Here are some tips for people learning to ride a bike-1

These tips are based on my experiences while riding, so are not from some professional racer.

While riding you suddenly spot a speed breaker or a pot-hole and can't avoid and have to ride over it.

Do avoid pressing the front brake too much to slow down, use the rear brake more. Of course this is not compulsory but preferred.

The reason for advocating less front brake use *only* in this case is that when you press the front discs, the front fork(shock-absorbers) compress or *dive* and so when in this state, if you go over a speed-breaker or a pot-hole or speed breaker you will hear a *thud*

This sound is because the front shock absorber has been depressed to its limit.

I don’t think it harms the bike radically, though I will try and find it out.

The above experience is based on having disc brakes at front, I don’t know if drum brakes make the front shocks behave in such manner, even this I will check it out.

Of course having tech like Anti-Dive would change the scenario.

Yamaha Gladiator Type-SS

Yamaha Gladiator Type-SS will soon burn Indian roads...but...
gladiator maybe best in class by its sheer performance...
still it may never be popular for the following reasons...in no specific order..
>it doesn't have the minimum 150cc motor to be called sporty bike....
>its brand visibility and/or promotion(ads,etc) is not upto the mark....
>service center's have to increase in numbers
>and lastly there has to be some way to convince people that buying a yamaha doesn't turn out to be their mistake in terms of after sales service and the company doesn't fold up its operations in India...till then the likes of HH, bajaj, TVS will rule the popularity charts....

Click below to read the bike's review at one of India's best biking websites!!!!

Test Ride/Review of 2008 Yamaha Gladiator Type-SS

Bring on the heat(Click on images for larger view)

This isn't mumbai! Its too cold! Mumbaikar's are not accustomed to handle this much cold!

Biking Gear-1(Click on images for larger view)

My Leather Gloves

Chilling Mumbai

Its damn cold! What next!

Brahmakamal flower(Click on images for larger view)

More pics coming soon. I am blogging from my sony ericsson k810i cybershot phone!

biking and other rumblings

just 2 weeks back I fell...nothing big....but the same thing..riding in dirt..front wheel lockup on a flat(gripless) concrete slab fixed in middle of the dirt track along the IIT(mum)route...and dump...luckily I was very slow..dirt didnt allow shoes(office) to get grip to gain balance...and was left with just a loose fairing ....
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for me goggles have been only a dream..thanks to me wearing glasses since 6th standard....
the doctor said in my formative years..my height grew too fast in a year..and eyes could not adjust to it...so I will have far-sightedness...he said not to worry...the number of the lens will stop growing after the age of 21 when your growth stops..
right !!
now i wear glasses with 6 number....people with headache wear 0 number glasses so you get the drift.....till now i used glass for specs lenses...
now my salary affords me plastic ones....
the current one is expensive...its of HOYA....
its got anti-glare(others headlights dont affect me a lot now)
anti-scratch(no distortion)
anti-stick(dust and water don't stick to it)
unbreakable to some extent and very light...
so all this features meant it was a bit thick....there were other lenses which were thin..but didnt have all these features....
so now these hi-tech lenses are perched on my nose by a frame which
has curvature like a goggle...covers eyes!! .. but the frame is wierd..
and take some effort to wear it inside a helmet...
first i wear the helmet..
but only half way through...
then i slide the glasses in but only enough for them to hang on..
then put the helmet in place..
and then the glasses go in place...
tricky system ...it works...
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Hero Honda will launch new models this year lets hope they aren't just addition of new paint and new stickers.
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First Weekend of 2008

In the new year. All that I can do to make my weekends less boring is to hope that MSEB(MSEDC) reduces the number of hours of lead shedding. Thankfully, the power is cut from 9.30 to 11.30 and then 1-3 in the noon, totaling to 4 hours but not at stretch. Still installing a sort of UPS is stupid, as on weekdays during the power cuts I am not at home.
I am contemplating on upgrading my bike riding gear, new set of gloves are already on the cards, and maybe add knee and elbow pads(speculative!)
Some people I know are in love, which is a good thing for them at least. I hope their love stays eternal. And not like some bollywood affairs.
Being a bit of nicholas cage fan, I will try and watch National Treasure 2.
Among Bollywood movies right now, only Jodha-Akbar has me all excited.
Right now I am listening to lots of songs by the band The Doors.
Last week at our office we ordered Chicken Masala from ICH Canteen(Seepz, Andheri). And it was a far better deal, than what you get at KayDee's canteen(Seepz, Andheri), where chicken is not cooked enough so its not soft enough.

Sanket kambli is back in his good old avatar of sankoobaba

There are frustrating times when frustration reaches a crescendo. In such turbulent times all the you wait is a......zzzzzzz..zzzzzzzzz..zzzzzzz

wake up!!!! Got to finish my work!!! Where is my cup of tea!!!!

Is feeling drowsy a disease or a disorder or is it something that cannot be avoided, especially when you know, that you are trying hard to avoid feeling sleepy. This could potentially be a lunch-induced drowsiness, which forces my eye-lids to shut down. Fortunately this sleepy trend lasts only for 20 minutes and after that miraculously it dissolves and I feel fresh, irrespective of a refreshing cup of tea. So till I find a solution to this problem it cannot cease to exist and will continue to torment me almost every afternoon.

The wonder years of wonderful people who always wonder about the wonderful wonders of this wonderful world which eventually makes me wonder whether it is really wonderful.

I saw the movie "I am Legend" and this movie simply moves Will Smith, higher on my favorite Hollywood actors list.

Photo of the day...

Photos of my new mobile....sony ericsson k810i...3.2 megapixel

Click here to view my mobile photo