Tryst With The Duchess
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by motorcycles.
As an 8-year-old kid, I owned a scale model of the Yamaha R1. I can’t really point a finger on what I liked about it. I remember telling everyone that I will buy an R1 when I grew up. The people around me thought that this was a child’s fantasy and that I would grow out of it.
When I turned 18, being an excited motorhead I got my motorcycle license immediately after my birthday. I was legally allowed to ride! Many people around me got their brand new TVS Apaches, R15s, FSz, and their Pulsars. I knew that I needed my first motorcycle to mean something, a product of my hard work. But I knew that the wait was going to be tough. Besides I knew that I didn’t need a motorcycle then, I just wanted one.
By the time I turned 19, I started following the motorcycling industry seriously. I browsed through the forums on xbhp in my free time. I came across this The Leh Diaries (2010): My journey into a childhood dream which piqued my interest and I began reading about travel stories of other people from across the world. I came across Riding Solo to the Top of the World. This documentary was successful in capturing my imagination about traveling on two wheels. I found new aspirations; aspirations that could not be limited. My mind was filled with the inspiration to explore uncharted territories in my country on a motorcycle. I started consuming knowledge from any source I could find about how people fulfilled their passion to ride across India.
Back then, blinded by my love for the Yamaha R1, I wanted to get myself an R15 as soon as I could afford her. But with my new inspiration to explore the unexplored I chose to rethink. I needed a motorcycle that was modern, had exceptional build quality & reliability, had touring friendly ergonomics and decent power to munch down the miles on a highway. Having ridden the R15 myself I knew that she didn’t fit the bill specifically in the ergonomics department. One of the more popular bikes for traveling in India was the Royal Enfield classic 500 which I enjoyed riding myself. She managed to bring a smile to my face. Even though people swear by the bike, she has been known to have reliability issues in the past. But the most important thing why I rejected her was the weight. If I am not super comfortable riding her, I will never be able to enjoy her (I’m still taking about the bike guys). A Bajaj Pulsar was a common sight everywhere and I wanted to stand out in the crowd. Also riding him (definitely male) didn’t evoke any emotion in me; ever.
Now all that was left to be done was to extensively research all other available bikes in India. I began understanding numbers when it came to motorcycles, what does torque translate to? what difference does having an extra cylinder make?. With this new found knowledge, I chose 3 bikes for consideration were the Kawasaki Ninja 250, Honda CBR 250R and the Yamaha FZS. Okay Okay, I know that these three bikes are built for three different purposes and belong to different categories. But hear me out here. All of them can tour in some form or the other. I also read that KTM was going to launch a new bike in India in 2012. But not having heard of KTM before I dismissed her instantaneously.
The Kawasaki, though aggressive can still be categorized as a sports tourer. But eventually, she was the first bike to be bumped off the list. She had impressive performance figures and best in engine among the three, capable brakes and scalpel-like handling. But she was heavy, had a low torque output for the engine and had the worst ergonomics among the three. And at 3+ lakhs INR (2012) ex-showroom I would have to rob a bank. Not to mention that she would be expensive to maintain as well.
The Yamaha was an amazing machine. She was really easy to ride, had great ergonomics and had amazing handling. But I was left wanting for a lot more when it came to outright performance. She didn’t excite me enough. Also, I found the brakes to be lacking and they didn’t inspire any confidence at triple digit speeds. I decided to keep her as a backup option.
The Honda had an impressive engine, was a fully-faired motorcycle built for munching down those highway miles with ease. Honda has an amazing brand value and has been known to make some of the most reliable and versatile bikes in the world in all categories. Despite being a sports tourer, I found her to be as comfortable as the FZS ergonomically. She was a comfortable ride on bad roads. I felt that the only drawback was that she was a bit heavy and you could feel the weight in the corners. After speaking with long term CBR owners, I felt that she would make a solid first bike. Now all that was left to do was to wait and earn enough money to be able to afford the CBR.
But fate had other plans for me. Power To the Rider (now known as Powerdrift) released its detailed review on the KTM Duke 200. Even before I saw her in flesh, it felt like a match made in heaven. I loved the way she looked with the exposed chassis. She was a light and nimble, had an impressive power to weight ratio. She had touring friendly ergonomics. But most of all she was supposed to handle like a scalpel. On the very first ride, I felt like I had a connection with her. It struck all the right chords. I later read up on KTM and I was sold without even having to talk to a salesman.
Over the next 4 months, I saved up enough from my first job to pay for half of the bike. I took a loan from my parents for the rest of the money.
As a 21-year-old kid, on 27th August 2012, I reached the KTM showroom in Gurgaon before they even opened for the day. I barely got any sleep the previous night. I could hardly control my excitement. My childhood dream of riding my own bike was about to be fulfilled. I was not willing to wait another minute after making the payment. I carried 1.36 lakhs cash with me to the showroom. An hour later, I took Duchess home with me. It has been a love affair ever since.