Ask any motorcycle nut about Troy Bayliss and you’ll see the light of thrill shine through their eyes. More so, if you’re a fan of Italian motorcycles, for Aussie rider Troy won three World Superbike Championship titles aboard three different Ducatis – the 996R, the 999, and the 1098R. A feat that put Troy into the orbit of some of the greatest motorcycle racers and launched a series of 500 motorcycles that would pay their respect to Troy’s incredible achievement. Considering that all of this was happening in the mid-2000s in Europe, the odds of one of these 500 making its way to Indian shores were slim. Until Delhi’s bike nut, Ikjot Singh Bhasin, picked one up. Making his very special motorcycle, India’s only Ducati 1098R Troy Bayliss edition.
Ikjot’s garage also includes a Ducati 1198 SP (also a very special motorcycle), a Ducati Hypermotard, a Harley-Davidson XR 1200, the iconic Yamaha RD350 (brought to India by Rajdoot), an RX 100, a 1962 Royal Enfield, and even a strangely humble Hero XPulse. But just how special this bike is to Ikjot is revealed by the fact that even after more than a decade of ownership, his 1098R Troy Bayliss only has 52km on the odometer!
“There was an event at the Buddh International Circuit where Ducati had brought in the best of the Ducati Riding Experience instructors. They had come specifically to give us on-track training. Ducati India wanted me to display this bike since it’s such a collectible. So it was on display in the paddock area. I was riding the 1198 SP on the track, but I couldn’t resist the temptation and ended up riding the Bayliss on the track. I rode a total of 52km on the track, and those were the best laps of the circuit of my life,” he remembers with a smile at his special memory.
We don’t doubt it for a second either, because apart from being a special bike, it’s also a very potent motorcycle. At the heart of the bike is a 1198cc L-twin that puts out more than 180 horses but tips the scales at a mere 169kg. “So you can imagine how fast it is!” says Ikjot. Top speed is 290kmph, and 100kmph is breached from a standing start in just about three seconds.
“I have had this bike since 2014. This is the 354th production motorcycle out of the 500 units that were made,” remembers Ikjot. “I had a few limited-edition models of Ducati earlier as well. I had the 749 Dark edition as well as the 1198 SP, which is also the only one in India to the best of my knowledge.” Ikjot’s 1098R Troy Bayliss first made its way to India when Chennai-based dealership Chicane imported it in 2012. For the next two years, it sat in its crate waiting for a passionate Ducatisti to come along and set it free. That freedom may never have come to pass except that the then managing director of Ducati India, Ravi Avalur, who was also a good friend of Ikjot’s, acted as a conduit and got Ikjot in touch with the owner of Chicane, who had the bike with him then.
“If the bike was what they were claiming it to be and if it had zero kilometres on the odo, I told them I would buy it,” says Ikjot. When it did turn out to be a genuine Ducati 1098R Troy Bayliss, still in its original crate and with zero kilometres on the digital instrumentation, Ikjot picked it up and has held it close ever since.
“Anything which is made by Ducati and there are only 500 of them is already very special. Someone like me who has got a passion for the brand, owning a motorcycle like this is a very big thing. It brings me back to my knowledge of why it is such a special unit. The fact that every aspect of it is an homage to Troy Bayliss who won three World Superbike Championships with Ducati. So I just fell in love with the bike and wanted to own it,” he says simply.
Unlike many others of his motorcycling brethren, Ikjot’s foray into the world of two-wheelers didn’t come early. “I was around 18 when I started riding. My father was strict, and I was told very clearly that this automotive world would only open up to me after I passed my driving test and got my driving licence,” he says.
Ikjot hasn’t looked back, going deeper and deeper into a two-wheeled world of fast bikes and unbridled passion that he fails to even describe properly. “Honestly, I’m not sure why I feel attracted to them in the way that I do or why I feel the need to find out about the world of two-wheelers, news about new motorcycles. I just love motorcycles, and I don’t really know how to answer this.” What is clear, though, is that these machines tug at Ikjot’s heart and soul more than his brain. None more so than his precious Ducati 1098R Troy Bayliss Edition. The only one of its kind in India.
