One Heart - Two Wheels

I fondly remember the first time I saw a motorcycle, the first time the memory of a machine on two wheels got etched into my mind. It was a moped and I was 2 years old, ergo, it seemed like a big machine that is capable of pulling an entire family. Utterly ignorant of its complexity, what stuck in my mind was that it was a useful addition. Fast-forwarding by several years, I remember being dropped at the school by my uncle or being taken out for ice cream. We as a family, never had a motorized vehicle as dad doesn't drive or ride so motorcycling became missing for the majority of my life. However, around high school, dad gifted me my first bicycle and with that, the range of my 'territory' increased! I remember the first time I crossed the Adyar bridge and went to Mylapore to have coffee without telling my parents. A mere distance of 5 kilometres which was previously unreachable became reachable with just a bit of courage and planning. Did your crush live a few kilometres a...

M y dear readers might be wondering why I am comparing two different pieces of technologies. Read on to understand the similarities and why bikes even use it when higher lap times could be made at times without them. There are two types of electronics/electricals that are used on the bike. 1) The components used to keep the bike running - Stator, RR, Ignition Coils, ECUs and more. 2) The components used to control the ride - ABS, Traction Control, LeanAngle Sensors and lot more electronics... Before we dive deep into why they are similar, let us understand what they are at first: ABS, short for Anti Brake-locking System is any electronic intervention in the brakes that will simply release a brake(disk) if it detects that the wheel is stationary (wheel lock) that will result in loss of control or skid. This is generally achieved by measuring wheel rotation and reverse pumping brake fluid if wheel rotation is found to be 0. More Info on Myths about ABS TC is short for Traction...

D o you know what is most painful experiences that a bike lover can have? Imagining your bike lying in the parking because it needs repair work being done. If you are a college going youngster, you would probably curse your parents for not giving you enough pocket money; which is very natural -probably I did as well, back then. But if you are employed waiting for the next paycheck. The auspicious date will come by and pass, but some new expenses will always creep up. Making the bike lie in repair state even longer! This is it. Walking Past This Everyday without Repairing it. That is the Worst Thing Ever! There are a lot of people who confuse Cost of Purchase (CoP) vs Cost of Ownership (CoO) of a Bike.  There are a lot of wise wisdom filled quotes that ask you not to bite more than what you can chew. It applies very well to the principle of CoP vs CoO . Being able to afford the bike, its initial payment, the document, and all the rest simply me...

G ood Day Viewers! What a wonderful day to start planning a trip ;) That is what we thought when we started to plan our Kolli Trip! :D After postponing twice, we decided to hit it come what may! And a complete travelogue of the trip is underway. For now, enjoy a short clip to give you an idea of what to expect ;) The ride was one of the most interesting ride, as there were 10 riders in total who converged from three different cities! The first hurdle was coordination as we have a special rider who is known to getting lost :P And when I mean getting lost, I mean taking a wrong turn in the very first turn in the route planned :D! It was an epic moment coordinating with everyone, but all my mates are folks who I have ridden with before and therefore it was as expected. The unexpected was that Kolli is a land of Hairpin Bends, and it lives upto its name!  72 in total, I believe and we soon last count of it how many we rode through. These wer...

There is a lot of misunderstandings of what ABS is and what it does and more importantly, what it doesn't do. Let us discuss it with a listing of what I think are 3 facts and myths surrounding ABS and why it could save your life someday . ABS is Anti Brake-Locking System As the name implies, it prevents brake locks - the heart-stopping panicking moments of wheel locking up if we apply brake too suddenly. Brakes? Kinda are more important than the engine themselves. This can cause awesome skids which could be attractive if you are a stunt rider and are stunnting. Whereas, if you are trying to stop because you are riding head-on onto oncoming traffic; I have no clue why you would be; but that wouldn't spell good for you, so stopping the biking when you want it to stop is critical for riding. ABS is any system that prevents the wheel lock, by releasing the pressure on the brake disc, if it senses a wheel lock. This is done using motion sensors, which in turn...

I am a proud owner of a KTM D390 since 2016 December and have been extensively riding it for long distance touring. Recently completed a 3300kms round trip from Chennai-Goa   Pic: @alamparai fort backwaters With that as a credential, I write this article stating why some myths are just plain stupid. Stay tuned for future posts on a detailed comparison between various bikes in its class, and also across classes. To describe the D390; it is a middle-weight, sub-500cc class, nimble and a costly girlfriend who can ensure that you have a great time as long as you know to control yourself ;)! without further ado, lets jump into the myths! Myth 1: Duke/RC is Light Weight WTF is this assumption? Where does this come from? I suppose our folks would have heard some genius European/US moto-vlogger mention this. The thing is, those guys are used to superbikes which usually weigh a ton, compared to which D390 is light weight. But by Indian standards, D390 is a heav...