Ducati Scrambler – Sharvari Manakawad
April 15, 2018Hi my name is Sharvari Manakawad
I am a Digital Marketer by profession, and an adventure motorcyclist by passion
My association with riding began when I stumbled upon an Orkut group called the Pune Female Bikers and they invited me to their upcoming weekly meet. At that time, all of us were simply finger countable and later went on to become the country’s largest association of woman riders, The Bikerni. In 2011, we rode to the Khardung La, world’s highest motorable road on the Royal Enfield Classic 500 along with 9 other women, making our mark in the Limca Book of Records and a reality show aired on national television. It is one of my most treasured memories as I was only 22 & the youngest amongst them.
My previous rides were – my first motorcycle was a 2008 Yamaha Gladiator (125cc) that I used to use to commute to college daily.
My options were I always knew I wanted the Ducati Scrambler ever since the international launch, but I was not aware if they had brought it down to India, so I had kept my options open to Ducati Monster & the Ducati Hyperstrada. (I have been waiting for the KTM Duke 690 since 2012 and it is still not here!)
I chose my current bike because
- Dual sport Tyres – I wanted something that can go anywhere & everywhere.
- Small size – So that I can park it anywhere without having trouble maneuvering, light weight and inspite of being 5’3 both my feet are flat footed .
- Least attention seeking – I love that it has no fairing, no chrome, no loud exhaust sound. The idea is for me to enjoy my ride, not to show off to others.
- Retro styling – I love its old school yet new age look.
- Upright seating – It is the comfort zone. For the same reason, I would never consider a cruiser or a super-sport.
- Perfect for Indian Road conditions – So unpredictable, you never know when you would miss seeing a pothole or a speed breaker… but on the scrambler, the suspension takes care of it.
- The bike is about having fun & a good time, so are my beliefs. #LandOfJoy
The number of kilometres clocked so far 14000 kms of pure touring. (It is pointless using a higher capacity motorcycle within the city to commute, I use my car instead)
My most memorable rides
In 2015, I decided to go on a solo road trip across Rajasthan on my Ducati Scrambler with the esteemed Victorinox on board. This time too over 4500kms, but kept all gadgets & camera gear behind to truly soak in the travel. I would only update my social media & Instagram when the word started to spread.
Although my toughest ride until date are not the mountains but the one when Parzeed & I rode about 2000kms from Mumbai to Pondicherry on Indian Motorcycles. We happen to be on the road during the very crucial time when the demonetization was announced (08-11-2016), and how we got through was an adventure in itself!
Travel teaches you to constantly grow, evolve, adapt but most importantly make memories that will last forever. While trying to plan the recent trip, it did not feel adventurous enough… we wanted to be more spontaneous, more fun and more crazy! So we decided to head on a complete unplanned road trip, this time as a couple on two Ducati Scramblers deciding route, night halts, locations & researches all of it on the go.
I would recommend/ not recommend that girls/ women buy this bike because
YES –
- Great for short heighted people
- Lightweight, Easy to Manoeuvre
NO –
- Be mentally prepared for the heat from most of the bigger bikes.
- Most big bikes need to be towed away to the nearest service centre & jugaad would not work in case of tipping or a fall. They need to be treated with extra care.
- Repair costs is expensive for Ducatis.
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