Street Motorcycle

I need not be ashamed that as a motorcycle enthusiast from India.. I do not watch MotoGP

Racing.. Motorcycle Racing.. Motorcycling racing in India and Indians.. So what up?

First Indian to have featured at Moto GP (125 class), thinking of driving a Taxi now..

TVS Motors prides itself with its 20+ years of racing heritage in the domestic racing scene. Mahindra currently participates in the Moto3 category at the premier World MotoGP Championship and also participates in a 125 cc, 2 stoke racing championship in Italy, Hero MotoCorp has made a big PR splash with its association with EBR (Eric Buell Racing) in the AMA (in some American racing series). Honda and Yamaha (& also TVS) runs their “one make races” in the domestic motorcycle racing scene. And the big news is that come 2013 and India (& Buddh International Circuit) will feature the World Superbike Championship calendar..!!

Personally, I have never cared to follow motorcycling racing. How can I? At the highest level, I see no passion in trying to root for a racer/manufacturer of foreign origin. At the domestic level there is zilch coverage of the racing events to get me interested (actually hardly anybody cares for even Ranjit Trophy). That’s one reason you won’t find me posting about racing.

Blogs, auto sites, forums go gaga “copy + pasting” the news and press releases (that automatically finds its way to the inbox of bloggers like me) of how racing is alive and kicking in India. But when the first Indian to have ever featured in a MotoGP (125 cc class in 2011) race decides not to race citing “personal” reasons, nobody cares and goes well.. unnoticed.

Story of Sarath Kumar:

Sarath Kumar will be remembered in history as the first Indian to feature in the premier 125 cc class at MotoGP in 2011. Although it was not a fairy tale affair with him struggling to just qualify for the initial races and managing to race in just one circuit and finishing last in it. After that Sarath (and probably his Indian team Ten10) did not participate for the entire 2011 season. Things appeared bright for Sarath once Mahindra Racing decided to take him under their wings and let him race as one of their racers in the 125 cc class in a 2012 (ongoing) Italian racing championship. Sarath did well and even managed to secure a third spot in one of the races.



But a few weeks back there appeared a video on Youtube about Sarath and how he was struggling to meet his family commitments and keep his racing passion alive at the same time. Sarath who is still a young boy, revealed in that video that he was contemplating on taking up driving a taxi to be able to support his family financially. He did thank his team, Mahindra Racing on supporting him and giving opportunity to race for them but due to the lack of a sponsor, he was now finding it hard to concentrate on racing.

And just a couple of days after the video, I came across a news article which said that Sarath opts out of the Italian Championship citing “personal’ reasons. Surprisingly this news hasn’t been able to create the same amount of buzz.

It’s probably fashionable to talk about Rossi/Lorenzo/Moto GP and how WSBK is coming to India, how Honda/TVS/Yamaha is supporting domestic racing in India, how Hero Moto and Mahindra Racing is taking India’s name in the international racing circuit.. but when it comes to someone as humble like Sarath Kumar and what it seems like giving up on racing (God forbid), nobody seems to care. Come on, how much would it take to take care of Sarath’s finances? Rs. 30-40K per month? That would be like a single 10 second Ad spot on Prime time TV..!!



If this is how Indians care about racing, I am relieved that I should not be ashamed as a biker that I don’t watch MotoGP.

Related Posts

• Indonesians, Indians, Myself and MotoGP [Jun 2011]



• Mahindra, Ten10 Racing to be the first ever Indian teams at MotoGP [Nov 2010]

This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.

Unique facts about Off-Road motorcycles..

Off road motorcycles are something alien to most Indians. So far now we have never had any history of an off road bike being commercially successful in India. To most of us, any motorcycle with raised suspension and minimalistic body work is a “Dirt Bike”.

Like most Indians I too never fully understood the details which make off road motorcycles stand out or which makes them unique. I could not understand things like:

• "Why is the tank of an off road bike flat and small in shape?"


• "Why does the seat on an off road bike extend over the tank?"


• "Why does a rider stick his leg out while cornering an off road bike?"

Although I have not ridden any off road bike till date, this post is about some unique aspects of off road motorcycles that I have learnt over the years.


[A] Pure off road/Motocross motorcycles are NOT Street Legal

An off road bike in its purest form is called as a “Motocross” bike*. Motocross motorcycles are used only in Motocross racing (hence the name). These motorcycles do not adhere to pollution norms and can’t be registered for street use.

[* There are also some different forms which have evolved out of Motocross motorcycles, but I will post about those motorcycles in a different post]


[B] Pure off road/Motocross motorcycles do not have headlamp, tail lamp, speedometer or rear view mirror

Since motocross motorcycles are used specifically for racing or riding in closed circuits, they do way with the headlamp, tail lamp, speedometer or rear view mirror.

[C] Pure off road/Motocross motorcycles are single seaters

You obviously don’t need a pillion for racing, therefore these motorcycles are single seaters. Also motocross motorcycles are not designed for rider comfort and are therefore ergonomically uncomfortable for long stints on the saddle.


[D] Off road motorcycles have a larger front Wheel (compared to the rear wheel)

I have not ridden one but from what I have learnt is that having a bigger diameter front wheel makes maneuvering the bike over dirt/bad roads easier.

[E] Off road motorcycles have spoke wheels

Alloy wheels look cool on street motorcycles but off road motorcycles comes fitted with spoke wheels as spokes seem to take the pounding while riding over bad roads better than alloy wheels (which could crack on heavy impact).

[F] Off road motorcycles have a flat tank

One of the reason for having a small tank is because the bike is used primarily for racing around closed tracks, they do not need to carry large amounts of fuel. This also helps in making the bike lighter in weight.

The other reason for having a flat tank with the seat extending over the tank is because cornering an off road bike is different than a road bike and the rider needs to transfer his weight on the bike and hence the seat extends over the tank as well.


[G] Cornering on an off road bike is different

While cornering on a street motorcycle with a slight forward bias riding posture or on a track motorcycle with a forward bias stance, one usually sticks his/her knee out and bends the motorcycle around the corners. But on an off road motorcycle this is not possible.

The high handlebars and a high saddle height makes "hanging off" the off road motorcycle (like a street motorcycle) not possible.

To corner on an off road motorcycle, the rider slides up the flat seat transferring his weight on the front wheels which enables the front to get additional grip over the loose surface. The rider then sticks his leg out towards the side he wants the motorcycle to turn, this makes the motorcycle lean into the corner.

After taking the corner, the off road motorcycle rider then slides backwards on the seat to transfer his/her weight on the rear wheels now so that the rear gets more purchase out of the loose surface, enabling the off-road rider to power out of the corner smoothly.







[Note:

Back in the early-mid 90’s Bajaj did try to sell a “Dual purpose/On-off road” model called Enduro SX and Hero Motors did try to sell a BMW model called F650GS in India. But both models flopped badly]

Related Posts

• Not every KTM bike is an Off-Roader



• Hero Moto Corp to launch "Hero Impulse" a Dual Purpose/On-Off motorcycle in India [Aug 2011]

This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.