Hard Torque Approved

Again spot on Old Fox... almost each one of us here would've experience what you have described in the article more than once in our lives... Its only through experience, or let me say maturity, that such instincts can be overcome... sometimes through instinct you push the throttle hard to overtake someone who just got past you... after the time you decide to push hard and before you pass the person in front you realize that you need to curb your instincts and you let go off the throttle... eventually you learn to ignore such instincts...

Not to say anything against anyone here in particular, but on the road, you'll invariably meet a class of bikers, who'll ALWAYS look at your biking as a challenge to better you.

I'm riding a ZMA on the road, a bike perceived by many in this country as a "fast, performance bike". It's not, not really anyway. It's fun, but in no way is it "fast".

When on the road, ALWAYS, people with more balls, less sense and lesser displacements, will without fail always see my bike, or in fact, any ZMA, as an invitation to race. They'll suddenly cross you without provocation at a blistering speed, engine cranked to the max, and sparing a few inches from me. Thankfully for me, I NEVER give in to these urges. Primarily for 3 reasons -

1. I don't believe in street racing
2. It's dangerous
3. I'm not that good a rider!

The guy who passed me, out of sheer balls, skill, or lack of personal safety, will cream me in heavy traffic. I recognize that and respectfully bow out of such invitations. It's always been the logical thing for me to do.

I might also attribute this "phattoo" attitude with my relative inexperience, but at the same time, I'd much rather not be scraping parts off the road from my bike and my riding gear!

That said, I do ride like a maniac at times, just not with racing as a primary objective. If someone takes the bait, I just let him win and puff up his chest in pride. Ultimately, he's the dude who'll someday be sitting in a stretcher wondering how the hell he crashed despite being the "Lord Of The Streets"

End of rant!

Good write up there oldfox and very well said indeed!

I think i need to get back to school and do english once more, i don't understand half the words you just said, though i get a vague feeling that you are telling us with reference to some previous thread that we are not supposed to.................ummm road race?

EDIT: And.............umm great article, if i was able to keep up with the language i probably would've meant it too

again an excellent article Sundeep Sir !

well these buried instincts arise from our backgrounds
my father likes to cruise his car at pretty high speeds on the highway, but he doesnt drive rash, I have exactly the same characteristics. He checks all the security measures before going on a ride, i do the same (Without being told to that is)
now i dont even realise that i've actually taken my helmet out for every single ride.

^these intuitions are good


although i must admit i've fallen to this racing urge twice when another cbz-x passed me in a rather unfriendly manner ( i had to brake a lot to avoid , cause he cut into my line) and then i royally screwed him by going in front of him and braking hard. it did give that momentary satisfaction of "payback" but later i realized i had been a total ass for doing something like that.

slight OT

yes, in tumkur you'll always have one or the other "challenger" wanting to let the horses loose and rip the streets.

i avoid mainly because i immediately think:

- Seen some nasty falls of others (and they make me shudder whenever i see them)
- Im no racerboy
- I consider what might the old bloke on his scooter react (panic, fall , get injured) like if i suddenly cut across him in busy traffic.

Precisely! Just. Doesn't. Make. Sense.

But then again, neither does swinging your leg over something thats just begging to fall

Good write up Old Fox.

Everybody out here seems to be a honest-to-goodness rider. Well I am not. I admit I have often fallen prey to provocation, given in, raced, beaten and got beaten. And it proves only one thing. That I have been irresponsible.

Good article, well penned OF, in your usual inimitable language flowing forth. Enjoyed reading it. From where you stand, you give us a decent perspective and make us take a hard look at ourselves and our ways of being. For those who care to read and then search ofcourse.

Basic Instincts like these increasingly become a taboo as we keep adding years. Somehow 'elders' are not supposed to be crazy about chocolates, or chew bubblegums or go outside without sandals.

I will be in real disbelief if someone tells me that he does not even twitch for a millisecond if he sees someone riding past fast besides him. It is possible to suppress the 'Run' instinct once in strikes, but it's very hard not to let the urge even peek out of complex emotional networks that we have setup for ourselves to come across as 'dignified' in this very materialistic world.

@ken : Hi' Five mate on that! But you forgot banging a bus with the left hand while being astride on a R1

I agree with Sunny that we all have the punching back instinct. As we grow mature we just have better mental reflex to overpower that instinct. To add to this, we actually get capable of identifying whom to ignore and whom to race with . If a poser on Karizma zooms past me on my pulsar I know - (1.) I cannot beat a ZMA (2.) I should not try to beat a Poser on ZMA, of course with the exception of nice corners ahead . And I will learn a lot more with time. And to a huge extent I feel that it is a natural instict of a biker to have that "punch-back" attitude. Afterall a biker is a human first.

@oldfox...good sow of heavy artillery vocab, but really wished the article had a little more flow, i just lost track of what you were talking about in the first para..although the gist is quite understandable...anyways very rightly said.

i just cant fight the urge of smokin an rtr and those 150's zooming past. As dar as the ZMA is concerned, a red signal drag is always a welcome, when i know dat guy is shifting real low...good fun...

Thanks everyone, as much for your appreciation as for the corrective criticism.

On the surface, yes, this is about motorcycling. And so qualifies for its visibility on Hard Torque. But beneath the crust, its about life. And survival. Our riding is a world in parallel to our life. The same spirit and attitude defines our riding behavior as does our taking of issues and events in life. The 'win-loose' reaction in a group discussion, on this forum, in office, with family/parent/spouse or on the road carries similar DNA. Conquer it in one arena and you have won a battle. And through this victory you take yourself one step closer to winning the war.

I have never seen motorcycling as divorced or apart from my life in its entirety. The passion that riding elicits is primarily because you are totally alone and on your own in this game. Your friend might be riding barely a few feet from you, doing the ton as you are, but will not be able to help in any way if you decide to hit a truck head on. You are alone with your decisions and live with their consequences. You decide. It is only 'you'. Rare is any other avenue in life that gives you the satisfaction of making life and death decisions so frequently, choosing life and rightfully staking claim that they were your own.

That, gentlemen, is what I actually mean by this article. Ride to ride, not just to win or loose.

ROTFL! I don't remember when that happened, but yes, you got me there spot on.