KOCHI: Yamaha RX-135 induces a lot of nostalgia among bike aficionados. Think of four riders covering around 11,500 kilometres, zipping through 21 states and 2 countries on three RX-135 bikes.
Even diehard bike trippers will be in awe of that. Kochiites Vimal Rapheal, Raneesh Krishna, Kannan P S and Jibin Antony of TEAM 135 bike club set out for a ride of their lifetime on May 26 which spanned two whole months and concluded on July 26. They were greeted with a resounding reception from other club members and public.
“Our craze for RX-135 is one of the biggest inspirations for the trip. A trip on this bike gives a sense of pride and adventure. The bike gave a vintage feel to the experience. Secondly, it was our dream to see the whole of India. We have been planning the trip for eight years. Every year it got postponed due to financial constraints and other unfavourable developments like conflict or bad weather in some place or other. Last year it was the floods,” says Vimal.
Vimal affirms that each member spent nearly Rs 1.5 lakhs for the whole trip. “We started from Kochi and reached Goa through Mangaluru. Then we went to Mumbai, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir nd even visited Nepal. We couldn’t spend much time in Nepal due to the floods,” he adds.
The trip also gave them a chance to tick off many things in their bucket list. “One of our biggest dreams was to take a photo in front of the India Gate. From Nepal, we entered Lucknow and visited the Bara Imambara.
The architecture of the fort is splendid. Raneesh wanted to take a dip in the Ganga, so we visited Varanasi. Then we traveled to West Bengal to see the Howrah bridge. The next destination was Konark temple, Odisha. It was sad to see it in ruins now. Then we moved to Visakhapatnam and saw the submarine museum. After that was Hyderabad, where we visited the Ramoji Film City and had the city’s famous biriyani from Paradise hotel. We had a day off at Bengaluru and then started to Kochi. It was truly memorable” says Vimal.
According to the gang, Kashmir was the most beautiful place they saw. “The sights are heavenly. But the guides behaved very badly with us at Sonamarg. We were shocked by their attitude.”
RX-135 club was formed by a group of childhood friends and now has around 27 members. The four bikers thank Patrick chettan, a famous mechanic in Kochi who deals only with RX-135 bikes. “Our bikes were in perfect condition throughout the trip. He gave us many tips on how to take care of the engine before we left.” They are also grateful to other club members and friends for support. “We fell short of money during the trip. Our friends transferred money to our account and that’s how we managed to get back,” says Vimal.
They were surprised by the reception they received in front of Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium.
“We grew up around the stadium. It’s our place. We had expected the hoarding, but the grand welcome we got with a band, firecrackers, cake and so many people in attendance was surprising,” quips Vimal. He also asserts that many Keralites whom they met on the trip were surprised to hear that they drove the entire distance on an RX-135. Next trip? “Sri Lanka is our preferred destination. We haven’t planned anything yet. First, we want to get out of the hangover of this one. People are still excited to hear our stories.”