Also seeing a disturbing trend; on long rides along popular superbike routes, crowds of kids and villagers have started gathering to cheer, click pics etc. when the bikes go past at high speed.

Some of these guys go a bit crazy and start running across the road or coming dangerously close in their attempts to get closer. Also heard reports of kids chucking stones, though I've not come across it myself. Best to slow down a bit and stay alert when passing these areas...

Guys, the last couple of long rides to Manas/Igatpuri have seen a disturbing trend - both times someone crashed. Last week was a CB1000R and this time it was an older model CBR 600 (I think). Fortunately, in both cases the riders were injured but escaped with their lives.

Please exercise judgement and caution. A split second is all it takes to make a mistake.

will be nice to get a road plan for the twists in Manas, both the times i went up was a little be worried on how long the turns would be...would have been nice to have a bike that knew the contours ahead and just follow the lines...in both times had a bike that was as confused as I was and got stuck in some corners fortunately was a bit slow so no bad results.....if not sure, ride safe and live to ride again.

@nachaya

you been taking the busa for the twisties?

well that's one thing i never liked about the busa - it doesn't want to not go straight!! my experience has been quiet limited though but was never comfortable with turning/leaning/cornering/twisting the busa.

other than that it's a fantastic bike to ride in straight lines. amazingly comfortable too for a long distance journey.

had embarrassed myself a couple of times while taking a u-turn on the busa and also while pulling it back. GOSH that's totally embarrassing when you have to pull it back from a parking lot

pulling the busa is a pain so need to be careful where and how i park...its a pain sometimes

At the end of the day any bike(2 wheeler) is dangerous. Just wear proper gear always. helmet, jacket & gloves at least, anything can happen always be ready..

At the end of the day any bike(2 wheeler) is dangerous. Just wear proper gear always.hmmmmmm...
______
Pua | pick up artist | Dating Coach

All bikes can be dangerous. We should just ensure good riding etiquette and wear proper riding gear to be safe.

Out of the last 5 weekend rides I've been on, I've witnessed 4 crashes. This Sunday itself saw 2 of my friends suffer crashes. Gear does protect you but in almost all cases there were fractures and other injuries.

It has become a disturbing trend. The sickening feeling in your gut when you see a crowd gathered on the road and thinking, " I hope it's not one of our guys" is becoming all too familiar.

I urge everyone, superbike rider or not, to please accept and ride well within your own personal limits, never become overconfident, and always remember that the road and track are two completely different things.

+1 boomshiva

the best safety equipment on any superbike is - your right wrist. you and only you can control it. any noob can twist the throttle to the max - but only a safe rider who knows his limits knows how much twist he can handle.

@ boomshiva

were the guys a bit reckless with their rides? pushed too far is it?

it's because of the riding gear that i feel they got away with just few fractures. had the gear not been there - they probably wouldn't have survived the crash.

hope they recover fast.

I agree completely with all the points made.would only like to add
lets say you really worked hard made your money and deserve the sbk of your dreams , but just think about if your beloved sbk really deserves the roads that you drive it on??
by roads I mean the whole package and not just the quarter mile fresh tarmac near your place.

2 cents
projectile

My perception is that bigger machines are generally safer at a particular given speed, say 40 kmph. Now, I haven't ridden Sbk's but otherwise, practically almost every Indian performance bike...
I think one should use the Sbk's in such a way (I maybe wrong though): Keep it in 3rd gear or occasional 4th most of the time, so that engine braking assists you a bit.

And pay attention to the road and the speedo reading (not the engine sound or rpm which could be misleading if you just moved up from a smaller bike).

Keep looking constantly at the 2 very important things: Obstacles and the road texture. Obstacles can be dealt easily PROVIDED the road is on your side.

If road is not grippy (sandy, wet, discolored, cemented, etc.), NEVER speed high no matter how empty the road looks to be...! No argument on this point because I've felt it.

For example, you're travelling on 70 kmph and the road is empty, but an immediate obstacle like a dog runs by. If the road is good, you can brake hard OR (counter+lean)steer out of the way easily...
But if the road is muddy, you can do neither of these two well enough.

Road texture matters a lot on Sbk tyres. I saw a CBR 1000RR guy have a scary slip moment at the petrol pump in Ajmer, while he was at hardly any lean angle.

I know of a guy who has 2 sbks and a pocket bike. He had never fallen on the sbks.
But he crashed on the pocket bike and died.:-(
So,it isn't what you ride that matters,it's how you ride it.

my 2 bits ...learn to ride not by experiment but by proper understanding of the dynamics effecting the bike...99% of all accidents in turns ....cause people do not understand gyro effect , lean angle , entry speed ,breaking and keeping the bike weighted 65-70% in the rear tyer...mid turn corrections etc etc...

just paying top $ for the bike is not enough...learning the fundas are important...finally ride within ur limits not as fast as the bugger in front....
I know a rider who till date cares 2 hoots how fast the riders are, he just enjoys his ride coming in last but with a broad smile...unlike the others with teeth clenched and thanking god silently for the near scares during the ride.....

I say enjoy the ride as the money was urs and u deserve all the fun...party on

very well said buddy... even after years of riding, i still try to learn from my fellow riders as much as possible... rather than trying to prove that I'm fast or corner very well for those who think that they are the best, will eventually learn the hard way that there is always someone who is better or by an error they themselves make...