Ask any average Indian biker – which is the most favoured bike on Indian terrain? Many replies will immediately spell Pulsar – the Bajaj success story in recent years. But none can beat the enthusiasm that a Bullet churns out from its zillion lovers. Robust, strong, macho, heavy – these are a few words which are usually associated with a Bullet – it is easily the King of bikes on Indian roads.
One such bike lover has a very similar frame to that of a Bullet – heavy, and if I may add, a bit pot bellied ;-) Alright – not a bit, make it a wholesome heavy frame. He has lost a bit of weight over the years with his penchant for exercise, yoga, diet control, etc. That’s my dad for you – sexy at sixty :-P (62 actually). My father owned a bullet Enfield in his hey days – and it remained as one of his prized possessions (an Analog Olympus SLR camera comes close as the second best) – until one day he decided to sell it off because it was guzzling a tremendous amount of oil. Those were the days of paise bachao andolan in his life – which seems to be my priority now-a-days.
A day before the 17th of June, celebrated as Father’s day universally, one of my friends came to visit me at my sister’s place where I am put up. He owned an Avenger – a cruiser bike of the Bajaj family. As we talked about Bangalore, the trouble with the city traffic inevitably came up during the discussions. And from there my father enquired about my friend’s bike. I mischieviously quipped; it is similar to a Bullet. That led to a sudden spurt in the interest levels of my father. I cajoled him further about the bike – and my friend talked about the comfort levels attained while driving the bike. And then we suggested him to take a ride. My father declined initially – but a bit of coaxing made him excited. He went in to get ready for the ride; shirt tucked in and all set to drive.
The lengthy body of the bike meant he had to make a bit of an adjustment to get used to the brake and gear positioning. But one had to grant him that, he hardly rides a two wheeler these days – let alone a cruiser. The electronic start oozed life into the bike – and after a hiccup or two he was on his way. He zipped around for about 5 minutes, and thoroughly enjoyed his ride.
Post the ride he talked about the peculiar sound that a bullet-like bike makes – rhythmic beats at no acceleration. He liked the Avenger, it was smooth and lovable – but remained loyal to Bullet, saying nothing beats the King. A broad grin on his face and a well-savoured Avenger ride – my Father’s day gift ideas seemed irrelevant now J. We still went out for a dinner the next day – but it was evident, his biking experience was much more cherished.
One such bike lover has a very similar frame to that of a Bullet – heavy, and if I may add, a bit pot bellied ;-) Alright – not a bit, make it a wholesome heavy frame. He has lost a bit of weight over the years with his penchant for exercise, yoga, diet control, etc. That’s my dad for you – sexy at sixty :-P (62 actually). My father owned a bullet Enfield in his hey days – and it remained as one of his prized possessions (an Analog Olympus SLR camera comes close as the second best) – until one day he decided to sell it off because it was guzzling a tremendous amount of oil. Those were the days of paise bachao andolan in his life – which seems to be my priority now-a-days.
A day before the 17th of June, celebrated as Father’s day universally, one of my friends came to visit me at my sister’s place where I am put up. He owned an Avenger – a cruiser bike of the Bajaj family. As we talked about Bangalore, the trouble with the city traffic inevitably came up during the discussions. And from there my father enquired about my friend’s bike. I mischieviously quipped; it is similar to a Bullet. That led to a sudden spurt in the interest levels of my father. I cajoled him further about the bike – and my friend talked about the comfort levels attained while driving the bike. And then we suggested him to take a ride. My father declined initially – but a bit of coaxing made him excited. He went in to get ready for the ride; shirt tucked in and all set to drive.
The lengthy body of the bike meant he had to make a bit of an adjustment to get used to the brake and gear positioning. But one had to grant him that, he hardly rides a two wheeler these days – let alone a cruiser. The electronic start oozed life into the bike – and after a hiccup or two he was on his way. He zipped around for about 5 minutes, and thoroughly enjoyed his ride.
Post the ride he talked about the peculiar sound that a bullet-like bike makes – rhythmic beats at no acceleration. He liked the Avenger, it was smooth and lovable – but remained loyal to Bullet, saying nothing beats the King. A broad grin on his face and a well-savoured Avenger ride – my Father’s day gift ideas seemed irrelevant now J. We still went out for a dinner the next day – but it was evident, his biking experience was much more cherished.
