XBHP ULTIMATE DESERT CHALLENGE

Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE has proven itself time and again but can it keep up with the legendary Hayabusa and the mighty Ninja H2 in the extreme heat of the Thar Desert?

-  SUNDEEP GAJJAR

THERE is something about the mountains, isn’t there? They have been an integral part of a motorcyclist's staple diet. But is there anything more extreme than that? We think there is. Forget about the mountains. There is nothing quite like the vast alluring openness of the desert. An empty canvas to paint anything, a canvas where you’re only limited by your imagination.

As alluring as it may be, a desert is also unforgiving and ruthless. Arid climate, extremely hot days, bitterly cold nights, and gusts of wind laden with sand- it really is unforgiving. But the fact that even places like that are inhabited is what makes humans such an intriguing species. They are known to adapt to the harshest of environments and still thrive.

But can we say something similar about the machines built by man? Probably. But the majority of the machines that concern us are motorcycles. So, can we say something similar about motorcycles? This question is what gave rise to the xBhpUltimateDesertChallenge. The deserts are calling… and we have to go!

For this little test of mettle for both man and machine, our playground was the Thar Desert. About the motorcycle, well, how about one named after the fastest creature on the planet? How about the Falcon’s namesake- the third-generation Suzuki Hayabusa? And since the desert is a lonely place, we needed a companion for the Hayabusa. How about the world’s fastest street-legal production motorcycle- the Ninja H2?