Thursday, November 13, 2008

Tourer’s Guide - Before you start (Courtesy: BikeIndia.in)







Engine
The engine is the most stressed part of a motorcycle during a road trip. On empty, long highways one tends to wring the throttle and cruise at high speeds. Riding through hilly terrain also means the engine operates in high revs most of the times. Constant running without brakes increases the engine temperature and puts a lot of load on the bike’s running parts like the piston, cylinder head, gaskets, etc. Make sure the gaskets aren’t leaking and the parts mentioned above don’t require an immediate change. Also get the compression of the engine checked to deduce any faults.

Headlight
For many of us, riding in the night is adventurous as well as a means to cover ground fast. However, most roads in India are still without street lights and dividers which means oncoming traffic can easily blind you. Ensure that the headlights are working properly before hitting the road. HID (High Intensity Discharge) lights throw a much brighter beam - invest in these. Also carry spare bulbs and fuse for the headlight. If your bike is old, cleaning the inside of the headlight glass can make a lot of difference.


Front disc
Most of the times, it is recommended to use the front disc while braking. Frequent high speed braking can heat as well as wear the pads fast. Hence, make sure the pads have enough life on them. Replace the brake pads and check brake oil to ensure a safe ride.

Front tyre
As with the rear wheel, make sure the front tyre too has enough tread. While braking, the pressure build up on the front tyre is a lot. Hence, on wet/snowy/muddy roads, it is recommended to have a good, grippy tyre up front. However, avoid upsizing as it makes the bike front heavy and deteriorates handling as well. Tubeless tyres are a great option at the front as well.

Rear tyre
Usually, a good quality tyre should last around 30,000-35,000km if used moderately. However, if you use dual-purpose tyres, the life gets reduced.
Make sure there is enough tyre life before embarking on a long trip, especially in the monsoons.
Ensure that the tyres are not leaking air before you set out. Always keep the air pressure at the recommended psi. If you’re planning a ride that calls for consistent high-speeds, a slightly higher pressure is recommended. Go in for tubeless tyres if possible as they have the tendency to hold air for a while even in case of a puncture.

Vital Spares
A clutch usually lasts thousands of kilometers - upto 50,000km or more in many cases. However, if you have been using your bike for stunting and have hilly terrain to encounter with steep climbs (like up north), we recommend that you carry an extra set of plates. It can be difficult to find an authorised service center in remote areas. However, any motorcycle repair shop will be able to replace the plates if you have an extra set on you.

Similarly, carry important cables needed to actuate throttle and clutch. These usually last for a long time but you never know when they decide to snap.


Tread and Pressure
Invest in a good air pressure gauge. Fuel pump guages are not always accurate. Before embarking on a ride, when the tyre is cold, check the pressure and keep it at a couple of psi more than the recommended pressure if you wish to go off the road or plan a very fast ride.
Using a coin to judge the tread depth of a tyre is the best way to know if it’s time to change it. Dual purpose tyres are the best compromise for touring - they give you the best of both worlds.

Also, investing in a set of tubless tyres is worth the extra moolah. Tubeless tyres don’t leak air easily in the event of a puncture and one can manage to ride on in most cases just by filling air repeatedly. Carrying an electric tyre inflater is apt for the hardcore tourer as it can bail you out of a tricky situation.

Vital Fluid
Oil is the life of any engine. Touring calls for constant high speed stints as well as negotiating hilly terrain where the engine runs at high revs. As the engine heats up, it’s vital that the optimum level of engine oil is maintained for the mill to work in a hassle free manner.


Make sure you replace the old oil if you are embarking on 1500-2000km long trip. Also, carry extra oil if you’re planning a long trip.

To check the oil level, place the bike on the main stand and once the engine has cooled down considerably, use the dip-stick to the check the level. Do not top up the oil beyond the marked level.


Suspension Check.
Most bikers tend to overlook the suspension part of a bike. Barring the Honda Unicorn, all other bikes in India come with a conventional twin shock absorber suspensded rear swing-arm. Be it a twin shock set-up or a mono, most rear suspensions on Indian bikes are adjustable. One should adjust them as per their requirement and load for the ride. We recommended you make them a little on the stiffer side for high speed stability over bad roads.

Do check the front suspension for oil leaks. Never leave for a trip with ruptured fork seals. The combined weight of the rider and the luggage with a ruptured seal is not a good thing. Also, one should change the fork oil every two years or so, as the viscosity of the oil changes with time.

If your bike has a soft front end, filling up a little more than the recommended level or filling up with a heavier grade oil will help stiffen up things a little.


Brakes
Brakes It is advisable to have a check on the brakes as well. For drum brakes, there is an indicator next to the drum which moves as the drum shoes wear out. Keep an eye on the indicator and replace the shoe when it’s worn out.

As for disc brakes, replacing the disc oil is recommended, rather than merely topping it up. Also, make sure any trapped air in the brake line is squeezed out for proper brake feel. Disc brake oil lasts a lot and usually it doesn’t call for a change before 15-20000km.

Editor’s Note
Checking your bike thoroughly and rectifying the faults may take time and frustrate you for a while, the exercise is always worth the extra time, effort and money spent. Minor faults, if neglected initially may take the shape of a major problem as the ride progresses. In some cases, it leaves you crippled as you’re far away from any help. Checking the bike for some simple things and carrying a few spare items with you will go a long way in ensuring peace of mind during the ride and will bail you out if there’s a problem.

No one can predict when something will go wrong with a bike, but you can minimise the chances of ending up with a conked up bike in the middle of nowhere by following the simple advice given in this concluding part of the Tourer’s Guide.


Disclaimer : None of this content belongs to me or written by me, its just referenced from BikeIndia.in & can be found on following link: http://www.bikeindia.in/tipstricks/ridingtips/Tourers-Guide---Before-you-start/Post.aspx

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Bike RoadTrip Story : Mumbai to Alibaug





Back from a great ride & carrying on with my regular stuff, now it’s time for me to put down the brief description about our RoadTrip to Alibaug (11 Oct 2008 (Sat) – 12 Oct 2008 (Sun)) & make it memorable forever.

Alibaug is around 120kms away from Mumbai. A worth watching small sea side town. So hence here I go from the very first hour of our journey.

We had decided to meet up at our regular place(i.e. KCC carom club) at morning around 6. We all where 8 of us & Five bikes where decided to be taken i.e. My : Karizma, Nitin: Avenger, Amit Bhai: Avenger, Ajay : Unicorn & Adhir : Discover. All where damn curious & excited for this day to come, as it was going to be the first ever long ride for most of us. Finally the day came & I had a huge responsibility of waking up first & buzzing Jayesh, Nitin & Adhir to inform them that its morning.

I left home to the meeting place & saw bobs at the shop & picked him up & headed towards the spot. Surprisingly or expectedly we both where the first one to show up, then the other members followed. The last where Nitin & Anil & hence they had the right to remain silent, which they could not. Atleast they did a job of getting the coconut to break before commencing our trip. It was really wonderful to see everyone well dressed up with nice outfits, jackets, glares, etc. That makes an impression people.!! All bikes where in a row (was a real beautiful scene..missed the pic) & I broke the coconut to begin the journey. It was a great feeling & bikes where given an ignition & the journey started. We had to stop initially on a local tea shop for tea. People where staring at us looking at biker gang as we passed by. After having tea, we started & decided to stop at Airoli Petrol Pump for filling up the fuel. We filled in 10 litres for every bike, check the air pressures & started. Next halt was suppose to be directly at Panvel. Our Team Lead was Amit Bhai as he has huge lot of experiences in this kind of biking & is very well known with various places & most importantly the routes. All where riding together, but we needed to drive bit faster than expected since we left late & had to complete more distance in a less time. Ajay being a starter & a novice was driving at a very basic speed, others where irritated but also understanding his situation. Every time one bike use to accompany him to make sure he’s safe, afterall we all have seen this days sometime on our early days of biking.. Still we didn’t had the feeling of driving a long route, since we all where still in the city & no much different then our daily commuting. All where damn hungry am sure, & we spotted a good & cheap dhaba kind of a hotel where everyone could do their breakfasts. Halted their & had misals/dosas in bulk. Had tea, snacks, (chevda for bobs) & headed to Alibaug. I don’t think we stopped anywhere for a long time, about 2hours , may be for a minute of two (for nature call) & reached Alibaug. The journey was truly awesome, riding bikes from those typical National Highway, village roads, small ghats. Vow..!! cannot explain in words. There where so beautiful roads at times, trees from both the sides welcoming us, sunrays trying to penetrate through the leaves, just beautiful. I was going crazy taking those turns on the amazing curves of roads. Am sure each of us enjoyed riding at their level best. Though it was a long journey none where tired, due to our high spirits of biking. Most of us had pillion riders for a company, I had Jayesh, Nitin had his bro BOBS, Adhir with Anil, Ajay & Amit Bhai where all alone enjoying their riding solely. All where driving so decently, safely & carefully. I didn’t thought it may be easy but surprisingly all where like a real nice riders.

One thing I forgot to mention, we had already booked a big room(full floor) at alibaug, called as Kaivalya Farms (courtesy: Amit Bhai). Pix can be found in our album. After reaching to alibaug, all we had to do was finding the place & rest our ass. It wasn’t so easy to find the place, as it was fairly on a complicated place. But somehow we manage to do it with good navigation brains of my fellow friends.

We met the owner of the Farm House, Mr. Joshi. Was good & descent fellow but fond of chewing brains. Am sure no one will ever forget in their life which he told us, his Daughter is a play back singer in some god forsaken movie. Am sure there will b smile on my friends faces by now. But trust me people, the room was just awesome. Really very clean, good bedrooms, huge hall space, clean toilets with all needed amenities. It was worth staying & coming so far. Alright then, we rested for sometime, somebody had playing cards. This was the time to earn money now, all sat for playing. We played around for 30-40 minutes & some lost, some won(including me J). Oh yeah, I remembered one thing, Jayesh suddenly came out of the room wearing a Hat.. Gosh.!! What was it..!! find it in the album, somewhere even I wearing it..!! We had nice fun & then left again to venture good places.

First, we headed towards Kashid Beach. This is around 25kms away from the farmhouse. The road wasn’t good at all I must say. We all where crazy hungry by now & suddenly spotted a normal hotel with a wine shop sticking to it. Man..!! This was our pit stop.. Without a second thought just barged into it sat in the hotel, the sequence of ordering beer started. First sip of it was kind of holy water having it after ages. Felt so good.. After a long ride, tired, relaxed, hungry for food & hot sun.. Just imagine you find in beer in this situation.. Will surely Die Another Day..!! Its mouth watering, isn’t it.!? So we had beer, with fish & chicken dishes which we didn’t had variety. Rushed to Kashid Beach then. On the way we say a massive industry Vikram ISPAT (Birla Groups). That was truly mind boggling. On the way we saw the sea, passing by it. Bikes on a side & sea on the other side.. This is so awesome.. Reached beach, we waited in a small sea-side hut. Looking at the beach, we all had just one word VOW..!! Such a nice, clean sea with real white colored sand. It being not much crowded, we could see an amazing view of the beach. We thought of taking our bikes on the beach. Amit bhai took a bit inside, suspecting something returned back. Me & Nitin where crazy to take it on the beach. Movement we got down on the beach, the bike lost its grip, had a real touch time moving the wheels. Still we struggled & managed to get some nice shots, of our bikes on the beach (pix in the album). We did burn-outs, actually they where not intentioned but happened due to no grip & tyre sinking in the sand. All where waiting to dive into the water. We just threw our bags, got out cloths off (ofcourse not all) & ran towards the shore. After a real long time getting in & tasting the sea was a great joy. Played a lot in the water, making sand balls & throwing at each other was so much fun. Had turned back kids while playing in such a way. Jayesh & Nitin decided to burry me in sand, which I willingly accepted (find pix in album). We found a fish lying on the shore, which me & nitin picked up & got a snap of gulping it (inspired from the movie DCH). While playing so rudely with no mercy on each other, we didn’t realize our breaking bones. The bones had started aching badly. We stepped out of the water, found a small stream of river where we can take bath & clean ourselves. Everybody got rid of the sand over their body in this stream & where fresh like never drunken before & ready to rock n roll back on the wheels. We manage to get real nice snaps on the beach & our gang (courtesy: Jayesh). The snaps are truly speaking for themselves for the splendid scenes of beautiful sunset. A must watch (pix in the album).

Next we decided to visit Birla Temple. This was around 15-20 kms away from Kashid. We reached there at the time when the day had just started becoming dark. The road were sick, extremely bad & don’t even dare to expect a street light. After reaching only me, nitin, amit bhai & jayesh decided to go in the temple, as rest had some problem (ask them for more details). The temple was a clear demonstration of latest architecture totally built in marble on a hill. To reach this heaven you need to come from the hell (the worst road).

Now we where done for the day & needed to end our day with a freshening drink & comfort sleep.

We headed back to our home (farmhouse), on the way we collected a box of beer & two full bottles of whisky along with food. Finding good food was a real problem as we where staying around 10-15kms away from core Alibaug. But somehow we managed to get home made dinner of chicken & picked up the parcel. Wasn’t much tasty but good to survive with. Reached home, we all got fresh with a quick bath & by around 10.30 - 11 pm we opened the corks of bottles. It was so relaxing, having drinks with those chicken pieces. Discussions on various topics had started, but the main topic which took over everybody’s attention was of Ghost (courtesy: Amit Bhai). All where scared but acting to be No Feared except for jayesh. Basically had a good time, enjoyed & I guess perhaps by 4am most of them threw themselves on the bed.

Had a really very good sleep, just because of the comfortable room of Mr. Joshi. Waked by 9-10 am, a nice morning with a little sadness of returning back home & starting with our regular work. Me & Anil willingly decided of going away in the town & getting some breakfast. Had the breakfast, everybody got freshened up, ready & all set to roll the wheels. We clicked couple of snaps of the farmhouse & us in the various poses with different glares..

OK then, all where back on their respective machines, ready to be back home. Started from there, we reached proper alibaug & Nitin suggested us to visit my relatives in Alibaug & just retrieve our old memories. So we decided to visit them after a long time. Just reached their house, & man all where so happy. We all where kind of foreigners, bunch of people staring at us. Going on bikes, looks so much adventurous, was an amazing feel. Now left from there for Mumbai. We decided not to stop & cover as much as distance possible. After a long distance we stopped once at the local gavdevi mandir for a moment, taking our time to pray the god & resumed. Non-stop drive until Karnala, Amit Bhai, me & Nitin were leading with a huge distance. After a constant drive of almost 2 hours we reached Panvel after spotting out a Hotel/Dhaaba.

We were again thirsty & this was a pit stop, so thought of refilling with some beers. Ordered some nice sea-food, chicken. First taste just took our breathe away, the taste just so marvelous. So far never came across such ravishing mouth watering food. Even now while writing this my mouth is watering. Taste it to believe it man. Now this taste we treat as a benchmark anywhere we go. Still never found any taste above it. We regret, that none of us remember the name of that hotel. Spent around 2-3 hours at that place & again started directly for Mumbai. Now without any stop on a fairly good driving for around another 1.5 – 2 hrs we reached our spot from where we had left. What a feeling of relief was it… Phew!!

So people with all your permission would like to end this. Hopefully I have put down a useful explanation of our journey out here which will help us to remember & cherish this moment. Lets wait for the next Road Trip, & I will be back again with some more exciting visualization of our road trips in words.

Happy Biking….

Rachit K

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

RoadTrip To Alibaug on 11th August

Hello All,

It has been long that we are very busy with our work, projects and schedules so now is the time to take a break and enjoy !!!

As dicussed, We have planned long road trip on bikes. Following are details of the trip :

Destination : Alibaug
Date : Leaving on 11th October 2008, Saturday (in morning) & return on Sunday probably after the lunch.
Approx KMs one way : 150km

Accomodation Confirmed : Kaivalya Farms http://www.kaivalyafarms.com/

How To Reach : From Mumbai/Thane: Take Mumbai-Goa Highway. Reach Vadkhal Naka and take Alibagh Road. Just 300 metres before Alibagh city, take Road to Murud/Roha. After 3 kms. One road goes to Roha and one goes to Murud. You can reach by both roads to the site. If you take Roha Road, Take a right turn at village SAHAN, which connects to Murud Road. It’s just a km. from here on your left side.
If you take Murud road after Alibagh, come upto Nagaon-Hatale and take a left turn for Village PALHE and after about ½ kms. You will find the property on your right side.


Following are the list of members & their payment details :








Some suggestions & important factors are :


1. Fuel Calculation : What we have thought is, rather than calculating the fuel individually & tying up the pillion partner with a particular rider or a single rider may be in loss; We can consolidate the petrol required for all bikes on an average & divide with number of members.
For eg. We will consider any bike which gives a fair average, not too less or not too high for an instance Ajays Unicorn. If unicorn consumes Rs. 500 petrol (to & fro) , we will multiply with total bikes & the total amount will be divided individually. Just a wild example, in case of 4 bikes & 8 members a total will be 2000 Rs & individual share will be 250.
Any other suggestions or alterations are welcome.

2. Individual share : Am not sure how to calculate this, could be on individual consumption or a fixed total share. But personally i think each person should have a minimum of atleast Rs. 1000-1200. It may vary, & could be discussed later. Remember we will be spending maximum of day time & night time of saturday & sunday till afternoon. Anybody if possible can carry little more money in case of any urgencies.

3. Accomodation : This I am trying to do something, since we have more number of people we may try to get some cheap place as it could be little comforatable of staying with a family (my relatives). Nothing is confirmed yet, but will try some best way out. Lets hope we get to stay in for free.

4. Dos & Donts : This section may sound funny, but its equally important. Basically, the reason of this point is to ensure we dont get stucked in any bad situation & make our trip pleasant & full of fun.
No speeding or rash riding( i know its for me ), try to stay together or at a closest distance.
No playing or teasing any other rider while riding.
Every pillion rider (back seater) will try to keep an eye or communicate with fellow riders.
No bike will wait on any stop alone, in case for wait or rest all bikers will halt at once together.
Every pillion rider will wear a helmet so lets arrange as required.

5. Ensure Bike in a good state : Dear riders, please ensure your bike is in a proper riding condition. Service your bike with engine oil change (important), check clutch wire, brakes, horns, lights, tyre pressure, etc.

More of the above details will be updated as we discuss.


If I left out any point or you have any suggestion for anything, please free to write it down rather than discussing in person or on a phone. This will keep all other members updated.

So lets make this roadtrip a pleasant, enjoyful & memorable. I expect all above people to join in.

Trip Pix
RoadTrip to Alibaug


RoadTrip to Alibaug


Regards,
Rachit K

Monday, September 8, 2008

Did i mentioned how deeply am in love..

Yeah.. Oh it just slipped over my mind to tell about my love.. I am not sure when & how this happened, was just a sudden strike of cupid some 2 years back...
I used to be with her everyday, started my day with her & ended my evening... Even was with me for entire nights without any hesitation with just one intention: To be with me. She always took my care so much, never realized was this a love.
Always made sure i reach my destiny on proper times & safely.. Use to be proud to stand with her in the crowd getting an attention & respect.
Always did what I wanted no matter how painful it was for her to do that.. Even got hurted due to mine or somebody elses mistakes, but never put me away, always made an effort of seeing me happy by standing back smilingly..

Never made me feel less in front of the rivalry crowd.. Stood always like a shield promising me "I am always there"
I started noticing & realized finally i couldnt spend my day without watching her, without spending time with her & hence concluded i loved her & cannot stay away from her.. I love her..
So today I dont have any hindrances in revealing the most valuable thing in my life, which means a lot to me, important than any other thing in my life, thats my bike 'karizma'.. yeah dont be astonished.. it is indeed..!! (please bare my insanity)

I do remember my time when my first bike was of automatic gears(Activa) just b'coz i lacked the experience of riding bike.. But lately i started feeling that lack of something in my life & passion, suddenly just in 6 months i decided to buy a bike..
I was badly confused, started with Unicorn without any knowledge just trusting words.. Still I couldnt get that feeling of satisfaction & completeness so i thought of something else which was CBZ-Xtreme.. Somehow i was not impressed by its looks though still didnt had much knowledge about judging a good bike & understanding the features...
Then there was a flash over my face & saw this almighty incredible machine.. didnt knew much about it.. But suddenly got that feeling of happiness & without any second thought just banged at the dealers desk & booked it..
Finally the best day came, when i was ready to get my darling, my own karizma..vow.. what a feeling it was..
me not being experienced about driving a bike with gears, my friend rode it for me... Immediately started knowing the gear patterns, controlling, handling, braking(which was totally new for me).. Loosing my patience i decided to take it to my office on my own, no matter whatever it takes but will ensure it doesnt falls or touches any1.. It was all new day for me coming out with this bike on the way to my office (to andheri, lokhandwala).. Got myself in middle of the traffic, was little panic, nervous but my bike encouraged me with its brightened looks like saying me "Dont worry I am always there..!!"
Was struggling changing gears on time, many times my bike turned off due to amateurish control over releasing the clutch.. But she was as freshly ready as before.. Faced a hard time balancing my bike while braking.. as the time passed the bike helped me gaining the acquaintance over the machine by its significant smoothness & unbeatable pickup.. First 2-3 days I had little hard time, but my bike always motivated me to do it again.. Had an amazing feeling to notice it being an eye catcher, truly stunning beauty..
Everyday i drove my bike more confidently than the earlier day,.. Was an awesome feeling to drive on the roads so smoothly like the almighty..!!
At times there where really critical problem like not at all taking any pickup, screwed up my clutch plates.. Couldnt resist that suffering on the bike, felt very bad about it.. I remember me taking leaves to office just to make sure it gets fixed fromt the service centres.. There had been many such days, I have takes leaves from my office, even had a pay cut couple of times; but didnt had any regret for the purpose i am doing it.
Even met with an accident & had tears in my eyes not to see my wounded elbow or knee or bones, but to find my bikes part in pieces... I remember how i had busted that car driver who suddenly took a turn on the U-junction & hit the bike on the tail..
Immediately took it to the nearest best garage, & repeatedly insisted the service guy to make sure it gets back to original & each components starts functioning as smooth as before.. Had a bill of 7000 but was totally worthwhile when i saw it standing like new in front of me expressing "I am fine". It was back to a new condition, ready to rock.. Didnt even mind handing good tip to the mechanics..
This bibliography about my bike will never end, but i have to bring it to a pause not stop. Will definately extend it more with my more feelings & continue my love towards this magnificient machine
Now am more cautious, more confident.. And yes my bike has made me a good rider.. Am in deeply love with it..!!

Coder a magician...

Hey guyz..
After a long time .. huh.!!
So whats the common thing between magicians & software coders :== They both do incredible unbelievable things.. but ppl know thats just an illusion & not real...!!
A software consumer gets happy to see his funky application & the dazzling web sites displaying all sort of information & throwing the data whenever he wants on his face..! But a watching software coder gets overwhelmed when he remembers whats the messy code lies behind that fascinating features & just prays no more alterations come in future, else he will get badly entangled figuring out his handwriting in the software code..!!

A magician can fetch money on single trick from same person only once, but a coder can keep getting money for the same bloody software entire his life or his software dumped back over his face..