I seem to be having a better time on the Eliminator but that's because the bike is pampering me, and for all my macho outlook, I like to be pampered. The smoothness and refinement of the 175cc mill is a far cry from the 350cc vibrator of the Lightning. The gearbox is much better, you don't need muscles of an ironmonger to operate the clutch and the brakes only need feathering not grabbing like the Lightning. But somehow the whole experience feels kind of detached, and lacks the experience of oneness that I have with the Lightning.

Part of that I put down to the pansy-ish exhaust note of the Eliminator. After the involving, soul-stirring, awake-the-dead thump thump of the Lightning, the Eliminator is too mild, too detached. The kind of music you listen to can have a bearing on your state of mind. Same in the case of bikes, the music that the Lightning plays stirs your senses, causes far more involvement, more pleasure that the Kwackers. And no, you never get tired of the Bullet exhaust note.

After Mahad we get off NH17 onto the road that will take us to Mulshi and home. This road has just been designated a state highway and work on it still has to be completed in parts. Where completed the road surface is peachy but some stretches are horrible, to say the least. The sun is now below the horizon and we are really thankful for the lights on these bikes. Headlamps on both these bikes are good, the Eliminator's are excellent. It's headlamps could put quite a few cars to shame, does the Eliminator.

As we head home, I take time out to reflect on the ride gone by and on which bike I would want to repeat the ride again, next week. Easy as it may seem, I really can't make up my mind. The Lightning has the mother of all exhaust notes, the Eliminator the ride quality. The Lightning has the acceleration, the Eliminator the retardation. The Lightning has the presence, the Eliminator the style. The Lightning has that king-of-the-world feeling while the Eliminator mothers, smothers and pampers you. Had the Lightning better brakes or the Eliminator made more noise, my job would have been easier, but that's not the case here.

As things stand though, the Eliminator nudges ahead of the Lightning, but not by much. Why? For one, there is the safety aspect that the disc brake of the Eliminator answers with far better conviction. The refinement and quality of the bike is a far cry from the harshness and 'when-will-what-fall-off' questions crowding the mind of the thumper rider.

So there it is. Two of the fastest, best looking and riding bikes made in the country today. Guess what, at the end of the day, none of these test bikes are to be returned to the respective manufacturers. Oh yes, say hello to the latest additions to the already burgeoning OVERDRIVE long-term test fleet. for Oh boy, do I love this job or what!