Is this how it all ends?

As is evident from my posts, I love... or rather, loved to ride. But strangely, of lately, the exhilaration that accompanied the acceleration has disappeared. I no longer enjoy riding fast, I just ride fast out of habit, in fact, sometimes the speeds make me uncomfortable. Near misses had never unnerved me before, but now each time I have a near miss, my heart starts pounding. I had always known that someday, I'd grow out of it, but I had no idea it'd be this soon. So the other day, I was riding, and there was this turn which at one point in my life I used to take at 80km/hr, because that was the speed you had to be at to scrape your footpegs on the road. But because of this vow that I'd taken to not to abuse my footpegs, I had slowed down considerably at corners. So like I was saying the other day, at this very corner, I was going pretty slowly, and there was other vehicle which came to a stop in the middle of the turn, so I had to take a deeper turn. Now the line which I took had some liquid spilled all along the bend, and I was praying that it doesn't turn out to be oil. Turns out it was oil, and I drifted about two feet sideways, before I could fully control my bike again. It was only because of the thrill that I used to from sliding around did I have experience in controlling a bike which only wants to go sideways, and that probably saved my life, because there was this car on the other side of the road, and there was no way the driver of the car could have avoided me had I slipped. And had I slipped, the only place I would have gone would have been under the car, and that wouldn't have been pleasant. It is ironic that only when I ride slow do I have these near misses. But this little incident fazed me, and I rode for over a kilometer with my heart in my mouth. I had always wanted to own a 500cc bullet, and it even topped my objects of desire list, well not anymore. I look back at the list now and apart from the items that I have acquired (which includes all the computer components) I don't want any of the other items anymore. Also, I found this wonderful little butterfly picture, on the festival of colours, as a wallpaper to this theme on my phone, and I googled for it n finally found it. I made it a bit duller to set it as the background of my blog, replacing the on the road again image. Here's the original image if anybody would like to have it.It is probably photoshopped, but I like this image a lot n now it is the wallpaper on my phone, my desktop, and my blog. Oh n in case you haven't noticed, childish or not, Wolfestine is back, because the Weaver has to go.

Royal Enfield Thunderbird Twin Spark Initial Review

I know, the thunderbird twin spark has been out since ages. But until recently, I hadn't had the pleasure to check it out. So a couple of weeks ago, I managed to trade my bike for a t-bird twin spark for a few kilometres, so that I could see how it performed. Though I couldn't quite check out it's performance, because my reputation preceded me, and the only condition the bike came with was that I would ride slow, so lets just call it my first impression. The very first thing you notice when you ride a TB is that it's awfully quick off the line. Unlike it's predecessor, it is no longer as sluggish as it used to be, owing mostly to the new unit construction engine, with it's in built gear box, which not only helps in providing power to the wheels more efficiently, it also reduces the weight a lot. In fact the bike was so jumpy, that even in the third and fourth gear, popping the clutch would cause you to lurch back. I don't think this TB is gonna have any problems popping it's front wheel up, especially because of the way the clutch feels. If I am not mistaken, they have managed to squeeze out an extra BHP from the engine too, which only adds to the fun. Apart from this, the engine too was rather smooth, and it's silent purr, did have a slight thump to it, if you cared to listen for it. Enfields have always been a little slow off the mark, but this machine is here to vitiate such beliefs, and from what I hear, even the 500 Lean Burn Bullet Machismo struggles to keep up with it's initial acceleration. The ride itself is quite comfortable too, if you set the shock absorbers to be a little softer than the default company setting. Though I didn't lean much at corners, later on when I was scraping my own bikes foot pegs, the TB riding just behind me too, I hear, was scraping it's... main stand. The bike is also quite fuel economical, giving a fuel economy of nearly 40 km to a liter. It's unit construction engine (UCE) which combines the gearbox and the engine into one single unit, does look cute too. A wonderful bike indeed. If you own a TB, or have already ordered one, I suggest you stop reading this post right here. As for the others, do please keep reading. The drivetrain on this thing is no doubt awesome, but it does have it's faults too. The mechanical clatter due to the tappets is surprisingly loud, and is may be even amplified due to the absence of a sonorous exhaust note. Next comes the low range power. At extremely low revs, the bike is rather jerky, and it does not seem to have the power to pull through. Oh! and I am comparing it to the older TB. If I compare it to my bike, when the two of us were riding along, I was in my 4th gear (the final gear of my bike, an electra) while the TB had to be in it's 3rd (out of 5 gears) and was still struggling with the low speed. Now I could have been in any of my 4 gears at that speed, the TB though had just 2 gears for that speed, 2nd n 3rd. Remember the jumpy clutch I was talking about? Well if u were riding fast, the jumpy clutch would have been nice, but riding slowly, who wants a jerky ride? One problem I have always had with thunderbirds is the handle. Now I don't mind the sissy handlebar, but there is something wrong about it, at least for me. When you are seated comfortably in it's seat, and you put your hand on the handle, I have to get my elbows together and then turn my wrists outwards, in order to hold the handle bar properly. Even without the bike if you try to position your hands in that manner, you would know how uncomfortable it is. After barely 5kms, my wrists were hurting, and I swapped the bike for my own at a red light. Now I would like to clarify, that my arms are in proportion to my body, and nor am I excessively tall. But the only condition under which I can hold the handle properly is when I am seated in the pillion's seat. Coming to the gearbox, firstly it's on the wrong side, or rather the right side for you non-bulleteers, not a major problem here. But I seriously wonder what the hype was all about. I'd heard that the shifts were silky smooth, but I wonder what they were comparing it to. My six year old electra has a softer, smoother gearbox and with far less false neutrals. I wonder why they have put in a tachometer in the T-Bird. It's not like one of those hairdryer on wheels that you can get excited by the revs it attains. It's an enfield man, the best you can get is probably is a 6K on the tacho, how exciting is that? One thing that cannot possibly miss your eye is the length of the silencer. I mean it ends about 3-4 inches behind the rest of the bike. I hear that if you get rear-ended, the bend pipe (the pipe connecting the silencer to the engine) tends to come out of he exhaust manifold. The overall build quality is also quite... well enfield-like. The alignment of the front mud-guard of the bike I saw for example didn't quite match up with the front wheel. The paint quality isn't the same that it used to be till five years ago, when the paint seemed to have depth. There were even some clearance issues somewhere in the rear of the bike, where there was the sound of metal hitting metal each time the bike went into a pothole. Remember I called the new UCE cute? Well if I wanted a cute ride, I'd rather buy a kinetic blaze. Bullets are supposed to look mean. Now the big question, would I recommend the bike? Well if you have never ridden an enfield and would like to get a flavour of what it is like to almost be a bulleteer, this is a bike for you. I know this bike isn't perfect, but then neither is any other bike in the market. You are gonna enjoy riding this bike. As for the others, you'd have to be a fool to buy this bike. I mean it's as expensive as a 500cc (plus or minus a grand) and only half as fun. Isn't it obvious as to which bike you should go in for? As for me, I am happy with my slow ride, taking it easy.

EDIT : Apparently the T-Bird also has a little problem with the rear brakes. The bike tends to get pulled towards one of the sides under severe braking. The bike I rode had really loose rear brakes, and on being asked, my friend replied that he couldn't handle the bike when it skidded, so he had loosened it's rear brake. Another thing is that Enfield has continued to use the ribbed front tyres (the tyre with round threads, and no lateral grooves), which to tell you the truth are pathetic and tend to loose grip even with drum brakes, so one really has to be careful while braking, with this bike.

EDIT 2: Okay, I have figured out why the bike can't pull when the revs are low. In fact it was a glance at the bike's specifications that explains it. My bike, an electra, produces 18 bhp of power @ 5000 rpm with 32.6 Nm of torque @ 3000rpm, while the old t-bird produced 18 bhp of power @ 5000 rpm with 28 Nm of torque @ 3500rpm. That is why the old t-bird wasn't that great at low revs. The new t-bird though has more power like I had mentioned ie, 19.8 bhp @ 5250 rpm with 28Nm of torque @ 4000 rpm. Like you can see here, the torque is the same as the previous t-bird, but it is now available at a higher rpm. It's like having everything to bake a cake, but all of it placed at the highest shelf in your kitchen. Now since I couldn't rev the engine that much, I couldn't quite find any of the power. Another thing is that the bike I was riding had a lot of racket from the tappets, despite not being ridden hard. I wonder what happens to the tappets when you start revving the bike like crazy. (Note for those who do not get this point: The clatter by the tappets is caused by the loose tappets and tappets have a tendency of loosening themselves if you rev a lot.)

EDIT 3: The other day I was the pillion on the same bike, the bike crossed a 100 with about 200Kgs of rider n pillion, with ease, though the one thing I realized was the exhaust note wasn't the most pleasant ones. I've heard 100 cc bikes with better exhaust notes. Even when we entered a tunnel, where I expected to hear a nice beat, there was none. I'd also like to add that the tappet sound was cured. BTW I do like the T-bird n would probably prefer one over my bike.

The longest skid

I just love riding my bike, and I do occasionally like to screech my tyres, but I respect the rubber. The other day, I was a little wound up, n there is nothing like riding to loosen yourself. Riding down an empty road, all of a sudden, this car comes out of a side lane, spots me, n brakes right in the middle of the road. 80... 70... crap... I'm gonna crash... screeeeeeeech... I don't wanna crash... 60... 50... move lady... move outta my way... screeeeeech... 40... 30... okay, I am gonna survive if I crash at this speed... screeeeeeeech... 20... 10... I'm gonna make it... sreeeech... 0 KM/Hr Ah I finally stopped. And guess what, I had a smile on my face when my bike finally came to a stop. The lady in the car who had turned white, must have thought I was crazy, but I had always wanted to do a 100 to 0 with the rear wheel locked, but my respect for the rubber intervened. This entire episode lasted for atleast 4-5 seconds, since my tyre started screeching. All this lady did was stare at me. I am not trying to be a chauvinist, but I hate lady drivers (at least all the confused ones). (To prove that I am no chauvinist I would also like to add - apart from them, there are cab drivers, and bus drivers too on my hate on the road list. And if I am driving (rather than riding) guys like me (when I'm on a bike) also fall into my hate-list.) Luckily my tyres were set up for the rains (low on air pressure=more grip), and I stopped a meter from her car. I wonder why people freeze, like deer caught in a pair of headlights, and I don't mean just on the road. I for one have this thing where I freeze during orals, interviews, and whenever I am in the limelight. In fact I choke quite a lot. Each time I need to think up something, my brain freezes, my face turn red, and I can't recollect even the most basic of things. Reminds me of Marshall Mathers (Eminem) from 8 Mile, where he is referred to as a Choke artist. Coming back to bikes, I also did my first wheelie the other day. Actually it was a handful of hops. This friend of mine (actually the kid brother of a friend of mine, lets call him The Chimp) clung to me when I was on my friend's bike, insisting on getting on a ride. But my friend (whom the bike belonged to) n I were leaving, so in order to get the chimp off I threatened him with a wheelie, n when he still didn't get off, I gave the bike a little gas n popped the clutch, hoping that the sudden acceleration followed by intense breaking would scare him off. Turned out I had underestimated the bike (which was a pulsar 200) n up went the front wheel. I asked the chimp if he wanted to get off the bike, n he refused. That is when I did a series of hops, kinda like Dr Dre's souped up low rider (hopping on hydraulics of course) from that video of him n Snoop Dogg, Still Dre. Man, I used to love hip hop, but now my choice of music has changed a lot. I am more into the blues these days. The blues do me good, especially while riding, keeps me slow. I am seriously considering putting a throttle limiter on my bike. I can easily do 80kmph without opening more than 25% of the throttle. Opening it any more and it's just guzzling fuel. Though in my case I keep it at either full or no throttle.

TINA

Yesterday the government of India announced a hike in fuel prices whereby petrol prices were increased by a colossal 10% (and a slightly lesser increase in diesel prices). Although it was a move that has been anticipated for a long while, especially since the crude oil prices have reached a whooping $135 a barrel, this hike was received with a lot of opposition. People in some cities even took to the streets to protest against this hike. Even to opposition parties seized this opportunity to deliver a blow to the ruling coalition government. But what could the government have done? How long could it have sustained the losses from subsidizing petroleum products? With crude oil prices expected to breach the $200 a barrel mark by the end of 2009, I don't suppose it'd be a viable option for long. With the country's petroleum companies going broke, because of the government restricting their prices, things were really getting out of hand. Although the government was kind enough to offer subsidies to the public sector retailers, private retailers like reliance continued to sustain losses and were forced to shutdown their pumps. Now, Reliance plans to start exporting petroleum products to the lucrative European markets, in order to earn profits. It would be ironic that the nation would have significant diesel exports as well as imports. Although this hike would have a negative impact on the economy and increase inflation rates, as the effects of the hike actually trickle down into the system, it should have a positive impact on the environment, by forcing people to be more sensible when it comes to fuel consumption. I wonder if it was just a coincidence or did the government purposely choose the world environment week to announce the fuel hike? This rise in price, doesn't quite affect me, because I used to get fuel worth 500 bucks each time n I still will put in 500 bucks worth of it :P On a more serious note, my monthly budget went up by about 150-200 bucks (Thats in rupees(INR)) :( Was this increase in price avoidable? IMO, TINA (There Is No Alternative).

How To Clean The Carburettor of a Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 350cc

A carburettor (also spelt as carburetor, and will be referred to as carb. from now on, not to be confused with carbohydrates) is a device which mixes the fuel and air, before the mixture enters the engine. It is the carb that changes the amount of fuel entering the engine and in turn manipulates the power that you get. Often when you get fuel from an unreliable pump, there are chances that impurities enter your fuel tank, which would eventually end up in your carb. The first time I opened my carb, I did look for instructions for opening it on the internet, but didn't find any. So now that I am experienced enough to open n reassemble my carb, I thought why not put up a post for the newbies. Before working on machine parts, I think it is important for you to remember the following things :

• Always open a nut/screw with the appropriate tool. The spanner/ratchet should be of the exact fit on the nut. Also the screw-driver should fit in the groove right.
• Take care of the nuts and washer that you open. Don't lose or mix em up. If possible make use of a tray to store all your nuts.
• While tightening nuts/screws, make sure that the first few turns should be made by hand and not with a tool. Use a tool to force a nut and you will surely ruin the threads.
• While tightening nuts/screws make sure you don't leave any loose, or the vibration wold make them fall off. Tighten em too much and you could ruin the thread.
• Certain tools require lesser force than others to operate, like a rubber gripped screwdriver is simpler to use than a regular one, or a ratchet requires lesser force to operate than a spanner. Make sure you do not apply too much force while using these tools.

Now where were we? Yeah, the carb. Ok, I am using a carb. called VM24 from Mikcarb, which is a standard carb for any 350cc cast iron Royal Enfield.Make the carb accessible by removing all pipes and cable that are obstructing your work space, like the pipe (1) from the airbox. Unscrew the nut (2) holding the carb with the input manifold. Also, loosen the screw (3) holding the hose coming from the air filter. Pardon me for the filthy carb, but cleaning it is a tedious job, and as far as the insides are clean n all the orifices are open it really doesn't make any difference. Also, I started of by taking decent pics, but eventually, as my hands got dirty, the quality of the pictures started decreasing too.
Now coming to the other side, unscrew the nut (4) barely visible, after you have pulled out the fuel pipe (5) coming in from the tank.
Remember to close the fuel supply coming from the tank before you pull out the fuel pipe. Also, remember that when you pull out the pipe, a little fuel (6), that is there in the pipe is going to get spilled. So put out that cigarette before you start removing your carb.
Pull the carb back in the direction shown. In some of the older models, the nut (7) holding the tank in place might restrict the movement of the carb. If you are unable to remove the carb, you might have to open up the nut.
Now all that holds the carb is the accelerator cable (8) to remove which you'd have to unscrew the top part (9).
As you unscrew the top part, you will notice a spring (10) pop out.Take out this cylindrical thing (11) (the name of which I just can't remember) which manipulates the amount of air in the mixture, carefully.Be careful while you pull out the cylinder so as you don't bend the needle (12) that controls the amount of fuel that goes in. Clean the cylindrical part of any deposits (13)

Now that the carb is off, look on the underside, and you will notice four nuts holding the bottom part of the carb in place. This bottom part contains fuel, so hold the carb upright at all times. Unscrew the four screws (two of which are shown in the picture (14), (15))The bottom part in now out. Notice that a part of the packaging (16) from my carb is missing. It happened because I wasn't careful while I was putting it back, a long time ago. This bottom half is basically your carb's reservoir. This is why your engine runs for a while, even after you have cut off the fuel. Notice the muck (17) that has accumulated at the bottom. This is what blocks the jets (will explain what it is later) of the carb. Now it's time to remove the your float (19). A float is a device used to cut off the fuel when the reservoir gets full. If your carb leaks fuel when the engine is off and the fuel supply is on, it is because this system is malfunctioning.Carefully put the pin n float aside.Once you remove the float, a tiny projection (20) would be now visible. This is your float pin, the part that actually plugs the hole from which fuel flows into the reservoir.
Carefully slide out the float pin (21) and clean it.
This it what a float-pin looks like. Clean it and make sure it isn't rusting. If in case it is, don't forget to clean the rust too. It needs to be as smooth as possible to slide up and down to allow or stop the flow the flow of fuel.
Okay now it's time for the jets. There are usually two jets in a carb. One is the Idling jet (23) which basically is the orifice through which the minimum amount of fuel that goes into an engine at all times, flows. While the pilot main jet (22) is the orifice for the fuel when you make use of the throttle. I am only going to unscrew the pilot main jet for now, but if you want you could open your idling jet too, which resides in side the small pipe. This is what the pilot main jet looks like when it comes out. Clean the tiny hole that you see in the middle with a pin. This is the thing that you need to change, to get more power out of your bike. When you put a bigger jet, you simply allow more fuel to flow into your engine. This process is called up-jetting. Although it has an effect on the mileage the bike give, it is one of the cheapest ways of getting more performance.
The float which we had removed earlier also requires cleaning. I make use of paper (not sandpaper) to clean the float. Paper is abrasive enough to clean the float, but not enough to damage it. Notice the difference in a two sides, one (24) cleaned with paper, the other (25) with a piece of cloth.
If the outside of your carb is as filthy as mine, and want to clean it, you could use kerosene and a toothbrush to do so. Although the extra fuel in the reservoir can also be used to do so, experience tells me that brushes do not survive for long (read over a minute) wen exposed to petrol.
Assemble everything back together.
When you look in from the top, you'll notice a small (possibly sharp) projection (26) which is not quite visible in this image.
That projection in the last picture was to guide this cylindrical thing up and down the shaft. Make sure the grove (27) coincides with the projection. Don't force it in. Look I forgot to clean this thing up. Also make sure that the rubber packaging (28) fits in properly. Remember, never to force this part in. Also take care of the needle.Fit back top part which is connected to the accelerator cable. And check if the carb is working when the throttle is given. Notice the 3 positions of the throttle I have photographed the carb in. Full throttle, not restricting the airflow at all, half-throttle and the airflow is partially restricted, no throttle n there is very little space for the air. BTW it was very difficult for me to take this picture with the carb in one hand, camera in the other n me precariously holding the throttle against my leg.
Fit the carb in the hose from the air filter (29)
Pull it back n fit it in the two bolts meant to hold it in place.
Fit back the nut (30) and put back the fuel pipe (31)Tighten the nut (32), and the screw (33) and put back the pipe to the air box. Start her up, n the engine should sound smoother than before.

Objects of desire

What is life without materialistic desires? It is only human to want and acquire more, and I am no saint. Though this list does contain what I desire at this frame of time, I am certain, that some items on this list would be struck off before I acquire em, and am pretty sure that a lot more would replace them in due time, for it is desire that fuels a man. So here's a list of objects I desire :

1. Numero Uno on my list of desirable objects wouldn't come as a surprise to those of you who know me. Yes, it is a bike, and yes it is a bullet. It is strikingly similar to my current ride, though it is a lot better. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the 500cc lean burn Bullet Machismo. Although I am going to try to convince my Dad to buy me one, please don't be surprised if I show up on a 350 Bullet electra (new, not my current one) instead.

CTD (Cost to Dad) : Rs 1,15,000/-

2. Numero Dos is something I have already mentioned on my blog. It is a 250GB internal hard drive. I would love to go in for a SATA after I have seen the significant difference in data transfer speeds, but since it would be my secondary hdd, I wouldn't mind going in for a PATA if there is a significant price difference.

CTD : Rs 3000/-

3. Numero Tres comes something which is fueled by my passion for bikes. I believe in safety while riding, that is why I always wear a helmet. But there is a lot more safety equipment that one should use. I am talking about an armoured jacket, the kind with shoulder, back and elbow protectors. At the moment I have identified two companies that make the cheapest protective jacket, DSG and Cramster.

CTD : Rs 4500/-

4. Number four (Uno, dos, tres was all the Espanol I knew, thanks to Ricky Martin) wasn't that easy to decide, but I settled for something similar to number three in a sense. It is a jacket all right, which could be used for protection while riding too, but I want it otherwise too. I am talking about a leather Jacket.

CTD : Rs 5000/-

5. For number five, I come back to computer peripherals. This is something I have been borrowing from a friend each time I needed to use it, but when I heard of its cost, I just had to add it to my list. This, as you see in the picture is a DVD writer. Of course, if and when I buy my 250 GB hdd, this device would not be required for a while after that.

CTD : Rs 1100/-

6. Coming back to bikes, I have always wanted one of those snazzy helmets. My helmet of choice would be a full-face one with a visor and a peak. Most people think that a peak is useless, but it is really effective in cutting down the sun's glare. On the other hand, an improperly designed peak, at high speeds puts a lot of pressure on the neck.

CTD : Rs 5000/-

7. Next up comes RAM. My PC runs on a mere 512mb of RAM and a little more memory would do it good. I have just two slots on my motherboard and the manual that came with stated that I could fit in only 1GB DDR RAM. So i guess the maximum I could go up to would be 2 GB, though 1.5GB wouldn't be too bad either.

CTD : Rs 2000/-

8. Last but not the least, I have always wanted to own a bicycle. I did have one as a kid, and like my motorcycle, I rode it hard. The only thing was that it wasn't mine. It was my sister's, who hadn't ridden it. It was one of those cycles with a sissy handle bar. But luckily, most guys had such bikes and the bike wasn't pink or something ;) it was white n blue. Then when we shifted to the capital, my bike was taken away, since it wasn't safe for kids to ride cycles there. I did set out to check out the bicycles available in the market, a couple of years ago, but unfortunately none were available in my size. They were all too small. This is probably the last thing I would go n buy if i had the money (lest I be thought eccentric), but it is one thing that I would always desire.

CTD : Rs 3000/-

Up up and away!!!

Okay... Riding update... As I had planned earlier on, I couldn't stick to the 40 km/hr limit, and am upto 60, that too if i am in a mood for it. The bike's pretty rattled up right now, although i am still pushing it. I think I'll have to taker her to the doc soon. There have been a lot more accidental foot-peg scrapings (banking so hard that they touch the road ie, banking till almost 30 degrees to the horizontal) and I am loving it. Though today I did have a near miss when I banked with a pillion n my bike pivoted about something that scraped the road (I think it was my main-stand, cause that's what usually scrapes first when I'm with a pillion) The rear tyre lost traction, but instinctively I kicked the road n we straightened out again. Man that was close.
Slow speeds doesn't mean I can't have fun. The other day I was coming back home with a friend of mine... The Kid... and I tried taking off from a speed breaker. I have tried this a million time, but my landings were never smooth. My front end would always come down really hard. But when I had an audience (The Kid) I put on my best show n did not let go of the throttle till the very end. This along with the way I balanced my weight threw me up (according to The Kid) at least 2 feet high. I was up there so long that for the first time my bike revved up (and red lined) when I was in the air. In case you are wondering what's the big deal with 2 feet, I'd like you to know that 300 Kgs of man n machine hurled up 2 feet, on the softest suspension settings the bike can have, is a big deal, for me atleast. And did I mention I was still within my new speed limit.
With all the banking and jumping, I should probably set up my suspension harder... but I still prefer the softer setting because the roads in this city give me a back ache... What's more, the (little bit) off-roading that I do would no longer be that fun.

Day 2 at 40 km/hr

Today, again I managed to keep my speeds under check. I practice self-control only on my way back from college as I have the time to do so then. I maintained a constant speed of 40 km/hr (unlike yesterday's 50) and didn't exceed it till at one turn (barely 2 kms from my place) I banked so hard (still at 40) that I scraped my foot-pegs... Adrenaline pumping combined with a faster music track from my earplugs, put me in a strange trance n I was off ripping the road agin, just like in the good ol' days. What is it about speed that gets me going??? Why don't others have the same needs???

Life at 40 km/hr

Today I decided that it is finally time that I altered my riding style and slowed down, hence reducing my need for braking. I am telling you, riding at 40 km/hr sure is strenuous. I limited myself to a max. speed of 50 km/hr and only once accidentally exceeded this speed limit I set, because of a downward slope. I rode on the left-most side of the road and kept behind other two-wheelers, and apart from exactly four places, I did not rev up my engine more than what people normally do. There were no skids today, and I am proud of that. I did feel a little sleepy at first, but the music kept me awake. Then towards the end, my muscles started cramping. Apart from one place where I jumped a divider, I rode like I imagined a 40 yr old would. Today I did not ride, I commuted.

Somebody stop me!!!

What is the most important component of a bike??? The engine??? Wrong!!! Its the brakes. I realized this fact, this Monday morning, when I was riding to college with a pillion behind me. I had recently gotten my bike serviced, and had gotten new brake pads for both the front and rear wheels. When you put in new brake pads (brake-shoe lining) , they don't quite stop the bike that quick n need a little while to settle in. What's more was that the rear brake shoes weren't properly put back together. The drum brakes work by a set of brake shoes (shown in image) pressing outwards against the insides of a drum, using friction to slow it down. Due to improper alignment, only one of the brake shoes of my rear brakes came in contact with the drum, giving me very little braking, despite applying a lot of pressure. Then when the second brake pad came in contact with the drum, so much braking was applied, that the rear wheel locked (stopped spinning/started skidding). So as I was riding the other day, on applying the brakes, I did not find myself slowing down adequately, and out of sheer desperation, applied the brakes as hard as I could and fishtailed to an obscene angle on each side before coming within two inches of the vehicle in front of me. I normally don't fishtail (rear-end of the vehicle swerving from side to side like a fish's tail) that much even if my rear wheel is locked, but that is when I am riding solo. With a pillion behind you, getting the rear wheel to lock isn't that easy, since the weight on the rear wheel increases (hence increasing the friction) and then even if you do lock your wheel, handling is greatly compromised because of the pillion. For those of you wondering why make a big deal of the rear brakes??? In a bike having both front n rear drum brakes, where it's weight factor easily puts it in a situation where it would have done well with both disc brakes, you need all the braking you can get and quite a lot of it is provided by the rear brakes.
PS : I used the word "brake" only 18... make that 19 times in this post.

Born to be wild

Riding my bike at speeds which make my eyes water, even through a pair of spectacles.

Scraping part of my bike on the road as I bank to turn (I’d love to see the sparks fly for myself)

Going airborne at speed breakers.

Pulling burnouts in the second and sometimes even the third gears (That’s almost 80-90 Kmph).

Weaving through traffic at almost double their speeds.

Twitching of the bike’s rear end as I throttle up.

Flying over potholes.

Riding stably even past the edge of the road.

Screeching to a halt each time I stop.

Red-lining my bike before shifting gears.

Sitting at red lights listening to the sonorous exhaust note.

These are just a few things that bring an ear to ear grin on my face. And most of them I experience on a daily basis. I love riding, riding hard. And am I a maniac? You many ask. No, I am not. I just love speed. Everybody has a certain limit to which they can push themselves. Push yourself too the limit, and you experience extreme pleasure. Push beyond this limit, and anxiety kicks in. It is just that my anxiety gradient is a little less then an average person’s, and I have to push myself harder to seek thrills. But riding hard doesn’t always mean riding unsafe. I think I am a rather considerate rider.

I slow down at intersections.

I never jump a light.

I never blow my horn near hospitals/schools.

I mostly overtake from the right.

I judiciously use my dipper.

I usually don’t cut people off.

I always use my indicator, even for changing lanes.

I usually slow down, when people try to race me.

I mostly wear a helmet.

Speaking of safety, quite a few people I know wear knee pads, elbow pads, armour and/or leather jackets, Kevlar/leather gloves, ankle supporting boots, along with their helmets, when they ride. I wear a denim jacket, and some times even a pair of fingerless gloves. If my mum sees me riding, wearing knee pads and all, she is gonna flip out. An astrologer recently told my Dad that I was in danger of having a vehicle related accident soon (I don’t really believe in astrologers, but I hear this guy’s good... really good), so what do I do??? I slow down would be your assumption. But no, I actually speed up. For the past one month I have ridden my bike on the edge. I ride so hard that at the end of everyday my body hurts. I have gotten so used to slipping and skidding that it no longer makes my heart jump into my mouth. And the only fear I have is no longer being able to fear, fear itself. Point proven: The astrologer was wrong. There was no accident. And now because of monetary reasons I intend to slow down (The average of my bike has fallen to nearly 22 Km/lit). So here’s to lesser thrills and safer riding.

Godspeed

And I still love it

It’s big... It’s loud... It’s heavy... And it ain’t that pretty.

It leaks oil from a million places... And some people claim their bikes mark their territory.

It ain’t fuel-efficient... Digs into your pocket if you are a student.

It goes down hard, if it ever does... Fall down and it’s more than your head that requires protection.

Its gears don’t budge easy... Even after you get a hang of shifting em.

It has a mean back-kick... It may even break your leg.

If it doesn’t start... Pushing it could be a real pain.

It’s cables (clutch, brake, accelerator) break often... It will eventually turn you into a mechanic.

Then what is it about a bullet that attracts people towards it???

... Most people, I fear, will never get it.

Forgive me Lord, for I have sinned.

Dear Lord,

You and I both know that I am not such a firm believer in you. But it is times like this when I am forced to consider your existence; times when I have sinned and my conscience refuse to forgive me. The other day, I had gone to purchase a few book, and I couldn’t find a parking space for a quite a while. Finally I did find a spot, but alas, it wasn’t wide enough for my bike (I ride a thumper). So I got off my bike and shoved aside the bikes on either side, to make room for my bike. I was gone for barely a couple of minutes, and as I returned I saw a police truck approach, the kind they use to haul wrongly parked two-wheelers. As I unlocked my motorcycle, the truck stopped right behind me, a couple of guys got off and pulled the bike parked next to mine into the truck. I suppose while making space for my bike, I unknowingly pushed the maroon bike out of the assigned parking space. With my heart thumping louder than my bike, I sped away, fearful, lest I be chased by the owner of the maroon motorcycle. I my books, there are few greater sins than harming one’s ride. Forgive me Lord, for I have sinned.

Amen