There
are three aspects to this:
1>0vernight Parking in the rain
2>Riding in the rain & on wet roads
3>Tires
4>Bombay and coastal areas
1>OVERNIGHT PARKING IN THE RAIN.
If you have covered parking space, very good, park your bike there.
If you can get on rent covered pucca parking place conveniently
near your house to park at night and is safe for overnight parking
without disturbing anyone, even if you have to pay up to Rs.100/-
(one hundred) as rent per month, take it. It is worth it. Do not
waste munny on readymade tarpaulin and other flexible designer covers
made of waterproof fabric or plastic. They are more for your mental
satisfaction than for protecting your bike. Avoid them. It is better
to let your bike get heavily wet in pouring rain whole night than
use flexible designer covers. Under a pandal or tent is OK, as long
as the fabric does not drape over the bike and does not touch it,
it is OK. People may disagree, especially people who manufacture
designer covers, but I DO NOT believe in flexible covers. Period.
Rains
have started. On the next dry or partially dry day, wipe the bike
and examine for scratches on paintwork, especially tank, bcoz except
for tank, now-a-days mudguards, side panels & etc. of most bikes
(except Bullet) are synthetic, so no problem of rust possibility.
Make sure whether your bike is synthetic or metallic, and act accordingly.
Also check plated parts for spots / regions, especially wheel rims
of spoke wheels, where plating has peeled or chipped, and the inside
steel is exposed to the elements (==klimate==rain). Remember, plating
is of Kromium or NiCr alloy, and does not rust. The steel under
it is Ferrous and rusts. Rust is Oxides of Iron (==Ferrum in Latin)
like Ferrite=Fe2O3 and Magnetite=Fe3O4.
Now buy some anti-rust paste in a tin can or a tube (like toothpaste)
if available and for ease of use. What I do is, I get some fresh
grease worth two bucks from my korner mekanik and bring it in a
sheet of folded paper and use it instead of any sophisticated paste
kosting many bucks. For me, two bucks worth of Faltu grease does
the basic job (of preventing rust) just as well as sophisticated
anti-rust paste kosting ten times that amount does, bcoz I am myself
a Faltu mekanik, not a sophisticated, Hi-Funda magazine editor,
who gets fat revenues from media hype advertisements of such anti-rust
paste manufacturers and designer cover manufakchurers.
On the next available sunny day, when you think the bike is dry,
wipe each spot with a dry kloth and apply this paste or grease at
the spots / regions where paint has scratched or Krome plating has
peeled / worn / chipped. Apply it as a thin film of say approx ONE
mm thickness with your finger. If you apply thicker layer, better
for the bike, but more chance of your clothes touching it and clothes
becoming dirty. Be careful for your klothes. For me this is not
an issue bcoz everyone knows I am a dirty bastard !
Check all wirings for insulation wear and exposed wires, especially
joints and junctions. Remove the fuel tank and go over the entire
wiring harness which passes under the tank. Wherever insulation
is worn or wire / metal is exposed, wipe it dry, and wrap it up
nicely with insulation tape (kost @ Rs.20/-). If there is grease
on your hand (bcoz you are applying grease to paint & plating
scratches), no problem. Don”t wash your hands yet. If the
grease touches the exposed electric wires, no problem, grease is
beneficial to the wire. It prevents oxidation, which is what rust
is==Oxides of Iron==Oxidation. Check all fuses and male+female joints.
Wipe them dry, joint them and after jointing, apply a thin film
of grease on the joint with your index-finger and thumb.
Check battery. Make sure it is not leaking. There are six cells
in every battery having six caps. Make sure distilled water level
in the battery is up to the given mark and that caps are fitted
tight and do not leak, and battery is securely strapped in its komparment.
Buy and fit a seat cover. Fit one which fits very tightly. With
a sun-rain-sun-rain kind of climate in many parts of the cunt ree,
the cover might wear out, but at least your original seat cover
will remain good when rain ends? Such covers cost Rs.50/- to Rs.100/-
depending on where you buy it.
2>RIDING IN THE RAIN and ON WET
ROADS
The biggest danger in the rain is skidding. There is no anti-skid
tire which does not skid in the rain. All tires, however fat or
thick will skid. Fat tires will skid less that is a fakt. You just
have to be more careful on wet roads, than on dry roads. That’s
it. No other way.
Make sure there are mud-flaps on both frunt and rear mudguards.
This is to keep your klothes and shoes kleen. Some people fit a
plywood or PVC or FRP board in frunt of the enjin to protect their
shoes. It is true that this board stops flow of air on the enjin
cooling fins and enjin gets heated up more. However, in rainy season,
general ambient air temperature is easily 10 degree centigrade lower
than in summer. So if you are on your daily office or college commute,
at normal city speed, and the non-stop one way distance is not more
than TEN (10) km, then it is OK. The harm is not much. Again it
is a trade-off between your need to keep your enjin kool and your
need to keep your shoes kleen. It is YOUR decision. For me, I never
put such board in frunt of my bike enjin, bcoz I don’t care
if my shoes or pants bcum dirty, bcoz I already told you, I am a
dirty bastard!
Always wear a helmet, especially in rains. It not only keeps your
hair dry, it also protects your numbskull on which your precious
hair is growing. Remember, no numbskull, no hair. Skull is primary.
Hair is secondary. You decide. SAE has found that there are 77%
more accidents in rainy season than in summer, and also 43% more
fatalities in rains. Also ensure that you have both rear view mirrors.
They may LuuK like donkey’s EARs, but they are life savers.
Remember, Donkeys live much longer than Racehorses!
If you do any considerable riding after dark, buy a pair of zero
power PHOTO-CHROMATIC glasses / spektakles / chashma. When road
is wet, headlights of oncoming traffic shines more and also gets
reflected from the road which is wet. Photo-chromatic glasses prevent
glare. Cost @ Rs.200-250/-.
3>TIRES
Important is: check the tread depth of your tires. SAE recommends
minimum tread depth of TWO (==2) mm. If your tire is worn such that
tread depth is less than 2mm, change tire. If you don’t have
enuff munny, YOU decide. Your munny or your life!
Keep air pressure in tires as recommended in OWNERS MANUAL. A bit
less is OK, but not more.
If your tires are due for change, now is the safest time, though
also the most expensive time. Tire dealers know this and hence jack
up prices in this season.
The best tread pattern for frunt tire I have found is Ribbed, uni-direktional.
Brand is your choice. At rear, Zapper or Nylogrip plus pattern is
equally good.
4>BOMBAY AND COASTAL AREAS
Gentlemen, these are bad times for your bike. There is nothing you
can do about it. Following the above guidelines will help your bike
very much, but not even god can remove salt from the 0cean. You
have to be more careful and more protective of your bike for the
next three months than people who do not live near the 0cean.
Coastal people shud re-examine their bikes at least every week.
If any paste / grease / coating has gotten wiped off, re-apply the
paste or grease Kwik Lee like Bruce Lee, bcoz in salty climate rust
happens verri Kwik Lee like Bruce Lee.
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