Mad Custom Bike From Mumbai, Vardenchi Dragster

Vardenchi Dragster

'Mumbai is a mad city to live in' – that’s how most people describe it. In a way, they’re right. An island city built as a trade port for the East India Company in the 19th century, the city houses more than 1.2 crore people today.

It is a bustling port of call for stockbrokers, filmmakers and real estate developers, among others. The slum and the skyscraper co-exist in close proximity. I am standing in a forgotten part of town (the old Dockyard road); around me are buildings that have been left to crumble. In the distance are spanking new skyscrapers forming the city’s evolving skyline. And in front of me is the Vardenchi Dragster.

This is a bike that started life as a Bullet 500. The owner was looking for something a tad exclusive so he went to a man who transforms your old-school Bullets into cruiser art.
 
If you live in Mumbai, you’ve quite likely seen one of Vardenchi’s creations. Vardenchi is the company run by Akshai Varde, and the Dragster is his latest creation, built for one attention-seeking customer and from what we’ve seen so far, the Dragster never has trouble attracting attention.

This is evident from the crowd milling around the bike, and this is not your aam janta I’m talking about. This is a bunch of policemen, who normally give us TG hacks a full-scale interrogation when they see us on the road with a new car or bike.

This time, they don’t ask questions, but they’re all over the Dragster. Because we’re shooting this in a police impound lot. Which I discover only when I ask one of the uniforms why there are so many of them around.
To Vardenchi’s credit, the bike has been finished so well that none of the policemen recognise that the Dragster is based on their daily ride. In this new avatar, it’s a pearl white bike with black racing stripes running the length of the body.

Overall fit and finish is not bad, with parts and panels fitting well, staying true to those well-balanced proportions. There’s nothing around the engine to cover the large cavity that the single cylinder creates. This should make the bike look out of proportion, but it doesn’t.

On closer inspection, you notice the switchgear is borrowed from a 150cc bike. A single-sided swingarm keeps the rear wheel connected to the chassis. Speaking of wheels, they’re custom made and the eye-catcher is the 300mm rear tyre – a Lamborghini Gallardo’s rear tyre is 295mm. This biggie is the signature feature on all Vardenchi bikes.
 To be fair to the Dragster, it is a low-rider, which means the rear suspension is meant to sit way lower and doesn’t have the same travel as a regular commuter bike. This should be fine if you’re in the US or Europe, where there’s no shortage of smooth, wide roads. The riding position is upright and relaxed, and on smooth tarmac, it glides. Sadly, in this city, smooth tarmac is an endangered species.

In sharp contrast to all my personal agony, the Vardenchi’s fan base is having a nice time clicking pictures on cameras and leching at leisure. I get a few thumbs-ups along the way. Bruised spine aside, this bike really makes you feel like a movie star.

After riding all day, the question remains. The donor Bullet 500 costs Rs 2 lakh, and the Vardenchi mod costs another Rs 3 lakh. Why would anyone pay Rs 5 lakh for an India-made Bullet-based custom bike when you can put in a lakh or two more and buy a Harley?

Then again, why do we pay a large fortune in rents every month for a cramped flat in this mad city when we can put in a little extra and buy a proper house somewhere outside? Because this city’s madness is addictive, and its unique charms are available nowhere outside. Ditto the Vardenchi, I suppose.
(Words: Abhinav Mishra, Photos: Varun Anchan)