One Heart - Two Wheels

I ndian roads, be it state, national highways, city roads or country roads, are all considered to be dangerous.   G iven this state of condition and the location of where I live and work (on highways), I have to take extreme caution and situational awareness in surviving the roads in daily commute. And adding several long distance motorcycle rides every few months, I am literally battling the odds in a number game to avoid accidents and have survived so far without any major accidents **touch-wood**. So with that level of authority, I can say that I am qualified to point a few methods and techniques that can be used to avoiding accidents on Indian Roads. >>The Definition of the Word Accident:   "an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury." The word implies that it can happen to anyone, can't be predicted. Means, it could happen riding a motorcycle or driving a car, or even when you are sleeping wher...

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...

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 ...