[SumitB]

Guys let him continue yaar. You're making him go off topic.

::drum roll::

Go on Sam Bhai. We can keep this smoke, drinks, pee and theatre for the end.

[eclectix 1st]

Guys I think we should brace ourselves for another nail biting mega serial from the Yeti.

Good on you sam.
cheers:

[Sam Kapasi]

Everyone is OK. Nobody's hurt. We drag the bikes out of the paddy slush and back onto the road.
This is really quite funny and we're still laughing. Grudgingly, Dwayne gives in too.

Time to light up a quick cigarette and we're back on our way. Dwayne is still on Whacko's steed. This time we're being just a wee bit careful. Soon we're at Lonavala.

We stop for lunch. Idlis and such. At this time I am not really aware of how Idlis are made so I enjoy them. A lot.

After lunch we get back onto the bikes. For the first time I see the tyres carefully and I realise that whacko's tyre has a missing component. The tread. It doesn't exist. How very strange.

I mention this casually to Dwayne as whacko's pulling his bike out. He stares aghast.

You idiot no wonder you can't make any turn. Your tyre's as bald as a baby's bottom!

We're on our way home now. Dwayne now refuses to sit on the KB anymore. We cross Vashi. Whacko's nowhere in sight.
This is annoying to an unimaginable degree. You see we have no mobiles and we have no idea what to do. We ride slowly till the Vashi-Chembur turnoff. The flyover does not exist.

We stop. Best to wait for the boy.

There has been a recent accident here. There are pieces of glass and a lot of oil on the road. While we wait SCREEEE DHUSHH. Oh. Someone skidded on the oil.

WHAAA BANG! Oh, poor bike guy.
Another bike sees the melee and slams his brake well in advance. Approaches the oil slowly and tips over. Quite funny.

Someone sees the mess up ahead and slams the brake. SCREEEEE DHAASSHHH. Wow. That's 3. People buy tickets to see this sort of thing.

About 5 accidents later we decide to name that spot Whacko Point. Today Whacko point is covered with a fancy curved flyover.

Soon Whacko turns up. He thought we were behind, so he stopped and waiting somewhere for us. How silly.

We get home, incident free. Mostly. It's been fun and we're all safe and that's what counts.

Little do I know that next year, we would repeat the same trip out of nostalgia and it would almost take my life.

End of Story 1.

[wheeler]

Sam, truly brilliant!!!! Waiting for part 2.

[VJ_MAVRICK]

Sam Bhai i think you should seriously start thinking about releasing a book "Yeti's Memoirs". You do consider it my friend , waiting for the next part.

[Sam Kapasi]

Break: There was a reason why I included such a fairly simple uneventful story in this thread.
This little trip was the last one we made before we all parted ways.
Whacko left the country as did Dwayne.

However 1996 would see a very eventful bike ride. And that's Story 2, the star of the show.

[n_aditya]

Very amusing story Sam.... as always. You ought to get into script writing for Hollywood. Waiting for Part II.

[tsk1979]

Waiting for the star story Sam. Something tells me this will be same as the Scorpion one.

[phamilyman]

Funtastic, a Yeti classic all the way!

[TheOne®]

Poor Dwayne, he must have had a really bad day LOL

Anyways, reading this story and thinking about what might come now in the next one, I am very very happy that you do not own any bike anymore today.

Though I must also admit that your story took place when you were still very young and maybe not too careful yet (?) and therefore today it is a bit of a shame, as I love riding bikes as well lol.

[Sideways]

Absoulutely hillarious, can't stop laughing, waiting for part 2.

[v1p3r]

Oooh, I know Part 2...

[Sam Kapasi]

Whacko is back from the US, on a holiday. It's just the 2 of us. We're at bandstand, smoking cigars and drinking.

Hey Sam, let's go to Poona.
Hmm? Drinking Sound. Why?
For old times sake man.
What old time haha. That was last year.
I KNOW. Let's go man.
What do you want to do?
Just ride to Pune and ride back!
OK, just the 2 of us then.
Yeah.
Whose bike do you want to go on?
Let's take both the bikes!
OK. Chalo.

It's 7.30 am. I meet whacko downstairs. His KB still has that super hard seat and uncomfortable handle. His engine had seized soon after that trip last year. Since then he has had his engine redone and broken it in. New tyres since then. He is raring to go. My RX is still stock, more or less.
We leave, deciding to fill up on the way there.

7.45 am: We reach the petrol station just outside Chembur. We have been going really, really quick. Am I getting older, or is this just too quick for me?

8.00 am: CHACK CHACK CHACK CHACK, something is horribly wrong with the chain of the RX.
I still have the original chain cover on it and I cannot see what the problem is. I know nothing about these things and I decide to take it to a mechanic.
We find a little motorcycle garage but it's shut. It opens at 9.
Some coffee and cigarettes later, the guys open shop.

We're in a hurry, we explain. We want to go to Poona. Can you please fix this sound?
He shrugs and pulls off the lower portion of the chain guard off. Chucks it to the side and says.
Jao, ab nahi aayega avaaz.

9.15 am: We're off. The sound has really gone and I am quite comfortable. It feels like the old days yes, only there is no truck strike so there is a fair amount of traffic.
Whacko's snaking in and out. He's on a mission. I realise while riding that he wants to reach pune quicker than 2.5 hours.
I cringe slightly and continue behind him, following his snaking pattern through the traffic.

9.45 am: We've crossed vashi. Still going full on. While I have a wary feeling in my heart about riding this quick, long distance, I am enjoying the adrenalin rush. We're not being dangerous, we're simply not slowing down for anything, cutting and rushing through the cars.
It seems quick, but I realise that we can't really go much faster than 100kmph.

10.15am: We're between New Bombay and Lonavala. The traffic has thinned and now there are hardly any cars on the road. We are somewhere. Unnamed unknown. The road is curving beautifully, to the left and right. Whacko is up ahead and I'm on his trail. We're not racing.

SNAP! BANG!!

I whirl around at the sound, but am unable to locate it. I felt something whack on my leg and I am sure something has broken off my bike, but I cannot figure out what.
I accelerate.

Nothing happens. The bike revs but does not lurch forward.

I change to a higher gear. The bike does not slow down. I'm confused.

I use the brakes and stop to the side. Whacko's gone. I guess he will realise shortly.
I get off and look at the bike.

The chain is gone. It's not on the bike, it must have snapped off. I can also see that the chain cover (the upper portion that was left) is twisted.

Not good.

I wait for whacko.

10.30 am: I see a worried whacks riding back on the other side of the road. He spots me and waves. I wave back. He finds the next U turn and joins me.

We analyse what has happened.

The chain had got entangled in the chain cover and snapped into two. It's a good thing that it did not fly into the spokes of the wheel in motion.
We get onto his bike and ride backwards to get the chain. It is broken.

We need to decide which direction to go towards. We have no idea if there is a settlement up ahead or behind.
We flag down a car, but the driver has no idea.

11.00 am: We're pushing the bike and talking to each other. Whacks is riding his KB slowly. We tried putting one foot and pushing and all that. We just couldn't do it. So I'm pushing for 15 mins and then he will push for 15 mins.

11.30 am: The sun is our worst enemy. It's getting hot to a point of desperation. I am very very thirsty and soaked with sweat.

12.30 pm: We've reached a small village. We push to the only motorcycle spares shop. He has a Diamond brand chain for the Yamaha. While a little grease monkey puts it on (and removes the chain guard completely), we hunt for water. There is no bottled water in this settlement.
We are offered some water at the store and we accept it gladly.

1 pm: We're back on the highway. This has not been a good beginning.


To be continued.

[VJ_MAVRICK]

As narrated with such a creepy beginning with chain snapped down and all @ the start of the journey, i guess there is much more worse things ahead, by the tone of your story.
Arrey Sam Bhai..bolo naaa...hmm let me guess it must be whacko's KB in trouble now

[Sam Kapasi]

We're back on the highway.

We decide not to tell anyone about the chain snap.

Whacko is back to being the super fast express. I am keeping up with him.

1.15pm: We're making brilliant time and it is really smooth. We've crossed a couple of trucks and some buses on our way. I am in a strange way, entranced by the rear wheels of the KB.

I am keeping my wheels exactly on the imaginary line made by the rear wheel of the KB. Every turn, every curve, every swerve.
I'm not looking at the road, or the vehicles on it.

I am hypnotised and transfixed to the rear wheel of the KB. I go where he goes, When he goes, overtake when he does, turn in when he does.

There's a truck ahead of whacko. Horn OK please. I am still not looking at the road or the left turn up ahead.
He swerves out to overtake the truck, I quickly follow.

He swerves back in almost immediately. I am startled and look up.

A ST bus is hurtling round the turn and I am on the wrong side of the road.
I panic, turning in and hitting the brakes at the same time.

The RX fishtails.

I am now turned fully sideways, but the momentum is still carrying me in the same direction. I'm going to have a direct collision with the ST bus.
I can hear the bus driver heaving and screeching at the brake. Nope he won't be able to stop either.

Suddenly everything is going in slow motion. I am very, very alert. I am completely conscious that the face of the bus now a few feet away from me, approaching me.
The bike is fishtailing wildly and so my right side is approaching the red bus.

I'm not going to make it.

To be continued.