The thing about clichés is, every now and then, you’ll find yourself bang in the middle of one. I could sense it coming even before we got to the crossroad where the old highway to Nainital forks up toward the mountains from the Ramnagar-Haldwani road. Right on cue, Bruce Springsteen came on, streaming on the motorcycle’s stereo (more on that later) re-iterating that we were, ‘born to run’. I squirm as I write this, but the best thing about being on a motorcycle is that it’s a bit like dancing with no one around — you’re not easily embarrassed. And so we went, hoarsely screaming along, ‘on a steel horse I ride’, while doing exactly that. We — my friend George Koshy and I — had been riding for hours; the trick to getting to Kumaon — the eastern half of Uttarakhand, abutting the western periphery of Nepal, and just a five-hour ride from Delhi — is getting past Uttar Pradesh before it wakes up.When we left Delhi at 3 in the morning, the cops were still out on the roads accosting drunken Saturday-night party-goers, who consider taking a cab an affront to their masculinity. By the time the rising sun finally caught up, we were already gunning down the periphery of the Corbett National Park. At this point, it would be appropriate to introduce our exceptional rides: George on the Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special — the gorgeous cruiser from H-D with the company’s new Milwaukee-Eight engine — and me, on the Indian Chieftain Dark Horse.
This latest iteration of Indian Motorcycle’s trademark cruiser takes elements from the Dark Horse and the Chieftain. What you get is essentially the big Chieftain — big front fairing, a detailed instrumentation panel that incorporates an infotainment system and navigation (with four speakers no less) — clad in the black matte finish of the Dark Horse. Cruise control is standard, but the tyre pressure monitor is much more useful. Add tassels on the handlebar ends and seats and you’ve got a bad boy cruiser with street cred — the Chieftain Dark Horse that weighs in at a healthy 377 kilograms.
That heft, rather, this motorcycle’s ability to handle it, is the crucial differentiator that gives it that edge over the other cruisers. As with the Chieftain, the Dark Horse Chieftain has a different handlebar and additional fork offset, which make it easier to steer, and surer on the bends. It might seem trivial and not something you appreciate on the straights, but after a 50-km circuit, weaving in and out, to Nainital, and then down to Bhowali, and further on to Naukuchiatal, that detail becomes crucial. When you’re heaving a motorcycle of this size and weight, then its willingness to do your bidding, changes everything.
As does the stereo; push the button to raise the Chieftain’s front fairing and it creates this nice little cocoon around the rider. While the wind whips up and over your head, the sound fills up the empty space. I’m not a fan of music on motorcycles, but if you have a clear stretch, and can afford to relax your guard, there’s nothing like a soundtrack to accompany the ride. And it’s safer than headphones.
At the heart of it, the pull of two wheels is about feeling alive. But if you’re lukewarm about riding, you’re probably a commuter. The chances of an accident being fatal are 40 times higher if you’re on a motorcycle rather than a car. Gist is, if motorcycling is not doing something soul-stirring for you, then what’s the point. As Steinbeck said, “People don’t take trips; trips take people.”
