Classically classing the Classic

The RE Classic 500 Ride

I don’t have any idea as to what the title of this vaguely written article means. But, this was just a classic little attempt to make it look very royal, prestigious and most importantly ‘Classic’.
The night before the shoot, I was in office till 1 I remember, trying to put the jumbled bits of some other shoot into place ( things can really be so frustrating when you head wants to sleep and the ache doesn’t go away..!!!). The same evening at around 4, I was told that all my efforts to fix my date with the Queen of torque, grandeur, stature (errr… read icy blue RE Classic 500) have been triumphant and that the lady would arrive at our office by 6.30 pm. You all must be very well acquainted with the feeling of disbelief, butterflies in tummy, eagerness and exhilaration like meeting that long forgotten cousin who is coming from the US of A after 20 long, hard-spent years. Not a relative but something with a stronger relation was coming.
Even God doesn’t now why, but I had the first paragraph of that smokey Anil Kapoor and Sridevi’s- sari falling, rain pouring romantic song from Mr. India (yeah u goteeet..!!) playing at the back of my mind; repeatedly. And then, before my eyes could accept what they saw as the truth, my fingers could pinch me, my mouth could shut (yeah, it was wide open), I heard the THUMP from quite a distance and I knew that my lady was there.

Ahhhh… how difficult it gets to put the expressions into right words. She stood next to this overdriven (don't read between the words) office cab; like fairy Godmother, the exhaust shone like holy halo (yeah, a tongue twister there), the blue body dazzled like freshly melted snow, headlamp appeared like Captain’s hat and the speedometer like a remembro of the past. In short, Classic 500 was the lady of my dreams standing in front of me and that too when I had no plans of jigging like a kid looking at her. But then, she did deserve a “wohhoooo”…!!! And an "awwwww.." and a "Just look at her" and "OMG! Is this for real!". Yes, expressions tend to go overboard at times like these.

The next morning, my finest leather came out (errrr.. the boots and the jacket were being ignored from quite some time, all thanks to Delhiis scorching heat ), open-face helmet wiped and cleaned and there came out ‘Riders of the Storm’.

Yeah, you do have self start in the new one, but who would be an idiot to miss the kickass feeling of kicking it to life! But wait, the pillion seat is missing! Wow, not a very good idea for me to be sitting on the mud-guard, is it? After wasting some more time putting the pillion seat (well it surely does take more than 5 minutes’ time to put that thing, unlike what Mr. Lal said it’d take), we were just so ready to hit the highway and head to Manesar. Why Manesar, because an excellent cruiser would not settle down for anything less than the picturesque highways of Manesar. So, there we go.

Manesar is exactly the kind of place you see in Nat Geo documentaries. Foothills of Aravallis, dry hills, few dhabas on the way, trucks lined up on the left, mirage on the roads and a blue cruiser thumping it's way to glory. Wearing leathers on a hot sunny day is enough to show that you're crazy and with a colour that blue, you're lucky crazy, I say. **wink wink**

Modern day sportsbike-like gearshift (1 down, 4-up) and the gear-lever on the left, this Royal Enfield has got her facials and wardrobe change done.

"Made like a gun, goes like a bullet". Quite true and for Classic 500 and the UCE (Unit Construction Engine), it won't be wrong to call it a neat and more efficient gun. Royal Enfield lovers stand out of the crowd because of their nothing-else-will-do attitude and why not, they earn it for themselves.

After doing a bit of nabbing with the confused traffic we were ready to swim back. The day was full of vibrations, bum ache, bones rattled but there was still something about that day which has marked it as one of the very few riding days of my life that I wish never end. :)