I sat on the fence for a long time, the whole of last year. So, after 6 years and 28 days, I am leaning towards selling it. My first bike, the kick start, non-alloy version of Honda Unicorn. I rode out of the showroom with my dad riding pillion, I had had no training on riding bikes. But, I had waited 18 years, during which I had obsessed over shifting gears by flicking my toes in the air, I had ridden one so many times in my mind that I needed none. So, I slipped it into first and slowly pulled away. Not a care in the world that I have never ridden in the peak evening traffic before. Not a care about anything at all.
A few months later, when the odometer read 4624 KM I took it out on the highway. Back then, the only hang out spot on the now crowded Mysore road was the Cafe Coffee Day at the 68th mile (KM) marker. Today, it resembles a crowded city main road. I never dropped below three digit figures on that entire trip, on a bone stock Unicorn (It came shod with 3.00x18 MRF zapper at the rear). With no Google maps or Wikimapia in those days, the only landmark I knew was, it was somewhere after Channapatna town. After seeing no signs of any Cafe Coffee Day even after crossing the town, I pulled to the side and rang a friend up.
Once back in town, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it had returned a whopping 48 to the liter even after caning it both ways. Be it filling up 1.2 liters of petrol for the only Rs.50 note I had in my pocket and setting off on a city tour, or filling exactly 4 liters of petrol to complete a round trip to Kolar, it was all done. "What if it ran dry somewhere? What if?" That was never a possibility, it wouldn't let me down. It never did. The serious craving for cornering also grew, I would become so elated for two days if I took a corner perfectly and hit the apex. I had a few favorite corners on all my routes, pegs were scraped often, today I will shy away from attempting those corners with such ferociousness.
I did many trips on it, way too many to recount all of them in one post. More than half of the entire running was done on highways and ring roads. I will recount only two of them.
The first one from a one day return trip to Mudumalai in the July of 2007. On our way back, shortly after Gundlupet, Santa's modified P180 threw in the towel. After an hour's failed effort to resurrect it, I and Praveen (another Unicorn rider) had to push home, it was getting dark A glance at the watch showed it was five minutes to six-thirty in the evening. We both started in a staggered formation, in torrential downpour, in the dark, two stock 35/35w Unicorn headlamps for illumination. His requests for butt breaks by flashing his headlamp went unheeded, I convinced him that we will rest for a while at Kamat Lokaruchi and eat something at the same time. Taking two breaks would slow us down, we made it into Kengeri by 9:45 in the night and it was still raining. Roughly, Gundlupet to Bangalore in about three hours, in the rain, in the dark with stock headlamps. I wouldn't even attempt it today.
The second one from the last day of the Jog/Gokarna ride on the Gandhi Jayanti of 2007. We had six bikes, two each of zmas, unicorns and thunderbirds and both 'birds carrying pillions. On the last day, the group split up, one zma, unicorn and 'bird deciding to skip the arduous two wheeled trek till Yana. The day began early, at 0500 in the morning we checked out of our hotel in Kumta and went to Yana forest check post. On our way down from Yana, we stopped over at Devraj's house (the only house on the trek route) for a sumptuous meal. He even tempted the others to stay back by enticing them with naati chicken delicacies. But, I had to head back home. So, by 1:30 in the afternoon we started from Yana forest check post. It was four in the evening when we hit the NH4 near Haveri and it started pouring (doh!). A short break at a Reliance A1 plaza near Ranebennur and patches of broken road around Davangere, four hours later we hit outskirts of Chitradurga. The guys started contemplating taking a room to crash for the night and continue in the morning, as it was still raining relentlessly. A quick call to the guys who had started ahead, we find out that they will be stopping for dinner after Tumkur. They were only a hundred odd kilometers ahead of us even after skipping Yana. So, I offered to ride solo till Tumkur where, I will regroup with the others by the time they finish dinner and continue from there, while these guys can find a hotel and continue the next day. But, it was decided not to split the group any further and we ploughed on. By ten in the night we made it to the Kamat at Dobbspet, some members of the first group were still gnawing on the last crumbs of their meal. I had a filling thali and went back home in a state of trance (I was extremely tired and sleepy as I had a heavy dinner, the only thing I could see was the tail lamp of the guy ahead of me). Close to 650 KMs in a single day (including a trek) in rains, I wouldn't attempt it ever again.
Its funny and ironic that all the roads I have listed in my five most awesome roads I have ridden on post were done on the Unicorn. I bought a zma wanting to get out of the city every weekend, while it has seen good mileage on the odometer, very few of those were churned on the highways. We make grand plans, we grow, we earn, we do a million things. But, nobody can really escape from pining for what we once had or did. The "Ah! those good old days" nostalgia will never spare anybody. Strange is the way of life.
As it's now evident, I can go on another two days recounting every kilometer logged astride the Unicorn. The (fond) memories associated with it are plenty. They are so deep rooted and far reaching. It now becomes obvious why I didn't sell it as soon as I got my second bike. Also, every time I consider selling it, what she said rings in my head
Well, she said many other things too. I have realized that it's not what you had but the experiences and stories they gave you that remain. This being the season for disassociating myself from everything I had grown attached to for the last five or six years, this being the time for moulting, it is only fair that the Unicorn should be sold!
Farewell girl, may you bear better glory to him than your former master!
A few months later, when the odometer read 4624 KM I took it out on the highway. Back then, the only hang out spot on the now crowded Mysore road was the Cafe Coffee Day at the 68th mile (KM) marker. Today, it resembles a crowded city main road. I never dropped below three digit figures on that entire trip, on a bone stock Unicorn (It came shod with 3.00x18 MRF zapper at the rear). With no Google maps or Wikimapia in those days, the only landmark I knew was, it was somewhere after Channapatna town. After seeing no signs of any Cafe Coffee Day even after crossing the town, I pulled to the side and rang a friend up.
Dude! Where is it? I have crossed the town.
It's after the town man, keep looking to your right. Are you going with her?
Yes!
Bugger! :P
Once back in town, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it had returned a whopping 48 to the liter even after caning it both ways. Be it filling up 1.2 liters of petrol for the only Rs.50 note I had in my pocket and setting off on a city tour, or filling exactly 4 liters of petrol to complete a round trip to Kolar, it was all done. "What if it ran dry somewhere? What if?" That was never a possibility, it wouldn't let me down. It never did. The serious craving for cornering also grew, I would become so elated for two days if I took a corner perfectly and hit the apex. I had a few favorite corners on all my routes, pegs were scraped often, today I will shy away from attempting those corners with such ferociousness.
I did many trips on it, way too many to recount all of them in one post. More than half of the entire running was done on highways and ring roads. I will recount only two of them.
The first one from a one day return trip to Mudumalai in the July of 2007. On our way back, shortly after Gundlupet, Santa's modified P180 threw in the towel. After an hour's failed effort to resurrect it, I and Praveen (another Unicorn rider) had to push home, it was getting dark A glance at the watch showed it was five minutes to six-thirty in the evening. We both started in a staggered formation, in torrential downpour, in the dark, two stock 35/35w Unicorn headlamps for illumination. His requests for butt breaks by flashing his headlamp went unheeded, I convinced him that we will rest for a while at Kamat Lokaruchi and eat something at the same time. Taking two breaks would slow us down, we made it into Kengeri by 9:45 in the night and it was still raining. Roughly, Gundlupet to Bangalore in about three hours, in the rain, in the dark with stock headlamps. I wouldn't even attempt it today.
The second one from the last day of the Jog/Gokarna ride on the Gandhi Jayanti of 2007. We had six bikes, two each of zmas, unicorns and thunderbirds and both 'birds carrying pillions. On the last day, the group split up, one zma, unicorn and 'bird deciding to skip the arduous two wheeled trek till Yana. The day began early, at 0500 in the morning we checked out of our hotel in Kumta and went to Yana forest check post. On our way down from Yana, we stopped over at Devraj's house (the only house on the trek route) for a sumptuous meal. He even tempted the others to stay back by enticing them with naati chicken delicacies. But, I had to head back home. So, by 1:30 in the afternoon we started from Yana forest check post. It was four in the evening when we hit the NH4 near Haveri and it started pouring (doh!). A short break at a Reliance A1 plaza near Ranebennur and patches of broken road around Davangere, four hours later we hit outskirts of Chitradurga. The guys started contemplating taking a room to crash for the night and continue in the morning, as it was still raining relentlessly. A quick call to the guys who had started ahead, we find out that they will be stopping for dinner after Tumkur. They were only a hundred odd kilometers ahead of us even after skipping Yana. So, I offered to ride solo till Tumkur where, I will regroup with the others by the time they finish dinner and continue from there, while these guys can find a hotel and continue the next day. But, it was decided not to split the group any further and we ploughed on. By ten in the night we made it to the Kamat at Dobbspet, some members of the first group were still gnawing on the last crumbs of their meal. I had a filling thali and went back home in a state of trance (I was extremely tired and sleepy as I had a heavy dinner, the only thing I could see was the tail lamp of the guy ahead of me). Close to 650 KMs in a single day (including a trek) in rains, I wouldn't attempt it ever again.
Its funny and ironic that all the roads I have listed in my five most awesome roads I have ridden on post were done on the Unicorn. I bought a zma wanting to get out of the city every weekend, while it has seen good mileage on the odometer, very few of those were churned on the highways. We make grand plans, we grow, we earn, we do a million things. But, nobody can really escape from pining for what we once had or did. The "Ah! those good old days" nostalgia will never spare anybody. Strange is the way of life.
As it's now evident, I can go on another two days recounting every kilometer logged astride the Unicorn. The (fond) memories associated with it are plenty. They are so deep rooted and far reaching. It now becomes obvious why I didn't sell it as soon as I got my second bike. Also, every time I consider selling it, what she said rings in my head
We will never sell this bike, this is our first bike. I will never let you sell it. We will keep it forever!
Well, she said many other things too. I have realized that it's not what you had but the experiences and stories they gave you that remain. This being the season for disassociating myself from everything I had grown attached to for the last five or six years, this being the time for moulting, it is only fair that the Unicorn should be sold!
Farewell girl, may you bear better glory to him than your former master!
