Hey, y'all.
It's been a long time since I've posted or even been to TBHP - no net for months on end! Not that I've been that active or had much to add to the discussions here but it's good to be back!
Been going through quite a few changes, one of them being my location - I've moved from Cochin recently - another being my "bike owner" status - I had to sell off my Honda Unicorn. :(
Another change that's come over me is my attitude to biking in general. After the run-in period on my Uni was over, the tachometer needle was never below 4-5k, that's the kind of rider I was. Every vehicle in front of me had to be overtaken, every corner taken with three points of contact between the bike and the ground. I don't have personal transportation here - I share a friend's P180, I rarely ride it - and that too only in case of emergencies like going to buy cigarettes, rushing to a pub, etc. And I don't find the experience of riding it THAT different from the Unicorn.
But a few days ago, I had a chance to ride a not-so-well-maintained RX100 (that would probably be half my age) for a couple of days, for just around 20 km, but I had an epiphany. I finally understood what the appeal of riding for the sake of riding was. The RX struggled and strained under my weight at low RPM's and felt a bit TOO wieldy compared to the unicorn - but had this sudden little burst of power at around 5k RPM and the sound was, for the lack of a better word - amazing. My Uni would smoke the RX any day but I just loved the experience of just riding at 60 kmph, the engine's loud hum in my ears, and the dust in my eyes (this place is a desert compared to cochin!).
The experience reminded me of what I was missing, and I started pining for a ride I could call my own again. I thought about going for a karizma (second-hand, this time), but that sort of a ride isn't really what I look for anymore - I'm a more sedate rider now, probably because of the changes I've been going through - I realized I wanted something I could feel a real connection to, something that I'd love riding, something I'd ride just because I wanted to ride it - something completely unlike the Uni which I only used to ride for the speed, the wind in my face, and the rush of pushing both the machine and my courage to their limits. I didn't feel a thing when I made the decision to sell the bike, and I felt nothing more than a slight strumming of my heart-strings when my mom called me up to say the buyer had taken my first bike away. That's not the way I want to feel about my next ride.
The obvious choice in my mind was the bullet. I read the old threads about the bullet here at TBHP, and one post in particular convinced me that I was making the right decision -
this one.
That's where you come in.
I admit that I know close to nothing of what a bullet owner should know - all I know (as of now) is how to ride a two-wheeler - I have never actually ridden a bullet because I'm not close friends with anyone who has one. I did get a short lift from an old acquaintance once or twice, but that's obviously not nearly enough. Not even in the same goddamn ball-park as riding one.
But I'll learn.
I want to feel the torque and the power everyone keeps talking about, I want to hear the loud thumping in my ears get faster and faster - very slowly!
- I want to go into that meditative state people say they go into - I want to fall in love with the quirks everyone says bullets have.....and I want to learn the "lessons" the bullet is so widely known for teaching.
And I need your guidance.
I'm looking for a STD 350, one with the heavier crank - because of the same reason
as this guy.
My budget is not more than 40k
incl. repairs. I may be able to round up some more but I can't say for certain. I know it's not ideal, but there are some things we all have no control over - this is mine. I'd like to know:
1. If it's possible to get one (an old STD 350 with heavy crank) and make the necessary repairs with this budget, or if you'd have me keep my cool for now and save up some more (anything but that!!)
2. If you could point me in the right direction to where I can get one - I tried sulekha.com but the ones there are too pricey....
3. Contact details, directions to, or at least the location of a good bullet mechanic who knows what he's doing
4. If I should be asking you for "3." or if I should trust the RE service personnel here in Hyd....any Hyderabadi TBHPians on here?
5. Any other advice at all.....for example on what to look for when examining the bike (I can't figure out what to search the forum for)
Your guidance will be rewarded with beer (Hyderabadis only!) and my everlasting (I know it's corny, sue me - it's the truth!) gratitude....
P.S:
I'm typing this out with Google Chrome - I right clicked on "TBHP" to select "add to dictionary" - the first correction listed in the menu was "THUMP". Heh. I think I'll keep it that way.