days used to be that "i am cleaning the car" but the truth was that i used to try it out but forwarding/reversing in a narrow stretch of road filled with cars.
that was the place i believe i mastered my reversing skills.

then one fine day in 1999 my dad said "you drive". i was taken aback at once but was too excited as i used to pester him to let me drive all these years. to both of our surprise, i drove it in the town without a fuss. the result was that whenever the car had to go to PASCO Motors, chandigarh for servicing, i was the natural choice(driver). my favorite stretch of road(it still is) was the Kalka-Shimla highway(too crowded now). two lane road sweeping acroos the mountains, rising from 320 meters to a chilling 2421 meters in a span of 100-odd Kms taking about 4-4.5 Hours.

finally when i turned 18, my folks agreed to let me drive the car alone. but soon after my dad had a terrible accident where he went tumbling down about 350-400 feet. the car was totaled.

in 2004 dad bought another car and i convinced him to go for the santro xing. to our surprise(we both were mesmerized by maruti suzuki till then) it was and still is a fantastic car. small in size, nimble and surprisingly fast(when the road is twisting, bhp is passe), it was the right upgrade to M800 in a place like Shimla(space was getting a concern by this time.

it was also the time when i started learning to drive a 2-wheeler, bajaj pulsar 150 classic to be precise. i had never ridden a cycle before(i still can't) but the pulsar was stable because of a thicker tyre and weight. soon people used to see me driving between the 3-Km stretch from my college to the highway. after completing my engineering, i got through my MBA and got shifted to Lucknow.

it was in Lucknow that i had the first machine for myself. it was the all new(at that time) Bajaj Pulsar 180 D-tsi UG-III.

rode it like a gentleman for first 1500 Kms. it was here that i reached the max speed on my bike's odo(121) between Lucknow-Kanpur. it was also here that i met with my first real accident. by the next day i had forgotten half of the movie we had gone to see and the events that unfolded post movie. my friends filled in the gaps even reminding me that i was suffering from short term memory loss(if you don't know what that is go watch 50 first dates and look for the character 5 or 7 second tom)

Note: Helmets do save lives. it saved mine.

finally coming to the present and 2009 when i finally started working and more importantly earning. my parents were afraid to let me drive the bike in big cities so they convinced me to go the 4-wheel way. i agreed with only one condition. "i want an old honda city VTEC". many including my cousin tried to convince me to go for swift or i20 but my heart had settled on the city in the year 2001 when the first VTEC came out. :D

so a car was found and i just could'nt let it go. bought it, changed registration, browsed the net and came across Team-BHP, modded it a bit with the help of Arush(autopsyche).

my passion is driving and i am soon planning for a 5000KM road trip. i love playing basketball, following various motorsports WRC, Moto GP, etc. My dream car would be a BMW M3 since i own the original dream car now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWD (Post 1630889)

Hi Abhinav, what an intro! Im mesmerised!

Though I have a grouse with the thread title, one only rests in peace when one is no more & I wish you many years of happy & cheerful living. So, go ahead & request the mods to change the heading.

Shimla is a lovely place to live in, I have stayed there for ~ 1 year & had great time.
Used to work in Snowden (you being a native, must be knowing).

Both you & your dad have had chances with luck, I would suggest & pray for the both of you to exercise extra caution whenever driving(car or bike).

Finally, welcome to the forum & have a cool stay(as in Shimla)!

Hey man,
thanks for your wishes but what i mean by "resting in peace" is just that i am at peace with myself :)

well living/driving in the hills is beautiful and before you know it downright dangerous. we do try our best to escape tricky situations but in the end all i say is: "what's life without some bruises"

Take care and if possible will meet up

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manoj Biswas (Post 1660424)

Hi Abhinav and welcome to Team BHP!! Glad to have a Shimlaite here...driving in the hills is a different learning and a different feel...few are fortunate to experience it everyday..what are the mods on your Honda?

@Manoj: I agree, Driving in straights is not that exciting. went to pune and back last week, got bored by the never ending straights especially when my car starts unsettling after 140. I have a basic 4X2X1 FFE with a K&N Air Filter. rubber is Goodyear Eagle 185/60/R14(Do suggest an upgrade especially since it wont be doing much straights).

Quote:

Originally Posted by drdeepudev (Post 1661559)

Hello buddy, Welcome to team-bhp. Your accident was a bit nasty. Thank God that that you are allright. Ride safe. The introduction is very good. Nostalgic. Let your dreams come true. Keep revving.

@drdeepudev: thanks for your wishes man......