With the cop on the scene, I tried explaining to him the extent of the damage caused and how the "Rs 2000" offered will not even cover anything.

BHPian CaptainSpeedy25 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Update at 2400+ KMS: A series of unfortunate events:

Heard somewhere that when you're on a motorcycle, believe that the rest of the world is out there to get you and ride accordingly. This proved true today (Jan 29, 2024). I had taken Harley out for my commute to office at around 10:30 am. At around 11, while navigating the traffic-ridden Marathahalli underpass to merge onto Old Airport Road (and subsequently to ORR), the worst possible thing happened!

A four wheeler banged into my barely moving motorcycle from behind and knocked both me and my bike to the ground. While I escaped with scratches on my left ring finger, the bike was on its left and in a relatively bad condition. The culprit in this case initially refused to accept her fault (despite there being clear signs of the same on her front (left) bumper). Finally when the witnesses gathered and pointed out her fault (and also saw the damage to my bike, she accepted and said she would pay Rs 2000 to cover the damages, which left me flabbergasted! An initial inspection of the left side of the bike had the following damage:

1. Scrolling LED indicator broken,
2. Handlebar mirror damaged,
3. Engine cover damaged,
4. Clutch lever broken,
5. Gear lever twisted,
6. Rear foot-peg (left) damaged,
7. Tail-tidy damaged

All my appeals to call up the cops while I tried contacting the Triumph showroom and local language speakers fell on deaf ears. But luckily, within 15 mins of this, a cop appeared (since I refused to move till the lady stepped out and shared her insurance details). In the meantime, I was able to connect with Varun, Likitha and Renju from Keerthi Triumph, who calmed me down to some degree and immediately got in touch with the RSA as well.

With the cop on the scene, I tried explaining to him the extent of the damage caused and how the "Rs 2000" offered will not even cover anything. He, in his infinite wisdom, unfortunately started siding with the lady, who also accused me of harassing her (since I kept asking for her 3rd party insurance). It was only when I told the cop to address me properly (Ex-Army) and that I was the victim here, did he mellow down. I told him I would not move till I got the insurance details from the driver, to which the reply given was:

1. This is not my car, it is my husband's,
2. I don't have 3rd party insurance,
3. I also have kids and don't want you to suffer,
4. I will pay whatever difference amount is (which your insurance will not cover)5. (and the most surprising - from the cop)
5. The car is 2012 registered and you'll barely get any insurance money if you claim her insurance.

In all the exchange that happened between the cop and the driver in the local language, I figured that he wanted her to scoot and not get into the mess (few things I overheard/could decipher: This is a new bike; his insurance will cover everything; give your number to him and he will contact you).

Ultimately, I clicked a few pics of the damage to the bike, the car bumper and then told Likitha to arrange for RSA from my office and left. However, since I was too disturbed by the entire incident and could not concentrate on work, I told Likitha to cancel the RSA and that I would come to the showroom myself.

At around 1:30 pm, reached Keerthi Triumph, where Renju, Varun and Likitha assessed the damage (we could hear a ticking sound from the left side near the engine) and shared the same with the service centre. Confirmed with the service centre that we were on our way and reached around 3 pm with Varun and another SA in tow. From then, connected with the insurance company (IFFCO TOKIO), filled up a few forms, clicked a few more pics of the bike and my documents, to upload on the insurance company's app and got a job card raised (thanks to Thejas for the help and big shout-out to Varun for staying with me till this was complete).

Thejas also assessed that the handlebar was twisted a bit and that the radiator guard might be a bit off, which might be the cause of the ticking sound. The insurance assessor called in the meantime and confirmed that he would come assess the bike the next day (Jan 30, 2024). Left the bike at the service centre with a heavy heart, and told both Thejas (unfortunately he's moving to the new service centre in Kanakapura Road) and the service technician that once the damage was assessed, I would take the bike back, till the parts were available (did not want to leave her any longer than needed).

Now waiting for the events to unfold, and keeping my fingers crossed that all the parts are sourced ASAP (and covered by insurance) so that I can ride my beauty again.

A few photos from the incident:

1. Damaged mirror and clutch lever

2. Damaged indicator

3. Damaged engine cover

4. Damaged rear foot peg

5. Damaged gear lever

6. The physical injury

7. The culprit

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I don't prefer saddle bags because I don't ride with pillion and with saddle bags, I always have this anxiety of those touching the exhaust.

BHPian sidhant recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hey guys, I need some help in buying a new tail bag to complete my touring setup for long rides.

A little background: I already own a Viaterra Claw (bought in 2016 - one of the initial versions of the bag) and did several long tours (600+ km days) on it when I had the CBR. The fit on CBR was quite good and it felt like the Claw was made for that bike. Recently, I did a 10-day ride around Uttarakhand on my 390 ADV with the Claw as the only tailbag.

Honestly, I wasn't very pleased with the setup. Sure, the bag didn't move much laterally but because of the wide grab rails on the 390 ADV, the mounting at the back which is supposed to prevent the bag from sliding forward in the seat didn't work as expected. It takes some careful planning to ensure proper weight distribution on both sides. Unfortunately, the bag also made some black smudge marks on the rear side panel  and when I encountered heavy rains on the way from Haldwani to Almora, the stuff at the bottom of the bag got damp since the bottom portion isn't covered by the rain cover. Also, in Almora, I had booked a homestay where I had to climb down 3 sets of stairs and it became a task to carry the Claw (around 18-20 kgs) on one shoulder, helmet and gloves in the other hand while wearing approximately 6-7 kgs of riding gear.

Options: I already own a Dirtsack Max 30 which I bought for short/medium rides, so I am considering the following.

1. Buy a Dirtsack Max 20 and stack it on top of the Max 30 to build a cool 50L completely waterproof setup where I do not worry about putting on a rain cover. Cost = Rs 3250. Pros: easy to mount/unmount since it has under-the-seat mounting points, rock solid in all terrains and easy to carry. Cons: Low on volume - will 50L be enough for 2-week trips, say to Ladakh or North East?
2. There is the option of buying a second Max 20 and combining it with option 1 to build a 70L waterproof setup. Cost = Rs 6500. Pros: maximum flexibility - mix and match to use in all kinds of rides (from 2-15 days). Cons: Mounting and unmounting the full 70L (all 3 bags) would be time consuming, I guess. Feels a bit overpriced to me.
3. Buy the Viaterra Drybag 55L (or 40L) for long rides and take along the Max 30 for those Ladakh/NE kind of trips. Cost = 5700. Pros: flexibility, fully waterproof, massive combined volume, VFM compared to other options. Cons: not sure about mounting/unmounting effort when used together with the Max 30, looks won't match, both may be hard to carry at higher altitudes or up 2-3 stairs, if need be.

I don't prefer saddle bags because I don't ride with pillion and with saddle bags, I always have this anxiety of those touching the exhaust. Let me know which of these 3 sounds the best for touring or if there is a better idea.

Here's what BHPian aviator1101 had to say on the matter:

IMO Option 2 is the best option for the following reasons :-

• It will provide maximum storage capacity of 70L
• Not pile up one on top of another, hence more stable arrangement
• Balanced set up, ie two 20s on either side of a 30

Here's what BHPian RedLiner had to say on the matter:

70 litres that high up hanging off your side of your bike is definitely not how I would like to ride to difficult places.

Keep your existing dirt sack as a tail bag. A 30 litre tail bag is just enough weight to sit on your tail rack. I usually strap tools and food into a little 22 litre with water on the rear seat. Easier to swing a leg on as well.

Try and look for bags that sit lower on the sides like a saddle bag but bring the Center of gravity to the lower part of the bike.

Here's what BHPian Biker_Ajax had to say on the matter:

This is something i would avoid

Three tied side by side, with all that weight & stress on straps! The bumpy Indian roads will pull the side bags down in jerks & High stress on straps. Kind of how wings will flex under turbulence. Chances of side bags falling off or one side load shifting down once any strap breaks is high.

Luggage Setup Failure in a nowhere place is painful. As such you will be in areas with nothing around Tezpur. Take it like every load is secured inside an helicopter before takeoff. Cant risk straps breaking under turbulence.

The high CG! Such weight at one spot exactly on rear seat is too high! We tend to justify thinking, even a pillon weighs more so this luggage set up on rear seat will Feel the same. We compare dynamics of both which are completely different. I was guilty of this comparison as well. Then, weight mismatch on both bags attached to sides will be felt all ride long.

For this amount of weighted luggage- saddle bags+ a tail bag will be more secure, safer method to carry & less chances of strap breaking (less, not zero). It will lower the CG to safer limit. Extremely important!

Aluminium Panniers & top box? By far the safest way (and cleanest). But its a heavy setup & riding dynamics cant be learnt over night!!!! Give it few rides.

Last but not the least- possible to reduce the stuff to get in two bags? Strap two top of each other? Some items are absolute necessary for emergency even if they are never used for years. Some pure useless & fancy or carried due inexperience.

Carrying common equipment between fellow riders? or clothes washing end of day to reduce items & nothing fancy to wear!

The way i think is- am i going on a luxury tour with different fancy clothes for everyday selfies to get more Likes! Or is it an Adventure Tour.

If only this luggage setup is available- suggest take the car. Period.

~30-35kg weight of luggage in this specific set up= take the car..

Not worth risking life carrying load in this manner dangling on straps sitting high up on CG.

Or change the setup to panniers / saddle bags.

When it comes to luggage on bikes in rough terrain-

Only the Less is Blessed!

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

When you are trying out the gear, pay close attention of the position of armor. Once the armor is correctly positioned then look for the fit of non armored portions.

BHPian skviknaraj recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I feel elated that a there has been considerable increase in people investing in riding gears or at least considering to get some gears along with the purchase of new vehicle. With this comes another question of how to choose the correct fit/size.

So with this mind, please find below a guide for position of armors in riding jackets and pant. This was taken from the Rev'It booklet provided with their riding gear.

So when you are trying out the gear, pay close attention of the position of armor. Once the armor is correctly positioned then look for the fit of non armored portions. Before upsizing or downsizing, see if the armor position can be adjusted and held in place by provisions in the jacket / pant itself.

For example: Rynox has "Knee slap" system. Rev'It has a large armor pocket with small velcro tabs at different position length wise to adjust the position of the armor.

Also see the below video from Motorcyclist Magazine Channel on youtube.

Here's what BHPian Drive_Head had to say on the matter:

Thank you for bringing up such an important topic.

Although the diagrammatic representation seems to be for a noob , ref. positioning of the guards, as contours are well understood while wearing, but well fitted gears holds true at all times, except the jacket which should not be a snug fit when all the tightening measures are loose so as to keep a space for winter lining or wear, especially for people living with varying climate. The purpose of the belts are there to fix them at the right places.

Well fitted gears makes you look smart and pro while saving you in case of any mishap.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I’ve been actively touring on motorcycles and doing cross-country rides for a good part of the last decade or so. However, one place that remained elusive for one reason or the other was Ladakh.

BHPian Added_flavour recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

This is a travelogue of our motorcycle ride from Bangalore to Ladakh and back, in September 2023 on a Honda Africa Twin 1100 and a BMW R1250 GS.

I follow my heart … and it usually leads me to the motorcycle!

Annual ride 2023 from Bangalore to cover the Leh-Ladakh circuit has been a phenomenon that's going to stay in our memories for our lifetime. It was massive in terms of the distance covered, number of days taken, variables in terms of weather, altitude, terrain, road conditions, some days of extreme off-roading, etc. The toughest part for us riders (Deepak and I) was the fact that we rode heavy ~250 kilo motorcycles in some of the toughest terrains our Country offers along with pillions and luggage on the motorcycles.

Of course, a big shout out to our pillions Sandhya & Varuni for being on the saddle for 3000+ km in extremely tough conditions! It's not easy at all... And clicking some amazing pictures and videos for us to cherish these memories!

No tour operator, no backup vehicle etc. implies that the plan has to be meticulous and precise. It's an amazingly satisfying feeling to plan the intricate details, routes, and hotels over 18 days and to see it all fall into place! Like they say, fortune favors the brave and we were able to stick to the plan every single day!

No amount of pics/videos can do justice to what we experienced..

Some stats below for all of you fellow nerds!

• 18 days
• 14 States/UTs - Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, (a small part of) Rajasthan, New Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh
• 7,600+ Kilometres
• 10+ High passes - Zoji La, Fotu La, Khardung La, Tsato La, Kaksang La, Photi La, Umling La (Highest motorable pass in the world currently), Lachung La, Barlacha La, Nakee La
• 2 bikers and 2 bikernis
• 2 legendary Motorcycles!

If you’ve come to this post, read on!

I’ve been actively touring on motorcycles and doing cross-country rides (Technically another neighboring Country too) for a good part of the last decade or so. However, one place that remained elusive for one reason or the other was Ladakh. And due to this, the joke within my close biker circle was that I wasn’t a “biker” yet (Hey I hadn’t got Leh’d on a motorcycle! ).

Jokes apart, it is indeed true the Ladakh circuit is considered the holy grail for motorcyclists in the Country, and it is for a good reason, considering the challenges and uncertainties it offers in terms of terrain, weather, altitude and more. Having covered Spiti valley a couple of years back, I was itching to cover the Leh circuit soon. Since my better half couldn’t join my Spiti ride back in 2021, she was smitten by the pictures and stories and was very clear that she wants to cover the mountains on the motorcycle next time around.

2023 has been extremely erratic in terms of the weather in the mountains. The shoulder season which usually stretches till May went on till June/July this year as it continued snowing intermittently leading to a lot of ambiguity. And then it poured like there’s no tomorrow across Northern India and Himachal Pradesh bore the brunt of it in the form of devastating floods and resulting destruction in and around Manali and Kullu.

With all of these variables and more, our plan was set around September with the hope that the weather will be relatively stable, and we will be able to visit all the places we intend to. It’s taken me a decade to ride there, who knows if/when it’ll happen again!

The plan and the people:

On a trip of this magnitude, I always prefer to ride with a small group of seasoned, experienced, and level-headed riders and more importantly reliable people, who I have known both on and off the saddle for a long time. A big group ride with strangers is just not my thing!

The plan started with 2 couples – Myself and my better half, and my cousin Deepak and his better half. On a casual morning ride a few months back, my good friend Mahesh (bhpian Roomy) discussed his intent to do the Ladakh circuit along with his wife, and soon, the 6 of us were discussing the dates and draft plan over dinner at my place. In the next couple of weeks, the plan was finalized.

• The gents were to ride all the way from Bangalore and (if everything goes as per plan) back to Bangalore as well. However, if we got delayed in the mountains, plan B was to ship the bikes on the return from Delhi and fly back to Bangalore in time for Ganesh Chaturthi.
• The ladies were to fly to Delhi and back to Bangalore. So they would be on motorcycles from Delhi to Delhi through the entire Ladakh circuit.

Soon, leaves were planned and applied, all the motorcycles were prepped with the preventive maintenance and checks done and air tickets were booked for the 3 ladies who were to fly to Delhi and join us on the motorcycle for the ride onwards. We had also booked flight tickets for the gents in case we were to ship the bikes. However, sadly, after all the preparation, Mr. and Mrs. Mahesh had to pull out a week before the ride due to some work-related commitments. This was a disappointing blow. The only positive in the sad scenario was, foreseeing and planning for the worst, we had ensured to book air tickets under different PNRs to ensure anybody can cancel their tickets without affecting the others.

The final plan looked like this:

That brings us to the steeds and the bikers+bikernis on the ride!

1. Deepak (Tbhp handle ‘Deepak Saligram’) and Varuni on the BMW R1250GS a.k.a Maximus

2. Suhas (Yours truly) and Sandhya on the Honda Africa Twin 1100 a.k.a Bagheera

Day 1 to Day 3: Marathon Riding from Bangalore to Delhi

Day 1 Stats:

Distance covered: ~900 kms

Start time: 4.30 AM from Hebbal, Bangalore

End time: 5.30 PM at Kakaku guest house, Adilabad.

The first three days of a ride of this magnitude will always be marathon mile munching. The idea is to cover distance efficiently as the bodies and minds are fresh. We also wanted to ensure that we reach Delhi on day 3 well before the ladies land in Delhi. As usual, I had a lot of butterflies the day before the ride. All the packing was done and finalized by 8 PM. But as expected, I couldn’t sleep well and kept waiting for the alarm to go off at 3.30 AM. And then the annual ride 2023 began!

Heading off from home!

A quick breakfast stop before Kurnool.. and the regular questions around the motorcycles answered!

Soon after Kurnool, we encountered a huge traffic jam on the highway. Later we realized that this was due to some construction happening and a big trailer carrying a windmill blade had broken down on a narrow stretch of the under-construction section of the highway. Cursing our bad luck and fighting through traffic at high mid-day temperatures, we proceeded towards Hyderabad.

Every South Indian motorcyclist who travels across the Country will agree that Hyderabad is the toughest and most frustrating city to pass through, because of the senseless blanket rule of not allowing motorcycles on the outer ring road. Due to this, we are left with 2 options. Either ride through the city in the maddening heat and unruly traffic or take the service road of the outer ring road. During my previous travels across the country, I have tried both and they are equally bad in their own ways. The ORR service road was in tatters the last time I tried it in 2021 and it even discontinues at multiple places making you take remote kaccha roads in these sections consuming a lot of time and tiring you out. Between the two, the city traffic ironically seemed the lesser evil.

However, Deepak came up with a seemingly brilliant 3rd option the day before the ride. He happened to notice that in the ‘bike mode’ of Google map was deviating left just before Hyderabad and directing us through Shabad and Sangareddy. We discussed this and decided to ask around on the WhatsApp groups if anybody had taken this route. Luckily, some of our fellow riders responded saying it’s the best possible option to bypass Hyderabad and the road surface is also decent. One gentleman even gave the exact route and the specifics of where we need to join the NH towards Nagpur after Hyderabad.

This is the route we took: Kurnool – Jadcharla - (Deviate left at) Shadnagar - Shabad - Sangareddy - Narsapur – (And join back the NH at) Toopran.

This experiment was a grand success for us! The roads were decent enough for most parts of this stretch, traffic was sparse, and we ended up saving a lot of time and energy. As soon as we joined back the highway at Toopran, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant and thanked our friends who had guided us on this route.

At a much needed hydration and chai break post lunch

From here on, the roads were fantastic through Nizamabad, Nirmal and Adilabad. We were able to keep up good average speeds and reached the accommodation for the day in Adilabad by 5.30 PM. We had covered 900 kms in about 13 hours today. There was a small thought of continuing further towards Nagpur, but we shelved it as our hotel was already booked at Adilabad and more importantly, we knew the roads at the Telangana-Maharashtra border were not in great shape and there was no point tackling them in the dark after a long day on the saddle. Starting and finishing a long riding day early always pays off. One gets to rest well and rejuvenate before the next day, and you also get the evening off to explore some of these small towns which would otherwise be only a pit-stop for the night.

Continue reading BHPian Added_flavour's travelogue for more insights and information.

Biking is all about self rejuvenation, reclamation and what not; atleast that is what it is in my mind. You ride a bike to soothen your soul, not to look cool or showoff

BHPian saikishor recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I'm not starting this thread because of some superbike crash that took place recently, this question kinda ponders in my mind looking at the influencers that exist in today's social media pages.

What is biking? What do motorcyclists do? Who are motorcyclists? The one person who I feel is apt for a passionate motorcyclist is Mr.Subhabrata Marmar aka Shumi from Motorinc. I stumbled upon his new channel very recently and have been hooked since. The way he explains and displays stuff makes his intention clear. I mean, you can tell that man was born for motorcycles. That kind of passion is what makes someone a true biker or a true motorcyclist. Another name I can recall is Zohair Ahmed but now he has moved to cars and no longer does motorcycle content.

So yes coming back to what is biking and who are bikers? In my opinion, bikers are people who are passionate about riding and their bike ONLY. Bikers don't and shouldn't care about stuff which is not related to bikes. Those were the things which I associate to bikes.

Now if I know what biking is, then why am I starting this thread? Well as a young guy, who loves his bike to the core and goes nuts whenever he parks it and looks back at it, I feel the biking culture is being diluted and the terms biking and biking culture themselves are being diluted. These so called influencers are conveying wrong stuff to the younger gen like me. I mean, biking in India has become more of a show off kind of thing nowadays. Biker meets are all about showing off your expensive bike with its triple expensive accesories, photos, videos and what not. Photos is still fine but showoff IMO is not fine. These showoff guys are conveying the wrong image to the younger gen.

See I'll take my example. I am 20 years old, currently in my engineering 2nd year. Buying a bike and going on good rides was a dream since I was 13. I finally got my first bike when I was 19. My dad paid for it, and he pays for my petrol, maintenance, gear etc etc. All is good till here. I know my limits mentally and financially, so I do what ever is feasible for me(gear purchases, rides etc). So now what happens when a guy like me wants to buy a bike for himself or lets say has a bike with him already, but now he watches some influencers video, gets hooked and wants the same expensive stuff on his bike too? If he's someone like me who relies on his parents for his stuff, won't his parents feel pressurised? Is this how biking culture is meant to be? Absolutely not. Biking is all about self rejuvenation, reclamation and what not; atleast that is what it is in my mind. You ride a bike to soothen your soul, not to look cool or showoff whatever you have to people who dont give a rat's ass about bikes.

Another example I have in my mind are biking groups. I am a kinda silent member of 2 biking groups. I joined one in January, and the second one quite recently like 2 weeks ago. Situation is the same in those groups also; there is a lot of spam instead of actual bike talks. I might get kicked out after someone reads this from the group but it is what it is. I feel like exiting them, lets see I will if I find it pointless in being there.

Sorry if my post went too long but all I want to say is, biking culture is a literal joke in India at this point. I mean, look at content creators like Fortnine, Motorinc etc and look at other chapri content creators (no offense).

And lets not talk about guys who started with motorcycles as their thing but now do home tours, babysitting videos and what not.

I would like to hear others views and see if there is a possibility of changing this to a small extent atleast.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

All I can say is:

• We should stop being purists.
• We should stop being elitist, even indirectly.

To me, anyone who loves to ride is a biker. Whether it's Manson on his 954RR, or the banking clerk who enjoys his Splendor. Axe77 on his Triumph, or a student on an Activa. I reiterate, anyone who loves to ride is a biker.

I follow a similar philosophy in the 4-wheeled world. In fact, this thread was my idea. This one was my idea too.

Me, Aditya, Omkar & gang are as much of car guys as anyone on the planet. We drive 50 cars every year between the three of us. From economy hatchbacks to deadly-fast EVs to 8-cylinder mean machines. Yet, if you see our real-life experiences & comments on those threads, we also enjoy driving Corollas & Hectors.

Anyone who loves to drive is a car guy, IMHO.

Here's what BHPian am1m had to say on the matter:

Boss, we were having these exact same conversations 25 years ago in engineering college! And I'm sure 25 years before that, people at that age would have been having similar conversations.

So it's nothing new and not limited to bikes. It's about the age you are at and trying to find your identity. It's the basic human need to find a 'tribe' and prove (mainly to themselves) that their 'tribe' is 'better'. It's the same sentiment/urge that allows politicians to manipulate people based on nationality, and makes us so suceptible to marketing and advertising through pop-culture, whether it's Royal Enfield, Justin Bieber, Live free XUV, etc etc.

Do what works for you. If you like riding alone, go for it, if groups work for you, go for it. Just be wary about people trying to sell you a product, packaged in emotion. All the brands do it. And now even people have become personal brands.

Spend more time on the bike than off it, and you'll be just fine.

Here's what BHPuan bf1983 had to say on the matter:

Biking culture is being diluted no doubt about it but you still get a good number of bikers who love biking for the sake of biking.

Just last week I went for a bike ride and our group consisted of two Ninjas, two KTM 390 ADVs and two retro bikes (an old Bullet 500 and a Honda CB350). So we had a great mix of bikes and nobody was trying to show off. Whoever would go ahead would stop and let everyone catch up before traffic dispersed us again. This is not something new and we see such groups all over Mumbai. So biking culture is still very much alive and we shouldn't let these chapris who call themselves Youtubers dictate their version of biking culture.

Here's what BHPian Ironhide had to say on the matter:

Sai,

What you have brought out is genuine and from the heart. Motorcycling was all about exploring new places, taking in the sights and sounds and feeling the wind in your hair. Instead, what it has turned into is a kind of Social Media oneupmanship in colourful filters.

Your observations about Fort9 & Shubhabrata Marmar are spot on. They are genuine motorcyclists and their content is well researched, engaging, entertaining and carries the weight of experience. Another guy with similar content for travel goes by the name of Toll free traveller. His travelogues on a Thunderbird earlier and now on an X-Pulse are a delight to watch. Why go too far, in our own forum we have riderzone who writes beautifully and passionately about all things motorcycle. Even Dileep Menezes, another BHPian writes beautifully about his explorations - on a Xpulse (though he has a Tiger too). There are motorcyclists of all hues on our forum itself - from the likes of Ashvinprakas who used to do interstate trips on his eminently capable CT-100B and is a DIY enthusiast when it comes to motorcycles, to aargee & vijayanand who are veritable authorities on CBR 250R to the indefatigable rb2399 who munches miles for breakfast, lunch and dinner on his V-Strom.

So don't let all the made-up, and phoney balderdash that passes for biking culture on social media bother you and keep you from doing what you love - motorcycling. Ride safe, travel, explore, and enjoy the sun on your face and the wind in your hair.

Happy Motorcycling!

Cheers!

Here's what BHPian SoumenD had to say on the matter:

Was an avid 2-wheeler tourer back in 2007-2011(did some 22k kms across India) when social media wasn’t as influential yet. Yes we had forums like xBhp(been more than a decade I last logged in) where I learnt about safety gears(still have my DSG mesh jacket somewhere) & long distance touring. But by 2010/11 itself this show-off thingy had started and I remember discussing these same things that you mentioned.

Personally I feel if someone is getting influenced by wrong folks(again what’s wrong for me might be right for someone else), there’s very little we can do. An adult is expected to choose his own poison judiciously. I don’t care about the social media influenzas doing their thing. Its a free country, people can do whatever they like, follow whoever they want to.

For me motor-biking is a very personal thing which is liberating. Still see it that way and hope to get back to it soon.

Here's what BHPian R-Six had to say on the matter:

I echo with GTO's sentiments! Everyone who ride a bike is a biker!

And in India, biking culture doesn't necessarily always mean, the breakfast rides or the most coveted ride up to the Great Himalayas! It is also about the milkman, a regular 9-5 Joe who couldn't yet afford a 4 wheeler, or that middle-class family man who manages to accommodate his entire family on the splendor so that he doesn't have to shell out extra for a taxi. Its about those too. They have their own stories as well!

Bike culture for a little kid could even mean, that fun joy ride within the society before his/her dad goes to work in the morning.

So lets not try to narrow down the biking culture to just those long rides, instagram worthy pictures and reels or the youtube videos. Its much more than that for a country like us.

But we do hear your concerns though. All the motovlog culture and the easy accessibility to the electronic devices have made it looks like biking is all about the fancy rides to beautiful locations. Lets accept it, it is there on the internet because there are people who are ready to consume such content. They offer what sells, And if we look at it that way, whom should be blamed in the first place?

And the above quote sums up what biking brotherhood is all about! You get to meet strangers on your rides and who knows, he is going to be your riding partner for longer than you imagine!

Anyway, I see you are quite young. Still trying to find out where you fit in. Take your time, go for joy rides with your riding groups, no harm in that. You may ride solo too. Sooner or later you will figure out what sort of rider are you. And that is how you'll begin your biker journey!

Until then, ride safe and yes, keep riding!

Best,

R-Six

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

A motorcycle airbag is a type of gear worn by the rider or the pillion which gets deployed in case of a crash and absorbs most of the impact energy.

BHPian deerhunter recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Motorcycle airbags

This post is about airbag systems worn as part of the riding gear, and not about the airbags installed on motorcycles like the Gold wing. Airbag systems for track use are also beyond the scope of this post. All prices are current market prices when importing into India and not the MRP/RRP. All images are from the internet except that of Helite e-turtle 2, which is mine.

What are they?

As the name suggests, a motorcycle airbag is a type of gear worn by the rider or the pillion which gets deployed in case of a crash and absorbs most of the impact energy.

Airbag types

Based on the mechanism of deployment, airbag systems can be mechanical or electronic.

Mechanical system works through a tether which the rider has to attach to the bike. In case of a crash and separation of the rider from the bike, the tether gets pulled and a spring loaded nail pierces the compressed gas cartridge causing deployment of the airbag.

Pros

• No electronics and thus no charging.
• Higher perceived reliability.
• Cheaper than the electronic systems.
• Can be self-serviced and cartridges can be self-replaced after a crash.

Cons

• Slower reaction time and inflation time. Even the fastest mechanical system is twice as slow compared to the slowest electronic system.
• Deployment depends on the length of the tether. The more the length, the more freedom of movement but also slower deployment.
• May not get deployed in certain types of crashes where there is not enough separation of the rider and the bike. For eg: low side crash.
• Accidental deployments, though rare, can still occur. Require about 30Kg of pull on the tether to cause deployment.
• Have to remember to attach the tether every time.

The most commonly available mechanical systems are:

1. Hit Air

• Very popular and highly reliable system.
• Standalone vests as well as integrated airbag jackets available.
• Good coverage of the thorax, spine and the neck.
• Price for the vest Rs. 60000 including shipping and duties.

Hit Air vest.

2. Helite

• Again very popular and highly reliable.
• Vests, integrated jackets, integrated backpacks as well as airbag jeans available.
• Fastest deployment of all the available mechanical systems.
• The best coverage of all the mechanical systems.
• Price for the vest Rs 60000 including shipping and duties.

Helite turtle 2

3. Spidi

• Good coverage
• Much slower deployment, especially the neck and the spine areas.
• Price Rs 60000 for the vest including shipping and duties.

Spidi vest

Slow deployment of the Spidi vest, especially the neck support. (video)

4. Motoairbag

• Unique thing about this vest is the presence of an inertia reel on the tether (much like a car’s seat belt). Thus providing good freedom of movement as well as faster deployment times.
• Cheaper than the others with a price of Rs 45000 including shipping and duties.

Motoairbag vest. Note the inertia reel.

There are various other less popular mechanical systems in the market, mostly Chinese, but deployment times are unusably slow. Some of the aliexpress ones can be had for under 10000 rupees.

Note the slow deployment of the aliexpress airbag. (video)

Even our very own Axor has one prototype under development, but the deployment time is comically slow. (Video of Axor vest deployment). It looks more like a rebranded generic ali express vest.

Axor vest

Continue reading BHPian Deerhunter's review on motorcycle airbags for more insights and information.

After all my previous trips, I felt prepared to take on a behemoth road trip. I wanted to meet some of my college friends whom I haven’t met after college. They live in Hyderabad.

BHPian phoenix.rider recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

4300 Kms, 6 States, 6 Days and 1 manic machine story:

Gurgaon → Jaipur → Kota → Bhopal → Nagpur → Hyderabad → Mumbai → Bengaluru.

I am a motorcyclist and I like taking long touring trips. I bought my first bike almost 1 year back and after that, I started taking small touring trips. I started with the easiest one from Delhi to Rishikesh (one-way 250Km). Once I completed my first trip I know that this makes me happy and I like being on the road, exploring new places. I went to Rishikesh in March 2021 and just after that India was struck by the second wave of Covid-19. All of our lives became stagnant, and we all had to cancel our travel plans. After sailing through the second wave, I wanted to go on more road trips.

Rishikesh Trip:

I wanted to push myself more and go on long road trips. In Sept 2021, I went on a Delhi Chandigarh Kasol trip. We were 3 friends and we had 2 bikes. One was RE Thunderbird (we rented it from stone head bikes in Delhi) and the other was my 2019 Gixxer SF250. This trip was about one-way 600-700 km and I had a lot of fun riding through twisty. This trip gave me some perspective on how to manage time on a long trip because it took us 3 days to reach Kasol. After all, we started our trip very late in the day from Delhi.

Trip to Kasol:

After this trip, I wanted to do more of a similar length trip through the mountains. I went to do the Dayara Bugyal trek on 25-Dec-21. It is in the UK (you know which one). Trek starts from Barsu (base camp for the trek). Barsu is around 550 km from Delhi. I could have reached there in one day but it took 2 days because I stopped in Rishikesh to meet some friends for a day. It was a 3-day trek with a stay in camp for 2 nights. It is an all-season trek but I did it in winters and it is magnificent.

Trip to Dayara Bugyal:

This was a small digress from the main topic. Let’s get back to the story. After all these trips, I felt prepared to take on a behemoth road trip. I wanted to meet some of my college friends whom I haven’t met after college. They live in Hyderabad. I told them about this plan and they all were shocked and were under the impression that I will chicken out. I said if I come you have to pay for my fuel (best way to get trip sponsors) and that’s how I decided Gurgaon to Hyderabad will be the 1st phase of the trip.

Once I fixed my destination, I was unsure about the dates because summer was starting and it was getting hot during the day. So I decided to start the trip on Holi. It was a long weekend during the 2022 Holi and couldn’t be a better time for me to do the trip because I get to experience Holi on the road and get to see the celebration in different parts of India.

One piece remaining was route. I didn’t want to just reach Hyderabad but to explore places and meet people. The shortest route between Gurgaon Hyderabad is by Gurgoan –> Agra → Gwalior→Jhansi → Nagpur → Hyderabad. I have been to Agra and I couldn’t find much in Jhansi.

I decided to go by the Rajasthan route. I have a few of my college friends living in Jaipur and I could also play Holi with them. So my first stop was Jaipur.

Day 1 (Gurgaon - Jaipur - Kota - Bhopal):

I started my trip early in the morning (around 4 pm). I reached Jaipur around 8 am. I have been to Jaipur many times but the Holi celebration was quite lively there. When I reached, people were already celebrating. People came out on the roads and were roaming on bikes looking so colorful. I met with my friends and played Holi with them and then left for my next destination.

Jaipur:

My Next destination was Kota. I wanted to go to Kota for 2 reasons. One was due to the Rajasthan tourism Ad and 2nd because I used to live in Kota when preparing for IIT Advance and I always wanted to go back to Kota to get the nostalgia.

There was this Ad where 2 foreigners were travelling by cycle and they reached a place near Kota and they were stunned by seeing the view. I was also stunned by just seeing the Ad and wanted to go there. That place is called Garadia Mahadev. It is a cliff from where you can see the Chambal river taking a U-turn. I reached there around 2 pm and it was really hot but the view was great. One piece of advice would be to visit this place during the monsoon because it is much greener at that time.

Garadia Mahadev:

I used to live in Kota from 2013-2015, there were like a billion students at that time. You would have seen IIT Advance coaching banners on every street and corner. But now everything has changed after Covid. I could not find any banners on any big corner or street. There were no students on the roads. There was no celebration in the city. I reached the main coaching institutes area and saw most of the big coaching institutes are non-existent now. Vibrant coaching building was bought by Aakash, Bansal classes building is running on lease and “Bansal classes” name is replaced with “Reliable” which is a completely new institute out of Resonance Coaching. It’s a completely changed city now. After visiting my hostel and institute, I moved toward my next destination.

Kota:

Somewhere in Rajasthan:

My next destination was Bhopal. Roads are really nice between Kota and Bhopal. On the route, you can find a lot of small forts. Rajasthan is really one of the best places to explore on a bike.

I reached Bhopal in the night around 10 pm and the city was still lively. People were still roaming on streets and you can find a lot of food stalls beside the road. I ended my first day after 1000 km, 18 hours of travel and I was still not tired.

Day 2 (Bhopal - Sanchi Stupa - Panchmarhi - Nagpur):

The next morning I woke up early to explore the City. The city is clean and has nice roads. Street art was also nice. I went to Upper lake and it is a very nice place to start your day. After this morning ride, I started my 2nd-day journey towards Nagpur. There were 2 places which I wanted to visit between Bhopal and Nagpur. Sanchi Stupa(UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Panchmarhi Hills in Satpura Tiger Reserve.

Bhopal:

Sanchi Stupa is around 60-70 Kms from Bhopal. Try to Reach this place early in the morning because the crowd will be less and you won't feel the wrath of the sun. It is a peaceful place. One suggestion will be to please take a guide because without a guide you wouldn’t understand the significance of this place. The main Stupa has 4 gates and each gate represents a significant story about Buddhism.

Sanchi Stupa:

After visiting Sanchi Stupa I departed towards Panchmarhi around 10:30 am. Since MP is a tribal state, most of it is Behad. There weren’t many good restaurants on the route between Sanchi Stupa and Panchmarhi. There is this one restaurant chain Midway Treat by MP tourism which serves really nice food and has good accommodation. I did my dinner on Day 1 and lunch on Day 2 in a restaurant from this chain. So if anyone is planning a road trip through MP, they can watch out for these restaurants. Once you approach Satpura Tiger Reserve, you will find roads becoming more and more twisty. Last 30-40 Km till Panchmarhi are proper twisties and I enjoyed them a lot. I reached Panchmarhi around 3pm. One can do a lot of things in Panchmarhi like jungle safari, ATV rides, trek to sunset/sunrise point or waterfalls. Since I reached later in the day, I didn’t have time to do a lot of things, so I just visited the bee waterfall. One has to trek around 2-3 km and then take a lot of stairs to reach the waterfall. You can see monoliths during the trek. After visiting the waterfall, I started my journey toward Nagpur. I stopped in between because the Sunset was really nice in these hills. Roads were nice when I started my journey toward Nagpur but the last 100km stretch was really bad and due to this I reached Nagpur around 10 pm late the night. I was feeling tired at the end of the 2nd day. I end my 2nd day after 700 km and 12 hours of riding.

Panchimarhi:

Day 3 (Nagpur - Hyderabad):

I didn't want to feel like I am in hurry to get from point A to point B. It takes the fun out of really being in the movement. So I started my 3rd day a little late because I wanted to give my body proper rest as well. I was looking for places around the Nagpur to explore but could not find much. Maybe others can help me with the places for the next visit. One interesting thing about Nagpur is that it is in the very centre of India. There is this zero mile point from where Britisher used to measure the distance of different parts of India. Since there was nothing much to see around in Nagpur, I had the time to meet one of my friends. I went to his place and meet his family. Finding home food on such a trip is nothing less than a treat. One very fascinating thing is poha served in Maharashtra and MP are quite different. Poha in MP is a little bit on the Sweeter side and in Maharashtra is a little bit on the spicy side. After having breakfast, around 9 am I started my journey toward Hyderabad. I did not plan to visit anything between Nagpur and Hyderabad because I did not know which places to visit. So I just started riding towards Hyderabad. Roads are really well laid between these 2 cities but roadside amenities are not developed. I was unable to find any good restaurant along the road so I had to stop at dhabas which served very basic food. Most of these dhabas are used by truck drivers only. I interacted with a few drivers and they all were very interested in my journey. It felt really good to talk to other people on the road when you are travelling alone. After having lunch, I got back to riding. It was really hot during the day. Temp was around 39-40C. When I was around 200-250 Km before Hyderabad, I started to notice a waterfall poster by the road. I immediately stopped and asked locals about these waterfalls and they said there are a lot of waterfalls on the route. After seeing the poster I was so excited to take a bath to get relief from the heat. The poster had such a nice photo of the waterfall, I was happy but when I reached the waterfall it was completely dried and a very tiny stream of water was flowing but I still ended up taking a bath. After this enjoyment, I started again towards Hyderabad. I reached Hyderabad around 5 pm. This was the last day of the first phase of the trip. I ended my day after 500km and 8 hours of riding. I stayed with my friends for next couple of days.

Somewhere between Nagpur and Hyderabad.

Happiness is finding a waterfall on a bike trip:

Disappointment is getting this:

Enjoyment is still taking a bath in whatever is available:

After phase 1 till Hyderabad (2100kms and 3 days):

Continue reading on BHPian phoenix.rider's 4300 km road trip for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

Even though I am not a fan of this graphic design I have bought it. Total cost including the pinlock came to 15.5K.

BHPian amvj recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Today I bought MT Thunder 4 Goblin (ECE 22.06) helmet from Powersports, HSR layout, Bangalore. I installed Pinlock from the same shop. Total wallet damage: 15.5K including the Pinlock which is around 2.5K. I have AXXIS helmet but I don't trust it. It is very flimsy and don't want to use it for highway runs. There are not many options to select ECE 22.06 helmets. There were only MT 4 helmets with ECE 22.06 available in the shop and only one design for my head size. Even though I am not a fan of this graphic design I have bought it. I will use the AXXIS for local runs.

ISI sticker. I don't know why they are not printing it. If police catch one will have tough time to explain it. Both helmets have ISI sticker only.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Trust me, a guy who has bought a big bike for the simple reason that it does something to him, rather than what it does to his Insta profile, would have kept his bike nicely.

BHPian forty6 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Apologies to the OP for turning this into a multi season soap opera, when all s/he wanted was a 10 second skippable ad.

To get the z650 of your choice, I would suggest keep looking at olx and Facebook groups. I would suggest staying away from dealers, but wouldn't hurt to just check.

Lastly I would also suggest reaching out to Kawasaki dealers and ask them about second hand bike of your choice. They do get enquiries for upgrade and probably can help you out, if you ask nicely. Leave your number if required.

Now, continuing with the second season of this soap opera that is sellers and buyers, and apologies to those who get offended post this, or find it a bit demeaning or other such miserable things, I am a bit flummoxed with all this talk about value and cutting losses and one side having less emotions than others.

Now, I used to think that majority of the people who buy bigger bikes (refraining from calling them all superbikes, because they are not, and that term is used far more than the bikes themselves) were like me, who had a photo of a supercar (Ferrari F50) growing up, started watching racing, got into bikes and then made sure they were ruined financially. For the rest of their lives.

I never thought about does this big bike makes sense or not, because honestly after CBR 250R, none of my bikes made sense. Was the ninja 650 worth 3 times that of the CBR 250R? No. Yeah the power rush was a bit better, yes, it was more comfortable if you wanted to do 600 kms in a day, but, the CBR 250R could rip its pants off on a tight and twisty road, the roads that really make your grin, the roads that make the pathetic racer in you think like it is not that pathetic after all, while keeping your chances of staying alive way higher and you wallet a bit fatter while doing such shenanigans.

A little bike, with sorted chassis and suspension is far more grin inducing than any of the big bikes. There is no use for the extra 50-100 odd hp on that road between Theog to Rampur (at least the road that was 10 years ago). Or Almora to Binsar. Or between Jaswant Garh War Memorial to Sela pass. Or actually most of the road to Tawang. In fact I would go on to claim that on a superbike, you would not dare to touch the mid to top end, if you even have an iota of sanity and love for your life. They are just that dangerous.

So, why do you buy a big bike then? Well, because as a kid you saw great racers do strange things with the bike. Because the first time you took your knee out and leaned gingerly, you felt the kiss from centripetal force was more giddying than a kiss from any human. Because of the way a bigger bike sings. Because the first time you twist the throttle of any thing with over 100 bhp, your heart wants to get out and slap you, and also simultaneously wants you to do it again. Because it is like addiction, and just like addiction, it is dangerous, yet immensely pleasurable. Because big bikes make you understand Gulzar, Kishore, Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Asha, Talat Aziz, Metallica better. Because they are the cheapest way to sort mid-life crisis. Affairs and divorces are ruinous in comparison. In short they are love.

And why would you want to put a profit/loss perspective to love? Love is supposed to cost you. Heck I would say, is it even love if it doesn't cost you?

So, I don't get this the seller has more emotion than buyers? Why are you even buying a big bike if there is any less emotion than sellers. If you haven't told yourself that you would stay away from buying new phones, eating outside, drinking, having chance to procreate, in short having a life, you need to seriously reconsider your commitment to big bikes.

And if you do, you are going to get the bike you want, rather than the deal that you need. You are going to research, find out what goes wrong, how to sort it, what to keep in mind and above all how to identify a passionate owner to buy the second hand bike from. Trust me, a guy who has bought a big bike for the simple reason that it does something to him, rather than what it does to his Insta profile, would have kept his bike nicely, irrespective of the years and kms. In fact a bike that has done decent kms in decent years, is going to be a better than a barely run bike. People have a tendency to believe a bike that has done a 5k km in 5 years is wow. It is not. Standing on a paddock stand does more damage to bikes than running. People who don't run their bikes enough are least likely to change parts and consumables at the correct interval.

All this you would understand if you genuinely love biking. Because if you do, a big bike won't be the first time you have felt whatever I have described above. A big bike is a culmination of a fairly long love affair, never the beginning of it.

So, in short, be on the lookout for what you want, look for it with the tenacity and passion that is usually reserved for lovers in poems, and you will find what you are looking for. And when you do, all this, a bit more, a bit less will seem inconsequential.

I would go on to say, there are more chances some passionate owner would take a hit for a passionate buyer, than for someone who just wants a good deal. After all who better than a passionate guy to understand the plight of another one who is suffering from it.

And if all this sounds like gibberish to you, chances are you are going to waste your money. Because, yeah you will get the bike, at a price you will like, but still lose money on it. Because, getting them is one thing, riding them is another level of passion all together. And if you don't have the former, chances are you will be bothered by the heat of the engine, the running costs, the efficiency, the hard clutch, the inability to take your better half, the lack of leaves from office, the crazy city traffic, and so on and so forth, and eventually sell it, because you don't use it. So no matter what awesome deal you got, you will still lose money on it after a year or two.

So, find the one you love, and get the one you love. And as life would teach you, never be cheap in love.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.