I am a 30-year old Bank-professional from Bangalore, and the owner of a Yam rx100 (1994 make). Of course I have rode almost all the bikes in our country, inclusive of the RD350 as well as the Lightning 535.
So what is an uncle’s review doing in a modern macho bike, one might ask!! READ ON.
During our days, most of the bikes were, you could say, stereotyped. The Suzuki Samurai, the KB, the Hero Honda. Bikes like the Yezdi and the Bullet were slowly being replaced by the 100ccs. And there were few departures from the norm like the Splendor and the KB4s (1997 model). And a good Sports bike in our time would be the Yam rx or the Shogun.
The market has, definitely, changed. Now the most common vehicle is the Pulsar, and most of its features are unheard of from our times. Almost every bike now has features like self-cancelling indicators as well as a digital speedo.
Yesterday I had been to the hospital to visit one of my family-friends. He is a college-going lad. His father had bought him a Karizma.
Last week he was taking a turn, and the bike skidded on some gravel, and CRASH. Now he is in the hospital with a broken leg. With screws.
NOW I DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST THE BIKES OF THESE DAYS.
But definitely the manufacturers need to rethink their design. No doubt bikes of today look more trendy than our 80’s bikes. Bikes like the R15 and the FZ were thought as only vehicles you see from a foreign movie, and their performance and pickup too is phenomenal.
But then after viewing these three bikes carefully - the Karizma, the R15 as well as the FZ, I see that these bikes DO NOT ship with CRASHGUARDS.
Thanks to various rules in different states, we have laws preventing helmet-less riding, which is actually for the good of all riders. With a good helmet, you are safe from all head-on as well as back-end collisions.
While riding, there are some controllable things and some uncontrollable things. The speed at which you go, the way you handle your bike, all that is controllable. The way others ride, the way they handle their vehicle - that’s uncontrollable.
I have had my share of accidents too, and by the Grace of God, I am still alive, and also I do not have any broken bones till date. But when I met that fellow, I realised that if he had a crash-guard, he would have WALKED AWAY from that accident with a few bruises and minor injuries.
So this is your takeaway from this review.
1) Make sure your bike has a good crash-guard. If possible, leave the bike on the ground, balancing on the guard, and see whether your leg is unobstructed.
2) Some vehicles do not come with crash-guards installed. It will cost a lot to customize a crash-guard, and it will compromise on the looks, but it is a remarkable investment.
Above all,
Enjoy life, and make sure you can continue enjoying.
Ride safe.
Regards.