'Upgrade Needed'

Ready to Race?? Ready to push the envelope?? Ready to lose your mind?? Ready to trust your instinct??

That certainly is what a certain Duke from Austria keeps asking you every single time. But this Duke isn't really of royal descent but comes from a time when wars were being fought over a rather thing such as adrenaline and male testosterone fueled wars for power. So maybe this Duke wasn't born around then, but descends from the lineage of fine motorcycles since 1934.

Put the key in, swing your leg over, push the ignition button and a soft yet agressive roar comes to life and all the above mentioned questions start wanting answers. One cannot help but try to answer these questions every time the motorcycle is ridden with a certain amount of madness. The madness comes from  stems from the passion the Duke stirs about inside each rider.

The Agressive Stance

A road-trip aboard this motorcycle is insanely exciting for anyone who gets to ride one, and that is exactly what happened this time around as well. Though the agenda of the trip was more wildlife sighting and photography, the Duke just beckons to push the envelope. 3 days of wildlife safaris is exciting but not as exciting as the call of the Duke to lose your mind.

The Nilgiri’s or Blue Mountains have always beckoned most motor enthusiasts, photographers and tourists for the scenic views it offers and some spectacular winding roads depending on where in the Nilgiri’s one might be. This time around, sights were set on the Kalahati Ghat section, which has proven to be one of the most interesting roads to travel on either on a motorcycle or in a car..

The Route

Bandipur - Theppakadu - Ooty - Gudalur - Bandipur

This unscheduled or unplanned ride came from the fact that there was time between safaris and could be completed in the time in between.  The route was as simple as the plan. Enjoy the ride, try out the rumours heard about the relationship between the Duke and the hills and most of all have a blast just doing so.

The route taken was “Bandipur – Theppakadu – Ooty – Gudalur – Bandipur” covering about a 100 odd kms of the Nilgiri’s in this entire ride.

The Man

What started with a decent approach road to the Ghat from Theppakadu, quickly transformed into pure riding bliss.  A few bends later, once adjustments to the skill of riding are made the Duke makes sure you lose your mind. A few more leans, dips, outer paths, inner paths, power surges and insane approaches and departures into bends and another answer gets answered. Man and Machine become one to allow one to trust their instincts whilst also putting faith and trust into their relationship whilst tackling this section of the ghat.

So, what really does one expect from a motorcycle that was effectively built by a company that comes from a strong lineage of motorsport champions? Nothing but the best!!!

The open highways are tons of fun, the winding roads on these highways are also tons of fun, but the twists of the hills are pure insane fun. That’s what the next 134 kilometers of riding the Dukes were. Pushing the envelope, trusting your instinct and getting addicted to the overall feeling was what it was all about. The Dukes only beckon you to push harder and take the risks because at the end of the day, you know you can trust the faith you share with your machine.

The Machine

Leaning in is a breeze

Keeping the revs neither too high nor too low through the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th cogs all the way no matter how steep the incline only further emphasizes what the engineers had in mind when they designed and executed the engine and gearbox. So far the highway and city has proved how awesome both are and here is another example of the same.

The fact that the suspension is stiff is only understood on such roads when one can lean into a corner as far into it as one can manage and pull out of the corner with just as much ease. The way the motorcycle has been so well balanced is also understood here with the same ease. So it may get a little bumpy on uneven roads, but then when one is hitting some beautiful twisting roads in the hills, the bumpy ride is soon forgotten.

Most riders hesitate at first to lean over, but then "BOOM"

Leaning over deeper and deeper with the concept of using 100% of the tyre surface was the idea and not matter what one tries not more than 80% of the surface was successfully used. Another fact along with the above mentioned that allows one to push the envelope compared to whilst riding other motorcycles (ones ridden in the past including premium commuters, so called performance and touring motorcycles in the country). Rapidly changing tyre temperatures whilst riding made sure of that. The changes were very obvious from the colour of the wear and tear on the tyres.

It doesn’t take too long to get used to with the change in the terrain and very soon the rider also settles in comfortably with the motorcycle and is able to trust his instincts with “when to push harder, when to back off and when to take the chance” on the terrain. What it does result in is, of course a smile wider than the face can manage through every single turn, bend and the experience it offers along with a sense of absolute calm and oneness with both the motorcycle and the road.

Getting comfortable with the motorcycle

Upgrade Needed

The Duke comes with one single flaw, one that every owner will sooner or later figure out no matter how good they may believe they may be with the motorcycle. Every rider will need to upgrade his own riding skills to match those of the Duke. That is how potent the Duke really is with limits that really need one to strive really hard to reach and master.

One can't help but love this machine.... Riders need a skill upgrade to utilize everything single inch of this motorcycle!!!