Appreciating Things that Might Seem Small

There is a very significant reason why any motorcyclist must understand and learn basic maintenance. Often this is bought into the conversation by a frequent traveler when they ask you how are you going to fix a puncture if you get caught on the roads with no one to assist you.

Why fix, when you can hire a fix? Knowing?

Obviously there are major advantages to knowing how to fix your own motorcycle especially when you are traveling. But our focus for the day is the small things that we often do not talk about. And often the things that we do not talk about are what end up being the more important thing.

Happy fixing!

In the language of Tamil, there are two words that always go hand in hand. Vegam and Vivegam. It translates to speed and cleverness. However, it in depth are two sides to the same coin. It is said that Vegam; speed or action without knowledge is fruitless. And so is Vivegam; knowledge and cleverness without any action.

Therefore both must go hand in hand for anything to be of any use at all. Simple understanding of how a bolt is tightened is knowledge required to tighten it. And unless you actually tighten a bolt, just the knowing doesn't tighten it. 

The knowledge of knowing to fix a motorcycle simply broadens the horizon of our understanding how a motorcycle works. This is an extremely important pillar of being able to tackle what the motorcycle goes through.

Like in all relationships, riding a motorcycle is an understanding which is a two way street. When you start the motorcycle, you ask it to start and it starts. While riding, you ask it to turn turn and it responds by turning. The language of the communication is in the form of minute physical inputs and body weight transfers while it returns back with resistances to our input, mechanical vibration and sound. Or simply, feedback.

Listing out Some Advantages in Knowing....

Numero Uno.

You can tell how your motorcycle reacts to each input and inherently and instinctively know when the motorcycle misbehaves. This is vital and can save lives. Does the brake feel spongy all of a sudden? It could be loss of hydraulic pressure in your break fluids. Does bars jerk upon acceleration or braking? It could be a loose bearing in the T stem, where the chassis connects to front wheel assembly. 

Numero Due

Did the mechanic ask you change your blinker fluid? Yup, you have to. But it is the mechanic you have to change. 

In this day and age where the world is exploit or be exploited, you have to be weary of what any mechanic says. You might know and be working with a trusty mechanic for years. You might trust him as a brother. But the truth is, you never know his financial status and never can truly understand all of his motivations. It takes years of camaraderie to know someone truly and it always pays to be able to second guess when needed.

Numero Tre

Remember the lady at your house? The home maker. Women in general have always been under appreciated, and that is a topic for another day. But stepping into the kitchen and cooking a simple meal for two will expand your mind on the difficulties that come with cooking. The preparation, process and the cleaning up that comes with the process of cooking. 

The same way, being able to work on your motorcycle will help you understand the various tasks that goes in a simple changing of chain on a motorcycle. Based on your make and model, there are various differences to how it might work. 

But as like all relationships, the more time and effort you put in, the better your relationship matures. The better you will be able to appreciate the hardships of your mechanic, and know if the cost incurred in doing an activity is justified or not.

Numero Quattro, L'Ultimo

The entire evolution of humans arises from the cycle of knowing and doing. The ability to question, hypothesis, experiment, learn and re-implement the same in a new cycle of understanding. This cycle that is deeply embedded in us throughout the evolution. Every single progress that we make in this cycle, no matter large or small, makes us feel euphoric. 

A simple act of building a sand castle feels satisfying because we complete an activity. The process of completion triggers an opposite emotional response to the process of failure. And this is often overlooked upon. Inability to complete an activity affects our emotions negatively, and the process of completing a simple task as well affects us positively, immensely. 

That is why, checking off items on to-do list is a very powerful feeling. And that is why doing any work on the motorcycle yourself feels rewarding, intrinsically.

TLDR?

Performing simple activities on the motorcycle increases your understanding in multiple aspects about the motorcycle and at the same time brings a self of internal satisfaction that is often missed upon by us, especially white collared employees. 

The appreciation of how various parts work together in a motorcycle and how modern technology has made it all possible will only add pleasure to your own lives. Like all fine relationships, it only gets better with more time together. You just have to endure the time. 

The returns might seem minuscule at first, but the benefits compound over time and before you know it, your wife would end up being jealous of your relationship with your motorcycle. So I implore you to start working on your motorcycle, appreciate the way each components work and give yourself a pat on the back because you deserve it for taking care of your relationship.