[josepeter]

Let me get this out of the way first! It is outa control.

They say if you have more than 1 of anything, you are a Collector! But I swear I never want to be one, I just want to ride all of them all the time! Long story short - After sticking to one bike at a time for all my life, I bit the bullet (no pun intended) and bought a bike while keeping the one I had. I quickly got used to this new situation and have been living and riding with 7 big ones in my garage for the past two years! A part of me said that I would get rid of a few in months, but l can't seem to find that part

Just a quick summary of my 2 wheeled journey. Some 27 years ago I got the first one in with my own money, a spanking new Yamaha YD 125! Couldn't keep that for long as my brother had picked up a job that needed running around and I passed her on! With the money left over from a housing loan, I picked up a well-used Enfield Machismo 350 that I modded the hell out of and ended up being a stunning little thing way back in '97. 25K for the bike and 50k for the mods. All my salary went into fuel and mods - Savings - Zilch!!

Kept her until 2010 during which I shifted homes from Kochi to Bangalore to Mumbai to Chennai.
When I move to Hyderabad, I stepped into HD dealership and instantly wanted to buy one but was put off by a rather uninspiring interaction with the showroom folks. But seeing big Harleys on the road tugged at my heart strings and there I was again, this time with a cheque book in hand.
Thus started my Harley journey that lasted 4 eventful years and 2 bikes. HOG meetings, custom building competitions, riding Route 66 and numerous road trips across the country!


(My Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow!)
My Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow! - Team-BHP
Building a Poor Man's Harley Performance Bobber! - Team-BHP
A Guide to Owning a Harley-Davidson in India - Team-BHP (A Guide to Owning a Harley-Davidson in India)

Losing my Religion!
Over time the whole HOG life was getting tedious, much like religion. There was too much of Harley this Harley that, an almost fanatic intolerance to bikes of other makes and a kind of obligation to participate in rides and events. Comon! Harleys were a life style choice, not a way of life. It was getting stuffy and was about time.
I broke free from Harley church in 2014 on a Daytona 675 R. This was a radical departure from slow retro bikes to an absolute missile of a sports bike. Gone were my leathers and half helmets and in came Arai lids and Dainese gear. Yaay! I watched tons of You tube videos on riding techniques and even built up some muscle in preparation of my first sports bike!
Daytona 675 R was a gem and still is one of the best sports bikes ever to be sold, evidenced by the fact that they command a million rupees even today when lots of choices exists for used sportsbikes!

I had a super fantastic time with the Daytona and have a thread on my experience here:


Triumph Daytona 675R. A true everyday Superbike! - Team-BHP (Triumph Daytona 675R. A true everyday Superbike!)


A Brief Sojourn!

Daytona ownership was like a dream that was too good. It was so good that I wondered if it was “good”!
Thinking about it was scary – Ironically because the bike never scared me $hitless! That was worrying. Fast bikes should get you a bit scared and possibly trembling with excitement after you unmount. Daytona did everything like it was a cakewalk, no drama, no protest, just outright pleasure.
I didn’t trust myself to be responsible on such a perfect forgiving machine and decided to let her go! I had done 10K kms in under a year. Spending only on fuel.
Unknowingly this led to a brief but dramatic break from biking! I sold most of my gear and for the first time since I got the Harley, the home was devoid of motorcycle parts! No stock silencers under the bed, no shelves full of pedals and other stock parts. I was truly an ex-biker! Unbelievable.

Also unbelievable was what this bikelessness did to my overall personality. I started losing the courage to take risks, lost the drive to chase opportunities and be vocal about my opinion. In a few months I had lost my swagger that only a biker can have! My friends could see the change in my demeanor and one particular friend whom I hung out regularly with would make it a point to make the Triumph showroom our preferred adda. He had picked up a Tiger 800 and insisted I join or rather take him on a ride, he was a relative newbie on bigger bikes. My no-bike excuse wouldn’t fly coz he had arranged 3 bikes for me, a 48, a Thunderbird and a Tiger 800. With a little shake in my voice I blurted out Tiger….
That led to the longest ownership stint for me and some glorious adventures on a Tiger 800 I had picked up soon afterwards.
Read this thread on my ownership thread if Tigers interest you.


Triumph Tiger 800 XR - 10,000 km Review - Team-BHP (Triumph Tiger 800 XR - 10,000 km Review)



Breaking the Rule : The second steed cometh!!
My tiger was my trusty steed for many years and life was good! Then comes a phone call from a friend who had an irresistible motorcycle offer. He had just acquired an absolutely mint 2000 model Yamaha R6. A legal import with papers until 2029 and just 20K on the clock. He was moving out of country and wanted to pass her on.
I was a one bike person and had believed that one can use only a bike at a time and hence having a second one was not a good idea. But R6! Damn the rules.
The ‘2000 R6 is special! A baby brother to the mould breaking R1 of 1998. Compact, Light with a screaming 4 cylinder breathing through a quartet of carbs to its redline of 15500 rpm! The noise she makes at high revs is unbelievable, pure scream that’s the sweetest sound to come off an inline 4!


The Levee breaks, the flood gates Open!
Suddenly, having 2 bikes in the garage was sin no more. The Japanese sportbike bug had bit me. If a 600 can do this, what would daily driving a full size jap bike be like? I had to found out – excuses excuses!
One image of a bike’s speedo moving like it was a tacho never left my head, I had to get a Hayabusa or a zx14R. The bikes that were born at the peak of the top speed arms race!
My preference was for a Zx14R and sent word out that I was looking for a good example. There were a few Chennai bikes but were quoting upwards of 16L! I wasn’t willing to go for one at that price.

That’s when a Gen 2 Busa with low mileage came our way at a reasonable price and he was willing to trade for my Tiger and some. Didn’t waste any time and I flew to Kochi, helmet in hand. The ride to hyderabad was manic and fun. The kind of distance that can be covered in the Busa is incredible. I would ride in 2 hour stints with a 10 min chai break! The speedo does move like a tach, seeing that first hand is an experience. And its really comfy, the riding position is sporty, but not extreme like a liter bike. Doesn’t need to be revved for power to kick in and the surge of torque is relentless. I was doing my office commute regularly on the Busa, it is surprisingly usable for a bike this powerful and is electronically limited to 299 kmph. Pleasantly surprised!


One weekend I had joined a ride with the Triumph guys and had loaned a Trident for the ride. We rode from the city to Srisailam, the roads were winding and had superb tarmac. But was dotted with speed breakers every 200 meters or so. It was pure point and shoot, with the Trident’s front wheel leaving the road every single time – was super fun. But my dirty mind couldn’t stop thinking what the prefect bike for this road would be. A speed Triple 1050 would have been it! Barking mad and a wheelie monster would fit the bill perfectly!
I casually mentioned to my dear friend and fellow rider and sure enough, there was one for sale in Pune!

The ride from Pune to Hyderabad was just that, Fun! Superbike like power from an upright riding posture, aggressive yet comfortable! I love the bark from the mad 1050 triple, two arrow mufflers placed ever so perfectly high up near the tail. The brilliant single sided swingarm puts the beautiful rear wheels on full display.


I was content! I has a 600 supersport, a 1300 hyper tourer and a barking mad naked parked in my garage. What else would one want!


On my next trip to Kochi, I headed to my usual hangout, my friend’s superbike garage. As usual I turned my gaze to the corner where my favorite bike would be. The one I always lusted after but was unobtanium. An Arlen Ness custom 80s HD sportster that has more billet parts than an Orange Country Chopper. 1700 cc S&S Barrels, with twin spark plugs fed from a Mikuni flatside carb. The sound of a carbureted sportster is something else. Modern Harleys don’t sound anything like a slow revving carb fed Harley.
The List of mods on her is worthy of a thread, but here’s the jist. 1700cc S&S motor, Billet Disc wheels, 21 in the front and 18 rear, Chain drive conversion, raked out billet forks, billet controls, custom paintjob with intricate air brush work. I don’t think there is a more custom Harley in the country.
My friend casually mentioned that all her paper work was done, the words jumped out of my mouth “I’ll take it”. Deal!
My friend offered to spruce her up, essentially polish all the billet aluminum and change fluids etc. as she has been sitting idle for many years after importing. I wait!


Back in Hyderabad, I was riding all my bikes regularly. A morning sprint for Chai, Office commute of 70K and a night drive with mates. I enjoyed the different experience offered by these 3 very different bikes and honestly wanted more.
That’s when something happened abruptly!
3 new bikes in a span of 24 hrs!
All happened in a flash, 3 irresistible offers came in at once, an MV agusta, a Thruxton and a Low Rider S. When one is in the mood to experience different machines, these were hard to ignore and sent my pulse racing and I made up my mind to pick all of them.
It was manic to say the least! Hail an Uber, pick the bike and drop at home, like thrice. By the end of that loong day, I had 3 more new steeds.

A thruxton 900 with a ton load of performance parts, all top notch stuff from British customs, all done by the first owner, a pretty mega movie star and bike nut here in Hyderabad. The list goes something like this. Led headlamps, Rizoma levers, BC master cylinder, Progressive springs, Petal brakes, K&N air filters with stock air box delete, BC oil temp gauge, Ohlins rear shocks, tail tidy with led brake lights, RK gold chain, BC exhaust etc. In short it was a money-no-object bulit café racer. A motorcycle distilled to its basic best. She is an absolute hoot to ride and look at, and many of my friends love the way she looks even in the midst of all other machines parked alongside.



The MV Agusta is truly special, 1 of 200 world wide and 1 of only 2 such in India. It’s a Dragster RR America edition and looks so stunning that I was nervous riding it home, lest I be the one scratching that gorgeous paint on her. What blew my mind was how it delivered its 140 or so horses from the screaming 800 three cylinder. True to its name it would pull hard upto 100 Ks and then launch itself into a massive wheelie signalling a change of gear needed. This carried on in every gear and frankly it left me shivering every single time. The noise from those 3 gorgeous pipes was raw anger, like it wanted to spit you into the nearest bush! To this day, the bike I respect the most and treat with utmost care is the Dragster. It makes an ordinary exotic look common place. Its not Ducati, MV is the true Ferrari of motorcycles!





The last of the trio was the mighty HD Lowrider S. What makes this Harley special is the muscle bike specs – upside down forks, twin front discs and a sledge hammer of a V twin. Having ridden Harleys of all types over the years, this stood out for one reason. It felt composed at any speed. Not many know that the Lowrider is probably the sportiest of the Softail models and a great tourer.


Now “settled” with 7 big bikes in the driveway, what could go wrong!

Thasts when the Zx14R I had considered before I got the Busa came up with a good offer. Off I flew again, helmet in hand and rode her home from Kochi.
I was looking forward to settle the Busa v/s 14R argument on my own and loved every bit of that ride from Kochi to Hyderabad.





What I Learnt living with these monsters!

Each Bike is unique. The only bad bike is no bike (or maybe a Mahindra!!)

Case in point, the Busa v/s 14R argument. Both of them do all the same extreme stuff, both have the same top speed, can accelerate like mental and are capable tourers. But you wouldn’t mistake one for the other. The 14R feels like 600 supersports with infinite powerband while the busa feels like a 200bhp Harley in it’s power delivery. So folks say Busa handles better, but I feel both do an unbelievable good job of taking the corners considering all their heft.
The Speed triple and Dragster are both high horsepower triples, but their power delivery is chalk and cheese. The Dragster wheelies after dragging and the Speed does the opposite. The Dragster is infinitely more flickable and feels super light, its tiny seat designed so well to keep you tucked in during fierce acceleration. Compared to it the Speed feels almost tourer like!



I have no intention of continuing to accumulate bikes and have indeed sold my Lowrider as I was unable to justify keeping it for how less I had used the bike in 2 years! I will let some go from time to time but may also get a bike or two.

I swear I will not collect!

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by josepeter

I swear I will not collect!

Oh boy, oh boy josepeter! Whatever words are used - amazing, incredible, insane to describe your bike journey are just not enough

All the best and here’s to many more even though you say you will not collect, it doesn’t seem possible

Cheers

[AtheK]

What a goldmine of a thread, congratulations on acquiring all those steeds. Even bigger congratulations on having them all running. I have three and I am contemplating to let go of the blade as I am just not getting enough time.

Would be a pleasure to someday visit you and see all the bikes in flesh, the MV being the cherry on the cake.

Keep riding and keep adding to that amazing collection!!

[GTO]

What an incredible write-up! Thanks for sharing. Going to our homepage today .

Mad is good, mad is fun, mad is what makes life worth living. To you (and me + many other BHPians), normal is boring. I have 6 cars in my garage, test-drive all new cars launched in India (at the rate of 2 -3 per month) and still can't get enough of cars! Can have the time of my life in an 80-BHP hatchback, 120-BHP sedan, 150-BHP 4x4, 300-BHP daily driver or a 600-BHP beast. All machines are welcome.

Another madman explains this phenomenon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ax4LvUJ0sY

[TheHelix0202]

Gawddamn, that was quite some read all right!

Welcome to the 2 wheeled side of the forum, Jose!

[PatienceWins]

Wow. That is an awesome garage and great writing.

You are definitely addicted and do keep us updated on the journey.

All the best. Wish you many more wonderful machines and wide smiles under the helmet.

[Axe77]

Friend: Which bike would you buy, the Busa or the 14R?
Josepeter: Yes.


Honestly, what a cracking read and hats off to your 'madness'. I know you've got ownership threads for some of these bikes but would really love to hear a lot more about how you figure out your saddle time between these various beauties and how you end up using them on a day to day basis.

The closest I've come to a garage this wide and varied is with a dear friend and neighbor and I'm always in awe of his passion for motorcycles. Great to see someone on our forum as well sporting the same degree of passion for all things two wheeled.

Please do keep this thread updated from time to time.

[SnS_12]

Hello, from another father of Seven

Being true to yourself is the way to remain sane in this insane world. People give their gyaan on things we do, how we do it but in the end I always end up doing what I want to… This was difficult for my family to understand first but is now accepted after many years as the new normal

Only thing I wished was I get more time to ride all my bikes but I guess God gave a sign last night and I guess I will now start riding out in the night…

Never imagined we will have such temperatures to enjoy in Mumbai…




Hope you continue and enjoy staying Maddd… And hope you never parts ways with the MV its a forever special one to have…

[josepeter]

Originally Posted by GTO

What an incredible write-up! Thanks for sharing. Going to our homepage today .

Mad is good, mad is fun, mad is what makes life worth living. To you (and me + many other BHPians), normal is boring. I have 6 cars in my garage, test-drive all new cars launched in India (at the rate of 2 -3 per month) and still can't get enough of cars! Can have the time of my life in an 80-BHP hatchback, 120-BHP sedan, 150-BHP 4x4, 300-BHP daily driver or a 600-BHP beast. All machines are welcome.

Another madman explains this phenomenon:
https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=2Ax4LvUJ0sY

I didn't name my first-born Jeremy for no reason!

Thanks a ton Boss!

[anshumandun]

A true exemplification of "Normal is Boring". I had more fun reading your post than you have riding your bikes

The best and most relatable part of your post is the time when you had no bike and your personality/demeanor started to change. Only motorcyclists will understand that.

I am motorcycle-less right now and life does feel a bit empty at times. Will get one soon!

Thanks for the lovely post