[HowieUK]

Sorry to add fuel to the flames but a a good ninety percent of bike riders hold no bike license whatsever even in their home countries. A International license is a necessity to rent a bike or scooter in India but this also is totally ignored.

If stopped by the police they will ask for Rs500 but with a good sob story you can knock them down to Rs 200! Scooters that are hired also have no insurance as far as I know (Don't qoute me on that one!)

Riding in India means "defensive riding " all the time. What I was taught in England many years ago is that you treat all other road users as potential 'killers' but apart from that you also have the extra burden of the poor road conditions.

The other day I saw an old man teaching a middle age lady how to ride by pushing her up the road and telling her when to use the brakes, and where they were!!!
Lets hope she lives to tell the tale.

Howie

Mervin, on Apr 10 2007, 01:48 PM, said:

Hello people..

it is rather sad to hear that. But two wheeler in India is a very common means of transport these days. We shoudl educate people os proper riding tips may be we cannot stop disasters but rather stop them.
I wonder how some people even get license for the kind of riding I have seen. not being political but its a fact and I guess you guys agree with it.

[cyberhippie]

Yep absolutely true Howie, add to that the fact that so many of these inexperienced riders turn into to Rossi overnight and you've got the recipe for disaster. My brekkie spot is on the main road as you come into Palolem, during my rather long breakfasts I'm often angered by the way some drive. Is it really necessary to drive at 50-70 KPH whilst in the village???
Of course taxi drivers are just as bad!!

[Mervin]

Hello...

I agree with you both.. Its very true..last month when I had been riding to Goa I did see a couple of riders just speeding through the corners and one of them almost missed my front wheel..
Firstly when you are on the road I would rather say respect the other rider/driver  as its not just you on the road.
I guess you both must be riding for years now and must have tales to tell about.
Now since Helmet is a must in few cities it was again political just to clear out helmet stocks, cops are rather not to keen on what you wear. I see people wearing construction helmets and felt caps....hee hee...
I would rather have my head crushed diretcly....
Hey you know in the US they have these helmets actually authorised by DOT....we have something called ISI in India..but I think the RTO here should take more interest in serving people.....
In Bangalore after the Helmet rule was implied there were 60 deaths in two wheeler in 2months....thats too much...the reason being..people are not used to helmets and when I had a very brief survey done on this..this is what many had to say...
" WHEN WE WEAR HELMETS WE CANNOT SEE THE PERSON BEHIND US AND WE ARE NOT IN A POSITION TO TURN TO EITHER SIDES WHICH LEADS US TO EITHER BLOCK WAY FOR PERSON BEHIND US OR GET HIT BY SOMEONE SPEEDING NEXT TO US"

So what do we have to say about this

[Mervin]

I think some of the riding gears must be intorduced here in India atleast for people who ride regulalry. Once again all these topics are made political in the end of the day.
And paying the cops aah thts one thing which can easily get you out of anything. INSURANCE is something which is very important and you need it here. Many vehicles are running without insurance on road and also a vehicle more than 15 years old needs a fitness certificate FC.
as per the law you are not supposed to ride one without FC and once your FC lapse unless you pay under the table no insurance company will be willing to extend your insurance.
but these things are just let gone. Half the cops I have seen dont bother to know about FC or I assume they are not aware of it. So beware when you trade with old motorcycles.

[Mervin]

cyberhippie, on Apr 13 2007, 11:21 AM, said:

Yep absolutely true Howie, add to that the fact that so many of these inexperienced riders turn into to Rossi overnight and you've got the recipe for disaster. My brekkie spot is on the main road as you come into Palolem, during my rather long breakfasts I'm often angered by the way some drive. Is it really necessary to drive at 50-70 KPH whilst in the village???
Of course taxi drivers are just as bad!!

Hey CH....why taxi drivers have you noticed the pizza delivery guys...they speed up just like jet planes..There was an interesting article in the paper. It said that we should actually take into consideration the fact how the pizza boy delivers  in midst of the city traffic risking his life. I quite dont remember the lines but it was one of the city headlines on times of India.....

[cyberhippie]

Yeah introducing protective gear to India would be a good idea and a lucrative market in the future!! I'm not sure I agree with you about the helmets being dangerous. It takes a bit of getting used to it's true but with practise it's easy to ride with a helmet!. I've known three people who've died on Indian roads, in every case a helmet would have saved their life. I wear one as well these days, since it sure keeps the police out of my hair and they're now readily available for an affordable price. The newer helmets are safe as well. I still remember those roadside stalls, fabricating helmets. They looked as if the simple act of dropping them would cause them to explode. No real protection at all!

Of course the best thing to avoid injury is to drive defensively and withing your limits. In India, riding defensively requires a lot of awareness and concentration. A dog or stray cow can really spoil your day!!

[Mervin]

cyberhippie, on Apr 16 2007, 04:26 PM, said:

Yeah introducing protective gear to India would be a good idea and a lucrative market in the future!! I'm not sure I agree with you about the helmets being dangerous. It takes a bit of getting used to it's true but with practise it's easy to ride with a helmet!. I've known three people who've died on Indian roads, in every case a helmet would have saved their life. I wear one as well these days, since it sure keeps the police out of my hair and they're now readily available for an affordable price. The newer helmets are safe as well. I still remember those roadside stalls, fabricating helmets. They looked as if the simple act of dropping them would cause them to explode. No real protection at all!

Of course the best thing to avoid injury is to drive defensively and withing your limits. In India, riding defensively requires a lot of awareness and concentration. A dog or stray cow can really spoil your day!!

hey Ch I too garee on that marketive part. Actually me n a friend form US are actually starting by monsoon end with providign some new gears like leather jackets, vest coats for summer riding and many more with attractive design and lining using lot of Indian cultural stuff. may be I will pass you the link once my website is up and running. I totally agree with helmets I carry 3 of my own..one for hot climate....another for long rides and one for city limits the open face like harley style.
but its just educating people about the facts. Government should introduce new ways of issuing license. Have you ever been to RTo to get a license in India or may be seen ur friend do that...Watch it sometime a very very interesting fact.
I wouldn't discuss you should experience it...