This blog is about my bull MetalBuck, I intend to keep a log of all the things about it in here.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

34317 kms service

I doubt I'll ever use this blog for any updates.. so just keeping it for my service records ;)

Shama serviced my bullet at 34317 on 8th June 2008. Put Magnatec engine oil, trying the gear oil + Grease combo in the gearbox this time. Also the chain sprocket set got changed!

Total dent 2570 Rs (870 for Magnatec, 1120 for chain sprocket set, 140 for gear oil, 350 labour charges, Other miscellaneous parts etc.)

August Ladakh trip is around 3-4K kms away, I hope to do at least one big ride before that. Time to get some nice clutch plates then!

Cheers!!

Friday, January 05, 2007

New vision!

I changed the multi focal headlamp reflector set with the old ThunderBird reflector set, and put a 55/60 W halogen bulb - the beam is very strong now.

Also to add to the headlight I fixed a 55/60 quartz bulb auxilliary light on the right crash guard. I can vary the angle of the light - Truck drivers - Beware!! Don't dare to high beam me!!

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Friday, November 17, 2006

Time for updates!

Its already been around a month and a half that I have metalbuck with me and owing to various business I could not post the details earlier. Firstly let me post my picture on MetalBuck :)



MetalBuck is now 1760 kms old on the roads, of which it has been on four rides.
The first ride was to Shoolagiri with Girish and Sid & some other friends. It was Karnataka bandh and Girish wanted to go somewhere for lunch - I also jumped in!!
Pix @ http://picasaweb.google.com/kamlesh.sanwal/LunchRideToShoolagiri

Soon afterwards I completed 500 kms and first sevice done.
A long break of 15 days. I had gone to celebrate Diwali with my folks at home, also happened to visit Dehradun, Mussorie, Chandigardh, Kasauli and Delhi. Met with old time folks and had a great time. After I reached back in Bangalore one invitation was open for RTMC ride and I jumped in for the Rajyotsava day ride to Markonahalli dam.
It was a 230 kms ride in all and I had a nice time with RTMC.

BTW, this was my first 'official' ride on MetalBuck.
No pix for this ride, I did not have a camera!

The following sunday I joined BN for the breakfast ride, again to Shoolagiri/A1 plaza.
No pix again!

Then I got my camera!
Next sunday I called for a ride to Makalidurga (Pix - http://picasaweb.google.com/kamlesh.sanwal/RideToMakalidurga)


It was a small and nice ride.

Metalbuck rocks with the Goldie. Yes! I had put on the goldie free flow exhaust system after 1200 kms. The sound is simply awesome!

More updates later!

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Friday, October 13, 2006

10 days 500 kms

The first 500 kms are done on Metalbuck - First service done on1 13th oct 2006.

After the first service Metalbuck has become extra smooth and responsive. After the 2nd service it would become even better. Fassi bhai serviced it for today and I sat along with him watching whatever he was doing.

Thunderbirds take 20W50 oil. In all the whole cost of first service came to 590 bucks.

BTW, the washing boy gifted a few scratches on the tank and the front mud guard :(
On a new bike it really pinches hard to see any scratches. The beginning is done!

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Monday, October 09, 2006

New bulb

My experience with the 60 Rs. halogen bulb on Rajesh's Thunderbird was great. So before I get myself a H4 reflector headlamp I thought I would try the same 12V 35/35 halogen on MetalBuck. Fitted one 35/35 halogen today on MetalBuck and took it out to feel the difference.

Yes, it is great! Much better than the original ordinary bulb fitted by RE. Now I can see better in the night time. As I was down with fever y'day and today, the odo reading is still stuck somewhere in 360-370 kms range. I want to get the first service done before I head to north on 14th Oct for a 15 days vacation @ home.

And BTW, MetalBuck completes its first week today :)

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Saturday, October 07, 2006

Small initial modifications

As soon as I laid my hands on MetalBuck I knew its persona will demand strong horns - so I equipped it with Bosch twin horns, which sound great with MetalBuck's 14 Ampere battery. This is change no. 1.

I got Metalbuck around 5 PM, 3rd oct 2006 - Got it home and opened up MetalBuck's toolbox - took out the allen keys and removed the backrest. To make it look different from the rest of the bulls, and also because I would not require it. I go solo on most of the rides, and if I require then I can fit it in within 2-3 minutes. All said and done - it looks great without the backrest.

To add to it, I put a red background BN bikenomads sticker on the backside of the seat.

Perfect!

The next modification due on the list is 1. Changing the headlamp 2. Putting a sigma meter, Jayan has one which he is not using and not intending to use so I will buy it from him and put on MetalBuck.

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Friday, October 06, 2006

MetalBuck arrives

Vrrrrrom Vroooooooooooooooom........................
And then zipping past of the vehicles on the road was what used to be my kind of stuff when I entered my college in Dehradun. Rajpur Road was the best place to ride and stare at the Dun chicks riding their kinies and scooties. At that point of time the bike that used to appeal to me was Yamaha RX 100 and the then newly launched CBZ. Some of my seniors and batchmates used to have that and I used to use it whenever I had to run around the places. At that point of time CBZ was the only bike that I used to dream of buying one day.

I came to know about why a bullet is named as a bullet only after getting a lead of 10 minutes in 1 yamaha RX 100 and suzuki shogun the Bulllet Machismo just zipped past us at 100+ speeds simply ignoring that we were trying to rip to the max possible at 85-90 kmph.

That was my first feel of the bullet.

Later on I passed on the first year exams :D and this passing sequence continued with driving almost all kind of two wheelers - from Kinetic to yamaha to suzuki to scooters to Bullets. I rode almost everything. I still could not see the reason in going for a bullet.

I was in the third year, and for the summer training I had to go to Haridwar (BHEL) - I decided to commute on a splendor. Man, that was really pathetic! Each body part was pained at the end of the day! I tried my luck at kaliber croma the next day - only to repeat the same experience.. I thought enough of the commuting on bike - better take state run buses & I continued my bus travel for the rest of the training period.

As it would have meant, I got my first real taste of bull when my friend Kapur wanted to go to Roorkee on his bro's new Bullet Machismo A350, he called me to drive it so that folks at his home can give him the bike (I had some small small bullet experience by then). Yes, before this my seniors handed over a started bull to me... so I had never started one myself. However, I put the theory learnt in use and somehow managed to start the Machismo in the second kick.

We travelled to Roorkee, with changing rider/pillion positions and when riding at 100+ I saw that the experience was entirely different from riding yamaha/cbz @ 90/100!

I was in love, all over!! I knew I would have a bull someday..

After the college I got selected by Infosys - when working there one fine day I thought of buying a bike and third day I brought home one.. But no - It was a Hero Honda CBZ star. Some of the people who knew my craze for the bull were rather surprised but at Infy salary it was difficult for me to buy and maintain a bull, so I was happily settled with my CBZ - it gave me all I wanted - Performance, everywhere and anywhere.

I changed jobs, and got into Flextronics - by this time I had taken up touring seriously. I travelled to very many places on my CBZ perfectly happily, but as it is in my nature - I'd want more of the bullet feeling everyday and also because of the small rides being offered by my other bullet friends I started wondering on buying a bullet. As an investment it was a bad choice - I already had a capable bike, proven and tested and there was no point in going for a close to one lakh two wheeler.

But you know, that feeling, that emotion is very strong and it gets stronger with every passing day. I thought about it a lot and it occured to me that this is a thing which I have wanted to have for such a long time and now if I think about the money then I am not following my happiness. I thought that fulfilling this wish of mine would probably take over all the money stuff off my mind and calculated that spending one lakh on something so good would not be a bad choice - lets not think about the investment perspective, else I will not be happy!

So, the wait of the years was finally getting to lower limits. I was very patient during that period, never I complained. Just sometime I'd see a bull and I'd start teasing it with my CBZ - lost sometimes - got happy that the bull has the power, won sometimes - still happier that I could beat a bull with my CBZ! :D

I had my own biking group - BangaloreBikers and no bullets then. Ashu called me up one day and told that buddy I have bought a bullet, I said - well done bro!! Never a thought occurred to me that I'd also want one for me, then. Around April time I joined xbhp and I was pretty happy with that group too - never had much to say there, and more than that I preferred serious biking/travelling than discussing about wheelies and other stunts.. Anyways not much of participation there - Just got acquainted with some people who I liked biking with. Only one g2g I attended with them - found interesting chaps.

However did not check xbhp much after that - I was told about bikenomads by Rahul Verma, who I contacted for getting the details about Munnar. I landed on bikenomads group in may end, and I found out that this was the place I wanted to be in - irrespective of the bike you be a part, have that spirit of biking and mutual respect and bang - BikeNomads rocks! Just ride :).

I mentioned all these biking groups as without these I would still be happily riding my CBZ.

One day Girish dropped a mail on bikenomads for a ride to Bheemeshwari and as ready I am these days I was ready that time as well :) said a yes and joined Girish (Electra) and Jumbo (P 180) on this ride to Bheemeshwari. This was the beginning of the story, and the beginning of our friendship also. Girish came to know about my craze, and he brought out the hidden desire in me to own a bull..

I started thinking..

Hmmm... Why?

....

ummm Why NOT??!!

..

And these thoughts I used to share with Girish, and he always emphasized on the "Why not" part of it!

Then on the subsequent interactions with many other RTMC guys in the BikeNomads meet and the BN breakfast ride I had made up my mind that I was going to get a bull by Diwali time.
Meanwhile I had made up my mind for Bullet Machismo, as that was the thing I had gone crazy over in my college days - I went to Teknik motors and had a test ride of Machismo and Bullet Electra 5S. I liked Machismo, yes!

Then the salesman told me that If I wanted I could take a Thunderbird for one full day on an "experience ride" - my CBZ was due for servicing so I though that I'd take thunderbird for one day - get CBZ serviced and return the Thunderbird - Why not!!? I said yes, I would take it for a day :) Happy with myself I took it home.

Before this I had tried Ashu's TB - but this time it was owned by me for a full day - and when this sense of ownership comes then things look different. I drove it for around 100 kms in that day - returned it in the evening and still thought that I'd buy one by Diwali time (May be some festive discounts etc. I would get).

At this time my colleague Gurinder persuaded me to buy it along with him, as he was unable to suppress his desire for a bullet.. So the decision was hurried up and I got myself a personal loan to finance the bull.

Finally the wait period of years was counting in days.. The delivery date committed to me by Rajesh was Tuesday 19th sep 06, which slipped just like our project deadlines.. Nobody knows whats going to happen and when! Because of this unprecedented delay my Goa trip plans were getting affected - I was in a totally messed up state as I had planned to take my bull on Goa trip after the first trip.. I got frustrated with the delay and told Rajesh that I wanted to make this trip on a bullet and that he had screwed up my plans - Seemingly unsure of when I'd get my bull Rajesh's true biker act came into being and he landed his Thunderbird to me for the ride.

Yes, it was a fantastic ride!

I reached Goa without any hiccups - From Goa Rajesh told me that I had got my bull and he had selected it out of 6 pieces he had - the best selection made by him, Amit and Shankar bhai (The service center head). I had placed my full confidence in them and when I returned on tuesday I found that the confidence was duly justified.. It is an awesome piece!

So, registered in my name on 29th sep 06, MetalBuck finally arrives home on 3rd of Oct 2006.

Wishing myself a safe and happy journey on my MetalBuck - I promise I will take good care of you buddy :)!!

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