[julyone_modi]

Originally Posted by sen2009

Regarding the 8K worth Gloves

Note that all leather needs break-in. so initially they will be very uncomfortable, but will eventually feel at home. Each brand of leathers need different time to break-in. So my cramster half gauntlets needed some good 1000 Kms, but Spartan Full Gauntlets needed very minimal break-in.

So ya the new bike + new gloves combo might have made the situation worse. Now that you have the hang of the bike, try breaking in the gloves. If situation does not improve even after good use, sell them on OLX and get new ones.
P.S. You can find many buyers for used (or unused-pre owned) gears here in Mumbai.

[sen2009]

Originally Posted by julyone_modi

Note that all leather needs break-in. so initially they will be very uncomfortable, but will eventually feel at home. Each brand of leathers need different time to break-in. So my cramster half gauntlets needed some good 1000 Kms, but Spartan Full Gauntlets needed very minimal break-in.

So ya the new bike + new gloves combo might have made the situation worse. Now that you have the hang of the bike, try breaking in the gloves. If situation does not improve even after good use, sell them on OLX and get new ones.
P.S. You can find many buyers for used (or unused-pre owned) gears here in Mumbai.

Thanks a lot for the inputs. Someone else have also suggested Spartan gloves. Will buy a pair and try to get the hang of it.

[Sting]

Riding with gear presents a lot of challenges. When I first rode off the Bonneville from the dealership (in Delhi winters), I wore a pair of fleece gloves! Over the years, the sensibility and selection has improved drastically.

It was the same shoes, the Alpinestar SMX 1.1 felt too stiff and awkward.

Even though I ride a Bonneville, which is a lot more forgiving to mistakes, I can't say the same about the bus drivers and car drivers on the highway. They choose not to treat my wife and me differently when we are with or without gear.

So despite the discomfort, we just continued to add to our gear and ride.

90% of my riding is touring.For winter touring I use Triumph Tri climate gloves which have multiple layers and provide a thick cushioning helpful for long distance riding.

My other glove, Held Evo Thrux, on the other hand use extremely thin and supple Kangaroo leather on the palm and fingers that allows for very precise throttle inputs.

When looking for a thin palm leather glove, it might be useful to look for Kangaroo leather; it's durable, supple and thin.

Cheers,
Sting

[sen2009]

Thanks Sting for the leads. I have been studying about different types of leathers, but couldn't make much headway yet. I will check the HELD gloves. I see that its available online for Rs. 6800-7000 range. Is that a good price for it?

And while we are at it, please do provide some pointers on Riding pants and especially shoes. Shoes are another pain point for me and I could use all the help I could get to find a pair which would make me feel more at home with the bike.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by sen2009

And while we are at it, please do provide some pointers on Riding pants and especially shoes. Shoes are another pain point for me and I could use all the help I could get to find a pair which would make me feel more at home with the bike.

I'd suggest you take a look at boots from Sidi. I have the Sidi Vertigo Air which are track boots with all the safety features and protection built in. I've been using them for close to 7 yrs now and so far the only issue I faced is the soles coming off the boots last year, which was promptly fixed with some shoe glue at home.

If track boots are not comfortable, you could try a pair of touring boots. When it comes to gear, try before you buy if possible. That'll help you decide on fit and comfort. Another point to note is that some variants come with a Goretex liner in the boots, which are useful while riding in wet weather as this material keeps the water out. But downside is that your feet end up getting cooked since there's almost zilch ventilation.

Some alternatives to Sidi - Alpinestars, Gaerne (Made in Italy and they're beautiful), Triumph, Cortech, Spidi, Puma, etc.

You could drop in to Performance Racing Store in Mumbai, they have an extensive collection of gear and aftermarket parts for almost all big bikes.

[Odeen12]

May i suggest, instead of buying anything online and going through the ordeal of it not fitting right. I'd suggest, go to a store. As you are from Bombay, there are quite a few options available.

- Performance Racing Store- Tardeo, Mumbai
- Lazy Ass Biker - Andheri east.
- Crossroads - Mira Road.
All of them have pages on Facebook.
These guys are genuine and are authorised dealers for what they have in the store. Worth your time and money for sure.

Buy something that you are comfortable with. Leather as mentioned, will break in. And so is the case with you as well. You will get used to it for sure.

Good luck.
R

[mantrig]

Originally Posted by sen2009

It was a big ride; many people were coming.
...
I hope I never have to ride again consumed with that smell and those thoughts.

It's not easy to do what you did to help the fellow rider (along with others), holding yourself together during such situations can be an extremely daunting task. Glad to know that the poor chap is discharged now and hopefully, should be back to riding more wiser than before.

With regards to riding in a group, it can take easily influence one into a flock mentality. However, riding well within your comfort zone is the best thing to do. I went on a couple of rides with different groups only to realize that group riding is not for me, thanks to a few young blokes (early 20s) who used to literally ride their single cylinder pulsars/dukes/R15s insanely on dead throttle trying to keep up with Sr. members on their larger machines (600+ccs or twin+ cylinders) in the group. Whichever rides I went on, I would prefer starting late (sipping on tea leisurely while others zoomed off) and arriving late as well.

I love my rides at a pace that lets me respond to unforeseen situations rather than react. I agree, we still do get into situations that are unfortunate but the probability reduces substantially.

Came across below post by Ry_der in accidents thread today & couldn't help re-posting it here. Sad to see the bikes in these states, cannot even imagine what the riders must have gone through. May the Dominar guy's soul RIP!!

http://www.cartoq.com/bajaj-dominar-...ne-biker-dead/

Originally Posted by Ry_der

Just read an unfortunate news on CARTOQ.

Two bikes collided, one dead.






Two bikes collided head-on, A Dominar 400 and the other one was a HYOSUNG GTR 650. Both riders were wearing helmets but the Dominar rider, 20 year old chap, didnt fasten straps. His head hit the termac and he succumbed to his injuries in a hospital.

Another young life lost.

The link is http://www.cartoq.com/bajaj-dominar-...ne-biker-dead/

[cjt2012]

For boots try the Dainese boots I bought them from their chennai store and they are excellent, very good ventilation system so the feet are comfortable, very happy with it.

[inreverse]

Very well written post. I wish your friend a speedy recovery and that he puts this mishap behind his back and continues to ride safely. I cannot agree more that the superbikes we ride do not adapt well to Indian riding conditions, internal roads or highways. I just very recently upgraded from a Duke390 to a Street Triple 675 (last piece of the outgoing 675 in India).

Even on regular daily roads, one is not too sure on when we'd be flying over new potholes, skid over debris fallen from a dumpster or run into stray animals.

I followed these simple rules and survived the Duke390 group riding madness:

1. A pack of 4-5 riders is good enough.
2. No one is waiting with a trophy at the end of the ride for us, so chill and lag around.
3. Use the best quality helmet. Head injuries are bad. (I use an Arai) Riding gears are a must. 20% of the bikes cost should go towards protective gears

(Most important of all)

4. Ride with people you can trust your life with.

Happy and safe riding

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by sen2009

I hope I never have to ride again consumed with that smell and those thoughts.

Speed and control are all relative matters. All of us differ in what speed we feel comfortable at, and shouldn't exceed that because someone else tells us to. That someone else isn't living our life, and we aren't winning any awards for riding faster in a biking hobby club. It's entertainment and should be limited to the point till which we enjoy it, and no more.

If you feel comfortable riding slower than others, stay put within your comfort zone, and if these "Riders" clubs are giving you stress, leave them and ride solo. The whole stretch to Lonavla, both within and outside Mumbai, is accident-prone, be it Palm Beach Road, the Panvel Bridge, or the highway. No need to speed excessively on any of these roads

[Samridh]

Dear Mr. Sen,

I have gone through your post in utmost detail and every time I read it, I felt a chill down my spine. This happened for various reasons:

1) I, myself, am an accident victim and narrowly escaped death. An account of the proceedings that caught me amid an apocalypse are collated here -
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...d-account.html

2) For the first time I got a perspective of how harrowing it can be for a rescuer. I have experienced the consequences and emotions as an accident victim. Have been on bed for long enough but could never imagine the plight of someone who had to take a victim to the hospital / experience him shedding blood and fighting for his/her life. In this process I have found increased respect for Mr. Mehta (the person responsible for rescuing me).

3) Apart from dealing with the mess of injuries, making monetary payments and liaising with the police and hospital, it takes a great deal of humanity, strength and commitment to take a virtually unknown person's frailing life into your own hands (literally) and ensure that the best treatment is accorded to him or her. This is one of the kindest deeds that anyone can do. Someone did it for me, you did it for someone and hopefully many others will follow this path and not leave a victim to die on the roads. My sincerest gratitude to you

With that said, I wish to share some thoughts which have been crossing my mind time and again with respect to motorcycling, motorcycling in India and our general road culture.

A) Just because someone has a motorcycle does not necessarily imply he knows how to ride it efficiently and safely. Case in point – a large part of our day-to-day two wheeler commuters on an average clock more miles on their motorcycle in a year than some of the most experienced riders from notable motorcycle groups in the west. Just because these local riders in India have more miles behind them does not necessarily mean that they have more ‘sense’. Most of our local people fail to wear any safety gear, have plastic hats in the name of helmets and are often carrying impermissible number of people as pillion (or loads).

B) By the same token, many people in India who have the luxury of owning powerful motorcycles (I would not choose to single out superbikes) and do so for the purposes of following their passion, end up going overboard. Passion is a great driving force but cannot override the realities that exist on ground. Barring one or two highways in India (which also have a strong history of a large number of accidents), there are hardly any roads in India where any vehicle can be driven at 180/200 kmph, at least safely. Safety is a synonym of prudence which most riders / drivers fail to understand. Riding in a place like India is very different from that in the west. Compare the quality of roads, or factors like astray animals, other swerving / lane changing vehicles, slow moving carts, dust and gravel, inconsistently speeding/braking buses and trucks and people crossing jumping sidewalks to cross highways in totality makes our roads some of the most dangerous in the world. I do not have statistics, but firmly believe that more people loose their lives on Indian roads in a month than say the loss of lives worldwide playing all forms of adventure sports (like mountaineering , skiing, dirt biking and what not) during a 6-8 month period. This does not mean that enthusiasts do not pursue their passions and don’t step out. All that it means is, as an enthusiast you are not only responsible for eliciting your share of fun from life but must be a responsible flag bearer of your choices. Sadly, this cant be said for a majority.

C) I recently experienced an incident that really made me question the sanctity of ‘riders’ in India. I was riding my motorcycle on the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road (a road with several twisties and popularly known as GFR by riders in the NCR Region) with another dear friend at a sane speed of 80-85 Kmph. I had already come onto the utmost right hand lane as I was planning on taking a uturn. I had not more than 3-4 feet between my right leg and the central divider. I had already opted for the this lane and had been riding at a steady pace in this lane for nearly a minute and over a kilometre. Suddenly, I was shocked as an insensitive duke rider decided to propel through my right without any horn or any flashlights. Kudos to his riding skill that he could make the manoeuvre insofar as the space was barely enough for him to pass by. Add to it the fact that dukes are not particularly know for louder exhausts and it becomes virtually impossible to anticipate their arrival purely on the basis of the exhaust sound. At the point this rider decided to muscle past my right, the road was slanting right too. Since his motorcycle permitted a greater lean angle than mine, his head and left shoulder was dangerously close to my right shoulder. It startled me very badly as he was riding well over 120kmph. Momentarily, I jerked and felt that I was losing control of my motorcycle. But I just felt nerves and it was nothing majorly over or physical. As soon as I regained my focus and understood what just happened, another duke went past me, this time from my left (at least better than the guy who tried to fit / pass through a pigeon hole) but nearly as close to me as the previous one. This double whammy put me totally off guard. I actually took the u turn and stopped on the side of the road to absorb what just happened. Two guys who were on reasonably flickable bikes clad in full riding gear decided to have some harmless fun on a 6 laned clean road. What they did not bear in mind was that there were two other riders like them on their motorcycles and who were riding sedately in one lane to make a turn. In an attempt to show them their ‘skills’, they jeopardised their own lives and the lives of fellow riders. Even I was fully clad in gear, but honestly, if you ask me, I know if they would have collided into me, serious injuries would have been caused to one or all.

People forget a few things,

i) Don’t confuse your confidence with your motoring skills;
ii) Riding gear is like tempered glass on a smart phone screen. It can only protect against minor intrusions. Put it under severe physical pressure and it is bound to give way and let external forces pass on to the phone internals. 'It is not bulletproof'.
iii) Every man on the road is different, anticipate their shortcomings and be the bigger person and always take the safer / saner option.
iv) Just because your motorcycle can do insane speeds does not mean you ought to do them everywhere and every time.
v) Motorcycling or whatever types of groups can hold relevance only till the time they attribute positive traits in its patrons. Condescending people for them being slow / responsible is the equivalent of rewarding negative acts. This is not about the group Mr. Sen was riding in or any other group of bikers, I feel it applies to all. Groups that don’t respect the concerns or limitations of its members are hardly groups, I would call them gangs. Gangs that have no respect for the dynamics of the society they function in.

At last, I congratulate you again for your attitude and actions.

[Rob UK]

A sobering post.

No amount of gear will protect you from yourself. Most of us in the UK wear top of the line gear and bike fatalities are still 20x that of cars.

My best friend has given up sports bikes and has a KTM 660 supermoto now. His old group of riding friends have all stopped riding sports bikes on the road. One of them clipped a kerb on a group ride. He went down so hard his head was torn off. Another who was a qualified riding instructor touched bikes at speed with a friend, he went head first into a lamp post and died on impact.

This happens all over the world when groups of guys get together on fast bikes and the testosterone and adrenaline kick in. The most common bike fatalities on our roads are 600cc+ sports bikes ridden by 30-50 year old guys within 50km of home. That's very specific and there is a reason for it.

Ride your own ride and stay safe guys.

[navin_v8]

This thread reinforces the fact that it is better being safe than sorry. I would reiterate what our fellow members have suggested. NO amount of riding gears will save a rider if the impact is hard and strong. The mixed conditions of the roads we have in India (including 4 lane, 6 lane, 8 lane) highways in India are a perfect recipe for disaster. I am not even remotely mentioning about the arterial and internal roads.

We have seen best of the riders including professional riders fall. If we talk about motoGP Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Marc Marquez, Dani Pedrosa, Nicky Hayden, you name it have all crashed. In Formula1 Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinnen, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Nicky Lauda, Ayrton Senna etc. have all crashed with Senna's crash being fatal. Coming to WRC Sebastian Loeb, Peter Solberg, Colin McRae, Tomi Makinnen, etc. have all crashed. Coming to Dakar Stephane Peterhansel, Joan Nani Roma, Nasser Al Attiyah, Geniel Di Villiers, Marc Coma, Cyril Despres, CS Santosh, etc. have all crashed.

We equate all of these professional world champion riders and drivers to Gods of riding and driving but coolly ignore the fact that they all have crashed. Self confidence is a good thing but not until it become dangerous for us and someone else. Safety is prime while being on a two wheeler no matter if one is riding a 100 cc commuter motorcycle or a 1400cc sports bike. Also the feeling of a motorcycle having ABS, Traction Control, Slipper Clutch, etc. makes the riders feel invincible and gives them a feeling that our bikes are equipped with the best safety equipment so we are safe. This makes me redirect them to motoGP crashes where those bikes are teeming with safety features much more than what we have.

Roads in the western countries are good no doubt but they too have their fair share of motorcycle crashes.

I short, life and limb is much more precious than going fast to prove something to others and self. Ride Safe.

[joybird]

Sen: A very interesting and thought provoking post. Riding with gear is a must but no gear can cover good riding practices which everyone should follow.
Great work helping the injured and I can understand your pain when going back after the incident. It's true, we have got the big bikes now in our garages but still do not have the mindset and maturity to ride them. When in doubt throttle out is not my cup of tea. I prefer riding around the 100+/-20 band. It makes me feel in control and enjoy the ride too