TWO wheels powered by brute force and built on lines that reflect the famous Harley Davidson is what the Aquila is all about. India?s first real cruiser bike, it recently hit our roads and comes fitted with a V Twin 250cc, 8-valve engine complete with front and rear mud guards, Yankee handle and atypical fuel tank. The price tag? An awesome Rs 1.75 lakh.
But that kind of money gets you twin silencers, two-tone colour, cast alloy wheels and an electric starter that reduces ignition a mere bagatelle. Which is very welcome considering the knee injuries so common among longtime users of kick-started Indian motorcycles.
Better still, the engine is absolutely soundless and the 260-mm disc brake in the front and the 130-mm drum brake in the rear are accoutrements not to be sneered at. Riding comfort there definitely is because the front suspension has a telescopic fork with a coiled spring oil damper and a double-sided swing arm coil over the shock absorber in the rear.
Driving this twin-engined, four-stroke beauty is a dream come true. There?s no strain to speak of, just a memory that took me back to when I used to ride a 1000cc BMW sports bike owned by famous body builder Kamal Bhandari in the 1980s. The Aquila gives you the rush of a David besting Goliath. The power of 30 bhp at 9, 000 rpm can be felt once you put the bike in first gear.
The monster moves very confidently, the positioning of the engine so that the vehicle maintains perfect road grip even at sharp turns. The seating is scientifically done to ensure no back or shoulder ache over long hours at a stretch. The pillion seat especially is so designed as to alleviate boredom.
The thick tyres and 155-mm ground clearance give the rider additional confidence to take on not so well maintained, even non-metalled roads.
Its expensive yes, but it offers something so much more than any other bike in the country today - its got class and style like no other, and performance that can beat the daylights out of any other bike in the country, advanced technology (v twin, 8 valve engine is generations ahead of any other bike around today). Plus when you ride it, its your chance to feel like a film star. You get hounded as if you are a celebrity! Really!!
If you want to own a stand-apart-from-the-crowd, imported, sexy, stylish, high performance motorcycle - legally and at a cost that does not break your back, the Kinetic Aquila is your only option, really.