The traffic condition in India has reached a severely unbearable level. No matter which city or road, traveling during the peak hours is becoming tougher day by day. The traffic hours today covers a larger hourly bracket leaving almost no time in the day when the roads are free. Owing to this situation, we have seen a growth of first time and inexperienced two-wheeler riders and in the last couple of years several people have adopted monthly bike rentals.
Learning how to ride a bike and having a driver’s license is not enough. Don’t get me wrong. Once you have learnt how to ride a bike, it’s very easy to maneuver around. However, if you are not exceedingly experienced, these few guidelines will help you to be safe and drive freely without any uncertainties or apprehensions.
The fact is that a bike does not offer that basic and ‘structural’ protection which a car or even a bus does. Again, this is one of the fundamental factors that makes a motorbike interesting and gives a feeling of ‘being free’. But, the big but, to ensure safety for you and for those around you– embracing these parameters will be significantly valuable.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, ENSURE YOU GET PROPER TRAINING
Before you even think of renting a bike, ensure that as an inexperienced rider you get enough and more practice. Riding is an easy task but it does require you to gain some good experience to get acquainted with and master all the features and functions such as braking, stopping, parking et al. Acquiring the required riding experience and becoming completely comfortable on the two-wheeler will ensure that you move a step ahead and focus on all the safety measures needed.
KEEP THE GEARS GEARED UP!
Accessorizing yourself with the right gear is crucial for a bike rider. This means that you must wear all the appropriate safety gears that is necessary to keep you protected – from dressing in layers to wearing a superior quality full-face helmet. The clothes you wear really matters – you need to be very comfortable when riding a bike. A few other gear options that you can look into are riding gloves, motorcycle jacket and a good pair of tough shoes.
IN THE INITIAL BIKE RIDING PHASES, GO SLOW
Trust me, there will come a time when you will be able to ride like the wind. However, it is very unsafe for amateur riders to try stunts or ride at high speed. You need to go slow and be aware of where you are heading and even what is heading towards you. Going slow will keep you calm and enable you to handle all the ‘sticky’ road situations more easily.
IF YOUR BIKE HAS A CHOKE, KEEP IT TURNED OFF
Though, choke is quite useful to start up the motorbike when it is cold. Nonetheless, if you have the choke on for a longer duration your bike will tend to devour more gas or oil. So, the best thing to do in this case is to ensure that the choke is always switched off.
PRE-INSPECT YOUR BIKE BEFORE YOU RIDE AWAY
When we think or talk about ‘freedom’, all we want to do is get on our bikes and just ‘journey’ away. Many inexperienced riders still do the same. They are in a hurry to reach office or kick-start their adventure trips, forget to pre-inspect their bikes. Most of the bikes are usually chain/belt/shaft powered thus before you get on check if the connectors are placed properly and is unbroken. Make sure you check the fuel gauge and the fuel valve lock so you don’t get stuck midway to your destination. It’s true that we go down to the basics but there will come a time when the pre-inspection becomes robotic in nature. Initially, making this a regular practice will allow you to enjoy your everyday ride even more and keep you safe.
DON’T FORGET BIKE MAINTENANCE AT REGULAR INTERVALS
Bikes need to be maintained quite regularly. It should be one of the key pointers on your agenda. This is more of an important follow up to your pre-inspections. So if during the scrutiny you find that your bike tires need to be properly inflated so that the air pressure is just right – you can get that done on your way to work. Ensure that all the lights including indicators, tail lamp and headlights work. It is even necessary to check that the cables in the throttle and brake levers are in perfect order. This and many more – you can always get a proper maintenance manual or checklist online to ensure that you have an exhaustive checklist for bike maintenance.
Once you have ticked these off on your checklist – you are good to go. With some practice and a proper license you can go ahead and get your first rented bike from bike rentals. Ontrack, a leading monthly bike rental company, brings you a wide range of two wheelers for rent. Connect with us to know more about our bike hire services!