|
The Bangalore Yamaha RD 350 meet at Brunton Road, Bangalore was a big hit with more than 80 motorcycles turning up for the event. We had motorcycles which were completely stock and ones that were purely track spec amidst a whole host of motorcycles in varying conditions and colors. Loads of posters and RD related articles and advertisements from the days gone by were the only decorations. Conspicuous by his absence was Sathya Rao Kommanna, who for me, symbolizes Adventure Travel on RD-350s due to some other commitments. Some ex-rally champs who were supposed to be around also never made it. Too bad, but the venue provided ample space for the enthusiasts to move about and check out the motorcycles without intervention from the cops or crowds. So, I guess the people just didn’t miss anyone much and time flew. There were competitions, but not in the racing sense, given the lack of space in the centre of the city and safety concerns. The controversial Best Looking RD350 and Best Sounding RD350 were given out to the winners picked by judges from a crop of riders who entered their motorcycles into the competitions. This time we even had a woman rider Sangeeta Ghosh joining in. Special mention also of Chakravarthy and Alvit Fernandes who are the clubs senior most members who took time out to come to the venue riding their RD350s. Not only are the oldest, they also recognise the value of such machines and both their RDs are in immaculate condition. A big thanks to Alvit for taking charge of the T-shirt counter and handling the unruly crowds (!) with absolute coolness. Chakravarthy at 74, is the oldest rider I've ever seen on an RD. And they look mighty fine as they did last time. Must be something about the two strokes keeping them young. We had made a poster out of a photograph from C.K Chinnappa's album which had him accepting the first RD 350 delivery in Karnataka at a function in Windsor Manor. Surprise-surprise, the same motorcycle turned up and the current owner was all thrilled to be seeing that rare photograph. Its moments like this which make a meet special I guess. RD 350 specialists from across Bangalore who tune and race their motorcycles were also there, to show their support for the RDs. Harsha (Top Gear), Ravi Nagesh (the pioneer of the CDI for RD350 in Bangalore), Antony (Dam Motors), Joe (Joe's Automobiles) with his drag spec machine to name a few. It was a very different crowd from what we saw at the last meet. This time I guess, the RD bug has really caught the youngsters and we saw a lot of them on their motorcycles. The old stalwarts continued to be around and decorum was maintained. Especially when the booze and food flowed freely, haha. Freely being used literally, thanks to Papu Ramaswamy who sponsored the alcohol, food and the venue for the event. It was great to see restrained drinking and responsible riding even in the presence of free booze! It was a pleasant Sunday morning with nothing much to do other than inhale some blue smoke and soak in the sights. I thank all those who made it and rekindled a lot of memories and stories from the days gone by. A small version of the huge and awesome posters that Hemant (screech) made for the event. Each one of them is 8x4 feet.  |
