How to Ride a Motorcycle - Beginner's Lessons

So you like Motorcycles eh? And your parents refused to buy you one eh? Don't blame them, motorcycling when done careless can go horribly wrong! You might end up losing a few limbs or worse!

So you've finally bought your first motorcycle! Awesome! Pat on your back my friend! So let's rack up some miles on it! But wait, we gotta learn how to ride it first, and not crash. Bruises on a spanking new motorcycle hurt much worse than heartache for a lovely maiden! Let's go over the basics now!

WARNING:
Always wear all your riding gear, all the time, so you do not break any bones or limbs when you learn to start riding, and continue the same practice no matter how long you've been riding. It's easier and cheaper to replace a broken panel rather than a broken limb, or a broken skull!

FOUNDATION:
As the title suggests, this paragraph deals with the foundation of learning to ride. The stronger your foundation, the stronger your riding skills. So be thorough with this section before you move on to the next!

A motorcycle has gears, a clutch and a tank full of fuel sitting on top of a burning hot engine. Scared yet? Fear is good. A little bit of fear keeps you on your toes, and always aware of everything around you, and underneath you.

First of, you've probably ridden a bicycle, the mechanism is the same, only difference being you have an engine doing all the work for you. Unlike a bicycle the left hand lever is called the "Clutch lever". This helps in shifting gears as you ride. The right hand lever is the "Front brake Lever", which is the same as that of a bicycle.

Now that you're familiar with the levers on the handle bar, let's get to the levers on the foot pegs. The lever on the left foot peg is the "Gear Lever" and the one on the right peg is the "Rear Brake Lever". In conclusion, you will be using all these levers on the go to control and maneuver the motorcycle.

STARTER:
Most modern motorcycles come with an electronic starter, all you have to do is press the button and the motorcycle purrs to life! Some motorcycles also come equipped with a kick lever for starting. In that case, it is good to practice starting the motorcycle with the kick lever. open up the lever, put your right foot on the peg provided on the lever, and swiftly, but gently push it all the way down to the extreme end (lower than your right foot peg). This will start up the motor. If you aren't able to start it in the first kick, use more force or speed until you do (an experienced biker will be helpful during this time).

GEAR LEVER: (Lever on the the left foot peg - can be on the right for certain types of motorcycles)
The gear lever decides what gear you are on, and what gear to engage at what speed. As you start from a standstill, you have to engage your gear lever to the First Gear (please refer owner's manual for patterns of gears), by clicking the lever with your foot, pushing it down a notch (standard for modern day Yamahas, Hondas, Triumphs and generally a majority of motorcycles, refer pattern below). once you hear a click, you are in the first gear.

As you operate the gear lever it is mandatory to pull in the "Clutch lever" (on the left side of the handle bar), this applies for every gear shift. If you do not pull in the clutch lever, you will engage the clutch and have a small game of angry bikes and see your motorcycle flying into a wall, maybe  with you on it. So thumb rule: Always pull in the clutch lever in every gearshift thereby disengaging the clutch and saving your ride.

ACCELERATOR: (The grip on the right handle bar rotates! And is called the Accelerator/Throttle)
The Accelerator regulates your speed, it's operation is fairly simple. As you open it up, more fuel is being sent into the engine. Remember the gear shifting lesson above? Well, you need the accelerator to get you moving! So, once you slot your motorcycle into first gear, slowly release the clutch, and give some throttle to it as well. This is your first time, so take it easy, it is quite common to give too much throttle or release the clutch too fast with little throttle. You might probably shut the bike off, no worries! We all aren't Gods of motorcycling the day we touch one.

OPERATING A MOTORCYCLE:
Find the perfect balance between clutch and throttle to get you moving at a steady pace. Once your rolling, and you feel like the first gear is not fast enough, pull in the clutch, slide your toe under the gear lever and push it up gently and slot it into second gear. you will probably hit neutral on the way, but that's OK. Give yourself some time and slot it into second gear as you keep rolling. Gently release the clutch with proportional throttle, just as you did when you pulled the vehicle from the first gear, then as you go above the range of the second gear, repeat the same procedure and shift up to third gear. The same follows for all gears.

Now you've started moving, you're using the throttle, clutch and gear lever to gain more speed and confidence! Good! Oh wait, there's a wall blocking your path! You need to shed all that speed! Remember the front and rear brakes? I'll give you a lollipop if you remember where those levers are situated! Braking is an art in itself. Most riders use 70% front and 30% rear brakes when slowing down. In addition to this, you can also drop a gear or two down (same procedure as up shifting, pull in the clutch, drop a gear down and release clutch with NO THROTTLE INPUT). This will further aid you to reduce speed. This technique of Down shifting is called engine braking.

APPLICATION:
Learn to use all these techniques within a controlled environment (like within your apartment compound or a nearby playground when there are not any people around), once you are confident of handling the motorcycle without stalling the engine or tipping over, or panic brake, head out onto the roads in the early hours and get a feel of the motorcycle in real world conditions. At times like these, it is advised to have an experienced rider with you, just in case. Be aware, do not panic, but take calculated decisions while moving through traffic. Always remember to use your turn indicators before making a turn. And it is advised to leave your headlight on at all times to make you much more visible to traffic.

Hopefully all goes well and we ride another day! Wishing you many miles, and let me tell you, you've chosen the perfect lifestyle of motorcycling! We would not have it any other way! Hariathoo!!!

Group riding etiquette

We all love going on tours with our biker buddies, sharing every moment, and the glam of riding together in full gear with luggage strapped to our tails. Now, picture this, all of you are hurtling at triple digit speeds, with limited visibility in front because of the rider(s) in front of you. Our main aim is to complete the journey without getting hurt or hurting the others around you. This is where group riding etiquette comes into play.

Now, as you travel a lot, you might've come across six lane highways, single lane highways and highways that are no more than gravel and dirt having one huge orgy! These roads dictate the rules, and affect our riding formations. Formation you say? Hmm. Ever see those amazing air shows? Where the fighter pilots show off their aerial skills, and woo our women? Notice the formations they fly in? That is because they don't want to fly into each other. Even though following a disciplined formation is boring, they look awesome, and we might end up wooing some women too!

Let's talk biker formations now! Why do we use formations? Why not ride solo and keep a safe distance from each other? Well, to be specific, united we stand, divided we fall! A biker group's strength is in it's numbers, and when riding in formations, the group appears really big and other motorists on the road generally give way to such large formations. Hear me out, we've had some crazy cagers in powerful machines try and weave in and out of our formations as well! Talk about road rage!

For explaining purposes, let us assume that we are travelling with 10 very sane human beings hurtling on the highway at 100kmph. Now, all 10 of us cannot hoard the whole road by riding next to each other, that is just wrong. We need to be considerate about our fellow humans as well, even though we might not like it. We categroize formations and positions as follows;

Single file formation:

A single file, as the name suggests, means we travel in a single line, one behind the other. Remember when we were in pre school, and the teacher had us stand one behind the other and walk to the loo, or for the morning assembly? Same concept, bigger kids equipped with crotch rockets! Isn't it risky to ride behind each other? What if the guy in front of me hits the brakes! Yes, that is the right question! when riding in a single file formation, we make sure we give enough space between each other so that we can effectively come to a stop, otherwise known as safe braking distance.

A motorcycle offers six degrees of freedom, unlike a cage (also known as car). We can go forward, backward, left, right and also lean left and right. So always be aware of these six degrees of freedom to make the best use of it as possible. 

Also, if the motorcycle in front of you comes equipped with ABS and your's doesn't, make sure you give him/her extra space, because that motorcycle is going to stop faster than yours. Worst case scenario, your clip ons or handle bars might be mounted on his/her rear seat in the case of panic braking. Ouch!

And when riding in a single file, your visibility up front is going to be seriously hampered. It isn't wrong to move just a little out of line to get better visibility, but breaking the formation or over taking the others is a big no-no unless it is an emergency. 

Single file formations are typically used when riding on single lane highways or highways with heavy traffic that offers very little space to move around.

Staggered Formation:

Staggered! That's a nice sounding word ain't it! Well, according to the dictionary, staggered means, "to move or stand unsteadily, as if under a great weight". In the biking world, it means the exact opposite! A staggered formation (check illustration below) allows a proper space cushion and safe braking distance between motorcycles so the the riders have enough time and space to react and maneuver around obstacles or hazards on the road. In cave man terms, it means "bike give space between bike. Bike no hit bike! Bike no hit stupid dog middle road!"

So, as the above illustration suggests, the riders are split in two lines actually, offset from each other at angles. The interval between one rider and the other (at angles) must be one second. And the time interval between two riders following the same line must be 2 seconds at the least.

Now that you've understood what a single and staggered formations are, let's move on to positions! Very similar to football or basketball, or hockey, each rider has a specific position and a duty assigned to the said position. We are not classifying those duties by what motorcycle that rider owns, rather by the amount of experience and miles munched by said person. Please don't fight amongst yourselves for positions, like we did in school!

The lead, or the first person leading the group is called Lead/Road Captain. He ensures that the group follows the right routes to their destination, coordinates lane changes on the highway and overall takes the brunt of all the other riders' bitching. The lead rider shows hand/foot signals to make the other riders in the group aware of any obstructions or hazards on the road. These signals are passed down through the group till the last guy.

The last rider is called the Sweep. The Sweep is usually the guy with anger issues, scary to look at, and would have a moderately powerful motorcycle. The sweep fights with all the traffic that thinks they can mess around with the group from behind. The Sweep is the linebacker or defender of the whole group. Do not mess with the sweep! 

The sweep also works with the Lead rider to assist the whole group to change lanes or make a turn or cross the road. When the lead signals to change lanes, the sweep moves first into the lane from behind and occupies, said lane. Thereby preventing those crazy cagers from running into the lane that we're going to turn into. 

The riders right behind the lead would be the ones with the slowest motorcycles in the group. The entire group's cruising speed is governed by the slowest bike in the group. Remember, we are not racing on the highway, rather we're keeping the biking brotherhood alive by riding in groups and enjoying our time together.

For larger groups, spanning over 30 riders, it is advisable to split the group into three or four units to effectively increase the pace of the entire group.

So that about covers it for this blog entry! Ride safe, ATGATT and Hariathoo!

Tool kit and essentials to be carried while touring!

Whenever I look at the tool kit supplied by any motorcycle manufacturer, I feel sad. Sad because they built a really competent product, and give tools that hardly make a difference. In the middle of a tour or a road trip, if your motorcycle fails you, face it my friend, you're screwed. However, we've been touring for a long time now, and it is possible to fix your motorcycle in the middle of a road trip if it fails.

Remember in our intro to motorcycle maintenance, that a motorcycle is made up of a bunch of parts moving at high speed? So something or the other is bound to fail.

Let's look at this from an FMEA (Failure Mode Effect Analysis, engineering jargon) perspective, starting with failures that are highest risk, going down to the lowest in a descending order.

1. Punctures
2. Chain slack
3. Dead battery
4. Blown fuse
5. Electrical issues
6. Cleaning out a carburetor
7. Broken fairing (due to a crash)
8. Maintenance interval (i.e engine oil change/Brake pads change/Coolant change)
9. Blown engine internals (valves/piston rings)
10. Fuel Injector malfunction (for FI equipped motorcycles)

These are typically the type of mechanical failures you would encounter on road trip. You might also freeze your fuel when you ride in Antarctica, we can't help you with that though! Now, do you think you'd be able to fix all these issues with the help of the basic tool kit provided by the manufacturer? I think not! It's metaphorically equal to measuring the length of the great wall of China with a half burnt matchstick!

We've come up with a list of essential tools to be carried whilst on a road trip. Now, don't go and blow a whole lot of money on those fancy tool boxes you see online, that cost a bomb! You do not need that! We're gonna list out a kit, that is easy on the pocket for the average economical tourer. 

BTW, if you own a Harley, well, God save you! They have custom everything, and a Harley tool kit costs around a lakh rupees ($1489.22) or so! And is only available at Harley Davidson stores. Talk about capitalism will ya! Geez!

Tool list as follows;

1. Two sets of spanners, one set crescent (open) and one set closed type.
2. One set of Allen keys or Hex keys. (Do not buy the 'L' shaped ones, they are just a little more useful than a banana. Go for the hex keys with a 'T' shaped handle)
3. Screw driver - To screw things when yo can't do it with your bare hands.
4. 'T' shaped rod spanners. For places you cant reach with a normal spanner.
5. Pliers - One nose plier (to pull out those nasty nails out of the tires, or a million other uses) and a cutting plier.
6. One complete puncture kit with two sets of puncture strips (for tubeless tires)
7. One set of Tire irons and a puncture kit with at least 20 patches, and rubber adhesive or rubber cement. (For tubed tires)
8. Air pump - Manual or electronic. You won't be able to blow air into the tire orally, trust me, we've tried it.
9. Fuses! They're small, they're pretty and come in a lotta colors! But please check the amperes on them, and make sure they match your bike's specifications before you buy them.
10. Building grade electrical wire, preferably 5 meters in length. (This will save you when your battery dies!)
11. Insulation tape. You can never have enough of it!
12. Duct/Cellophane tape, it has a million uses that may seem mysterious to the untrained eye!
13. Wire cutter/blade/ scissors.
14. Bottle opener. Face it, those beers aren't going to open themselves right? And i'm not a fan of biting them off!

 Hex key with a 'T' handle.

'T' shaped spanner

Tubeless tire punctre kit

Spanners - Closed and open type

Cutting plier and a nose plier

Screw driver

A standard box to hold all your tools, and make it easy to stow away in your luggage.

Fuse

Notice the amp rating on top Make sure it's the same as per your bike's specs.

Now that we've got our tool kit sorted out, let's figure out where to buy them from! If you're a resident of Chennai, there's a shop near the Kilpauk Cemetery in Kilpauk (next to Chinthamani). Right opposite to the cemetery, you will find a lot of auto spare part dealers, just go there and ask for "Tools Bhai kadai" (Tools brother shop - Literal translation), they will point you out towards the shop. We've been buying tools from this guy for years, he has everything from a needle to a petrol driven chainsaw. If you're planning a massacre of some sort, I'd advise you to buy your power tools from this guy as well.

If you are a resident of other parts of the world, well then, I guess you'd have to do some recon! The above mentioned tool kit isn't going to cost more than Rs. 1000 ($14.89 to be specific) for the whole lot. 

Now we got the tools, awesome! What do we do when we need spare parts?! What spares do we need to carry along?! 

Harken, my dear friend... Let us enlighten you!

List of spares:

1. Accelerator and clutch cables (For both FI and carb equipped motorcycles)
2. Copious amounts of Chain lube! I cannot emphasize on this enough!
3. Spare tubes (for both tube and tubeless tires)
4. Cable ties (large and small)
5. Engine oil (you might need to top up every 1000kms on long highway runs)
6. It's also safer to carry spare headlight or tail light bulbs when on a very long tour, involving night rides.

So there you go! A tourer's essential tool kit all wrapped up! In our next blog we'll cover details about medical kits to be carried on a tour. Hariathoo till then!

The joys of Motocamping!

(WARNING: Epic photologue!)

On the road, with a bunch of rather sane humans, who spend all their livelihood in fuel bills and motorcycle spare parts. A bunch of misfits, lost hope in finding any meaning in life. Stopped trying to maintain order and chaos, even though both of them are the same.

All lined up for another epic Motocamping experience!

It's good to laugh out loud! All the time!

This here, is our two wheeled brethren!

We were never meant to sit in one place for half our lives and work to pay loans off. This earth is our inheritance, and we aim to see it as much as we can before they hammer the final nail onto our casket.

I don't know about my neighbor's lawn, but this one sure is greener!

Everyday, on the road to our workplaces, we come across those traffic signals that try to maintain the chaotic traffic. Try to control the angry civilians, snarling against each other for an inch of space. That red light is like an angry moon up in the blue sky. We have to get out of this killer cycle that we've set up ourselves!

What is Motocamping? Why does one partake of it? What is the purpose? Motocamping is nothing but strapping your camping gear onto your motorcycle, and hitting the road in search of mountains and valleys to rest our heads upon at night. Why do we do it? It's got us hooked, to be honest. We're Motocamping addicts.

To stare at the stars in a perfectly dark night, not needing our creature comforts like wifi or a soft bed with air conditioning. Spending time, truly at peace with nature, and who better than to share it with our fellow brethren and a mug of beer! That my friends, is Motocamping!

Packing up camp!

Our den for the night.

Rolling meadows, on rolling wheels! Cool right!

Star gazing anybody?

The Earth is a beautiful place by itself. Until we came along that is. But there are still a few places untouched by the human feet, perfectly hidden out of sight from prying eyes. Those prying capitalist eyes that see money everywhere. We want to see the Earth in it's own beauty, to see the work of God in it's purest form.

To go where, not many have gone before!

Motocamping isn't much to explain about, let the pictures do their own talking! Cos at the end of it, the smiles on our face are priceless!

Motocamping is a lot like yoga. It clears your mind from all the fogginess of everyday life, and not to mention the smog hanging over metros. We are so used to paved roads and tarmac, that little do we think about exploring. We are entrapped in our own devices! What is freedom, when all we do is limit ourselves by drawing lines, be it on roads or in life? There is a path less taken, how about a path never taken? Do we evolve or break when pushed to a corner?

They said a Harley would never make it on sand. We said, really?

Camping in the mountains is so refreshing that it could revive Egyptian mummies and restore them to their youth! The air is so clean and fresh! Why shouldn't it be? It's almost the same air as angels breathe! And what better way to do it with our own trusty steed by our sides!

The place where we ride with clouds!

In the old days, in the west, cowboys embark on long journeys seeking gold and riches, or maybe a beautiful woman. That essential drive still lives in us, difference being, they used a single horse, and we use multiple horses (all tied up within the engine! seriously!). They looked for gold, we look for peaceful, green mountains and are rewarded with experiences that we could call our own!

Companionship and brotherhood is everything to us.

And all along the way, through this sojourn to discover ourselves, we often meet a lot of inhabitants of these wonderful places!

And as we ride into the sunset, we bid adieu to another day, only waiting for the sun tomorrow!

And at the end of it, if your motorcycle doesn't look like this, you my friend have not had any fun!

Motorcycles are probably the best invention by man, (at least according to us!) however, they are risky and will kill you unless ridden sanely and safely. So please wear your riding gear and do not attempt any racing or stunts on public roads. All the gear, all the time! Hariathoo!!!