One of Deepak Ananth’s first and most loved bikes was Theia, a 2010 Royal Enfield Classic 500. The COO of XPay.life, a fintech company, picked the name “after the goddess of light because of how she shone through when I used to ride her on the highway”. Theia, he says, is “forgiving and has a very ladylike attitude in the sense that she needs to be loved and taken care of. She has never given up on me for over the 10 years that I have taken her around every nook and corner of the country.” According to a 2019 survey conducted in the US, 54% of people like to name their vehicles. For bosses with bikes, it’s an obvious extension of the love and attachment they feel for their machines. Theia, for instance, is not the only machine vying for Ananth’s attention and affection. Over the last 20 years, he has had five motorcycles, each of which has been bestowed with a unique name. “I owned a 1970s Royal Enfield Bullet that I would call Thor (after the God of Thunder) because it had such a thunderous entry. Then there is also Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 who is called Rudra after Lord Shiva because of the raw power and its very, very short temper,” shares he.Answering to a NameDivine beings and mythological entities are not the only driving force behind bike naming. Enter literature, pop culture — and gender markers. With ‘his and her’ identities for their bikes, Pepperfry co-founders and close friends Ambareesh Murthy and Ashish Shah. Murthy own a Himalayan named ‘Rosie’ a Java 42 called ‘Neo’, respectively. “She’s been named after Rocinante, Don Quixote’s horse in the novel by Miguel de Cervantes,” Murthy explains, saying he chose the name because founders are always seeking adventure.95326364 For Irfan Pathan, founder, Pi Green Innovations, it was the thrill of speed that gave rise to ‘Fireblade’, “inspired by the Honda CBR 1000RR – one of the fastest bikes in the world”. His Royal Enfield Bullet 500 has been with him since 2014. Rohan Sharma, managing director, RK Jewellers, has four motorcycles, each one with a name. It makes recalling them easy for family members who don’t have to trouble themselves with remembering the specific brand. “My favourite bike is named ‘The Regular’ – she is my go-to bike and makes my life easy. And then my other favourite is my Bullet called ‘The Distance’. She’s the one I take on long rides,” says Sharma.Saying It like It IsHowever, some corporate heads who are avid riders prefer calling their bike — well, a bike. Boman Irani, chairman, Rustomjee Group, who says he was born into a family of motorcycles and motorcyclists, “does not believe in naming my motorcycles but that doesn’t make them any less endearing to me. Motorcycles are family, and they run in the blood.”