QUARTER-LIFE CRISIS

What big bike should an out-of-shape 30 year old couch potato buy to reclaim their life? Since Shivank matches the description, we let him find the answer.

- SHIVANK BHATT

I ‘It’s going to be downhill from here…’, said one of my ex-colleagues while wishing me on my 30th birthday. And I just laughed it off. But, now that I am three years into my thirties, I’ve begun to realise that he wasn’t kidding. Getting up from bed every morning has become a bit of a task; the creaks from my bones are getting louder each passing day, and weekends are all about exploring the joys of lying down in bed. The pace of life has slowed down…

Sometimes, I feel that it’s the natural course of life to feel this way, but then, other times, I want to jump out of bed and get my mojo back. And when that happens, the first thing that comes to my mind is getting on a motorcycle.

Now, a couple of weeks ago I was wondering what big motorcycle should an old bum like myself get if they want to ‘reclaim their life’. And I zeroed in on the Suzuki Katana and Ducati Hypermotard because I absolutely love these two motorcycles. But, which one would be the right choice for me?

SHARP SCREAMER VS SLEDGEHAMMER

Let's start with the Katana first. It's a naked motorcycle, which gets the updated 999cc inline-4 screamer from the legendary 2005 Gixxer K5 superbike. Sure, with 150bhp and 106Nm on offer, it is detuned for the job, but that doesn't mean it's tamed, for this motor is still a thoroughbred. The engine has typical in-line motor traits. Power builds up in a linear fashion up until 6,000rpm, and once the motor has revved past that mark, all hell breaks loose! However, the great thing about the Katana's turn of speed is that it thrills but doesn't threaten you.