August 2009

www.motoroids.com
VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1

YAMAHA FAZER

I D E !
‘FAIR’ ENOUGH TO CALL IT A TOURER?

I N S A N E R
ON E

8
VARDENCHI VIVAAN
GOD’S OWN CHOPPER

YAMAHA R15
PERFORMANCE UPGRADE

3 NUTTY BOYS, 3 RICKETY BIKES, 300MM RAINFALL, 500KM, 1 DAY, 0 LOGIC, FUN!

8
HIMALAYAN ODYSSEY ‘09
 August 2009

Hello,
I make you a promise. For Motoroids, you,
the biker of this country will always come
first

I
know it’s been longer than usual since we last met, and I hope the delay
has been worth the while. During the hiatus, we’ve been trying to create a
magazine that touches the core of your heart, brings a smile on your face
as you browse through it and excites you as much as it excited us while
making it. We would like to assume that we have been fairly successful in
our attempt. However, if you think there are any pages that need to be sent to
the bin, do let us know and we’ll do the needful. This magazine is yours in every
perceptible meaning of the word, and if there’s something in it that you don’t
want, there’s no reason for it to be there.
Motoroids2 is an attempt to relate to the incredibly fervent biking
community of the country that has been largely ignored by media for as long as
I can remember. Having worked with the erstwhile only bike-specific monthly
publication in the country, I know how passionate, how loving, how giving, how
large and most importantly how callously ignored the biking fraternity of our
country is. While our market is cluttered with various car-specific or primarily
car-focused publications, the biker of the second largest motorcycle producing
country in the world remains ignored for reasons beyond my comprehension.
Motoroids2 is a reverence to the ever-enthusiastic Indian biker who disregards
dampeners like hazardous road traffic, tattered roads, extreme weather, expensive
fuel and wheezy engines to take to the road and celebrate the spirit of freedom
and adventure.
With Motoroids2, I make you a promise. That for the entire team of
Motoroids2, you, the biker of this country will always come first. That Motoroids2
will always be about living and enjoying the true spirit of biking. And that what
doesn’t excite us or you enough will never find any space on these pages.
I call all the motorheads on steroids to come and join us for the incredibly exciting
journey that awaits us. Let’s ride together!

Rev freely,

Amit Chhangani
amit@motoroids.com

02

MISSION IRRATIONAL 15
Cover story
Faired Enough? 34
Yamaha Fazer first ride
The Hymn of the Holy Hulk 38
Vardhenchi custom chopper
A Touch of Evil 45
Yamaha performance parts
Himalayan Odyssey 2009 49
The name says it all
A Mann thing 53
Mann+Hummel MD goes to the Himalayas
Mindrevvin’ 12
Amit Chhangani
The Fat Biker 13
Rohit Paradkar
Motomusings 13
Mihir Gadre
International Motorsport 55
IOM, MotoGP & WSBK
Indian Motorsport 63
Gulf Monsoon Rally
& JK Tyre championship
August 2009
Braking News 08
News with a pinch of salt
Biker Personality 61
38 Shailesh & Nikunj Gala
15 Moto Magnate 67
Anurang Jain, MD, Endurance Group
Moto Clubz 67
Rubber Rippers
Dreamgear 68
Sub-zero stuff
Now Showing 69
Latest coolest flicks
Acid Test 71
Long term tests
34 Tech Speak 73
Quasiturbine engine
74
Clutch tales 74
India’s first biking superhero
History 80
Rotary engined bikes
45
Crazy, crazy, world!! 82
Funny pics
03
 The
Imp eccable
POWER
Store

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For all India distributor / dealership enquiries pls call : Vinay +91 98719 95545 SMS 'Battery' to 56767
Toll Free - 1800 1800 007
 August 2009

THE TEAM
An assortment of loons, goons and buffoons

AMIT “andy” CHHANGANI

The sailor of this ship full of lunatics is a nutty guy himself. No wonder he readily
approves whacky stories. While Jack Sparrow would be a fitting name, we prefer
calling him ‘Andy’.
karni
singh
rathore
The royal blood in Motoroids is our
exquisite offering to sophisticated
a il M a l e ” G adre
Mihir “Sn
marketing world. Just for the record,
he has his own fort in Rajasthan ed for peanuts for a pay, wo rk
ft Infosys for higher
Geek incarnate. Le
th us for free.
while, now works wi

Pradeb
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Ran away fro
m jail, then b iswas
Gauri “ instantly. Sold
his platinum
roke into his
own house, w
Cookie be associated
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ring for surv
ival. Heck, h
as driven out
Our in-hou
se extortion ” lokar e is still brok
e to
As long as sh
we accept al
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specialist is
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responsible
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05
 Aditya “Click- Kiran “StickMan” August 2009

Click” Bedre Kadaba

Our Chennai correspondent can be often spotted on the beach
Our performance tester is a life size fido dido, except ajay katkar
or on a race track. The Photographer with a cam in one hand
and a tender coconut in the other is our man on the job!
that he prefers Carlsberg over 7-Up. Nobody knows
when was the last time he had water. & ramakant
chougule
The Karan-Arjun designer duo came along
like reborn souls when we needed them the
most! We like their work so much that we
have put them on a leash…

eshan “ShaTTar-
bug” shetty
Our official shooter is the tiniest pho-
tographer, in the world, but makes it up
with his enthusiasm, though after a point
it starts getting on your nerves and you
want to smash his 40D in his face.

rohit “Mr. Rash”

paradkar
Our Features Editor is fond of sleeping.
He drank Complan as a kid and slept, and
has kept growing along the wrong axis. Till
date.

06
BRAKING NEWS:
News that makes our heart skip a beat
STOPPIE
Veefer 1200 confirmed
Remember the kick-ass V4 concept that Honda showcased last
year? The radical concept gave subtle hints about what the next-
gen VFR could look like when it hits the market in 2010. But
we don’t need to wait that long to take a peek at what’s coming.
What we have here are some leaked photos of the final production
model of what we think is the VFR 1200! Yes you read it right, the
800cc mill will most probably be replaced with a 1200cc engine
producing close to a 180 horses. Don’t expect this bike to go for
the ‘Busa or the 14’s throat though. This machine will instead
be one of the most desirable sports tourers money can buy and
like all the previous VFRs, will showcase Honda’s next-gen cutting
edge technologies.
August 2009
Pedrosa
finally wins
After the mind blowing duel between Rossi and Lorenzo at Catalunya this year, and the
epic battle between the Italian and Stoner at Laguna Seca last year, all MotoGP fanatics
were expecting a nuke-war at this year’s American GP between these top three racers. But
the result was far from it!
Dani Pedrosa who has been in the championship contention this season without a
single win, came out of nowhere and took pole positin during qualifying. Come Sunday
and the Frodo Baggins-lookalike converted his pole position into a race victory – a first for
Repsol Honda since the Catalunya victory last season. It took the entire race distance for
Rossi to catch up with Pedrosa but his pace wasn’t enough to pass the Honda. This victory
seems to have pumped up the confidence of the team. This fact was instantly visible at the
following race at Sachsenring. At the same circuit last year, this Spaniard had one of the
most horrifying MotoGP crashes ever when bike went flying off the the first corner. This
year however, he overcame that mental hurdle and finished third on the podium. With new
components coming to the RC212V, the Honda-Yamaha battle will hopefully restart soon!
08
BRAKING NEWS:
News that’s neither here nor there
SLIDE August 2009

City bike Bajaj chucks the 200; the Bajaj re-Discovers

goes touring 220 chucks fuel injection commuter segment
The Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi failed to impact the market the way everyone expected Bajaj Auto will roll out out a 100cc bike based on its Discover platform(!)
it to. Recently there were rumours of the bike going off the shelf and the around the 27th July. The bike has even been christened “Discover 100”(!!).
quarter fairing with its jazzy headlights filtering down to the P220’s heir, the This entry level commuter is powered by the company’s popular DTS-
P200. But in reality, its the poor Pulsar 200 that seems to have been axed Si tech equipped engine mated to a 5-speed gearbox. The Pune-based
with its proverbial assets like the tank shrouds and fat rubber having been manufacturer claims its new motorcycle has the longest wheelbase in its
donated to the P180 and P150. The 220 on the other hand has gone through class. The bike also
a lung surgery and has lost its precious fuel injection. We like the fact that the sports electric start,
price of the new 220 has been reduced, but wonder why the FI system was alloy wheels along
introduced in the first place, if it had to be taken off again. with LED tail lamps
to offer a complete
package. At the
time of going to
press, the new entry
level commuter
was flaunting ex-
showroom (Delhi)
Yet another variant based on the FZ platform! But this one’s even better price tag of 40,000
looking than the ‘crowned’ FZ-S. Based on the design theme of the Fazer rupees. We like the
1000, Yamaha’s baby Fazer is a good looker and a definite head turner. The bike and its pricing,
quarter fairing doesn’t appear like a ‘stuck-on’ component, but flows well but don’t quite
with the design. And before you jump to conclusions, no, those headlights like the confused
are not from the R15, but are instead smaller and curvier. While the positining of the
orange, red and black colours are carried forward from the FZ, the new Discover brand with
electric blue is what we love the most! The handlebar has been raised a bit 112, 125, 135 and
for a comfortable riding posture since Yamaha’s ad campaign is targeting now a 100cc variant
this bike towards the touring genre of bikers. We love the looks, but don’t being offered.
quite agree with Yamaha about the touring part.

09
BRAKING NEWS:
News that SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN NEWS
CRASH August 2009

Sign bikes later, learn to race first!

After 1098 R,
MotoGP events are not only about the 125/250/800cc races. There’s a lot more that happens around the paddock and introduction of
now its ZMR...
special edition production motorcycles is one such exciting activity. MotoGP’s Laguna Seca round this year witnessed Ducati unveiling a
Hayden-edition Ducati 848 which will be produced in a limited number of 100 units. The price tag exceeds the stock 848’s by 500 dollars.
Staunch Hayden haters that we are, we would have that graphic and that autograph removed even if it was offered at no extra price to us.
We wonder who’d pay for it before Hayden properly passes his team mate at least once on the racetrack.

Michael Jackson dies of
cardiac arrest
We know he wasn’t a biker. But his music is what a lot of bikers grew up listening to and still listen to when
munching those kilometers. Jackson’s death comes across as the end of an era. We are sad...
Seen here are photos of the 2009 Hero Honda Karizma. Unless you have been hiding
in a nutshell, there is a probability that you have already seen these floating around
on the internet. When we first looked at them in our mailbox, our unpleasant
exclamation was ‘What were they thinking???’ We thought CBZ Xtreme transition
from the good ol’ CBZ was the worst they could do, but this disproportionate white
elephant defies that too! Our sources however are calming us down by guaranteeing
a host of new technologies under the bulbous fairing – from fuel injection and an
army of sensors to a 3-stage low emission exhaust system and unparalleled riding
comfort. Let’s wait and watch! To let us know what you think about the new
Karizma, write to us at Letters@motoroids.com

10
 Columns
August 2009

AMIT CHHANGANI
Biking is about experiencing something
MINDREVVIN’

inexplicably ecstatic in something that appears so

trivial and usual from outside the helmet

Biking is a potion that can keep you

young forever. A recent ride sent me 8
years back in time...

A
h, that sweet, throbby note of the punchy
Fiero engine. No sound in the world is
as sonorous – I can feel the pulse of the
first love of my life as she breathes. As I
shift my weight across the breadth of that narrow
seat while riding to Pachgani, I feel like a mushy
teenager, going all gooey in his heart. Someone
seems to have wiped 8 years off my life. I am once
again the 19 year old reckless teenage lad hanging
off his bike who never had a worry in the world.
There’s hardly any grip on those skinny tyres, but drenched in water head-to-toe and frozen to the spine. None of us have a fancy, fast answer even before I can utter a word.
do I care? I am going all nostalgic as I climb up bike under his bum, nor are we on a record bashing run. There isn’t really a big purpose An hour later, even after being subjected to some torturously cold ice cream in a
the curvy road. This is the same road I brought my to this ride, but isn’t that the point? Does there really need to be one? chilly weather, with heavy rains and unsettling crosswinds making riding extremely
childhood friend for a ride to when I first came to We’re riding just for the heck of it and loving every moment of it. And that’s the perilous, the team is not in a mood to call it a day. Nor am I. We ride through some
Pune. It was raining as heavily as it is raining today real essence of biking - experiencing something inexplicably ecstatic in something that of the worst weather ever, through some really hazardous road conditions, at speeds
and I almost crashed into the valley while charging appears so trivial and usual from outside the helmet. The agitation within me that has that would be excruciatingly boring in normal state of affairs, and for a painfully long
downhill overenthusiastically. Nothing seems to been chewing me up for years together seems to have been laid to rest. The inference period of time. Surprisingly, I am still having a whale of a time behind that half-fogged
have changed. The bends are still as inviting, the is simple – biking is a therapy. It’s a liberating, soothing, intoxicating exercise. If you visor as marble sized raindrops patter loud over my lid. I am a little concerned about
tar still as smooth, the bike doesn’t seem to have have not ridden for long, just pick your bike up on any given day, rainy or sunny, kick the rest of the team members who have taken a 70km longer route along with me
aged a day, nor do I. Can’t figure where I had lost it alive and ride it for as long as your body allows. You would somehow find some sense courtesy an overflowing river blocking the road back to Pune. As we take a halt for
my real self for so long – it suddenly feels so special in my words. a top-up after the taxing ride, I apprehensively take off my helmet to see what shape
to be alive. After climbing up the beautiful windy road leading to Mahabaleshwar, all soaked the team members are in. And this is when the wide grins on their faces authenticate
We are riding for the cover story of the and crumpled on the skin, I stop for a moment before stepping into the restaurant forever what I have always believed in – riding can never be boring.
inaugural issue of Motoroids2. The conditions where we are supposed to take a halt. I think of asking my fellow teammates if they
are perilous, and the weather unrelenting. We are were alright, as I am freezing myself. The brilliant smiles on their faces give me my Let me know your views and comments by writing to me at amit@motoroids.com
12
 Columns
ROHIT PARADKAR
THE FAT BIKER
So what happened to all those imported
bikes that used to gather outside clubs every
Saturday evening?
I
am as normal a bike enthusiast as you all are. I
have dreamt about all those big bore motorcycles
while I didn’t have a penny to buy even the
cheapest commuter in town. Sighting an
imported bike on the roads of this country, for as long
as I can remember has been as rare as spotting a snail
in a desert. But the last few years have been totally
different. There are all sorts of imports, ranging from
the puny CBR150 to the mighty ZX14 gathering up
outside every hangout, motorsport event and even
Sunday morning rides. Where did all these bikes
suddenly emerge from? And an even bigger question
is - where have they suddenly disappeared?
The first question has boggled the minds of the
top honchos at all the bike makers who have brought
their litre-class wares to country. While Honda,
Yamaha and Suzuki have together managed to sell
about 200 motorcycles in the past 18 months, the grey
market, as everyone likes to call it, has registered more
than 700 new motorcycles. These are dream numbers
for the Indian subsidiaries of the Japanese Big Three.
Substantially more bikes are sold via the grey channel
because of the humongous price advantage over the
official imports, amounting to as much as 5 lakh
rupees in some cases. It’s not that the big guns who
buy these models in the grey market can’t afford the
extra dough for a legal import, but just like all of us, even
they find the mindless import duties ludicrously high to
justify the spend.
So if so many illegal bikes were registered, where have
they disappeared? Well, unfortunately in our country, most
law-related actions are reactive, and not pro-active. We start
talking about things when the damage is done. So, in tune
with the Indian rituals, DRI or The Directorate of Revenue
Intelligence is taking what it calls ‘action’ against the ‘culprits’.
What these good people have suddenly realized is that there
are too many old imported superbikes on the road, while
the companies have started importing them only recently.
So they hunt down these bikes, verify the documentation
and slap a challan onto the owners’ face, demanding the
applicable duty. They claim that the bikes came in as spares
(which attract five times lesser duty than a CBU); and later
got assembled at various workshops around the country. Fake
bills of entry were then made and the bikes were registered at
the local RTOs.
We are sure there is truth behind this story. But my
question is, where were all these authorities when the
bikes came in? Why didn’t the RTO verify these so called
bills of entry with the Customs department right at the
outset? If the said 700 bikes were imported as spares, and
then registered as completely built imports, why didn’t the
Customs department realize that something scrupulous was
cooking? Does the government really want us to believe that
all these bikes were imported, assembled, then registered
and sold without their authorities playing a vital role in the
whole process? In fact, I have heard of numerous incidents
in the past where people have tried their level best to import
a completely legal bike into the country, but to no avail.
The Customs officers at various levels have denied passing
it out clean for the sheer fact that they can’t earn their chai-
paani if the bikes go through the legal channel. How many
such officials has the DRI nailed? What further questions
their credibility is their demand for the unpaid duties, from
the end customer. If any importer imports a commodity via
the wrong channel and sells it to me at a price that I can
afford, with all the legal documents in place, it’s the importer
who is at fault, not me! But since the DRI has failed to nail
the importers, they are now hiding their incompetency by
making the customers pay. I think DRI should act first
to clean their own side of the house, before accusing the
customers. I urge you to unite, demand for the answers to all
these questions and if need be, fight.
1
25s are the new 100s, they say. Well I don’t think
so. The problem with the current 125s is that the
manufacturers are never satisfied with just 25%
improvement over a 100 cc bike. They are always
MOTOMUSINGS
hunting for something extra and in doing so they tend to just
lose the plot, entirely. The Super Splendor and Glamour FI go
all out for fuel efficiency. But apart from that, they don’t offer
any significant upgrade over the 100s and retail for at least 10
grand more. The Yamaha Gladiator tries to deliver a good top-
end whack but loses out big-time in terms of drivability. The
Stunner goes for low-end grunt and drivability is no better
than the 150s in terms of fuel-efficiency and has a top speed
only marginally better than the 100s. The Stunner FI does
manage to do all things right but what were Honda smoking
when they came up with a price tag of 73 thousand bucks?
Maybe today’s manufacturers need to take a leaf out of the
history books. The only 125 that didn’t try to be anything
more than a 125 was the first 4-stroke 125 to be introduced
into the market. Launched in 1998 the YBX 125 was actually
a nice machine without any pretentious figures on its spec
sheet, but it didn’t sell. Sadly, the bike was too far ahead of its
time and it list price of Rs. 52,000 was same as today’s 125s.
The fact that there are a couple of excellent 100cc bikes in
the market makes life even more difficult for 125s. Especially
the HH CD-Deluxe and the TVS Star-Sport are excellent
products available at fantastic prices. These bikes have been
honed for decades compared to 125s which are more or
less experimental products. It will take bloody perfection
from any rival to beat them. Moreover these 100 cc bikes
never feel lacking in the engine department anyway. It’s the
chassis, suspension, tyres and brakes which feel vastly more
inadequate than the engine. I personally think that the only
125 worth buying today is the Suzuki Heat. At Rs. 41,000
(On-Road, Pune) it matches the 100cc bikes in terms of price
and is actually better than the 100s in terms of drivability,
refinement and performance and build quality. Thanks to the
great low-end torque, it also delivers great fuel efficiency in
real world riding conditions.
After years of trying and failing to dethrone the
CD100/Splendor/Passion from its top spot , Bajaj famously
announced that it will no longer have a presence in the
100cc segment. I cheered their words. I envisioned that
soon Bajaj would come out with a simple product with
more sense than style, say a CT-125 for around 35 grand.
Sadly, the vision never materialized. Times changed and
Bajaj had to back-track on their own words. Nothing wrong
August 2009
MIHIR GADRE
The one-two-five Conundrum
with that, I say. Even Porsche announced
that they would never make a diesel car but
they did, while BMW’s M division swore
that they would never touch their SUVs and
but even they did. It is okay at times to roll
with the punches. Who’s had the last laugh?
Porsche and BMW are doing pretty well for
themselves, in these recessionary times while
other big-guns have gone bankrupt. Words
don’t matter; it’s the products that matter. It
seems that Bajaj are finally getting it right,
at least in theory, by launching the Discover
100 with a stiff chassis, wide tyres, meaty
suspension, electric-start and a 5-speed
gearbox for a killer price-tag of Rs 44,400
(On-road, Pune).
In India the only thing people brag
about is not top speed, not bhp but ‘average’,
even the ones buying premium bikes. So
if you want to be one of those confused
souls, you are better off with a 100cc bike.
But if you are one of those enlightened
souls who looking for the perfect balance
between performance, fuel-efficiency and
value, do yourself a favour and go for a 150,
because with a 125, you will end up getting
neither.
13
 August 2009
500 km, 3 riders ,7 assignments, 1 day

Mission Irrational
...you need no reason to ride

Photography Eshan Shetty & Ameya Mundle

Art Ramakant Chougule

01. 02. 01.

Mihir’s Pulsar 150 Rohit’s CBZ Amit’s Fiero
Quick off the mark and fast once on song - the Pulsar will The best overall package of the three. This HH has won Robust as a tank, light and nimble off the road, and
have a major advantage on the highway the Speed Run in the past. Adversaries be cautious! reasonably quick on it, the Fiero is a strong contender. 15

THE SUPPORT TEAM
01.
Our fair skinned, hazel eyed, sweet sounding boy thinks
he’s the smartest of the triad. He is as well organized and
planned on the paper as a US military operation, and
probably as ineffective on the ground. His Pulsar is in top
nick though, and boasts the best acceleration and top speed
of the three oldies we have here. Best of luck, little boy,
you’re gonna need a lot of it!
02.
The former Bike India deputy editor just can’t stop grinning
as his bike is running like clockwork. The skinny TVS
Srichakra tyres on his machine may not have leaked air in
ages, but they’re going to give him a hellish time on the
slippery twisties around Pune. Quick and composed on
the road and off it, Andy has a good chance of winning the
battle, save he’s a tad too enthusiastic for his own good!
03.
A heavyweight contender, not just because of his girth,
but also because of his biking abilities, experience on
roads around Pune and that Speed Run winning CBZ he’s
running. Rohit A.K.A Rash has been preparing for this
showdown for days together and that smug face makes
it quite evident that he’s got a trick or two up his sleeve.
Competition should be afraid, very afraid!
August 2009
PRADEB BHATTACHARYA BISWAS
Our Bengali babu is officiating in this contest as a referee.
He’s just lost a platinum ring, and the three contenders
won’t think for a moment before telling his mom that he
sold it, just in case he tries to act too bossy
AMEYA MUNDLE
We have included him in this contest to pay homage to
Michael Jackson, look at his face and you’d know why.
An avid wildlife photographer, Ameya was acting as our
lensman for the day as well
SAGAR SHELDEKAR
If you have an R15 at your disposal, you don’t need a reason
to ride. Sagar owns one, and he very kindly agreed to come
along as a member of the backup team. Unfortunately the
first run that he was a part of didn’t last for too long
ESHAN ‘MIDGET’ SHETTY
The evil mind behind all those missions - Eshan didn’t
disclose the details to us till the last moment. Hats off to
him for planning everything out so immaculately. Oh, and
if you haven’t realized yet, he’s also our official shutterbug
GAURI LOKARE
Gauri was the official videographer for the event, and
was assigned the task to capture the action on video. The
undisciplined contestants made sure that the camera was
packed and kept back in the bag within half an hour though
16

Pune
Khambatki Ghat
Poladpur
Mahabaleshwar
Satara
I
t’s simple. We go to Mahabaleshwar and come
back. Easy peasy! Except that it’s raining
cats and dogs in and around Pune, with the
highest rainfall of the season recorded on the
re-scheduled ride day (read on for for details on
the re-scheduled day). We’ll be riding completely
soaked, with our balls frozen and will have a whole
array of tasks to accomplish on our way and back.
Slippery roads, poor visibility, unreliable old bikes
and worn out tyres – it’s going to be exciting.
Moreover, we’re explicitly told by the judges that
they have some surprises in store for us. We’re
game!
The rules are as simple as the assignment. To start with,
the contending bikes have to be out-of-production 150cc
motorcycles – older bikes get more points to start with.
For every extra cc over the least capacity bike, there’s a
penalty of five points. Breakdowns, defined as the bike
requiring repairs to be mobile again, will cost 50 points
each. Points for individual missions will be revealed as
the ride progresses. All the bikes are filled to the brim, a
little before the end of the ride all the bikes get topped
up to find out the most fuel efficient machine. It’s a test
of the machine’s reliability, speed and efficiency, and
that of the rider’s skill and stamina
“ Slippery roads, poor visibility, unreliable old bikes and
worn out tyres – it’s going to be exciting!
August 2009
All the riders are supposed to stick together. You’d think
it’s a measure taken by the judges to prevent us from
acting smart and filling up fuel to show better efficiency
at a later point, but that’s not the case. All the riders
will be stripped of cash, clocks and cells when they start
so they better stick with the gang if they don’t want to
get stranded in the middle of nowhere and get eaten by
a lion. The riders are allowed to hurl abuses, call each
other names and use other verbal means to bring the
01
morale of the competitors down. Tinkering with the
competitors’ bike is not allowed in the open though. Do
it surreptitiously, or you’ll be disqualified. If you have to
mix laxatives in drinks or pull out a spark plug cord, do
it when nobody’s around
02
” 01.
Rash’s big plans for the ride got a
massive jolt when he discovered a
puncture in his front tyre (and ego).
Mihir and I rejoiced for obvious reasons
02.
We had to get to repairing the tyre
ourselves as the kid at the puncture shop
preferred playing with the balloons.
03
Moreover, we don’t endorse child labour
03.
When the bike moves, the massive
vacuum created behind that monster
will make the gases rip their way out!
Shhh!
04.
You may laugh if you want, but I am
applying for the Nobel Prize this year
for uncovering the safest place for
inflated balloons in the entire universe
05 04 17
 August 2009

Kick start your bikes. Every extra kick after the first
one attracts a penalty of 10 points. Make sure the
ignition is on, fuel cock is in the right position and
you’ve ‘kicked’ the thought of making sissy excuses
out of your mind – because excuses won’t work.
Good luck with that Pulsar, Mihir!
01
to kick them to life, and praying for a smooth ignition.
I have always had immense faith in my Fiero as far
as turning its engine one goes. It once came to life in just
half-a-kick after staying unattended for four months. Rash
was the first to try his luck though, and the Hero Honda
reliability stood true to its fame. My Fiero too, like always

W
didn’t let me down and her heart went throbbing with just a
e had to blow five balloons, tie them slight push of the lever. While the CBZ and the Fiero stood
with a string anywhere on our bike or in tune with the expectations, it was Mihir’s original Pulsar
gear (for the next mission) and kick 150 that defied its notoriety for fussy starts. None of us got
start our bikes. All the balloons were an advantage in the inaugural round. While all this kick
to be scrutinized by judges to make sure they were starting business looked a little too formal for our action
properly inflated. Even before the mission started, loving tendencies, little did we know what awaited us was
it seemed like Rash was hit by a rubber-breaking one of the most exciting rides of our lives!
tragedy. Experienced mortals would know how
disastrous such accidents could be. Not only had the
big man lost two of his balloons (pun not intended)
but his bike too had lost the one within its front tyre.
The CBZ which was looking the most promising
machine of the triad till now had technically broken
down. This meant a penalty of 50 points for the RSA
PRE-MISSION KICKSTART CUMULATIVE
Prez. Mihir and I in the meantime had the meanest
grins on our faces.
After about half an hour of delay, for which cc -25 0 65
both Mihir and I appealed for a 500 points penalty ANDY mfg yr 90
against Rash, and which was overruled owing to his
old friendship with Eshan, we sat on our bikes, ready RASH
cc -65 0 35
mfg yr 100
cc 0 0 80
MIHIR mfg yr 80
01.
We wonder why Rash is standing behind his
HH even as Mihir I pose proudly beside our
steeds. Don’t bother yourself brother, there’s
no way you can hide that big paunch of
yours.

02.
The world would end the day that Fiero
doesn’t come alive in one kick. And it obliges,
01. like always.

03.
No surprises with Rohit’s CBZ either - a
gentle push of the lever and the original 150
starts breathing

04.
Alas! Both Rash and I were expecting at least
a 40 point headstart here. That Pulsar too
uncharasteriscally came alive without a fuss

02 03 04 05. 05 18
All five intact! I am winning, I am winning!
 d
one – I ha
e ll b e g u n is half d li ve d
.W ort
b ik e s in motion y h a p p in ess was sh so o n
August 2009
d

“
c a m e t o u t. M m y h e a
ids triad y task cu om above e
s Motoro rent theories m heard a bo oons abov

T
commuters on two-wheelers rode along and asked me
he geniu o u s d iffe e th o u g h , a s I
re m a in in g two ball ’t ve ry
h v a ri e n ts th n . Th e d I w a sn questions in Marathi which I reckon were queries about
up wit a y an

”
ic h position
augm
. R a sh after I beg fl u tt e ring crazil ey was to keep my mental state
w h mo st e re k
as to
o f b a lloons the a ti o n my head w g they’ll last. The ll o w e d to go
longev it y x e q u lo n n o t a
a comple efficient sure how check, but we were Khambatki in
a ri o u s v alues in a n d c o sp e e d in to re a ch
put in v fficiency,
drag n that
the
/h, and h
ad ualified
la te s fu e l e
a c o n c lu si o
b e lo w 5 0 k m
p re v e n t being disq ne a
th a t re ame to dleb a r n ho u r to had do
st ic ity and c lloons on the han the a little over a re a li zed that I on
o f e la
st o f the ba o n a g a inst th e m ission . I
n d M ih ir were so
o tec ti fro m a their
tying m m a x imum pro ons with a string e , a s both R
ash
e m ajority of
re is ta k h th ile I
will ensu o ne of the
ballo
lm e t to see if
m
th e
it
distance w hin their arms, wh .
e ti e d fh is h e lo st in w it ping
wind. H o m the back o m e reduced s si tting safely e string from snap ar
o u t fr g e fr a a ll o o n c
coming by his hu imed b protect th s at me,
e v a c u u m created g th e self-procla e ro d e slowly to ro a d th rew stone a k e th eir
th ih ir, be in o o ns at th s on th e o k and m
g . M thre e b a ll K id st o p , lo two-
flutterin rs o nality tied front for optimum b ra ked hard to hile commuters on in
e d ’ p e d ri v e rs
‘balanc
o balloon
s at the e a laugh
w questions
milies hav asked me
rear and tw n t. I op te d fa
rs rode a lo n g a n d
q ueries abo
ut my
. d iff e re w h e e le n w e re st, as I
balance ry
le
was a litt ering myself with i which I re
cko
e v en ride fa
M y th e o both M a ra th I co u ld n ’t very
m o n se nse than e b a ll o ons hang e n ta l st ate. And c a re o f. It wasn’t a rs
for com ing th s m ta k e heele
e . R a th e r than lett r, where the chance h a d so m e rubber to h a herd of two-w ings
scienc andleba were ding wit ying th
b rail or h h various objects ral nice feeling ri , pointing fingers, sa faces. It
off the gra w it ir na tu gy o u th ir
e
colliding der in the surroundin grins on peared
of them e d them to w a n
to tie th e m
v ing th e w id e st
a mbatki ap
Each rider has to ride with five balloons tied I a ll ow e r p la c e a n d h a a n d K h kfully
more, . So what b
ett
me margin was getting diffic
ult
y was. Than
to his bike/gear for 70km up to Khambatki ry – a ir k e e p so a c tu a ll rm of
territo et? And ju
st to
rab rail. farther th
an it
m e in the fo
ghats. Each balloon is worth 20 points. This th e h e lm to th e g m u c h in g fo r
than of them emed ite wait
mission is designed to endorse birth control. I tied two arted, my theory se ne there was resp
for error, re we st Rash ’s o
The more rubber you break, the more the Even befo st. Mihir’s two and disaster…
g b e e y se t their a
in th
disadvantage you have, and the more you to be work burst even before 01
suffer. You’d be given the option to keep o n h a d
Ballo
your balloon on the bike for the entire run.
If the balloon survives, you get 300 extra
points. If it bursts, you lose 300

01.
Someone kindly cancel my Nobel nomination.
I now realise my theorem was wrong. NEVER
tie balloons to your helmet if you want them
to last!

02.
There - I have that burst green one as proof!

03.
Once again Rash makes a futile attempt to
conceal his girth behind those puny balloons.
Things people would do to woo girls!

04.
Balloons or no balloons, Mihir’s pace on the
bike always remains the same - crawling slow!
04 03 02 19
 “
disaster
What an irony – the backup vehicle had broken down, while
the three supposedly unreliable bikes were running like August 2009

”
a dream

W
e were expecting this ride to have some
bad surprises for us in store. We were
not sure whether our respective bikes
were ready for such a tough grill. Mihir
and Rash had borrowed their respective bikes from their
friends, so they didn’t have a clue about the health of
these machines. My Fiero had recently been started after
a hiatus of 4 months, and even I didn’t know if something
was just about to fall off. The chances of a calamity
were quite high, so we wanted our backup vehicle to be 01 02
reliable. My Opel Corsa’s engine malfunction light was
coming on and going off at will, so we decided to go with
Rash’s more reliable Palio.
Unfortunately, the big flippant guy hadn’t checked
the coolant and oil levels in his machine for ages, and
just when we were beginning to experience the real thrill HOLD MY
of this ride, the Palio decided to come to a halt. What 01. 04. CARRY OVER BALLONS CUMULATIVE
an irony – the backup vehicle had broken down, while Isn’t this the biggest coincidence in the Pradeb suggested towing the car for as much
world? Two Fiat Palios breaking down at distance as possible with each bike, as one
the three supposedly unreliable bikes were running like exactly the same point! of the additional missions 65 60 125
a dream. The coolant hose of the Palio had developed a ANDY
big hole due to overheating, and the engine won’t start. 02. 05. RASH
35 40 75

This was a big letdown, as some serious planning had
gone into this ride, and it would be difficult to reorganize
everything for a later day before the launch deadline.
Oh, so that was the problem. The car didn’t
have (ho)s, err hose in it. Rash gets one for
himself.
03.
Mihir the great Gadre went off-roading,
and later required two assistants to arrive
back safely
‘Why don’t you show us how’ suggests
80 20 100
Mihir
MIHIR
The show must go on! Motoroids
refused to cancel the story for another
cover story, as they didn’t want to
compromise one bit on thrills. Three
days later, we started off from the same
point again, this time with Eshan’s Swift
DDiS as the back-up vehicle. The bikes
were filled to the brim again and five
balloons were suspended to each of the
three bikes. A little more than an hour
later, I emerged victorious with three
balloons hanging off proudly from my
bike at the foothills of Khambatki.
Rash was left with two, while Mihir,
even with all his planning managed to
save only one ballon from liquidation.

ani
Words Amit Chhang
03 04 05 20
 was the Fiero
the line, but somehow it

S
tor spo rt eve nt off
ince it was a mo the Pulsar and
par t of, we tha t got the holeshot with August 2009
we were going to be a Hero Honda
ani zer Esh an the CBZ trailing it. The poor
demanded our eve nt org of tunes, wasn’t
rgy dri nk s. wh ich wasn’t in the best
to supply us som e ene mark no matter
re exp ect ing a ready to cross the 6,000 rpm
While we three musketee
rs we le. The Pulsar on
com ing ou r ho w hard I wrung the thrott
hot babe with a crate of Re
d Bu ll m of its own. The
spo ok y old the other hand had a proble
way; what we got instea d wa s a met to the bike was
ou r tab le. nut that connected the hel
man banging a tray of ho
t cha i on a leisurely ride! The
got , Am eya , treating this timed run as
While we settled for wh
at we pily to extend
the dep ths of Fie ro meanwhile cruised hap
with the camera car moved
int o roached though,
oto -op spo t. its lead. As the corners app
Khambatki to secure a goo
d ph age at the back of
ng ali bab u I put my weight disadvant
Meanwhile the marshalli
ng Be d to give Amit
sto od bel ow my mind (cough) and decide
reached the end of the gh
at and k me a couple of
Enough of your balloons – it’s now time for d and his a tough fight. It hardly too
a tree with a stop watch
in his han d from him, but
some manly job! Motorsport fans that you
t. Esh an, wit h corners to snatch the lea
four eyes glued to the gh at’s exi ance to rev higher
all are, your next mission is a timed sprint of
wit h Pra deb ’s after that the CBZ’s reluct
his watch already synchr on ise d g spot on the
the Khambatki ghats. You will be flagged off
t tim ed run had me stuck at a very wron
waved as a flag-off sign for
the firs uphill. While Amit
together for a fair start. The first and second rev range throughout the
ke me, he had two
finishers will score 5 points for each second of the ride.
e bee n the qu ick est had the power to overta
gained over the third finisher The Pulsar should hav

01 “ The Pulsar should have been the quickest off the

line, but somehow it was the Fiero that got the

”
holeshot
02
01.
‘Only chai as breakfast for the
contestants’ announced Mr.
Midget. We looked on with
puppy paces as the crew hogged
on everything in sight
02.
The three letters that started
it all, the CBZ - a name that
enthusiasts still vouch by!
03.
The three bikes got an equal
start but within seconds the
05 04 positions changed...
03
04.
...the lightest rider-bike took
the lead, while the CBZ and the
Pulsar had their own reasons to
not cross the 6,000 RPM mark
05.
Bengali babu Pradeb forced
himself into the frame. I tried
to shove him off, but this
damn guy doesn’t mind getting
punched for publicity! Mihir
meanwhile tries to dry his shoes
for the Khambatki run...
21
 01 August 2009

02 03

05 04

was
second and third gears. Moreover, he
very weirdly split ratios in his Fiero’s of the Kha mba tki ghat s
ewhere at the start
lacking traction to make the move. Som enjo ying the view and
ne ride, whistling,
the Pulsar rider was enjoying the sere
t pace .
trundling along at his own swee t
tki, I could still see that dim Fiero ligh
As we reached the peak of the Khamba back the poin ts I had
Amit if I had to gain
01. in my rear view mirrors. I had to lose nhill,
foun d the solution. At second corner on the dow
As the curves began, I took the lead over the other two lost to him. And then voila! I e. Sinc e I kno w the
s battling for real estat
stooges... I saw a couple of state transport buse ed on the opp ortu nity
d, I quickly capitaliz
Khambatki like the back of my han t ONE WAY
02. s on a wide corner that followed. By the time Ami CARRY OVER CUMULATIVE
and overtook both those buse , mak ing over taki ng a SPRINTERS
...increasing the gap corner by corner... ked the entire road
came through the buses had again bloc
ehow man aged to pass them, but by then I had
03. difficult task for him. He som
seconds ahead of him. Mihir meanwh
ile got
ANDY
125 65 190

...while poor Andy Andy struggled for grip... already crossed the finish line – seven grou nd scor e to his slow
et by adding a back
into a dramatic mood within his helm
75 100 175
self that
04. riding. He was actually whistling insid
e his helmet and conv inci ng
‘The
him
Wh o’. How
RASH
...and Mihir didn’t understand why the heck were the two rite classical rock trac k by 100 0 100
he had successfully replicated his favo e SNAIL MALE
riders in front of him were shifting thier asses off the seat... was, the dram atic whistling gave the Snail Male som
weird is that! But whatever it nd And y. Insp ite of the
, 13 seconds behi
05. kind of a boost as he finished hardly, ahem
to stay true to its sporty characteristics. But what
The CBZ rivals tried to get into my large slipstream! But in throttle issues, the CBZ man aged
g to
over the Fiero – a facet that it was tryin
vain. Weight is not everything guys. It’s the skill of using the it highlighted most was its supremacy
powerrrrrrr!
defend throughout its lifetime. Words Rohit Paradkar 22

Showcase your MX skills over the 1-mile
course and bring back / deliver the souvenir
from / to Pradeb in the least possible time.
The winner gets 100 points added to his
kitty, while the runner up walks away with
50 points. The tail-ender gets laughed
upon...
T “
he course was set-up at the
foothills of Khambatki. It
consisted of a bullock cart trail
winding across the moorlands
and onto an uphill meadow interspersed
with slush gravel, pebbles and puddles.
The path then led up to a kutcha wall on
which Pradeb was made to stand like a
sculpture of guerilla (pun not intended)
warrior. We were instructed to deliver/
collect our priceless souvenir to/from
Pradeb to the start-finish line as quickly
as we dared. First all three of us went for a
sighting lap during which I missed a turn,
got lost and joined the highway some 50
yards before the start/finish line.
Amit set-off first, on the off-roaders’
favorite TVS Fiero. With a dry weight of
just 115 kg, a short wheelbase, compact
dimensions and a light front end, we
were sure that it would have the MX
01 02 August 2009
01. 04.
Rash just wouldn’t give up, here he’s And Rash unable to get going inspite
trying to hide his humungous belly of spinning the hell out of his rear
even behind the CBZ’s puny mirror. wheel.
02. 05.
Pradeb trying to make sense of the Amit doesn’t find the course any more
round licked. Amit just zoomed through instructions being relayed to Amey difficult than his daily commute.
The path led up to a kutcha wall on which
the course as if he was riding on streets of 03. Pradeb was made to stand like a sculpture
”
Pune, feet up on the pegs and the victory Amit unable to stop his bike inspite of guerilla warrior
firmly in his sight. He took the precious of a locked rear wheel
stone from Pradeb and splashed back thru
puddles and muddles making light work
of whatever the course threw at him. The
Fiero worked like clockwork, just blaring
away its scooter like soundtrack without
even missing a beat! Amit set a blinding
pace through the course with a time of 5
minutes flat.
Rash went in next, pressing on
through the course on his beloved CBZ.
The undulating terrain and the trigger
happy CBZ meant that his ride was
turning out to be a double fencing match
against the terrain as well as the bike. He
somehow managed to keep the front end
pointing in the right direction until the
time he hit the grasslands.
03 04 05 23
 ng to be so lucky next
a gen tle he know that he wasn’t goi
The killer combination
of slu sh and up his bike and must August 2009
ing int o time around. He picked
uphill gradient meant tha
t Ra sh wa s slid when the CBZ went
int end ed have gone hardly 5 yards
every other direction oth
er tha n the e Rash went down
pro gre ss. down yet again. This tim
one without even makin
g an inc h of got caught under the
ma chs with the bike and his leg
Amit and I were laugh
ing till ou r sto rescue, but Eshan first
ally the rea r bike. He called Eshan for cle
ached at poor Rash’s misfo
rtu ne. Fin had got the whole specta
had eno ug h of spi nn ing made sure that he sh’s aid . Sh ake n 01. 04.
tyre decided that it had to Ra
ou r by fin din g som e on camera and then went res t of the Our precious souvenir that acted First gear, check. Landing gear in
fav the
around and did Rash a stirred, Rash took it easy
for as a relay baton for the challenge. place, check. Mud - bad, grass -
Ra sh ret urn ed ou r pre cious souvenir to and ple ted the cou rse in 6 minutes 34 good.
grip. course and com
Pradeb and knowing tha
t he had wa ste d a
wa
lot
y seconds. Not bad aft
er kissing terra firma twice
. 02.
eve n har der on the tw ice , I dec ide d Rash-crash no.1 brought to you
of time started pushing ng too mu ch After seeing Rash go down ded in complete detail by Eshan.
he wa s car ryi than sor ry. I con clu
back. We could see that that it was better to be safe
me ntu m on the wa y down. Rash went hard ess wo uld be the key around the 03.
mo up , trie d that smoothn
onto the brake causing the rea r to loc k words of Master Oogway
ban g! Th e course, and keeping the d
Rash-Crash no. 2. “Abe Eshan
to correct it with oppo site loc k and in my mind, I was poise stop shooting and help me pick
his leg s. Lu cki ly eno ug h from Kung-fu Panda oth er tw o. the bike up”.
bike just slipped thru the
do a ‘hare and tortoise’ on
had got ten off it bef ore it fell, but little did to
Rash
01

“ E71 is perhaps the best example.Attempting to

relive the bestseller iththe E75, the Finns have
stuck to the winning perhaps the best is not

”
easy to follow.
02

03 04 24
Ready to be flagged off, I took my position
at the start line, blipped the throttle and,
damn, I stalled it! Miffed at myself, I kicked
the Pulsar to life and set-off to retrieve the
to run last. I rode alongside the trail trying
August 2009
to avoid it as much as possible and made it
through the grasslands without any fuss or
drama. I quickly put our souvenir into my

“
treasure from Pradeb, with Rash and Amit jacket pocket (where it remains, to this day)
laughing away at my misfortune. The Pulsar and started on my way back. I tackled the Rash returned our precious souvenir to Pradeb and
was by far the least ideal bike for MX with downhill run with utmost caution and made knowing that he had wasted a lot of time started pushing

its heavy steering; forward biased weight
distribution and a hair trigger clutch. Both
the Pulsar’s brakes were useless with the rear
brake-liners completely worn off and the
front pads surviving on tenterhooks.
I decided to tackle the whole course
in first-gear, so that the throttle would
give me total control over the rear tyre and
more so because I wouldn’t need to use the
Pulsar’s confusing ’box. Also it would keep
my speed in check and keep me safe from
any unwanted surprises the track threw
at me. Because of the many trips that had
been made on the trail before my run and
relentless rainfall, it had become even more
slippery than what it was at the start of the
day. On my sighting lap, I had noticed that
the terrain beside the actual trail had much
more grip than the actual trail. So with this
trick up my sleeve I intentionally elected
02
”
it back in one-piece. I made sure that I didn’t even harder on the way back
get lost this time and crossed the start-finish
line in what I thought was a good time.
But alas, all that smoothness and caution
had cost me time and forget Amit, my time
was even slower than Rash’s at 7 minutes 21
01. 05.
Pradeb trying to give Rash a pep
seconds. I lost the challenge but I learned an talk by doing some frantic hand The first dog in the world to get
movements. the Loreal hair colour.
important lesson – slow and steady won the
race by fluke!
02. 06.
Amit had a moment at the puddle We later found out that it wasnt
Words Mihir Gadre green poop but chutney from
but still managed to keep both
the wheels on the ground. that packet , which got sprayed
onto Eshan’s jeans as Rash stepped
03. on it. Later Amit stepped on it to
see how it would have happened,
Eshan’s jeans with wierd green
poop all over it, eeew! and this time it got squirted on to
Eshan’s face. Poor guy!
04.
People trying to make sense of
Rash’s happy -high expression.
01
04
03

With his crushing victory at the dirt track, Amit built up a healthy
lead of 65 points. Rash was running in second place with 225
points and after my hat-trick of defeats I had been relegated to
3rd place.

05 06 CARRY OVER GETTING

DIRTY
CUMULATIVE

190 100 290

ANDY
175 50 225
RASH
100 0 100
SNAIL MALE

25
 August 2009

W
ith muck from my mud-slinging adventures
having spread all over my gear, I was now
praying for a heavy rainfall to wash off the
dirt. People on the way to Mahabaleshwar
were amused by the sight of the three stooges with a foolish
grin on their faces and mud splattered across their bikes and
gear. As we reached the foot hills of Wai Ghats, the light
drizzle turned into a heavy rainfall and I got my much needed
shower. Andy once again started struggling for grip on his
TVS Shreechakras while Mihir as usual turned into a dot in
the RVMs. Eshan by now had passed us and was probably
waiting at some location to catch us on his camera. Or so we
thought. After a while we spotted Ameya ready to shoot us
with a wide lens, as the midget was busy using his tele-lens
to capture some females bathing in the waterfall. I wondered
how god managed to fit such a big pervert in such a tiny
body. We reached Mapro Gardens as told and waited for the
Snail Male to arrive. Apparently the cold weather at this hill
station was making it difficult for the fair Brahmin boy to
whistle. All that was coming out of his mouth was vapor. And
since the sweet sounding boy didn’t have his whistle boost, he
managed to get even slower. Incredible!
After regrouping, we were briefed about the mission.
This was one challenge that put a wide smile on my face
for obvious reasons. All that had entered our stomach since
morning was the sad tea, some bugs and plenty of rain water.
Some real food was what we needed now. But what was in
store for us was hard to consume, ultra cold thick shake with
big dollops of ice cream in it. And we had to finish big glasses
of it in three minutes flat apiece! How cruel can someone

So the tea wasn’t enough for you monsters,

eh? How about having your fill of some
freezing cold, ultra heavy thick shake while
you shiver to death? You will compete
with each other trying to finish as may
thick shakes as possible, even one glass of
which is difficult to consume. Every glass
of shake consumed will award you 50
points. Announce in advance if you think
you’ll not be able to finish the next glass
in the stipulated time, or be ready to be
disqualified from the round

“ People on the way to Mahabaleshwar were amused by the

sight of the three stooges with a foolish grin on their

”
faces and mud splattered across their bikes and gear
26
01 02 03 04
August 2009

get!
Thankfully Eshan had been kind enough to allow us to choose the flavor we wanted. While
Mihir and I opted for a chocolate flavor, Amit made a grave mistake by opting for butterscotch flavor.
We took the coupons and headed for the counter, while our commander in chief decided to browse
through the entire menu card. Our devil brains pounced on this opportunity and we asked the guy
09 at the counter to add extra sugar syrup to the butterscotch shake. Within a couple of sips, Andy was 05
already making faces. ‘It tastes a tad too sweet’ he said, with the funniest expression on his face, as
Mihir and I tried to conceal our chuckle.
06

01. was Eshan who had to make a trip thanks to

This is an example of what our palms were
reduced to after riding around in the rain for
the better half of the day.
02.
Andy gets the three glasses full of thick shake
with an evil smile on his face. The smile soon
changed into the wierdest face he has ever
made...it was the scurpulous shake to blame
08
03.
I was at utter ease as round one got over. Man
the chocolate shake rocked! How was the
butterscotch Andy?
04.
We thought Mihir was slow only with the bike!
I guess he was consoling each spoonful of thick
shake before sending it to his belly...
05.
This sign was a reminder of what we would need
soon, would we exceed our limits. Ironically it
the greenery on his arse
06.
No its not just KFC, even the chocolate shake
is finger lickin’ good! Take my word for it...
07.
Amit is stung by the worst brain-freeze ever!
Unfortunately he recovered from it within
minutes of finishing that shake...
08.
Thanks to our whacky mission, this man was
assigned to job to serve none other than us! 07
Look at that sinister smile while filling up my
glass; I suspect Andy’s bribed him
09.
The Sheikh of Shakeistan curls his moustach
in pride after gulping down all that cold think
chocolate without breaking a sweat

27

01.
After finishing round four way
quicker than my time limit, I
had all the time in the world
to pose around with all those
glasses...
02.
...and more. Andy, somewhere
in the background was still
trying hard to push the shake
down his puny throat
03.
Round five was my favorite -
sandwiches!! While Mihir and
Pradeb get jealous looking at
02
01
04
03
those wonderful slices, Ameya
keeps track of the time...
04.
Look at that face!
He should have given up long
time back. Pradeb praying to
god that Andy leaves the last
two slices for him...
05.
And then the inevitable
happens! The giant laughs and
shakes the very foundation of
Mapro Garden! Bow down to
the winner you mortals....
05
As all the three glasses finished, it
was time for round two. This time Amit
decided to shift to chocolate too and
accompanied us to the counter since he
had started suspecting us already. This
round however was a disaster for Mihir.
The Snail Male was slow at eating too!
Poor guy refused to contest round three
for the fear of disqualification, leaving
only Amit and me in contention. Round
2 made us feel stuffed and sick with an
THE SHEIKHS
CARRY OVER
OF SHAKEISTAN
CUMULATIVE overdose of that ultra heavy and ultra
sweet syrupy shake. With the progress of
290 200 490 Round 3, our stomachs were accelerating
ANDY along the X-axis. But neither of us was
225 250 475 ready to give up. Amit was still ready
RASH for more. I was already feeling sick, but
100 100 200
it was a matter of pride so I had to fight
SNAIL MALE
on. They say the mind gives up ten times
August 2009
before the body does. I had made up my
mind, I had to do it. I decided to gulp
down my fourth glass to put some mental
pressure on Amit. The trick worked a bit
with Amit looking a little bothered, but
he wasn’t going to give up so easily. He
finished his fourth glass within the set
time too! Since these rounds failed to get
us a verdict, and another round would
have surely made us die, we mutually
decided to shift to sandwiches – where the
one who finishes more in 3 minutes takes
the victory. My bigger mouth-n-belly
combo came in handy as I stuffed down
three slices as Andy struggled to finish
two and a half! What followed was a loud
devilish laughter and an even louder burp,
announcing my victory!
Words Rohit Paradkar
28
 August 2009

04

Ride on the Mahabaleshwar-Poladpur

ghats till you spot the marshals’ car,
waiting to catch the contestants unaware at
02
a surprise location to check whether they
have maintained average speeds of 40 kph.
The contestant with average speed closest
to 40 kph will get 100 points followed
by 50 for second place and no points for
third place.
Warning: Watch out for heavy fog, wild
animals, land-slides, streams and huge
boulders on the road. Be fast and face
double the penalty

W
e stopped at the
M’shwar petrol-station
with Rash and Amit’s
bellies swinging out
and me (who was disqualified unfairly
in the previous round, by the way, citing
reasons that I was a slow eater. Well for
the record I always have been and will
remain a slow eater) hoping that all
that eating would cause an emergency
nature’s call and make them stop in the
middle of the ride to take a poop. It was
decided that our support car driver/
photographer/marshal Eshan would
get a head start of 15 minutes and three
of us would be flagged-off one-after-
the-other at an interval of 5 minutes.
Pradeb’s watch was synchronized and
the support car sped off into the fog.
No one had any idea where it would
stop. Its location had purposefully been
kept secret so that we would have to
maintain a speed of 40 kph at all times, 01
poop or no poop. Rash was flagged off
first followed by Amit while I elected
to go last. 04
I was hoping that my fellow rivals
hadn’t accounted for their bike’s speedo
errors and had cunningly kept my
mouth shut so as to not remind them.
I set off into the heavy fog keeping the
needle stuck at a speedo indicated 50
kph. The road to Poladpur was the most
challenging bit that we had encountered
on our ride, so far. The conditions were
treacherous as the day of our ride saw
the heaviest precipitation of the season.
There was heavy fog reducing visibility
to just meters ahead of the bike.
Streams were gushing over the road and
huge boulders had washed up onto the
tarmac. Rash even swears that he saw a
huge cat leaping across the road.
03
01.
Amit was pissed at the paparazzi while I scratched my
head in bafflement as eshan announced the surprise
mission in the heavy fog and rain.
02.
Rash was the first one to be flagged off, but the poor guy
took the wrong route.
03.
Amit got fooled by the under-reading speedo. “Does 40
kph always feel this fast? Must be because of the ghats”.
04.
The fog had cleared up and I was trying to claw back all
the time lost in the ghats.
29
But at the same time it was also the most scenic riding-road have a precise control over your speed in order to win. Rash
of the journey with gushing waterfalls and steep mountains meanwhile took a detour by mistake at the starting point, August 2009
on one side and an even steeper valley on the other side. but luckily realized his mistake in time and asked a local for
Engulfed in fog, it didn’t even feel like a part of this mortal the correct route. However, he had lost a chunk of time and
earth. I had a moment where I forgot about the challenge, even after pushing to the limit down the ghats, was unable RAID DE
CARRY OVER CUMULATIVE
the TSD, the corners, the apexes and the speed. I let go of to complete the course in time averaging 3 km/h below the POLADPUR
the throttle and just took a moment to take it all in. It was set speed. Meanwhile, I had got past the ghat section and
490 0 490
the most surreal biking experience of my life, watching my the road had opened up giving me a chance to make up for
ANDY
own shadow in the fog. The shadow looked like a ghost the time lost in the ghat section. Evil Eshan was nowhere to 475 50 525
rider having a radiant halo around it. Even after riding for be seen till Poldapur, which meant I had to take a U-turn RASH
200 odd kilometers in heavy rains, soaked to the bone, I still and try and find him on my way back. A couple of km 200 100 300
wanted to keep on riding. I never thought that I would have later I saw the Swift. They had stopped a little earlier than I SNAIL MALE
the best riding experience of my life astride a crummy old, expected and I knew I was slightly faster than 40 but still I

“
fork-out, Pulsar. was closest to the ideal velocity and came away triumphant
Thanks to Amit’s under-reading speedo, he hurried in mission 4. It was the most surreal biking experience of my life,
through the course exceeding the set speed limit by more watching my own shadow in the fog. The shadow looked like
Words Mihir Gadre

”
than a few km/h and lost the challenge in-spite of being the a ghost rider having a radiant halo around it
fastest. That’s the beauty of the TSD format – you need to

30
 01 03
August 2009

Told you to be easy on the throttle, didn’t I. Now

you will repent for the time you revved your bikes
to it’s redline and beyond. The bike that will be the
most fuel efficient will be awarded 100 points to his
tally, 50 points for second place and of-course none
for the guzzler

01. to fill her up. 02

The bikes surprised us with their
unfailing reliability throughout the
ride.
02.
That is Rash’s CBZ, but where is he?
We aren’t allowed to refuel. Must be
hiding somwhere nearby.
03.
Poor Rash went broke filling up fuel
in the CBZ and even got caugt trying
04.
Rash trying to prove his innocence
after getting caught, trying to sneak
fuel into his CBZ. 04
05.
Pradeb trying to pull his hair out due
to frustration. Dude, relax its okay,
take it easy now, what?

A
other,
I had a hunch that in some way or the
fter a day full of hard-riding, we e into play
the fuel efficiency angle would com
stopped at a dhaba warming our
fingers with cutting chai, looking
during the challenge. This is Indi a
a
after
mile
all.
age
05
No story can be complete without
out at our bikes sparkling with dew se mode, I had
n as test. Whenever we were in crui
drops and looking just as ready for actio even though it
bikes’ maintained a steady 70 kays
they did in the morning. I shared the ywhere and got
detour meant that I reached last ever
enthusiasm. We had taken a 70km . Rash’s CBZ
with a new nick-name from the guys
as the road to Wai was blocked. Even dy running on
fatigue was out of the game. It was alrea
miscellaneous muscles protesting and ll en-route to Pune.
steaming reserve and required a re-fi
setting in, I wanted to ride more. The neck between
white It was going to be neck and
chai too was working its magic and our though. Both the
colour. Amit’s Fiero and my Pulsar
faces were slowly regaining their lost y while sipping
ented bikes being fantastically sting
But Eshan just couldn’t stand the cont s were almost a
ptly, he fuel. Mind you, all three bike
look on our faces for a minute. Prom lakh kilometers
there decade old with close to one
took out his diary and announced that Pulsar came out
colour clocked on their odos. The SIPPER OR
would be one more final challenge. The of fuel for the CARRY OVER CUMULATIVE
fastest tops consuming just 6-litres SUCKER
from my face drained out faster than the the Fiero right
elf from 375 kilometer journey and
Indian. Somehow, I controlled mys up just 6.5 litres of
expected on its heels after burning
490 50 540
wrestling him to the ground. I half last two missions ANDY
to some unleaded. My wins in the
the challenge to be a night time rally reckoning, I 525 0 525
till I had put me right back into the
God-forsaken location without any food ing so RASH
hoped. Why are Rash and Amit look 300 100 400
dropped dead. l Mal e?
be a worried? Is it because of the Snai SNAIL MALE
I was wrong though. It was going to
the ride
mundane fuel efficiency test. All along Words Mihir Gadre 31
I
August 2009
t was time to calculate the final
scores. With 2 wins apiece, all
three of us were confident about
our victory. Eshan took out the
tally board and, damn, the smile got
wiped off my face, I had lost the
challenge. Rash had won the two 03 375 POINTS
Had he been a bit faster, he would have
01 490 POINTS
Consistent througout the run, Andy
proves that experience matters!
big point scoring missions but the had the first two finishers licked! Planning
breakdown had cost him dear. Amit is good, but Mr. Snail Male would require
had emerged as the victor. Inspite a bit more pace to get lucky next time
of the 50 point penalty for missing
mirrors, he had won the challenge by

02
a 15 point margin over Rash. 475 POINTS
Had it not been for that unfortunate flat
Rash and I obviously didn’t agree with tyre and the poor show in TSD format
Eshan’s crappy scoring system and the run, the big man may have won
argument continues to this day…

CARRY OVER PENALTIES CUMULATIVE

540 -50 490

ANDY (NO RVMs)
525 -50 475
RASH (BREAKDOWN)
400 -25 375
SNAIL MALE (ONLY ONE BLINKER)

Gear Courtesy: DSG 32

 August 2009

FAIRED
ENOUGH?
Mihir Gadre ponders whether Yamaha has gotten the
Fazer right on the second attempt

Photography Eshan Shetty

Art Ajay Katkar 34

I
t is a proven fact that Indian bikers are extremely fond of fairings.
From ancient bullets to humble HH CD100s there has never been a
bike on which people haven’t tried to slap on a home made fairing.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that for decades, the Indian
buyer was deprived of this simple piece of plastic and now they just can’t do
without one. Today, the fairing fetish has gone so far there is hardly any bike
left in the market which is available exclusively in a non-faired version!
Personally, I am not a big fan of fairings, firstly because at speeds that
our bikes are capable of, the fairing mostly serves only cosmetic purposes
rather than aerodynamic ones. Secondly, even the smallest of the fairings
hamper visibility and compromise my pothole dodging capabilities. Thirdly,
they increase the weight (6kgs in case of the Fazer) and also the girth of the
bike requiring you to be extra cautious while parking into that tiny slot,
which was just vacated by a Splendor. But Yamaha has learned its lesson the
hard way. In India you have to give the buyer what he wants and not what
you think is good for him. I am sure that by now every Yamaha showroom
in the country must be irritated out of their minds answering enquiries
from FZ and FZ-S owners whether the Fazer’s fairing can be bolted on to
their bike.
Looks are totally a personal thing, so for me the new fairing works
wonders front-on but loses the plot when viewed side-on. That’s probably
because it has wavy, organic lines while the rest of the bike has a lithe
muscular look. The quality of the fairing job is top notch with no excessive
flex in any of its panels and why not? Nothing less is expected of Yamaha.
Yamaha engineers have played around with the Fazer’s ergonomics making
slight changes to the seating position and have succeeded in taking some of
the weight off the rider’s palms compared to the FZ; however, the problem
hasn’t been remedied completely hampering its much advertised touring
credentials. It has a plastic panels over the tank, which means that magnetic
01
August 2009
tank bags are out of the question and doesn’t have any bungee hooks, either. 04
The new fairing mounted mirrors have a huge wingspan of close to 3 feet
from one pointed edge to another and have a tendency to poke adjoining
riders (specially at traffic lights) in the wrong places, which can be a bit of
an issue.
The engine is lifted straight out of the FZ. The bike pulls like a dream
from low revs accompanied by a satisfying growl from the mid-ship exhaust.
And the gearbox is as good as they come from the land of the rising sun.
The gearing is super-short giving excellent pace off-the-line; ideal for all the
traffic light GPs, however it does take its toll on the bike’s cruising abilities.
The engine feels laborious and runs out-of-breath past its midrange and
doesn’t rev as freely as mills from any of its rivals be it Honda, Suzuki, TVS
or even Bajaj. The lack of tall fifth gear and a weak top-end mean that the
Fazer isn’t really ‘ready for touring’. Whatever the promos may say, the bike
remains a city slicker and the whole touring hoopla is just a different theme
the advertising agencies were told to come up with.
The Fazer has first-rate cycle-parts with those ridiculously fat tires,
front and rear, suspended from equally fat front forks and a mono- 03
shock at the rear. Its handling capabilities far outweigh those of the
engine. And it is this excessive over-engineering that makes the FZ line
of models so likeable. I think that it bears an uncanny resemblance
of character to the sporty SUVs or SAVs like say a Porsche Cayenne
a BMW X6. It has ultra-wide low profile tyres and a stiff suspension
but, it won’t really break lap records at the track, just like an X6. It
has enough grip and confidence to blast through potholes, gravel and
muck without worries, but the fat rubber hampers its feedback, which
is evident on stretches of smooth tarmac, just like an X6. One more
thing that it shares with the SUVs is the fuel efficiency or the lack of
it, again, just like an X6!
01. The instrument binnacle is lifted straight off the FZ,
albeit without the garish orange stickers. The offset void left
in the place of the lock looks odd.
02. A neat floating panel wears the logos.
03. The fairing looks so R6 from head-on, nice.
04. Fitting it on your FZ will require some tedious
welding and changes to the electricals costing around 8
02 grand, provided you can persuade your dealer or a local
mechanic to do it for you. 35
 August 2009

Specifications Yamaha Fazer

Price Rs. 80,779 (On-Road, Pune)
Displacement 153 cc
Power 13.81 bhp at 6,500 rpm
Torque 14 Nm at 3,500 rpm

Kerb Weight 141kg (FZ16 - 137 kg)

Equipment Elec. Start, Disc Brake (Fr), Mag

wheels, Monocross suspension, Dual
headlamps
Tyres 100/80R17 (Fr), 140/60R17 (R)
36
 August 2009

Verdict

When I saw the FZ-16 I instantly thought that this is what the Pulsar should’ve
become. The first generation Pulsar started off as a naked street-fighter but gradually lost
the plot with each upgrade. Bolting on a fairing to an already successful model is easy
money, but the Pulsar brand lost its identity. Is the FZ treading the same path? Maybe, this
is what happens when manufacturer delivers far too much to customer demands. Then
there is the matter of price. At Rs. 80,799 (On-Road, Pune), it is around 15 grand more
expensive than its 150cc rivals. Agreed that the FZ is dynamically far more accomplished
than any of its 150 cc rivals but engine could’ve been better. Instead of adding increasingly
bigger fairings to the FZ, Yamaha should’ve kept the FZ a street-fighter and should have
opted for a different, bigger platform for a touring bike.
Overall the Fazer along with the FZ16 and the FZ-S can lay claim on the top-spot in
the 150 cc segment (not considering the R15 that is), but only by a whisker and certainly
not enough to ask for such a hefty premium over its rivals. Its price-tag does put it bang
into the new Pulsar 220 and Karizma territory, both of which are potent machines in
their own right, especially the new 220 with a lot of standard kit, good-performance, and
fantastic value-for-money. The actual Fazer (the 1000cc one) is based on the ‘06-07 R1
and gets all the hi-tech stuff from the superbike, why can’t our Fazer be based on the R15
platform tweaked suitably for torque and touring? Or do we have to wait till the third
attempt?

37
 August 2009

Rohit Paradkar engulfs himself in the aura of Vandenchi’s divine

creation

photography eshan shetty

Art ajay katkar
ramakant chougule 38
 August 2009

a kshai Varde is one of the best

custom bike builders I have met till date. This evening he
was to amaze our team with an unusual creation of his.
I drove past the marine lines to meet this guy. But it was
all looking different today. It wasn’t a regular Mumbai
evening. There wasn’t a single couple sitting along the sea
face, nor a soul briskly walking around. The sound of the
waves was loud and distinct even with Mumbai’s traffic
very much trying to overshadow it. The stars twinkled no
more as the rain gods clouded the sky. The scene looked
set for yet another torrential rainfall coming down on the
metro. We continued to the rendezvous point, unsure
about Akshai’s presence.
But as we waited, the scenario started to change.
Coincidence as we would call it, the dark clouds
were slowly disappearing; the night life at Bandra was
coming alive again; and then suddenly our ears started
concentrating. It was the familiar thump. Vardenchi’s
latest creation was making arrival onto the scene. The
pedestrians paused, the cars made way and a white hulk
with a wheelbase longer than an ape’s leap rode into the
crossroad. There it was, a new chopper, a new design
and the usual theme. What stood in front of us was
truly amazing – and as you would expect, better than
Vardenchi’s past creations.
39
“
August 2009

It was the familiar thump. Vardenchi’s latest creation

was making an arrival onto the scene
”

40
 August 2009

01.
The original 1980s Bullet 500 powerplant along
with the organic exhaust pipe provides one of the
most sonorous thumps anyone has ever heard

02.
Puny as they may seem, that headlight housing
commences the inscription of the Hanuman
Chalisa on the chopper

03.
The single-sided swingarm unit is upgraded
now and provides better dynamics to Vadenchi’s
choppers. The belt drive sprocket looks as stunning
in motion as at standstill. The number plate too is
makes a style statement

04.
The chromed Pulsar alloys sit firmly between the
new elongdaed fork-pipes

05.
Just like the new swingarm, the mono-shock
absorber mounting has been modified too for
better comfort. The overall finish has improved by
01 leaps and bounds, not only in the cosmetic, but
also in the engineering department 02

03 04 05

41

I walked around the metal sculpture repeatedly to
absorb its stunning design. This chopper is probably
one of the longest that Akshai’s team has ever built.
The entire body work looked similar to the Vardenchi
choppers that I have ridden earlier, but this one stood
out. It’s finished in bright pearl white, but what sets it
apart is the beautiful inscription of the entire ‘Hanuman
Chalisa’ which runs right from the headlights to the
rear fender. We have seen skulls, flames, tribal art and
even air-brush artwork on choppers, but something like
this is a completely novel idea. Akshai told us that the
enthusiast who summoned this bike is a devotee of Lord
Hanuman, so he wanted a chopper that could in some
way signify his devotion towards the deity – and hence
the inscription. To maintain its originality, the Avadhi
poem isn’t translated, but instead inscribed using English
August 2009
alphabets. No stencils were used either, rather an ethnic revised suspension elements are sufficiently comfortable, much more than the price of a brand new hatchback, but
font depicting those of the ancient Vedas was used by while a recalculated steering geometry makes it easy to it’s worth every penny, for every inch of this bke puts you
Akshai’s mom to inscribe the poem on to the bike. The maneuver this lengthy motorcycle. The donor bike being in the spotlight. Be it the 200-section tyre; the large 17”
whole idea has been executed very well. Believe me when almost three decades old, has the least clutter of cables chrome draped rim; the single sided swing arm or the
I tell you, this chopper looks far more breathtaking the you can come across making the finished product appear sheer wheelbase of this steed – it all gives this chopper
in flesh than in any of the photos. very clean. The whole customization has cost the owner its unique character. Its not that Akshai hasn’t used these
As crowd started gathering around the chopper, I
asked Akshai for the keys. With a smile on his face he
replied ‘There are no keys for this bike. Its so holy, no
one would attempt to steal it…’. I smiled back, got onto
its saddle and rode away. The bike is loud with its straight
through exhaust pipes, but the thump is pure, for it comes
from an old 1980s Bullet 500 powerplant. It has the
ability to shake the ground that it’s riding on and make
an announcement of its arrival while still being a mile
away! Surprisingly, it’s very convenient to ride too. The
42
 August 2009

“ This chopper is probably one of the longest

”
that Akshai’s team has ever built
43
 August 2009

“ To maintain its originality, the Avadhi

poem isn’t translated, but instead
inscribed using English alphabets

components earlier, but on this particular model, they

look special. The quality, the fit and finish and the
”
execution is all perfect. It’s so exquisite, it can make
the pedestrians on a Mumbai street freeze in awe. And
that’s saying something. Be it anyone on the road, from
the taxi-wala waiting for his fare to the odd aunty in
her saree, they all take a pause to have an eyeful. I have
ridden a lot of motorcycles that wet dreams are made of.
But the feeling that I had while riding this machine was
out of this world. I knew that I was the only person on
the whole planet who was riding this piece of art at that
moment – for there wasn’t another one like it anywhere!
Such is the aura of Vardenchi’s divine creation, that it
can even make an atheist start worshipping the pagan
god. A verse from the Chalisa that befits this chopper
as aptly as it does to the deity himself, reads, ‘Aapan
tej samharo aapai, Teenhon lok hank te kanpai’. (You
alone are befitted to carry your own splendid valor.
All the three worlds (entire universe) tremor at your
thunderous call). I couldn’t agree more!

44
 A touch of evil August 2009

Yamaha lifts the performance ante higher with a first of its kind performance kits in India for
the R15 and the FZ

Photography Aditya Bedre

Words Kiran Kadaba 45

T
he R15’s launch last year was a radical move
by Yamaha to re-enter the performance biking
segment in India. About a year after redefining
the performance benchmark in the country,
Yamaha wanted to make waves yet again, especially with
rivals Bajaj Auto introducing the new Pulsar 220 and
claiming it to be ‘The Fastest Indian’. To demonstrate the
even more wonderful capabilities of the R15, Yamaha
India brought down some performance parts for the R15
made in Japan by Daytona Racing, and wanted us to
get a taste of the brew they had prepared. Little surprise
that these parts were developed in Japan, as the bike
itself was designed and perfected at the track at Sugo.
The list of the upgrades includes a performance ECU,
camshaft, full system exhaust, 298mm wave braking
rotors, steel brake lines, adjustable rider foot pegs, and
last but not least, a quick throttle. All of these have been
launched by Yamaha as their goodie package for the track
junkie. These parts will be available to everyone but are
recommended only for professional track use.
In a fashion similar to the R15’s launch, the foretaste
of performance kit came with the Sriperumbadur
racetrack serving as the platter. Yamaha got a bunch of
bikes ready for us media population. There were 2 R15s
ready with the performance bits and 4 stock ones to
guage the difference. Logically, we wanted to get out on
track with the stock ones so that we have a benchmark to
compare the modded ones with.
As I went out on the sighting lap, I realised that the
riding position on the modded bike is just so perfectly
balanced that even me at a good inch over 6 feet was
pretty comfortable on the bike. I could not have asked for
anything better. A lap down, I felt really good. Midway
through the start-finish straight, 10,000 RPM in fifth,
I slotted it into sixth and the bike kept accelerating.
Impressive! While the increased power output courtesy
the new ECU, exhaust and cam helps you carry higher
speeds on long, sweeping corners, that big, wavy front
disc helps you brake much later when compared to the
August 2009
stock discs. The R15 always had the capacity to tackle
anything you wanted to throw at it at the racetrack. Now
Yamaha has raised the level of playing filed considerably
with the performance parts package. Here’s a small
description of how each of these performance upgrades
contribute in making the R15 a faster bike round the
racetrack.
Race ECU: The stock R15 is very rev-happy but
on the racetrack, once you take it in the power band
beyond 7500 RPM, the red line comes up rather quickly
at 9,500 RPM and you’re most likely than not, in the
middle of a corner with nowhere else to go but a slot
higher in the gearbox. The replacement ECU helps out
46
 August 2009

greatly in this regard as the rev-limiter has been
kicked up a few notches to kick in at a healthy
12,500+ RPM. This gives us a good 3000 revs
to play around with and on track, makes a hell
of a big difference. Again, the ECU has been
designed keeping in mind the other parts of
the package as well so I’m not really sure how
well it may do on its own or whether that is
even an option. The ECU comes pre-defined
with the maps and is not customizable as per
requirements. Guess Yamaha still does want us
to keep yearning for more.
Replacement Camshaft: all that extra
fuel-air mixture and no-where to put it makes
no sense. Yamaha have come up with yet
another gem of a part in the High lift Camshaft
for the R15. It allows the remapped ECU take
better advantage of the race maps and also
better deal with the increased stress that the
bumped up rev limits may have on the valves.
Again, I’m surprised that a set of stronger valve
springs are not part of the package to help with
reducing the stresses but it may also be because
the original parts themselves were engineered
keeping the mods in mind.
Full System Exhaust: The R15 is a beauty,
but this part makes it a beast as well. A straight
bolt on exhaust system is something that dreams
are made of, and Yamaha, just realized that
dream for us. Again, a part of the race package,
it’s loud and how. Definitely not street legal as
it goes well beyond the allowed range of 75 -
80 db. It is a true gem in the way it bumps up
the useable power in the midrange which isn’t
quite there in the stock bike. I would have loved
to get my hands on one of these for my daily
ride as it just makes so much grunt low down
that the bike can well be enjoyed in the streets
in the daily red light to red light drags as well.
You don’t like your neighbours, well you don’t
have to. Just figure out a way to get one of these
exhausts out on the streets and it will make sure
nobody likes you either.
Large Wave Rotors: All that ‘go faster’
power is no good if you can’t stop in time right?
Well, great minds think alike! The Yamaha guys
have gone to the extent of providing 298 mm
Wave braking rotors for the R15 in combination
with steel braided brake lines and a beautifully
crafted master cylinder like its bigger bretheren
(R6/R1). The brake feel on the R15 was really
good to begin with and according to me it’s a
bit of a gamble that Yamaha has played with
this part of the upgrade. The brakes need a
little time to come up to peak performance
as I experienced firsthand out on track. After
spending a couple of hours out on the stock
bike, I tried the same braking markers while on
the modded one, and was in for a big surprise.
Not only did the brakes lack bite, but I ended
up running off the track. Taking things slow
again for one lap; I was able to get the feel
and precision back into the brakes after they
were a little hot at the latter end of the first
lap. Once you get them brakes in the oven, Oh
Mamma!!! What a way to stop. I was able to
push the bike harder into corners and brake
later as well. It also improved the feel of the
brakes while trailing into corner entry.
Quick Throttle: It pretty much does what
the name suggests. The throttle actuation has
been reduced to a great extent and you really
don’t need to wring the life out of it to get going
all the way. The travel has reduced from about
90 degrees to 60 degrees. This part however did
not feel right to me, maybe because the throttle
is just so darned hard to twist. In a way that is
good so that you don’t just get on full throttle
without a limiting in this factor, but it does
make you work hard for it.

Race ECU Wave Rotors Sprockets Full Exhaust System

Probably one of the most desirable components
of the upgrade, the new ECU will shift the
R15’s rev-limit from 10,500 RPM all the way
up to 12,500 RPM! You have to pay more than
just the sticker price to install one though, as
your R15’s warranty is null and void as soon as
you have one of these babies on your machine
This unit is designed to endow the much needed extra
stopping power to the R15. At 298mm in diameter,
these wave rotors continue using the same set of callipers
albiet with an extended mounting mechanism. The
wave pattern, apart from looking cosmetically different
will also aid faster cooling. You have to give them some
time to perform optimally though
The new sprockets will be available in various sizes. You
can hence pick the one you need as per the track setup
or the one that suits your riding style the best. These
are also made using a different kind of material to shed
some weight
Apart from providing that much awaited amplified exhaust
grunt, this calculated free flow full exhaust system will
bump up the low end and midrange power - something
that stock R15 riders crave for when riding around tighter
tracks. This system ain’t street legal either and will need
you to chuck the warranty

47
 August 2009

AND THE FZ GETS ITS SHARE TOO...

Along with the R15, Yamaha have in-

troduced an upgrade for the FZ too,
and it works better than we expected

Y
amaha, while giving enough power-up to the R15,
have also come up with a bunch of goodies for the
younger of the two siblings, the FZ16. Though not as
hardcore as the R15 performance parts, trust me when
I say that it does just enough to make the FZ a sweet ride.The
performance upgrades for the FZ come in the form of brake and
exhaust systems.
In its stock form, the FZ is a middle of the road performer
at best. But slap on the new exhaust and you have a hooligan at
hand. The muscular lines of the bike are justified by the loud;
no scratch that, insane, exhaust which it shares with the R15.
The power delivery is just so linear and smooth that you hardly
think it’s the FZ16 you are riding. Without the exhaust, the bike
is pretty lethargic to get to the red line. The exhaust changes
the entire character of the bike to such an extent that on every
corner exit, I expected the front wheel in the air. The package
also includes a newly designed air-box for the bike which would
improve the overall flow from the intake right up to the exhaust,
not to miss on the fact, that the Yamaha mechanics had done a
glorious job of fine tuning the carbs. on the bikes to match the
performance gains. Just goes to show that a bit of tinkering here
and another bit there can do wonders to a bike’s performance.
The package also includes the front 300mm wave rotor, steel
braided brake lines and all new master cylinder. These are not as
necessary on the FZ as the stock brakes themselves seemed to do
the trick. But since the entire package had been offered as a track
(race) package, I don’t see any harm in slapping those on this bike
as well. Overall, the brakes had a reasonably good feel. However,
I had to get some heat into them to get them to really grip and
help shed speed faster. Mid-corner line corrections were a breeze
with the new brakes and definitely confidence inspiring.
At the end of the day, this great package with a price tag to
match will do the trick for Yamaha to up the ante of performance
biking in India. Though the numbers won’t be high, we are sure
there will be some takers for the new upgrades.

48
T 2009: A Himalayan
August 2009
he grand daddy of all the Himalayan rides in the country,
the Himalayan Odyssey, in its 6th iteration, beckoned

Odyssey
55 riders from across the nation to embark upon a
journey which would present a whole new perspective to
motorcycling. Flagged off from Delhi on the 14th of June, the journey
took the bikers through some of the most beautiful locales, uncharted
terrains and a plethora of weather changes!
Like every year, Royal Enfield organized this year’s trip too,
however the timing chosen was a tad earlier than what it has been
all these years. The weather wasn’t exactly too relenting even with the So what if you haven’t watched the movie we have named the title after, the visuals from RE’s unique annual ride
shifted dates. While crossing water streams in some sections is a given. are no less thrilling. Go on, feast your eyes!
a strong snow storm came as a taxing surprise to the 55 riders. But that
did not dent the confidence of all these Bulletiers one bit. The riders’ Photos by Bhagirath, Santosh, Avinash, Akshay, Tanmay & Yesshwant from Roadshakers, Pune.
hard work paid off, as the following day brought forth one of the
most picturesque visuals the Himalayas had to offer. Though the ride
and the route was same for all the riders, the experience in itself was
completely unique for each one of them. In his words, our contributor
Yeshwant More quotes, ‘The ride is very challenging and at the same
time very exhilarating. It sets your pulse racing. Every rider on his way
back has graduated a few steps further in his riding skills and is more
confident in maneuvering his bike.’
Since words are not enough to bring forth such an experience,
we’d let the pictures do all the talking…

49
 August 2009

All the riders get together at the India gate to commence a journey that they
would remember for their entire lifetime Sachin Chavan, the trip commander-in-chief briefs
the entrie group before heading towards Sarchu

Enthusiastic foreign tourists like these were a common sight

throughout our journey
We were so happy to finally see tar roads again...
...that we kept riding to and fro to our hearts’ contentment

Thicksey Monastry - could they not have this Monastry on The five riders who contributed these
the planes, its far and high for a mortal to reach with ease I am the Strongest, don’t mess with me! photos, pose against the Sanchi Stupa
50
 August 2009

Our adventurer trio at the Tso Kar Lake. Notice the Bullet
Classic, which is exported to Europe by Royal Enfield?

The Shey Palace - an architecture that looks much Yash and Tanmay’s bike making for a fabulous
better in flesh than in a picture picture near Khardung La

The Thunderbird poses against the Taglang La Pass

The route from Kaza to Kalpa is a simple looking rocky terrain but is still one of the most
51
The Himalayan Odyssey logo with SheyPalace in the background demanding routes throughout the journey
 August 2009

When Aryans went

thumping... B
ack in 2001, few of my friends and I embarked upon
a bike tour to Leh-Ladakh and Spiti valley, and explored
some of the most enchanted territories. The memories and
experience of that year compelled me to once again aboard
a bike tour and conquer some of the highest passes for automobiles.
An individual group of 15 bikers from Hohenhaslach, Germany, embarked upon Royal Enfield Its just took a moment to find a group of ten bikers from the biker
Classics to ride across the Himalayas, in a bid to discover the ‘Incredible India’ club, in my home town Hohenhaslach (close to Stuttgart-Germany)
who were keen to participate. From there on, we started planning
Story Hans-Georg Hummel this great adventure trip. Once back in India, I approached Peter dos
Santos from Classic Bike Organisation who helped in chalking out the
itinerary besides providing us with 15 Royal Enfield Bullets. He was
also the official tour guide along with Tiziana, a charming Dutch lady.
We were also accompanied by Pappu and Ramesh, the back up team,
who took great care of our bikes and fixed minor faults in minutes.The
trip kick started on the 26th of June, 2009 at the Delhi airport where
Peter welcomed the group of 15 bikers. We were briefed about the
tour, the road conditions and traffic rules in India enroute our journey
by a bus from Delhi to Nagar, close to Manali. To get acquainted with
the machines, we rode down the Kullu valley along the Beas River.
After a quick visit to the famous 17th century Nagar castle where we
were welcomed with a splendid view, we retired for the day. Next day
we started our tour with a short ride to Manali. Here, we got a chance
to pick up all the necessities we would require on the trip until we
reached Leh.
The next day, had us all excited and eager to cross our first pass,
the Rohtang, at an altitude of 4000m. Having climbed, half way
we came to a stop due to poor road condition and road repair work
which reduced the traffic to only one lane. We had to overtake a string
of vehicles. It seemed terrible initially, with broken roads and steep
slopes on the valley side but it got easier once we got the hang of the
machines. Soon we reached the top, and stopped for a cuppa chai.
The traffic, hereafter eased out, as we descended Rohtang and the first
sight of the mighty Himalayas greeted us. Amidst, concentrating on
riding our bikes on broken roads and being welcomed by amazing
landscapes at every corner, we finally reached our pit stop in Keylong.
Next morning, we started our day at 9 am, and rode along the Bhaga
River, Suraj Tal and scaled Baralach La, at 4,892 mm altitude. This was
the first time on the trip we experienced freezing climatic conditions
and were relieved upon reaching the camp close to Sarchu. After a long
session of story telling and sharing biking experiences with the warm
sun setting upon us, it was time for dinner. The temperatures during
the night time dropped even further making it impossible for anyone
53
 of us to sleep peacefully. Even mineral water we had
with us in the tent was partly frozen until the next
morning.
The next day, we conquered the Lachung La, at
5,065 m and the Tanglang La, at 5.360 m. The road
was nothing else, but gravel and loose soil. The NH1
was a mere combination of rocks, holes, sand,and
water crossings. Upon reaching the camp site,
Rumtse, most of us were complaining of body pain
and exhaustion. Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)
got the better of two riders and they had to continue
the rest of the journey in the back-up vehicle. Next
day, we reached our awaited destination- Leh. It was
time for a much needed warm shower, a few drinks
and plenty of rest to beat the exhaustion of riding
over a week. Leh, the capital of Ladakh (La stands
for pass and dak for many) is situated between the
two highest mountain ranges in the world, the
01
Himalayan range in the south and the Karakoram
Range in the north. One of the remote places in the
world, but never isolated, this trans-Himalayan land
is a repository of Buddhist culture and is enriched
with beautiful monasteries and holds immemorial
treasures like frescoes, images and rare manuscripts.
The first trip form Leh led us to the Thiksey
monastery, situated on the banks of the Indus River.
With ten temples and a nunney within it, this
picturesque Gompa is a twelve storeyed building,
built in the 15th century. The Lamayuru and the
Hemis are other two popular monasteries around
this region. The following day we were all charged
to acclaim the highest memorable road in the world,
the Khardung La. The route is demanding, especially
the last few kilometers to the top. A marvelous
view from the pass surveys an entire length of
the Indus Valley in the south and a magnificent
panorama of snow clad peaks. From there on, we August 2009
started descending into the Nubra valley. Passing
the night partly in a deluxe tent camp we made our
way back to Khardung-La the next day. Once back
to Leh we left to enter the Zanskar valley, known
as a land of religion where amazing old gompas
were set in huge caves high up on a mountainside,
approachable only by foot. After visiting many more
such monasteries, we headed to explore the famous
Ladakh markets and enjoyed some of the authentic
local food preparations. We eventually left Leh by
flight on 10th of July to Delhi, taking back with us
some thrilling experiences, new stories to share with
loved ones and a new found perspective towards
life and the sport of motorcycling. I would like to
take a moment here and thank all the members of
the crew for being there with us in our endeavor of
discovering the ‘Incredible India.’
01.
Riders, taking a moment to capture the scenic
landscapes, which changes at every corner
02.
Acclaiming the highest motorable road in the
world at an alttitude of 5359 meters, is always
going to be something to remember
03.
One of the two ladies from the team posing
02 03 astride a Royal Enfield Classic 54
 August 2009

Photography Aditya Bedre

Words Rohit Paradkar

J K Tyre NRC: Round 3 55

 August 2009

W
ith round four of the J. K. Tyre NRC having moved to the
Kari Speed Way, it meant that the riders had to fiddle with 01. 03.
Rain tyres slowed down Poncho on
the bike’s settings to suit the tight corners of the Coimbatore
track as opposed to the fast flowing Chennai circuit. For the the bone dry track. He still managed a Sumit Lucas (white 600RR) is a racer
based out of Ranchi, who not only came
03
podium finish. Great show!
experienced riders however, it wasn’t going to be very difficult – thanks to the down all the way to Kari, but also finished
innumerable number of track days these guys organize at Kari. Qualifying was 02. on the podium!
as tricky as the weather around Coimbatore during this time of the year. A Sanjay Kumar had a brilliant weekend
constant drizzle gave the riders wet tarmac to qualify on. Alok Shashidhar took at Kari. His FIAT Yamaha replica R1
the pole for the 1000cc category by setting an overall benchmark of 1.12.232 finished on the podium both the times
for others to follow. K. V. Balaji who took P2 overall, was the fastest 600cc class
rider for the qualifying session. 02

01

56
 August 2009

Since Race One was to happen as per schedule on Saturday evening itself, some riders decided
to take a gamble by sticking to rain-spec tyres for added advantage on the wet track. However
as the race began, the tricky weather conditions came into play again – leaving the riders with a
completely dry track to ride on. As the five lights went off, the bikes roared their way down the
start-finish straight. Within a corner or two, Vivek Pillai used the might of his 600RR in the tight
corners and took the lead ahead of Alok’s R1. As the race progressed, he opened the lead further.
Meanwhile Poncho who was also contending in the 600cc Expert category was having a hard time
04 with his 2CT (rain spec) tyres, which were reducing his pace on the dry track. Emmanuel Jebraj,
who had started from the back of the grid due to qualifying problems, made his way through the
rest of the pack and in no time was on Pillai’s tail. Though Jeba was carrying more pace, he hung
onto this position for three laps to build pressure on Vivek. With the final two laps to go, he made
his move by out-braking Vivek in a corner and taking the lead all the way to the chequered flag. In
the 600cc Novice category, Balaji converted his P2 into a race win – ahead of P3 rider Sumit Lucas
who lost a couple of positions, but regained them in the end. Racing Lass Alisha, who too was
suffering from a bad tyre choice hung in throughout the race to take the final spot on the podium.
Alok who won the 1000cc category, was in a race of his own, as no other rider from hi category
was even close to him. He was joined on the podium by Sanjay Kumar and Ramji Govindrajan.
Race 2 was in complete contrast to the first race. The only drama that happened was an
unfortunate incident where ace rider Poncho crashed aboard his 600RR and ended up with a
fracture in his hand. For the rest of the racers, it was business as usual. Unlike race one, Jebba
03 overtook Vivek within the first couple of laps itself and raced away to a comfortable finish.
The classification for both the races is as follows -

600cc Novice: Race1 K. V. Balaji, Sumit Lucas, Alisha Abdullah

Race2 Sumit Lucas, K. V. Balaji, Alisha Abdullah
600cc Expert: Race1 Emmanuel Jebraj, Vivek Pillai, S. Gopinathan
Race2 Emmanuel Jebraj, Vivek Pillai, Praveen Keerthi
1000cc Open: Race1 Alok Shashidhar, Sanjay Kumar, Ramji Govindrajan
Race2 Alok Shashidhar, Sanjay Kumar, Prakash Murali

01. 03.
1000cc Open Class, Race 2(L-R) 600cc Expert Class, Race 2 (L-R)
02 Sanjay Kumar, Alok Shashidhar, Prakash
Murali
Vivek Pillai, Emmanuel Jebaraj, Praveen
Keerthi

02. 04.
600cc Novice Class, Race 2(L-R) 600cc Expert Class, Race 1 (L-R)
K. V. Balaji, Sumit Lucas, Alisha Abdullah Vivek Pillai, Emmanuel Jebaraj, Poncho

01
“ as the race began, the tricky weather conditions came into
play again – leaving the riders with a completely dry track

”
to play on
57
August 2009

58
 August 2009

h riders
cture te r ra llyists wit
mfortable in this pi r sc o o eld im-
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Shailesh Gala sure e ti ti v e e v m o to rc y s
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59
 August 2009

Yes, drifting
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h y o f th e 20th editio
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Like Father,
Like Son
Pradeb Biswas meets up with a one of its kind father-son
I
f you are among the countless
number of financially broke bike
racing enthusiasts who wonder how
life would have been different had
daddy sponsored your motorsport dreams,
then ensure that your dad gets to read this
feature. reading about the scooter rallying
father-son duo of Shailesh and Nikunj Gala
may just do the trick for you. The rally-racer
dad, in his rallying heydays had decided
that as a father he would encourage his kid
to participate in motorcycle rallies. The
rallying success of his son is testimony to his
faith in his ward’s talent. It would be mighty
difficult for a motorsport discouraging dad
to not think twice before denying his son
an opportunity after reading about this
benevolent counterpart of his.
Shailesh Gala’s, the father, spent his
childhood taking part in cycle races to
quench his thirst for speed. As he grew up
he graduated to motorcycle races to satisfy
his increased speed cravings. “Shailu” as
he is affectionately known in rally circles,
got introduced to motorsports in an
unconventional way. One day while riding
home on his motorcycle, he caught the
attention of a couple who used to take part
in bike races. The couple complimented his
riding style and informed him to take part
in bike races.
At 20 years of age and unaware about
the bike racing scene, he first went to a few
August 2009
scooter rally racer duo
events as a spectator and sought information
on how to participate. He then honed his
skills on open grounds and finally took a
plunge into bike racing and rallying. He
first participated in an autocross event and
became a regular at all Juhu Aerodome
races, dirt track events and hill climb events.
Till date he has participated in over 30 bike
rallies and around 70 races. During his racing
heydays he had won the hill climb events
held at Mumbai as well as Pune. While
daddy would pursue his motorsport dreams
within the budget of his pocket-money, beta
has been born with a golden spoon in his
mouth! Daddy not only supports junior
financially but also utilizes his expertise to
help him in his rally exploits.
As a kid Nikunj Gala would accompany
his dad to various rally events. He is quick
to admit that watching daddy participate in
various motorsport events fuelled his dreams
of emulating his dad. Gala junior was only
sixteen years of age when he took part in his
first scooter rally which was a local event.
His professional racing career began two
years ago and he has taken part in eight
rally events till date. Since 2007, junior
has been taking part in scooter rallies held
in Mumbai along with autocross events. In
the 2008 Gulf Monsoon scooter rally he
was adjudged the Best Mumbai rider. By his
own admission he intends to complete his
education before jumping into the world of
61
“
August 2009
While daddy would pursue his motorsport dreams
within the budget of his pocket-money, beta has been

”
born with a golden spoon in his mouth!

motorsports full time.

Nikunj hopes that his long cherished dream of
sharing podium place with his dad at the Monsoon
scooter rally comes true one day. The 20 year old is
modest enough to acknowledge that his rally dreams are
being realized thanks to a supporting and encouraging
father. He proudly recalls the moments when his scooter
got stuck on a slush filled stage and dad who had started
the rally behind him, came along and guided him out.
Gala junior believes in riding skillfully than outright
aggressive riding. The chances of having a fall and picking
up injuries will be less and he will be able to ride and take
part in rallies for a longer duration.
At 47 years of age the rallying bug in Gala senior
is still alive and kicking . With no proper bike rallies or
races taking place in Mumbai, his rallying is currently
limited only to the monsoon scooter rally which is held
annually in Navi Mumbai. Gala senior clearly states
that that if hill climb races and circuit events return to
Mumbai, he will be back to being a regular participant!
His passion for rallying is clearly evident when he vows
that he will be a participant as long as the scooter rally
is held around Mumbai. It is no longer possible for him
to take part in out-station rallies as with a family to take
care of financially.
This father-son duo belongs to the down-to-earth
rally/racers club. For Gala senior, his rally motive has
always been to register a finish and enjoy the event
irrespective of a win or loss. As a father he always advises
junior to concentrate on finishing the rally and not get
distracted in the event of any foulplay. Gala senior has
advised Nikunj to stick to rallying scooters for the time
being and improve his rallying skills before graduating to
bike rallying. For Junior, the motive has evolved to not
only enjoying participating in a rally event but also finish
on podium.
In today’s day and age every biking aficionado dreams
of attaining motorsport glory. Hats off to Shailesh Gala,
for religiously treading on the motorsport way while
ensuring that junior Gala doesn’t fall short of chasing his
rally dreams. It remains to be seen how an average dad
(read non-motorsport encouraging father) would react
to the prospect of sponsoring their child’s rally/racing
dreams after reading this feature! 62

The spectacle of MotoGP has never been so good,
thanks to awesome dogfights between the Fiat Yama-
ha team-mates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo.
Rossi’s 4 victories put him in the championship lead
with 176 points followed by Lorenzo with 2 victo-
ries and 162 points. World champion Casey Stoner
has maintained his blinding pace astride the Ducati
and with victories at Losail and Mugello. He stands
third in the title fight with 148 points and still has
a fighting chance to claim the title. While Casey has
been able to channel the Ducati’s fury in the right
direction Nicky Hayden has struggled at getting with
grips with the scarlet bike. The former world cham-
pion’s performance on the Ducati has raised serious
August 2009
Report Mihir Gadre
The 2009 WSBK season is turning out to be a real 2006 to 2008. He filled up the seat vacated by Haga at
scorcher with 2-way fight for the title between Ben Yamaha Italia and is making a strong bid for the title in
doubt about his competence. The Repsol Honda duo
Spies and Noriyuki Haga. Haga now in his 10th season his rookie season. He took pole position at his very first
of Pedrosa and Dovisioso haven’t been able to mount
of full time racing in WSBK has twice been runner-up race meeting and a perfect weekend at the second round
a consistent challenge for the title so far. Marco Me-
and has finished 3rd in the championship four times. in Losail, Qatar by taking pole, the fastest lap, both the
landri has been the surprise of the season with some
Haga switched to Ducati Xerox this year filling up the races, and breaking the outright circuit lap record. He
unbelievable performances on the sole Hayate racing
seat vacated by Troy Bayliss and is hungrier than ever broke the long-standing record of 6 consecutive poles
Kawasaki. Colin Edwards has turned out to be the
to win the title this year. Haga has won 6 races and has set in 1991 by Doug Polen by securing 7 consecutive
best-of-the-rest with consistent points-scoring finish-
been atop the podium 13 times so far this season. He pole positions. Spies has won 10 out of the18 races so
es in all the races. Sete Gibernau meanwhile has had
currently leads the championship by 14 points, with a far this season, collecting 294 points. Will the lethal
a dismal comeback to MotoGP, with his sponsors
tally of 308 points. combination of the crossplane R1 and Spies be able to
announcing their withdrawal from MotoGP leaving
But the sensation of the 2009 season has to be snatch the title from Ducati? Let’s wait n watch.
him in a fix.
Ben Spies. The Yankee from Tennessee has won the Next race: 26 July 2009, Brno
Next Race 26 July 2009, Donnington Park.
AMA Superbike Championship, 3 years in a row, from
66

What’s the Isle of Man all about?
Report Mihir Gadre
What is the ‘Isle of Man’ all about?
Racing at the Isle of Man is perhaps the purest form of
motorcycle racing. The race is run as a time-trial but on
public roads closed for the public during the races. There are
no gravel traps or run off areas. The road surface is far from
racetrack-smooth, while an almost 38 mile course means that
it takes decades to ‘learn’ the track even partially. The bikes are
pushed to their limits on semi-slick tyres and the suspension
has to be pliant enough to accommodate the ruts and bumps.
The racing at the Isle is more real than MotoGP. No wonder
then that in the 100 years of racing at the isle it has seen a lot
of deaths over the years. You got to have real balls to race at
the ‘isle’.
Tourist trophy
August 2009
History
The first race was held in 1907 and was called the International
Auto-Cycle Tourist Trophy. The ‘mountain course’ was raced
for the first time in 1911. The event was a part of the MotoGP
from 1949 to 1976 but was transferred to the United Kingdom
in 1977 due to safety concerns. It was run by the FIM as
the British Grand Prix for the 1977 season. The Isle of Man
TT Races became part of the TT Formula 1 Championship
during the period 1977-1990 to preserve the events racing
status. From 1989 the racing has been developed by the Isle of
Man Department of Tourism as the Isle of Man TT Festival.
The TT Races are a part of the TT Festival covering two weeks
from the end of May to the beginning of June every year. The
first week consists of practice racing with the second week
being the main racing event.
Joey Dunlop:
John McGuinness:
Joey Dunlop is widely acknowledged to be the most talented
road racer to have ever lived. This media-shy man from North Known as ‘Morecambe Missile’ or
Ireland was known as the ‘King of the Road’. He contested in ‘McG’, John McGuinness currently
25 TTs and won a record 26 races in total making him the most holds the outright lap-record for the
successful rider at the isle. His achievements include a triple hat- ‘mountain course’ at 17:12.30 at an av-
trick at Isle in 1985, 1988 and 2000. He died in Estonia, in erage speed of 131.578 mph. He races
2000 while leading a 125cc race (he had already won the 750cc for the HM Plant Honda team and has
and 600cc events) when he lost control of his bike in the wet and a total of 15 race wins at the TT to his
suffered heavy impact with a tree. credit.
63

Mike Hailwood
Widely regarded as one of the greatest racers of all time,
Mike Hailwood a.k.a ‘Mike the Bike’ started racing in
1957 at the age of 17. By 1961, Hailwood was racing
a four-stroke, four-cylinder 250 cc for a Japanese up-
start factory named Honda on which he won the 1961
250cc MotoGP world championship. In 1962, Hail-
wood joined MV Agusta and went on to become the
first rider to win four consecutive 500cc World Cham-
pionships. In 1966, Hailwood went back to Honda
and won four more world titles in 1966 and 1967 in
the 250 cc and 350 cc categories Hailwood was also an
equally accomplished racer at the Isle of Man. He won a
Classes: August 2009
total of 14 TTs including three straight wins during the Steve Plater
1961 event. He won what many consider to be the most
dramatic Isle of Man race of all time, the 1967 Senior
TT against his greatest rival, Giacomo Agostini. In that
race he set a lap record of 108.77 mph on the notorious
Honda 500-4, which stood for the next 8 years. After
that he turned his attention towards Formula 1. He par-
ticipated in 50 Formula One Grands Prix, achieving two
podium finishes. In 1978, after an 11 year hiatus from
motorcycling, Hailwood performed a legendary come-
back at the Isle of Man TT. The 38-year-old managed a
hugely popular win riding a Ducati 900SS. The follow-
ing year he raced at the TT for the last time. In that final Senior TT
IoM appearance, Hailwood rode a 2-stroke 500cc Suzu-
ki in the SeniorTT and he won the race. He then opted
Senior TT: This category allows any machine eligible from TT Superbike, TT Superstock or Supersport Junior
TT categories and consists of a 6 lap race around the mountain circuit. Steve Plater won the 2009 race when his
to use that same 500cc bike in the Unlimited Classic and HM Plant Honda teammate, John McGuinness retired due to a broken chain.
battled for the lead with Alex George (1100cc Honda)
for all 6 laps in yet another TT epic losing by just 2
seconds. He retired with 76 Grand Prix victories, 14 Isle
of Man TT wins and 9 World Championships at the Ian Hutchinson
age of 39.
TT Superstock:
These races allow bikes with displacement
of 600-1000cc 4 cylinders, 750-1000cc 3
cylinders or 850-1200cc 2 cylinders and
complying with FIM Superstock specifica-
tions. Ian Hutchinson won the race taking
his total win of the season to 2, one better
McGuinness.
Supersport Junior TT
These races allow bikes with displacement of 400-600cc
4 cylinders or 600-750cc 2 cylinders and complying with
FIM Supersport specifications. Padgetts Racing’s Ian
Hutchinson won the first race on the Honda 600 RR Fire-
blade, while Michael Dunlop won the second race riding
a Yamaha R6.
Michael Dunlop 64
 Classes:
XGP August 2009

TT Superbike:
These races allow bikes with
displacement of 750-1000cc 4
cylinders, 750-1000cc 3 cylinders
or 800-1000cc 2 cylinders
and complying with World
Superbike specifications. Veteran
John McGuinness won the race
surpassing Mike Hailwood’s tally
of 14 race wins.
TTXGP
The TTXGP was a new event for the 2009 for bikes powered
without the use of carbon based fuels and zero toxic/noxious
emissions. The race consisted of 1 lap around the mountain
circuit. The TTXGP was divided into two categories professional
and open. The motorcycles had to weigh 100-300 kg in race
ready mode. The official qualification time was 50 minutes an
average speed of 45.16 mph for 1 lap of the Mountain Course
without stopping.

Team Agni
‘McG’

Professional Class:
The professional class will be conducted in four different categories for electric
bikes, fuel cell bikes, hydrogen powered internal combustion engines and hybrids
in the future. This year there was only one category, the e-bikes. Rob Barber took
the chequered flag aboard the Team Agni bike. After dominating both practice
laps, Barber cruised uncontested to the finish with more than a three-minute
advantage over the XXL squad with a time of 87.434 mph Barber beat the
standing 50cc record at the Isle. The German XXL team came second recording
the highest speed of 106.5 mph while team Brammo from USA finished third.
Team Electtric Motorsport

TT Sidecar:
Open Class:
The TT (Tourist Trophy) California based electric motorsport
Sidecar Motorcycle Races cover crossed the line at the top of the time
113.19 miles/182.1 km over 3 sheets while barefoot motors from Oregon
laps on the Mountain Circuit. came second. Team Tork from Pune, India
The races allow sidecars built took the final podium step. It was a great
according to ACU Formula 2 achievement for team the engineering
Sidecars specifications. Dave students from Pune University who proved
Molyneux and Daniel Sayle their worth on the international stage at
won the Sidecar A event the veryfs first TTXGP.
astride A & J Racings 600cc Team Tork
DMR Suzuki. 65
Moto Magnate
Aurangadbad based Endurance Group
is a global force in casting, suspension,
transmission and braking products. With
more than 4500 employees working in 25
plants across the world, Endurance is one
of the largest two-wheeler components
manufacturing companies in India. We
engage the Group MD in a one-to-one
Q1). Endurance is a relatively new name in the field of
suspension system OEMs. How is the market treating
a young player like you? How was the transition from
a startup like Anurang Engineering to a stronger
establishment, ‘Endurance Group’?
A). This group started in the year 1985 as “Anurang
Engineering Co. Pvt.Ltd.” and we were in the business
of aluminium die cast components. Since it was the start
up of the Venture, so everything was to be set up from
scratch. This included system, procedures, controls,
finance, management, human resource, etc. From the year 1996, we entered
into the business of Suspension, mainly with two-wheeler shock absorbers
and slowly we entered the business of transmission and braking. Today, after
Anurang Engineering Co. Pvt.Ltd. merged with Endurance Technologies Pvt.
Ltd., which is a parent Company, the group stands firm and is specializes in
the business of suspension, transmission and aluminium dye casting.
Q2). Systems like mono-shocks, inverted forks, lightweight engine
castings and alloy wheels are some the most essential elements for
motorcycles in the global market. The Indian market however hasn’t
adopted these technologies in full swing. When do you see such
technologies going main stream in our market?
A)The Monoshock technology has already come to India through
Honda and I am sure, other vehicle manufacturers will be following
the same. We have already invested with WP Suspensions for
monoshocks and inverted front forks for motorcycles. With this, we
will be supplying very soon to one of the 2 wheeler manufacturers for
their future models.
Q3). Which motorcycle manufacturers are you currently working
with?
A).We are the largest suppliers to Bajaj Auto Ltd. We are also
supplying to Royal Enfield Motors Limited, Piaggio, Yamaha and
Suzuki. We are not making any investments in any other expansions.
We want to consolidate operations, which is spread over 18 plants all
over India.
Q4). Hybrids, electric and alternative fuel powered vehicles are a
foreseeable future according to experts. What is your say on this?
Further, is Endurance playing any role in this regard?
A).We are working very closely with one of the electric bike
manufacturers and we can foresee a good market for such type of
vehicle, whether it is electric or alternate fuel powers.
August 2009
Q5). Recession is something that the whole industry is stung
with. Fortunately though, the Indian automobile industry has
been showing a steady growth over the past few months. What
is your take on the whole scenario?
A).We were also affected by economic downturn, since OEM
manufacturers reduced/stopped productions. Though we have
seen slight growth in last 2 months, we are still very cautious
about the entire scenario.
Q6). What effect has Budget 2009 had on you as well as the
automotive industry as a whole?
A)There was no special announcement in the Budget 2009 for
the auto component industry. The excise duty cuts which were
announced by the government before the budget gave slight
benefits to the automobile industry. We think that withdrawal
of FBT will definitely help the companies.
Q7). Since you are constantly working towards newer
technologies, what do you think is the future of Indian biking?
A).The Indian motorbike industry will now witness a lot of new
technological changes in the motorcycle design, styling, engine
capacities and their efficiency. keeping price in check will be
important in the days to come. The two wheeler manufacturers
are now investing in newer technology which is good for all tier
1 vendors.
Q8). Is there any message that you would like to convey to all
our bikers/readers?
A). We would like to request to all motorcycle riders to use
genuine products for the maintenance o f their vehicles. This
will benefit the owners in the long run. Duplicate, spurious and
substandard products may be cheaper but they result in more
trips to the service station. In the long run, these duplicate parts
turn out to be more expensive than the originals ones.
67
This month Motoroids caught up with the ‘Rubber Rippers’ on the biking August 2009
trail. Here’s all the important information about this biking club.

Q) When and where was the club formed?

A) Team Rubber Ripperz was formed in December
2007,with 6 members. We are functional in Pune
and Mumbai as of now.

Q) How often do members meet up?

A) The active members meet up every weekend.

Q) Which aspect of riding is the group more into?

A) Touring / long distance trips.

Q) What distinguishes this biking group from others?

A) It is the only motorcycle club which is exclusive for
Pulsar 200s and Pulsar 220s.

Q) How many riders are associated with the group

currently?
A) There are 28 members so far in the club.

Q) Do the members have any common hangout

zones?
A) There is no specific place where we hang out.
But the most likely places are Chandani Chowk,
Koregaon Park and Kondhwa areas in Pune.

Q) Where is one most likely to see the group in

action?
A) Chandani Chowk and Mutha Ghats near Pune.

Q) Is there any biking hierarchy within the group?

A) No we donot have any such system.
All the members are treated equally.

Q) Are there any requisites to joining the group?

A) Yes,you need to be the owner of a Pulsar 200/220. Along
with the bike you need to have a proper riding helmet.

If you are interested in joining this group, drop in a

mail to murtaza_poonawalla2005@hotmail.com

If you want your biking group to be featured on

this page drop in a mail to clubs@motoroids.com with
your group’s pictures and answers to all the questions
above
68
 25 july 2009August 2009

IceKUBE Acoustic Speaker

The IceKUBE acoustic speaker from IceTech (USA) is the first
compact device of its kind. It produces fantastic sound from
almost any solid surface using the latest acoustic vibration
technology. Sound waves emanated from the IceKUBE
become vibrating pressure waves, transferring sound to the
surface it’s sitting on, turning it into an acoustic speaker and
create a surround sound ‘feeling’, making your room come Nokia N97
alive with high quality sound.
The latest from Nokia features a big touch screen, a full QWERTY keyboard, and
Price: Rs. 4,500 32GB of internal flash memory, 3G support, Wi-Fi, GPS and a 5-megapixel cam-
era. But neither the touch user interface nor the resistive touch-screen even comes
close to that of the iPhone. Adding to its woes is its sky-high price tag, and an
outdated operating system but nevertheless all you people are still going to ‘desire’ it
and so we had no choice but to feature it on this page.

Price: Rs. 34,000

Aiptek pocket projector

Portable Video Players are history! What’s the kicks in watching your
favorite videos on a 2 inch screen? Get the Pocket Projector on your
palm and project your videos in a huge 50 inch size, wherever you like.
The Digital Video Projector from Aiptek uses LCoS (Liquid Crystal on
Silicon) projection technology and can project videos from your iPod,
DigiCam, Camcorders, Cell Phones, and also your Game Consoles.

Price: Rs 17,000
69
 August 2009

If the first installment of the ‘Transformers’ movie blew your minds off, then the
sequel is all set to sweep you off your feet! The ‘Revenge of the Fallen’ introduces
motorcycles into the robotic mayhem. Contrary to the reports of a Buell based Ar-
cie robot that floated on the net, the movie in reality employs the services of a MV
Agusta F4, a Ducati 1098 and a Suzuki B-King as a part of the ‘Autobot’ gang. Apart
from the bikes and Megan Fox serving as eye candy, the movie has a few heartrend-
ing scenes too, like the Audi R8 being sawed down for example. Enough of spoilers
then, we think its time for you to watch Transformers now.
Motoroids Tip:
Don’t waste bandwidth downloading the low-res DVD rip. Instead watch it on
the big screen at a theatre near you. It’s worth every penny.

Masala movies woven around the ‘biking’ subject, like Bikers Boyz or Torque are
good eye candy. However, it’s the motorcycle documentaries like The Long Way
Round or Faster that really appeal to a true biker. One such Indian documentary
that earned a lot of applause from bikers around the globe was ‘Riding Solo To
The Top Of The World’. And if you are one of the many like us who were smitten
by that Dirt Track Production, then this is just the film for you. Christened ‘One
Crazy Ride’, this new documentary chronicles the adventures of five bikers
charting their own route through the eastern extremes of India. To know more,
or to order your own DVD, log on to www.dirttrackproductions.com

70
ACID TEST
New gear, more often than not will work perfectly. We tell you what state it’ll be in
after it undergoes some hammering
ROHIT’S ALPINESTARS SMX-4
Collecting riding gear is fast becoming a passion for me. As far
as race boots go though, it’s only a set of Alpinestars SMX-4
that I have been cherishing for over an year now. I have had the
liberty of trying on some other brands/models as well, but the
SMX-4 has suited me the most, yet. Being less hardcore than
the top of the line race boots, the SMX-4 are softer around
the ankle, making it easy to walk around when you are off
your bike. On the bike, the sole is perfectly contoured and
works well even on the footpegs of bikes like the Pulsar or
the Karizma, which are niether too commuter oriented, nor
too hardcore. These boots can pose a problem while shifting
August 2009
on the footpegs of out-and-out commuterish, rubber laden
footpegs of some bikes. The toe end of the boot is quite broad
and swollen, making the process of squeezing your leg between
the peg and the gear shifter a little difficult. I have had a couple
of crashes while having shod these boots and they have served
their purpose just right. There is an extra bit of protection for
the heel and the shin, while the ankle is designed to bend in
the forward direction only, and not sideways. The stock plastic
toe sliders are sufficiently thick but if you tend to scrape your
toes on a regular basis, I would strongly recommend shifting to
the magnesium type – they are thicker and have a longer life.
DSG NERO
The DSG NERO proved to be a very good investment for me
being my very first article of riding gear. Firstly, it’s easy on the
pocket compared to most of the riding gear available in the
market. Secondly it caters perfectly to your need for a basic
riding jacket. The jacket comes with a water proof liner and
protective elements in the shoulder, back and elbow regions.
The jacket works well in various weather conditions. For rains
or winters, the waterproof-cum-thermal liner is a boon and
fits in very comfortably with minimum water seepage. In
the summer, get rid of the liner, and the six air vents provide
enough ventilation.
There is some space inside the liner to store your cellphone
and a few other small articles and protect them from getting
drenched during wet weather. The textile quality is good and
the zips never get stuck. Earlier DSG jackets had this problem,
but my jacket comes from a later lot whereon the company has
adressed the issue.
With practically no drawbacks (except the velcro around
the neck that tends to leave a rash sometimes) the jacket is a
steal for its Rs. 5250 price tag.
72
 ACID TEST
A
fter about nine long years, dozens of crashes, relentless
abuse and clocking close to one lakh kilometers, the
good old Fiero is still as ready for responsibility and
game for challenge as it ever was. It has withstood
the toughest test that ever could be – the test of time. It still
functions with clockwork precision, consistently returns a fuel
efficiency of 45kmpl and gives its peers a good run for their
money. The rock solid and incredibly reliable bike has proved
its mettle yet again by winning the cover story contest featured
elsewhere in this issue by a huge margin.
The time has taken its toll on its heart though, the engine
somehow doesn’t feel as punchy as it did during its prime, and
sometimes I do feel the need for a bit more poke when on the
highways. The lack of a fifth gear too makes itself obvious after
having ridden the modern 150s. It’s been some time since I
replaced the clutch plates and it’s quite evident that I’ll have
to go in for a new set very soon. While ascending the ghats,
August 2009
TVS FIERO
I realize that the gap between the ratios of the second and
third gear is quite large. Third cog feels a tad too tall to thrust
ahead with assurance, while second is a little too short and
revvy. The front tyre, even after having done close to a hundred
thousand kays, still has some groove left on it. It’s all thanks
to the feather-light front of the bike that makes its steering
probably the lightest ever on any reasonably powered bike in
the country – making it one of the best off-roading machines
the country has produced.
Of course, I cannot compare its corner carving capabilities
to the incomparably better balance of today’s bikes, but knowing
that this bike was one of the first 4-srtroke 150s of the country,
I don’t have anything to complain about. Utterly robust and
reliable, the Fiero holds true to the Indestructible epithet
YZF-R15
bestowed very fondly by the journalist fraternity on it. I know it This puny little 150cc monster needs no In all these months the R15 has clocked a little
doesn’t anymore take a Fiero to catch a Fiero, but its sure takes a introduction. Every other automobile over 10,000 kms since it was parked away as a
Fiero to make my heart skip a beat. journalist, including me, has been praising weekend bike. But times are changing and this
this Yamaha, times without number, for its bike is now assisting me in my daily commutes
handling abilities and how it’s made fodder as well. And this is precisely where she has started
of the cubic capacity game by delivering a impressing me even more. Its light weight build
performance that could shame bikes closer to and precise handling gives it flick ability like
the quarter litre capacity. Since none of the none other. I agree to the fact that there is hardly
other magazines have given the readers a long any juice under the 5,000 mark. But once you
term report yet, let me be the first to do it. get used to the bike, keeping her in a meaty range
Even amidst all the praise, there have been isn’t all that difficult. She has been returning me
people ridiculing the R15 too – essentially the a decent fuel economy between 35 to 40 kmpl
breed who advocate the fact that there isn’t any within the city. No parts have been replaced yet,
replacement for displacement. But putting all but by this month end I would be going in for a
such critics aside, I did buy this motorcycle. A new set of clutch plates, oil and air filter change
downgrade as some would call it, I sold of my and would be shifting from the Yamalube mineral
220cc motorcycle for this baby supersport. oil to Motul semi synthetic. Read this space next
So have I made a mistake? No, I don’t think so. month for my R15 experience after I change the
I have owned this bike for almost a year now. aforementioned components.
71
tech-speak August 2009

Report Mihir Gadre

What’s the deal with this new engine ?

After an intense evaluation of all engine concepts the Saint-Hilaire
team designed a unique engine called the Quasiturbine combustion
engine in 1996. The Quasiturbine engine has none of the intricate
parts of a typical piston engine like a crankshaft, valves, pistons, push
rods, rockers or cams. It operates more like a rotary (Wankel) engine.
The housing (stator) forms the cavity in which the rotor rotates. It
contains an intake port, an exhaust port and a port for the spark-plug.
The rotor is made of four blades, which replace the pistons of a typical
internal combustion engine. As the rotor blades turn, the volume of
the volume of the chambers varies. First the volume increases, which
allows the fuel-air mixture to expand. Then the volume decreases,
which compresses the mixture into a smaller space. As the mixture is
compressed, a spark ignites the mixture which pushes the rotor giving
motion. However unlike a 4-stroke engine, as soon as one combus-
tion stroke is ending the next is ready to fire. In one revolution of the
rotor, four power strokes are created. That’s eight times more than a
typical piston engine! The result is continuous combustion, just like in
the airplane gas turbine.

What are the Advantages? Why aren’t we already using it?

The Quasiturbine engine is able to burn fuel more efficiently than Considering the modern internal combustion engine has
any other type of engine. It also has some other significant advan- enjoyed almost 120 years of design refinements, the Qua-
tages like almost no vibration because the engine is perfectly bal- siturbine engine is still in its infancy. The engine is not used
anced, faster acceleration without a flywheel, higher torque at lower in any real-world applications that would test its suitability as
rpm, nearly oil-free operation and lesser wear and tear because of less a replacement for the conventional IC engine. It is still in its
moving parts. The one and only Wankel engine still in production, prototype phase. The best look anyone has gotten so far is when
the Mazda RX8’s engine already puts out an incredible 2xx bhp from it was demonstrated on a go-kart in 2004 (check out the video
a 1.3 litre engine. But unlike the Wankel engine, the Quasiturbine on YouTube). So why aren’t the Hondas and Audis of this world
is also more fuel efficient than a conventional IC engine. Ongoing even acknowledging this technology, well because they have al-
research at the Sweden University is claiming it to be upto 60% ready invested zillions of dollars in developing the conventional
more fuel efficient than a conventional engine. So if and when the engine, and it will take up atleast a decade of R&D to get the
Quasiturbine becomes a reality we might be able to extract upwards Quasiturbine ready for use.
of 300 bhp as well as 30 kpl from say a 1.3 litre engine. For more information on the Quasiturbine engine, other engine
types and related topics, check out the links on our website.

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History August 2009

The Wanker!
Report Mihir Gadre

Y
ou might have heard about the Wankel rotary engine from Mazda’s RX8 sports car, but did you
know that the rotary engine found its way into some motorcycles as well? The most notable of
the rotary engined bikes produced was the Suzuki RE5. Many manufacturers experimented with
the Wankel engine in the early 70’s but Suzuki was the only motorcycle manufacturer that used
the rotary engine on a mass produced bike.
Suzuki showcased its first and only, rotary engined motorcycle at the Tokyo motor show in late 1973.
The RE5 was Suzuki’s technical flagship at the time. The engine was based on NSU’s licensed Wankel ro-
tary technology. It was an extremely refined mill, thanks to its design with no reciprocating parts like the
conventional IC engine. The rotary engine produced impressive power figures from a low displacement
engine and seemed perfect for motorcycle applications.

The ‘75 Suzuki RE5 with Star-trek inspired dials and tail-lamp.

The Mazda RX-8, currently the only production The Wankel engine in its complete form and glory. The ‘76 REs ditched the star-trek inspired dials for normal
automobile with a rotary engine. dials and a conventional tail-lamp
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 August 2009
SpecificationsSuzuki RE5 Suzuki GT550
Engine type Single Rotor 2-stroke Air-
Wankel engine cooled inline-3
Displacement 497 cc 543 cc The rotary engine has a much simpler design as there is no need for cam- for the tip seals by mixing oil with fuel. The carburetor was adapted from a
Power 62 bhp at 50 bhp at shafts, crankshafts, pistons, connecting rods, intake and exhaust valves and
thus has a very few moving parts, making it refined and rev-happy. The RE5
rotary power unit in a car and was exceedingly complicated by motorcycle
standards (of the day) and only operated well when in a carefully tuned
6,500 rpm 6,500 rpm was quite advanced in its steering and overall handling with critics around state, something often outside the abilities of the average owner.
the world remarking on this. It also had exceptional ground clearance and Motorcycle buyers in the mid-1970s did not take to the RE5, and very few
Torque 75 Nm at 54 Nm at you had to be a brave man indeed to scrape the pegs of an RE5 on its origi- of them were actually sold. Final numbers were around 7,000 units world-
3,500 rpm 6,000 rpm nal Japanese tyres. wide with most of those going to the U.S.A. The RE5’s complex looking
The RE5’s rotary engine produced a lot of heat, requiring a large and cum- mechanicals combined with some teething problems made the buyer’s look
Fuel consump- 11-12 kpl 13-15 kpl bersome radiator for liquid cooling as well as a separate oil cooling radiator. for safer alternatives. The reality though was that the bike was much sim-
tion The very high exhaust temperatures necessitated the use of an air cooling
duct between inner and outer shells along with external heat guards mak-
pler than it looked and gave good service to the few who persisted with it.
Many RE5 owners have lovingly restored their bikes. On the road, the bike
Weight 229 kg 200 kg ing the exhaust pipes heavy and complicated. Ignition was CDI but used was heavy compared to the GS500 but was much more powerful and more
two sets of ignition points, one for normal acceleration and the other under importantly produced substantially more real world torque. Ridden sensibly
Acceleration: 13.9 sec at 148 14.6 sec at 141 deceleration. This also required additional sensors and speed relays. There the bike would return around 37 miles per imperial gallon. Treated well, the
Quarter Mile kph kph were three separate oil tanks (sump, gearbox and total loss tank) and two oil RE5 proved to be a reliable bike provided you were prepared for its Achilles
pumps (one for normal engine lubrication and one to supply oil for tip seal heel, the single spark plug. Carry a spare one and the bike was as good as
Top speed 176 km/h 158 kph lubrication via the carb). The throttle controlled not only the primary car- any Japanese machine of its time. It has to be one of the most novel vintage
buretor butterfly but a second valve in the inlet manifold of the secondary machines on the road today.
How the RE5 compared to a contemporary 550 cc two-stroke throat (the “port” valve) as well as the oil pump which provided lubrication
motorcycle from the Suzuki stable

Hercules Wankel 2000 Norton Commander Van-Veen OCR-1000

From 1974 to 1977 Hercules produced a limited number of
motorcycles powered by Wankel engines. It used a 297cc single
rotor Wankel engine which produced 27 bhp at 6500 rpm and
propelled the 176 kg bike to a top speed of 140 km/h. It also
returned a respectable kpl of 15.5.
The motor tooling and blank apex seals from the Hercules were later used by
Norton to produce the Norton Commander model in the early 1980s. Two
types of Commander were built. The first, code-named P52 was a single-seat
model equipped for police use, while the second version of the Commander,
code-named P53, was a dual-seat model sold as a civilian tourer.
Dutch manufacturer Van Veen produced the OCR-1000 be-
tween 1978 and 1980.The first prototype was completed in
1974 using a 1000 cc Comotor 624 twin-rotor engine. Small-
series production of the OCR 1000 began in 1978. 38 examples
were built before production ceased in 1981.
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 August 2009

The word ‘hybrid’ takes a new

meaning! This bike features
a Bajaj Discover body, a
Hero Honda Karizma fairing
with the Honda emblem and
Wings splattered all across
it. What do we call it? Honda
Discoverizma?!

And you conceited souls thought it was great, eh?

the divine
d f o r
pare
Be pre you sinner!
,
justice

Read that? Don’t you dare involve yourself in

an accident on this road. If only all the roads
in the world had such a sign. Sigh!

‘Do only urine here’. Wait a sec, isn’t that

spot on the door a little too high to ‘do’
anything else? Even the former feat is a little
too difficult to achieve we’d reckon
Let’s get rockin’ baybeh! Yo, dude, get us a Vada
Paav, two Missals and a two Pesal Chai. Oh and
play ‘Laavni’ in the meantime 82
 August 2009

Think you can get crazier than

this? Send us your crazy pictures
at Crazyworld@motoroids.com and
we’ll feature them here along with
your name.

Disclaimer : The pictures in this feature have been procured from the
Internet and are not owned by Motoroids

02 01

01. Wine and dine Indian ishtyle. Have a roasted

child bear with child beer - an unbrewed, raw form
of beer which tastes best when served chilled.

02. Wait a minute, what is that supposed to mean?

Are we supposed to be, or not be Rash (Rohit
Paradkar) to not end in a crash? Very confusing.

03. Who needs a schoolbus? The kid sitting at the

rear ‘seat’ is made to wear a helmet to comply with
the safety regulations.

04. So, which variety of humans would you

03 prefer to have? 04 83
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