My Ravishing Readhead!

One look at her and i was smitten!Bitten by the crush bug!Head over heels!Or should i say...handle over wheels!Iam talking about that gorgeous female in my life. My flame red Pulsar 150 DTSi v2!:o)

Just run your eyes over those gorgeous 17'', 6 spoke alloy wheels, that sexy tire tread,100/90 section rear rubber. that hot disc brake, those low slung handlebars, those Messerschmit gun style pilot lamps and that hot racy sports bike stance that she exhibits!...Man iam drooling all over!

Enough of that!Lets get down to the brass tax!I bought my bike in Feb 2005 and havent felt better ever since!Shes a dream to ride!...the new gas filled shockers really improve the ride quality.The new 17'' wheels coupled to the low slung handlebar(even on the 150) have really made the handling razor sharp.Shes become a really nimble and surefooted traffic carver.A boon in Pune's MAD traffic!Acceleration has improved a lot over the older version thanks to the ultra short gearing employed due to the adoption of the smaller wheels. Also addition of the ExhausTec has pushed the roll ons through the roof!I can easily pull thte bike from as low as 40 kmph in 5th gear without the engine groaning! And the paint fifnish is simply great!..My flame red colour is HOT.

Now on the negetives. Gearbox is still a major concern. Lots of false neutrals. Espcially if you are into late downshifts. The bike will simply not change gears if stationary!Also, the gas charged dampers tend to bounce a bit with a pillion on board. Can get a bit hairy if you are trying to take that corner Rossi style with a poor soul perched behind you! Ground clearance has gone down a bit thanks to the smaller wheels! Have hit the ExhausTec Box on a few rocks once or twice! Top speed has gone down significantly over the previous model. The best i could manage with about 1400 kms on the odo was 105 kmh. But now with more kms logged on and the engine freeing up, i might be able to do better.

All in all i can say that shes a great bike, for the city and the great outdoors!Great power coupled with killer efficiency and head turning looks!..Well what more could i ask for in a bike!..And at 57 grand that too!..Three cheers for my "ravishing redhead"........


(P.S.: Iam planning to buy a K& N filter for my bike soon. Ill publish the performance details about that as soon as i carry it out!)

Age needs to be respected.Not shunned!

Try taking a walk through Kamala Nehru Park in Erandawane nowadays.What meets the eye?Well besides the usual kickle cackle of children and concerned and loving parents tending to them?The answer is, well, old people!Lots and lots of old people.Some sit on the park bench with their spouses sharing a tender moment lost in time, some sit and stare in space, some are involved in laughter clubs, some are actively strolling by(much faster and longer than me much to me embarrasment!!!).

I feel the respet for older folks has gone down a great deal in today's world. All over the globe. America has always been rude to their elders. Thats a well documented fact. But what worries me is that this phenomenon is creeping its way into India too. Which is a very worrying sign. While we are picking up a lot of good stuff from the West, we dont need to pick up the bad too.Ill give you a very personal example to this whole scenario. During my engineering days, i used to travel by bus to college. Now we are all pretty much aware of the pathetic state of PMT buses. More people stand than sit. but what used to disturb me that strapping young youths would stay put in their seats even if a aged person was standing right next to them. Even young girls. Where is the respect and dignity for the elders gone?I dont think our parents brought us up with such values. We must have messed up somewhere ourselves!

I am myself not absolved of all balme. Nor am i trying to be a purist. Heck, i am not the kindest or the most considerate son. Nor grandson. But thats my point exactly. Through various personal experiences i have come to the realisation that the old saying is really very true. Old age is really nothing but a second childhood. Older people need the same kind of tender loving care and attention that children do. The only difference being,you have to give back to old people what you have received from them!

To wrap this up id like to say that while living for yourself is importnat, living for others is also equally important. Our parents need our support in their old age. We owe it to them. It is one of the biggest virtues of us Indians as a people: Our respect for elders! Let our generation be the flagbearers of this virtue!