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MAN AND MACHINE

Car on two wheels

Sivaramakrishnan races 1300cc cars at Sriperumbudur. His bike's a bigger deal though...

GRAND TOURER There's simply no competition for a Goldwing... even though this model's out of production now

M Sivaramakrishnan "rides" a car on two wheels. Truth be told, it's a bike. But a behemoth of a bike - weighing about 750 pounds and measuring 103 inches from head to tail and 37.6 inches from side to side. The 1999-model GL-1500 Honda Goldwing is actually a bike that behaves like a car.

There's more sound to the Goldwing than what its six-cylinder engine coughs out. A stereo is the cause of all that extra sound. The music, or whatever, is relayed through two headsets - one for the rider and the other for the passenger, who is perched on a throne of a seat. As you throttle up, the stereo's volume increases automatically, compensating for engine and wind noises. The headsets also serve as an intercom - between passenger and rider. The 'Wing comes with three luggage boxes, which collectively carry 18 kg of luggage. An adjustable windshield on the dash lets the air in, and for those living in cooler climes, blower vents direct air from the engine for a bit of warmth. Care to back the bike out? No sweat, an electric motor enables the rider to reverse the ponderous Goldwing with ease.

As managing director of UCAL Machine Tools Limited, a company manufacturing automotive parts, Sivaramakrishnan is no stranger to auto-engineering. He says the Goldwing's design is mind-blowing. Dismantling the bike is child's play, as clips hold together most of the parts. "With an incredibly friendly owner's manual and a toolkit, anybody can play mechanic with the Goldwing."

The love for speed runs in Sivaramakrishnan's family. He's a regular at the JK Tyres National Racing Championship - in the Maruti Esteem class. As chairman of the Madras Motor Sports Club, his father Muthukrishnan shares a passion for fast cars and bikes. But the 'Wing has not been fashioned for speed - it's a highway tourer which expects you to take it easy with a top 165 kph at your disposal.

"This bike is made for a straight road that never ends," quips Sivaramakrishnan. "No time for long-distance adventures. The bike has had it easy so far - during weekends on the ECR, I put the bike on cruise control and go to sleep."

Sivaramakrishnan likes to hide his obsession with his Goldwing. People close to him, however, know this. They know how unceremoniously the bike nudged a huge SUV out of Sivaramkrishnan's garage. Today, the ' Wing has the entire garage to itself. One can imagine the SUV, suddenly fallen out of favour with its owner, glaring at the Goldwing and spitting with sarcasm, "So, you think you are more of a car than a car, eh?" And the Goldwing countering that with a grin and a "You said it!"

PRINCE FREDERICK

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