Superbikes give a slip to city, Take on Highways

There used to be a time when the sight of a snazzy, aerodynamic Suzuki Hayabusa or the lean Yamaha YZF-R1 would grab eyeballs as they zipped past, anywhere in Chennai.Four years after Yamaha finally brought their much-ogled superbikes to India, the number of people whistling as one of them swept past has reduced considerably, much like the chances of actually seeing a superbike on Chennai’s streets today. Don’t for a minute think that sales are down, it’s simply because the super-bikers prefer the well-metalled national highways, that too before daybreak. “This is the ideal time for anyone who has a superbike to get out. The traffic is low, the weather is better and there aren’t too many cops around,” reasons Siddharth, a 26-year-old bike enthusiast. While weekend mornings, specifically Sundays, are preferred, making it a habit has had disadvantages, he adds, “After about two months of revving up my Yamaha V-MAX on the Tambaram-Maduravoyal bypass, a small bunch of watchers would gather at a hamlet near Porur.” The numbers gradually grew and a month later, Siddharth found two boys on Pulsars waiting for him to come, so that they could try to match his speed. “Not only was it foolish, they didn’t even bother wearing helmets while trying to match a bike that had 10 times the engine capacity.” Eventually he switched to NH4. “I would take the bike out on random weekdays every week so that the same thing didn’t happen again,” he says. While the bikes can easily shoot up to over 280 kmph, the majority of Chennai’s super-bike community maintain a sober speed limit, reveals Gautham Mayilvaganan, a city-based pro-racer who has raced for India (600 cc class) in the Asian GP. “I have noticed that most people who own superbikes are in their mid-30’s and as far as I have seen rarely cross 120-130 kmph while on highway rides.” Recalling his times with the Chennai Superbikes Club, a group of bikers who ride down to Mamallapuram every Sunday for breakfast and return, he says, “no true superbike enthusiast will race without a full protective body kit, nor will they race in traffic.” With the sales of Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, Ducati and now Harley Davidson improving, despite steep prices (costs range from Rs 6-14 lakh), one thing that racers advocate to speed-seekers is the need to keep a low-profile and get a good helmet. “Any helmet that costs under `3,000 will probably crack like an egg shell on impact,” advises Siddharth.