Rock and Rollllll..... :-)

I was just thinking as to how I could start this next post… But I was not able to think of a good start to it at all… So I just decided to start it just like this…
Dance is one of those art forms that have a great influence in the way we think and the way we live… From the unadulterated spasm like tribal dance to the fully trained and pristine bharatnatyam to the limber and flexible Ballet and the romantic and busy Salsa…. Dance is one art form which depends entirely on the culture and the way we grow up and the dance form relates to the very roots of our culture…

I am not here to talk about the dances I have mentioned above… My perception of dance is basically to go with the music rather than trained movements to make sure u are with the music… The whole point of dancing for me is for every part and every muscle of your body craving to move to the music… This might seem a bit erotic but alas this could be a mating ritual in some tribes where the best dancer gets to marry the girl… ;)

One such dance form where I can relate and at least termed that I am dancing is called the DAPPANGUTHU… This is more of a local to South India where we dance to let out our frustrations… Well I found a great description to how to perform this form of dance on wiki recently (courtesy my cousin Poornima akka) and I was astonished at the way how someone can explain such a dance in words well to say the guy who has explained this has done a great job…

For all whose who wanna kuthu follow the link I say….

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dappan_koothu

Riding gear : Armoured Jackets and Gloves

Picture this you are riding and something unexpected happens and then you have a fall… Would you like to get up and dust yourself and ride on home or would you like to be carried on over a stretcher to the hospital… Well if it was me I would choose the first option… That’s what we are here to talk about…

The second most prone part of body that’s bound to get injured is the torso or to be more specific elbows and the shoulders… The first thing that hits the ground when you have a fall are your elbows and they can get dislocated very easily and not to forget the bruises that one can get because of the scraping on the ground…

Since we are talking about safety here let me cut the chase and get to the point and tell what one can do to avoid being carried away… ARMOURED JACKETS and ARMOURED GLOVES are for the modern day riders there are a huge number of brands that are in the market that make riding jackets and gloves with all kinds of armor embedded in them to name a few you have alpine stars, thor and the cramster which I own… On a more generic way of classifying them jackets come in two varieties the touring ones and the city ones and then you also have the summer meshed jackets…

The cramsters I own have CE approved armor which is the standard armor approval entity that sets the standard for armor production… I realized the importance of the cramsters when I had the fall and virtually no damage at all to me… But there is an important thing one has to realize that using riding jacket is a precautionary measure and not a free license to go out there and ride like a moron…
Here is a picture of my cramster jackets and gloves…



Here are a few links from where you can get some real good riding jackets and other gear in Bangalore…
http://www.cramster.in/default.php
http://orionmotors.in/Alpinestars.aspx
Catch you all later for other gear soon… Till then Ride safe… 

Riding Gear : Either the HELMET or A HELLMATE

Well the question why we need gear while riding seems ridiculous to some layman or any man passing by seeing u wear all that gear… Well the answer to that question would be... Dude step into my shoes you will understand why… :-)

The first ride I did on my new bike was with sandals and a simple t shirt and a rickety old helmet… and then I realized I was a potential organ donor in the making… Since my first ride I have matured as a rider and got some neat gear from a shop accessible to me, it was a little on the expensive side but then nothing more expensive than life…

There are 3 basic weak points in every body which are most prone to damage or injury when someone falls off a bike…

1) The head

2) Your torso predominantly your elbows and shoulders

3) The legs predominantly the knees and the ankles.

Firstly the head that’s like the most important part of the body… Most of the fatal accidents that happen due to falls without a helmet… hence a good neat helmet that can stand a crash… And when I say a helmet I mean a full faced helmet not a open one or not the one that opens up if we press a little button…

I dint want a fancy looking helmet which shines in the dark or has fancy stickering I just wanted a good old fashioned helmet which hold up and protect you when you need it in a dire situation…

I picked up this AGV from JC road in Bangalore for 2400 Indian rupees which looks classy and is also very comfortable to wear and holds your head perfectly… The visor is perfectly clear and gives a great view of the road and to top it all up its removable to make it easy to clean it up… The padding inside also is detachable and can be cleaned and fitted back again…

There are quite a few shops on JC road that sell AGV’s and different other brands of helmets in case someone needs to get one… Also there are a few shops branded shops that sell AGV’s and other brands of helmets like the one opposite to forum called Orion motors…

Check out the link below….

http://orionmotors.in/Helmets.aspx

Catch you all later with the other gear soon… Till then Ride safe… :-)

Ride to the tallest peak in Karnataka.. Kemmangundi..

Well the ride to Kemmangundi was something that i was looking out for a very long time.. Some facts about the Kemmangundi its the highest peak in Karnataka.. We were to get to Kemmangundi via the longer route through Hassan and belure and halebidu..

Bangalore-->Magadi-->Kunigal-->Channaraypatna-->Hassan-->Belur-->Chikmagalur-->Baba budangiri-->Kemmangundi

Managed to reach the meeting point before time like i was the first person to reach then Ronald rolled in and we waited for sometime while everyone poured in. Vijay was there to see us off and there was no rain like everyone expected and that was a blessing.... We left and met the other gang at the NICE road junction.. From there it was all Patrang wonlee to the breakfast point at kunigal to have some super thatte idly's and vada and coffee.. :)

After that was all pure riding as we had to cover like another 2oo odd kms.. Next stop was at the kamat in Hassan after a long ditance of patrang everyone wanted a break.. Filled up some fuel here and had a break waiting for thomas to roll in have to tell about this guy, he rides his bullet at 6okmph and respect his resilience and patience great riding man... Once he came we started riding again and reached Chikmagalur in time for lunch and had a sumptuous meal... Filled up petrol here just to be on the safer side and started riding from here.. Once the hills started showing up it started getting real beautiful.. It was a sight i will never ever forget my life... :)

The ride to the top of the hill was about 20 kms and it took us about 2 hrs to do it doing some photo stops and a couple of chai stops.. We reached baba budangiri and it started to pour and

visibility reduced, it was a great challenge riding in the slush and the slippery roads or atleast what was left of the roads.. Managed to reach the place of stay by 4 30 and this place was really really beautiful... Freshened up or rather changed to dry clothes and the party was arranged at another forest guest house nearby so managed to hitch a ride in one of the cars of the shimoga guys as i was in no position to ride in the dark... Reached and started the feast and hogged some nice kababs... After some friendly bantering with the guys we decided to get back as i wanted to leave early in the morning.. Got back to the room and hit the bed and had a great sleep..

Woke up early and got ready and left with a few guys.. The group was Rajeev, Susu maams, Rajeevs nephew sidharth, little johnny aritra, thomas and myself.. We were taking the shorter route back home the route we were going to take was,

Kemmangundi-->Lingadalli-->Birur-->Arasikere-->Tiptur-->Tumkur-->Bangalore

This was going to be a 220 km ride back home precisely so we hit the road and told our byes to the place vowing to come back some time sooner or later.. We did good speeds with a nice formation with the Thomas being the sweep and Rajeev being the point... Had breakfast in birur a heavy one too as we were planning to have lunch in bangalore.. :-)

We were doing great speeds with just a couple of chai stops as it was getting a little sunny and we were getting a little drowsy.. ;) Managed to reach the Tumkur toll booth at 11 and we were only 4 of us.. Aritra had over shot us and we had no clue where the bugger was and Thomas we were not sure about him as we were doing very good speeds.. So we eventually decided to start to bangalore..

Tumkur road was just a straight road and nothing other than road all the way.. So instead of crusing all the way we just decided to blast off the whole distance we did the last stretch of 60 odd kms in a very short span of time.. Reached Bangalore at about 1 and told my byes to Rajeev and sid and reached home at about 1 30...

Super riding with RTMC.. RTMC ishtyle.. :-)

Feel my love... :-)

I was riding back home after meeting a friend in padhbanabnagar.. Was somewhere near thyagarajnar when this auto guy was standing out from the crowd... There was something written on the back of the auto in all colour and in a catchy fashion... Well writing tonnes about it wont suffice what i can say with a picture.. Certainly some real wise person once said "A picture speaks a thousand Words"...
I have no clue what the auto driver wanted to say or what he was trying to say... Well later then my cousin and my friend told me its a dialogue from a very famous hindi movie Darr which was later made in Kannada my our own Upendra uncle... Well now i understand where the auto drivers of bangalore get their inspiration from.. :-)

Bangalore drivers and what not..!!! Part two... The chronicles of the night rider.. :-)

I had two choices with me either choose the first choice or let fate decide what happens to me when i ram into the car... Well i took my fate in my hands and braked and that too the discs and that was the worst decision that i ever took... The bike skid and i lost control of it to gain back the upper hand i put my right leg down and this was my second bad decision... My leg got stuck and turned the wrong way and the bike just fell on my knee... I was sandwiched between the bike and the road.. Was stuck under the bike for eternity while the car guy dint even stop to see what had encountered and just turned and sped away...

I was just lying there till a few kind souls ran up to lift me up... My knee was hurting a little and i sat on the pavement till the pain eased up a little and i crossed the road gingerely to do a damage report on my bike and myself.. I just reached the pavement and something real scary happened that took my life away for a second.. The right knee just buckled and bent in an angle in which it is not supposed to bend... :(

Thousands of thoughts were running in my head have i dislocated my knee, broken the knee cap will i be able to walk again or worst ride again... It was like all the forces on earth just wanted something bad to happen to me that day... It was 11 in the night and i was guessing this was not the end of the night so soon.. Not so soooon... :(

Bangalore drivers and what not...!!!! Part one

It was a normal day in office finished up the usual work and met sheetal and was heading back home late in the night at about 10. Was in all my senses and and was riding like Mr. Nice guy... Avoiding all the nagging and stupid riders and drivers of bangalore i was with all my knack of riding was riding real safe... Reached the flyover and got down and the road was pretty empty but still i was not doing 50kmph well i consider that not to be very fast.. Was taking the taking a left on 18th main and this innova guy was taking a right from 100ft road well it should have struck me that time that here was the biggest fool of an Ass who doesnt know a shit about driving was turning but neverthless i was tailing this guy with a little distance after the subway this idiot did the unthinkable... He just braked and turned left without any signal or indicator at this point of time i had two choices...
1) Brake and try to stop or skid and fall down.. or
2) Ram into the back of the car and escape with minor injuries and have the satisfaction of screwing the fackers car.
Wait fot the choice i took and the events that unfolded on the dreadfull day...