SprtRd - the 5th service

The 2nd last free service. Fab job unlike last time. Running like maska now.

Needless to say, I am lovin it!

SprtRd - the 4th service

I had my doubts when I saw Venkatesan at the service bay instead of the sales office. "Saar, 2 people resigned .... I have been moved into service now" .... oh well, just get my bike serviced & have a look at the squeaks from the brakes while you are at it.

Came home. The promised SMS informing me of service completion by 2 PM did not come. Nor did it come at 3. At 4, decided to march off to the dealership myself.

SprtRd was standing ready & polished. "Why didn't you send the SMS?", I ask at the payment counter .... "we were jusssst about to" comes the reply.

Riding back, something seems amiss. Take off to Reliance Fresh for the weekly shopping .... & it slowly becomes apparent .... something is jamming the rear wheel. It isn't freewheeling.

Off to the mechanic .... he diagnoses it as a chain too tight. Adjusts it pretty quickly. All seems well.

NOT the usual bike service that I am used to.

Scything through ...

Moments come, which come but rarely when driving in Bangalore traffic, when we pass a signal just before it turns red, when a gap appears in the next lane just when you need it, when there is just enough space on the right of the fast lane to allow one to overtake a long line of cars & get to the front of the column, and when the soul of a driver, long suppressed, finds utterance.

Today was such a day, when nothing could stop my advance & when all potential obstacles just seemed to melt away as I approached them.

Amazing, it made me happy enough to want to make a blog post about it!

saved

Speeding down the back road near Silk Board junction. A kid, looking left, starts crossing the road .... from the left. About 5 metres ahead of where I am.

The guy standing near the tea stall understands the situation, whirls around to see what happens. Not that there's anything he can do. The kid is still oblivious.

The rear brake is pressed hard. The wheel locks .... the first screech ensues .... the kid whirls around, his eyes widen. The bike starts skidding to the right. I squeeze the front brake lever harder while upshifting quickly.

The kid has halted by now. I'm about a meter from him .... but I've managed to point the bike away from him. The kid stands frozen. I realize it's gonna be okay as I almost come to a standstill. He's saved by a couple of feet.

It all happens in a couple of seconds. I rev into 2nd & ride away.

SprtRd - the 3rd service

A pretty well executed service in contrast to last time. The gears now just make click-click sounds while shifting ... no effort at all .... swell! And the Teflon treatment makes it look like new.

SprtRd's 2nd service

The pick up has gone up perceptibly while the gear shifting is smoother. The engine sounds more relaxed while crusing & the top speed's gone up to 80 ..... nice!

And yes, today was the 1st time that I got all greens at the 4 traffic signals on the way to office.

Bump!

I have to hit ~ 26 speed bumps & face 4 traffic signals on the 10 km commute to work everyday. One way.

Saved?

Somebody had messed with SprtRd's fuel pipe and the handle lock on Monday night. Didn't take it to work. The chain & fuel lock might have saved my bike, I think.

1st service

Took SprtRd for the 1st service today. It's come out shifting better & running less stressed. The pick up seems to have gone up marginally.

SprtRd

1st August - Booked it

2nd August - Brought it home

3rd August - Got the number

4th August - Tuned it

5th August - Brought it to office

2 observations -

• I should've bought a faster bike
• I need a car pretty soon