All traditions have to begin somewhere. Having covered our cars and selves in mud to celebrate four-wheel drive and the monsoon, it was time for the bikes to join in the fun. So we instantly called up nobody and decided to go churn up some mud with our long termers. Good plan? Well, in hindsight, we should have been doing this for years!
Obviously, I finagled into the saddle of the Pulsar 180, while Bijoy wielded his Honda Unicorn and Nandu was on the Discover to start with. Yes, poor Pablo, forever singing paeans to the comfort levels of his Fazer, got stuck with it.
PET project
Once we got to our super-secret test location, we realised that instead of a continuous timed run, we’d have to split the tests into three separate sections due to geographical constraints.
Since we were doing this for the first time, we decided to park the stop watch and just go with the seat of the pants. Next time, we plan to use even more sensitive testing equipment for even more muddled, er... clearer results.
The first of the tests was a stream crossing, location to be decided by Bijoy. So our man slides right up to a place where the water’s at least twenty feet wide and thirty inches deep in the middle. Nice. Make no small plans, eh? To make the challenge tougher, one bank was rocky and the other one muddy.
The best machine would combine the ability to find traction along with good ground clearance (rocks underneath) and if all else failed, the ability to stay afloat (self explanatory).
The second test saw us riding a short trail with a rocky/muddy surface, moderate undergrowth and sections where thorny bushes, incoming trees and strategically placed stones and roots would make life difficult.
The final test, and the most enjoyable one, was one of control. We were to draw circles (eventually lurid eights) around three (later two) trees, as quickly as possible. The grassy-muddy surface meant that traction was scarce, slides and wheelspin abundant. A foot down would cost you five seconds. However, as the fun, er... test progressed, it became harder and harder to control our laughter and the stopwatch was parked for good.
Outside the podium
The Yamaha Fazer has the least disputed position of all here. Its meek power delivery and sense of ‘what am I doing here?’ ensured that. In the water, it made the hardest crossing, with the 125cc engine struggling to get the rear wheel over obstacles. Pablo reported that his calf muscles got quite a workout helping the Yamaha through the water. The same story repeated itself on the trail. Once more, while all the motorcycles struggled for grip with their street tyres, the Yamaha found it the hardest. The 125cc single did prove to be a load of fun in the figure eight championship though. Its soft power delivery allowed even the most ham-fisted of riders to swing it around the trees with relatively minor wheelspin. The long ride back saw Pablo, most comfortable,in the Yam’s saddle as the rest of us, shifted on our mud soaked bottoms.
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