Love for the older machines (A small ride on the country roads)
It’s almost oxymoronic that I’m now planning on shifting to a newer machine, one that will be far more capable, smoother, and much more reliable than the one I already have, my RE Classic 350 BS3 (2016). And yet, I’m still very much a fan of this machine.
I’m not going to make any unworldly claims that older REs were somehow better because they were “heavier” or had “more character.” But this is the bike I learned to ride on. It’s the bike because of which I fell in love with motorcycles in the first place.
I took it on a small ride to Kalinjar, UP, about 70 km from my place, and it turned out to be such a calming, profound, and blissful experience. Maybe it also had something to do with the fact that I haven’t exactly had the most satisfying few months lately. But riding this bike has a strange way of making me feel content. It pulls me back into the present, away from everything else for a while.
I might move on to another machine soon, but I don’t think that changes what this one means to me. What do you think of the older, more primitive engines?
Keep riding. Keep safe. Revv and vroom.