She roars across the city raising the dust in its tracks. It clears all the traffic in its way no matter how thick it is. She feels like a monster and guzzles fuel by the gallon. It is a long standing symbol of power, aggression and arrogance. And no, I am not talking about the Humvee or the Haryana Roadways bus. She is my Yamaha RX-135, set loose in the city of Bangalore.
Lets start with the numbers first. I own a 2001 model, bought second hand for Rs. 25,000. It had been ridden 20,000 km then (and now after a year it is 30,000 km). For the unfamiliar, she has a single cylinder, two stroke engine, with a displacement of 132.00 ccm which gives a 12 bhp burst at 6500 rpm, and a torque of 12 nm at 5500 rpm. In other words, a 0-60 kmph in 5 sec. She has a 4-speed gear box and a top speed of 120 kmph. She is small in size and weighs less than 100 kg (its power-to-weight ratio is more than that of a mini cooper) which gives it an outstanding maneuverability, making it a perfect city bike: and me and her have been through a lot on the streets of this city.
