[dustom_99]

Originally Posted by GTO

What's wrong in that? To each his own, I say. It's a free market out there and I can buy a car / bike for any purpose I please.

Why does one fit after-market alloy wheels in ones car? Surely it isn't for any perceived advantage in handling. What then? To show off? To make the car look better? The same logic can be applied to custom motorcycles. Some people might just like riding / driving a great looking vehicle because it makes them feel good.

Remove this reason and all Superbike / Supercar manufacturers will shut down overnight. Remember, not every Porsche owner needs to drive his 911 at 320 kph to justify his purchase.

With the Mumbai summer being what it is, believe me I am scared of venturing out in the day without an air-con. And yes, I did use a sunscreen the last time I was off-roading. What's wrong with that, again? Does that make me a sissy?

I use my Jeep twice a week, that's about 8 times a month. It surely isn't a daily driver and, honestly, is now impractical to use as one. But it has been out off-roading as often as any 4x4 out there.

I live in Mumbai and have a very pressing work schedule. Can you tell me which track I could take my Superbike too? Out of curiosity, have you taken your big bike to the Buddh Circuit already? They've had quite a few open track days.

Did I say it was wrong to show off?

Honestly I did not mean guys into showin off are sissy or something. Its there life, they do all they want with it.
Showing off is a big big market, and people who are making cash out of this market are quite intelligent.
Looking good is num 1 agenda these days for most of the guys, and I have no problem with that, just that it isn't not what I would like to do with my life.
Trying to look good is absolutely worth the effort as long as it is not your only talent,no one minds fernando trying new look and funky sun glasses.
When I mentioned new sbk/harley owners,i was referring to the guys who walk into showroom, just because there neighbour bought one , or something like that.
Also taking sun screen on an offroad trip is entirely different.

And mine is not a track bike! I take it out to road where it belongs and despite being a non homologated vehicle, and no number plate it has over 850km in one month.
I try to look for long straight roads not twisted circuit , that is the purpose it is being build for.

[Rahulkool]

Originally Posted by dustom_99

Did I say it was wrong to show off?

Honestly I did not mean guys into showin off are sissy or something. Its there life, they do all they want with it.
Showing off is a big big market, and people who are making cash out of this market are quite intelligent.
Looking good is num 1 agenda these days for most of the guys, and I have no problem with that, just that it isn't not what I would like to do with my life.

I don't understand what is the problem if someone buys something for show off. Its their life let them live as they want, i don't see any thing to look them low.

Originally Posted by dustom_99

Trying to look good is absolutely worth the effort as long as it is not your only talent,no one minds fernando trying new look and funky sun glasses.
When I mentioned new sbk/harley owners,i was referring to the guys who walk into showroom, just because there neighbour bought one , or something like that.
Also taking sun screen on an offroad trip is entirely different.

Even in this heat, i prefer to use bike. Even on weekends i prefer to take my bike for a spin, rather than car. i have never taken my bike to the track but i have taken my car many times. how do you classify me ? biker or show off ?

I have many friend who used to ride but then bought car and bikes are just gathering dust after that or sold off, so i should look at them as show offs ?
many sbk owners i have seen have done 10,000kms in a year and few of them hardly 1000kms but who am i to judge them or call show off. its their money and bike, let them do whatever they want to.

Originally Posted by dustom_99

And mine is not a track bike! I take it out to road where it belongs and despite being a non homologated vehicle, and no number plate it has over 850km in one month.
I try to look for long straight roads not twisted circuit , that is the purpose it is being build for.

Really mate, you are criticizing someone for modifying bikes without RTO approval. You are doing exactly the same thing, putting your life as well as others life in risk on the road. If you want to do it properly get you bike to some test track and do the testing there. Get a RTO approval and then we will talk.

haha so you mean you are trying to provoke the insecure lot on tbhp who buys bikes to show off lol

[howler]

Originally Posted by GTO

What's wrong in that? To each his own, I say. It's a free market out there and I can buy a car / bike for any purpose I please.

Why does one fit after-market alloy wheels in ones car? Surely it isn't for any perceived advantage in handling. What then? To show off? To make the car look better? The same logic can be applied to custom motorcycles. Some people might just like riding / driving a great looking vehicle because it makes them feel good.

Remove this reason and all Superbike / Supercar manufacturers will shut down overnight. Remember, not every Porsche owner needs to drive his 911 at 320 kph to justify his purchase.



With the Mumbai summer being what it is, believe me I am scared of venturing out in the day without an air-con. And yes, I did use a sunscreen the last time I was off-roading. What's wrong with that, again? Does that make me a sissy?



I use my Jeep twice a week, that's about 8 times a month. It surely isn't a daily driver and, honestly, is now impractical to use as one. But it has been out off-roading as often as any 4x4 out there.



I live in Mumbai and have a very pressing work schedule. Can you tell me which track I could take my Superbike too? Out of curiosity, have you taken your big bike to the Buddh Circuit already? They've had quite a few open track days.

@GTO: i think you've missed the point and intent of Dustom's post; neither he nor i were trying to show such a category in poor light, it was just an opinion that was being aired wrt these bikes. yes it is a bike that you will find a poser / showboat on, not a motorcyclist/ why?: there is no way in hell that you can ride these things for long distances; they are not comfortable and neither do they appear very safe from a handling pov. they dont justify the price IMO either. thats all, its an opinion.

[dustom_99]

Originally Posted by Rahulkool

I don't understand what is the problem if someone buys something for show off. Its their life let them live as they want, i don't see any thing to look them low.

Even in this heat, i prefer to use bike. Even on weekends i prefer to take my bike for a spin, rather than car. i have never taken my bike to the track but i have taken my car many times. how do you classify me ? biker or show off ?

I have many friend who used to ride but then bought car and bikes are just gathering dust after that or sold off, so i should look at them as show offs ?
many sbk owners i have seen have done 10,000kms in a year and few of them hardly 1000kms but who am i to judge them or call show off. its their money and bike, let them do whatever they want to.

Really mate, you are criticizing someone for modifying bikes without RTO approval. You are doing exactly the same thing, putting your life as well as others life in risk on the road. If you want to do it properly get you bike to some test track and do the testing there. Get a RTO approval and then we will talk.

haha so you mean you are trying to provoke the insecure lot on tbhp who buys bikes to show off lol

How do I classify you? Why do you care about a rating from me? Some one who does not even know your real name, let alone your love for riding ?
Also it isn't the case where there are only two categories, a biker or not a biker.there can be lot of categories of bikers. I never claim I am from a certain category, I don't care about a label. I enjoy my time on two wheels, that is the only thing that matters to me.
I did not criticize the builder, infact I applauded him for paint and quality.
If there was a way to get rto approval for my bike,i would have done it. I am still pushing the project file in transport commissioners office aswell as NAtRip.
Two wheels are inherently dangerous , you put your life on line even on a production sbk every time you mount it, I spent over 4 months In testing only, preformed drop tests several times from a high as 24 inch , just to make sure chassis was strong enough .(only special off road vehicles and some military vehicles go through drop test)
I did not use an existing vehicle, built everything as demanded by the project unlike these mods.
And it isn't for sale.

[AltoHoncho]

Good to read the competitive undercurrent from Dustom99 for Verdenchi, all in all both of you have produced superb products. Dustom yours is more of a technical marvel and verdenchi is all about looks with hardly anything into technicals apart from maybe a belt-drive and frame mods.
How about dustom you beautifying your technical superiority by verdenchi, it'll be the best indian product on road. just imagine.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by dustom_99

Did I say it was wrong to show off?

Its there life, they do all they want with it.

Good to see this neutral attitude, which was exactly the point of my post. In the future, try not to act condescending by bringing up air-conditioners, sunblock etc.

Trying to look good is absolutely worth the effort as long as it is not your only talent

Again, it's a free market and everyone is free to do as they please. Some people actually make good money (and a LOT of other benefits) from it being their only talent

And mine is not a track bike!

So what? You can still take it to the track and learn about its behaviour at high speed (or emergency situations) in a controlled environment. Your original comment was:

take them to track , to improve upon there skills, understand the limits and everything and take them beyond

Even with your motorcycle, I'm sure there is a lot of potential to improve upon the riding skills, understand the limits etc.

I try to look for long straight roads not twisted circuit

Nice. But whether we like it or not, we have to encounter roads that are twisted and curvy everyday. Thus, just like it might be beneficial for a SBK owner to take his bike to the track, I'm certain it will be for you too. After all, it's all about fine-tuning riding skills and understanding the machine better at speeds / situations which won't be possible on a public road.

Either ways, we are going way off-topic now. Lets get back to Vardenchi.

[ruchirtnt]

A good article on Vardenchi Chopper

Akshay rides Rs.1 mn bike in 'Oh My God!' - The Times of India

[nitro.1000bhp]

Good article? Really? Have you read the comments on that very page?...Hmmm wonder whats so unique about a "500cc engine"(I used to own one) and a "Double sided swingarm"(all my bikes had them)...Still LOL. But then again there is no such thing as bad publicity eh?

[DukeNukem]

Akshay Kumar to ride a Vardenchi chopper

Akshay Kumar will be seen on a customised motorcycle by Vardenchi in his upcoming film Oh My God.

The motorcycle was made at the cost of about Rs 10 lakh and took 45 days to complete. Weighing in at 280 kilos, it is equipped with a 500 cc engine and 300 mm rear tyre. Like all Vardenchi motorcycles, this one was handcrafted as well.

Some of its main features include CNC cut alloy wheels, double sided swing arm, front telescopic suspension with fork shields, rear hidden suspension, 9 Function LED Speedometer, belt drive, graphic flame design, handle bar indicator and enhanced exhaust sound.

Mumbai-based motorcycle buff Akshai Varde started the company as The Mumbai Motorcycle Company in 2005. A year later it was rebranded as Vardenchi Motorcycles; “Vardenchi” means ‘belonging’ to Varde.

Here are some pictures of Akshay's chopper:

The 3D images of the design...










The actual chopper...

[howler]

10 l for this???? as opposed to a harley, or god knows .. anything else? the least he could have done was use a harley lump for the powerplant. this is my opinion and just that- vardenchi motors is a joke. mods: please feel free to delete my post, not that you need my permission .

[mahesh.kolary]

The silencer looks so shoddy on the last pic. Looks like a normal bullet silencer butchered up. The rear view mirrors should come out IMO, they kind of mess up the whole look.

But 10L, OMG!!!! I feel Vardenchi is doing it to get the publicity and make the name familiar to everyone. You find a lot of products being marketed through movies nowadays.
A brilliant marketing plan to let India know there are some talented custom bike builders in India, albeit costly. I hope people don't think Vardenchi is Italian, cuz I was under the impression when I first heard the name.

[mahesh.kolary]

Originally Posted by vanam

one needs Crash Guard, Pillion Rail and Saree Guard.
One may not like the RTO rules but until the same is changed, one has to follow them.

How do SBK's with no saree guards get registered then? Is there a workaround for that then?

[speedmunster]

Originally Posted by mahesh.kolary

How do SBK's with no saree guards get registered then? Is there a workaround for that then?

I chanced upon this old thread and saw this query. @mahesh.kolary, the guys at Vardenchi start their customising work only after the bike is registered.

To call these bikes illegal is not putting the full story forward. To start off, even the regular cars that we see on the roads with wider tyres and deep-dished alloy wheels are not legal on the roads for the simple fact the the overall width of the car increases.

Also, I see that most of the parts being used by these guys are standard and proven except for the cosmetic bits which could be locally sourced or fabricated. Kudos to these guys for their effort and dedication.

[Srini76]

Hi,

I have owned a custom ride for about 3 years which was purely for pleasure and I am stating below my experiences on how we did the RTO and Insurance work. I am not promulgating anything here but just stating what happened with me. My ride is now sold and if need be please do view it in my garage to see the amount of customization if needed.

RTO - My Ride originally belonged to a different state and post customization I wanted to re-register in Tamil Nadu not simply because a 2 wheeler from a different state gets stopped in every signal - Surprisingly not a single stop was I asked about the modification.

The RTO asked for a NOC from the Original state of registration

Next NOC was obtained form the police in Chennai

Had to get a Pollution Control Certificate.

AN AGENT - took me to the RTO who completed the inspection and asked me to read out the Chassis Number/Engine Number which was the same since the donor bike was a RE. Additional charges amounted to about 1500Rs (about 3 years ago)

Insurance has been straight forward, always comprehensive and insured as a Royal Enfield 350 Std. The ride has been inspected twice - once after the registration Transfer and once when I changed the insurance company to help a friend book a business.

I have been asked questions about how much mileage and how much cost etc even by the insurance personnel but they seemed fine as far as the paper work goes.

Thanks,

Srinivas