Hi there!
On the way to my office, there is this very inviting road between the penultimate and last automated traffic signal post. On days when I have been an early riser, it is relatively cool and roads empty than most days. Some of these days I just tend to enjoy the breeze. On the other days it so happens that one feels like pushing the machine a little bit.
So what enters a rider's mind before plunging into that sprint? and how about during and after? Here's an attempt into a rider's nerves correlated from one of my personal experiences.
It mostly depends on the attitude with which you break off from the lights. If you let some air into the bike at the start off, after first 5 seconds you already know that the local speed limit is pieces now. Violate the speed limit by 1 Kmph or 60, it is an offense. And who cares this one time?
By now you are halfway in to making the decision if you are going to push it or relax all the way. Possibly, if you are already nearing the red line, things in the mirror are smaller than they
should appear, and there is no animated object ahead as far as you can see, then it almost surely a is a go-go.
When the decision has been made, brain switches from smooth-sailing mode to fly-in-2D mode.
You then push the throttle slowly towards it's upper limits. The harsher and harsher grunt from the hollow exhaust pipe tells you that the machine is obeying and faithfully putting in efforts to take you on the 50 second adventure ride. Your eyes are fixated on the road envisaging any potential threats at least 300m ahead of you and gauging anything that may cause you to abort the sprint. By now the dials are again redlining and you switch a cog further.
And few seconds later, it is again the time to put those cogs into another disposition so that transmission can effectively squeeze the peak of torque-curve that you might be riding on right now.
Around 50 Kmph above the legal speed limit!
At this point, experienced from the daily commute and often stretching your bike like today, you know for sure that there are a few more seconds remaining to the magic number you have always managed on this stretch. This is the point when your field of view narrows down only to the edges of the road around you.
There is absolutely no need to watch the rear view mirror now because all the senses are focused on the road, the road and only the road. Even a glance of the RVM will be waste of the precious view ahead where you see the bike eating up the road and roadside trees, sign boards and street lights rapidly unfolding into your field of view. Everything seems to be simply warping into you!
The head-winds gets into the smallest nook and cranny. Small gusts of breeze break away from the head-winds and find their way through the riding gloves and shoelace-holes and cool down the sweat that by now, out of excitement, has moistened your hands and feet. Just a quick peek at the speedometer and you see 111, 112, 113,...114,........1..1..5,.......1....1.....6..... gradually inching into the number you want to see. The three digit number raises the level of alertness far higher and you are all the more willing to slow down from caution than you are any other time of the day. The realization that you are now riding at the limit of your skill-set and your bike's ability, is enough to make you skip a heartbeat.
But wait you need to watch the road, feel the tires, look out for that gentle curve, prepare for the descent into it. There is no time for skipping heartbeats!
Up ahead a few hundred meters is the round-about where you break into another road to the office. That defines the end of it. That is where the sprint ends and you are still a tad below the magical number. But You know there is no more to go. You release the throttle millimeter by millimeter and apply brakes in tandem to avoid engine-braking hit you hard.
After the turn, you are again legal. Some riders catch up while you are now riding in a speed-induced slow motion. Your extremities feel a little numb after recovering from vibes that parts oscillating at 8500 rpm produced.
Then there is stand-still. Some idling and engine stops. Your have arrived at your destination. Heated dirt on the cylinder head sighs with a peculiar smell you recognize, is from the last time you touched that number. And with tinker of exhaust that is now contracting after being heated by exhaust gases a few seconds ago, your bike takes a breath of relief from the hard work. You acknowledge with a glance at the machine before leaving for rest of the day.
Thanks.
-Akashdeep Singh
Read my review of the same bike at
http://bikeadvice.in/honda-cb-unicorn-dazzler/
Post script:
- For those who are curious about the make, it is the nimble, purposeful, uncelebrated, no-nonsense bike by Honda, the CB Unicorn Dazzler. And yes, it has done 119 Kmph.
-Rider specs: 30 Yr, 5'5", 64 Kg.
Some words on safety:
-Do not continue riding beyond your comfort zone. Abort if you start feeling lack of confidence, it is not thrill, it is the fear that tells you to quit for your own safety. So quit!
-Wear appropriate safety gear while riding and follow all the best practices.
