BIKERS the saddle

Eye takes a look at some faces behind the helmet to see what drives Delhi8217;s super-bikers and their magnificent machines

Even as I saw him helping customers at the In and Out store he runs at Panchsheel8217;s BPCL petrol pump, I could guess that Ikjot Bhasin would be racing one of those loud snazzy bikes. At 32, he certainly looked the part, with his bright green turban and flamboyant mannerisms. As it turned out, he has owned not one but as many as 20 over the past decade. Having sold some of the earlier Japanese ones to fortunate friends, his current passion is a flaming red Italian Ducati 999. 8220;Whenever I am depressed, happy or just need to clear my head, I go for a ride on it and come back whole again.8221;

It took six years of diligent saving for Nitin, the 28 year-old son of an Air Force officer, to own 8220;his zeroeth girlfriend.8221; That is what he calls his Rs 7 lakh, blue Honda CBR 600 RR. A fanatic researcher on bikes, tinkering with tools gives him as much pleasure as cranking up the throttle. Having something different from any other on the road is a great high, he says, while recounting the instance when a man in a Mercedes that had pulled up alongside him at a red light, quizzed him enthusiastically on his speedster. nbsp;Nitin heads for the high mountains of Ladakh every year. But it won8217;t be his prized CBR 600 that he will be riding this year: that privilege will go to his Hero Honda CBZ. And therein lies a paradox: super-bikes meant for the road less travelled often end up confined within city limits or, at most, are taken for a spin to neighbouring Jaipur. nbsp;

The reason isn8217;t hard to find. These rarefied machines need a good dose of high maintenance. With each tubeless tyre priced at about Rs 25,000 and engines sensitive to even a drop of adulterated petrol, it isn8217;t surprising that super-bikes in India haven8217;t quite graduated to being a travel companion for men like Nitin.

Sunny is welcomed by gasps of awe from shoppers and workers in unison, as he announces his entry to Sarojini Market with the deep rumble of his Yamaha R1 1000cc engine. The 25-year-old runs a garment shop here with his father, who strongly disapproves of his son8217;s dangerous indulgence. It took Sunny just two-and-a-half months of saving from his daily allowances to pick up this Rs 8.5 lakh beauty. He spent an additional Rs 3.5 lakh on performance add-ons. He8217;s used to the crowds gathering around him, casting inquisitive and admiring glances at his metallic steed. Sunny is part of a new tribe growing fast and furious in numbers. You can spot them dashing through the Khan Markets, clad in shorts and floaters, oblivious to the more hardened dress code of the quintessential super-biker. Young men from affluent families, many have graduated to a Honda CBR 1000 RR before even riding a Splendor. While serious bikers are openly contemptuous of them, this brat-pack couldn8217;t care less as long as they can wheelie with the wind.nbsp; nbsp;

In a league of his own is Arun Kapur, the sole owner of Honda Gold Wing, an1800cc 6-cylinder cruiser approx cost Rs 18 lakh. The 55-year-old group president of Quippo Infrastructure is quick to distinguish himself from the brasher super-bikers. Unlike boy racers, cruiser owners have a very different mindset, along with a substantially thicker wallet. For Arun and his friends, comfort and luxury are important elements of the riding experience. 8220;We like to sit back and soak in the landscape, as we cruise around CP, India Gate and the Lutyens zone at 5.30 in the mornings.8221;nbsp;

Cruisers like him have visibly accentuated seats padded for greater comfort, along with the latest technological luxuries that money can buy: 1000 helmets with in-built speaker systems which can be attached to an i-pod and an intercom facility that allows them to talk to their fellow rider on the pillion. Little touches like grip heaters to make cold mornings bearable and yes, even a reverse gear complete a somewhat surreal experience on the Indian road. He has also initiated his 26-year-old son Nipun to the unhurried joys of cruising, by gifting him a Suzuki Intruder 800cc.nbsp;

So there they are8230; five men and their bikes. Their compulsions may vary, their road-maps may be different. But if there is one thing that glues them all, it8217;s what lies between the road and the horizon 8212; that flash of chrome and steel, that grunt of effortless power, that seat in the universe when everything else feels just a little less important.