Riders for life | Feature | wavemag.com.np

PRATIK KARKI

Riding is about passion, faith in our machines, brotherhood and freedom. When I go on rides with my friends on the lonely highway, we all depend on each other and our knowledge of safety of the road. It's the excitement I feel when I pass through the valleys, hills, forests with the high wind blowing through my helmet that gives me inner peace" says Subindra Maharjan-Stunt Man and Rider, when I asked him what riding means to him.

I was 16 when I learnt to ride a bike on my own. In the beginning, the clutch-accelerator coordination was difficult but what followed after that has remained an integral part of my life ever since. To whiz past public transportation, the ability to maneuver close tight corners in traffic jams and just gallop across rugged terrain whenever I wish to is the freedom I bet not all forms of transportation can give us.

Basically everyone who has a motorbike is a biker. The difference is between being just a commuter to being a rider. People who have bikes and love to do more with bikes than just commute get together and celebrate riding. They organize motorbike rallies, races, stunt shows and much more that basically separates them from people who 'just own bikes'.

So what is riding? Tsering aka Smookie who has been riding since 1996 says, "For me only riding means travelling, because it is a feeling of escapism with no traffic jams, no noise, away from the streets on the highway with full speed and thrill of just me and my machine is just priceless" Smookie is a professional motorbike stuntman and represented Nepal in the Yamaha GP Race that took place in India a few years back.

When asked about how merobike.com came about, the umbrella motor biking forum for all other groups, Suwash aka Pride says, 'It started with group of friends coming together to form a Nepali website. This forum brought many interested bikers to a common platform. With time and increase in the number of young bikers the group slowly gathered momentum. Long rides are the main thrill of the biking community. Riding in groups is always so much fun. It gives a sense of strength and unity creating brotherhood and friendship among riders. It also makes you responsible towards the safety of the group and people around you.'

Groups like Himalayan Enfielders, merobike.com, biker-boys and ktm-riders have been doing just that for the past decade or so. They've organized blood donation drives, motorcycle rallies, supervised stunt class and long and short tours for those riders who are in it for more than just showing off. Moreover, they learn to take care of their machines properly, motivate fellow riders to be safe on road and emphasize brotherhood and unity through a common passion for motorbikes.

Jaction Ghale, who is also a motorbike stuntman and a racer says, 'My bike has definitely changed the way I live and who I am today. I've made many friends and acquaintances through this community."

We come across poseurs on the roads who ride rough with blatant disregard for other people on the street. Then they are those who modify bikes with very loud exhaust pipes, unbelievably high suspensions and what not. But just face it! Your Pulsar will never look like a CBR and nor will your VR ever be an actual dirt bike no matter how much you try to make it look or sound like one. Riding is just not the thrill in how much you clock on an open stretch of road or how close you were to colliding with a vehicle or maybe just how hard you had to race in the Ring Road to overtake another bike. That does not make you a bad-ass rider like in the movies. The Government has set rules as to how we should ride on the road and parents tell us to be safe only because they care about us. But who can stop the cocky, over-confident ones, from turning a blind eye to basic common sense and falling flat on their faces?

Hopefully roads will be more biker friendly and people (especially parents and the police) will stop stereotyping riding groups as hooligans or gangsters out to obstruct peace. Nowadays riding essentially has become an extension of what a 'Man' (or 'Woman') stands for and as an expression of unity and team work which I bet is a quality everyone should have. Like the slogan of a Bikerboyz group goes, 'Burn rubber not soul'.

Basically everyone who has a motorbike is a biker. The difference is between being just a commuter to being a rider.

10 tips long distance motorcycle trips
There is no better way to travel through the Nepali countryside than on a motorbike. Whether your journey is to culminate at a preset destination or whether you are touring to different places, taking in the sights and sounds of our beautiful country, the one and the most important thing is to be prepared. These tips will help you in having a fun, safe journey.
1. Prepare the motorcycle for the trip. Have the bike checked and thoroughly serviced by an authorized mechanic to assure it is ready for the trip. Replace or repair anything that looks worn.
2. Change the oil and filter on the motorcycle. Have some knowledge about the functions of the different parts of the bike and carry along a basic tool-kit.
3. Check the tires for any wear/tear and cracks. Taking off on a long distance trip with bad tires is just asking for a ruined vacation.
4. Discuss your itinerary with friends and family members. Even if you are not certain where you will end up, giving someone a general idea of your whereabouts will ease their minds and allow them a general search point in the event of an emergency.
5. Go over maps to select possible routes or destinations and mark petrol stations that fall on the route.
6. Get yourself a well-fitting helmet; do not take this lightly for this is one essential piece of equipment that can actually save your life.
7. Always wear proper riding clothes with protective pads in the back, elbows and knees. Gloves should fit well.
8. Keep a cell phone charged and easily available. This way you can check for messages when you stop for fuel, food or the night.
9. Check the motorcycle over each morning before you head out. This is just for safety reasons. Mechanical failures happen to the best maintained vehicles, so even if you believe everything is fine, go over it quickly to make sure.
10. Be flexible in your plans. If you run across something that strikes your interest, stop and explore. That is part of the fun of a long distance motorcycle trip.

By: Pramod Shrestha Goofy Himalayan Enfielders