New Delhi, April 22 -- When I was in my 20s in the 1990s, the Royal Enfield Bullet 350 was considered the raja gaadi (king's carriage), especially the black and chrome Machismo variant. No other company made a motorcycle with a higher cubic capacity.

The Machismo, in spite of its infuriating idiosyncrasies-oil leaks, false neutrals, vicious back kicks-had undeniable road presence. Dripping with chrome and emitting its signature "dhak dhak" exhaust note like a heartbeat, this Royal Enfield was the most majestic motorcycle until the last years of the analogue era. From the doodhwalla to the college dude and from the family man with four onboard to the foreigner riding in the Himalaya to find himself, the Bullet was a fusion of form and fun...