The real enthusiasm worldwide

In my last exsperience abroad I met in U.A.E. a good Indian guy, his name is Manjeet KWARTA and his passion for chrome is very deep.

I met him at the during the autism awareness ride 2019 in Dubai (follow this link AAR 2019) I enjoyed that fukin' good time coz Manjeet told me about his harley davidson enthusiasm and it was so cool for an Italian guy with the same harley davidson enthusiasm.

After our first meeting I went to Manjeet's home near Jebel Ali area, his house is so so so cool, it looks like a museum, into he built a big memorabilia rom where I found the coolest Harley's things, I saw for the first time a brick straight from the first Harley davidson's factory, a lot of commemoration pins and other.

My experience was so nice and I hope to meet my Indian friend very soon  either in Dubai or in Italy!

I read an article about my friend on a Kustom Kulture magazine it was interesting and I chose to repost that below.

Sweet dreams are made of these…

by bob.E.

No beard or ponytail, no piercing. Not even an attitude or the smallest tattoo. Nothing to give away the biker in the man. Manjeet, or Manu as we know him, is not the average HOG (Harley Owning Guy) if you go by the apparent. But there is definitely more to him than meets the eye. There is a huge well of hidden passion for thumping four-strokers. Fast revving, speeding gizmos loaded with electronic circuitry are not what excite this man. He is a sucker for old technology; for machines that have stood the test of time and hold their own even in this age of the microchip.

Our father owned an Enfield Bullet 350 but Manu was too young to ride it then. But I remember both of us getting goose bumps when we heard the low bassy thumping of the single cylinder fourstroker that powers the bike. By the time Manu was old enough to have ridden the bike, dad had long since passed away and the bike had been sold off.

The Bullet is a staple steed of the Indian armed forces and police. Trusted by millions of Indians, the motorcycle has proved itself worthy of the faith they put into its relatively antiquated machine. It invokes a deep sense of respect & authority among the Indian masses due to its long history of association with uniform.

Manu graduated from bicycles to motorized two wheelers at a relatively early age. He would borrow our neighbour’s old Vespa 150cc scooter as often as he could and on the slightest pretext. A rather humble beginning. He was always most willing to run an errand or do a chore for anyone if it would provide him an opportunity to ride the scooter.

He acquired his own Bullet 350 in 1997. It was brought from a friend who worked abroad and was using it infrequently due to his long periods of absence from home. Christened ‘Slingshot’, the bike is in much better condition than it ever had been. Manu changed its handlebar and seats and put a back rest to the rear seat as soon as he got possession of it. Also added were fog lamps and horns. Then in 2004, it was given a custom paint job.

The bike and his maintenance of it are legendary in our hometown in New Bombay, now Navi Mumbai. People, who don’t even know him, know his bike. It is always at its best appearance and shining like new. He has earned himself the moniker “Chamku”, meaning, someone who polishes and shines. He can not resist reaching down under the seat for the wipe-rag and dust off the headlight, speedometer and tank even while he is waiting at a red light. So the name is not for nothing.

Ever since he became aware of the Harley Davidson, he wanted to own one. The posters and pictures that he saw of the bikes would leave him awestruck and he promised himself he would own and ride one someday. Being in India, that dream would have probably taken all life to realise, if ever. And he knew this.

In the January of 2000, Manu was involved in a car accident while riding on the highway with four other friends. Both his friends in the front seats died in the accident and Manu, who was sitting in the middle in the rear seat, suffered some serious injuries to his face, shoulder and chest. He was hospitalized for several weeks and underwent a whole lot of reconstructional surgeries to his face.

After recovering from his injuries, Manu was even more determined to get out and go someplace where he could make more money than he could in India. The wish to repay mom all the money spent on his surgeries and hospitalization plus the desire to own a Harley were two strongest factors in his decision to move to the UAE and seek employment here. And move he did toward the end of 2002.

He started his work here with DANZAS AEI as a customer service agent working for General Motors at their newly set up Middle East Distribution Center at the Jebel Ali Free Zone. Manjeet’s sincerity, hard work and dedication soon brought him to the attention of the GM management and he was absorbed into the company. He now is Team Leader of the organization’s Vehicle Distribution team. He has earned a reputation for his good work and the future looks bright for him.

Last year Manu purchased an Enfield Bullet of 1973 vintage and has left it in the care of a friend who restores and modifies bikes. It has been chopped and lengthened, with a 15 inch wide tire in the rear. Among other things, the bike features double discs front and rear and will sport a custom front fork as well. Manu wants it to be a single seating chopper. There is all likelihood that the bike will turn out to be another talk-of-the-town piece like the original Slingshot.

In April of 2007, Manu realised his long held dream of owning a Harley Davidson when he bought a Screaming Eagle Fat Boy. It is a fantasy in red & chrome. Needless to say, it turns heads and brings forth exclamations wherever he takes it.

Manu had been a regular visitor to the HD showroom in Dubai. He has amassed a collection of all sorts of Harley merchandise in the time that he has been here. There are three show cabinets full of models, Zippos (though Manu does not smoke), belt buckles, shot glasses, pins, badges, pens, knives and what not.

Although he was sure he wanted to buy a Harley, no bike in all these 4 years excited Manu enough to want to buy it as soon as he set his eyes on it. One fine day in April, he went to the HD Showroom on Shk. Zayed road to buy some accessories for his second Enfield that is being worked upon back home in India. He saw the red Fat Boy Screaming Eagle and that was it. The bike was booked and an upfront payment made within a matter of a few minutes. The bike was handed over in the next few days after the formalities and PDI were completed.

With the bike, Manu also subscribed to a lifetime membership of the international HOG and totally enjoys riding out every weekend with the other members from the Dubai Chapter # 9266.

He is all set for participation in the many rallies and events that are organized around the region. His first will be the 8^th Middle East HOG Rally that will be held in November in Muscat, Oman and he sure is looking forward to it.

What started as a boy dream in the eighties has blossomed into a full blown passion for two wheeled cruisers. It is a story of determination in the face of adversity. For someone who had to hold back his wishes when other boys his age were riding around on motorbikes while he only owned a bicycle, this is indeed an accomplishment that deserves much kudos. It should also serve as an example ad inspiration to others with dreams that seem to farfetched. Nothing is too out of reach if one perseveres and keeps the goal in sight, no matter how fraught with obstacles the path toward it might seem.

All of us, family and friends, wish him many safe & satisfying years of riding his bikes in his life ahead. God bless him and keep him riding on and riding strong.

I'm glad to show you some Manjeet's home pics...

 

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