Leh - if wishes were motorcycles..

Hi there,

If wishes were motorcycles, I would be riding one right now around some of the most beautiful and exotic routes of Europe or cruising through the American state highways or crossing our country border to catch up with our friendly neighbors like Nepal and Bhutan, or riding up north to one of the highest motorable roads on this planet. Well, maybe they(wishes) are (motorcycles), provided we strongly believe in them and we are ready to put in our best and not look back. I am trying to do exactly that and the one wish I am after at this moment is not only to experience the route via Khardung-La but to enter the beautiful valley of Kashmir on a motorcycle. Well, it's not the first time, that motorcycle has been a positively dominating factor in my plans of traveling. There was a time when I skipped every single opportunity to visit Goa, especially when it was just not acceptable for an earning youngster like me, who loved beaches, to say no to a place like Goa. But then there was this wish of mine to enter Goa on a bike for the first time. It took me time and quite a bit of effort to make than happen back in 2009. Since then the next item on the list has been Leh. However may be the desire to make it happen wasn't as strong as my reasons (of why I can't do that), that I could never pull it off. The closest I could ever get was in 2013 when I took some steps to en-quire and plan a bit about it. Then before I know it, the whole dream faded into the oblivion of "job switch, leave approvals, and not being able to put together a team of inspiring/inspired individuals", just not to be brought back to life again. As an individual am quite determined and it was a failure on my part, not being able to keep a promise I made to myself. This realization kicked me hard the day I went ahead and informed my manager that I won't be taking the days off in August. This was sort of an official closure of the possibility of the ride. I felt bad and I knew this ain't it. The possibility of the 2014 ride actually started that very moment. Sometimes one needs a hard kick on the butt to get started. I wish there were better (read milder) alternatives, but am afraid, probably there aren't any:)

I did a couple of rides last year, which kept me warm up to the thought of this big ride. The ride to Leh wasn't only about riding through the exotic locations, it was about capturing the experience in the form of a documentary on camera. My bull is a gift from my dad and I would love to share our trip experiences with him and mom. Why should the thrill and excitement be only with us privileged ones (yes I feel so!) who ride. We earn it anyway, but the joy doubles in sharing and inspiring others. This not only inspires people to ride but on a broader perspective, it inspires everyone (even me!) to dream big and to make it happen. Really.

"life is too short to play small".

It took me ages, of a certain way of being, and a lot of friction with my mediocre surroundings to develop a strong belief in my dreams. All I can say to you all who have big dreams is to start now. Regret of a life half lived is more painful than death any day. So you have a choice now to start living the life of your dreams, where even occasional failure is much more satisfying.

Well.. there I got a bit philosophical (an inseparable part of me anyway!). Now let's delve into one of the most interesting bits of the ride, yes it's 'the planning' :) I am not opting for any guided tours, it's not for me I feel. I love to try things on my own and setbacks (if any) are just learning experiences that I use to get to the next level. And after all, how could I miss out on all the butterflies in the stomach I enjoy when I put together a plan for a ride and be the first one to visualize the whole experience well before it happens. Then of course the responsibility is to pass on the joy to fellow riders. Nah I don't see it's going to change anytime soon. So here I am in the planning stage of this ride.

This time there is this one friend who is as excited and determined as me, Sriki. There was a time we were neighbors and my bullet was the only common topic we used to discuss when we crossed each other in the parking area of the building. Then he had to use a bull as his daily ride and since then we have done quite a bit of trip together. Being a person who is interested in getting into defense services, one can expect a lot of maturity and determination from Sriki, and he is no exception in this regard. That makes me get along with him quite well, as I can be straight (and at times brutally so) with him and he sees the point being made than my way of expression. All these qualities and his passion for riding made him an obvious choice for such a ride.

Currently, bullets (especially older CI bulls) rule my fancy. So the riders are in touch with ride RE bikes. But honestly speaking there are now more bullet owners in my vicinity than any other bike owners, but the irony is, still it is rare enough to come across true riders/travelers who are larger than the brand of their bikes. It's actually not RE (the company) that inspired the motorcycling fraternity in India, it's those people who chose to use an RE motorcycle for their travel and adventures, are the ones who inspired the next generation of riders (myself included). Hats off to them, and we feel proud as we carry the baton.

Now considering Sriki and myself, it's just two of us. One of my original choices was my best bud Abhi, who got married last year and I don't think it's a good idea to put him through learning a motorcycle (yes he doesn't ride daily until last year) and riding to Leh at this point. Initially, I was only looking forward to a crew size of 3-4 so that I can manage the group and do the necessary shooting for the documentary. But slowly few good friends wished to join in and now we stand at a group size of 6 and I don't wish for it to grow beyond this (though there is still a pending request from another candidate who is a colleague of one of our riders).

I have the experience of blogging (and not completing it!? Goa trip:P ) for a few of my earlier rides. Taking those into consideration today I thought let me just get down into writing about the experience of conceptualizing, planning, and causing this ride. For me to go through sometime down the line as well as fellow bikers to plan theirs. Hence this post. Going forward I will (try and) write posts more frequently, sharing as we prepare ourselves in terms of bikes, equipment, accessories, and any other preparations. Also may use certain hashtags/labels to categorize them for easy reference.

On my bike, there is quite a bit of thing to be done. Currently am planning my budget for the most important/necessary fixes/mods. As I have other financial commitments, it's going to take a lot for me to save for this ride. But nobody ever said it was going to be easy, all I know is it's going to be awesome!!

Until my next post, keep riding and stay safe.

Cheers!!

Sid

Motorcycle In The Parking Lot

Hi,

It's been more than a month since I switched to a car as my daily ride to work and the bike is resting in the building parking lot with a full tank of fuel and a dust cover. That's kinda ironic as it's in good shape to ride (except for the crankshaft bit which as per my mech, might require a replacement down the line), yet am not taking it out that much. Just to make up for the lost time together, I was playing around with the idea of doing the crankshaft replacement myself. I know it's no easy job and will take days (maybe a few weeks considering my limited availability at home and lack of experience at this level of task). Then again if it was easy for me, I wouldn't have shown interest to try it out in the first place:)

All said and done, am at work at the moment and after a busy (read 10-12 hours a day) work week, I am finally getting to relax a bit today and think about other things. So just to let my thoughts flow, I started writing this post. And so far with some soothing tracks from 'Cafe La Guitarra Vol 1' (thanks to my colleague/buddy Phalgun for the amazing tracks) playing over my HTC One through Bose headsets are doing a fabulous job at relaxing me. Yeah I know I might have sounded like bragging about the brands here, well. it's far from the actual intentions. All it meant was to highlight the clarity/quality of audio these two are pumping out for me at this very moment as I sit here peacefully and type these words, and I couldn't stop but appreciate and acknowledge them. After all, what is the point of having such equipment and not enjoying them:)

Now coming back to the motorcycle part, I am thinking to take my bull out for a spin on some open stretch of road and am currently in the process to extend the opportunity to a few of my other rider friends. I enjoy riding solo and alone but that would be selfish of me now, isn't it;) So let's hope to see a few more bulls tomorrow morning. Meanwhile when doing a picture search of motorcycles for this post I came across an interesting article on 'How To Ride More', the contents of which I am sharing below, hope you find it a good read as I did:)

1. Commute. Keep a weather radio in your bathroom. Install an indoor/outdoor thermometer in the bedroom. Leave a cover or lock at your job’s parking place. Carry a garage door opener or parking ramp card that’s usable without dismounting. Arrange security in advance and be willing to pay for it. Once a week take a longer than necessary route to work.

2. Arrange your gear by the door or garage. Separate out your trip and camping stuff. Have your gloves and boots set up for selection, depending on the day's destination and weather conditions?

3. Get a smaller size motorcycle. Modern small bikes can do what old big ones did, and are easier cheaper, and more fun to ride. Just like cars.

4. Ride in the rain. Go on purpose when nobody else is outdoors. Ride around for a look. If you get wet you won’t drown.

5. Ride at night. If you don’t have to get up for work the next morning there is nothing like enjoying a two am stop at a lonely all-night coffee shop, after a hundred miles of scary back roads. Full moons are best. Watch for deer and small animals.

6. Always have a way to haul stuff. Wear a Courier bag or backpack. Carry a bungee net, bungee buddy, an empty tank bag, or some bungee cords. As a last resort, leave saddlebags on all the time.

7. Get a ‘beater’ motorcycle. Or make your bike into one. True beaters can be interesting and fun to ride and don’t attract vandals or thieves. TT500s, Ascot’s, Sabres, Interceptors, Titans, GS, /5’s, etc... Like blue jeans, most cycles are better when they show some wear. (Too much bike polishing leads to idolatry. Moses shatters the original 10 commandments...)

8. Have two or three different helmets at the ready. An expensive full-coverage one for serious rides and an easy-to-use open or hinged chin bar type for everyday urban riding or use on super-hot days. Having several types of gloves, boots, jackets, etc...for different situations is also good.

9. Plan rides. One Sunday a month do an all-day local ride or an overnight. Invent some game of it. In cities, try riding only alleys or only to overlooks, or only across all the bridges. What is the longest continuous street in your city? Have you ever ridden it end to end? Put a marked map or list on the tank bag or in your pocket, and carry a compass. Out on the road, go to the smallest roads, to the small places.

10. Ride very early in the morning. Dawn rides can be the best hour of your day. No traffic, clean air, and good sights and sensations. A shower and breakfast after a sunrise ride are wonderful. This is best done when the days are the longest in June and July. It does not apply if your bike has open pipes, especially if you ride an H2 with chambers. Then, stay in bed.

10. Philosophy bonus A: Ignore what everyone else thinks. Riding is a better way to get around. Ride paranoid and keep your skills sharp

10. Philosophy bonus B: Ride with somebody better than you. You will pick up a handy trick or new skill just about every time you are out.

[Courtesy: http://www.aerostich.com/media/readings/2001Catalog/topten.html]

The cover raised a bit, just to check if the bike is still there :P Just like its master, it doesn't like to sit idle you know:)

See you in the morning ride tomorrow.

Update: 13/12/2014 : I did a long trip to Leh in August this year and before which during the thorough check-up of the bike, got to know the crank-shaft is perfectly fine and there is no need of touching it as of now. So ever since this post, the bike has covered thousands of miles (no seriously!), and starting this week I started taking it to work again :) Yay!! I am enjoying every bit of it and planning to make it a regular habit to keep switching between the bike and the car. Wish me luck:)

Ride Safe n Ride Long !!

Sid

Happiness as I know it :)

" In the spur of the moment, I feel perfect being on the saddle, rolling the throttle a wee bit more, leaning onto the corners, feeling the butterflies in the stomach, sipping in the beautiful sight and sound of nature and from the deepest part of my heart thanking God, for having lived this moment. Being grateful for being blessed with good health, wealth (to be able to afford to do what I do), and most importantly, consciousness to acknowledge and appreciate this experience. What more could I ask for?!!...nothing really. I do feel pity for people who go through the same experiences and yet, later it is recalled as a mere commotion when they end up comparing their journey with someone else's,... maybe with someone on a more expensive motorcycle, or with someone who rolls more luxuriously or someone who had better company or someone who rolls in a larger group, etc. Basically, such people miss the point of life itself. It is not defined in a book (well, I wish it were) what will actually make you happy and content, so you must know this....something that made you smile like a kid is possibly what makes you happy. That is it! It could be something simple like rolling your old bicycle down a known lane with an old friend, or it could be cruising in a drop-top on the highway, or, like (in my case,) being on the saddle and a long road ahead with no sense of time. The rest is immaterial. Yet we (of course, even I) sometimes fall for the unimportant variables of the happiness formula,...which brand, how much power, which route, etc, and decide to let go of the whole experience altogether. Was it really worth those bits?! Well...I don't think so. So why not give this thought a chance: "just be happy with what you have, go as far as you can currently afford to go and with whoever is with you"! Trust me...you will be a happy biker, I promise you that. How do I know this, cause I live with this philosophy:) "

Keep Rolling and Don't forget to smile n wave when our paths cross,

Sid