Shogun, Boss, Beast, Madazz Bike, what else have you????!!!! This bike was sheer madness. Period. When it came out in 1994, it simply shut up the critics and the layman alike. There was nothing even remotely like it and to be frank there never will be anything like it ever. The full black paintwork was a masterpiece, the silver looked like it could do with better graphics, but the black one, was THE ONE!!! TVS could not make enough of them to begin with, and by the time they got around to ramping up production, the bike’s death knell had been sounded, by the green brigade. Pah!!!! what sobs!!!!! Well, I managed to get mine in one week flat, while a few friends of mine had to wait for about three weeks heh heh heh.......Of course, I did not own the bike, as I had bought it along with my mechanic. This would be our set of wheels to go racing. And therefore this bike did not remain in stock condition for long. I rode the bike for 10 months and never, I repeat, never had a single complaint. Now some of u out there might say that 10 months is hardly the time to gauge a bike but the best part begins now. In the 10 months I completed about 12000 kms and was so happy with the bike that I began to have second thoughts of going racing with it. Unlike most other bikes, even with quite rough use, I managed to get 30+ kmpl from her. But TVS had created such a hype around the bike that I also felt going racing would be the best way of gauging the bike’s true capabilities. And so off she went to my mechanic for a makeover. And what a makeover it proved to be!!!!!!! She lost a lot of weight, not that she had much on her in the first place :) And then the engine was carefully dismantled, ported and assembled back. A matching expansion chamber was grafted on and one cool sunday morning, I took her out. The stock bike had no problems touching a peak speed of 125 kmph. With all the mods, well, I was the one having problems hanging on to the bike!!! We clocked a true speed of, wait for it 148 kmph! We were astounded, and the bike had yet to be tuned!!!! But then I believe that too much of a good thing is not good and we decided to race her in whatever tune she was in. Well, that was not to be, bec I was lying in 4th place overall and tearing up a country road at about a 130 kmph when the bike finally showed me its Achille’s heel. Out of nowhere a cow ran onto the path and to avoid eatin a lot of beef ;) I braked, the bike decided not to brake, coz it had none!!!!! We skidded, bike flipped sideways, took off 5 feet into the air before wrapping herself round a pole. I broke my neck, fractured a hand and a leg. Not every love story ends with ’’AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER’’. Well mine was good as long as it lasted. Today, all I have are memories of her, along with a few photos of me on a date with her (read: pulling a few wheelies and generally clowning around)!!! THE BOSS IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE BOSS. ADIOS AMIGO :(