It hurts. My thigh still shouts from yesterday's fall; and I, at the mechanic in exact proportion. He just left with the bike, and a dhobi-list of things to change. The battery-sucking halogens are out, headlight and tail-light contact needs to be sorted for life! Need to buy new rear-view mirrors. The tachometer unit is bruised. I will change it if it's not too expensive. The handle will need a little straightening. Done, that's it no more pain. I am not thinking about it anymore. I will live to ride another day.''Teri nath utar gayi'', (there goes your virginity!) said a battle worn Billal as Satya and Abbas picked up my bike from the side of the road. A spirit, very hard to come by these days. I rode for the first time, with people who I didn't know from Adam. My 'rider to commuter' evolution happened in three days, over a distance of 1200kms. The lessons which aren't learnt on the rickshaw and cab ridden road from Parel to Madhisland. Yeah, that was the longest ride I ever did, since the time I got my Thunderbird.
Humility is one aspect of riding, which I hope to learn overtime. There are names I can't recall, still, in the order of appearance in my ride, here is a big thanks to 'Daku' ( the guy, who looks like a hybrid of a chess grandmaster and dalai lama); 'Guri', the smallest Sardar with the biggest heart, I have ever met in my life. (Guri paajee, please don't mind! Haan). 'Chinki', the guy who has a special fascination with 'la shite'. 'Mannu', and Bilal for being the patient riders who shattered my stereo typed perception of a tattoo ridden biker boys.Thanks for giving me the ride of my life guys. Hope to see you guys soon (Bilal, its not going to be a two dollar BJ!) Godspeed. PS:-Anyways, a fall should just be dent on the bike, not in the riding confidence. So here is the moral of the story. This might help the new riders, who will join us in future. · Invest in leg guards – front and rear. They work like magic when the fall happens.· Buy the elbow guards and knee guards from Jeetu's shop. I wish Animesh was wearing them; he wouldn't have got a scratch. It worked for me.· Ride in a group, always. Always being the operative word here. · While riding in reserve fuel, get ahead in the pack. At least, others will know when you fall out of the formation. · Don't ever push your luck to the reserve knob of your bike. We ride Enfield's, not Bajaj boxer.
All that comfort and high speed comes at a cost. Tank up at any pump you see. Excess petrol never hurt anybody. Breakdowns do. · Never have tinted helmets. They look fancy, but are useless for night riding. Invest in a good pair of sunglasses instead, for day rides. · Have patience if your lights fail, RIDE SLOW. It's not the speed which matters now, it's the safety. · Wear denims when on the bike. They can really take a beating. But, please don't wear low waist and spoil the scenery of your fellow bikers, with your sexy (only you think that!) butt crack.
It hurts. My thigh still shouts from yesterday's fall; and I, at the mechanic in exact proportion. He just left with the bike, and a dhobi-list of things to change. The battery-sucking halogens are out, headlight and tail-light contact needs to be sorted for life! Need to buy new rear-view mirrors. The tachometer unit is bruised. I will change it if it's not too expensive. The handle will need a little straightening. Done, that's it no more pain. I am not thinking about it anymore. I will live to ride another day.''Teri nath utar gayi'', (there goes your virginity!) said a battle worn Billal as Satya and Abbas picked up my bike from the side of the road. A spirit, very hard to come by these days. I rode for the first time, with people who I didn't know from Adam. My 'rider to commuter' evolution happened in three days, over a distance of 1200kms. The lessons which aren't learnt on the rickshaw and cab ridden road from Parel to Madhisland. Yeah, that was the longest ride I ever did, since the time I got my Thunderbird.
Humility is one aspect of riding, which I hope to learn overtime. There are names I can't recall, still, in the order of appearance in my ride, here is a big thanks to 'Daku' ( the guy, who looks like a hybrid of a chess grandmaster and dalai lama); 'Guri', the smallest Sardar with the biggest heart, I have ever met in my life. (Guri paajee, please don't mind! Haan). 'Chinki', the guy who has a special fascination with 'la shite'. 'Mannu', and Bilal for being the patient riders who shattered my stereo typed perception of a tattoo ridden biker boys.Thanks for giving me the ride of my life guys. Hope to see you guys soon (Bilal, its not going to be a two dollar BJ!) Godspeed. PS:-Anyways, a fall should just be dent on the bike, not in the riding confidence. So here is the moral of the story. This might help the new riders, who will join us in future. · Invest in leg guards – front and rear. They work like magic when the fall happens.· Buy the elbow guards and knee guards from Jeetu's shop. I wish Animesh was wearing them; he wouldn't have got a scratch. It worked for me.· Ride in a group, always. Always being the operative word here. · While riding in reserve fuel, get ahead in the pack. At least, others will know when you fall out of the formation. · Don't ever push your luck to the reserve knob of your bike. We ride Enfield's, not Bajaj boxer.
All that comfort and high speed comes at a cost. Tank up at any pump you see. Excess petrol never hurt anybody. Breakdowns do. · Never have tinted helmets. They look fancy, but are useless for night riding. Invest in a good pair of sunglasses instead, for day rides. · Have patience if your lights fail, RIDE SLOW. It's not the speed which matters now, it's the safety. · Wear denims when on the bike. They can really take a beating. But, please don't wear low waist and spoil the scenery of your fellow bikers, with your sexy (only you think that!) butt crack.
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