I have talked about a lot of myself, a lot about my friends, and my experiences. But I had to mention this one also. My beloved bike. People say that there are different kinds of love. Well, I feel that the love between a mother and her child is the ultimate one. Hence, I can’t even speak about the ultimate right now. So, I choose to talk about my heavy buddy, REDS 500. The Royal Enfield Classic 500 Desert Storm.

It’s been more than a year now. We set sail on several rides and experiences. Used to seldom trouble me, but hey, they are meant to give trouble. It was just a normal day. That day before, I was telling my dad how I got this Enfield Obsession and my love for the 500cc one. A few days later, mom calls me up and tells, “Chinna, we are at the Royal Enfield showroom. Dad is booking the bike for you. Amazing choice. But can you even lift it ?” I laughed and said Of course I can. But the real thing is, I have never ridden or even handled one. But I didn’t care for all that. My dream bike was finally booked on June 24th, 2014.

Got the delivery within a week, and that first glimpse was like love at first sight. The first ride on my street. Once you ride a Royal Enfield, you are fucked for life. That feeling keeps haunting you somewhere deep inside. It’s hard to let go of that. You think of your next bike as a Royal Enfield. It’s an inexpressible feeling. The posture, the engine, the thump, and the acceleration make your mind addicted to staying on the road.

Enfields are never promising bikes. They trouble you a lot. The oil regularly. They say, if your new Enfield is not leaking, you may have a problem with your bike. Those oil stains on your jeans are bound to come. But somehow I feel that’s the good part of it. Maintaining a Royal Enfield is like taking care of a newborn child. You keep taking care of it regularly, and dedicate some time from your daily routine just to take care of it. The mechanic should be in your best friend list. You will often visit him. A good mechanic and a good rider are the keys to a good bike experience. Otherwise, you are in deep shit.

You just need to have utter patience to fix your bike’s problems. So if you are the one who is fond of such hobbies, go for it. Trust me, that feeling when your bike is in almost perfect tune and you ride your Enfield on a great road with your aviators on …. man, you got yourself a huge treat then. Enfields get accustomed to a single style of riding. The moment another rider puts their hands on it, you can feel the difference. After all, there are more than 5000 parts in the bloody machine, you have to respect it. Properly.

People who are planning to take a Royal Enfield, I strongly suggest you take the Bullet 500, the standard. Plain, old, and damn good stuff. No EFI bullshit, the old carburetor style will be just right to take on some excellent maintenance. I know, I didn’t take it myself first. I was more carried away by the Desert Storm, but I will surely take the standard one for sure someday. Since 2009, the UCE engines have replaced the old standard engines of Royal Enfield. Change is bound in everything. One who adapts to change survives well. And the modifications you can do on your ride are just limitless. Every single part can be customized in Royal Enfield. That’s another beauty of it.

So when are you owning one? The tarmac is waiting for you.

Cheers.