Are You Planning For A Winter Ride?
So
finally winters have arrived. Most of the bikers enjoy riding in winters. At
least I love to ride in winters despite lots of challenges that winters brings
with it. Whether you are an experienced rider or an enthusiast to start riding
in winters, here are certain things that you should keep in your mind to make
your riding experience more fun and more comfortable.
Warm Up The Engine: As you feel little frozen in winters your bike engine too. So it’s always a good idea to warm up your engine before taking it to a long ride. Start your engine and keep it in idle state for some time, usually for 2-3 minutes which will bring the engine into its optimal running temperature and it also lubricates rest of the essential internal parts. This will eventually increase your bike health. For Royal Enfield guys especially, first always try kick start your engine whether you have electric start button or not (not pin pointing you guys, it’s a special love for RE riders).
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| Explorer Rider Akki on road trip to Spiti |
Riding In
Fog/Smog: Most of the bikes do not come up with the built-in fog lamps or
hazard lights, especially the average bikes used in India don’t have that
features by default. In winters when you are riding through the fog or smog
(fog mixed with smoke, which recently created a high level issue in the capital
region of India) it is highly recommended to have good fog lamps. These fog
lamps or hazard light system can be installed from a knowledgeable motor
mechanic in an affordable price range.
Avoid wearing dark sunglasses while riding
instead use an anti-fog visor for your helmet. In such foggy conditions, if you
see some mist on the visor then stop somewhere at safe point and clean your
visor and resume your ride. Most importantly, keep your speed slow and steady
by maintaining a good distance from the vehicle ahead of you. You must have heard about the Smog which was said to be the main reason of accidents in the Delhi NCR. Checkout the video on my YouTube channel about the reasons of dense fog. Click on the below link for complete video.
https://youtu.be/JF-P9ze9GzU
https://youtu.be/JF-P9ze9GzU
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| Explorer Rider Akki on foggy roads at day time |
Don’t Compromise With Riding Gears: We commonly see some of the rider compromises
with their riding gears. They usually put on lot of warm clothes layers which
they think can save them from the freezing weather. Wearing lot of clothes is a
good idea in winters but not for riding. Always choose a riding jacket that has
a removable thermal liner to keep your body insulated. Choose a proper riding
gloves instead of wearing highly stuffed woolen gloves which will ultimately
reduce your grip over the accelerator and long use of these gloves will make
your hands tired soon. Wearing a good quality balaclava will be a nice option
that covers your face and neck from the cold breeze or optionally you can have
a thin but warm muffler.
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| Explorer Rider with full gears |
Taking Halts Won’t Harm: To keep your body more fit during the long
winter ride, take short breaks constantly and have something warm to drink and eat
well. This will help your body to maintain internal temperature and fight from
the cold weather. Reflex your body every time so that the blood gets circulated
to all the body parts properly. This will make your essential body parts work
effectively for example, brains and your hands to take correct and accurate
decision on time.
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| Explorer Rider Akki at lunch time |
Have a superbly
awesome warm ride. Keep exploring, keep riding.
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