Hampi(n) around!

"The return day breaks out, am ready with everything, eager to head back home. Ride out to nearby villages helping Pradeep distribute invitations of his brothers wedding. Through with the distribution process and am back again on NH17. One of the best roads to ride and with bends at almost every 50-100 metres- its prayers answered."

That is a great trip log. We can tell you that. Hardcore Monoshock reader and a sort of guardian angel of ours Deepak Dongre send us the link to this ride to Hampi he undertook.

The story is here and the pics here! Enjoy!

Stunners from Duc!

Dear Editor,
At the Paris Motor Show 2007, Ducati presents two new bike colours for the 2008 season.
After the great success of the Hypermotard in the classic red colour, the company has decided to propose an aggressive, all black, version for next year.

At the same time that Ducati is concluding a “golden” motorcycle season, we are presenting the Monster S4Rs – the most powerful Monster in production – in a new, celebratory Tricolore version.
Attached are a few images of these two bikes.


Many thanks for your attention and best wishes from Ducati.

Thanks Ducati! For rogering around with our wishlists (and emotions)!

M for Monoshock!

While I was up on the terrace during the start of a thunderstorm, I shot this image. It was a formation of streaks of lightning that somehow formed the letter 'M'!

Sheer luck. You can download this image as a wallpaper too. Looks good.

HORN Keep OK Distance PLEASE!

Separation Distances

The key to survival, unlike love relationships is distance. As a biker, remember that distance from the vehicle ahead and behind will keep that salary coming in every month instead of that bulk amount of your life insurance. Yes, sorry about being harsh but in India, you better watch your back because it is nobody’s fault. Every man for himself is the war cry!

Here goes:

At speeds of above 60 kmph, keep a distance of at least 60 feet from the guy up front. If traffic allows, make it even more. Generally, stick to the 1 foot per kmph rule. You will have enough reaction time to brake.
At speeds below 30 kmph, remember that half a foot per kmph is a good figure. Both in front and at the back of your bike.
We understand that tail gaters are aplenty here, but then again, distance from a dump truck or a bus which is raging war behind you is a good thing to do.

During rains, double the distance. If it is very heavy rain/ snow or filth on the road, leave the darn bike at home and take a bus!

While following large vehicles, keep larger separation distance so that:
- The large vehicle driver can see you in his rear view mirror and is aware of your presence
- You can see oncoming traffic, overtake starts as soon as the large vehicle crosses oncoming traffic. Sumos will swerve into action instantly and if you are right behind the bus or truck, it’s a darn head on!
- You have an increased field of vision once the need for overtaking arises.
- When you are approaching a bend with a large vehicle up front, increase the distance even more.

That should keep your family, your employer and your insurance company very happy!

- Ride Safe

Oiztralia Eh? - The XBHP GAR!

Hello, hope you guys are doing well. Enough of niceties. Read this "What we are looking in you : You should have an active interest in photography, preferably with a creative arts background. At least 2 years riding experience is required with a minimum age of 20 years. You should be a resident of India and should have a passport. You will need to have 90 days."

So click here and start packing your bags. We think this will be another great number along the lines of the GIR! Way to go guys. Now if only I could get a 90 days leave from work! Sigh!
- Rahul

The Ducati Hypertour!

Hypertour, the road event that brought the new Ducati Hypermotard to 12 different Italian piazzas this summer, offers everyone the opportunity to see and experience the excitement brought by the latest product from Ducati. Given the success of the summer schedule, Ducati has decided to continue the tour with new stops abroad.

Hypertour is bringing the Hypermotard to your city this autumn, Ducati will tour European cities to give people the chance to experience the Hypermotard in first person. Every stop offers many activities for the whole family, some of which include:

• Test ride the new Hypermotard, Multistrada 1100, Sport Classic GT1000 and the Monster S2R and S4R• Ducati Desmo Lady School: driving school for women with the Monster 695• Biker kid area: a fun, educational area with Peg Perego Monsters• Exhibition of different Ducatis• Information on all Ducati activities
New international dates:
• Vienna (Austria): September 15th-16th at the Bad Fischau Motorsport-Park, close to Wiener Neustadt• Barcelona (Spain): October 20th-21st• Valencia (Spain): October 27th-28th

Sigh!

Enigma - The child in us

It happened in the morning. I was out on a long early morning ride. When the orange of dawn was busy taking its creative liberties on the canvas all around me, I stopped over at a village roadside tea shop.

Along came a schoolboy of about 5 years. Built delicately, dressed well and carrying his schoolbag behind him. He stopped at the shop and pointed his finger at something he wanted. The shopkeeper asked him what was it that he wanted? His finger kept moving, undecided and delicate. It pointed to every jar full of candies and some cakes. He wanted everything. He thought his one rupee allowance could buy him the world. And I wish it could. He settled for two candies and skipped away towards school. I was speechless. At such innocence. I came back home and tried the track "The Child in Us" from an Album by Enigma called Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi. This amazing track has a great rhythm, some haunting notes and amazing sanskrit lyrics.

'When it is dark you are my light
But don't forget
Who's always our guide
It is the child in us'

Guide me o little one! I am in submission.

- Rahul

Sunday morning breakfast at Singapore!

For all those who are in Singapore, whether on work or leisure. And then some like our good ol buddy synn; head out to the Bombay Woodlands for the most promising breakfast on offer.

We are not the only ones crying out loud about this. The rice idlis, pani puris, chats and bhelpuri there are tongue numbing!

The details are here:
19, Tanglin Road,#B1-01/02, Tanglin Shopping Centre, Singapore 247909Tel: (65) 6235 2712
So call and make your reservation now!
Enjoy!

One of the legendary motorcycle rides!

"France may have its vineyards, and Rome its ancient ruins, but America is the undisputed wonderland of roads. Here in the Land of the Free, the open road has long been a symbol of independence, and all the more so on a motorcycle." - Stephen Regenold

Great, what we have here is the 11-mile Tail of the Dragon route at Deals Gap, N.C., which is probably the most famous motorcycle road in the country, according to Bill Belei, editor of MotorcycleRoads.com. Indeed, "The Tail" has an amazing 318 curves, many flanked with precipitous drop-offs, creating an exhilarating, unforgettable ride. 318 curves eh? Hehehe. What else can we say?

Bums the word!

Ride Blogs of the Bombay Pulsars!

We have found some of the most spirited and good natured guys listed with the Bombay Pulsars. They are not just about Pulsars anymore you see.

You can check them out on the Monoshock Club Sandwich pages and use the blog link on the left of their dedicated page to view their travel write ups and pictures. Its great!

Now, Deepak Dongre, our contact man and big dude at the club is completely out of touch. Even mails are not stirring him. We wonder why that is. Hope he sees this and mails back...

While you guys can check out their blog and leave some comments. Take care.

Flash in Public - Let the tail lamp show!

So you have a nice black bike, and on unlit streets and rainy days, it cannot be seen all the more. Pretty good stealth tactic we say. As long as the darn brake lamp and the tail lamp are working optimally! Or else, when you brake, someone is going to climb up your back. And we have seen enough porn flicks demonstrating how painful that can get!

The one thing that is essential for bikers to stay alive is the tail lamp. Never neglect the brake lamp if it is out of order. Get it fixed immediately. Sometimes, when you replace the rear brake shoes with new ones, the rear brake lever play lessens and does not trigger the brake lamp. Check this before you leave the service station. Oh yes, one more thing, if your girlfriend wears a salwar kameez on some day, make sure her apparel is not hanging over the tail lamp. We have seen enough of those too.

Keep flashing and you won't get gobbled up by the gaping hole between the front fender of a truck and the road. Thats worse than someone climbing your back, any night!
- Ride Safe

Lead conversion and running in!

Hi Rahul,

Based on your inputs and suggestions, I have finally bought a Red Unicorn.

I would like to ask three questions...
1) Is it really necessary not to rev my new bike above 50kmph before 1st service?
2) What I feel is the first gear gives even before 15kmph i.e. I have to shift to 2nd gear immediately.
3) Can you suggest approximately up to what speed can go on 2nd and 3rd gears.

Thanks & regards,

Kartik H. Shah

Hi Kartik. Awesome choice I say! The red one looks so smashing. The motor is too smooth for its own good. Can you write a 400 word ownership experience and send in some pics for the Monoshock E mag? Would be great!

About running in the Honda: Please note that running in is a stage which has a lot of myths going around it. The key is not to keep to low revs only. If you want a long lasting engine with great performance here is the bullet list.

1) When you start up your bike in the morning or first time for that day, just let it idle for about 2 minutes. Gently keep the throttle just twisted enough so the engine does not stall if necessary during the first 30 seconds or so.

2) Take the engine through the entire rev range, which means rev it to 8000 rpm once in a while and then go back to 5000 or 4500! Do it again, each time for longer periods starting 30 seconds and gradually upping the durations. Speed is a result of gearing and its immaterial what the gear is. Just watch the rpm and go go go!

3) Put in about 100 ml of 2T oil into the fuel tank and tank it up to the brim. Do this till your bike has done 2000 kays on the odo. Thats orthodox but it works wonders.

This 3 point program can turn your machine into a well run in beast! Enjoy!

Oh Calcutta?

Hey Guys,
This is Abhijit Nag frm Mumbai , was just going through ur site, the photographs r amazing!! I never knew tht Kolkta had such beautiful places to see!! I was in Kol only for 2 yrs & then i moved to Mumbai. U guys r doing a grt job. All d best & God bless U...

Regards
Abhijit Nag.

Here is another image for you. Thats the Victoria drawing up the background one early morning!
And please take a bow from all of us. Its an honour to hear such warm words. Bless you too mate!
- The Monoshock Team

CL, EL, ML or PL?

We will explain those HR terms later. This week has been full of myterious disappearances from office. Our head ops Nitin aka Neo has shown us his clean pair of heels!

He had left office on Monday morning to pick up our er, fairly short long term Pulsar 220! Industry sources revealed that the bike was duly picked up. Infact last week there was a nasty brawl in office between him and our ed about how the ed was talking badly of Pulsars and praising Karizmas! Lucky we wear our helmets even while we are typing! Dare we say anymore in this public forum. :-D

Now knowing Nitin, if he has been riding that fuel injected beast for 3 days, he should be somewhere around Moscow.

Oh PL? Pulsar Leave!

Danke!

Absent without leave!

Say hello to our editor in chief, Ben. Wait a minute! How do you say hello? The last we heard from him at our workplace was last week when he had gone to Bombay.

One of the reasons the emag is delayed is because he just vanished. Rahul said Ben had called him asking from where he could pick up a couple of Arai lids (Couple?) Everyone is having a whale of a time with Mr. Buttkicker out of town. And something tells us that tomorrow morning he will walk in as if nothing happened and hug us like long lost brothers! [If he has not read this till then]
- Anonymous

9/11 - Just another date

This image symbolizes violence. Like at the World Trade Centre, Munich, The Middle East and many many more such 'civilized' places.

A fond memory of all those who lost their lives and strength to those who suffer in the hands of soldiers, sold in human grocery stores worldwide.

We hope someday there is peace. However, common sense tells us that peace here means total destruction. Like the wise Terminator once said, 'it is in our nature to destroy ourselves!'

On an Island

"Shameless sea, aimlessly so blue..."

This album from David is a must have. For all those who have breathed Floyd their living lives, its a great addition to your CD rack at home.

There is a great blend of intense and gentle tracks. Nitin and I do it a lot while driving someplace. Available at all leading music stores. And maybe on free mp3 download sites too! But everytime you use one of those, you kill the artist!

From track to road!

An assembly line exclusively dedicated to the Desmosedici RR has been set up at the Borgo Panigale factory. Everything is now ready for production (which will begin in October) and for delivery of the first bikes.

The Ducati Desmosedici RR is the first and only true MotoGP replica, destined to celebrate this prestigious race category’s era of maximum engine size (1000 cc) and establish a new milestone in terms of Italian technology, components, performance and style.

More in the September Issue of Monoshock!

How true is true?

It happens mostly when I am skirting on the verge of boredom and sleep. Bored of the way things move and behave. I have imaginations of long winding roads divided by delicately drawn white lines in between. The great design, of what is yours and what is mine. Then there are images, of people gone by. That pretty girl in school who I never had the courage to talk to. The poor boy on the street that went away from my side, empty handed, hungry and sad while I was saving up to buy my third Adidas cap.

A friend of mine needed some money for something, which has now faded off my memory, but it must have been something important. I could not delay the purchase of my bike for a week and told him to go fish somewhere else.

I no longer walk alone and carelessly in the rain. I no longer long to be home, an imaginary place where we all connect to, but it never really exists. I work to get the emag online on time, thinking that delays may look unprofessional and hurt the advertisement value in the long run. Everything just blends into one unrecognizable paste of greed, viability and lust. The need for love, money, peace, speed and fame take the front row seats of the mind’s screen. Is this what it is like to be human? Does my writing go beyond the viabilities of a successful business plan? Is free really free? Or is it just to boost the numbers for the new advertiser?

I do not know friends. But I will try to see things in another light. I will try to be more genuine. For so many of you and Monoshock! It is my greatest dream. And we all know that most dreams are not built around viability.
- Rahul

Bike of the month - September

Another stunner from Bigdog! Now look at those lines and those amazing curves.

The tone, the poise and that footwear sure make it our darn pick of September. And all you pervs out there, knowing the nice guys that we are at Monoshock, we are talking about the custom chopper! :-D

Harley Davidson RR250

Yes, you heard that right. This Harley, won three world championships in the 250 cc class in a row! These high revving two stroke parallel twins were developed by H-D in Italy and were ridden by Walter Villa to win three world championships in 1975, 76 and 77!

These bikes boasted 246cc twins producing 53 bhp and were capable of top speeds of 225 kays an hour. They had bare basic body work, twin discs up front and a superb expansion chamber to be one of the quickest and fastest 250s of that era! A Harley eh? Not bad. At only a 109 kgs!

Is there anybody out there?

Hi I am Ismail from Ahmedabad, I want to buy a 200 to 250cc bike. Can i wait for coming soon bikes if any? Please let me know about them..I like powerful bikes. Fuel economy does not matter. Thanks.

Hello Ismail,
You could look at the Pulsar 200, the Pulsar 220 and the Hero Honda Karizma to suit your need. They are all powerful and able machines with reliability to go with them. When it comes to long term riding, the Karizma is still king! New launches are not due for some time now in that segment. Maybe in the next financial year. Till then, ride safe, or keep reading us for a launch scoop/ road test/ riding impression!

The way er, scooter ads should be!

The way to go for scooter ads is this my friend. The Kinetic website is a living example of how a star is welcomed on board!

The poise, the class and the lithe athletic dusky figure swept us all off our feet! We now have guys at our office with hidden folders full of this stuff. Wait a minute! We forgot the darn issue in the first place. But, we are not merely selling scooters here you nincompoops. We are branding! And we at Monoshock, are morons who understand nothing about brand words, so we will take the experts' view on that. Psst! Psst! Could the shirt go off too?

The way motorcycle ads should be!

This stunning image was unearthed by one dude at office while he was er, doing important work for the emag. Darn the work, we forgive you this once for the discovery! The ad is for a 'Build Yours' custom chopper campaign in America.

Now is that not a beauty? Its a pity we in India would replace that with a leggy bollywood superstar's face who is as close to biking as Outer Mongolia is to Andheri!

Suer thing mate!

Bajaj Said:

Bajaj would like to clarify the following in the context of its concerns over possible infringement of its DTS-i technology –
Bajaj believes that the use of twin spark technology, christened Bajaj DTS-i (Digital Twin Spark – Ignition), in small automotive engines is worthy of intellectual protection.

It had thus applied for the same for the Indian market on July 16, 2002 and was granted approval via patent number 195904 on July 7, 2005. If there exists any application for revocation of this patent, details of the same are not known to Bajaj.Similarly, it is also expecting approval of its international patent applications in various foreign countries subsequent to its application PCT/IN03/000348 dated October 30, 2003.

By virtue of the presence of DTS-i technology, Bajaj motorcycles including the Discover, Pulsar, and Avenger, have made Bajaj the leader not just in the premium (125 cc – 250 cc) motorcycle segment in India, but also in exports.

Given this success, various global manufacturers have in recent years attempted to imitate and thus infringe upon Bajaj technology/products, and Bajaj has and will continue to thwart them.Most recently Chinese manufacturer Taian Chiran Machinery Co ltd. and its Sri Lankan distributor were instructed by the honourable High court of Western Province, Sri Lanka to withdraw their copy of the Bajaj Pulsar with DTS-i technology from the market.

Bajaj has been anxious that failing domestic manufacturers may in an act of desperation adopt similar dubious methods in India.

Bajaj is preparing to defend its intellectual property in the event that such a product is eventually introduced. At that time, if evaluation of the actual product appears to suggest reasonable grounds for infringement, Bajaj will take all necessary steps to safeguard its interests as also to inflict the maximum permissible damage upon the offender so as to set an effective precedent for the future.

Bajaj accords the highest importance to its IP portfolio and will defend the same. Bajaj cautions against any attempt to infringe.

TVS Said:

Hosur, September 2, 2007: The TVS Motor Company is surprised at the wild and irresponsible allegations made by Bajaj Auto Ltd accusing TVS Motor Company of breaching their patent rights. The accusation is a malicious attempt to tarnish the fair name of a corporate that belongs to TVS group, which has consistently maintained the highest standards of ethics in business.

That the allegation of Bajaj Auto is ridiculous can be established by their own admission that the invention in issue namely, the application of twins spark plug is a known technology extensively in use all over the world for several decades and therefore, in patent law, it is a known prior art.

The patent that Bajaj claims is not for the use of twin spark plug technology per se but for the use of the two spark plug in a two valve IC engine with a detachably fixed sleeve. Against this patent also an application for revocation has already been filed based on settled case law on the subject. In any event, the use of Twin Spark Plug technology by TVS Motor does not infringe the above patent against which revocation proceedings are initiated.

In the circumstances and view of the malicious allegation made with the motive to damage our reputation, TVS Motor Company has been advised to initiate action for libel against Bajaj Auto Ltd. The TVS Motor Company therefore has advised its lawyers to put Bajaj Auto Ltd on notice that unless the malicious allegations are withdrawn and regrets expressed, to file a suit for damages in a sum of Rs. 250 crores. This action does not preclude TVS Motor from initiating such other action as the law may permit including criminal action against officials of Bajaj Auto Ltd who used libellous language against TVS Motor.

http://www.monoshock.in/ said:

We could do with a fraction of this kind of awareness amidst bikers (forget what happens to the issue, cause when 2 elephants make love, its just the puny grass that suffers!) about the number of dudes who die in bike crashes on motorcycles from Bajaj and/ or TVS!

We could do away with bad roads and killer buses with patented 'no brakes on time ever' systems that are achieveing 6 sigma standards in terms of never ever failing to fail!

We could do with a little more space in the news print about how motorists driving SUVs, busy taking the pick of the night home for a lay after 16 drinks should respect the salesman, riding back home to see his little daughter!

We could do with so many things. Like going out for a ride. I rode a Pulsar today to meet a pal of mine doing his RTR and we hugged like brothers. United by biking. Patents and legalities are mere business. Biking and brotherhood is not. That is serious business. Ride Safe!