Motorcycling 102: The art of riding (and staying alive!)

Motorcycling 102: The art of riding (and staying alive!)

So now that we've got the motorcycle and the riding gears going, let's talk about riding etiquette. This section will cover all scenarios of solo riding in the city or on highways and on desolate valleys and plains.

First rule: Everything out there is trying to kill you. It is never wrong to be too paranoid, and assume Murphy's law applicable in all situations! Even when you get down and prop the bike on the stand! The key to successful motorcycling is to be aware of your environment and never underestimate any factor.

Now, as your'e on your motorcycle, riding in the city, you have certain limitations. You cannot go over a certain speed. You have to be considerate to your fellow motorists, no matter how stupid they may seem. Face it, we're all the same species. Be aware of your surroundings and the traffic around you. We live in a world of mirrors, anything can be used as a mirror! A puddle of water, the windows of the car in front of you, and most importantly your rear view mirrors!

This is a rear view mirror!

It is going to get frustrating most times, to check your rear view mirror before overtaking a vehicle or when taking a turn. But stick to it! What if a pedal happy bus or a trucker is right behind you and is in the process of overtaking you, you step right onto his path! Smoosh! Road kill! So never underestimate your rear view mirrors. I know they don't look that cool, and the bike looks cooler without them! But you need it to live tomorrow. 

Second, use your turn indicators to signal other motorists on your intent to turn left or right. Please do not switch on your hazard light (if you have one on your bike) and continue right at the middle of the road. Whenever i see that, i feel sad. Sad for their teachers in school. Sad for the chap who approved their license. Sad for the blokes who look at the guy and follow the same! Don't deny it! I know you've done it before!

See those little orange lights at the sides? These are them indicators!

Please do not switch over your indicators to smaller cool looking ones! They are meant to be as conspicuous as possible. Because motorists do not have the time to look for your tiny microscopic turn indicators!

Third, always use your headlights/daytime running lights at all times the vehicle is in operation. This helps inattentive motorists to acknowledge your presence. During night time, lower your beam and give them a pass signal to overtake. And for the love of God! If your'e using the high beam, and you see a motorist on the opposite side, please switch to low beam. Do not blind the guy coming opposite to you! He might just crash into you! Sometimes i just wanna !@#$%(*&^... Well that's for another day...

Coming back to the subject, it is good for a biker to be as conspicuous as possible! High viz riding gear helps in the nights! 

This is a high viz helmet. I own one of this! (I lied, i own three of these!)

Now , once you're clear with what to do with the vehicle's indicators, lights and mirrors, lets talk about riding styles! Hmmm... Interesting! There are basically two styles of riding, they are as follows;

AGGRESSIVE RIDING: 

This method cares the least for other motorists on the road, and has the emotional intelligence of an emo teenager in the middle of sunday school! It is as aggressive as it gets! You do not follow lanes, and just piss off everybody on the road. These kind of motorists are labelled as "Sleeper Cells" from now on. (Sleeper Cells: Inactive KGB spies triggered by a combination of keywords to make them kill)

This here is an image of a Sleeper Cell (No they don't all look the same. Don't be a racist now!)

However, there is a method to aggressive riding as well. I will explain it to you, and i know that you will do it no matter how much i forbid you to. Aggressive riding keeps the rider on edge. You reach a level of complete awareness that you observe the traffic around you, monitor their movements and slip into gaps fast! Mostly with the throttle wide open. The key here is speed, speed taken to get in and out of that sliver of a gap. In your tryst with aggressive riding, you will often leave a path of disturbed motorists, hurling curses at you. be prepared to get your butt kicked if they catch you. 

I urge you to wear all your riding gears when riding aggressively. So we can beat the crap of whatever is left behind when you crash!

So now that we have aggressive riding out of the way, let's move on to the next type;

DEFENSIVE RIDING:

Now this here method is the best, you are not the fastest moving thing on the road, you follow lane discipline, you respect and smile to your fellow motorists, maybe even give a few flowers to motorists of the fairer sex, ahem... 

Ooh La La :P

Ok, i'm getting sidetracked here! back to topic! Yeah, defensive riding is the best hassle free tension free kind of riding you could do. You use your turn indicators, use your mirrors, never overtake without signaling first and are aware of all your surroundings. You do not jump traffic signals, you stand way behind stop lines, in other words, you'd rather be late than be called the Late Mr./Ms. 

Defensive riding techniques work well on highways as well. Highways are the place where cars, trucks and other multi wheel cages let loose. you're gonna be competing with a 2600cc diesel monster on a puny 250cc  petrol engine. Don't! Instead, accept the fact that these docile cages in cities can mostly eat up a lot of tarmac on the highways and not break a sweat doing it. Once you accept it, the better.

While riding in desolate valleys or plains, be aware of any movements in the surroundings. There might be a wild animal trying to cross the road and might jump right in your path! Or a landslide might happen! The key to survive is to be aware! Do not think of your past or reminisce of happy times, or worry about your future. You need all your concentration on the path ahead and behind. Motorcycling is a form of yoga, where the rider has no past, no future but finds a gift in the present in the form of two wheels, a chassis and an engine. Enjoy it!

This brings us to the end of motorcycle etiquette(solo), and i leave you to be the better judge of yourself to decide which technique to follow, and instruments to use. Stay tuned for the next blog about Group riding techniques! Hariathoo till then my friends!!!

Motorcycling 101: A fool's hard earned knowledge

Motorcycling 101: A fool's hard earned knowledge

Understand this; The moment you throw your legs over a motorcycle, you are risking your life! There is no looking over this fact, nor is there any loophole to escape. But there are methods to make motorcycling safer.

In this blogpost, we're going to discuss about "safety" in motorcycling. We can categorize motorcycling into our daily lives in various segments; be it commuting, touring, stunting, a hobby or just plain old transportation! It is a high risk activity, thanks to ones own stupidity or the others around. Face it, we're humans, and humans are stupid. You don't see wilder-beast trampling each other in a stampede do you? It's just us. Now to get you started I presume you already have a motorcycle, or are planning to get one. Good!

Riding Gear:

HELMET. A helmet does save your life. I can vouch for that after many crashes riding like a maniac or as sanely as possible. Get a helmet! Period! There are different types of helmets out there in the market. Now i understand that we're all fussy and the whole reason we travel in a car is to either have the air conditioning on or the heater. Face it buddy, you are going to sweat like a pig in your helmet. Your going to be the sweatiest pig on the road. Okay, now you see those half face helmets, with open sections at your jaw. Hmmm, they do provide much better air flow, and prevent sweating. Maybe i should buy that? NO! What if you fall on your face? We aren't cats. No, we do not land on our feet! Get a full faced one, preferably with a DOT or ECE certification.

Helmets are cooler in reality !

What is a DOT or ECE certification you say? DOT stands for the Department of Transport. It is an American standard pertaining to anything about motor vehicles and anything pertaining to it. and ECE is the European counterpart. Now these two standards have certain tests on helmets. These are not only limited to crash tests or drop tests, but many more. When you buy a DOT or ECE certified helmet, you are basically paying for a solid product. It is expensive than the average helmet, yes.

There are different sizes in helmets just as there are different sizes in shoes. No they are not all one size. Choose the one that fits you the best. The helmet, when worn must not shake when you rapidly move your head from left to right, and make sure the chin strap is always on. The correct size helmet gives you a snug fit and doesn't choke the life out of you.

For the newbie who's looking to get into track riding or touring, there are other factors to take into consideration. When you're on the track, things get hot really fast, and you shall sweat enough to fill a small lake. There is also the point of visibility. Track riders don't get mirrors, so you need to have as much peripheral visibility as you can. You need a helmet that has many vents and supports good peripheral vision. And one that is on the higher charts of DOT or ECE, because face it buddy, on the track, your probability of crashing is much higher. Meaning, you're going to have to shell out more money.

For the newbie who sees motorcycling as not just a means of transportation, but to see extraordinary places and to get on meaningless long road trips, you're looking at a touring type helmet. These helmets provide the same snug fit as track based helmets, but have lesser ventilation. This is because, when you're on the road, riding for thousands of miles, the wind is going to sap your energy by screaming against your helmet. You need a helmet that is silent, but does not cut out other essential sounds like a horn, or your engine/exhaust sounds.

For the stunter/off-roader/moto-x, you need a helmet just as snugly fitting, but offers better air flow. These type of helmets will mostly not have a visor and will need an additional pair of goggles to be worn. Yes you need to buy goggles as well, if you don't want half the earth thrown in your eyes.

JACKET: Jackets are confusing. Why a jacket? It's so expensive! And makes me sweat all over! And is such a pain to carry around when not in use! Buddy, i can tell you, that it beats the hell out of lying in the hospital for a week! And turns out cheaper too!

Dress for the crash!

There are different jackets out there in the market. Those leather ones you see, are most common. They are worn by bulleteers and Harley gangs, offer no armor, no abrasion resistant material whatsoever, and are as comfy as wearing a blazer on. DO NOT buy that type of jacket! Proper motorcycling jackets have CE rated armor in the elbows, shoulders, back and other high impact areas like the chest. Some even offer lumbar support. They are made out of Cordura or Mesh depending upon the model. Cordura is a material that gives high abrasion resistance, meaning it will not tear up as fast as regular clothes do in a crash. The armor in these jackets ensure that those high impact areas get as little force generated as possible. Some varieties of jackets have armor on the outside. Mostly the high end ones, with carbon fiber fitments. This external armor helps in sliding the rider so, the impact is significantly reduced by around 80%. 

For tourers, a jacket is most essential for the following reasons;

1. Safety! If you fall in the middle of a road trip in some unnamed place, there isn't going to be any medical facility near you. God forbid it happens when you ride solo!
2. Projectile protection! When you ride, other vehicles in front tend to pick up pebbles and other objects on the road with their tyres and pelt it on the vehicle/rider behind. A pebble at 70 miles an hour isn't a joke. It hurts like hell! Similarly when you ride in the wee hours, you will encounter a lot of bugs. These bugs have a nasty tendency to become suicide bombers and slam themselves on you. Painful as well!
3. Perspiration. On tours, it is essential to keep oneself properly hydrated. Our skin constantly sweats, and when riding a motorcycle, the wind instantly vaporises the sweat before it can cool down the skin. In that case, you are going to get dehydrated sooner. 
4. Rain/Weatherproof jackets really help a lot when riding in rain or snow conditions. Most come with an internal thermal liner as well.
5. In cities, it is just plain sensible to wear a mesh jacket with increased air flow, because there are a lot of idiots around who might slam into you.
6. Cool/Hip/Chic factor. Trust me, riding jackets are really cool to look at! Find one matching your helmet, and you'd be your own special power ranger!

GLOVES: The first thing you're going to do when you fall is stretch your arms out and try and break the fall. I've tried it multiple times (i practice falling on my mattress because i'm too soft to fall on asphalt), and everytime, those hands stretch out, it's natural reflex! Riding gloves are made of toughened leather, and are highly abrasion resistant. Most gloves come with armor as well, to reduce impact. There are different versions of gloves. Find one that suits you best. There's full gauntlet ones, where the glove reaches till your forearm, semi gauntlets which reach till the top of your wrist, street gloves that end at your wrist and all weather gloves that are basically used for rain/snow conditions.

This here is a riding glove from the Spartan stable!

RIDING PANTS: Just like motorcycle jackets, riding pants are made of cordura or mesh. They provide abrasion resistance and impact reduction, have armor at hips, knees and some even at the derriere. Alright! stop! I bought the jacket and the helmet and the gloves and now pants? Seriously? Yep! Riding pants work wonders when you ride on a track or a tour. Our bums are the softest part in contact with the motorcycle, and they tire out easily. Riding pants help reduce that tiredness, reduce slipping to and fro to the tank. Riding pants also have heat resistance, meaning, if you ride a big bore bike that generates a lot of heat, you do not have to fear kissing your family jewels goodbye. Riding pants prevent the engine heat from seeping in. Future generations saved! Yaay!

This is a Riding Pant! (notice the bike? It operates at 100 degree Celsius. Family jewels remain unsinged!)

RIDING BOOTS: Alright, we worked our way to the pants before, hold on just a little bit further will ya! To talk about riding boots, first off, they are expensive! Secondly, they seem unjustified! I know normal boots have hard leather as well, trust me I've used it before! In the case of a fall, our feet are the most awkward parts of the body that have no resistance to any torsional force applied to them! Riding boots have strengthened construction around the ankle zone, so your ankles don't turn or move at all. They also come with toe sliders, made out of aluminium or some sort of metal to assist in sliding. Overall, Riding boots save your feet when you fall! There are different types of Riding boots again. There are ones used on tracks (probably the coolest looking ones), ones used for motocross/off-roading and ones used for touring and regular commuting. Choose the one that suits your riding habits the best!

Motorcycle riding boots save you from abrasion directly from the road, give better grip too.

This lady here, is one of our riders, she's got the right idea to gear up!

Now that we've gotten "saving you when you fall" out of the way, in the next section, we'll talk about riding techniques! Stay tuned for Motorcycling 102! Hariathoo till then!!!

Ride hard, Live free.

Hariathoo Motocampers

We are a bunch of average everyday people, working the 9 - 5 rat race. But on weekends, we don our jackets and helmets, get on our motorcycles and ride off into the sunset, for atleast a couple of hours.

Why do we do it you ask? What is this life for? Do you know why you're here? Nope? neither do we! But we're gonna make sure we see the place we're in, as much as we can before the bell tolls!

Armed with an insatiable thirst to travel and a vessel filled with endurance, we step out into the world, to connect back to nature. We promote safe riding, ensure we don't leave a large carbon footprint, promote the life of motocamping and aid people in remote places in need of medical care.