I am what you can call an auto buff.
Growing up in Nasik, a small town in India, my initial passion for wheels was limited to TV programs and the cars that we owned. My earliest memories relating to wheels is our first family car, an off-white colour Premier Padmini. This was one of the only two cars commonly available in India in the 80’s and early 90’s, the other being the Hindustan Ambassador, which was the first car to be made in India, and was modelled after the British Morris Oxford.
The Premier Padmini was manufactured by Premier Automobiles India, under license from FIAT. Some of it’s unique features, which are synonymous with the car were it’s column-mounted shifter, on the left-hand side of the steering column and it’s single long front seat, which could accommodate 3 people with ease.
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| Premier Padmini |
The Premier Padmini had been a family member for a long time. Its build quality and reliability were top-notch. I can vouch for this, because in 1985, while relocating from Bhopal to Nasik, our family actually drove this distance of nearly 700 Kms. in this car. These were the days before express highways were invented and the car got us to our destination in 3 days.
Another fond memory relating to wheels dates back to the time I was 8. It was summer holidays, and on a sunny and warm afternoon, my father took me to an office and I was delighted to learn that he was going to surprise our family with a new car. WOW!! We were upgrading to a spanking new Maruti Suzuki 800 (It was the beginning of the Japanese imports era and this was the first car made in India by Suzuki, Japan in collaboration with Maruti, India).
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| Maruti Suzuki 800 |
I feel that there was a reason that my father decided to take me to the finance companies’ office instead of my elder brother. Maybe he saw the passion for wheels in me even before I did.
I am now the official gear-head in the family. Right from selecting the options to be considered, to test-driving each car, to negotiating the deal and taking delivery of the new car (One of the best feelings ever!!), is all my responsibility, and one which I am happy to perform at regular intervals.
Since then, my family has gone through many cars. My favourite has to be the Maruti Suzuki Zen. It’s stylish looks and the spunky yet simplistic drive (Which made it fun and safe at the same time for a novice driver like me) were it’s unique features and I drove this car for well over 150,000 Kms. before changing it.
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| Maruti Suzuki Zen |
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| Ford Ikon 1.6 Nxt |
Other notable mentions have to be the Ford Escort, Ford Ikon, Mahindra Scorpio and my current car, the Toyota Innova. The Ford Ikon 1.6L (Pictured above) is the best driving car I have had the pleasure to own, whereas the Mahindra Scorpio and Toyota Innova have given me the pleasure and comfort of large SUVs.
Although many cars have been changed over the years, the feeling of that day when my dad bought the new Maruti Suzuki 800 still remains the same. I feel it every time I buy a new car or bike. The excitement, the butterflies in my stomach, the new car smell, the puja at the time of delivery (a normal custom for every Indian) and many more feelings that I can’t describe.
My experience with bikes has been equally long, although not as engaging since the beginning.
I have been riding two-wheelers since the age of 16, which is the minimum age mandated by Indian law. But the use was always limited to practicality and convenience, as is the case in every small town in India. College, tuition classes, friends and general commuting required transportation.
I started with a TVS Scooty (Non-geared and below 60 CC, which allowed me to start using it at age of 16). AT the time, TVS Scooty and Bajaj Sunny were the only two vehicles available in India which one could ride at the age of 16.
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| TVS Scooty |
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| Bajaj Sunny |
The TVS Scooty was a hand-me-down from my elder brother, but I am glad that he decided to select the better looking Scooty over the uglier looking Sunny :). In fact, our red scooty was the first vehicle to be delivered by the dealer in Nasik.
At the age of 18, I upgraded to a Kinetic Honda, which has probably been the most successful ungeared vehicle to be sold in India. This was quickly followed by my first bike, a red colour Hero Honda CBZ at age of 19.
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| Hero Honda CBZ |
At the time, this bike was the best looking bike in India by far, with the styling of the bike being a scaled version of the famous Honda CB series. It was love at first sight. I didn’t even take a test-ride and booked it purely based on looks. Luckily the bike was no slouch in performance either and I remember many mini-drag races at traffic signals with it’s nemesis, the Suzuki Shogun. The added safety of front disk brakes (Again, one of the first bikes in India to offer this as a standard) also helped.
Fast-forward 13 years, and I still owned the CBZ at the age of 31, albeit haven ridden it only 11,000 odd kms. in 13 years. Somehow I got it into my head that I needed a new bike. Was it an early mid-life crisis? Whatever it was, I thank God for making it happen, because this decision to change my bike has completely transformed my life.
I looked at the regular options available at the time, and zeroed in on the new Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS, which had just been launched. But life has it’s own ways to making things happen, and a rude sales lady at the Bajaj showroom who refused to provide me a test-ride or even sit on the display bike (“There are so many Pulsars out there on Indian roads. Why do you want a test-ride?” was her reply), which made me walk out in disgust. After leaving, I just happened to pass by the Royal Enfield showroom. I must have passed by this showroom hundreds of times, but had never paid any attention to it. Today though, I stopped and paid a visit to the dealer. I was given a Classic 350 for trial and I was hooked within half a kilometer of riding the bike.
I had never felt anything like this on a motorcycle. The power, the thump, the stability; everything screamed attitude and I was convinced. The respect that it got on the road and the looks of admiration didn’t hurt either. Back in the showroom, I loved the new Desert Storm 500 on display. A quick trip to the ATM and the booking amount was paid.
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| RE Desert Storm 500 |
Being in high demand means that Royal Enfield bikes have a long waiting period. I was given an estimated delivery date after 6 months waiting period. I used the time to make contacts with the local Nasik Enfield Riders club, ‘Cruising Godz’. Thanks to their help, I got the bike delivered in 4 weeks instead of the waiting period of 6 months confirmed at the time of booking.
Thus began my life-transforming journey with the Royal Enfield Classic Desert Storm 500 (Quite a mouthful, huh?) . Of course, this journey now continues with the Triumph Bonneville T100. But I can’t include everything in this blog and thus keep reading my next blog, which covers my experience with the RE!!
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