Saturday 30 April 2016

Day Three of the Royal Enfield Tour of Nepal 2016


A quick briefing right before leaving Pokhra for the day's 130 km ride to Kalopani.


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Day Two on the Royal Enfield Tour of Nepal 2016


The 180 km ride from Bhairahawa to Pokhra was in the shadow of the Annapurna mountain range with tantalising glimpses of two-summit Machhapuchchhre, the Fish-tail mountain. 

This was a relatively easy ride to the laid-back town of Pokhra, the centrepiece of which is the beautiful Phewa Lake reflecting the immense mountain ranges in the distance. 

The next leg from Pokhra to Kalopani is tougher with some good off-road patches. Wish them luck and stay tuned for more updates.


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Day One of the Royal Enfield Tour of Nepal 2016


Day One of the Royal Enfield Tour of Nepal 2016 saw the participants ride 327 km from Lucknow to Sunauli where they would cross the border into Nepal.

 An exhaustive day of riding in the sweltering heat got better in Nepal as the temperatures began to reduce and the traffic became a lot more easier to navigate. 

After a well-deserved night halt in Bhairahawa, Nepal, they head to picturesque town of Pokhra under the sentient Annapurna mountain range next.

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Friday 29 April 2016

Royal Enfield ESCAPADE Bengaluru 2016

REGISTer here


http://royalenfield.com/escapade/bangalore/register/

REGISTRATION FEE


Couple Accommodation – Rs. 5900/- per couple:
  • The cost will allow you to participate in the activities taking place throughout the event.
  • Tented accommodation on sharing basis.
  • Food – Dinner (11th June), Breakfast and Lunch (12th June)
  • All meals will be a standard buffet. Any other F&B or other services and sundry items that riders order, will be directly chargeable to the rider.
  • A limited-edition Royal Enfield Escapade T-shirt.
  • Royal Enfield Escapade decals.
Tented Accommodation – Rs. 2950/- per person:
  • The cost will enable you to participate in the activities taking place across the event.
  • Tented accommodation on sharing basis.
  • Food – Dinner (11th June), Breakfast and Lunch (12th June).
  • All meals will be a standard buffet. Any other F&B or other services and sundry items that riders order, will be directly chargeable to the rider.
  • A limited-edition Royal Enfield Escapade T-shirt.
  • Royal Enfield Escapade decals.
Bring your own tent – Rs. 2000/- per person (Limited to 50 members only):
  • The cost will allow you to participate in the activities taking place throughout the event.
  • Food – Dinner (11th June), Breakfast and Lunch (12th June)
  • All meals will be a standard buffet. Any other F&B or other services and sundry items that riders order, will be directly chargeable to the rider.
  • A limited-edition Royal Enfield Escapade T-shirt.
  • Royal Enfield Escapade decals.
For any other tips on routes, bike or rider preps, do reach out to us by writing in at escapade@royalenfield.com.
HOW CAN I PAY?
You can make your payment at www.royalenfield.com/escapade/bangalore The various options you can make your payments are mentioned below:
  • Debit Card
  • Credit Card
  • Net Banking

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Kawasaki Estrella (BJ250) to rival Royal Enfield


Kawasaki might be interested to rival Royal Enfield in India. The latter has established a strong hold in the Indian market and has been reporting month-on-month and year-on-year growth along with multiple new products being introduced. This seems to be encouraging other manufacturers to look closely at the middle-weight tourer segment.
Kawasaki has a long stroke engined motorcycle, the Estrella BJ250 which could be considered to be introduced in India. The overall design looks like a perfect fit to rival Royal Enfield. The bikes will not be manufactured here, but will be brought in via the CKD route with very high localisation content.

Pricing could be very competitive, in the range of Rs. 2 lakh. The BJ250 is powered by a 249cc, single-cylinder, 4-stroke, OHV, air-cooled, fuel injected petrol motor producing 17 HP & 18 Nm matched to a 5-speed gearbox.

Royal Enfield better watch out for this development. Also, this could be some serious trouble for the Triumph Bonneville, if priced very competitively

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Classic 350 contributes 55% to total Royal Enfield sales in FY 2016

Royal Enfield, the Chennai-based motorcycle manufacturer, has been on top gear in terms of sales this decade. The company registered nearly 50 percent growth each year and according to the sales chart, the Classic 350 model is the key product behind the surge in sales.
Royal Enfield sold 276,853 units of Classic 350 in the financial year 2015-16, which is 76 percent more than the sales in the previous fiscal, when it sold 157,531 units. It contributed 55 percent to the total sales of Royal Enfield, which stood at 508,124 units in FY 2016.
First launched in 2009, Royal Enfield sold just 50,000 units of Classic 350 in the calendar year 2010. The sale of Classic 350 has seen steady increase since then. The vehicle has current waiting period of up to six months. The Classic 350 is powered by 346cc Twinspark single cylinder engine that develops 19.8 bhp at 5,250 rpm and 28 Nm at 4,000 rpm mated to five-speed manual transmission.The motorcycle has been priced at around Rs.1.37 lakh, ex-showroom, New Delhi.
In 2015, Royal Enfield sold over 4.5 lakh motorcycles across the globe. It also announced its plan to produce up to nine lakh motorcycles by the end of 2018 at two of its existing manufacturing facilities and a third upcoming facility near Chennai. Royal Enfield has been expanding its global footprints across the U.K., Europe, Latin America, Middle-East, and now in South East Asia with a target to become a global leader in mid-sized motorcycle segment.

Royal Enfield 331 is next launch...

Royal Enfield’s Himalayan has just been launched and now the brand is working towards a new-generation bike for global markets. The new bike ( internally codenamed as 331) is being developed on an all new platform. The new 331 is being designed in the company’s new satellite centre in the UK. Royal Enfield’s Himalayan was the last bike to be designed in India.
The new platform that is developed is light in weight and lot more flexible too. The new bike will be launched in European and North American markets and then will be introduced in India. The Royal Enfield’s new cruiser will have a 650cc (likely to be called as 650LS) engine that will be a twin-cylinder mill. This engine will be producing about 50bhp and it will come mated to a six-speed transmission. This engine will have fuel injection system. Royal Enfield is looking at exporting the Himalayan with a 410cc fuel injection engine and this will come with a six-speed transmission too.
The Chennai-based bike maker from now on will be building bikes for global consumption. Their current bikes do not have the power to cruise comfortably on a North American motorway. Hence, the company will be building more two cylinder engine powered bikes than a single cylinder. The smallest engine that the company will offer shall be the 410cc. There won’t be a 250cc engine and the company might even come up with a 1250cc twin-cylinder engine too. Though there is still some time for the new engine to be ready.
The Royal Enfield Bullet HNP 331 was a bike that was built in the 1950s and it was a super light motorcycle.The Royal Enfield 331 is undergoing its testing. Expect the bike to launched by early 2017, at least in Europe. For India, we expect the bike to make an appearance by mid or late 2017. The pricing of the new RE 331 will be about INR 3-4 lakhs (on-road). This new bike will be competing with the likes of Harley Davidson Street 750. At least that will be the closest competition in India. India could get a carb version to further reduce the pricing.

Wednesday 27 April 2016

Akash Thosar & Rinku Rajguru from movie SAIRAT on Royal Enfield


The Sairat Team has been very busy with the promotions, yet the young faces of the film have been enjoying immensely. Many people are surprised by the way Rinku Rajguru- female lead has been seen driving the bullet bike in the promos. That is a effortless and very cool way to ride a bike.

The young pair was giving an interview for TV channel at the Dadar Chowpatty and during this interview Rinku and Akash enjoyed bike riding at the beach. The pic was taken by famous photographer Prasad Naik.

Tuesday 26 April 2016

10 must Ride Routes in India










Royal Enfield: Old or New... Which one is better?


I have owned a Royal Enfield for last 6 years, a Classic 500CC  to be precise, and quite often I get asked about which one is better, the older or the newer, post 2009 version. There are mixed opinions on this matter, for example if you asked a local mechanic or someone who owns an Enfield from 2008 or before, he would definitely tell you that the older version is better. However if you walked into a showroom or asked an Engineer, they would tell you that the newer version is far better. Let’s take a look at what are the major differences in these two builds of the oldest and still in production motorcycle of the world.
There is no second opinion on the matter that Enfield is the most powerful motorcycle available in current Indian market. It also is the most appealing and probably the only motorcycle that can now be called Indian and gets exported all over the world. The newer version consists of a Unit Construction Engine, UCE, while the older ones were a cast Iron Engine. Here’s a quick comparison if you really want to understand more about the intricacies of the different Royal engines.
First a quick look at what UCE is all about. Earlier Enfields, both the cast Iron Engines and the AVL LB Engines used to come with a pre-construction unit which actually was three parts, the engine, gearbox and clutch cases, put together and connected to each other independently. Biggest drawback of this was a heavy maintenance because you were required to change oil at all three places each time and also added was the cost of the gaskets that required replacement frequently. Another setback of this engine was loss of power in transmission as the setup was not as efficient as modern engines. This loss of power was as high as 33% between the crank shaft and the rear wheel. For example, The cast iron and AVL engines were capable of producing 18 BHP at the crank but due to loss of power in transmission, this figure would go down to 12 BHP at the rear wheel. Another result of this loss of power was lesser mileage. UCE engines on the other hand produce 19.8 BHP at the crank and the power is 16 BHP at the rear wheel, hence the loss of power during transmission is close to 20%. This figure is of course still high but okay when it comes to a Royal Enfield. While the CI and AVL engines could only deliver 30-35 kms per liter, UCE could consistently return up to 45 kmpl.
UCE engine uses Hydraulic valve lifters so what happens because of this is that pressurized oil drives the pushrods in the engine. When the oil pressure remains constant for longer periods of time, the pushrods don’t cause the valve clearances to change like they used to in the older engines resulting in consistent performance. In simple words, riding hard won’t make your valves loose as frequently as it would happen in CI and AVL engines. The hydraulic tappets in UCE would stand at least 18,000 – 20,000 kms before needing any kind of attention while the solid tappets in CI and AVL would often come lose and would require adjustment.
Another big change with the UCE is of the oil circulation. On the cast Iron engines, which actually were designed in 1950S, piston type oil pumps were used. These oil pumps circulated about 1 liter of oil per minute at 5,500 RPM which is almost half of the Bullet’s oil capacity. So at 5,500 RPM, when the engine is reviving at its very top, just 1 liter of oil was circulating to cool down the engine which can only be termed as “bad engine cooling”. This is the very reason why the older Bullets were never considered for riding hard and fast but more as a steady 60 kmph motorcycle. Anyone who owns an older Bullet would know that you cannot push this motorcycle beyond 80-90 and keep at that speed for a longer period of time. You probably would not even dare to take it beyond 100 kmph. The heavy crank engines came with a floating bush big end which could only work well as long as it was immersed in oil and there was enough flow but 1 liter of oil per minute at the top was just not enough. This speed of 50-60 kmph which today can be considered as low was decent enough in 1950s but not anymore. Then in the 90s, Enfield approached the Austrian engine design firm AVL to make amends to existing Cast Iron engine and the AVL engines were born. The biggest advantage of AVL over CI was of a better oil pump and a roller type big end bearing. These AVL engines, using a gear driven oil pump, were capable of pumping double the oil per minute than CI engine, 2.42 liters at 5,500 RPM as compared to 1 liter of CI engine, meaning better engine cooling. The roller end bearings work also better than the floating bush.
Despite these changes, AVL engines proved to be the least popular. AVL introduced an aluminum block, which while could dissipate the heat better, but was prone to valve train clatter as it muffled less sound. The thump of the Bullet was the very soul of this motorcycle and this is what the AVL engines killed. People were used to thumping on their bullets at 40-60 kmph all day and this caused the AVL engines to be less popular even though they were superior to cast Iron engines in every manner.
After AVL, Enfield introduced the UCE which is their most advanced engine so far. The UCE engine has improved valve train apart from a lot of other improvements. It is capable of pumping 9.5 liters of oil per minute. These engines have an anti-backlash system engineered into the cams, making sure that the cam backlash is kept to the bare minimum. This results in an increased cam life as well as maintaining consistent engine performance even under hard riding. People who have owned CI Bullets would know how troublesome backlash can be on Cast Iron and AVL engine bullets, which though featuring adjustable cam spindles were still troublesome if ridden at speeds of 80 kmph and above frequently. Also, the UCE engine has a piston ring designs that eliminates blow by. A lower blow by means lesser oil getting wasted or lower cranks case pressures. Two more changes are an auto decompresses assembly that sits on the UCE engine’s exhaust cam that makes starting easier and an auto primary chain tensioner which makes sure that the primary chain has just enough tension to ensure best performance and least maintenance.
This being said, the biggest drawback remains to be the thump which is almost gone with the UCE engines so if you are planning to buy an Enfield anytime soon, decide what you really want. If you really want that thump of the engine so bad, are happy with thumping around the city at 40 kmph, do not plan to ride hard and fast then you may buy a CI or AVL but remember that the parts of both these will soon become scarce as UCE is definitely the future of Bullet. Royal Enfield themselves offer a 40,000 kilometer/two year warranty on the UCE bullets while they used to offer only 10,000 km/1 year warranty on the Cast iron and AVL engines.
If you have read it all so far, then you would know that the current UCE engines exceed the older CI and AVL engines in every aspect. This however does not change the fact that no matter which Enfield you chose, it still means power and durability. Both bikes are very capable and only the arguments of users are different. Vintage Bullets today sell at almost the same price as of a new one, no matter how old it may be. As a matter of fact, older the Bullet is, costlier it would be. Some of the other things to consider between the two models are,
1. Low stance of new classic model means better seating position for touring
2. New wide handles gives more control in traffic
3. The smoother shift gives effortless gear change
4. Engine embedded gearbox offers less maintenance
5. Fuel efficiency, self start, disc brakes, gas shocks, and switch qualities in newer models
Coming to the older versions,
6. The legendary Thump
7. The classic image of the right shift
8. Excellent stability and response up to a speed of 50 kmph
9. Better performance in high ranges and in heavy traffic conditions.
So decide and chose wisely. And yes, HAPPY THUMPING!!!!!!

Royal Enfield P61 (codename) twin-cylinder bike due for 2017


Economic Times reports that the Royal Enfield P61 (codename), a new twin-cylinder motorcycle with a displacement of around 600-650 cc, is currently taking shape at the company’s new UK R&D centre. The new motorcycle which is designed to target the cruiser riders of Europe and the US is expected to be ready for the market sometime in 2017.

Concrete information about the P61’s body style will be known only when the prototypes are spotted testing on public roads. Intended rivals include popular middleweight models like Harley Davidson Street 750, Triumph Bonneville, etc. Expected the new RE to cater to the European A2 license holders and hence would have a power output less than the statutory limit of 48 PS.

In addition to the Royal Enfield P61, bigger and better versions of the Classic (codenamed D41) and Thunderbird (codenamed D61) are also in the pipeline. While the newly launched Himalayan is purpose built for the Indian market, the upcoming middleweight motorcycles will be spearheading the company’s global operations. Royal Enfield’s long term objective is to dominate the global medium displacement (250-750 cc) motorcycle market.

Royal Enfield opens first dealership in Ireland


Royal Enfield has entered Ireland by forming a partnership with Co Limerick-based RetroVentures. Entry into a new market where the brand already has a positive image should reflect on the global sales volume.

The Indian retro classic motorcycle maker is averaging global sales of around 50,000 units per month, indicating that the new international markets are responding well. The company just entered into a partnership with a local entity to distribute its products in New Zealand

Talking to Irish Times, Chris Davidson, Managing Director, RetroVentures, stated that the company has been hiring out Royal Enfield motorcycles to tourists in Ireland for the last two years and has been receiving an overwhelming response. He added that a lot of prospective customers approached the company to inquire if they could buy an RE, and hence setting up a dealership comes as a next natural step.

In order to keep up with the rising demand and maintain the growth momentum, Royal Enfield is working on to set up its third manufacturing plant near Chennai. The company has just launched the Himalayan adventure tourer and is working on introducing a twin-cylinder model in 2017.

Sunday 24 April 2016

Digital Speedometer for Royal Enfield

This Speedometer is calibrated to be directly compatible with the new Royal Enfield Thunderbird and the Royal Enfield Continental GT wiring. For other motorcycles, additional wiring may be required for using all of the features of the Speedometer.
For Classic 500 EFI models, the stock Fuel Sensor can be used directly.
Fitting to the Bullet ‘Tiger Head’ Headlight casing, the speedometer slot needs to be bored about 4mm for the casing to be fit.
For using the fuel indicator on models without the fuel gauge installed in the tank, getting a new tank made would be a good option with the Thunderbird’s Fuel Gauge system installed in it.

Functions:-
1.       Needle Tachometer
2.       Digital Speedometer
3.       Digital Trip Meter 1/2
4.       Digital Odometer
5.       Engine Temperature
6.       Air Temperature
7.       Maximum and Average speeds
8.       Riding Time
9.       Total Riding Time
10.     Hour Meter
11.     12/24 Hour Clock
12.     Volt Meter
13.     Gear Indicator
14.     Acceleration
15.     Deceleration Timer
16.     Distance Timer
17.     Bar-graphic Fuel and Temperature Gauges

What's use of AMP meter in Royal Enfield????


going by the answers here, everyone has that doubt, any of them have ever known their machines!!! 
buddy, the ampere meter on a Bullet is there for a few reasons... 

While riding if its going towards the + sign, that means the battery is getting charged. 

While starting, if after one kick the pointer goes into negative, that means there is compressed charge in the engine which needs to be released..so we pull the decompressor lever and give a half kick. 

while connecting new a battery, if the pointer goes towards the negative side, then it means the terminals are wrongly connected. 

Amp meter helps to indicate the battery charging. Particularly on bullet bike battery is compulsory to start the engine. It supplies the current to the spark plug like in case of all cars.You should be careful if amp is not showing charge. Other wise vehicle stop in the middle after complete discharge of battery. Hence it is nothing but battery charging warning unit.

The ammeter has helped me twice. Firstly when the rectifier failed (the ammeter needle went far to the right and warned me that I was overcharging the battery), and secondly when the alternator failed (the needle went far to the left and warned me that the battery was not receiving a charge). If the needle is in the center or slightly to the right of center with the engine running everything is fine, so it is useful to have one.

Saturday 23 April 2016

Royal Enfield Fury


Royal Enfield India is going to launch its iconic model ‘Fury’ in India. Fury is based on the model manufactured by the company from 1959-1963 and which was built exclusively for the US market and only 191 units were ever produced. The name Fury was later on used for a licensed copy of the German-built Zundap KS175, but this fury resembles the original Fury a lot. Launched in the UK in 2011, then Fury targeted towards the Indian market.


The Fury is based on the Royal Enfield Bullet Electra and uses a 499cc single cylinder fuel injected engine. The bike will produce 28bhp of maximum power at 4250rpm and a 41.3Nm of maximum torque at 4000rpm, it is the same motor that is being used in the Classic 500 and the Upcoming Thunderbird 500. Royal Enfield Fury is equipped with western-style handlebars mounted over a billet aluminum top yoke. Unlike other modern Royal Enfields, the Fury uses a chrome headlight and a digital instrument panel. The Electra’s twin saddle is replaced by a flat track-style fiberglass single seat unit with incorporated tail light and it is also the first Enfield to sport twin exhaust pipes.

The stylish halogen headlamp placed in the front of the bike is to offer classy and elegant looks and also clear vision at night. The stylish turn indicators of the bike are gracefully placed near the handlebars and look very aristocratic maintaining the trend of the company.

The Fury looks more like a hybrid between a café racer and an Electra, it is a sharp handler and is something one would love to throw around the corner of a race track. The retro looks of the Fury will attract a lot of buyers towards the bike. The bike priced between 1.3-1.7 lakh INR. 

Friday 22 April 2016

Royal Enfield Fantabulus


According to accounts, George Neal in Royal Enfield designed a scooter with the same styling as the Vespa or Lambretta in the early 1940's, but the factory did not pursue the project. It would have been a major coup for Royal Enfield given the scooter craze of the 50's. Fast forward 20 years. Enfield India introduced a scooter in 1962 with the original name of "Fantabulus". It had a Villiers two stroke 7.4hp engine and allegedly could reach 60mph. It was a commercial flop, however.

Fantabulus was apparently the correct spelling of the name, although it was claimed that it was short for fantastic performance, fabulous price. Interestingly, the Fantabulus was apparently featured in Royal Enfield's stand in the 1968 Earls Court Motorcycle show in London. Quite improbably, it was one of the only two Enfield machines on display, the other being the legendary 736cc Interceptor, which was starting to be released to the UK market (before that, it was only for export). At that point the body of the fantabulus was made in Madras by Enfield India and a UK manufactured Villiers Mark 11E single cylinder two-stroke engine was fitted in the UK. It had electric start! It was to be sold for £175 compared with the £382-13s-1d for the Interceptor. It is unclear if the scooter ever sold in the UK, it appears to have been more of a promise than a reality in that market. 

It is interesting to see that in its last throes as a UK company, Royal Enfield reached out to Enfield India for help. I wonder why they didn't pursue this further at the time? It took 7 years after the closure of Royal Enfield for the "Madras Bullet 350cc" (as they called it at that time) to appear in Earls Court in 1977 and Enfields to enter the UK market again. (George Neal quoted in "Royal Enfield, the history of the company" by Anne Bradford).

Sairat Actress Rinku Rajguru rides bullet..


She was signed for the film Sairat, when she was studying in 7th grade and when the film is about to release by the end of this month, Rinku Rajguru has just given her 9th grade examinations. Fortunately, Rinku has also received a special mention at the recent national awards for her performance in Sairat. Rinku, plays a free spirited college girl Archie in this film. She belongs to Solapur and wants to become a doctor.
 
Rinku first met director Nagraj Manjule, who is a family friend and had given the audition for this film on December 14, 2013. But, it was exactly after one year, i.e on December 14, 2014, she was selected to play the role of Archie. This was only because, Nagraj Manjule saw his Archie in her and had preferred to wait, because Rinku was small and had to play a college girl.
 
When we met Rinku recently, during the music release of Sairat, she said that it was a surprise for her, as a reputed director like Nagraj Manjule had full confidence, about her acting potential. “While shooting for this film, I had to drive a Bullet, ride on a horse and even take a jump into a well. I managed it all, after a bit of hesitation initially, to take a jump into the well. Driving a Bullet was easy but horse riding needed practice,” she said.
 
When asked, how she was feeling after winning the National award for her debut, she said, “It was like a dream. My director had told me that I had done very well and would even win the National award. But, after hearing about this award, I feel extremely happy.” 


How she feels, after watching the response to the music launch of all four songs?  And, Rinku said, “I just can’t believe it. It’s like watching a dream come true. But, I was feeling nervous, to face the media,” she concluded.



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Bride rides Royal Enfield into marriage hall

Ayesha Upadhayay breaks tradition and startles guests to enter her wedding venue astride a Royal Enfield
No coy entrance, doli or traditional bridal entrance for 26 year old computer science professor, Ms Ayesha Upadhayay as she entered her wedding venue on a Royal Enfield.
Ayesha’s love for riding motorcycles, especially Royal Enfield has grown ever since she was 13 years of age. She is also a part of a bikers group and takes her love for biking as seriously as she takes her computer science activities. Keen to take this love for biking to her wedding venue, Ayesha rode into her wedding venue in all her wedding attire on a Bullet.
Ayesha, hailing from Ahmedabad, requested her parents that she wanted to break tradition and enter the stage on a bike. The grand entry of a bride, dressed in wedding finery arriving on a bike sent shock waves among the guests gathered at the venue of the wedding.
While Ayesha is a diehard biking aficionado, her husband Lokik, a businessman by profession does not even know how to ride a bike. Ayesha stated that she will be taking him for a ride after marriage.

Thursday 21 April 2016

M S Dhoni spotted riding Royal Enfield...


 After recently landing in Ranchi along with wife Sakshi and baby daughter Ziva, Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was spotted in his cool captain avatar riding a bike on the streets of Ranchi. Captain Cool’s love for mean machines is a well-known fact and this time around the skipper was seen without any security cover on his green bullet.

Wednesday 20 April 2016

Death traps... bikers in India MUST avoid...

According to a survey from 2014, the most impacted road users in accidents were on two-wheeler. During the same year, a total of 40,926 people were killed, but more importantly the number of road traffic accidents involving two wheeler was 1,33,634. The figure just shows that there are possible death traps in every nook and corner. We look at the hazards that bikers should avoid at all costs.

Potholes and unmarked speed-breakers

As ubiquitous as vehicles on roads, potholes are a major hassle in India, whether you live in a city or a village. Larger cars might be able to travel over potholes thanks to larger wheels/better suspension, but damaged vehicles aren’t uncommon. It’s worse in case of two-wheelers. In addition, What makes matters worse is when riders (or even drivers) try to avoid potholes by swerving, hence making them susceptible to being hit or even run-over by other road users.
In case of unmarked speed-breakers, owing to the low weight of bikes, they can easily go air-borne. Imbalance of course is an issue, but what follows it is a major concern, given that you’re sharing the tarmac with other vehicles, too.

How to avoid

Contacting the concerned authority is the least that one can do, so that the roads are repaired. But until that happens, riding within the speed limit and maintaining a safe distance from others (so that you have enough space to move) must be practised. In case of speed-breakers, ensure that you don’t have the handle turned when you land.

Water-logged roads

 Come monsoon and water-filled roads will not be a rare sight. And while wading through such scene might just be straight out of an action film, it’s way worse than it sounds. You are surrounded by (or worse still, maybe dipped in) dirty water, and are running the risk of letting water enter the engine. More dangerous than that is the fact that drainage covers and manholes are left open and unattended. Much like in case of potholes, losing balance and getting hit by another vehicle makes it all the more dangerous.

How to avoid:

Best avoid water-logged roads because the danger involved isn’t worth taking. If you don’t have any other option but to take the said route, follow the wheel track of the vehicles and don’t deviate from that. Stay in a low gear, keep the engine revs high, and do not rush into things.

Riding in a vehicle’s blindspot

Unlike bikes, on which you can see the world around, car drivers’ view is obscured by pillars and bodywork. Being present in a vehicle’s blindspot means the driver cannot see the rider, and by the time he realises that another road user was there, it’s maybe too late. This becomes worse especially while turning, because bikes are least stable and a little nudge can lead to a fall.

How to avoid:

While maintaining a safe distance from cars, just stay away from the regular blindspots of cars: front left and right, and rear left and right. If you want to filter through traffic, do that, but not while taking turns.

Stray animals and other distractions

 Distractions are a strict no-no while driving — they cause accidents because of, yes, lack of concentration. Another major mistake that motorists commit is target fixation. To put in simple words, it’s when you see something in your way and instead of moving your focus and avoid the said obstacle, you keep looking at it. Eventually due to the same you might delay your response or worse still end up hitting the obstacle.
The most common of obstacles are stray animals. Bigger ones like cows move slowly and are tough to avoid, but small, more mobile ones like running dogs and pigs are even worse.

How to avoid:

Keep your eyes on the road, and just avoid target fixation. You have to actively refrain from fixing your eyes on the obstacle but it’s not too difficult — comes with practice, though.

Flouting of rules

While the rest of the death traps are more or less dependent on external reasons, flouting rules is something riders/drivers do deliberately. Speaking on the phone, listening to loud music on earphones, lack of helmet, etc. all of these are easy to avoid but sadly most riders forget that. Loss of concentration and with a reduced ability to hear, you’re more likely to cause or be involved in a crash. Riding without a helmet (and other safety gear) is again an easy way to kill oneself.

How to avoid:

Use a helmet always, and don’t use slippery footwear. In case of mobile phones, they are again a distraction. Stop (in a safe zone) and talk rather than talking on the move. Keep a handsfree connected to your phone and keep the volume low.