Of rains, trails and garage days...

The rains have set in early this monsoon and like every year, have degraded a lot of highways and have had similar effects to the chances of any significant long distance riding.

So the last month has been spent doing a lot of mud trail riding, on a number of short distance rides. Nothing like blazing along wet trails and kicking up some mud! On one particular ride, I went for a long trek after offroading deep into a forest as far as the bike could take me, got hopelessly lost and drenched in the pouring rain for 4 hours before being able to find the spot where I left my bike, only to find the trail I had rode obliterated by rain. After fishtailing in the mud and darkness for another hour, I gained the highway, a cold and a valuble lesson in the importance of marking your surroundings in a forest. 

(Photos are before the rains hit ofcouse)

Other rides have been exploring new trails, a few long detours from work and fishing trips that have taken me quite close to many waterbodies around the city (offroading ofcourse), The sturdy royal enfield being my prefered companion. I must comment on the amazing versatility of this beast, neither is it an off road bike, nor am I an off road rider. Neither does it have ramped up shocks nor big button tires, but still it has taken me everywhere, through every weather condition that could be thrown at us, without a single hiccup. 

As the rains come down, a biker can always put his time to good use by fixing up his bikes. Adventures are great, but sometimes the safest place to be when the rain is relentless is in your garage. Good time to give all those nagging issues a look and probably even a fix. 

I had an issue with the Yezdi's crank a couple of months ago, so I took the oppurtunity to pull apart the bike, change the engine bearings and oil seals, and get the crank aligned. 

Also, with all the punishment I had put it through over the last year (20,000 odd kms) the Royal Enfield's fork cones and bearings needed changing, and the brakes and sprokets needed attention.

The Jawa was least attention seaking, with a spark plug change being her only demand.

This gave me many long hours in the garage, and an oppurtunity to admire and fall in love with the machines that have kept me in awe, all over again. 

As the monsoon continues, Ill leave you with a few pictures, and until next time, build hard, ride safe and don't forget to keep em brakes dry!!