Hello Everyone,
I would start my journey in this amazing community by first and foremost thanking the moderators, for allowing me to be a part of this warm and inviting automotive home.
Team-Bhpians, I am Mr.501, a Punjabi automobile nutjob.
I was born in Ferozepur,Punjab and grew up in Chandigarh,at 20 years old I am currently pursuing B.Tech. in Symbiosis Institute of Technology,Pune. My parents have always been very vocal of the fact that their elder son(me) has been always mesmerised by cars and bikes alike, if I were to quote them, "He could name all the cars by their models even before he started school"
![Big Grin](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.png)
. I still remember the first time I drove a car, my father was the one who taught me how to drive(8 minutes is all it took), maybe it came to me as naturally as breathing, I still can't remember when I learnt to rev-match or utilise engine braking or start to feel how these beasts behave under my input, it was all just so organic.Driving and Riding has always been my happy place, so much so that I don't think anything defines me more than my love for anything that has an engine and wheels. I got through the screening process for Team-Bhp on my third attempt today(15th Feb,2019) and I can't express the happiness and grin on my face as I am writing all of this down. I would now like to discuss a little bit about my garage
My family currently owns:
1.1999 Maruti Suzuki Esteem Lx (P)(Wine Red)-97000 kms
2. 2013 Honda Amaze S (D)(Urban Titanium)-63000 kms
3. 1991 Hero Honda CD-100 Deluxe (Wrapped Matte Black)-1,34,000 kms
4. 2015 KTM RC 390 (White Black and Orange)-8000 kms
5.2008 Yo Electron(Electric Scooter) & 2015 Honda Activa 125-11000 kms
1.The Esteem was our second car after a short stint with a Maruti 800 pre-facelift that we had for a period of three years before we sold it off and bought our esteem. The esteem is the car that I remember spending most of my childhood in. It is roomy, comfortable, fun to drive and analog. It was the car I learnt driving on so it would always be very special. As of right now it serves as my Mother's(Doctor) drive to the hospital and back and is driven very sparingly due to the petrol's abysmal fuel economy and the daily to and fro run being merely 7 kms but in its glory days it has seen the family through everyday runabouts to 500km road trips.It was our primary car up until 2013.
Bonus Fact: My Dad is also an automobile enthusiast and although everyone in our immediate family always insisted him to get a CNG kit on the car, he has kept the car completely stock and mechanically sound. It still starts up and purrs like a kitten.
2. In 2013 our family became the proud owner of one of the first Honda Amaze's in Chandigarh.Those first 6 months we we're constantly asked questions about the car to an extent that we were stopped twice during our drives by people keen to know more about it. Upon hearing that Honda was planning to launch it's first diesel powered car in India, my dad put down a deposit for one even before it was revealed. Since then the Amaze has been the primary vehicle in my house and has put on 2/3 of the esteem's 19 year old odometer reading in 6 years. The Amaze has been a powerful, reliable and extremely fuel efficient(usually 22-27 kmpl) in it's time in my family, so much so that I have been able to squeeze out almost 32 kmpl on a very sedate trip to Ferozepur.I have put on thousands of kilometers on this baby in conjunction with my father and nobody except us two drives or even washes the car,since the day of it's arrival it has only seen 3M products,Bosch Pressure Washers and Two Bucket Wash methods.
3. The Cd-100 is also extremely close to my heart as it is 7 years older than me and has been with my father since his college days. The Cd-100 has been the most prized possession of my father as he spent multiple hours in his life pampering his true first love. He taught me how to ride on this very motorcycle and handed me the keys to enjoy it as my own before I got my KTM.The Cd-100 saw me through my first ever 100 km road trip and even though it is close to 1,40,000 kms, it still starts on the first kick and never misses a beat. My father is very proud of the fact that till date all the internals and mechanical components are factory and the engine hasn't ever been opened or tinkered with. This is the epitome of Japanese reliability. For the two years that I had it as my daily ride I did get it wrapped matte black and it has adorned it's new clothes since.
4. The KTM RC 390 is my baby, fondly named "Deckard", it has been my daily ride since the day it came home and I have never looked back. It is really low on kilometers clocked simply because for the past 3 years I have been in Pune pursuing my education and I brought my bike along with me, but the terrible and I mean truly terrible roads around my immediate place of living in Lavale saw me take out my friend's Royal Enfield Classic 350 most of the time. Deckard has taught me everything about riding efficiently,smoothly and fast. I could not have had a better bike to fuel my inner petrol head and it is here to stay.
5. The Yo electron is an electric scooter that my dad bought me back in 4th grade as it did not require a registration or a driving license and I zoomed around on it till I got my driving license currently my younger brother is the one that rides it around, I still remember trying to catch an R35 GT-R on my Yo Electron (U would realize the naiveness when u get to know the top speed for the electron was just 25kmph). The Honda Activa is the latest workhorse in my home and used for odd jobs and close runs around my house.
Future Plans:I am currently looking for a well maintained 2015 and above Manual Chevrolet Cruze LTZ as my first personal car. I hope I find one soon and introduce it to Team-Bhp as my own in the coming months.
I hope I have not bored the readers of my first post and it serves as a small insight into my garage and myself as a person. I would love to interact with each and everyone in this community and am always open to advice and feedback.
Again I would just like to state how ecstatic I am to be a part of Team-Bhp and Yes, Mr.501 Reporting.