Safety perspective at age 30: I had my first scooter (Bajaj Super) accident when I was 18. Skid on sand (hard brake) and hit my head on the pole. Saved by the helmet, which I put on to keep myself warm on a winter morning. That changed my perspective on Safety, Fortunately very early. After that I was saved two more times due to gear. But tbh, its not possible to wear riding gears for commutes everytime. I think the helmet, shoes and the attitude of not being stupid is what I rely on now a days. Recently bought a car, the 5* punch mainly for long distance commutes. Still in the process of discovering the last 20-30 bhp. Safety is unfair. Its like a game, where we have to give our best for 365 days a year for something that may or may not happen. But it takes 1 second for the opponent to defeat us. But then, who said life is fair. 🙂
You're killing us with the last lines there RDM! That's a GREAT GREAT line and perspective! But in a Universe where entropy is the natural progression of things... it can't be any other way
True... 😄 Hyped for upcoming episodes... Do shed some light on the future of mobility, like full evs vs hybrids vs alternate fuels. You can also talk about Cyborgification 🤣 On a serious note, do you think there is any future where humans can control vehicles with minds directly? Neuralink sort of thing...
@@wikedbeast Eventually I suppose it must be. Control mechanisms becoming simpler is an obvious and constant trend. Can't wait for ports in my head so that footage and thoughts can be downloaded natively and given to the editor who can think about the film and then output it directly 🤣
In an era where our young bloods are having a smaller retention than a gold fish , these gizmos are most welcome. I love these podcast series, something better than 15 secs of dopamine. Thank you 🙏
Hello guys, good going! I am 37 with a new born baby girl. I have never been into biking but I use Activa for my daily commute. I recently got fixed the left rear view mirror which was shaking a lot! In an overcrowded “Always in a hurry and never on time” city traffic, I believe having vibration free good rear view mirrors at both the sides on the bike is extremely important! These podcasts will definitely bring such awareness 👍
At 25.55 shumi quotes atomic habits so naturally … that shows how in-depth these two gentlemen are and how educative are every words they speak . That’s one of the reason one keep visiting their podcast again and again to learn something new …
One thing I am absolutely loving about this podcast, is that I have seen glimpses of these topics and conversations in previous videos that Shumi and Kartikeya have done together, and I always wanted to hear more about what those conversations looked like in private when they discussed in detail So privileged and happy to be able to hear them through this series
Hey Rishal, hahaha yeah it is like an extension of things we’d discuss after the camera switched off. And it’s awesome to have you as a part of the conversation! Thank you!
And I must say chatting cars and bikes with Kartikeya opens my mind to new thoughts and perspectives... which I'm enjoying and looking forward to immensely!
Hello guys, loved the perspectives and conversation!! I am 30 year old, I have a 125 CC motorcycle and recently purchased a BMW 310GS, a steep upgrade :P. For me safety is so important that the day I booked my bike, I got a good helmet post thorough research and spent 11k for it and also got a riding gear, spent 16k. Have been advising all my friends who are getting bikes to invest on good helmets and riding gear. Recently on a ride with the bike fully loaded, I was making a small turn at 2 or 3 kmph and due to the road conditions, it slipped and eventually had to drop the bike while I hit the ground with my palms and knee peeling a layer of sand on the ground. Thanks to the gloves and the knee armors which took all of the impact. A fellow pillion (on another motorcycle) who was also geared up fully except for the gloves got inspired by the incident to wear gloves all the time. My drop was an awareness!!
I envy those who are REAL friends with Shumi !! Whenever I hear his thoughts, it all becomes so relatable. Like I am listening to my own thoughts. As far as my perspective on safety is concerned, I am 51 now and I learned to ride back in 1989. And from the first day I got my learning license, I am wearing a helmet. My uncle brought it for me from Delhi as there were no helmet shops in my locality. And from then till now I have only improved on my safety gear as my budget permitted.
Awesome conversation 2 things I would like to share: 1. Touch screens are not that great for interaction while driving, it requires a constant glance to check whether you did it right or not (secondary distraction) whereas with hard buttons and knobs , we can have muscle memory built..without looking at the console it can be correctly used. 2. I am 34 and have a 3year old baby. I bought the Tata car precisely because of safety and Car seat was in place before he got old enough to sit in that. I have been riding bike since 18 but now I consider spending more on safety then putting LED in tyre pressure valve.. and there are so many things which I consciously do now then before. Thanks to you people for sharing the knowledge and spreading awareness. A big thankyou 😊
Helloooooo to baby! RBJ, as Kartikeya likes to remind me, the touchscreens are a waypoint on a journey that'll stop at voice commands next, and then mind control... But for things that need your attention constantly, touchscreens are definitely worse as a control method than hardware buttons and knobs
Truth be told. This is my first podcast ive listened to. Did not know that I'd like to just listen to 2 dudes just talking and me just spectate the whole thing. Loved the format.
Hey there, Mr. Shumi and Mr.Karhikeya I'm a 19-year-old who's been catching your awesome content on YT, both PowerDrift and Motor Inc. Lately, your insights have totally revamped my outlook on motorcycling, handling traffic situations, and road rage. Been riding more responsible and your podcast on speed limits...man thats pure fire...helped me gain a lot of clarity on maintaining the correct speed at the correct situation. I'm stoked to put your advice into practice in real life, and I aspire to reach your level of skill. Your perspective on motorcycles is beyond amazing! Best regards and keep rocking!
Hey people , I'm 23 years old right now ,I'm a graduate , unemployed , i own a bike , i asked my dad to get one for me , thankfully he could afford it , for me in motorcycling Safety will be one of the most important parameter for me to decide , whether i should buy this product or not , apart from the value , i make sure that it meets the necessary standard for today's world , because down the line after few years those safety standards would obviously improve , so it would be dumb for me to ignore that as a cost cutting , when i can make my family buy a car/bike , i can always urge them to spend a few more money to buy and get that extra safety , so that both myself and my parents can feel safe while I'm on wheels . this my view on the product side , on a personal level as a motorcycle enthusiast , its more about how we feel connected to our machines , obviously I've had fun while driving at high speeds , i do that only when the road is empty and when i get the confidence to go that extra speed , when i consciously know that its unnecessary , yet i tend to satisfy my desire in a safe way , when there are bikes and cars around me , i always commute at the speeds that the roads allow and permits , rules and regulations are there to ensure our safety , there's no fun in being absolutely rash in a road , we may drive for fun , but for other people , their lively hood may depend upon this drive . i always ensure that my driving is in a state , where i can enjoy my ride and not to disturb any others with my enthusiasm . and once i got beyond the phase of speed and distance , driving slow and safe is more pleasurable than to rush in a hurry . 14:27 man that is dark , yet it's the bitter truth !
The flip side, of course, is that global populations will shortly show a downward trend (there's a great book called The Shock of Global Population Decline which explains this beautifully). And that, as always, will bring its own challenges
The strange thing is, we've forgotten this. My father is one of 15-16 siblings from a time when infant mortality was a big number. He, in fact, as assumed to be too weak to survive at birth. And the way he tells it, families produces large number of children not because contraception was hard to come by, but because it was the way to ensure you had a reasonable sized brood. It was assumed that many brothers/sisters would not be missed. We've come a long way along that same circle if you think about it
@shu_mar @motorinc whatever happens , we tend to move forward in life, the graph may go up and down but the graph still continues to move , has any human being ever stopped somewhere and said , its enough for me , let me stop ,they do , but they change tracks and move forward in their journey , trends change , but few things remains constant like nobody can deny a fact that we're marching towards our own end , i may sound dark , but its a fact , we deal with this life and this complexity just to make the future of our fellow beings to be easier and smooth , but they may have their own challenges , and this is us , having a good conversation via different places , yet connected :)
I started riding/driving at an early age. Rode like a speed high kid, had about 3 slipoffs to realise life is important. Hence promised myself before buying a d390, cause i knew, if i behave like before, i ll end up with most of my bones broken or probably dead someday. And d390 changed me to a very controlled, responsible motorcyclist. I approved my riding skills. After a few years, when i drive cars calmly my friend appreciated how smooth the ride was, he almost felt like the manual car was an automatic transmission and a lot of other things. Safety is the motive now. And driving/riding smoothly is a pleasure. When i hear you guys, the content is so relevant, the thought process is so much similar. I hope the community realises the importance of safety. If you look at people driving abroad like Japan/Europe, they are so disciplined. The entire story started at 15. Purchased 390 at about 24 when i shifted myself to a safer rider. Buying a xuv700 cause its more safer and spacious. Seltos was crossed out because of its 3* rating. About 31 now!
Brilliant podcast, these topics are not discussed in the same way right now openly most of the time anywhere online, so to see an extremely well thought out intelligent discussion on the same is refreshing.
Thank you guys for making this video. I am loving this podcast, and I love the approach Shumi had at the beginning of the conversation. I think safety is a important topic to discuss not only form the perspective of safety gears but also form an idea about what I can do and what I cannot and what I should do and what I should not in a certain situation. I read a very nice quote somewhere "you may not ride like Rossi, but you can slide like him, so it is better to be prepared." I am 29 years old and I am going for a long trip which will be more than 5000 km, so I serviced my motorcycle(Yamaha FZs V3), changed every possible things (which were necessary) and replaced with a new one. Attached one handlebar riser, replaced the break pads with a sintered brake pads. And carrying some spare parts also. Still figuring out if any thing needs some attention. P.S. : I did not service the motorcycle for this trip only. I always make sure that I keep it maintained, while I am riding for long distances or city commuting. I think it is a very important to keep me safe on the road.
Glad you love it! This is how I prep for long rides too! Regular service, re-torque all major bolts, a quick check on all consumables and ensure they have loads of life left. So that when I leave town, the motorcycle is the one thing that I know will not ask for attention
13:43 im so glad Kartik mentioned this. This has been my argument all along with people on instagram. You are driving at a much higher speeds than the tests.
I'm 39 and as this conversation goes on, I can't help but look back at how rash, brazen and absolutely ultra confident I was in my 20s. Jeez. And I have sobered down with risk taking but not with speed. Jeez. Age and experience does bring a lot to the table.
I'm 31, and love going off-road. I always was listening to shumi talk about protecting ourselves on the motorcycle and why there should be no compromise in it. I have heard stories of people getting into really slow speed accidents and how their skull cracked open like a coconut. So cut to last Sunday where I was on the flat track and had a really bad high side, my 25k leatt 5.5 body protector saved my shoulder from a fracture. Nobody in the family understood the importance of it and thought I was a posh fellow with money to spend(I'm broke). Now they know I saved at least 50k in hospital bills and 6 months of my time pain-free.
It's the strangest thing. But psychology studies do document this as normal human thinking. Where disaster is naturally hard for us to process as a possibility. We suppose that makes serious motorcyclists slightly more evolved than the average representative of our race! 🤣🤣🤣
@@shu_mar thanks for doing what you do. Helps me a lot. Has changed my perspective about so many things. Only wish good things for you and motorInc. Huge fan of all your work.
Just discovered your channel and found it extremely refreshing. I used to have a Discover 125 in college. As soon as I started earning, I got a Classic 500. With it came the urge to go touring. My dad insisted I get riding gear for safety. What I did discover is that the riding gear gave me immense confidence, not overconfidence on the road. It made me more focused and in the moment sort of rider and from then to now I wear it whenever I am taking any of my machines out.
Great to hear this. Enjoyed thoroughly. I am 34 years old, riding for about 13 years now. Here are my thoughts on SAFETY: I am only a rider (never a driver). I am going to base this on Motorcycles solely. I do account for the safety features when I am deciding on a motorcycle. If I see that a bike (used) does not have ABS, I am going to take a pause and think it over. In my opinion we are in a Perfect stage of motorcycle Safety Tech Intrusion (Yes, I called it Intrusion). Currently every Safety Tech is protecting a rider for the "After", it lets you make a mistake (the "Before"). And I think that's the best. Whether its ABS, TC, RWLP. It all gets involved AFTER the rider makes a mistake. They separate the whole experience based on the 'Control Mechanism', a Rider is in complete control 'Before', it is only once the situation gets out of human capacity that the Tech gets activated and takes control. i.e. ABS can be achieved by a human by rapidly pulling and letting go of the brakes according to the corresponding speed and friction level of the contact patch of the wheels, but it is humanly impossible to do so. Hence, ABS does that for you. I like the current level of intrusion by Safety Tech. I do know that soon there is going to be more tech involved in it than we anticipate. For now, I am in control and that should be the only thing that matters. Can't wait to tune in to the next podcast. Keep riding, Keep being awesome.
theXplorer! This is absolutely true. We believe the debate is that people don't have to be skilled because the tech will handle it. And that may sound logical. But what's probably more true than that is the fact that the majority won't upskill themselves and those are the ones who will truly need the tech to come save them regularly
@@motorinc Right on. Only a fraction of riders are willing to learn to be a better rider. No matter how safe a vehicle becomes, it is the rider's duty to never cross that human capacity. Good point. 🙏🙏🙏
@@shu_mar Well, I am a learner. Always have been, always will be. Been learning since more than a decade and I still find something mind boggling new. I guess Moto Jitsu Logic applies here. Most of us rate us 6-8, while being a measly 2-3. I have a few rules while on rides, I ride believing that every vehicle on the road is a hazard to me. Only I have to work towards my safety. No one else will. And that can be only achieved if I am good enough to account for numerous variables that may/will go wrong. It is not that I am riding in fear, I do enjoy the ride, it is just that feeling a little bit of fear in the back of my head makes me enjoy the ride a bit better. P. S. Shumi was the one who made me realize the importance of hugging the bike with my legs back in the day. Tried it and whoosh *mind blown*. Thanks for the good stuff. 🙏
Great going guys!!! I usually can’t wait and listen to these long videos/ podcasts, but Both the thisconnect videos have kept me hooked to the screen. Just feels like two very experienced people having a very open and casual yet honest conversation. 👍🏼
Age 40: Bought a Honda City Automatic, feels like it makes me drive more defensively, and happy with it, one hack i use is to put a "L" sticker in the rear, as there is no way i can get more space in the rear, as i could get as much i can in the front, but not in the rear, I have on quite a few occasions, people coming from behind, would be more alert, and use dipper or horn when they want to cross by.. which i felt is nice, which does not happen normally. I do ride a himalayan with a MT helmet. I completely agree with Shumi's words about finding risks and overcoming them makes us human, and empowered .... Keep connecting :)
I suppose we'll always be learners, but an L plate on a car with a licensed driver? We're not sure how we feel about that, despite the obvious advantages it gives you in terms of your ability to maintain space around you.
I am 19, i have been riding since just before turning 18. My first vehicle was a fascino which i brought on the recommendation from a friend, put 7k km on it in the first three months and knew i needed something better. I was in the market for an mt 15 cuz of all the reviews, yamaha was very appealing to me, I knew my commutes are long so I also wanted something with good mileage and mt 15 was just fitting quite nicely in it also the price was good. I went to the showroom i didn't know how to drive manuals at the time so didn't took a test ride, put some advance for the booking, came back the next day with my mom, looked at the r15m moto gp edition, it was just sitting there staring at me and i knew that this is what i want. So went ahead and bought that. Just while taking the bike from the showroom to home, mind you i had no prior experience of driving a manual, on my way itself, i decided that i need a helmet as i was using a half helmet from steelbird at the time, so i just stopped at a shop nearby brought a studds thunder and some probiker gloves. I didn't know anything about sizing, fit, or any real way to evaluate gears but i brought that and i drove to my home stalling only 7 or 8 times in a 5.6km stretch. Fast forward one or two month later, i found out that bikes had a lot more than just going fast straight and traveling from one place to another and i was getting more enthusiastic about bike and i wanted to use it, i wanted to push it, all while trying to know more about it, i got exposed to all of these good content from motojitsu, yammienoob, powerdrift, revzilla, etc mainly to get my skills better but safety and everything was slowly getting ingrained into me. I would wear my helmet and my gloves everywhere. I knew i wanted a better helmet, and also better gloves. So after a while i went and brought myself an axor devil or something like that this time around i knew i am supposed to get a proper fit, i tried all the sizes, only the xs was like fitting me properly so i brought that. Rode around wearing that helmet for 2 months or so, it was a good helmet, but the view from it was really bad, it made me feel claustrophobic, it would get loose too even though it was an xs, it had good features, i couldn't see a lot of stoplights and stuff so after two months of trying to make use of 5k that i spent a an 18 year old i gave up trying and i knew that this isn't for me and it's doing me more harm than good. Around the same time i also got an axor gloves, they have been really good i still wear them to this day. So after switching back to studds for a month maybe, i decided to buy the mt blade sv4, i saw a lot of good reviews for it and it felt good, i went again to buy it and mt stocks are very low here so i had to travel 35km from where i live only to find out the place was like 11kms only. So i did do that and i brought a m sized mt blade sv4, i overspent on it but it is something that i don't regret to this day, it fits me properly gives me good vision, is comfortable and is honestly something i enjoy wearing rather than dread having to wear it. After a while i also got a rynox storm evo jacket, i was again not going with the intention of buying this i wanted a basic entry level jacket but this was a good product and it made sense for me and later on i brought a rynox storm evo gloves and i knew that i need to have boots too so i brought a bbg boot. The boot and gloves took me a little time to get adjusted to but it was fine and i also got a carbonado gt3 bagpack mainly because of its features and its compatibility with riding. Fast forward to a month ago, i got into a major crash, i have had two crashes before but they were not major, both happened on the fascino i had good helmet and gloves so i was saved with minor scratches on my knees and elbows. So this major one, i was going on an empty flyover this is a good flyover that is usually empty with good amount of twists and turns, i come here usually to just have fun as it's a very controlled environment for me, as there is very little vehicles, no pedestrians, well maintained roads and all. So i was going back home through the flyover, i could see this ktm from 1km before i got on, that it was trying to sort of race me, i didn't want to race i was just minding my own business as i usually do, going efficiently, trying to manuever properly with more confidence and hopefully speed too without risking anybody including me. So i get into the flyover there is a curve i am going like 95ish and i start rolling off the throttle to go in the curve and i feel that the control over the bike is just gone, and i crash then and there, my bike did made the corner ending up into a crash on the left side into the left barricade of the flyover, thankfully no one was hurt, i flew straight from the bike and managed to lodge myself in between two barriers for the ongoing and incoming lane, i got out of the hole i guess i can say that. I was literally just hanging in air i held both the barricades with my hands there was nothing below my feet, and i first tried getting up using my feet and i had this eerie sense that my leg is broken because i could not feel it pushing on anything, thankfully it was not my leg there just was nothing. Beneath me and i got out got to the side, got the bike up. My carbonado hardshell saved my insta 360 that was inside it but got ruined in that, my gloves tore in half with just a little bit of aftermath left on my right pinky, i would have lost my head, my hand, my left feet, if i was not wearing riding gears. But i only got hurt in my legs, thighs i have a good scar. I was able to start riding three days after the accident. What happened in that accident was that the ktm rear ended me. I wear my riding gears almost everytime I can since I brought them, it's inconvenient sometimes, it feels bulky and stuff. Its okay, you can be careful all the time and it's just 1split second that can make all of that useless. So if you have gears wear them, if you can't wear those gears and if you are fortunate and able enough to get gears that are comfortable for you do it, it doesn't make sense to buy a gear and not wear it or to wear it just to show off. Try wearing gears everytime you can, get gears that are comfortable for you and that work for you no matter how many good reviews that piece of gear has. Get gear that you'll wear Wear the gear that you have
Loved the direct and honest points from Shumi and the deep breaths from Singhee visualising stuffs 😅 This podcast felt much more natural than the last one. Keep up the good work guys, waiting for the next one!
Smooth as butter conversation - sharp, knowledgeable and full of wit. Such a pleasure to listen to you guys discuss safety. Audio quality is great too! Keep 'em coming!
I'd love to see you talk about the Car Restoration scene in India and contrast that with the Scrappage Policy (somewhat ridiculous) in India. The amount of care and insanity that we put into caring for our vehicles, regular services, pollution checks, etc. I see no reason why my car can't grow old with me. Heck, Switzerland just banned EVs too.
@@hadouken2077 The Swiss ban is purely about EV charging loads possibly interfering with people's ability to heat homes during a temporary energy shortage. But I see your point. As far as I can tell, there are always exceptions for exceptionally valuable (money or emotion) vehicles wherever scrappage policies exist.
Loved the podcast !! I am 27, started riding 1.5 years back. Since then i have upgraded from a half face helmet, to a full face, to a ECE and DOT certified helmet (saving up for a shoie or arai now). For me crash is not a question of "if" but "when" and I just want to delay then "when" as much as possible. And "when" it happens, just want to reduce the damage (Will keep upgrading the riding gears). I totally relate to Shumi when he said motorcycle socks can make a difference even if it is 0.5%. I just changed my riding pants because the ventilation was not good in previous one.
Something I learnt early on in my riding days is that you crash not because of anyone else's mistake, but every time you crash, irrespective of how many wheels you are on, it is always, always your fault. And this message being hardwired into me has caused me to be a calmer rider/ driver, because I cannot control the other variables, but I can control my motorcycles and my throttle and brake input and anticipate the thirty different things that the cars/ motorcycles can do around me which in turn forces me to be proactive, and not reactive. Forget about safety features, my motorcycles barely have enough brakes on them😆, and whenever I am riding, I have zero safety nets to fall back on, which is where I think both the bikes have made me a calmer, faster, better rider than what I was when I started riding a couple of decades back. But, and this is a big one, I usually ride alone, and this is why I am OK taking that risk, but when I have my partner with me, I will drive, no two ways about it. I have a Mahindra SUV, with the basic safety features of ABS, EBD, Twin airbags and an ISOFIX child mount. This I think is enough. One ADAS feature which I really think is important (for me), is the driver drowsiness detection feature, because all the others, at my age (pushing 41) are the learnings that we grew up on, and to me, seem gimmicky at best, and downright dangerous at worst. You guys are absolutely right, addition of safety features does not take away from the fact that stupid people will continue to do stupid things, just now under the misconception that they're now going to be saved because of these safety features. Case in point are all these cars with sun roofs and the kids standing out of them, or people putting their kids backwards on motorcycles/ scooters or parents making their kids stand between them when they are riding. You know what blows my mind? These same people reproduce, with absolutely zero consequences or penalties, merrily gallivanting around, snickering about what a daredevil their son is. Just... Anyhow, just loved the open laughter, Shumi and Karthikeya. Onwards and upwards, guys!
I started riding when i was 12, and driving when I was 13 I was thrilled with all that power with no education available as it is today we had a guru (chapri pro max plus) in those old days who use to teach us how the machine works. I am now 32 and my mentality has drastically changed, I always liked a helmet when I was a teen cause it was fancy and I had the Valentino Rossi edition, slowly and steadyley I got a glove but that was it for almost 10 years. i ride crazy on the streets did everything that I shouldn't have the only thing we lacked back in the time was education. I am so glad to have folks like you who exist and carve out your experience in a entertaining way. I recently have spent around 54K on my gear but iwas happy doing that yes I had to cut corners with my budget for other things and I feel good when I am riding with my gear. i have passed the same sense to my child who has his helmet on whenever he is on a ride with me. Thanks Shumi & Kartik sir for such a wonderful podcast waiting to see more
I just love Schumi. The way he carries the conversation seriously while making kartikeya uncomfortable is really enjoyable. As for safety, I am into vintage motorcycles so only 2 of my bikes have abs or tc. I believe that one should trust ones best judgement, that has worked for me so far.
Two of my favorite auto reviewers on one platform.. Just waow. I am following you guys since you guys were on many different other platforms in the past.
It's beautiful! Period. One suggestion is to increase the podcast timings as it is just Bliss to the ears. Kudos you both of you for educating us all. My cycle of life at 24: 1.5 years of owning Duke 390 and for safety, I follow Shumi's rule, I try to buy the best safety equipment that I can afford and save then upgrade and repeat.
Wonderful podcast. Loved the perspective on risk. I’m a Risk Management guy, very corporate and white collar. I remember being 18 on my pulsar 220 and thinking I was immortal and crashing at 135 kmph. That incident didn’t scare me (although the ghost of mistakes past does visit my wrist every winter). I bought a bullet 2 years later and kept riding that. It was only When I started actually making good money and contributing to my family that I thought that my safety is something that matters (self worth attached to the salary situation) and this went on for about 6 years. I lived in a weird state of fear. Not accepting risk as it is. I’m 31 now. I’ve got a wife and a 3 month old baby. And just last week I bought myself an RR310. It just felt like something that I absolutely had to do. The only difference this time was that I was looking at risk mitigation as a concept and fact of life. For the first time in my life I bought a serious riding jacket, gloves, boots, top spec helmet and riding pants. I may not be as light or as nimble but I know a lot more and riding a bullet for 11 years has made me a very patient rider. If it’s my family that’s travelling we’ll be in the car with seatbelts, child seats and airbags. But me,… I just want to fly once in a while. And come home in one piece to play with my son.
I'm 37 and have a Honda City (4th gen) and a triumph street twin. I had my first motorcycle fall on my Bajaj Avenger in 2006 when my helmet saved me. I bought the Honda City only for the mileage 7 years ago but my next car I'm definitely considering better safety. I always wear a helmet while riding my street twin, helmet is a Vega that I had during my RE days. Planning to upgrade to an MT soon. I had a little mishap when the motorcycle tilted while reversing it to get it out of my home, couldn't control it and ended up on my feet. I was saved with some swelling however Lesson learnt- do not wear crocs while on the motorcycle and had to buy basic riding shoes. in one of your podcasts, u mentioned, you have only two legs. Used to be careless about wearing a helmet and riding boots but now it's kind of a mandate on every ride.
Loved every single bit of the conversation 😊 At the end I noticed that the video was about 40 mins long, could have listened to you guys for hours and learn from every bit without ever looking at the clock. ❤
truly great video , learned a lot , (a bit late to respond as watching today after you have completed the series ) but at age 28 about to step into a married life , i truly feel safety and the way i think about it changed over time ,at 19 i used to be a very rash driver always trying to reach a wide and empty roads trying to do a wheelie or a stopie , later at 22 it got worse i was trying to do same on a busy roads, had some accidents too eventually learned my mistakes(never hurt anyone in the process though) , at 25 it was all about speeds and over taking cars and other vehicles , now i try to keep my self alert as much as possible always following road laws every where whether it be empty or crowded one , seat belts are a must on cars, and helmet on a bike ,i keep it clear the same for my pillion and co passenger , never cross the speed limit the car i chose is 5 star rated despite a less output engine ,as shumi said in later videos about how not getting on bike unless you are wearing complete bike gears well i cant do that yet as not reached to the point where i can afford those but aiming for the day to come .
I did insane amounts of research before buying my riding gears, and got my ECE-rated helmet ~1.5yrs before & CE-rated gloves a few months before I finally got my first bike. I've gotten so many stares on the road riding an old Pleasure with a SMK helmet and gloves. Got my jacket and pants soon after my Vstrom SX. Dropped it twice, and whenever I see the scratches on the palm sliders, I think that would have been my palm otherwise. I got Decathlon Trek 100 boots as a temporary fix till I can get a pair of riding boots that I really like, and this too saved my left foot once when my it hit a stone at slow speeds in a construction zone. Now eagerly waiting for RExTCX boots to restock.
Ok, this time I made sure I had 2 cups of tea ready and on standby. Safety perspective at the age of 32: First actual ownership of a vehicle at the age of 27. Crashed it 4 times , the first being cocky and over estimating my skills like Shumi said. 2nd 2 wheeler after 2 years. Crashed it twice due to variables which I could not processed. 1st car at the age of 30 and had one accident when a truck decided to inch over to my lane in a 2 lane road while taking a corner. 3rd motorcycle at the age of 30 and no accidents till date. Every single time I got into a bigger & newer motorcycle, I did observe an increase in my riding skills being employed while riding. Something as simple as getting the perception and the feeling on the tip of the finger as you press the brake lever. Helped me go from 3 to 2 to single finger braking on the road. As for the latest purchase which I think I made a step towards more safety on the road would probably be my car. Since it was rated 5 * from the Global NCAP, I felt that my wife would have a better time adapting and sitting inside the cabin while I drive. I am yet to make a new purchase which would ensure a safer riding environment, but seeing that I am putting together a plan to do a track day, there will be a list of purchases which would take place soon.
Alright! The chai combo sounds very satisfying. A safer riding environment won’t be created by just one of us. But we have to take responsibility of our safety. Reading the road and conditions, maintaining a sense of caution is very important. A track day is a great step in building a cushion. When and where do you plan to go?
@@motorinc Nearest track would be Kari for me. Would look for a track day session and ride there and have fun. MMRT would be on the other side of the coast, else would have rolled into TWO School
An awesome podcast, love shumi's brutal take on safety. I started riding at maybe 14, joy riding mopeds (TVS 50) in empty blocks with a big grin on my face. At 18 got my first bike, A Yamaha fazer which I used to ride around with a basic helmet (that was all the safety I had back then) . At 23, got an aspida L1 jacket and continued to ride the fazer. I'm now 27 and moved on to a KTM Duke 390 which scares the hell out of me 😂. With the ktm, I have now moved up to an MT thunder4 helmet and in the process of getting an L2 riding jacket & pant. I would very much like to keep my skin on me rather than on the fender of someone else's ride or the tarmac. Big thanks to shumi and PD for enlightening me about safety gears.
Very insightful conversation! I had a lowside skid while riding a couple of years ago, and safety gear definitely saved me that day. @Shumi, I remember DMing you on Instagram immediately after, and thanking you for the awareness about helmets and safety gear you'd generated through your PD podcasts back then. Here's looking forward to more insightful podcasts like this one!
@@shu_mar @motorinc - I do have a suggestion for a topic - you could discuss about the influence of 'motovloggers' on the motorcycling culture in India! :)
@@shu_mar its a request, plz make a post for scooter/maxiscooter ppl like myself who want to tour. I am sure there are people like me(aerox) who have a scooter for city practicals, but have desire for the occasional long ride.
@@designguru2031 Absolutely can do! When I rode a 250km day on the Aerox, my learnings were simple. The range is pretty decent despite the small tank if you taper off the acceleration and go no faster than 80-90kmph. It's above this that the fuel consumption rises significantly and the range drops. Varun at @powerdrift sourced an 8 litre tank for his Aerox that if I remember correctly was a straight fit. That will help immensely too!
@@shu_mar Yess! Sir!! 1. How is the design strategy of cars/bikes spearing the way to great sales 2. The Modern Day Tyre 3. The future of vehicle mobility 4. The working mechanics of an EV Vehicle These are all that pop up in my mind for now! Would love for you guys to choose any! 😍😍😍🤯
What a brilliant second episode! Close to my heart as well. I could really relate to the electronics being seen as a safety net. I grew up riding motorcycles with absolutely no aides. So I learnt how to throttle out of corners without traction control or how to go from 80 kmph to naught with ABS. Since I skilled myself on those, my Multistrada 1200S’ innumerable electronics rarely kick in. And this is despite the fact that I am pushing myself on that bike to my abilities (not the motorcycle’s). And when I hop on to the 848, while I am scared for sure, I can manage to have fun despite not even having ABS. What have I done to ensure safety? The first car I bought was the Polo Highline back in 2012 because only the top end version had airbags in it. It was then an upward journey only from then. I have always bought the best riding gear I could afford. Always threw out foam protectors and inserted CE Level 2. Finally, I don’t think we will ever arrive at a funny autonomous scheme of things. It might happen on major highways or even some city roads 5 decades later. But think of the dense countryside network of roads we have. It will take a million years at least to eliminate the conventional vehicles and replace them with autonomous.
My man! Thanks so much for taking the time out to share your experience. Drive and ride safe! As per your projections - we have lots of time to do so! Hehe bright side!
Taking about safety, my wife never used to wear seatbelt until I had a crash in my Ford Figo in 2019. I was at about 90kms and there was a Mercedes Benz C220D in front of me. I felt that spidy tingle and told my wife to wear seatbelt. My elder son was sleeping in the backseat and my wife was holding my younger son. Thankfully she listened to me and wore the seatbelt and not less than 2 mins after that, The Mercedes decided to randomly stop in that stretch. I slowed down but not enough to stop my car and I crashed into the Merc at about 75kms. SEATBELT saved my wife and my son. So yeah, Seatbelts are extremely important. I'm 34 now and I ride a lot. For safety I've changed my helmet and my riding shoes for my daily commute and when I go on rides, I make sure to wear proper riding gear and overall ride enthusiastic but also be responsible on the road and now act like how I used to when I was 18.
Hi Shumi I have been searching for you after your sudden absence from Powerdrift. I was there only for you. Now you are here and so i am here. Thank you
Thank you Sandeep for following my work! Welcome to the MotorInc family! Now I'd like to you suggest topics that you'd like to see on MotorInc. Help us!
11:20-11:40 that's a really good point. And it holds true for 99% of the riders in India. That made me think a lot about how I ride my motorcycle and in the end, made me smile. coz I used to think of myself as a 7 but I'm really a 3-4. I'll be more cautious from now on.
I am a father of 4 year old, I avoid two wheelers since my daughter's birth, sold my bike still kept the scooter for convenience. When I do ride it I keep my speed limit to 40-45 kmph even on comparatively straight and empty roads. In simple words, I over-compensate for others too. I live in outskirts of the city and If I have to travel for more than 7-10 kms(or outside locality) round trip with my daughter, I strictly choose car over two wheeler. In last one year I heard around half a dozen two-wheeler incidents where no driver was at fault and still received serious injuries. One broke his shoulder to undulation in road over a bridge(Bangalore), two other were victim of kite threads(Jaipur). I agree with you both, your priorities do change as you progress through life. For me Safety is the first and non-negotiable feature in any travel.
It's good that you're thinking things through deaddy! Just remember that scooter require riding gear too... falling off works the same way no matter what the size of the wheels are
I still slow down when I see water on Road😂. (Abs no abs doesn't matter) Someone has to be really unlucky to die in a car crash, with Motorcycles he has to be really lucky to survive.
Learning so much thank you guys!! Next time I hit the o would definitely be a wiser rider all thanks to you. Lots of respect. Thanks for my changing perspective towards the electronics . 🙌🙌
No worries Dwij! Happy to have helped! Now we need suggestions for topics for the podcast and stories from you! Tell us what you would like to see on MotorInc!
Well firstly loved your conversation.. it indeed makes your audience think. I generally do not comment or participate in discussions but the last question from Shumi really made me comment here.. I can so much relate to the topic. I am 29 years old now. I loved bike/cars since my very early age and I cannot describe through words how much because of my limitations over English language. However I never attempted to drive/ride them maybe because of fear(safety) and obviously my parents never encouraged me to have one for the same reason. Though we did get a car(celerio) when I was in college but my attempt to learn driving failed miserably though I was in college and my brain is young enough to handle and manage the risk. I may be drove for 2 -3 months and crashed every now and then. I was terrible on it. Now, coming to present my life is completely different..I live in Hyderabad currently which you can consider one of the busiest city in India. With my current job and also that I run a small eatery it became necessary for me to get a commute. I was very afraid of getting one because of my past experiences, however I did gather some courage and bought myself an old avenger 220 cruise 2012. A commute that I thought would perfectly fit my 5'5 of vertical distance .lol. yeah I am a short rider too.. :( now calling myself a rider why because I started learning last October and during this period whenever I took it out for a ride I felt the best time of my life. I try developing my skills to eliminate self induced mistakes as much as possible but external factors is what makes me a nervous rider. I now feel more responsible than I was back in my driving days. I am more cautious while i am on road and I hardly can rate myself around 2-3 out of 10 as per my skill. May be this is what keeping me from becoming a better rider. But as I mentioned earlier it's the passion for automotive what I love to experience either visually or physically. I am yet to discover a lot from my avenger and understand it's full potential and I believe the learning curve will just go up and help me be a better rider everytime I hit the road.
First of all, love you guys and great to see Shumi again on YT. Well I'm 20 and ride my pretty motorcycle passionately. My approach towards safety is like that though it kills the fun, its necessary. What all I do for is like, my motorcycle hasn't got ABS, till I don't get it I never get to a situation where it can skid or slide, while killing the fun of going fast. Going fast is volentary, but staying intact is almost compulsary to continue to ride I feel.
In addition to that I bought an Octavia after selling a Seltos GT DCT which I drove for 18months. I felt I need to upgrade my safety with a better car. Upgraded my riding gears from a cotton jacket to all Alpinestar gears along with higher cc motorcycles. All thanks to Shumi Regards, (The homepod guy) 😉
What a thoughtflow @shumi....it made me hook to the screen though it was 30+ min video....just wow!!! to the way u put it across through seamless words
I really don't mind what the topic is you already know when these two talk there will be high concentration of knowledge Keep it up guys always there for listening ❤️
28 years old 2 wheeler perspective: Understood that my head is not worth the risk, haven't bought my own bike yet but got a AGV K6 and Alpinestar GPX2 because I knew that once the bike came into the picture I would put the money somewhere else rather than on the safety gear(since i m still not earning as much). I mean i would spend money on it but not as much as i did now for the helmet. Along with the bike still looking for a good budget jacket and riding boots then i would go for the riding pants when my budget allows me. My order of priority for riding gear 1. Helmet 2. Gloves 3. Jacket 4. Shoes 5. Pants Having said that on a bike abs is a must and once close to or beyond 400cc tcs should be an option i feel. 4 wheeler perspective : I studied a subject called Car body Design and Aerodynamics and everything that you guys said was according to what was taught in regards to weight and safety. I share the same feelings as Mr. Kartikeya but what people fail to understand or identify is that what are you using your car for. Is it to go from point A to point B (with in the city or long distances) or is it for track use or some spirited driving around the suburbs based on what you want to use it for the considerations for safety and the type of car would change for me.
@@motorinc This is exactly how it was for me too! I had test bikes in the early 2000s but no personal machines. But I had the full complement of riding gear loooong before I was able to buy myself a bike again
Every bit is worthy! Driving Classic 350(11yr old) - feels unsafe on open highway as reckless tech. loaded vehicles (as I can only control my part right) are around but feels super confident while touring on internal road like Costal road even though ghats and road curves. So absolutely agree on 'Know your limits'.
I started riding by sneaking out my grandfather's Kinetic Honda which didn't need a key to start. Would push it from the front of the house, ride it and then put it back. I think I was 12 or 13 years old then. Looking back, I'm realising how stupid I was and understand why there are rules to keep these machines away from kids. Then lots of time passed and I still had the love for motorcycles in me. Finally convinced my father to buy me an Avenger at 19. I was consuming a lot of motorcycle content by then and was trying not to be a squid. But bad luck, two months into riding, I crashed. Nothing serious. Just a few bruises. Had a leather jacket and a DOT helmet. And well, the bike was bought with my father's money, he sold it. Then I was riding Honda Dio (the family vehicle) for the next 3-4 years. But every time I took it out for more than 20 kms, I was wearing a riding jacket with level 2 protectors, riding gloves and a DOT helmet at the cost of looking like an idiot on a Dio. Not all big brands, but whatever I could afford. But well, I had one more crash during this period. Crashed, got up and just walked away because I had some of the necessary riding gears. Years went past, qualified CA, the question of buying a car or Motorcycle came to my mind. I was undecided as well because I love both motorcycles and cars. Then finally decided to buy a motorcycle, a KTM 390 adventure at age 23. Now I'm nearing 25, riding a 390 adventure. Pretty serious about safety. I ride fully geared up. A bell MX9, riding jacket, riding pants, MX boots, full gauntlet gloves on highways runs and adv gloves otherwise. I have spent over a lakh only on safety gears which is something I still can't get my head around. Have become a lot more cautious and learnt a lot. Still in the process of learning. And thanks to you guys, I am learning from the right people. Must say you guys are doing a wonderful job. Thanks for reading and keep bringing such great content.
Thanks Jassim! We believe that the safety gear you wear is a reflection of the quiet-work your mind is doing in the background as you think about your safety and skill. And if that's true, you're on the right track!
I believe that being able to see your own progress is a such a wonderful endorsement for yourself, no? To be able to see that you're making better decisions for yourself and moving forward in the right direction... nicely done!
@@shu_mar Absolutely! From being a squid on the road to a responsible rider/driver with improved skills who can avoid putting oneself into tough situations on the road or tackle situations that get thrown at us.
I am 25 years old, the way I ride and drive now, compared to myself at 18 years is so different. I seem to enjoy the quality of the ride. Now that I am DRIVING around the city often, I understand the necessity of the riders and drivers around me and respond accordingly. No more road rages. A lot more to learn, but yeah, enjoying this journey. There is much more to riding/driving than just speed. I recently got myself a pair of gloves and intend to buy a new pair of riding boots as well. Also doing a track day soon! Cheers you guys! :)
Shubham, the understanding that other humans stuck in the traffic with you are also just trying to get to their destinations as best as they can (even if they're failing at it) is a very, very mature attitude! It's a great perspective that we'll add to our learnings! Thank you!
Very relatable. I had a bike (Naked Gixxer 155 in the MotoGP livery) but sold it off due to safety issues when it was just 8 months old (in 2019) and with 10k kms on the clock. Very well enjoyed machine and now it's in good hands. Bought a car (MS S-presso) in Jan 2020, honestly one of the first S-pressos in Pune because I used to get a lot questions from people, passer-bys and glances. It served me well and was a step-up from a bike in terms of safety. But sheet metal was unbelievably thin - it would flex if someone would lean on it too hard. Nonetheless, did 25k kms in 2 years and decided to sell it off and go for the Vitara Brezza (March 2022) for its tried and tested safety and most importantly ISOFIX anchor points (for when we have a baby). Just completed 10k kms on the V. Brezza and it's really serving me well.
Nicely done! But the idea that thin sheet metal is an unsafe car has been debunked soundly. The sheet metal is the skin of the car. The actual crash structure is underneath and the only places you'll actually see it is probably the a-pillar, the edge of the roof down to the c-pillar of the car. The skin is thin because as it crumples (easily) it absorbs crash energies that you would have to otherwise.
My perspective of safety at my age of 19 is that it's more about spatial awareness and the control I have on my motorcycle. Beign probably at the very start of the learning process as an enthusiast, I feel my safety is something that concerns not just me but how I view others or my surroundings while on the bike, as for the control, it's something that influences my ride every single day. My last purchase concerning safety were a pair of riding gloves I bought from royal enfield with the scholarship money I got from college. I'm proud of them and wearing them gives me a better sense of safety (these are my first riding gloves).
Polo was a 4* car with airbags. Euro spec was 5* My perspective about risk taking on the road started to change while I was in the last year of university. I just calmed down for some reason, maturity and experience perhaps Have always used seat belts and anybody who sits in my car has to wear one, even the rear passengers. It’s a rule. On two wheels, I believe in ATGATT generally, but helmet and gloves are a must even when going a kilometre.
Enjoyed this video. I am 44 and it is true that the perception of safety has changed for me since 1997. I have been riding a motor cycle since 2010 after a break of 10 years. I also own a car and it i am still learning to become a safer rider and a driver. I enjoy riding the bike and driving the car. I have been spending a lot on riding gear for the last 12 years. I own a riding jacket icon Contra 2 jacket which i upgraded from a previous icon contra 1. Have a Alpine stars summer riding pant and touring pant from Powersports, have a mesh short cuff glove which I use for short commutes, when its too hot or raining. A full gauntlet leather glove which i use for touring. I have 3 helmets- 1 vega which i used earlier. AGV Sport Modular which is my goto helmet these days this is the most expensive gear i have purchased so far. 1 hjc rpha 11 which i rarely use these days.
That's good gear! As always, we'd just like to remind you that a modular helmet is usually tested and certified as a half-face helmet. Which means they feel like full-face helmets when you wear them, but they work more like half-face helmets in the crash. Please do check your helmet's certifications.
@@mohamedaslamm The convenience of a modular is hard to argue against. But when I last checked, just two (of all!) modular helmets certified at the same level as a full face. One way would be to move on to those.
@@shu_mar would certainly consider upgrading to those. Please let me know the details of those models so i can plan my purchase in the future. Thank you 😊
Well, I am planning to buy a bike. And there's something I remember from the channel Fortnine, and also from a forum. If you're planning to buy a motorcycle, buy safety gear with the money you have, and use the rest for the bike. Shumi also had a Simplified video, where he said buy the best gear you can, and don't worry too much if it's not exactly what you have heard of. I realise very well that buying the entire equipment for motorcycling in the most proper manner means about an 80-100k expenditure which I can't afford. So I got an SMK helmet which is compliant with ECE and ISI, and a good pair of gloves first. Both of these are far more expensive than I would buy if I didn't research things. People at my workplace get a great laugh out of it, because I'm buying motorcycling gear, but there's no motorcycle. But I feel that I'm not wrong on what I'm doing, so hopefully, I'll have the minimum amount of gear to ride my bike when I buy it. I'm 26, and this will be the first vehicle, rather the first big thing I buy from money I've earned. I think we should all do what we can to be safe but idn the end, the only way to be 100% safe while driving is to not get out to drive at all, so that's never gonna go away.
Loved the Podcast At 37 n now a father of 2, i just upgraded from a 8k helmet to 35K. This came in after listening to a video of shumi of helmets, I guess it was from Powerdrift. Also, complete change in mindset while buying cars.. 5star is a mandate and ADAS preferred now. We wear seatbelts in rear sets too now.
Great podcast. One thing i would like to add is something for the manufacturers to think about and am sure others too will agree to this from a drivers standpoint. I found the passion of commuting and travelling through driving my kwid. From a safety standpoint point that car has negative safety rating if you ask me. But i always had the best and calmest and amazing trips in the car with my friends and my family. I went to Chennai to kanniyakumari and retuned the very next day. And my mum who especially enjoys travelling in an suv and only feels comfortable in an suv she relaxed a lot in the car as it mainly came down to driver to make the difference for her experience in that car which she refused to get on at the beginning of the trip. Common sense should not be a skill for driver to have but to be a driver u must have common sense otherwise you are just a nuisance to other commuters and fellow travellers in the expressway heck even in your own street. Second thing I want to say is soemthing i came to conclusion during the same drive. This was a week after we tested virtus for my neighbor and the neighbour told me the car having capacitive button to control ac is futuristic. The same guy didnt know how much he is pressing the plus side to increase temp he wounded making all of sweat in chennai heat. After that incident i went on that trip. I took a pee break and i saw plan go by. And started driving again few minutes after that. I was suddenly wondering what the pilot would be seeing out of his dash. And suddenly it hit me how insensible these capacitive buttons are to the car world. Its like controlling a submarine with a xbox controller. Thats how stupid it was maybe on paper it could appear has cool but from a user experience standpoint its quite frighting. Coming back to the pilot what i realized was if you could see in a pilots cockpit there are displays to show information but there are hundreds of tacticsl buttons for every single operation the plane could have. Every fine tuning is easier with a tactical feel rather than a using touch interface to control the levels. If you switch all the tactical buttons and knobs and leavers with touch screen no country will have a functioning airline anymore coz all of them become submarines pretty quickly. If so much safety and fine tuning is required a simple requirement such as adjusting the temperature should be effortless. It was effortless for me on the kwid to adjust the temperature as i go but the small distraction you get whilst using a capacitive controller can be fatal. What if someone steps hard on the break. Your reflex is taking a nap because your mind is concentrating on oh my back is sweaty. Even if you have 5 start rating car if you are distracted you might not be just killing yourself but you will end up killing a lot more innocent bystanders as well. All formula 1 drivers can drive as fast they can but jts the million buttons on the steering wheel thats enabling them to go much more fataer because its easier for them to fine tune it because after driving it a few laps there is a muscle memory so it because part of the driving its lot more intutive and the key word here is muscle memory. Am damn sure that muscle memory wont happen in a touch screen and lack of it has a huge potential to get distracted and involve in a crash.
Liked the raw and casual nature of the conversation, the banter seemed unscripted, loved it. On autonomous vehicles, the biggest hurdle is the co-existence with humans on the roads. The only way autonomous vehicles become a reality is when the roads are completely controlled. That would mean the end of motorcycles for sure. If riding is out of the equation then wouldn't the requirements change to a comfortable seat, weather proofing etc, in simple terms a car of appropriate size ? Controlling the road though, is a very difficult challenge. Any talk of autonomous driving should just look at the evolution of aircraft automation. We're following the same path. On safety, absolutely agree with you guys. On my side I was the teenager who rolled in on a Bajaj Super wearing a Studds Ninja, courtesy the enlightenment from auto mags in the early 2000s especially Overdrive.
He Shantanu! We hope this future takes its time, works things out and then shows up. Until then we’ll make our present better. How did your Super fare? Still around? And stay safe!
@@motorinc The future will take its time and I won't be holding my breath over autonomous cars. The Super served us well and was scrapped after its useful service life in 2007.
Safety perspective at age 24: I have a 150cc bike and was just ok to ride with gloves and helmet earlier. Sometime back I got a riding jacket and army boots for longer rides and the feeling of safety has increased by leaps for sure.
Hey. I'm at 20 currently. I learned bike at nearly age of 18. It was dad's Hero Honda Super Splendor 125cc from 2012. You don't need 1000cc bike thrill when you're just starting to enjoy freedom and thrill of riding bike of your own, 125 cc does it at first. I was wearing helmet with no riding gear, I was at 75 on a 2 lane road in a colony. I used to do that often that time. I nearly avoided a head on collision with the most reckless way possible with a pick up autorickshaw filled with 20L bisleri jars on a turning. Since that day I sobered up. I don't overspeed in general and if I do I'll be very responsible even if it negates thrill. Recently i came back from an interstate car drive on Renault Kwid, I just learned car driving recently like 2 months back, topped speed of 125 once, very unsafe I know on that car, yet my mother said I now drive more soberly and calmly than my dad with 30 years of driving experience. That's really an honour for me. Oh also I'm looking for Volvo car next when I'll be able to buy car. Bcs i heard it's the safest car you can ever have.
Lovely conversation. I’ll play. Safety is relative. As Shumi said, one’s perception of it can vary across a lifetime. Also like Karthik pointed out, car safety tests while being good aren’t really reflective of real world conditions. In fact, there are a couple of situations where airbags didn’t even open leading to grievous injury (search Team BHP). So I take tests with a pinch of salt. When I bought my car, I specifically looked for variants where they didn’t offer the touch screen and instead offered tactile buttons because.. a.) I wanted knobs that I could operate without taking my eyes off the road. b.) Any time a call came in, I did not want the big screen in the middle to light up and startle me out of my concentration on the road. c) I didn’t want my kids in the back seat destroying my peace of mind as they fought over who gets to reach over my shoulder and touch the screen to do whatever. Big bright screens are terrible for kids in the car. d.) More than the points in a., b., and c., I realised that I needed a touch screen for absolutely nothing at all. I didn’t want to check email or messages or even take phone calls when I am driving. All the basic conveniences I needed were already there in the car and they needn’t be operated thru a GUI. In motorcycles, I started riding after a hiatus of almost 2 decades. I immediately went and bought the very best gear that cost almost 60% of the price of my bike. I rode with all that gear for a long time. Then the COVID years changed my perspective. These days, I don’t bother with anything other than a helmet, and an open faced one at that. I have caught a lot of preaching from people about this. But I made a conscious decision to abandon gear for all rides that are less than 120 kms from home. 1.) The gear was simply stifling me. It killed all spontaneity and by the time I pulled everything on I had, most of the time, I had lost all interest in starting the ride. More so in our horrid weather. 2.) Ironically, a lack of gear (other than my helmet) has made me a far safer rider. And no, I am not just saying that. Where I would previously have done 80 or 90, I now do 55 or 60. I am now acutely conscious of the tarmac and never allow myself any complacency. Not wearing gear has opened my eyes to the journey and to everything along the way because I now seen no point in going anywhere fast. 3.) An open face helmet is admittedly less safe and I would certainly like the safety of a full face helmet. But my open face helmet gives me two things. First, the wind in my face makes me feel like I am actually on a motorcycle. Second, and this is more important, my OF helmet gives me unparalleled peripheral vision to sense the road all around me; and the reduced bulk on my head allows me to do frequent head checks without feeling like I am about to be decapitated. My open face helmet is a relatively expensive one. For the area of the head I choose to protect, I have chosen to do so with a helmet that exceeds ISI standards. But that is my choice alone and I don’t expect everyone to choose similarly. All in all, I choose safety aids and equipment that allows me to be safe through prevention (by behaviour modification) rather than by protecting me during or after the fact. It is all a trade off. If I wanted no risk at all, I’d better stop riding. Or driving. Or crossing the road for that matter. 100% agree with what Shumi said at 6:00 and at 36:24. We are rocketing into a future where we are trying to eliminate all risk. Not just in driving / riding; but in every aspect of life I might add. Asking that girl out and getting rejected was half the joy of journey. Now everyone wants a sure thing. No one wants to fail. Ever. I can’t imagine what joy is going to remain for my kids in their prime. The one point I want to make is that you can’t legislate intelligence. If people choose to ride sans a helmet and expose their main body part to fatal injury, then let’s please let them. I mean, the downsides of smoking are well known and we still let people smoke. So how is this different? Even using a fraction of your thinking bandwidth is enough to realise the positive difference that helmets make. So if you are choosing to ride without one, it is obviously a conscious choice. So why on earth are we burning tax payer money to protect idiots from themselves? (By the way, the smoking analogy is not entirely accurate. Smoking in fact directly risks the health of non-smokers around the smoker. Not the case with helmets. If anything, smoking is what should be banned and then thoroughly enforced.) Some incidental comments: @shu_mar… hey me too 😊; (architecture + urban planning) long abandoned = some other career stream. Now I am starting to understand why I like listening to you. All kidding aside, the study of architecture and urban planning is disproportionately deep as compared to the rewards that careers in them offer. But such study gives one an undeniable skill of going from big picture perspective to deadly details and then the other way around. Although I have never been a professional architect, the analytical and visualisation skills I learned there have ported beautifully to other areas and I use them to earn my living. @Karthik… I have always liked your videos. But in all honesty, I feel like I am seeing you for the first time. All your review videos, especially ones from way back, they all felt like theatre. Now this feels truer. Congratulations on that journey. You look settled, thoughtful, and there is definitely a deeper sense of humility visible here that was absent in your earlier videos from your previous orgs. Like for instance, you come across as being calmer than Shumi, which honestly amazed me; because he is thought of as the calmest of your clan. And don’t worry about your dad not giving you credit. That’s how the cookie crumbles. Mine still thinks that I am the world’s perfect idiot. And hey, maybe he is right.
Well said PCS! Very well said indeed! If you have enough information and make decisions based on those for yourself, no one should tell you different. We suspect that the big reason for enforcing things as a society, in fact, is because people will make decisions without stopping to look at, assimilate all the information actually needed to make that decision in the first place!
I know you spent a ton of money on the gear PCS but you know it sounds like you bought the wrong gear. If it isn't comfortable enough to just slip into... it's already failed at doing one essential thing, to not be a barrier to its own use. I've worn gear for 22 years, continuously, without a break. Roughly a million km now. In all conditions from hot to bleak. I've never felt that they destroyed by spontaneity. You clearly have reasoned it out for yourself, and that's the way it should be. But I can't help but feel like you overlooked the idea that you _need_ to be comfortable in your gear, otherwise its safety quotient is held back by its discomfort and consequential abandonment. As to the Town Planning point... you're so right! The idea of how humans do living as a science/art/process/evolution gives you such wide insights that travel to so many different facets of our daily life, including with automobiles!
@@shu_mar (@motorinc) … ya I get that a lot. To be honest, I am my own worst critic and much before you did, I had already told myself that I had chosen poorly when it came to gear. But with time, I have learned to be kinder to myself. Now I trust myself and the processes I used to make my choices at any given time. Just FYI there are two of my personality quirks at play here. 1.) I compulsively need air. 2.) I hate (or at least dislike) complications. Let alone wearing such clothes, just the mere thought of having different outfits for different purposes makes me feel fatigued. So believe it or not, in keeping with the above two points, I have eked out a full corporate career of 25 years while wearing cargo shorts 90% of the time. Don’t ask me how; that’s a story for another time. Typically I work, workout, and do everything in between in my cargo shorts only. I have now run five half marathons and some sixty 10k races in… wait for it…the same cargo shorts. Incidentally, after a full two decades of distance running, it is only recently that I had to buy actual running gear; and that too only because I was positively bullied into doing so. My running coach found a way to reach me by getting my wife to be a snark 24/7 about my wardrobe choices. If this hadn’t happened, I would 100% not have spent a dime on so much as a new pair of socks. Why buy when my 13 year old pair is working perfectly well? An austere wardrobe leaves me with plenty of bandwidth to contemplate the universe. That is how I like it. My family? Well, not so much, as should have been evident by now. Anyways, after having thought about it for a long time; especially since I had invested so much money already, I came to the conclusion that when it came to me and my obsessive need for air, the term “comfortable gear” is an oxymoron. It simply doesn’t exist. I mean, unless someone shoves an AC into my jacket, I am just going to feel like I am cooking underneath. Maybe not as much when I am moving at good speed, but definitely when I am riding at reduced speeds in traffic. It is so thoroughly vexing that on more than one occasion I have removed my jacked and tied it around my waist as soon as I enter Mumbai while returning from outstation rides. On the other hand, during the usual Lonavala or Kasara runs, my regular attire allows plenty of room for air to circulate and I feel the pure joy that riding is, even if only at 40 kmph. This is especially so when I stand up and ride. This way I catch even more air and I get to spot all the rif-raff on the road much before than I would have if I had been sitting down. The fact that this is NOT the safest way is something that I am 200% aware of. But two thoughts give me pause. a.) We have been riding our motorcycles in this country long before we even knew what gear was. b.) During the Covid years, I saw people in their prime buying it while 80 and 90 year olds were getting out relatively unscathed. That made me realise that absolutely no one has a clue about life. You could run an ultra marathon one day and drop dead the next; while the cigar chomping, red meat eating, 5-drinks-a-day, overweight dude will be living well into his 90s. This was certainly true when it came to my dad and FIL. Both vegetarian, non-smoking teetotallers who spent every waking moment counselling people against their vices. Those others are still puffing and tipping away today well into their 70s while both the senior gents in my life had to wage painful battles with cancer. My father survived. My FIL did not. But now my dad certainly doesn’t tell people what is good or bad for them. Maybe I will catch you on the road one of these days. If you see a dude riding in an OF helmet while wearing cargo shorts, slip-on shoes, and a billowing open necked shirt, that is definitely me.
I am 9 days late exactly to comment on this video, coz I am that late in watching this one. Age 48, returning rider to bikes since 2019. Last upgrade for safety - better helmet. I remember multiple bruises when I was 18 and riding Vespa NV "special".. 😀.. not sure what was special. I still feel a couple of more things that our governments can stress for safety are - better roads, quick response to potholes, lane marking, qualification of road contractors, more mandatory things in vehicles for example in cars such as even dashcams (in China, as densely populated as our country, there is no settlement by insurance companies if there is no dashcam, there is even a challan on not having a reverse camera. The rules direct our state of mind in driving better - the necessity of it. Excellent "this-cussion".
Perspective at 29: I got my first bike Gixxer SF 155cc in 2015, initially I was damn excited about riding it faster, gapping between vehicles etc etc… once I rescued a girl who jus met with an accident she was not fast she was around 30-40 kmph, she was on gravel n tried to climb back on Tarmac road… unfortunately she skid n fell… her right hand glazed over the corner n when I picked her up I could literally see the bone… her muscles were all over my shirt… like a mini melts ice cream…. That’s when I realised how lucky I have been with all my stupidity… I feared running out of luck… the next day on same road I drove cautiously n it exactly took same amount of time to reach my college… of course I missed the thrill of being fast… but I knew I m not skilled enough to enjoy that thrill… I think acknowledging the fact u don’t have the skill to handle something is the first big step in being safe!!!
Cycle of life : 26 & bachelor. Perspective on safety : 40% of our safety depends on better roads, stringent lane rules and people behaving themselves. The rest 60% is on us, i.e., a calm head, traffic anticipation and always on the alert. What have i done to feel more safe : Upgraded helmet from 22.05 to 22.06.
Very cool perspective. Just remember to work out the difference between standards before you change equipment. It's not always worth it to move equipment just because the standard moved forward. Automatic is safe, for sure, but it isn't always needed
I'm 40 and i feel like Karthik and i are similar in the way I used to insist on wearing seatbelts and helmets before it started getting enforced like it is now I'm not too concerned about safety tech in motorcycles cause they are, like Shumi said, the are invisible for the most front. We, as riders, need to become smarter. Cars, on the other hand, are getting so smart, were running the risk of drivers becoming complacent and unaware of their surroundings.
I think the assumption for car drivers, and not just from Shumi's perspective, is that most of them *are* not going to use their smarts for driving, hence the need for tech and auto-smarts.
@shu_mar thank you for replying. We should talk about unnecessary honking, useless mods(we spoke bout it at PD though), regulations towards window films & also about helmets to consider under current availability of brands in India(Agv,Arai,Hjc, shoei etc arent easily available).
Totally agree with Shumi here, my small little CB350 having traction control has saved me a number of falls and skids. Not at all a deterrent in my experience
Sometimes in the past, I even had to convince some of my friends to adjust the rearview mirrors and make them realize that it is one of the most basic safety features of a motorcycle and not provided for aesthetic purposes or just because they are mandatory! I think riding and driving should be a part of the school syllabus in theory. So that at the right age, they will be ready to become skilled and responsible riders and drivers. Apart from skills, the other thing missing from most riders and drivers these days is a sense of responsibility. It has to be infused from early school days.
We believe that the motorcycle-specific curriculum would be vastly less useful than teaching the kids to have patience, do the right thing and do the best they can.
This is really enlightening conversation. Many thanks to you guys. Please discuss on overall indiscipline that we see on Indian roads and that is in turn making everyone's driving unsafe. Which makes all these safety equipments much much less useful.
I am 39, started riding a bike in 2004, driving a car in 2007. First thing that my dad told me when I got my first bike (Bajaj Pulsar 150) was to make sure that I never ride without a helmet. I have a crash or two, once a major one in 2008 where a bike guy randomly comes in the opposite lane and I hit him head-on. My helmet saved me. I have been riding long distances maximum being a 3000+ km ride in 10 days across South India. I do not ride without a riding jacket, a good helmet (I use AGV K5S now as I am able to afford it now). Even for a small 200-500 meters ride I make sure I do not go out without a helmet. I ride with my friends now over weekends and I ensured my friends bought a good riding jacket, a good helmet, riding pants, boots, gloves etc. I feel safety comes from inside us and we as people need to make sure we are taking care of ourselves. I love changing my bikes almost every 2nd year. Started from a Pulsar 150, moved to RE Thunderbird, then KTM RC 390, then to a Kawasaki Vulcan 650, then an XPulse 200 and a Ninja 650 and now post marriage :) :) I am riding a KTM Adv 390. Also looking at the safety ratings of cars, recently sold my Maruti (Nexa) XL6 and bought a Honda City. Happy Motoring Everyone :)
Nice topic. Keep giving more sensible topics on riding. I have seen and learnt from many videos from Shumi. I am 31, riding bikes 13 years now. I used to honk lot less than it needed as I stayed in UK for 2 years and loved discipline there. But now I started using horn bit more (not to an annoying level still) just so announce myself to the big vehicles specially trucks. On our Indian roads we need to keep our senses open a lot more to observe what others are going to do.. If possible please give a video on how to be a better tourer. Since covid lock down the number of bike riders/tourers has increased significantly. But many needs to learn a lot to be more sensible. (Including me) Thanks. Love your videos 👍🏻
Hello! Thank you so much for your insights. The horn can provide a heads up at times. But, in such situations you could try using the flasher instead too. Thanks for being mindful about what each one of us needs to do as individuals. Take care!
Answering that last question, I started with riding with no helmet until I realized importance of safety and bought a helmet later, then upgraded to a way better helmet, riding gears like jackets gloves etc. also even in city I never ride without shoes atleast.
Nice going! But Prasad, the accident studies (See MAIDS, which is a 20-year old study for example) all say most accidents happens near your home or office (5km radius). Think about this. Maybe leaving your riding gear for longer trips isn't such a great idea
I can vouch for this 7:14 . I was sceptical about abs as well. I hadnt ridden enough motorcycles by the time i was out to get one for myself and abs felt to me as a restriction. I was adamant about getting dual channel abs and was more about saving the 20 grand until it saved my ass big time. On the way to IBW in the ghat section, a bus over shot its turn and came over into my lane forcing me to go off road and grab both the brakes. ABS kicked the moment i hit gravel preventing a crash. All facts spoken i honestly dont know how you could improve perfection further XD. Will definitely let you know if there is anything :)
Sudhi! Every crash/near miss is an opportunity to re-evalute what we know. In this event, for example, think about what you could have done earlier (say 30 seconds earlier) to place yourself in a better position for a bus appearing in your lane around a bend. Tell us what ideas occur to you
@@motorinc yep. I immediately changed the way i approach corners, take a wider line every time as i enter the corner assuming a vehicle would peep out every time and stuck to the left side. Anything i missed and could've done better?
I got the habit of wearing seatbelts from my driving school, basically from the first day of sitting on driving seat. My driving instructor would not let me touch the keys unless I've put on the seatbelts. I'm driving car since last 4 years and most of the time found myself going for seatbelts even while reversing my car in the parking.😂 I feel uneasy travelling in buses because I'm sitting in a bucket and there's just no thing holding my shoulder and chest with. I never have to remind myself for belts because they are buckled up even for igniting my engine. It feels safe. It feels confident. ❤
Let me give you a good laughter by sharing an incident and how I changed my riding after that. In my prime 20's I bought my first Motorcycle - Yamaha Gladiator. For me it was a mean machine then. Quick to throttle response, light and fast, it was versatile. One day when my blood rush was high, I met with a accident on it, jumped over a blind speed breaker right after a left turn at 50kmph, breaking my teeth (thanks to my helmet that it saved the rest of my face). That's when I decided that this bike will keep me always make me ride this way even if I want to slow down. That's when after a year's worth saving I bought my first RE Classic 350 (1st edition, 2009). It was heavy, slow to respond, no ABS, after 80-90 vibrated like crazy - all these parameters made me ride slow, and with this I became more responsible rider eventually. I behaved well on road, gave way to faster folks, calculated speed and braking power and made better judgments... Learnt a lot over the last 15 yrs... Now in my late 30's, I'm planning to shift to Himalayan 450. It's a chance I'm taking. A RE completely opposite to my 350cc. Will I continue to ride responsibly like I'm doing now or will I ride like 15 yrs ago - I'll need to wait and watch. 😅
Thanks for sharing @Libran_Woody! Glad that you're trying to do better constantly. We think any motorcycle, regardless of the character, can be ridden slow if that's what you prefer. Now that you've learned and know better, we think you'll do just fine. Just make sure to get test rides, multiple and long ones if you can, before making the decision. All the best! Keep us posted.
Loved this video so much that I re-watched after a year while scrolling through Motorinc's videos. Sad to see that real world is still plagued with the idea of perceived safety or apparent safety instead of actual safety. Guys, when are you uploading another "This connect" on safety...?
ok , Me n Shumi are Probably oldest ppl out here, I'm just on the wrong side of 50 recently, I used to have a pulsar 200, and I would not hesitate to say that it was a really unsafe and very unstable bike and I had an Accident when I was roughly 35, Helmet saved my life but not my pride, as me n my wife were on parallel beds in a maternity hospital, she for delivery of our baby, me for bruises and soreness, injuries on the knees and shoulder etc and to "support my wife " ...... lying in bed ... Anyways.... When I was on a wrong side of 40 I decided to go for a long ride with no destination....just keep riding south till I feel like turning back.... I rode upto Karwar, Karnataka. and I did buy a safety kit including a riding jacket, elbow and knee guards along with my Helmet(ISI Mark). the trip lasted 10 days and is one of my most cherished ride yet. being not so skilled in riding I took my time and did not put myself at any risk and rode within myself, also with the coastal road that I took speed wasn't even an option and I frequently stopped to take photographs. cut to 2022 and I had to buy a new bike. and this time I Chose to buy the Aerox Yamaha..... a scooter ... I realised I will be riding Mumbai roads for 90 % of the time and I wanted a scooter that could pull of the occasional mid life "Ladakh jana hai" crisis if it ever happens. this time unlike the last time, I did my homework a lot more, saw a lot of your podcasts about elements of riding like Gear safety etc. and this time invested in a better Helmet (with ISI and DOT and CE) also Bought other safely equipment from Rynox. This time around I am a more informed bike rider, Age has made me wiser I think, I have done smaller trips to Nashik and Pune a few times and I intend to ride to Jaipur for New Years. So that's about me. maybe after enough road exp, I may graduate to a light adventure like a Himalayan, before I think of the big daddy's like GS n Tigers one POV I have about the podcast was that it had a very urban rider enthusiast perspective on riding while I would think 90% of 2 wheels in india are bought by people who cannot afford a 4 wheeler, for them its not a sense of adventure or freedom blah blah that us urbans gloat over but just a basic Financial decision including how much they would be able to invest in safety gear (this includes awareness of the fact that they need it). so for a developing country to eradicate a 2 wheeler for safety is a rather rich thought, when we cannot first eradicate traffic coming from the wrong side of the road.
Good points! Our size as a market may keep us as an outlier to the elimination of 2Ws versus other markets, but it autonomy happens, it'll spread (it's vastly more efficient than human drivers) and when it does, transportation itself will become much cheaper... hastening the end of the 2Ws.
The subsistence level rider is a current thing for sure. But I do believe that all the pointers say they'll have more money and more options within the next 10 years or so. Every commuter sold in India, is a car that price that was out of reach, not doubt about this at all! As to the Aerox. PD's Varun just installed a larger fuel tank he sourced to the Aerox which should immediately give your scooter longer range on the highway! Something to consider.
I'm at my 20's, 23 actually and I ride a vehicle which does not have any electronics to help me with......but I learnt one really important thing, that if we make silly mistakes on road, like drive rash or drive just outside our skill level we maybe pass that situation for once or twice luckily but, LUCK does not will be with you all the time and at that time when luck doesn't show up there's a high chance that you'll also not show up in fit condition.
Safety perspective at age 30: I had my first scooter (Bajaj Super) accident when I was 18. Skid on sand (hard brake) and hit my head on the pole. Saved by the helmet, which I put on to keep myself warm on a winter morning. That changed my perspective on Safety, Fortunately very early. After that I was saved two more times due to gear. But tbh, its not possible to wear riding gears for commutes everytime. I think the helmet, shoes and the attitude of not being stupid is what I rely on now a days. Recently bought a car, the 5* punch mainly for long distance commutes. Still in the process of discovering the last 20-30 bhp.
Safety is unfair. Its like a game, where we have to give our best for 365 days a year for something that may or may not happen. But it takes 1 second for the opponent to defeat us. But then, who said life is fair. 🙂
Hey Rohit! That’s beautifully written. Thanks so much for sharing it. And stay safe!
You're killing us with the last lines there RDM! That's a GREAT GREAT line and perspective! But in a Universe where entropy is the natural progression of things... it can't be any other way
True... 😄
Hyped for upcoming episodes... Do shed some light on the future of mobility, like full evs vs hybrids vs alternate fuels. You can also talk about Cyborgification 🤣 On a serious note, do you think there is any future where humans can control vehicles with minds directly? Neuralink sort of thing...
@@wikedbeast Eventually I suppose it must be. Control mechanisms becoming simpler is an obvious and constant trend. Can't wait for ports in my head so that footage and thoughts can be downloaded natively and given to the editor who can think about the film and then output it directly 🤣
@@shu_mar 🤣 will there still be an editor? Or an AI can live edit that stuff, so that its ready to upload when you get off the bike...
In an era where our young bloods are having a smaller retention than a gold fish , these gizmos are most welcome. I love these podcast series, something better than 15 secs of dopamine. Thank you 🙏
Thanks Arko! We just think they absorb information differently from the rest of the older age group...
Hello guys, good going!
I am 37 with a new born baby girl. I have never been into biking but I use Activa for my daily commute. I recently got fixed the left rear view mirror which was shaking a lot! In an overcrowded “Always in a hurry and never on time” city traffic, I believe having vibration free good rear view mirrors at both the sides on the bike is extremely important! These podcasts will definitely bring such awareness 👍
Agreed!
At 25.55 shumi quotes atomic habits so naturally … that shows how in-depth these two gentlemen are and how educative are every words they speak . That’s one of the reason one keep visiting their podcast again and again to learn something new …
♥️ Thanks Raghussaa!
This feels like Shumi and Kartikeya having a conversation while I being present there. Love the candid nature. Keep it up guys. God speed!
Thank you Akshay! We're asking for feedback this time: what can we do to improve the podcast experience for you?
@@motorinc maybe, adding some visuals will make the experience more immersive. Not sure but just a thought.
Noted! Thanks!
Wait. Visuals? In a podcast? Hmmmmmmmmmm…. Ok let us figure 😊
@@shu_mar You can make these podcasts much much longer😅 I can hear such content for hours
One thing I am absolutely loving about this podcast, is that I have seen glimpses of these topics and conversations in previous videos that Shumi and Kartikeya have done together, and I always wanted to hear more about what those conversations looked like in private when they discussed in detail
So privileged and happy to be able to hear them through this series
Hey Rishal, hahaha yeah it is like an extension of things we’d discuss after the camera switched off. And it’s awesome to have you as a part of the conversation! Thank you!
We’re glad to put their unending chatter to good use! Thanks for watching!
And I must say chatting cars and bikes with Kartikeya opens my mind to new thoughts and perspectives... which I'm enjoying and looking forward to immensely!
Hello guys, loved the perspectives and conversation!!
I am 30 year old, I have a 125 CC motorcycle and recently purchased a BMW 310GS, a steep upgrade :P.
For me safety is so important that the day I booked my bike, I got a good helmet post thorough research and spent 11k for it and also got a riding gear, spent 16k. Have been advising all my friends who are getting bikes to invest on good helmets and riding gear.
Recently on a ride with the bike fully loaded, I was making a small turn at 2 or 3 kmph and due to the road conditions, it slipped and eventually had to drop the bike while I hit the ground with my palms and knee peeling a layer of sand on the ground. Thanks to the gloves and the knee armors which took all of the impact. A fellow pillion (on another motorcycle) who was also geared up fully except for the gloves got inspired by the incident to wear gloves all the time.
My drop was an awareness!!
Glad you're okay! Now consider upgrading your skills too... so the gear has less work to do!
I envy those who are REAL friends with Shumi !! Whenever I hear his thoughts, it all becomes so relatable. Like I am listening to my own thoughts. As far as my perspective on safety is concerned, I am 51 now and I learned to ride back in 1989. And from the first day I got my learning license, I am wearing a helmet. My uncle brought it for me from Delhi as there were no helmet shops in my locality. And from then till now I have only improved on my safety gear as my budget permitted.
Thanks Santosh! We echo your thoughts! Cheers!
Awesome conversation
2 things I would like to share:
1. Touch screens are not that great for interaction while driving, it requires a constant glance to check whether you did it right or not (secondary distraction) whereas with hard buttons and knobs , we can have muscle memory built..without looking at the console it can be correctly used.
2. I am 34 and have a 3year old baby. I bought the Tata car precisely because of safety and Car seat was in place before he got old enough to sit in that. I have been riding bike since 18 but now I consider spending more on safety then putting LED in tyre pressure valve.. and there are so many things which I consciously do now then before.
Thanks to you people for sharing the knowledge and spreading awareness.
A big thankyou 😊
Hey RBJ! Great to know about your fam too. Lotsa ❤ to them. All of you travel safe!
Helloooooo to baby! RBJ, as Kartikeya likes to remind me, the touchscreens are a waypoint on a journey that'll stop at voice commands next, and then mind control... But for things that need your attention constantly, touchscreens are definitely worse as a control method than hardware buttons and knobs
The dark jokes are the reason to stick to the end in addition to everything else.
That’s what Shumi’s been telling Karthikeya the whole time 😂
Glad you like that! I thoroughly enjoyed it too!😂
Truth be told. This is my first podcast ive listened to. Did not know that I'd like to just listen to 2 dudes just talking and me just spectate the whole thing. Loved the format.
@@ashish67102 Oh wow! I'm so happy to hear that we 'converted' you!
Hey there, Mr. Shumi and Mr.Karhikeya I'm a 19-year-old who's been catching your awesome content on YT, both PowerDrift and Motor Inc. Lately, your insights have totally revamped my outlook on motorcycling, handling traffic situations, and road rage. Been riding more responsible and your podcast on speed limits...man thats pure fire...helped me gain a lot of clarity on maintaining the correct speed at the correct situation. I'm stoked to put your advice into practice in real life, and I aspire to reach your level of skill. Your perspective on motorcycles is beyond amazing! Best regards and keep rocking!
Hi, Ajay! We are so glad to hear you say this. The fact that you've become a more responsible motorcyclist is what makes us proud of you.
Hey people , I'm 23 years old right now ,I'm a graduate , unemployed , i own a bike , i asked my dad to get one for me , thankfully he could afford it , for me in motorcycling Safety will be one of the most important parameter for me to decide , whether i should buy this product or not , apart from the value , i make sure that it meets the necessary standard for today's world , because down the line after few years those safety standards would obviously improve , so it would be dumb for me to ignore that as a cost cutting , when i can make my family buy a car/bike , i can always urge them to spend a few more money to buy and get that extra safety , so that both myself and my parents can feel safe while I'm on wheels . this my view on the product side ,
on a personal level as a motorcycle enthusiast , its more about how we feel connected to our machines , obviously I've had fun while driving at high speeds , i do that only when the road is empty and when i get the confidence to go that extra speed , when i consciously know that its unnecessary , yet i tend to satisfy my desire in a safe way ,
when there are bikes and cars around me , i always commute at the speeds that the roads allow and permits , rules and regulations are there to ensure our safety , there's no fun in being absolutely rash in a road , we may drive for fun , but for other people , their lively hood may depend upon this drive .
i always ensure that my driving is in a state , where i can enjoy my ride and not to disturb any others with my enthusiasm .
and once i got beyond the phase of speed and distance , driving slow and safe is more pleasurable than to rush in a hurry .
14:27 man that is dark , yet it's the bitter truth !
The flip side, of course, is that global populations will shortly show a downward trend (there's a great book called The Shock of Global Population Decline which explains this beautifully). And that, as always, will bring its own challenges
The strange thing is, we've forgotten this. My father is one of 15-16 siblings from a time when infant mortality was a big number. He, in fact, as assumed to be too weak to survive at birth. And the way he tells it, families produces large number of children not because contraception was hard to come by, but because it was the way to ensure you had a reasonable sized brood. It was assumed that many brothers/sisters would not be missed. We've come a long way along that same circle if you think about it
@shu_mar @motorinc whatever happens , we tend to move forward in life, the graph may go up and down but the graph still continues to move , has any human being ever stopped somewhere and said , its enough for me , let me stop ,they do , but they change tracks and move forward in their journey , trends change , but few things remains constant like nobody can deny a fact that we're marching towards our own end , i may sound dark , but its a fact , we deal with this life and this complexity just to make the future of our fellow beings to be easier and smooth , but they may have their own challenges , and this is us , having a good conversation via different places , yet connected :)
The chemistry between these two are incredible, Its feels like I am seating there
We *were* sitting there and you're right! They're incredible together!
I started riding/driving at an early age. Rode like a speed high kid, had about 3 slipoffs to realise life is important. Hence promised myself before buying a d390, cause i knew, if i behave like before, i ll end up with most of my bones broken or probably dead someday. And d390 changed me to a very controlled, responsible motorcyclist. I approved my riding skills. After a few years, when i drive cars calmly my friend appreciated how smooth the ride was, he almost felt like the manual car was an automatic transmission and a lot of other things. Safety is the motive now. And driving/riding smoothly is a pleasure. When i hear you guys, the content is so relevant, the thought process is so much similar. I hope the community realises the importance of safety. If you look at people driving abroad like Japan/Europe, they are so disciplined. The entire story started at 15. Purchased 390 at about 24 when i shifted myself to a safer rider. Buying a xuv700 cause its more safer and spacious. Seltos was crossed out because of its 3* rating. About 31 now!
Brilliant podcast, these topics are not discussed in the same way right now openly most of the time anywhere online, so to see an extremely well thought out intelligent discussion on the same is refreshing.
Hey Jithesh! Glad to know it struck a chord. Drive/Ride safe!
Thank you Jithesh! Now suggest topics that you'd like to hear discussed please?
Thank you guys for making this video. I am loving this podcast, and I love the approach Shumi had at the beginning of the conversation. I think safety is a important topic to discuss not only form the perspective of safety gears but also form an idea about what I can do and what I cannot and what I should do and what I should not in a certain situation. I read a very nice quote somewhere "you may not ride like Rossi, but you can slide like him, so it is better to be prepared."
I am 29 years old and I am going for a long trip which will be more than 5000 km, so I serviced my motorcycle(Yamaha FZs V3), changed every possible things (which were necessary) and replaced with a new one. Attached one handlebar riser, replaced the break pads with a sintered brake pads. And carrying some spare parts also. Still figuring out if any thing needs some attention.
P.S. : I did not service the motorcycle for this trip only. I always make sure that I keep it maintained, while I am riding for long distances or city commuting. I think it is a very important to keep me safe on the road.
Absolutely! Better prepared goes a long way!
Glad you love it!
This is how I prep for long rides too! Regular service, re-torque all major bolts, a quick check on all consumables and ensure they have loads of life left. So that when I leave town, the motorcycle is the one thing that I know will not ask for attention
13:43 im so glad Kartik mentioned this. This has been my argument all along with people on instagram. You are driving at a much higher speeds than the tests.
I'm 39 and as this conversation goes on, I can't help but look back at how rash, brazen and absolutely ultra confident I was in my 20s. Jeez. And I have sobered down with risk taking but not with speed. Jeez. Age and experience does bring a lot to the table.
Absolutely. The smartest of us learnt to sober up _before_ we grew up though 😆
I'm 31, and love going off-road. I always was listening to shumi talk about protecting ourselves on the motorcycle and why there should be no compromise in it. I have heard stories of people getting into really slow speed accidents and how their skull cracked open like a coconut. So cut to last Sunday where I was on the flat track and had a really bad high side, my 25k leatt 5.5 body protector saved my shoulder from a fracture. Nobody in the family understood the importance of it and thought I was a posh fellow with money to spend(I'm broke). Now they know I saved at least 50k in hospital bills and 6 months of my time pain-free.
It's the strangest thing. But psychology studies do document this as normal human thinking. Where disaster is naturally hard for us to process as a possibility. We suppose that makes serious motorcyclists slightly more evolved than the average representative of our race! 🤣🤣🤣
I'm glad you were trying to learn and that you emerged unscathed! Nice going Bharath!
@@shu_mar thanks for doing what you do. Helps me a lot. Has changed my perspective about so many things. Only wish good things for you and motorInc.
Huge fan of all your work.
I could endlessly listen to you guys have these discussions. It’s a great topic, need of the hour; looking forward to the next episode.
Thanks RP!
What do you think we should discuss next?
Just discovered your channel and found it extremely refreshing.
I used to have a Discover 125 in college. As soon as I started earning, I got a Classic 500. With it came the urge to go touring. My dad insisted I get riding gear for safety. What I did discover is that the riding gear gave me immense confidence, not overconfidence on the road. It made me more focused and in the moment sort of rider and from then to now I wear it whenever I am taking any of my machines out.
We appreciate your kind words 🤗
That's great to hear, thanks for sharing @rtvesa !
Great to hear this. Enjoyed thoroughly.
I am 34 years old, riding for about 13 years now.
Here are my thoughts on SAFETY:
I am only a rider (never a driver). I am going to base this on Motorcycles solely.
I do account for the safety features when I am deciding on a motorcycle. If I see that a bike (used) does not have ABS, I am going to take a pause and think it over. In my opinion we are in a Perfect stage of motorcycle Safety Tech Intrusion (Yes, I called it Intrusion).
Currently every Safety Tech is protecting a rider for the "After", it lets you make a mistake (the "Before"). And I think that's the best. Whether its ABS, TC, RWLP. It all gets involved AFTER the rider makes a mistake. They separate the whole experience based on the 'Control Mechanism', a Rider is in complete control 'Before', it is only once the situation gets out of human capacity that the Tech gets activated and takes control.
i.e. ABS can be achieved by a human by rapidly pulling and letting go of the brakes according to the corresponding speed and friction level of the contact patch of the wheels, but it is humanly impossible to do so. Hence, ABS does that for you.
I like the current level of intrusion by Safety Tech. I do know that soon there is going to be more tech involved in it than we anticipate.
For now, I am in control and that should be the only thing that matters.
Can't wait to tune in to the next podcast.
Keep riding, Keep being awesome.
theXplorer! This is absolutely true. We believe the debate is that people don't have to be skilled because the tech will handle it. And that may sound logical. But what's probably more true than that is the fact that the majority won't upskill themselves and those are the ones who will truly need the tech to come save them regularly
@@motorinc Right on. Only a fraction of riders are willing to learn to be a better rider. No matter how safe a vehicle becomes, it is the rider's duty to never cross that human capacity.
Good point.
🙏🙏🙏
@@theXplorerRS As motorcyclists we are lucky that more of us are interesting in learning how to ride better than the same statistic for car drivers.
@@shu_mar Well, I am a learner. Always have been, always will be. Been learning since more than a decade and I still find something mind boggling new.
I guess Moto Jitsu Logic applies here. Most of us rate us 6-8, while being a measly 2-3.
I have a few rules while on rides, I ride believing that every vehicle on the road is a hazard to me. Only I have to work towards my safety. No one else will. And that can be only achieved if I am good enough to account for numerous variables that may/will go wrong.
It is not that I am riding in fear, I do enjoy the ride, it is just that feeling a little bit of fear in the back of my head makes me enjoy the ride a bit better.
P. S. Shumi was the one who made me realize the importance of hugging the bike with my legs back in the day. Tried it and whoosh *mind blown*. Thanks for the good stuff. 🙏
@@theXplorerRS No worries! Glad I'm helping you and even happier that you're actively helping yourself!
Shumi is more than meets an eye., his intellect is admirable. He is the guy I want to sit down with a beer and talk about life and happiness.
Thanks Nishit! Soon! We're working out how to meet and chat in the flesh
Great going guys!!! I usually can’t wait and listen to these long videos/ podcasts, but Both the thisconnect videos have kept me hooked to the screen. Just feels like two very experienced people having a very open and casual yet honest conversation. 👍🏼
Awesome! Thank you!
Age 40: Bought a Honda City Automatic, feels like it makes me drive more defensively, and happy with it, one hack i use is to put a "L" sticker in the rear, as there is no way i can get more space in the rear, as i could get as much i can in the front, but not in the rear, I have on quite a few occasions, people coming from behind, would be more alert, and use dipper or horn when they want to cross by.. which i felt is nice, which does not happen normally. I do ride a himalayan with a MT helmet. I completely agree with Shumi's words about finding risks and overcoming them makes us human, and empowered .... Keep connecting :)
I suppose we'll always be learners, but an L plate on a car with a licensed driver? We're not sure how we feel about that, despite the obvious advantages it gives you in terms of your ability to maintain space around you.
Cheating cheating! 😂
I am 19, i have been riding since just before turning 18. My first vehicle was a fascino which i brought on the recommendation from a friend, put 7k km on it in the first three months and knew i needed something better. I was in the market for an mt 15 cuz of all the reviews, yamaha was very appealing to me, I knew my commutes are long so I also wanted something with good mileage and mt 15 was just fitting quite nicely in it also the price was good. I went to the showroom i didn't know how to drive manuals at the time so didn't took a test ride, put some advance for the booking, came back the next day with my mom, looked at the r15m moto gp edition, it was just sitting there staring at me and i knew that this is what i want. So went ahead and bought that. Just while taking the bike from the showroom to home, mind you i had no prior experience of driving a manual, on my way itself, i decided that i need a helmet as i was using a half helmet from steelbird at the time, so i just stopped at a shop nearby brought a studds thunder and some probiker gloves. I didn't know anything about sizing, fit, or any real way to evaluate gears but i brought that and i drove to my home stalling only 7 or 8 times in a 5.6km stretch.
Fast forward one or two month later, i found out that bikes had a lot more than just going fast straight and traveling from one place to another and i was getting more enthusiastic about bike and i wanted to use it, i wanted to push it, all while trying to know more about it, i got exposed to all of these good content from motojitsu, yammienoob, powerdrift, revzilla, etc mainly to get my skills better but safety and everything was slowly getting ingrained into me. I would wear my helmet and my gloves everywhere. I knew i wanted a better helmet, and also better gloves. So after a while i went and brought myself an axor devil or something like that this time around i knew i am supposed to get a proper fit, i tried all the sizes, only the xs was like fitting me properly so i brought that. Rode around wearing that helmet for 2 months or so, it was a good helmet, but the view from it was really bad, it made me feel claustrophobic, it would get loose too even though it was an xs, it had good features, i couldn't see a lot of stoplights and stuff so after two months of trying to make use of 5k that i spent a an 18 year old i gave up trying and i knew that this isn't for me and it's doing me more harm than good. Around the same time i also got an axor gloves, they have been really good i still wear them to this day. So after switching back to studds for a month maybe, i decided to buy the mt blade sv4, i saw a lot of good reviews for it and it felt good, i went again to buy it and mt stocks are very low here so i had to travel 35km from where i live only to find out the place was like 11kms only. So i did do that and i brought a m sized mt blade sv4, i overspent on it but it is something that i don't regret to this day, it fits me properly gives me good vision, is comfortable and is honestly something i enjoy wearing rather than dread having to wear it. After a while i also got a rynox storm evo jacket, i was again not going with the intention of buying this i wanted a basic entry level jacket but this was a good product and it made sense for me and later on i brought a rynox storm evo gloves and i knew that i need to have boots too so i brought a bbg boot. The boot and gloves took me a little time to get adjusted to but it was fine and i also got a carbonado gt3 bagpack mainly because of its features and its compatibility with riding.
Fast forward to a month ago, i got into a major crash, i have had two crashes before but they were not major, both happened on the fascino i had good helmet and gloves so i was saved with minor scratches on my knees and elbows. So this major one, i was going on an empty flyover this is a good flyover that is usually empty with good amount of twists and turns, i come here usually to just have fun as it's a very controlled environment for me, as there is very little vehicles, no pedestrians, well maintained roads and all. So i was going back home through the flyover, i could see this ktm from 1km before i got on, that it was trying to sort of race me, i didn't want to race i was just minding my own business as i usually do, going efficiently, trying to manuever properly with more confidence and hopefully speed too without risking anybody including me. So i get into the flyover there is a curve i am going like 95ish and i start rolling off the throttle to go in the curve and i feel that the control over the bike is just gone, and i crash then and there, my bike did made the corner ending up into a crash on the left side into the left barricade of the flyover, thankfully no one was hurt, i flew straight from the bike and managed to lodge myself in between two barriers for the ongoing and incoming lane, i got out of the hole i guess i can say that. I was literally just hanging in air i held both the barricades with my hands there was nothing below my feet, and i first tried getting up using my feet and i had this eerie sense that my leg is broken because i could not feel it pushing on anything, thankfully it was not my leg there just was nothing. Beneath me and i got out got to the side, got the bike up. My carbonado hardshell saved my insta 360 that was inside it but got ruined in that, my gloves tore in half with just a little bit of aftermath left on my right pinky, i would have lost my head, my hand, my left feet, if i was not wearing riding gears. But i only got hurt in my legs, thighs i have a good scar. I was able to start riding three days after the accident. What happened in that accident was that the ktm rear ended me.
I wear my riding gears almost everytime I can since I brought them, it's inconvenient sometimes, it feels bulky and stuff. Its okay, you can be careful all the time and it's just 1split second that can make all of that useless. So if you have gears wear them, if you can't wear those gears and if you are fortunate and able enough to get gears that are comfortable for you do it, it doesn't make sense to buy a gear and not wear it or to wear it just to show off. Try wearing gears everytime you can, get gears that are comfortable for you and that work for you no matter how many good reviews that piece of gear has.
Get gear that you'll wear
Wear the gear that you have
That’s a whole book dude.. I am not reading all of that
@@reagent69 I understand
That's one hell of a story man 🥲
@@drakefrost4534 damn bro.. i read your story now.. what happened to that ktm guy? Do you have video from your insta 360?
Loved the direct and honest points from Shumi and the deep breaths from Singhee visualising stuffs 😅
This podcast felt much more natural than the last one. Keep up the good work guys, waiting for the next one!
Trajectory. Check. ❤ Deep breath. Check. See you in the next one!
Thank you! We’ll take it up a notch!
Thanks Aswin! Please suggest topics that you'd like see on ThisConnect!
Smooth as butter conversation - sharp, knowledgeable and full of wit. Such a pleasure to listen to you guys discuss safety. Audio quality is great too! Keep 'em coming!
Thanks Hadouken! Please suggest more things to chat about in the podcast?
Cheers! We love that you like!
I'd love to see you talk about the Car Restoration scene in India and contrast that with the Scrappage Policy (somewhat ridiculous) in India. The amount of care and insanity that we put into caring for our vehicles, regular services, pollution checks, etc. I see no reason why my car can't grow old with me. Heck, Switzerland just banned EVs too.
@@motorinc Replied below :)
@@hadouken2077 The Swiss ban is purely about EV charging loads possibly interfering with people's ability to heat homes during a temporary energy shortage. But I see your point. As far as I can tell, there are always exceptions for exceptionally valuable (money or emotion) vehicles wherever scrappage policies exist.
Loved the podcast !!
I am 27, started riding 1.5 years back. Since then i have upgraded from a half face helmet, to a full face, to a ECE and DOT certified helmet (saving up for a shoie or arai now). For me crash is not a question of "if" but "when" and I just want to delay then "when" as much as possible. And "when" it happens, just want to reduce the damage (Will keep upgrading the riding gears). I totally relate to Shumi when he said motorcycle socks can make a difference even if it is 0.5%. I just changed my riding pants because the ventilation was not good in previous one.
Something I learnt early on in my riding days is that you crash not because of anyone else's mistake, but every time you crash, irrespective of how many wheels you are on, it is always, always your fault. And this message being hardwired into me has caused me to be a calmer rider/ driver, because I cannot control the other variables, but I can control my motorcycles and my throttle and brake input and anticipate the thirty different things that the cars/ motorcycles can do around me which in turn forces me to be proactive, and not reactive.
Forget about safety features, my motorcycles barely have enough brakes on them😆, and whenever I am riding, I have zero safety nets to fall back on, which is where I think both the bikes have made me a calmer, faster, better rider than what I was when I started riding a couple of decades back.
But, and this is a big one, I usually ride alone, and this is why I am OK taking that risk, but when I have my partner with me, I will drive, no two ways about it. I have a Mahindra SUV, with the basic safety features of ABS, EBD, Twin airbags and an ISOFIX child mount. This I think is enough. One ADAS feature which I really think is important (for me), is the driver drowsiness detection feature, because all the others, at my age (pushing 41) are the learnings that we grew up on, and to me, seem gimmicky at best, and downright dangerous at worst.
You guys are absolutely right, addition of safety features does not take away from the fact that stupid people will continue to do stupid things, just now under the misconception that they're now going to be saved because of these safety features. Case in point are all these cars with sun roofs and the kids standing out of them, or people putting their kids backwards on motorcycles/ scooters or parents making their kids stand between them when they are riding.
You know what blows my mind? These same people reproduce, with absolutely zero consequences or penalties, merrily gallivanting around, snickering about what a daredevil their son is. Just...
Anyhow, just loved the open laughter, Shumi and Karthikeya. Onwards and upwards, guys!
So we need to have a Malthusian reproduction licensing system? We can barely manage vehiclular licenses at this time... 🤣🤣🤣
So true Sagnik! We do what we can. We do everything we can. And then we are done!
I started riding when i was 12, and driving when I was 13 I was thrilled with all that power with no education available as it is today we had a guru (chapri pro max plus) in those old days who use to teach us how the machine works. I am now 32 and my mentality has drastically changed, I always liked a helmet when I was a teen cause it was fancy and I had the Valentino Rossi edition, slowly and steadyley I got a glove but that was it for almost 10 years. i ride crazy on the streets did everything that I shouldn't have the only thing we lacked back in the time was education. I am so glad to have folks like you who exist and carve out your experience in a entertaining way. I recently have spent around 54K on my gear but iwas happy doing that yes I had to cut corners with my budget for other things and I feel good when I am riding with my gear. i have passed the same sense to my child who has his helmet on whenever he is on a ride with me. Thanks Shumi & Kartik sir for such a wonderful podcast waiting to see more
Thank you Aniruddha!Despite our efforts, there's a lot more education that needs to be out there and isn't... working on that!
Loved this episode... So much to learn... I am 37 and I got a ₹ 8k helmet instead of my planned ₹ 2.5k and this happened only because of Shumi...
Pritom! Thank you! Now your turn: What should we talk about next?
Glad I helped! Thanks Pritom!
I just love Schumi. The way he carries the conversation seriously while making kartikeya uncomfortable is really enjoyable. As for safety, I am into vintage motorcycles so only 2 of my bikes have abs or tc. I believe that one should trust ones best judgement, that has worked for me so far.
Two of my favorite auto reviewers on one platform.. Just waow. I am following you guys since you guys were on many different other platforms in the past.
Thank you! Welcome aboard
There are so many TH-cam vloggers (on perceived car safety) who need to watch this video immediately.
Share it with them if you think that will help!
It's beautiful! Period. One suggestion is to increase the podcast timings as it is just Bliss to the ears. Kudos you both of you for educating us all.
My cycle of life at 24: 1.5 years of owning Duke 390 and for safety, I follow Shumi's rule, I try to buy the best safety equipment that I can afford and save then upgrade and repeat.
Thank you! Longer than 40 minutes! We’ll note the feedback!
More than 40 minutes even! Baaaap re!
@@shu_mar hahaha. I don't know about the statistics but I did not realise that 40 mins were over and I was still wanting for more 😅
Wonderful podcast. Loved the perspective on risk. I’m a Risk Management guy, very corporate and white collar. I remember being 18 on my pulsar 220 and thinking I was immortal and crashing at 135 kmph. That incident didn’t scare me (although the ghost of mistakes past does visit my wrist every winter). I bought a bullet 2 years later and kept riding that. It was only When I started actually making good money and contributing to my family that I thought that my safety is something that matters (self worth attached to the salary situation) and this went on for about 6 years. I lived in a weird state of fear. Not accepting risk as it is.
I’m 31 now. I’ve got a wife and a 3 month old baby. And just last week I bought myself an RR310. It just felt like something that I absolutely had to do. The only difference this time was that I was looking at risk mitigation as a concept and fact of life. For the first time in my life I bought a serious riding jacket, gloves, boots, top spec helmet and riding pants. I may not be as light or as nimble but I know a lot more and riding a bullet for 11 years has made me a very patient rider. If it’s my family that’s travelling we’ll be in the car with seatbelts, child seats and airbags. But me,… I just want to fly once in a while. And come home in one piece to play with my son.
What a fantastic perspective! Thank you for sharing... this is spot on!
I'm 37 and have a Honda City (4th gen) and a triumph street twin. I had my first motorcycle fall on my Bajaj Avenger in 2006 when my helmet saved me. I bought the Honda City only for the mileage 7 years ago but my next car I'm definitely considering better safety. I always wear a helmet while riding my street twin, helmet is a Vega that I had during my RE days. Planning to upgrade to an MT soon. I had a little mishap when the motorcycle tilted while reversing it to get it out of my home, couldn't control it and ended up on my feet. I was saved with some swelling however Lesson learnt- do not wear crocs while on the motorcycle and had to buy basic riding shoes. in one of your podcasts, u mentioned, you have only two legs. Used to be careless about wearing a helmet and riding boots but now it's kind of a mandate on every ride.
As long as we're learning and not making the same mistakes... we're growing! 😊
Loved every single bit of the conversation 😊 At the end I noticed that the video was about 40 mins long, could have listened to you guys for hours and learn from every bit without ever looking at the clock. ❤
Hey Vishal! Great to get this conversation out there. If you have any suggestions please do let us know! Thank you!
We love that you like!
If you didn't look at the clock... we did something right! Thanks Vishal!
@@shu_mar Definitely no doubt in it 😊 Thank you Shumi for MotorInc
@@vishalsandal1053 Thank you for MotorInc too! It's not just us. It's all of us together!
truly great video , learned a lot , (a bit late to respond as watching today after you have completed the series ) but at age 28 about to step into a married life , i truly feel safety and the way i think about it changed over time ,at 19 i used to be a very rash driver always trying to reach a wide and empty roads trying to do a wheelie or a stopie , later at 22 it got worse i was trying to do same on a busy roads, had some accidents too eventually learned my mistakes(never hurt anyone in the process though) , at 25 it was all about speeds and over taking cars and other vehicles , now i try to keep my self alert as much as possible always following road laws every where whether it be empty or crowded one , seat belts are a must on cars, and helmet on a bike ,i keep it clear the same for my pillion and co passenger , never cross the speed limit the car i chose is 5 star rated despite a less output engine ,as shumi said in later videos about how not getting on bike unless you are wearing complete bike gears well i cant do that yet as not reached to the point where i can afford those but aiming for the day to come .
I did insane amounts of research before buying my riding gears, and got my ECE-rated helmet ~1.5yrs before & CE-rated gloves a few months before I finally got my first bike. I've gotten so many stares on the road riding an old Pleasure with a SMK helmet and gloves. Got my jacket and pants soon after my Vstrom SX. Dropped it twice, and whenever I see the scratches on the palm sliders, I think that would have been my palm otherwise.
I got Decathlon Trek 100 boots as a temporary fix till I can get a pair of riding boots that I really like, and this too saved my left foot once when my it hit a stone at slow speeds in a construction zone. Now eagerly waiting for RExTCX boots to restock.
The RExTCX boots will take a while. See Forma Adventure as a decent price option. They're the same spec, roughly, as the RE-TCX unit.
Ok, this time I made sure I had 2 cups of tea ready and on standby.
Safety perspective at the age of 32:
First actual ownership of a vehicle at the age of 27. Crashed it 4 times , the first being cocky and over estimating my skills like Shumi said.
2nd 2 wheeler after 2 years. Crashed it twice due to variables which I could not processed.
1st car at the age of 30 and had one accident when a truck decided to inch over to my lane in a 2 lane road while taking a corner.
3rd motorcycle at the age of 30 and no accidents till date.
Every single time I got into a bigger & newer motorcycle, I did observe an increase in my riding skills being employed while riding. Something as simple as getting the perception and the feeling on the tip of the finger as you press the brake lever. Helped me go from 3 to 2 to single finger braking on the road.
As for the latest purchase which I think I made a step towards more safety on the road would probably be my car. Since it was rated 5 * from the Global NCAP, I felt that my wife would have a better time adapting and sitting inside the cabin while I drive.
I am yet to make a new purchase which would ensure a safer riding environment, but seeing that I am putting together a plan to do a track day, there will be a list of purchases which would take place soon.
Alright! The chai combo sounds very satisfying. A safer riding environment won’t be created by just one of us. But we have to take responsibility of our safety.
Reading the road and conditions, maintaining a sense of caution is very important.
A track day is a great step in building a cushion. When and where do you plan to go?
@@motorinc Nearest track would be Kari for me. Would look for a track day session and ride there and have fun. MMRT would be on the other side of the coast, else would have rolled into TWO School
An awesome podcast, love shumi's brutal take on safety. I started riding at maybe 14, joy riding mopeds (TVS 50) in empty blocks with a big grin on my face. At 18 got my first bike, A Yamaha fazer which I used to ride around with a basic helmet (that was all the safety I had back then) . At 23, got an aspida L1 jacket and continued to ride the fazer. I'm now 27 and moved on to a KTM Duke 390 which scares the hell out of me 😂. With the ktm, I have now moved up to an MT thunder4 helmet and in the process of getting an L2 riding jacket & pant. I would very much like to keep my skin on me rather than on the fender of someone else's ride or the tarmac. Big thanks to shumi and PD for enlightening me about safety gears.
Thanks for watching! Good to know you are gearing up more and more. Gloves and boots soon?
Very insightful conversation! I had a lowside skid while riding a couple of years ago, and safety gear definitely saved me that day. @Shumi, I remember DMing you on Instagram immediately after, and thanking you for the awareness about helmets and safety gear you'd generated through your PD podcasts back then. Here's looking forward to more insightful podcasts like this one!
Thanks Vikram! We're on it!
Glad I helped! Please so suggest that topics you think we should discuss on the podcast, too!
@@shu_mar @motorinc - I do have a suggestion for a topic - you could discuss about the influence of 'motovloggers' on the motorcycling culture in India! :)
@@shu_mar its a request, plz make a post for scooter/maxiscooter ppl like myself who want to tour. I am sure there are people like me(aerox) who have a scooter for city practicals, but have desire for the occasional long ride.
@@designguru2031 Absolutely can do! When I rode a 250km day on the Aerox, my learnings were simple. The range is pretty decent despite the small tank if you taper off the acceleration and go no faster than 80-90kmph. It's above this that the fuel consumption rises significantly and the range drops. Varun at @powerdrift sourced an 8 litre tank for his Aerox that if I remember correctly was a straight fit. That will help immensely too!
This is such a brilliant episode! Absolutely love the conversation between the two! Kudos!
Thanks Tarun! We're asking for possible podcast topics now. Got suggestions?
Tarun! Thank you very much! Suggest topics for future episodes! 😁
@@shu_mar Yess! Sir!!
1. How is the design strategy of cars/bikes spearing the way to great sales
2. The Modern Day Tyre
3. The future of vehicle mobility
4. The working mechanics of an EV Vehicle
These are all that pop up in my mind for now! Would love for you guys to choose any! 😍😍😍🤯
Kudos rcvd. And high five sent your way Tarun!
@@tarun8601 Great topic suggestions! Keep'em coming!
What a brilliant second episode! Close to my heart as well.
I could really relate to the electronics being seen as a safety net. I grew up riding motorcycles with absolutely no aides. So I learnt how to throttle out of corners without traction control or how to go from 80 kmph to naught with ABS. Since I skilled myself on those, my Multistrada 1200S’ innumerable electronics rarely kick in. And this is despite the fact that I am pushing myself on that bike to my abilities (not the motorcycle’s). And when I hop on to the 848, while I am scared for sure, I can manage to have fun despite not even having ABS.
What have I done to ensure safety?
The first car I bought was the Polo Highline back in 2012 because only the top end version had airbags in it. It was then an upward journey only from then. I have always bought the best riding gear I could afford. Always threw out foam protectors and inserted CE Level 2.
Finally, I don’t think we will ever arrive at a funny autonomous scheme of things. It might happen on major highways or even some city roads 5 decades later. But think of the dense countryside network of roads we have. It will take a million years at least to eliminate the conventional vehicles and replace them with autonomous.
My man! Thanks so much for taking the time out to share your experience. Drive and ride safe! As per your projections - we have lots of time to do so! Hehe bright side!
🤜🏽🤛🏽
Taking about safety, my wife never used to wear seatbelt until I had a crash in my Ford Figo in 2019. I was at about 90kms and there was a Mercedes Benz C220D in front of me. I felt that spidy tingle and told my wife to wear seatbelt. My elder son was sleeping in the backseat and my wife was holding my younger son. Thankfully she listened to me and wore the seatbelt and not less than 2 mins after that, The Mercedes decided to randomly stop in that stretch. I slowed down but not enough to stop my car and I crashed into the Merc at about 75kms. SEATBELT saved my wife and my son. So yeah, Seatbelts are extremely important.
I'm 34 now and I ride a lot. For safety I've changed my helmet and my riding shoes for my daily commute and when I go on rides, I make sure to wear proper riding gear and overall ride enthusiastic but also be responsible on the road and now act like how I used to when I was 18.
We live and we learn JNB! Glad your crash was a minor one, all things considered
I like this studio set up and more relaxed style better than the latest set up and formats.
Glad you like it!
Hi Shumi
I have been searching for you after your sudden absence from Powerdrift. I was there only for you.
Now you are here and so i am here. Thank you
Thanks Sandeep! We'll make sure Shumi sees your comment. Welcome to MotorInc!
Thank you Sandeep for following my work! Welcome to the MotorInc family! Now I'd like to you suggest topics that you'd like to see on MotorInc. Help us!
Shumi's perspective about the world is so much different. 🙏
🤜🏽🤛🏽
11:20-11:40 that's a really good point. And it holds true for 99% of the riders in India. That made me think a lot about how I ride my motorcycle and in the end, made me smile. coz I used to think of myself as a 7 but I'm really a 3-4. I'll be more cautious from now on.
Credit to @motojitsu!
Caution is just one part of the process. The other, is learning and growing to be a genuine 7! Best of luck Ravi!
I am a father of 4 year old, I avoid two wheelers since my daughter's birth, sold my bike still kept the scooter for convenience.
When I do ride it I keep my speed limit to 40-45 kmph even on comparatively straight and empty roads. In simple words, I over-compensate for others too.
I live in outskirts of the city and If I have to travel for more than 7-10 kms(or outside locality) round trip with my daughter, I strictly choose car over two wheeler.
In last one year I heard around half a dozen two-wheeler incidents where no driver was at fault and still received serious injuries. One broke his shoulder to undulation in road over a bridge(Bangalore), two other were victim of kite threads(Jaipur).
I agree with you both, your priorities do change as you progress through life. For me Safety is the first and non-negotiable feature in any travel.
It's good that you're thinking things through deaddy! Just remember that scooter require riding gear too... falling off works the same way no matter what the size of the wheels are
I still slow down when I see water on Road😂. (Abs no abs doesn't matter)
Someone has to be really unlucky to die in a car crash, with Motorcycles he has to be really lucky to survive.
The cliche is true (as usual)!
Going through the episodes from S1 and I’m constantly grateful this exists. Just wish these had been longer 😊
Longer! 😅
@@motorinc That’s what she said?! 😂
Learning so much thank you guys!! Next time I hit the o would definitely be a wiser rider all thanks to you.
Lots of respect. Thanks for my changing perspective towards the electronics . 🙌🙌
Thanks Dwij! Would you share this with your friends?
No worries Dwij! Happy to have helped! Now we need suggestions for topics for the podcast and stories from you! Tell us what you would like to see on MotorInc!
Well firstly loved your conversation.. it indeed makes your audience think. I generally do not comment or participate in discussions but the last question from Shumi really made me comment here.. I can so much relate to the topic. I am 29 years old now. I loved bike/cars since my very early age and I cannot describe through words how much because of my limitations over English language. However I never attempted to drive/ride them maybe because of fear(safety) and obviously my parents never encouraged me to have one for the same reason. Though we did get a car(celerio) when I was in college but my attempt to learn driving failed miserably though I was in college and my brain is young enough to handle and manage the risk. I may be drove for 2 -3 months and crashed every now and then. I was terrible on it. Now, coming to present my life is completely different..I live in Hyderabad currently which you can consider one of the busiest city in India. With my current job and also that I run a small eatery it became necessary for me to get a commute. I was very afraid of getting one because of my past experiences, however I did gather some courage and bought myself an old avenger 220 cruise 2012. A commute that I thought would perfectly fit my 5'5 of vertical distance .lol. yeah I am a short rider too.. :( now calling myself a rider why because I started learning last October and during this period whenever I took it out for a ride I felt the best time of my life. I try developing my skills to eliminate self induced mistakes as much as possible but external factors is what makes me a nervous rider. I now feel more responsible than I was back in my driving days. I am more cautious while i am on road and I hardly can rate myself around 2-3 out of 10 as per my skill. May be this is what keeping me from becoming a better rider. But as I mentioned earlier it's the passion for automotive what I love to experience either visually or physically. I am yet to discover a lot from my avenger and understand it's full potential and I believe the learning curve will just go up and help me be a better rider everytime I hit the road.
Thanks Roy! Glad we’re making you think and it’s good to have you on two wheels! More power to you and if we can help, just ask
First of all, love you guys and great to see Shumi again on YT. Well I'm 20 and ride my pretty motorcycle passionately. My approach towards safety is like that though it kills the fun, its necessary. What all I do for is like, my motorcycle hasn't got ABS, till I don't get it I never get to a situation where it can skid or slide, while killing the fun of going fast. Going fast is volentary, but staying intact is almost compulsary to continue to ride I feel.
This is the right way to do it! The road is not a place to push the limit!
I totally agree with that Octavia with touch screen AC button. I drive a 2021 Octavia. But indeed the car is awesome to drive.
In addition to that I bought an Octavia after selling a Seltos GT DCT which I drove for 18months. I felt I need to upgrade my safety with a better car.
Upgraded my riding gears from a cotton jacket to all Alpinestar gears along with higher cc motorcycles. All thanks to Shumi
Regards,
(The homepod guy) 😉
Hi Ketan! Thanks for watching! You should know that we're still (sigh) looking for HomePods for the office! 🤣
@@motorinc I am on it Sir. Will definitely come back to you if I find any.
What a thoughtflow @shumi....it made me hook to the screen though it was 30+ min video....just wow!!! to the way u put it across through seamless words
Thank you Satt M!
I really don't mind what the topic is you already know when these two talk there will be high concentration of knowledge
Keep it up guys always there for listening ❤️
Thanks you Vighnesh! If you've seen both the episodes, can we ask for ways you think we can improve the podcast?
Thanks VJ!
hey Vighnesh! Suggestions are needed too! Thanks for watching.
28 years old
2 wheeler perspective:
Understood that my head is not worth the risk, haven't bought my own bike yet but got a AGV K6 and Alpinestar GPX2 because I knew that once the bike came into the picture I would put the money somewhere else rather than on the safety gear(since i m still not earning as much). I mean i would spend money on it but not as much as i did now for the helmet. Along with the bike still looking for a good budget jacket and riding boots then i would go for the riding pants when my budget allows me.
My order of priority for riding gear
1. Helmet
2. Gloves
3. Jacket
4. Shoes
5. Pants
Having said that on a bike abs is a must and once close to or beyond 400cc tcs should be an option i feel.
4 wheeler perspective :
I studied a subject called Car body Design and Aerodynamics and everything that you guys said was according to what was taught in regards to weight and safety. I share the same feelings as Mr. Kartikeya but what people fail to understand or identify is that what are you using your car for. Is it to go from point A to point B (with in the city or long distances) or is it for track use or some spirited driving around the suburbs based on what you want to use it for the considerations for safety and the type of car would change for me.
Having gear sorted first is exactly how it should be! Well done Tarun!
@@motorinc This is exactly how it was for me too! I had test bikes in the early 2000s but no personal machines. But I had the full complement of riding gear loooong before I was able to buy myself a bike again
@@shu_mar Sir. Looking forward to more of your stories from that time. 🙏
@@motorinc 😁👍. Hoping to learn more from MotorInc as we go forward. Kudos to the team.
Every bit is worthy! Driving Classic 350(11yr old) - feels unsafe on open highway as reckless tech. loaded vehicles (as I can only control my part right) are around but feels super confident while touring on internal road like Costal road even though ghats and road curves. So absolutely agree on 'Know your limits'.
Amit! The "control my part" is a very large and very powerful part! Don't dismiss it!
I started riding by sneaking out my grandfather's Kinetic Honda which didn't need a key to start. Would push it from the front of the house, ride it and then put it back. I think I was 12 or 13 years old then. Looking back, I'm realising how stupid I was and understand why there are rules to keep these machines away from kids.
Then lots of time passed and I still had the love for motorcycles in me. Finally convinced my father to buy me an Avenger at 19. I was consuming a lot of motorcycle content by then and was trying not to be a squid. But bad luck, two months into riding, I crashed. Nothing serious. Just a few bruises. Had a leather jacket and a DOT helmet. And well, the bike was bought with my father's money, he sold it.
Then I was riding Honda Dio (the family vehicle) for the next 3-4 years. But every time I took it out for more than 20 kms, I was wearing a riding jacket with level 2 protectors, riding gloves and a DOT helmet at the cost of looking like an idiot on a Dio. Not all big brands, but whatever I could afford. But well, I had one more crash during this period. Crashed, got up and just walked away because I had some of the necessary riding gears.
Years went past, qualified CA, the question of buying a car or Motorcycle came to my mind. I was undecided as well because I love both motorcycles and cars. Then finally decided to buy a motorcycle, a KTM 390 adventure at age 23. Now I'm nearing 25, riding a 390 adventure. Pretty serious about safety. I ride fully geared up. A bell MX9, riding jacket, riding pants, MX boots, full gauntlet gloves on highways runs and adv gloves otherwise. I have spent over a lakh only on safety gears which is something I still can't get my head around. Have become a lot more cautious and learnt a lot. Still in the process of learning. And thanks to you guys, I am learning from the right people.
Must say you guys are doing a wonderful job. Thanks for reading and keep bringing such great content.
Thanks Jassim! We believe that the safety gear you wear is a reflection of the quiet-work your mind is doing in the background as you think about your safety and skill. And if that's true, you're on the right track!
I believe that being able to see your own progress is a such a wonderful endorsement for yourself, no? To be able to see that you're making better decisions for yourself and moving forward in the right direction... nicely done!
@@shu_mar Absolutely! From being a squid on the road to a responsible rider/driver with improved skills who can avoid putting oneself into tough situations on the road or tackle situations that get thrown at us.
@@jassimassis7563 This is what I love to read -- people taking charge of their riding and lives. So good to read Jassim!
I am 25 years old, the way I ride and drive now, compared to myself at 18 years is so different. I seem to enjoy the quality of the ride. Now that I am DRIVING around the city often, I understand the necessity of the riders and drivers around me and respond accordingly. No more road rages. A lot more to learn, but yeah, enjoying this journey. There is much more to riding/driving than just speed. I recently got myself a pair of gloves and intend to buy a new pair of riding boots as well. Also doing a track day soon! Cheers you guys! :)
I think you will enjoy track days a lot! Fair warning: they are addictive! But your mindset says you'll be a track day natural!
Shubham, the understanding that other humans stuck in the traffic with you are also just trying to get to their destinations as best as they can (even if they're failing at it) is a very, very mature attitude! It's a great perspective that we'll add to our learnings! Thank you!
@@shu_mar Thank you for inspiring people like me to value skill and ride responsibly. 🙏🫡
@@MasterJha It's the least I can do! Thanks for the love and respect!
Very relatable. I had a bike (Naked Gixxer 155 in the MotoGP livery) but sold it off due to safety issues when it was just 8 months old (in 2019) and with 10k kms on the clock. Very well enjoyed machine and now it's in good hands. Bought a car (MS S-presso) in Jan 2020, honestly one of the first S-pressos in Pune because I used to get a lot questions from people, passer-bys and glances. It served me well and was a step-up from a bike in terms of safety. But sheet metal was unbelievably thin - it would flex if someone would lean on it too hard. Nonetheless, did 25k kms in 2 years and decided to sell it off and go for the Vitara Brezza (March 2022) for its tried and tested safety and most importantly ISOFIX anchor points (for when we have a baby). Just completed 10k kms on the V. Brezza and it's really serving me well.
Nicely done! But the idea that thin sheet metal is an unsafe car has been debunked soundly. The sheet metal is the skin of the car. The actual crash structure is underneath and the only places you'll actually see it is probably the a-pillar, the edge of the roof down to the c-pillar of the car. The skin is thin because as it crumples (easily) it absorbs crash energies that you would have to otherwise.
And yes, thin skin does _nothing_ for the perceived build quality of the car for sure. It never helps.
My perspective of safety at my age of 19 is that it's more about spatial awareness and the control I have on my motorcycle. Beign probably at the very start of the learning process as an enthusiast, I feel my safety is something that concerns not just me but how I view others or my surroundings while on the bike, as for the control, it's something that influences my ride every single day.
My last purchase concerning safety were a pair of riding gloves I bought from royal enfield with the scholarship money I got from college. I'm proud of them and wearing them gives me a better sense of safety (these are my first riding gloves).
Wait, you got scholarship money that you could use for buying gear? How does that work! 😀 and thanks!
@@SirKart Well it was more like prize money
Good job motorinc .
Please keep it a pure pure enthusiast place .♥️
That's the plan! Thanks Safi!
Polo was a 4* car with airbags. Euro spec was 5*
My perspective about risk taking on the road started to change while I was in the last year of university. I just calmed down for some reason, maturity and experience perhaps
Have always used seat belts and anybody who sits in my car has to wear one, even the rear passengers. It’s a rule. On two wheels, I believe in ATGATT generally, but helmet and gloves are a must even when going a kilometre.
Awesome! Thanks for that!
The best automotive content coming out of India rn.
Thanks Tejas!
Enjoyed this video. I am 44 and it is true that the perception of safety has changed for me since 1997. I have been riding a motor cycle since 2010 after a break of 10 years. I also own a car and it i am still learning to become a safer rider and a driver. I enjoy riding the bike and driving the car. I have been spending a lot on riding gear for the last 12 years. I own a riding jacket icon Contra 2 jacket which i upgraded from a previous icon contra 1. Have a Alpine stars summer riding pant and touring pant from Powersports, have a mesh short cuff glove which I use for short commutes, when its too hot or raining. A full gauntlet leather glove which i use for touring. I have 3 helmets- 1 vega which i used earlier. AGV Sport Modular which is my goto helmet these days this is the most expensive gear i have purchased so far. 1 hjc rpha 11 which i rarely use these days.
That's good gear! As always, we'd just like to remind you that a modular helmet is usually tested and certified as a half-face helmet. Which means they feel like full-face helmets when you wear them, but they work more like half-face helmets in the crash. Please do check your helmet's certifications.
@@motorinc noted. I prefer the AGV Sports Modular over the Full face due to convenience, will consider using the Hjc more than that.
@@mohamedaslamm The convenience of a modular is hard to argue against. But when I last checked, just two (of all!) modular helmets certified at the same level as a full face. One way would be to move on to those.
@@shu_mar would certainly consider upgrading to those. Please let me know the details of those models so i can plan my purchase in the future. Thank you 😊
Well, I am planning to buy a bike. And there's something I remember from the channel Fortnine, and also from a forum. If you're planning to buy a motorcycle, buy safety gear with the money you have, and use the rest for the bike.
Shumi also had a Simplified video, where he said buy the best gear you can, and don't worry too much if it's not exactly what you have heard of. I realise very well that buying the entire equipment for motorcycling in the most proper manner means about an 80-100k expenditure which I can't afford. So I got an SMK helmet which is compliant with ECE and ISI, and a good pair of gloves first. Both of these are far more expensive than I would buy if I didn't research things.
People at my workplace get a great laugh out of it, because I'm buying motorcycling gear, but there's no motorcycle. But I feel that I'm not wrong on what I'm doing, so hopefully, I'll have the minimum amount of gear to ride my bike when I buy it.
I'm 26, and this will be the first vehicle, rather the first big thing I buy from money I've earned. I think we should all do what we can to be safe but idn the end, the only way to be 100% safe while driving is to not get out to drive at all, so that's never gonna go away.
That’s perfect SoA! You’re thinking this through correctly! Best of luck!
Loved the Podcast
At 37 n now a father of 2, i just upgraded from a 8k helmet to 35K. This came in after listening to a video of shumi of helmets, I guess it was from Powerdrift. Also, complete change in mindset while buying cars.. 5star is a mandate and ADAS preferred now. We wear seatbelts in rear sets too now.
That is awesome! We see you walking forward with purpose Saransh and we love it! ♥️
Great podcast. One thing i would like to add is something for the manufacturers to think about and am sure others too will agree to this from a drivers standpoint. I found the passion of commuting and travelling through driving my kwid. From a safety standpoint point that car has negative safety rating if you ask me. But i always had the best and calmest and amazing trips in the car with my friends and my family. I went to Chennai to kanniyakumari and retuned the very next day. And my mum who especially enjoys travelling in an suv and only feels comfortable in an suv she relaxed a lot in the car as it mainly came down to driver to make the difference for her experience in that car which she refused to get on at the beginning of the trip. Common sense should not be a skill for driver to have but to be a driver u must have common sense otherwise you are just a nuisance to other commuters and fellow travellers in the expressway heck even in your own street. Second thing I want to say is soemthing i came to conclusion during the same drive. This was a week after we tested virtus for my neighbor and the neighbour told me the car having capacitive button to control ac is futuristic. The same guy didnt know how much he is pressing the plus side to increase temp he wounded making all of sweat in chennai heat. After that incident i went on that trip. I took a pee break and i saw plan go by. And started driving again few minutes after that. I was suddenly wondering what the pilot would be seeing out of his dash. And suddenly it hit me how insensible these capacitive buttons are to the car world. Its like controlling a submarine with a xbox controller. Thats how stupid it was maybe on paper it could appear has cool but from a user experience standpoint its quite frighting. Coming back to the pilot what i realized was if you could see in a pilots cockpit there are displays to show information but there are hundreds of tacticsl buttons for every single operation the plane could have. Every fine tuning is easier with a tactical feel rather than a using touch interface to control the levels. If you switch all the tactical buttons and knobs and leavers with touch screen no country will have a functioning airline anymore coz all of them become submarines pretty quickly. If so much safety and fine tuning is required a simple requirement such as adjusting the temperature should be effortless. It was effortless for me on the kwid to adjust the temperature as i go but the small distraction you get whilst using a capacitive controller can be fatal. What if someone steps hard on the break. Your reflex is taking a nap because your mind is concentrating on oh my back is sweaty. Even if you have 5 start rating car if you are distracted you might not be just killing yourself but you will end up killing a lot more innocent bystanders as well. All formula 1 drivers can drive as fast they can but jts the million buttons on the steering wheel thats enabling them to go much more fataer because its easier for them to fine tune it because after driving it a few laps there is a muscle memory so it because part of the driving its lot more intutive and the key word here is muscle memory. Am damn sure that muscle memory wont happen in a touch screen and lack of it has a huge potential to get distracted and involve in a crash.
Liked the raw and casual nature of the conversation, the banter seemed unscripted, loved it.
On autonomous vehicles, the biggest hurdle is the co-existence with humans on the roads. The only way autonomous vehicles become a reality is when the roads are completely controlled.
That would mean the end of motorcycles for sure. If riding is out of the equation then wouldn't the requirements change to a comfortable seat, weather proofing etc, in simple terms a car of appropriate size ?
Controlling the road though, is a very difficult challenge. Any talk of autonomous driving should just look at the evolution of aircraft automation. We're following the same path.
On safety, absolutely agree with you guys.
On my side I was the teenager who rolled in on a Bajaj Super wearing a Studds Ninja, courtesy the enlightenment from auto mags in the early 2000s especially Overdrive.
He Shantanu! We hope this future takes its time, works things out and then shows up. Until then we’ll make our present better. How did your Super fare? Still around?
And stay safe!
@@motorinc The future will take its time and I won't be holding my breath over autonomous cars.
The Super served us well and was scrapped after its useful service life in 2007.
Safety perspective at age 24: I have a 150cc bike and was just ok to ride with gloves and helmet earlier. Sometime back I got a riding jacket and army boots for longer rides and the feeling of safety has increased by leaps for sure.
Shumi's mantra: Get the best gear you can afford...
And keep upgrading as and when you can!
Hey. I'm at 20 currently. I learned bike at nearly age of 18. It was dad's Hero Honda Super Splendor 125cc from 2012. You don't need 1000cc bike thrill when you're just starting to enjoy freedom and thrill of riding bike of your own, 125 cc does it at first. I was wearing helmet with no riding gear, I was at 75 on a 2 lane road in a colony. I used to do that often that time. I nearly avoided a head on collision with the most reckless way possible with a pick up autorickshaw filled with 20L bisleri jars on a turning. Since that day I sobered up. I don't overspeed in general and if I do I'll be very responsible even if it negates thrill. Recently i came back from an interstate car drive on Renault Kwid, I just learned car driving recently like 2 months back, topped speed of 125 once, very unsafe I know on that car, yet my mother said I now drive more soberly and calmly than my dad with 30 years of driving experience. That's really an honour for me. Oh also I'm looking for Volvo car next when I'll be able to buy car. Bcs i heard it's the safest car you can ever have.
All the best for your Volvo! Drive smart!
You can learn something new everyday if you listen. This video was my learning for the day.
That’s the spirit!
Lovely conversation. I’ll play.
Safety is relative. As Shumi said, one’s perception of it can vary across a lifetime. Also like Karthik pointed out, car safety tests while being good aren’t really reflective of real world conditions. In fact, there are a couple of situations where airbags didn’t even open leading to grievous injury (search Team BHP). So I take tests with a pinch of salt.
When I bought my car, I specifically looked for variants where they didn’t offer the touch screen and instead offered tactile buttons because..
a.) I wanted knobs that I could operate without taking my eyes off the road.
b.) Any time a call came in, I did not want the big screen in the middle to light up and startle me out of my concentration on the road.
c) I didn’t want my kids in the back seat destroying my peace of mind as they fought over who gets to reach over my shoulder and touch the screen to do whatever. Big bright screens are terrible for kids in the car.
d.) More than the points in a., b., and c., I realised that I needed a touch screen for absolutely nothing at all. I didn’t want to check email or messages or even take phone calls when I am driving. All the basic conveniences I needed were already there in the car and they needn’t be operated thru a GUI.
In motorcycles, I started riding after a hiatus of almost 2 decades. I immediately went and bought the very best gear that cost almost 60% of the price of my bike. I rode with all that gear for a long time. Then the COVID years changed my perspective. These days, I don’t bother with anything other than a helmet, and an open faced one at that. I have caught a lot of preaching from people about this. But I made a conscious decision to abandon gear for all rides that are less than 120 kms from home.
1.) The gear was simply stifling me. It killed all spontaneity and by the time I pulled everything on I had, most of the time, I had lost all interest in starting the ride. More so in our horrid weather.
2.) Ironically, a lack of gear (other than my helmet) has made me a far safer rider. And no, I am not just saying that. Where I would previously have done 80 or 90, I now do 55 or 60. I am now acutely conscious of the tarmac and never allow myself any complacency. Not wearing gear has opened my eyes to the journey and to everything along the way because I now seen no point in going anywhere fast.
3.) An open face helmet is admittedly less safe and I would certainly like the safety of a full face helmet. But my open face helmet gives me two things. First, the wind in my face makes me feel like I am actually on a motorcycle. Second, and this is more important, my OF helmet gives me unparalleled peripheral vision to sense the road all around me; and the reduced bulk on my head allows me to do frequent head checks without feeling like I am about to be decapitated.
My open face helmet is a relatively expensive one. For the area of the head I choose to protect, I have chosen to do so with a helmet that exceeds ISI standards. But that is my choice alone and I don’t expect everyone to choose similarly.
All in all, I choose safety aids and equipment that allows me to be safe through prevention (by behaviour modification) rather than by protecting me during or after the fact. It is all a trade off. If I wanted no risk at all, I’d better stop riding. Or driving. Or crossing the road for that matter.
100% agree with what Shumi said at 6:00 and at 36:24. We are rocketing into a future where we are trying to eliminate all risk. Not just in driving / riding; but in every aspect of life I might add. Asking that girl out and getting rejected was half the joy of journey. Now everyone wants a sure thing. No one wants to fail. Ever. I can’t imagine what joy is going to remain for my kids in their prime.
The one point I want to make is that you can’t legislate intelligence. If people choose to ride sans a helmet and expose their main body part to fatal injury, then let’s please let them. I mean, the downsides of smoking are well known and we still let people smoke. So how is this different? Even using a fraction of your thinking bandwidth is enough to realise the positive difference that helmets make. So if you are choosing to ride without one, it is obviously a conscious choice. So why on earth are we burning tax payer money to protect idiots from themselves?
(By the way, the smoking analogy is not entirely accurate. Smoking in fact directly risks the health of non-smokers around the smoker. Not the case with helmets. If anything, smoking is what should be banned and then thoroughly enforced.)
Some incidental comments:
@shu_mar… hey me too 😊; (architecture + urban planning) long abandoned = some other career stream. Now I am starting to understand why I like listening to you. All kidding aside, the study of architecture and urban planning is disproportionately deep as compared to the rewards that careers in them offer. But such study gives one an undeniable skill of going from big picture perspective to deadly details and then the other way around. Although I have never been a professional architect, the analytical and visualisation skills I learned there have ported beautifully to other areas and I use them to earn my living.
@Karthik… I have always liked your videos. But in all honesty, I feel like I am seeing you for the first time. All your review videos, especially ones from way back, they all felt like theatre. Now this feels truer. Congratulations on that journey. You look settled, thoughtful, and there is definitely a deeper sense of humility visible here that was absent in your earlier videos from your previous orgs. Like for instance, you come across as being calmer than Shumi, which honestly amazed me; because he is thought of as the calmest of your clan. And don’t worry about your dad not giving you credit. That’s how the cookie crumbles. Mine still thinks that I am the world’s perfect idiot. And hey, maybe he is right.
Well said PCS! Very well said indeed! If you have enough information and make decisions based on those for yourself, no one should tell you different. We suspect that the big reason for enforcing things as a society, in fact, is because people will make decisions without stopping to look at, assimilate all the information actually needed to make that decision in the first place!
I know you spent a ton of money on the gear PCS but you know it sounds like you bought the wrong gear. If it isn't comfortable enough to just slip into... it's already failed at doing one essential thing, to not be a barrier to its own use. I've worn gear for 22 years, continuously, without a break. Roughly a million km now. In all conditions from hot to bleak. I've never felt that they destroyed by spontaneity.
You clearly have reasoned it out for yourself, and that's the way it should be. But I can't help but feel like you overlooked the idea that you _need_ to be comfortable in your gear, otherwise its safety quotient is held back by its discomfort and consequential abandonment.
As to the Town Planning point... you're so right! The idea of how humans do living as a science/art/process/evolution gives you such wide insights that travel to so many different facets of our daily life, including with automobiles!
@@shu_mar (@motorinc) … ya I get that a lot. To be honest, I am my own worst critic and much before you did, I had already told myself that I had chosen poorly when it came to gear. But with time, I have learned to be kinder to myself. Now I trust myself and the processes I used to make my choices at any given time.
Just FYI there are two of my personality quirks at play here.
1.) I compulsively need air.
2.) I hate (or at least dislike) complications. Let alone wearing such clothes, just the mere thought of having different outfits for different purposes makes me feel fatigued.
So believe it or not, in keeping with the above two points, I have eked out a full corporate career of 25 years while wearing cargo shorts 90% of the time. Don’t ask me how; that’s a story for another time.
Typically I work, workout, and do everything in between in my cargo shorts only. I have now run five half marathons and some sixty 10k races in… wait for it…the same cargo shorts.
Incidentally, after a full two decades of distance running, it is only recently that I had to buy actual running gear; and that too only because I was positively bullied into doing so. My running coach found a way to reach me by getting my wife to be a snark 24/7 about my wardrobe choices. If this hadn’t happened, I would 100% not have spent a dime on so much as a new pair of socks. Why buy when my 13 year old pair is working perfectly well? An austere wardrobe leaves me with plenty of bandwidth to contemplate the universe. That is how I like it. My family? Well, not so much, as should have been evident by now.
Anyways, after having thought about it for a long time; especially since I had invested so much money already, I came to the conclusion that when it came to me and my obsessive need for air, the term “comfortable gear” is an oxymoron. It simply doesn’t exist. I mean, unless someone shoves an AC into my jacket, I am just going to feel like I am cooking underneath. Maybe not as much when I am moving at good speed, but definitely when I am riding at reduced speeds in traffic. It is so thoroughly vexing that on more than one occasion I have removed my jacked and tied it around my waist as soon as I enter Mumbai while returning from outstation rides.
On the other hand, during the usual Lonavala or Kasara runs, my regular attire allows plenty of room for air to circulate and I feel the pure joy that riding is, even if only at 40 kmph. This is especially so when I stand up and ride. This way I catch even more air and I get to spot all the rif-raff on the road much before than I would have if I had been sitting down.
The fact that this is NOT the safest way is something that I am 200% aware of. But two thoughts give me pause.
a.) We have been riding our motorcycles in this country long before we even knew what gear was.
b.) During the Covid years, I saw people in their prime buying it while 80 and 90 year olds were getting out relatively unscathed. That made me realise that absolutely no one has a clue about life. You could run an ultra marathon one day and drop dead the next; while the cigar chomping, red meat eating, 5-drinks-a-day, overweight dude will be living well into his 90s.
This was certainly true when it came to my dad and FIL. Both vegetarian, non-smoking teetotallers who spent every waking moment counselling people against their vices. Those others are still puffing and tipping away today well into their 70s while both the senior gents in my life had to wage painful battles with cancer. My father survived. My FIL did not. But now my dad certainly doesn’t tell people what is good or bad for them.
Maybe I will catch you on the road one of these days. If you see a dude riding in an OF helmet while wearing cargo shorts, slip-on shoes, and a billowing open necked shirt, that is definitely me.
Hey PCS, thank you for the feedback! Happy to know that you felt a change. And as for my Dad, we’re okay. That’s good enough! Hehe
Thanks again.
I am 9 days late exactly to comment on this video, coz I am that late in watching this one. Age 48, returning rider to bikes since 2019. Last upgrade for safety - better helmet. I remember multiple bruises when I was 18 and riding Vespa NV "special".. 😀.. not sure what was special. I still feel a couple of more things that our governments can stress for safety are - better roads, quick response to potholes, lane marking, qualification of road contractors, more mandatory things in vehicles for example in cars such as even dashcams (in China, as densely populated as our country, there is no settlement by insurance companies if there is no dashcam, there is even a challan on not having a reverse camera. The rules direct our state of mind in driving better - the necessity of it. Excellent "this-cussion".
Thank you Tarun! It's a good suggestion! Let's see how we can turn into a fruitful discussion
Perspective at 29: I got my first bike Gixxer SF 155cc in 2015, initially I was damn excited about riding it faster, gapping between vehicles etc etc… once I rescued a girl who jus met with an accident she was not fast she was around 30-40 kmph, she was on gravel n tried to climb back on Tarmac road… unfortunately she skid n fell… her right hand glazed over the corner n when I picked her up I could literally see the bone… her muscles were all over my shirt… like a mini melts ice cream…. That’s when I realised how lucky I have been with all my stupidity… I feared running out of luck… the next day on same road I drove cautiously n it exactly took same amount of time to reach my college… of course I missed the thrill of being fast… but I knew I m not skilled enough to enjoy that thrill… I think acknowledging the fact u don’t have the skill to handle something is the first big step in being safe!!!
Wow. That’s gory. Glad you learnt and grew from it. And hope she’s okay!
Yup she is fine now!!
Cycle of life : 26 & bachelor. Perspective on safety : 40% of our safety depends on better roads, stringent lane rules and people behaving themselves. The rest 60% is on us, i.e., a calm head, traffic anticipation and always on the alert. What have i done to feel more safe : Upgraded helmet from 22.05 to 22.06.
Very very very nicely put! I could argue the percentages but you’re very much on the right track!
Very cool perspective. Just remember to work out the difference between standards before you change equipment. It's not always worth it to move equipment just because the standard moved forward. Automatic is safe, for sure, but it isn't always needed
I'm 40 and i feel like Karthik and i are similar in the way I used to insist on wearing seatbelts and helmets before it started getting enforced like it is now
I'm not too concerned about safety tech in motorcycles cause they are, like Shumi said, the are invisible for the most front. We, as riders, need to become smarter. Cars, on the other hand, are getting so smart, were running the risk of drivers becoming complacent and unaware of their surroundings.
I think the assumption for car drivers, and not just from Shumi's perspective, is that most of them *are* not going to use their smarts for driving, hence the need for tech and auto-smarts.
I just LEARNT a LOT in this podcast!! Enriching.
That’s for the sharing that! Powers us up.
Yeah! What should be discuss next PB?
@shu_mar thank you for replying. We should talk about unnecessary honking, useless mods(we spoke bout it at PD though), regulations towards window films & also about helmets to consider under current availability of brands in India(Agv,Arai,Hjc, shoei etc arent easily available).
Totally agree with Shumi here, my small little CB350 having traction control has saved me a number of falls and skids. Not at all a deterrent in my experience
Glad to hear it was helpful for you @Vikrum_! Thanks for sharing
Sometimes in the past, I even had to convince some of my friends to adjust the rearview mirrors and make them realize that it is one of the most basic safety features of a motorcycle and not provided for aesthetic purposes or just because they are mandatory! I think riding and driving should be a part of the school syllabus in theory. So that at the right age, they will be ready to become skilled and responsible riders and drivers. Apart from skills, the other thing missing from most riders and drivers these days is a sense of responsibility. It has to be infused from early school days.
We believe that the motorcycle-specific curriculum would be vastly less useful than teaching the kids to have patience, do the right thing and do the best they can.
This is really enlightening conversation. Many thanks to you guys. Please discuss on overall indiscipline that we see on Indian roads and that is in turn making everyone's driving unsafe. Which makes all these safety equipments much much less useful.
Shumi has unbelievably good sense of humour!
Haha! We'll pass on the compliment!
I am 39, started riding a bike in 2004, driving a car in 2007. First thing that my dad told me when I got my first bike (Bajaj Pulsar 150) was to make sure that I never ride without a helmet. I have a crash or two, once a major one in 2008 where a bike guy randomly comes in the opposite lane and I hit him head-on. My helmet saved me. I have been riding long distances maximum being a 3000+ km ride in 10 days across South India. I do not ride without a riding jacket, a good helmet (I use AGV K5S now as I am able to afford it now). Even for a small 200-500 meters ride I make sure I do not go out without a helmet. I ride with my friends now over weekends and I ensured my friends bought a good riding jacket, a good helmet, riding pants, boots, gloves etc. I feel safety comes from inside us and we as people need to make sure we are taking care of ourselves.
I love changing my bikes almost every 2nd year. Started from a Pulsar 150, moved to RE Thunderbird, then KTM RC 390, then to a Kawasaki Vulcan 650, then an XPulse 200 and a Ninja 650 and now post marriage :) :) I am riding a KTM Adv 390.
Also looking at the safety ratings of cars, recently sold my Maruti (Nexa) XL6 and bought a Honda City.
Happy Motoring Everyone :)
Spot on! Safe rides!
Great podcast 😊
Just a happy observation - Karthikeya looks a lot more comfortable on this one than the first podcast... Keep growing 🎊
Thank you very much!
Hell yeah! I really was! A bit too formal in the first one. Getting into the groove now. Thanks for watching!
This is so comforting, i watch it in my break from work, just takes away all the stress, kudos to you guys!❤
Oh beautiful! We'd never think of the podcast a work-break thing but we see your point!
Thanks for the love man! ❤
Nice topic. Keep giving more sensible topics on riding.
I have seen and learnt from many videos from Shumi.
I am 31, riding bikes 13 years now.
I used to honk lot less than it needed as I stayed in UK for 2 years and loved discipline there.
But now I started using horn bit more (not to an annoying level still) just so announce myself to the big vehicles specially trucks.
On our Indian roads we need to keep our senses open a lot more to observe what others are going to do..
If possible please give a video on how to be a better tourer.
Since covid lock down the number of bike riders/tourers has increased significantly. But many needs to learn a lot to be more sensible. (Including me)
Thanks.
Love your videos 👍🏻
Hello! Thank you so much for your insights. The horn can provide a heads up at times. But, in such situations you could try using the flasher instead too.
Thanks for being mindful about what each one of us needs to do as individuals.
Take care!
Answering that last question, I started with riding with no helmet until I realized importance of safety and bought a helmet later, then upgraded to a way better helmet, riding gears like jackets gloves etc. also even in city I never ride without shoes atleast.
Nice going! But Prasad, the accident studies (See MAIDS, which is a 20-year old study for example) all say most accidents happens near your home or office (5km radius). Think about this. Maybe leaving your riding gear for longer trips isn't such a great idea
@@motorinc agreed
@@motorinc This is the reason why I will always ride in full gear *everywhere* I go!
I can vouch for this 7:14 . I was sceptical about abs as well. I hadnt ridden enough motorcycles by the time i was out to get one for myself and abs felt to me as a restriction. I was adamant about getting dual channel abs and was more about saving the 20 grand until it saved my ass big time. On the way to IBW in the ghat section, a bus over shot its turn and came over into my lane forcing me to go off road and grab both the brakes. ABS kicked the moment i hit gravel preventing a crash. All facts spoken i honestly dont know how you could improve perfection further XD. Will definitely let you know if there is anything :)
Sudhi! Every crash/near miss is an opportunity to re-evalute what we know. In this event, for example, think about what you could have done earlier (say 30 seconds earlier) to place yourself in a better position for a bus appearing in your lane around a bend. Tell us what ideas occur to you
@@motorinc yep. I immediately changed the way i approach corners, take a wider line every time as i enter the corner assuming a vehicle would peep out every time and stuck to the left side. Anything i missed and could've done better?
Loving such podcast with Shumi & Kartikeya
Thanks Sachin!
Haha fantastic conversation! I love Shumi's dark quips about the dystopian future!
I got the habit of wearing seatbelts from my driving school, basically from the first day of sitting on driving seat. My driving instructor would not let me touch the keys unless I've put on the seatbelts. I'm driving car since last 4 years and most of the time found myself going for seatbelts even while reversing my car in the parking.😂
I feel uneasy travelling in buses because I'm sitting in a bucket and there's just no thing holding my shoulder and chest with.
I never have to remind myself for belts because they are buckled up even for igniting my engine. It feels safe. It feels confident. ❤
Buckled up is always a good habit
Let me give you a good laughter by sharing an incident and how I changed my riding after that. In my prime 20's I bought my first Motorcycle - Yamaha Gladiator. For me it was a mean machine then. Quick to throttle response, light and fast, it was versatile. One day when my blood rush was high, I met with a accident on it, jumped over a blind speed breaker right after a left turn at 50kmph, breaking my teeth (thanks to my helmet that it saved the rest of my face).
That's when I decided that this bike will keep me always make me ride this way even if I want to slow down. That's when after a year's worth saving I bought my first RE Classic 350 (1st edition, 2009). It was heavy, slow to respond, no ABS, after 80-90 vibrated like crazy - all these parameters made me ride slow, and with this I became more responsible rider eventually. I behaved well on road, gave way to faster folks, calculated speed and braking power and made better judgments... Learnt a lot over the last 15 yrs...
Now in my late 30's, I'm planning to shift to Himalayan 450. It's a chance I'm taking. A RE completely opposite to my 350cc. Will I continue to ride responsibly like I'm doing now or will I ride like 15 yrs ago - I'll need to wait and watch. 😅
Thanks for sharing @Libran_Woody! Glad that you're trying to do better constantly. We think any motorcycle, regardless of the character, can be ridden slow if that's what you prefer. Now that you've learned and know better, we think you'll do just fine. Just make sure to get test rides, multiple and long ones if you can, before making the decision. All the best! Keep us posted.
@@motorinc Thanks for that tip. Will do some more test rides 🙏🏼
Loved this video so much that I re-watched after a year while scrolling through Motorinc's videos.
Sad to see that real world is still plagued with the idea of perceived safety or apparent safety instead of actual safety.
Guys, when are you uploading another "This connect" on safety...?
Thinking about how to do this even better, AC!
ok , Me n Shumi are Probably oldest ppl out here, I'm just on the wrong side of 50 recently, I used to have a pulsar 200, and I would not hesitate to say that it was a really unsafe and very unstable bike and I had an Accident when I was roughly 35, Helmet saved my life but not my pride, as me n my wife were on parallel beds in a maternity hospital, she for delivery of our baby, me for bruises and soreness, injuries on the knees and shoulder etc and to "support my wife " ...... lying in bed ... Anyways.... When I was on a wrong side of 40 I decided to go for a long ride with no destination....just keep riding south till I feel like turning back.... I rode upto Karwar, Karnataka. and I did buy a safety kit including a riding jacket, elbow and knee guards along with my Helmet(ISI Mark). the trip lasted 10 days and is one of my most cherished ride yet. being not so skilled in riding I took my time and did not put myself at any risk and rode within myself, also with the coastal road that I took speed wasn't even an option and I frequently stopped to take photographs. cut to 2022 and I had to buy a new bike. and this time I Chose to buy the Aerox Yamaha..... a scooter ... I realised I will be riding Mumbai roads for 90 % of the time and I wanted a scooter that could pull of the occasional mid life "Ladakh jana hai" crisis if it ever happens. this time unlike the last time, I did my homework a lot more, saw a lot of your podcasts about elements of riding like Gear safety etc. and this time invested in a better Helmet (with ISI and DOT and CE) also Bought other safely equipment from Rynox. This time around I am a more informed bike rider, Age has made me wiser I think, I have done smaller trips to Nashik and Pune a few times and I intend to ride to Jaipur for New Years. So that's about me. maybe after enough road exp, I may graduate to a light adventure like a Himalayan, before I think of the big daddy's like GS n Tigers
one POV I have about the podcast was that it had a very urban rider enthusiast perspective on riding while I would think 90% of 2 wheels in india are bought by people who cannot afford a 4 wheeler, for them its not a sense of adventure or freedom blah blah that us urbans gloat over but just a basic Financial decision including how much they would be able to invest in safety gear (this includes awareness of the fact that they need it). so for a developing country to eradicate a 2 wheeler for safety is a rather rich thought, when we cannot first eradicate traffic coming from the wrong side of the road.
Good points! Our size as a market may keep us as an outlier to the elimination of 2Ws versus other markets, but it autonomy happens, it'll spread (it's vastly more efficient than human drivers) and when it does, transportation itself will become much cheaper... hastening the end of the 2Ws.
The subsistence level rider is a current thing for sure. But I do believe that all the pointers say they'll have more money and more options within the next 10 years or so. Every commuter sold in India, is a car that price that was out of reach, not doubt about this at all!
As to the Aerox. PD's Varun just installed a larger fuel tank he sourced to the Aerox which should immediately give your scooter longer range on the highway! Something to consider.
I'm at my 20's, 23 actually and I ride a vehicle which does not have any electronics to help me with......but I learnt one really important thing, that if we make silly mistakes on road, like drive rash or drive just outside our skill level we maybe pass that situation for once or twice luckily but, LUCK does not will be with you all the time and at that time when luck doesn't show up there's a high chance that you'll also not show up in fit condition.
Great point RD!