Chapter 4 – The Dilemma.

(continuation of my previous post: https://steemit.com/india/@talesofthetrails/the-first-date)

My parents were half-heartedly convinced for the R15. Mainly because of the pillion seat. My mother being a motorcycle aficionado, wanted a motorcycle on which she could ride as a pillion. This did not seem possible on the Yammie. The booking was to be done after my exams as getting the motorcycle earlier would mean my studies going for a toss according to my mother. “A year more”, I comforted myself. “I had finally zeroed in on the motorcycle, right? A year would go by easily.”

Six months pass by and KTM enters the Indian Market (Finally!) and the Duke 200 is launched. My mind was in a chaos. To further fuel the dilemma, the pricing was attractive. The looks were something I had made peace with when the Duke 125 was showcased. She had my beloved underbelly exhaust as well and had a distinct sound. The instrument panel offered a plethora of information. But was the engine that good?

A friend who had been going through a similar struggle over the years got himself the motorcycle. After a short run on the bike, I eliminated the R15 from my list. After the motorcycle’s run-in period was done, the motorcycle could be ridden on full whack. My friend lent his beloved first motorcycle to me for a day! I sped to Lonavala. The perfect place to test everything the motorcycle could do. I had been riding for over 7 years by then but the animal inside me had been sleeping. Hell, I did not even know if I had one in me! That motorcycle changed everything! She(Duke) did not like going slow! I had never experienced triple-digit speed like I did that day. With a big grin, I returned home and planned to drop the bomb next day.

My mother seemed happy with the decision. She could finally be a pillion! After the excitement had settled, I started thinking about other aspects. There was a considerable amount of wind blast and the riding posture was something I did not like. The front felt light and did not provide the amount of feedback I wanted. (Of course, it can’t. It’s a naked not a supersport stupid!). But I could compromise. That’s what it has been all about, right? My perfect motorcycle did not exist!

“Only if KTM could slap a supersport chassis on this mental engine.” I pondered.

Religiously every day I would go through motorcycling forums to get updated with every possible niggle and experience with the motorcycle before getting her home and since my friend owned one, I knew quite a lot about the bike.