The Ultimate Motorcycle

Vasanth , Rajaram and Venkat all have posted there dream bikes but dream bikes are always subject to change why because either u achieve ur dream or there is a bike always to replace it example my dream bike is a Ducati 916 this bike was a work of art in fact its in Smithsonian institute in the art gallery and this bike is synonymous with the ducati name and it brought ducati in mainstream it was the same bike that won 4 superbike championships with Carl Forgaty and before this ducati was also in racing and they were successful with there first bike a 125cc grand sport desmo followed by a 250 and then came the legend Mike Hail wood whose father wanted his son to race on a ducati but he was not able to convince the factory to build a bike for his son so he ordered 200 bikes so his son can race and the legend lives on but the irony is ducati was originally a radio making electronics and electrical company but after there factory was destroyed in world war 2 they started making mopeds and followed by appointing the great tagollini who gave ducati the desmo and L-twin which is what still they make
               ok lets get back to dream bike now my 2nd dream bike slowly replacing the 916 though i am fighiting the temptation hard is the ducati desmocidici its about i dunno guess a crore in india and its got a 200bhp L-four engine with titanium valves and all the bells and whistles its a motogp bike for the street same as an f-50 for ferrari

but all these keep getting replaced because am sure there is going to a better bike which ducati might bring out

Then the quesstion what would be the ultimate motorcycle the answer in material terms would be the bikes to come in future years but that kind kills the idea of a dream bike . But what an ultimate bike is it should be soul of the all motorcycles it should be a definition of motorcyle with only the basics and not a fancy gizmo , it should be something which tingles ur senses and lights u up and takes you to everyplace u want to go ie it should not jus be a track weapon or dirt racer it should be something of everything it should be fully mechanical and not some software engineers wet dream with lots of microchips and finally it should be from a place where industrialisation began and hence my friends i give u the ultimate motorcycle

Its a 500cc single which is the soul of any  motorcycle and its the basic machine with no fancy gizmos and its a delight to look at it and a pleasure to ride and its the ultimate truth

Italian Affair

This about a short romance i had with an italian beauty she had this curves which makes u hug her tight and hold her hands and caress them and the experience was amazing i met this naked beauty when i was in dubai i saw her standing all by herself and went to get a better glimpse of her and when  i was about to get close to her there was this whiite guy found out he was an italian and he had also recently come to dubai and so i ended up talking to him and befriended him he was guy he used to come to office in a R6 and he was also had the italian beauty with him and she was jus amazing .the italian and myself used to hangout in the evening together and he also realised my  passion for motorcycle and offered me the  beauty the first few times were in the parking lot and slowly he gained confidence in me and we started going out for late night rides the expresssway to abudhabi was jus amazing and more amazing was the italian babe she was a MV Agusta BRUTALE had a 1078cc 170 bhp engine that jus used to flip ur mind we used to touch speeds that were taboo and this about my experience one and the most memorable one so as usual it was late night and me and my friend left to ride  and we were going on the usual road and a white porsche 911 jus came crusing next to me and inside was a sheik in usual white robe and was snarling at me and we stopped at a signal and u know ur pluses start rising u break a sweat the adearline pumps up and the signal turns green and bang in first i was doing 100k and i had gone through all the gears and the porsche was next to me i had to do something and bang came down two gears and the bike did a wheelie and zooom i was off the porsche was a small spec in my rear view mirror i was going faster than ever gone in any mode on road and i was scared and shivering and let off the throttle and then i heard the grunt and roar of the porsche charging at me and both realised that speed camera we braked hard i got to side of the road and i jus parked the bike and i was shivering scared and its a feeling u can never describe it wat everyone should do once by an insane motorcycle and blast down the road at breakneck speeds but as i said before it was only a breif affair and i realised that when i came back to India  and i also realised that riding down the road on an enfield or jawa is pure bliss the feel of these bikes can never be replicated

thats the beaut i was talking about

Die Cast -II-Hot rods & Muscle

So after the Shelby Cobra  the next acquisition was a Volkwagen beetle & A Chevy Bel Air followed by Chevy Covertte 1957&1959 followed by a  1932 Ford 3 door coupe this had a flat head V8 and its specially favoured by the Hot Rodding community for 2 reasons a) the flat head V8 and b) the ultra cool looks this very car would be the basis for many hot rods

But i wanted to expand my collection further i went and got a Fiat 500 or it was called Topolino italian for Mickey mouse look at the front of the car what does it remind you

after this my recent purchase some week ago was the best i got myself a Ford thunderbird , a chevy Sting Ray and Chevy Impala

and out my collection the impala and the chevy covertte are the best in detail wise they even have an engine  pics of my collection soon

Die Cast Obssession

When i was young my friends used to collect stamps some used to collect coins and i used to collect car toys but i used to buy hot wheels and the first one i got was a pontiac firebird trans am it was red and had a bird decal on the hood the car was ultra cool and it started the passion for vehicles but the ride on my dad's jawa was the one that pulled me to two wheeles but i did buy lots of cars, but losing them at a faster rate and slowly i grew over it i forgot all about the Lamborgini Countach and Ferrari F-50 or the Great F- 40 in which the doors can be opened But Countach was a favourite as the doors opened upwards and small lever under the car will open the pop up headlights and i was facinated anyway now the lost fire has been reindled some time last year i saw this beautiful example of a shelby cobra

 which i bought without any hesitation and now this has become my latest obsession buying die cast models and my collection has grown to 11 cars and all are from the early fifties to the late sixtys and no new ones and i am buying in scale of 1:32 to 1:28 and not the big ones as i like all of them to be of the same size and my  latest acqusitions are so good they even have an engine on the inside and more about this in my next post

The Value of humility

Kubera, the god of wealth, was very proud of his boundless fortune. One day, he organized a gorgeous dinner. Kubera invited Lord Shiva and Parvati to dinner wishing to show off his riches. But, the couple denied Kubera's request and said that he could feed Ganesha instead. Kubera laughed and said 'I can feed thousands of children like this."

Ganesha went to his palace and sat down to eat. He started eating all the food placed in front of him. As was the custom, more and more food was served to him as he did not say that he had enough. Soon there was no more food in the palace and so Kubera ordered his troops to get more food from the surrounding villages. But Ganesha continued eating and there was no more food to be found. Still very hungry, and not satisfied with all the available food, Ganesh started to devour plates and dishes, the furniture and all the content of Alakapuri, the main city of Kubera.

When he achieved to gulp down the whole, the child Ganesh threatened to swallow Kubera himself. Frightened, the god of wealth rushed forward to Shiva's feet to implore his help, since the Ganesh voracious appetite seemed to be unlimited.

Kubera became very frightened. Ganesha told him, " You promised my parents you will feed me. Now, I have to eat you up as I am still very hungry ". Kubera ran away and pleaded with Shiva to save him from Ganesha. Shiva asked Kubera to give up his pride and serve Ganesha a handful of rice. Kubera went back to his palace. By this time, Ganesha's stomach had become very huge but the child was still hungry. When Kubera served a cup of rice with humility, Ganesha's hunger was satisfied.

Whats the difference?

What is the difference between the new motorcycle and old ones, The difference is old ones were international models whereas the new ones are indian specific underperformers

Take the jawa for example from 1960-1970 it was sold around the world from americans to the russians all used the bike and it was affordable in india too but now no american uses a pulsar or a FZ but they use a FZ 1000 whereas we get an FZ 150 but in the good old days all where international models and the quality was also international quality our bikes are running for past sixty years after all the abuses but the bikes these days wont run for more than three years

I was on my way back home and there was an uce enfield riding before me belching white smoke can u beleive it a new bike that smokes after paying a lakh and half now thats the quality we get

The same company in 1980's used to run rigorous checks i was told by my mech once an enfield is manufactured its taken on test ride for some 200km the engine fully checked and the other test was ride the bike without the hands between two walls enough for the bike to go through and the handlebars wont touch the walls and now u get a smoking bike that aint fair.

A true motorcycle

a true motorcycle is the one that makes u smile when u open up the throttle and tear up the most fun part of any ride is a) all the petrol heads getting to gether  and b) the tear up. The lunacy in tearing up is second to none especially if ur riding a yezdi or jawa the tear up is amazing

when u and ur buddy are riding next to each other and ur buddy goes from fourth to third opens the throttle wide and just blasts off and its followed by u  doing the same thats one of the best parts of our rides

everytime i ride with vasanth or kannan sir this is wat we do kannan sir accelerates and i catch up with him and overtake him he will accelerate again and its simply amazing to watch the blast of blue smoke and the roar of the engine its not eco friendly but i dont give a damn

anyway to have a true motorcyle is not to own a liter class bike or something like a two-fifty ninja or a six fifty ninja blah blah .... but its to have a motorcycle that is going to make u smile the one that lets u use all the gears and ride it to its limits and u aint gonna do this on a liter class bike

Plus what an enfield (the old cast iron) or yezdi or jawa would do  is take  u to the 1960's or 70's and u feel like an outlaw  a rebel and that rebellious feeling can only be from a motorcycle like ours

Love is all u need

Why do u like ur yezdi jawa or enfield? why r u so passionate about it?

Is it because they are powerfull or they are fast lets be honest guys the modern bikes definetly perform better and there is no denial to it,our yezdi puts out a measly 13bhp and if its a jawa its just 12 and RX puts out 14 but at just 100cc and the latest boxer 150cc puts out 12bhp that being case its not power

Is it  because of styling atleast jawa or the old yezdi has some charm but the cl-2 or roadking they look like a boxer or herohonda dawn or something like that so it aint because of styling

Handling lets be honest again the bikes come only with half turn and to change direction u have to apply considerable force and literally hold the bike by its neck and drag it and braking,now wat does that mean

But all of us always talk about how beautiful they are and how fast we went and how we overtook a r15 (this would have been in traffic or the r15 rider must be going slow)

Now the question why r we so passionate about our bikes its because they breakdown give us huge repair bills and still breakdown its like u have to pay constant attention to them maintain them and kajole them and that my friend is what makes us mad about them, they look beautiful cos we love them and they are fast to us cos we love them and these bikes have a soul each one of our bikes already have a part of us in them the funny thing is they all look different vasanth roadking is definetly different from venkat's though they are the same bike. all our bikes have there own personality and we love them for that . This reminds me of what i was told when i was young.

When i was some ten years old my  dad used to work in Hotel Connemara and there was a manager in the hotel he used have an enfield and he used booze everynight till he lost his senses and then head home and one day i asked him how do u managed to get home  every night after drinking so much he cooly smiled and said my enfield takes me home and he said it will go on the beach road platform but somehow it will take him home unscathed , i do not wish to argue if it was his bike that took him or if the delerious man was lucky to go home every night . what i liked was the confidence he showed on his machine and he looked at his bike as though it was his care taker and thats the way i feel about my bikes and i think that my jawa as a cowboy and the enfield as brit gentleman and all my machines are older than me and yes they take care of me and i take care of them like the beatles song that goes llike love is all you need love is all u need

Krishna is a bhramachari!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One day Durvasa muni came to riverside and the message went to krishna 

So, Durvasa the great Sage was announced.

"He is on the other side of the river, Lord", spake the messengers, and "and he sends his deep respects".

Then Krishna went into the deep chambers and said to Radha, "Radha, Durvasa the great Sage is come, my dear. We must feed him".

"Oh, then I will cook the food myself" said Radha, and Krishna was very happy at this thought. So he went back to the Hall of Audience, and not long after, Radha came in with all the cooked food. "Yes, the meal is ready my Lord. And I will take it myself to Sage Durvasa".

"Wonderful, wonderful!" exclaimed Sri Krishna, pleased with the devotion of his wife to the Sages.

"I'll go and come," said Radha, and hardly had she gone to the palace door when she remembered the Jumna was in flood. No ferryman would go across. She came back to Krishna and begged, "My Lord, how can I take the food? the river is in flood".

"Tell the river," answered Krishna, "Krishna the brahmachari [The celibate, or who has taken the vow of celibacy] wishes that the way be made for you to pass through."

And Radha went light of heart, but suddenly bethought herself it was a lie. Who better than she to know whether Krishna be brahmachari or not? "Ah the noble lie, the noble lie," she said to herself, and when she came to the river, she said, "Krishna, the Lord, the brahmachari, wishes that way be made for me to pass through".

And of course the river rose high and stood still, but suddenly opened out a blue lane, small as a village footpath, through which Radha walked to the other side. And coming to the opposite shore, she thanked the river, and saluting the great Sage Durvasa, in many a manner of courtesies and words of welcome, spread the leaf and laid him the food.

Durvasa was mighty hungry and he ate the food as though the palm of his hand went down his gullet. "Ah, ah," he said and belched and made himself happy, with curds and rice and many meats, perfumed and spiced with saffron, and when there was nothing left in leaf or vessel, he rose, went to the river and washed his hands. Radha took the vessels to the waters, too to wash, threw the leaf into the Jumna and stood there to leave. Then it was she who remembered, the river was in flood. Sri Krishna had told her what to say while going and not what to utter while coming back.

Durvasa understood her question before she asked - for the sages have this power too -- and he said, "Tell the river, Durvasa the eternal upavasi [He who fasts] says to the river, 'Open and let Radha pass through to the other shore.'"

Radha obeyed but she was more sorrowful. "I have seen him eat till his palm enter his gullet, and he has belched and passed his hand over his belly with satisfaction. It is a lie, a big lie," she said, but she went to the river thoughtful, very thoughtful. "River," she said, "Durvasa who is ever in upavasa says open and let me pass."

And the river opened a lane just as wide as a village pathway, and the waves held themselves over the head, and would not move. She came to the other shore and returned to the palace in heavy distress. "Yes, nature is a lie, nature believes and obeys lies. Lord, what a world," She said to herself and going into the Hall of Sorrowing, shut herself and began to sob. "Lord, what a lie the world is, what a lie."

Sri Krishna knew the cause and cadence of this all, and gently entered the Hall of Sorrowing. "Beloved, why might you be in sorrow?" he said.

"My Lord," she answered, "the river believes you are a brahmachari, and after all who should deny it better than me, your wife? and then I go to Durvasa and he eats with his palm going down his gullet, and he says, "Tell the river, Durvasa who is ever in upavasa asks you to open and let Radha pass." And the river opens herself, makes a way large as a village pathway, and I pass over to this side. The world is a fib, a misnomer, a lie."

"The world, my dear, is not a lie, it is an illusion. Besides, tell me, is my body your husband, Radha?"

"No, my Lord."

"Is my mind your husband, Radha?"

"No, my Lord."

"Then what is it when you say to yourself, 'Krishna, my husband?'"

"Assuredly something beyond the body and beyond the mind -- the Principle."

"And tell me, my love, can you possess that, can you possess it?"

"No, my lord, how can I possess the Absolute? The I is the Absolute." And she fell at the feet and understood, and lived ever after in the light of the Truth.

Ride the ruins- Last Part

Ride Back home

so we went inside alamparai and solo & myself went to climb up the walls, the walls in the corner had steps as it was a fort so we climbed up and down below rajaram was taking snaps of the wall, insects and ocassionaly us

thats a pic of me and solo on top of the tower and climbing down and after that we walked to shore and found vasanth and the gang over thereand as usual vasanth the insane wanted to go for boating and he and aquin went to enquire about the charges and they returned in vain as it was expensive but vasanth made good of it by standing on a boat and thinking its a surf board

so after some time there all the guys were near the shore while myself and rajaram went to explore and take more snaps and after that we all assembled near our bikes

and we left to have a very late lunch at Mamalla , trouble already started on my bike my fuel tap was leaking and the bike was not starting and we had to push start everytime and so with that back of my head and running low on fuel we started and then we went on riding and vasanth was riding behind me and when i found a fuel pump and refuelled only to realise that they do accept cards and as usual vasanth to rescue he gave me cash to pay and we started again ,while others had already left so we started  riding hard in 80s -100s trying hard to catch up and we stopped where Mr.Kannan met this person we had actually stopped before a house and Mr. Kannan asked for a smoke the guy gave the cigarattes and kannan paid he said i do not run a shop this my house and he had given because Mr Kannan asked and he was speaking to us and Mr Kannan started to open my bike to check after much try he cleared my carbs increased the idol and got it in shape and we all headed to mamalla and we reached mamalla only to find aquin and solo missing and after some waiting we called solo who said aquin bike had stopped and he was towinng it and after food we realised that aquin had come to reserve and that being the reason for bike not starting . Anyway we all left for home since it was day before independence day there were cops all over ecr checking but none of us were stopped and we reached our

homes after one the most splendid rides

Me, myself and My Yezdi

Part -1

"The first meeting".

By Aquin

Certain happenings in life, are never intended. But, they change the track of life. And my love with my yezdi was one such story. I was a so called geek, I never had interest in motors or machines. A bike meant nothing more than a mode of commute to me then. I was a typical student of architecture who failed to notice that the sun was back at its place unless my mother knocked over the door.

On my 10 semester course, life was at a phase where, days n nights were filled with tiresome work. I was on my tenth semester, and I was all set to be a professional in a couple of months. My lovable parents were excited about the future that was instore for me and they, started getting stuff for me to start off.

It all started with, my mother booking a swift for me. However, it was understood that I needed a new bike too. So, we were looking for options and came across almost every bike in the market. Some how, I had a different taste from the rest of the youth. I found all the bikes very common. So, I decided to move in for a heavy vehicle. And thus, I proposed for a enfeild. Once we reached the showroom. I understood that, it wasn’t my machine. I was too tiny for the huge machine. Thus, I had to force myself to select a lower CC bike. And after several tries, I ended up finalizing a Yamaha Fz. I liked it better than the other bikes and thus, picked it. I chose the colour and the manager of the showroom suggested me to bring in photographs and other required data to get the bike registered. I wasn’t too happy about deciding, but was glad that the work ended.

The next morning, I was about to start to the showroom.by the time I was tying my lace, it began raining. So we(myself and dad) decided to wait till it stopped. And there was the second cup of tea from mummy. As we sipped the warm cup of refreshment, we started talking about the bike and This is when Daddy, reminded me of his old YEZDI days! I was excited on hearing the name! Who could even forget about the bike that roared all the way taking us to school?. The bike, that was once the biggest and heaviest thing that, nobody except daddy can touch.

I was reminded of my childhood dream of, "riding a Yezdi someday!" I also remembered how badly I wanted to get a yezdi once, I passed out of school. I instantly asked my dad.."can we find myself one?" and his reply was…" if we try hard, Yes! But, u will have to grow more skills to own the bike." He warned me that it wasn’t as easy as other bikes to start off with. However, I felt very satisfied with the thought of finding a yezdi.I changed my mind from FZ to the STUDMACHINE that was once a dream to me. However, my mother wasn’t too happy about changing my mind to get a 2^nd

hand bike, after we all got ready to pick a new bike from the showroom. So, we decided to search for the machine for a couple of days and if, we do not find any, we would return to FZ.



The day started as the car flied a 21 kms from my place at OMR to reach triplicane 2nd sales market. We, entered every single shop enquiring for a yezdi/jawa. There was no luck, however, there were a few who promised to find bikes for us but, needed a week! I dint have patience to wait. After a tiresome search we reached home at 8pm completely exhausted. Its at that time when, my brother searched the internet for adds. We found a few good offers and noted numbers and started calling people. Spoke to some 7 people and fixed up that we would meet them the next day. We started at 9 am, reached the first person at 10:30 in MMDA colony. The person left the key with a shop close by. We went and had a look at the bike. As the shutter of the garage went up, I was able to see those shining chrome silencers and glossy maroon paint. It was such a relish that I fell in love the second I saw the bike. I went closer to it and, put the key in its switch. And like a goof, I asked them "where is the kicker?" with a loud laugh my father pushed the gear leaver in and took it out as the kicker, pumped and kick started the vehicle. The bike with its awesome beat Roared like a lion echoing quakes into the dark metal shuttered shed!. There was a little bit of engine noise, however, dad assured me that bikes of such age, do have certain issues that must be rectified. We waved a bye to the place before we went around in too see options of other yezdis. The day was successful as, we came across seven Yezdis. And as we reached home, I realized that the TAJ-114 the first one I saw was the best deal. I remembered the bike’s mudguard knocking over my leg before I left as if telling me.."take me home with you!" (I know this is a shameless rip from the Tamil movie polladhavan. But, every blog needs sum commercial value) So, we spoke to the owner of the TAJ-114 and he said, he was leaving town next morning and would return in 15 days. We felt bad about not being able to get the vehicle for a couple of weeks. So, an hour later we called him again and enquired about the time he was leaving. He said he was set to go at 7. So we told him we would reach there at 6. Next morning, myself and my dad took a bus at 5 am to his place. I needed my dad to accompany as, I never handled a yezdi before and dad happily agreed. We paid the money at 6:30 am. An amount of 25,000 INR and the bike roared out of the garage. To our dismay, in a distance of 3 kilometers, the fuel was dry. There was a strike for some odd reason and to our bad luck, there were no fuel stations for the next 6 kilometres. So, we had to take shifts and push the bike all the way. Getting Astonishing glances from several other citizens of Chennai. It was the first 10 minutes since I owned the bike and, I got to know that a YEZDI isn’t a easy deal to handle. Finally, we spotted a bunk near olympia IT park. I crossed the road and fetched fuel for the bike. Then we roared all the way back home!. As we reached, kids of the neighborhood and, my younger brothers were spell bound by the roar of the machine. We cleaned the machine as we sipped tea.Did a small photoshoot as, it was mandatory to show proof to buddies on facebook! I clicked pics, uploaded them and received comments within an hour. Little did I realize then,that I had given birth to new passion this day .

Ride the Ruins Part 4- Alamparai

After the fun at sardas we all started to make our way to another fort called Alamparai it was some ten KM from sardas was wat we were told but it was more than that but it was also one the best roads to alamparai , so we bade goodbye to our watchman and enquired about the way to alamparai and he told us that we have to go through kalpakkam township and reach ECR and go straight and hence we went outside and trouble was waiting my bike wouldn start and jus yesterday when i went to garage to get my clutch plates changed i was speaking to Venkat telling him about the way to start a jawa and praising my jawa saying that it always starts and blah blah.. then comes the ass vasanth and he says machan ur bike will not start and i laughed but end of the day my bike was jinxed but like a true jawa it will run so vasanth push started and we were off ooops i almost forgot a funny thing aquin was our water boy that kid loaded his bag fully with ice cold water bottles a real saviour thanks aquin, and he was carrying oil in a pepsi bottle and i took the bottle and was about to drink and thank goodness i was stopped by aquin. Anyway so we started and took off through some narrow streets and reached the gates of kalpakkam township , its a amazing world inside kalpakkam town there is clearly landsscaped clean smooth roads and its a well laid out town and the quality of life should be amazing there

thats a pic of Kannan sir and rajaram riding inside the township so we finally came out of the town and were back on ECR to a place called kadambampadi village and we were told that were alamparai fort is and the weather was not too hot and the road was amazing though there were these buses from hell comming in the opposite we were on a bike so even a tarmac on the edge was enough . The road was smooth and trees on both sides and occasional houses and resorts we were thundering and Kannan and vasanth started racing and solomon was gave cut with his yamaha to slip between a car and a bus the best part was were the road was like a chicane and four of in rows of two attacked the chicane at some amazing speed we were doing about 90-110kmph and it was pure bliss and we kept riding and my bike was slowly losing steam at top speed and finally we found the road to alamparai and we were close to pondy it was forty KM to pondy from there and we took the right and went to alamparai

The fort had grand entrance but inside it was nothing

anyway more on wat happended in next part

Ride the Ruins Part -3 Sardas

The Sardas Fort
                      so after we loaded ourselves at mamalla we started racing towards kalpakkam , kalpakkam is also the loacation of the nuclear powerplant, anyway so we were happily gunning our engines and we came to an fork in the road to kalpakkam and headed towards that once we went into the road it was amazing it was some one and half lane road with palm trees on both side and we were thundering down this road , we stopped for some beauty shots

after the above beauty shots we headed slowly to find out where the fort was and we reached a beach and straight down was the fort some history about sardas now

Sadras (Tamil: சதுரங்கபட்டினம்) is a fortress town located on India's Coromandel Coast in Kanchipuram District, 70 km south of Chennai in Tamil Nadu state. Sadras is the anglicized form of the ancient town of Chadhuranga Pattinam.
Modern Sadras was established as part of Dutch Coromandel in the seventeenth century, and became a center for weaving superfine muslin cloth for export. The magnificent Sadras Fort, built for commercial purposes by the Dutch, is a vast compound enclosing a huge granary, stable and structures used to mount elephants (unfortunately only one of these structures survives). The fortress was raided by the British in 1818 and came under the control of the British East India Company. It is now maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India in efforts to contain further dilapidation of this great monument.The first battle between British East India Company and the Dutch started here as Battle of Sadras
In recent times, Sadras has found mention due to its proximity to the atomic power plant (Madras Atomic Power Station) and the atomic research centre (Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research - IGCAR) both located at nearby Kalpakkam. The village of Sadras is sandwiched between the power plant and its township.
The Sadras Fort also contains picturesque tombs.

So we reached the fort and there were two cannons outside the fort and in my enthusiasm rode in only to be asked by the watchmen to park the bike outside and hence we all parked our bikes outside and went into the fort the watch was friendly and also was our guide for the day and he took us around the fort and we even saw a snake skin which a snake had shed recently near the tombs and from the tombs there was a building attached

thats the view inside the building were part of the celling had collapsed and this pic shows the entrance to the building and then we headed out of the graveyard and treated to this view

that shows the layout on the far corner are the granneries and the building near the tree is church and there is also a altar to behead and punish people
thats all of us inside the building

thats us on top of the building and the view from the top takes ur breath away wat u see in the distance is pristine white sand and blue water with a few fishing boats on it its jus amazing and u take a deep breath and its a gush of fresh air thats so refreshing its clears ur mind and heart after that we climbed down and put vasanth in the altar

and walked down to the last building and we were tired and there were a few benches below the tree

we rested there some time i took a small nap and we were off to our next destination ..................(more on it on next part)

CL-II

I got my CL-II yesterday and yes it has come with its own set of problems there is bore noice and right now its rigid the front shocks is stuck and so is the rear , but like a true yezdi it goes fast and beat is amazing , its not excatly wat i dreamed of i wanted a one with a pristine engine but this aint it.
SAD BUT TRUE

Ride the Ruins Part -2

So we left from garage and we reached the RTO and there solomon and jikov were having tender coconut and i joined them for a cool coconut and we all fired up our machines and headed up on the sunlit ECR . Its pure bliss riding with ur motorcycle cutting in the wind and the blue hue that comes out of the exhaust as the rider before u cut gears and opens the throttle the bike jus pounces and takes off. we all know our own limits and the best thing is the brotherhood that we have like for example this was the first time Aquin came with his bike and vasanth was too glad to teach him the ways of the road the only problem for aquin the possesiveness vasanth had and was comming with him slowly but some of us who had the need for speed , we were happy to let Vasanth sacrifice his speed needs and teach aquin while we were racing

a picture of Kannan and Rajaram as we waited for the Great Master riding Maestro Vasanth and his disciple Aquin to arrive and when we waited we were discussing how we generally used to tell vasanth to ride with lesser lunacy and now vasanth has got someone who he can coach

As vasanth and aquin arrived we all regrouped and tell u wat i am all always in praises for vasanth  because he actually deserves it , He is the one tow any bike in trouble and he is the first one who is willing to help any way we all againg started and raced to Hotel Mamalla and now solomon was baby sitting Aquin and to give credit to aquin he is not a bad rider only his bike shape was worrying but like all yezdi it was trusty , so we reached hotel mamalla had our pongal masala dosa vada poori and raced towards kalpakkam our first fort called SARDAS

Buddy List contd...

Mr Jikov

This mottai in the pic is Venkat and he is also called jikov and ur seeing him sitting on top of his pride and joy his jawa and his actual pride and joy is a Roadking but some how jawa came and took its place and that jawa aint cheap i think including the cost of the vehicle it should be around 90k to 100k and thats classic brit bike price range this either shows his love for jawa or the sad situation he is in but to be honest i like his roadking better and i had it with me for somme time and it was a dream and his jawa in comparison to roadking i think the roadking is better cos i am used to seeing him in the pillon seat while ravi (senthil's assitant rides the bike) yeah if its a long ride he always brings his driver but ride the ruins was an exception. oh why Mr jikov some two years ago when we all are new to these and when ever he meets some one with a yezdi or jawa he used to ask if there carb was jikov and the name stuck 

Buddy List contd

The guy in white shirt is senthil my mech he is a wiz with Jawa and yezdi and he has learnt the art from Mr.Durai who in days of yore is to tune Jawa /yezdi and other motorcycles for racing and also was one the best mech for the everyday rider too . Anyway it was after i met vasanth and kannan i got the phone no. of Senthil and vasanth recomended him so i gave a call to him and he said he was busy but as usual i pushed him and i took my jawa to his garage . At that point i didnt realise that the garage is gonna be my hangout every sunday and that i am gonna make more friends . so i went there and  when i took the bike to him it had hell of issues , i had no brakes watsoever the carb was leaking and basically it was crap . senthil jr was at the shop he was very little kid and when i asked senthil to go for a ride on my bike he warned me that the kid would be a handful but i took the kid gave him my mobile he was quiet and senthil went for the ride and two minutes later the kid raised the alarm and thank god senthil was back and took the kid and in a month he did up the bike and he has been a friend ever since

Myself in Hindu

MAN AND MACHINE
The king of the road

PRINCE FREDERICK

Venkataraman’s 1973 Jawa Type 353 has been spruced up to keep pace with the Yezdi Roadking

A 1973 model, Venkataraman’s Jawa Type 353 signifies the changes the motorcycle underwent at the Ideal factory. When the Mysore-based factory first made the Type 353 under licence, the bike’s ignition switch was on the petrol tank. After a few years, the switch was shifted to the rear end of the headlight case. In its twilight years, the Type 353 sported knee pads that were recessed into the petrol tank.

The knee pads are a feature of Yezdi, launched a year after Venkataraman’s Type 353. Other features that this Jawa shares with the Yezdi, to a greater or smaller degree, is the exhaust assembly design.

Despite being its immediate predecessor, this 1973 Jawa did not receive the same gearbox as the Yezdi. Jawas are notorious for slips on the third gear — ninety per cent of them have this problem. It is probably caused by the over-abundance of grooves on the gear sprocket — a feature meant to increase lubrication. With lesser number of grooves, Yezdis don’t pose the same problem.

In his own way, Venkataraman has helped this Jawa catch up with the Yezdi Roadking (1978-96), arguably the best Yezdi model. His Jawa puts puts out 16 bhp, just like the Roadking. The engine has a higher compression ratio, thanks to some nifty work from mechanic Senthil. So, whenever Venkataraman sets out on a Jawa and Yezdi rally, he’s at the head of the pack, along with men on Roadkings.

Kanzoom in Hindu

MAN & MACHINE  PRINCE FREDERICK
It’s never sundown at Jawa

T.S. Kannan’s enthusiasm for a 1968 motorcycle proves that Jawa is indeed ‘forever bike, forever value’

IDEAL ROADMATE Ridinf a 250 cc, single-cylinder, 1968 Ideal Jawa for over 35 years, T.S. Kannan has seen it all!

This Jawa has tutored T.S. Kannan in two seemingly contradictory lessons. One, everything is in a state of flux. Two, certain things don’t change with time. When his eldest son was a crawling baby, Kannan used to seat him on the petrol tank and go for a ride. Now, his firstborn is 28 years old and has flown the nest. But when the youngster takes a break from work, he participates in the past in new ways. And Kannan watches with a mixture of wonder and pain that his little one has outgrown the tank and does not depend on dad anymore for a joy ride.

In Kannan’s mind, this Jawa is a constant in a world pervaded by change. People are hooked on machines because these ‘inanimate creatures’ can cock a snook at time and get away with it. Through restorations and replacements, a bike or a car can be kept running for any number of years. They don’t reach the point of no return, as all of us do. They might undergo changes in form, but they can go on.

Kannan’s 1968, 250cc, two-stroke, single-cylinder Ideal Jawa (a Mysore-based company that made Jawa motorcycles under licence in India) has not been free of changes. But they have been far from drastic and not easily noticeable. One, however, can’t be missed. The almost emblematic cowl is missing. “Old-model Jawa motorcycles did not come with powerful headlights. I replaced them with those more suited for destinations that have to be reached via unlit roads. I had to remove the cowl to fit in the new headlight assembly.”

But there was a time when safety used to be the last thing on Kannan’s mind. He enjoyed sailing close to the wind. Once, he took a big risk on the road to Bangalore. “I left Chennai after sundown. When I reached Kancheepuram, my headlight bulb fused. I searched for an automobile spares shop in vain. I followed a bus for some distance, but gave up because of speed; the bus was far too slow for my Jawa. A tourist-taxi driver came to my rescue, letting me travel ahead of him so that I could use the light from his headlamps. We stopped for tea at Kolar. The taxi driver and passengers advised me to spend the night off the road. The non-functional headlamps and my reckless driving were gnawing at their mind. They were worried about my safety. But I reached Bangalore, guided by the moonlight.” Kannan named this bike ‘desperado’ and never before had this name seemed so apt.

As we age, our mnemonic cells seem to get rejuvenated. Kannan remembers how he scrimped and saved and bought this Jawa in 1971 for Rs. 3,000. And he likes to run you through track races, rallies and drag meets he took part in with his ‘desperado’.

Kannan’s Jawa is based on a popular model introduced in the 1940s, but it is garden variety. More spectacular models include the ones with the ignition placed on the tank. But the 250cc single (dual-exhaust) is a widely owned bike in India and a slogan used by Ideal Jawa aptly describes it – “Forever bike, forever value”. Common variety or not, all Jawa owners are proud about their machines and tend to bond greatly with one another. Today, this 59-year-old biker belongs to a group of Jawa and Yezdi (Ideal Jawa used this brand name to market a few Jawa models) owners. “I give some of these youngsters tips on safe-riding”.

People change. Certain things never do. Kannan and his Jawa illustrate this truth.

Ride the Ruins-Part 1

Its was two days before the independence day that discussion started about a ride since the independence was on a monday and we were getting a three day holiday big plans were started to be made we were thinking about a ride to yelagiri but our friends from the so called happening club are already on there way there and after declining the offer to ride with them , it wouldn be nice if we went with them, so next bright idea a two day trip to pondy and i said whoa there!! i aint going to pondy the trip was going to be a booze trip and i aint gonna drink , the discussion were primarily between Rajaram , Vasanth and Me with occasional inputs from Kannan sir and Venkat but it was already close to 15th and everybody was running low and cash so trip was reduced to a day trip and now we were thinking about new places i said nagalapuram suppose to be a falls there but Kannan sir said no to Andhra (bad roads, bad foods) , hence that plan was kicked out and then i asked "how about sholingar a reversed forest near it" that was also not gonna work out , i suggested that there is a fort near Mahabalipuram but at that point did not remember the name and asked rajaram to check it out in net and nextday he sent me a link to another fort called alamparai while i was talking about sardas but as both were close by we decided to go to both   a day before the trip i got my Jawa to the mech to get the clutch plates changed and rajaram and solomon dilligently got to work on my bike and i helped to get the plates to fit by filling the conners and that was done , It was sunday morning it was not hot but not cold either i woke by 5 and started from home at 5.30 and when i went there vasanth and kannan sir and aquin were there
 and we were joined by rajaram after some waiting

the black bike is standing alone is desparado as Mr Kannan calls it and its bloody fast so we all left for one hell of ride and solomon and venkat were gonna join near RTO