Monsoon Cruise

The rains lay out a green carpet and we answer the call on a beautiful motorcycle

- Rishabh Bhaskar

Motorcycles and the monsoons. Quite a heady combination, no? Well, some of you may not agree. Who’d want to deal with rain soaked riding gear, slippery, pothole-riddled roads, and increased chances of having to call your insurance agent, in case of a spill.

The reasons why some avoid riding in the rain are many, but there are a few, like me, who can’t resist the lure of riding motorcycles, irrespective of the weather. And when the motorcycle in question is a Harley-Davidson, I required no second invitation to hit the road.

This isn’t my first taste of a HarleyDavidson, though. I had sampled the new Fat Boy and Fat Bob, and was impressed with how well these hefty motorcycles handled our roads and traffic conditions. But the bike you see on these pages is something special.

The new Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe is the very definition of the term retro-charm and one of those motorcycles that’ll have you staring at it, all day long. I mean, just look at it!

It’s big, but also proportionate and very, very attractive in this Electric Blue shade. The shape of the fenders is so gorgeous, you’d want them to adorn the walls of your home.

But what really stands out is the big 1,704cc V-Twin and the unequal length, dual exhausts. They take pride of place in the entire scheme of things and to my eyes, are an important aspect of the entire design. Of course, this being a lowslung, retro-themed, Harley-Davidson, there’s enough chrome to feature in a rap video. But the best bit, aesthetically, are the white walled tyres on wire spoke rims that’re sure to make Luigi proud! In a word, this bike is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L.

After soaking in the sight of the bike, the question that immediately popped in to my head, is where do I ride with such a beautiful motorcycle?