Con-Rod: Ride safe

I was once a mad reckless immortal 18-year-old and had no clue then that 18 years later I'd be thanking my stars profusely for keeping all my body parts attached to one another firmly. Fortunately my chances of keeping my clock ticking then were a little better than most 18-year-olds now. In those days the traffic was lesser, the people more gentle and stress while driving was almost unheard of. So despite me riding a large, heavy, unwieldy and torque laden Enfield Bullet in a way that would have forced my father to ground me till the end of days, I managed to keep things together. But things aren't that simple any longer, the bigger more powerful motorcycles are getting cheaper. And Indians have tremendous purchasing power thanks to all those years of saving and accumulating money. So while there was a time when only the more affluent kids were looking to find a place on the wall where their picture could be framed under a wreath, that spot is getting more accessible. I know I sound a bit retarded because who does not want to own a Ducati or a Harley or a Triumph? But just how many actually know how to ride a Ducati or a Harley or a Triumph?

I'd in fact wager a bet and say over 95 per cent of Indians still don't know how to ride a basic motorcycle. Now if you thought that riding was all about putting a leg across a seat, kicking a lever and wringing a rubber holder at the end of a bar, you could probably end up as a statistic on a government wall or a headline in a newspaper. Riding a motorcycle is much, much more complicated and it takes a lot of effort and understanding to develop a good set of skills to ride in everyday conditions. Honda was one of the few manufacturers that had the right perspective some years ago. They were staunchly opposed to the idea of offering more affordable sports bikes to the Indian consumer. In their opinion our society had not progressed beyond the 100-150cc commuter motorcycle, we had no understanding of speed and we certainly had no idea of how to exercise control. They had a point!

Recently while driving home from work I saw at least seven accidents on the road I use. All of these had occurred within a span of half an hour. They all involved motorcycles and one in fact happened right in front of my eyes. Some of the riders I assumed escaped serious injury narrowly, some others were not so lucky. The one I saw, the rider had ridden his motorcycle into the back of a truck, pinning his hands in between the frame of the truck and the handlebar. It didn't look serious but no one seemed to know how to release the idiot. Almost all of those accidents however looked entirely avoidable if only the riders had exercised some caution, patience and used their brains instead of switching it off the second they covered it with a helmet. All it required was a basic understanding of what rider and his/her motorcycle are capable of in order to develop a set of skills to survive.

This column isn't to tell you what those skill sets are, Shumi does a fine job of that every month in the Better Riding section. Developing a good set of skills to adapt to regular traffic conditions needs the government to intervene in the instruction process. We need better licensing involving more rigorous tests and a multi-layered system that rewards progress with a license to ride incrementally bigger and faster motorcycles.

Every developed nation has adopted a system which allows beginners to ride only those motorcycles that reflect their maturity and financial stability. That means teenagers would need to pass several tests before they were allowed to ride a large capacity motorcycle. By which time they would have gained enough experience and sharpened their riding skills immensely. If the Indian system was as demanding as the ones in Europe or the Middle East, Japan or America the move to buying or even riding a large capacity motorcycle would be a fairly taxing one though that ultimately would make our roads safer! It is however a much required course of action in India if those looking for cheaper thrills want to enjoy a longer lifespan. I have little respect for the Indian biker simply because they are too callous while riding. The scary bit is that right now almost everyone is reckless, even with a 100cc machine. God forbid then, a day comes when 350cc motorcycles with serious power are made available under the Rs 3 lakh bracket for all those uneducated idiots riding on our roads.