We would immediately presume that our dream bike need not be real at all. But I think that my dream bike is more than real and the only problem is that it is not available.
Bikes are mostly sporty, macho and really male than female. Still I do not understand why girls should not drive these macho vehicles. Our Durga and Chandis should start riding pulsars,comets and bullets ? why not ?
Bikes for an average Indian is only a utility and yet bikes, most of them, are sporty in look and feel. An average Indian looks for high mileage vehicle because of exorbitant petrol prices. The high mileage vehicle even up to 90 km per litre has arrived in the form of 100cc motorbikes. These typically look very lean and mostly they look like the bikes circus jokers used it in circus shows in the olden days.
What happened to good, old 250cc Yezdi type of vehicles? These are no more economical giving a ridiculous mileage, may be lower than even Maruthi 800, so they died a natural death. The Yezdi tried to revive again some time in 1996 but miserably failed with ever increasing engine heat and other problems , with a little bit lean models. Their experiments on gullible Yezdi lowers was finally over.
But our Bullet did not die because it improved itself in mileage giving a little above 30 km per litre and keeping its image as much higher if not more. Though I admit that Bullet Electra, its new variant with little bit of muffled sound, is still my dream vehicle, there is a factor of reluctance for me. I admit that it has always been my dream vehicle because I never ride this vehicle!! You know dream vehicle, dream girls, dream... etc.., finally remain as dream only.
But what is this reluctance factor anyway even if it means my dream vehicle? The biggest resistance for me is its price. You have to shell out nearly 75000/= (am I right at the price? am not sure) to own this and hope to have pocket full with currency to fill the tank with petrol. It is a most demanding vehicle I know. At the most safe vehicle because of its good weight, balance and easy to control direct neutral and you hear very few or no news of its accidents. It is most reliable and most decent. Its dignity is unparalleled, it macho, the whole of a man, a lions roar etc., are the wonderful things about the Bullet.
My dream vehicle is Bullet indeed but not at the price and not certainly at that mileage.
If only Eicher motors (I think it owns the Enfield now) can bring down the price to just 50,000/= there would be no better bike than a Bullet today. Why should it not be possible? When Tatas would likely bring out a Rs. One lakh car, why is it not possible to Eicher to bring out the Bullet bike for 50,000/= on road price?
Why is it not possible for these 350 cc bikes to have 50 km mileage in normal city conditions?
Imagine a Bullet 500 cc vehicle , with wonderful two-tone colours and dual horn ,wide tyres , with 50 km mileage just available for Rs.50,000/= plus insurance, tax etc., . You would jump out of this dream and straight run to its show room, would not you? It is all right if you would not, surely I would run to the show room to book the vehicle even before it comes. But the only problem would be unending queue at the booking counter!
But I do not want to have such wild dreams! I want to be a little bit practical and searched all over the web sites for 250 cc vehicles with 25 bhp raw power with a weight at least 150 kilograms. I know after many years of riding scooter and bike riding, I know how important it is of the bike to have a good weight.
At last I found it! Not in dreams but in realty only to be discouraged later. And that is the pricing factor again.
It is as you may have guessed, KINETIC COMET. It is 250 cc with minimum weight 150 kilo, plus tubeless tyres, alloy wheels, electric start and what not? But see the price. Its cost is 1, 67,000/= plus taxes, plus insurance! You can as well buy a Maruthi 800 with this price. COMET, off course, has the bhp of 27. But the very idea of buying it , is kicking me in to the hell with its price. ACQUILA from the same company with a little lower bhp may be 26 bhp, also cost you well above 1, 67,000/= plus life tax and insurance. Mileage of this vehicle ( only imported from Korea when you place an order and that too not from all cities of India ) the web site does not mention but may be it is 35 km. So I need to go to sleep again and dream that this vehicle is now available for Rs.50,000/= only and as you may guess , I am ready to compromise with its mileage and it need not give me 50 km and even 45 km. Only a spoon lesser petrol may do. After all we should not dream impractical dreams. I remember a joke, an Indian guy went to Japan. There in Japan, none other than Mr.Honda is showing his factory to our blessed brother. Mr.Honda stopped at a motor bike and said “Look here is my dream bike. I can ride this even with a spoon of petrol’’. But our brother simply asked ’’Mr.Honda, I want to know weather it is a small spoon or a bigger one?”
I want to come down to realty and want to compromise with a little bit of mileage factor but really anyone can give me 250 cc bike weighing 150 kilo and at least ( I compromise here ) 40 km mileage just for Rs.50,000/= ? .
Let us imagine that one day our Bullet company come out with 500 cc bike , with more than 150 kg dry weight, 45 km mileage and for Rs.50,000/= only.
