2001 Yamaha Crux

This bike was given to me by my uncle back in India in 2004. When I got it, it was already beat up, because it had seen some service on the bumpy roads of coastal Andhra Pradesh. The humidity and the salt didn’t help either, because there was a significant amount of rust on the bike and the fuel tank had a hole in it (patched up using m-seal putty… I miss the smell of leaking petrol). Some of the paint was already peeling off the fuel tank and all the plastic pieces on the bike had faded from maroon to orange. The brakes wouldn’t work because they were all worn out and the tyres were as bald and smooth as Vin Diesel’s head. One of the forks on the front suspension was bent and the chain was all worn out. But, damn I loved this bike! The best part of this bike was that it’s displacement was slightly larger than the 100cc bikes at 110cc. Not that it helped that much, but it was definitely faster than the Hero Hondas and Bajajs.

After some minor repairs including a engine tune-up, fork readjustment and replaced brakes, my bike was good to go. I rode this bike to my college (that would be once a week atmost actually), gave my mom rides to the local vegetable market and spent most of my time commuting to my friends place to play a game (Gran Turismo, oh yeah!). My friends called this bike ‘The Tricycle’ because it was too small for me and I had problems turning when the bike got crowded (there were two other passengers sometimes) and I had to sit on the tank.

During the summer months, the solenoid would get over heated and my bike would stop. And I had to wait for 5 minutes for it to cool off before setting out again. The most memorable moments on this bike are the rides in the rain. I experienced the effects of hydroplaning first hand, and it was fun! Maybe because I am the kind of guy who enjoys repeatedly banging his head against the wall (this also explains my old career choice of being a game programmer, but that is another story).

This bike was also super reliable. I ran it on a dry sump all the time… yes, no oil changes because I was too lazy and also because the engine burnt oil (I personally screwed the engine up). And also for avoiding getting stopped by the traffic cop for ‘polluting the environment’. I rode it until the sprockets were totally worn out and the bike wouldn’t go uphill anymore. This was when I convinced my dad to give me his Pulsar 150, which he gave me with some hesitation.

The bike was shipped back to coastal Andhra Pradesh after I completely destroyed it. But, if given a chance and my pockets were deep enough, I’d hunt down the bike, ship it over here and rebuild it myself. The bike may be gone now, taken apart and sold as spares, but it will be one of my favorite bikes for all the good times in the rain.