The Day I shot the BULLET!!

I once rode my friend’s Royal Enfield Bullet and instantly fell in love with it. Over the next 2 months I searched nook and corner to find a second hand Royal Enfield. While normal bikes like Hero Honda Splendour, Passion, Bajaj pulsar etc were priced around 20,000 Rs, a Royal Enfield usually costs around 40K(atleast). Finally I got a decent looking one for 48000 Rs. YES!!! HEAVEN!! Or not! For the first week it was all about discovery. So a few problems with my bullet that I discovered in the first week are here..

1. The bike doesn’t start with less than 10 kicks(GULP!!)
2. The front brakes are nearly useless in case the wheels are alloy.(GULP-2)
3. If the rear wheel brakes are pressed too hard you’ll surely be thrown over the bike.(GULP GULP!!)
4. The gears will definitely get stuck while changing, especially when you’re in a difficult position on the roads(its like the bullet knows you’re screwed and screws around more with you). (more GULPS)
5. The handle doesn’t turn very easily.. So if you’re going straight, you’ll keep going straight. NO MATTER WHAT!(Gulps are over. Its now more like SHIT!!).
6. If there is even a little-teeny-weeny bit of dirt in the fuel, the carburetor it’ll start acting up with you. (Don’t know whether I was still in shit mode or sigh mode)
7. The petrol tank leaks if you fill more than 5 lts of petrol in it..(FACEPALM!!)
8. The bike is giving me a mileage of 7KMPL(my dad’s a miser, he pays for my petrol usage.. I AM DEAD!!).

Well the first week was  not at all like I thought it’ll be. My dreams were shattered.. Then I decided to really DO something about all of it. I searched the internet, then searched more and then realized that a lot many bulleteers face similar problems with their bikes. I was just facing all of them together.. Over the next few months I took time out to find solutions and implement them. It was undoubtedly a little more money shedding. But I had to do what I had to do. Steps that I took to repair my bullet completely were:

• Got the bike serviced properly. Changed the oil every 1000 kms to make up for the neglect of the previous owner for the next 3 months.

• Changed the alloy wheels to new stock wheels which are lighter in weight and the drum brakes fit in them properly thus working better. Also sold those alloy wheels to a scrap dealer. Got back 200 Rs. more than I spent on the stock ones. B-)

• Got the gear box opened and reset completely. Changed the clutch wire and put an original Royal Enfield clutch wire.

• Changed the de-compressor to make kick starting the bike easier.

• Took the tank lid off and scraped off the paint to make the tank opening seamless. The rubber washer now fits perfectly. No leakage from the tank

• Got the handle ball bearing opened and greased.

• Changed the chain-set.

PHEW!! I’m sure there’s more that I did but can’t recollect completely now.  And well there were a few lessons I learned along the ride about my Ride maintenance.. which are:

1. DON’T use normal petrol in your bullet. HP Power or IndianOil Extramile give more mileage for sure.
2. Carry a complete toolkit.Preferably an original Royal Enfield toolkit. Screw drivers, spanners(especially number 10-11 and 12-13), pliers, spark pulg spanner(a must!!) and a small knife.
3. Clean the spark plug regularly to avoid the kick-like-a-football problem.
4. Keep an extra long clutch wire spare. The clutch wire lasts only about 4500 Kms.
5. Regularly oil parts like the bike kick, side stand, center stand for smoother performance. Especially during the rains.
6. Service after every 2500 Kms to get that high mileage and increase engine life
7. Apply chrome powder and wax polish atleast once a month to keep it shining and proud.

I guess that’s about it for now. I’ll add more when I face more with my bike. Oh by the way the Bull now gives me an average of 40 KMPL(WHO IS THE BOS!! YEAH!).

Here’s a youtube video I found on Royal Enfield troubleshooting. This person’s entire youtube channel is dedicated to this topic.

Cheerios and happy riding!!

(THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP)

(Rides away….)

Go Veggie!!

The title seems like GLOBAL WARMING!! CAUSES AND EFFECTS!!
But I’m not gonna write reasons that you should turn into a vegetarian(if u already aren’t one that is.. but that’s obvious isn’t it?).. I’ll write the reason’s I turned into one and what effects has it had on me. I mean who doesn’t wanna talk about themselves right?
So the reasons I turned vegetarian:

1. Popeye: What?? I watched it.. Stop judging me alright!! So, coming back, Popeye(the sailor man), ate spinach. Yes, those who saw it know it. Why didn’t he eat chicken or mutton or steak or salami?? Its because vegetarians are stronger on the inside and the outside and they save the love of their life from every trouble. Mostly.

2. Guilt: So, one fine day when I was 14 years old my father takes me to a slaughter house and I witness in horror how a goat and then a chicken are murdered. I really encourage people who eat non-vegetarian food to go witness it. I WOULD’VE SHIT IN MY PYJAMAS!! And those of you who have witnessed it and say it doesn’t bother you, then you guys surely need a EQ check. It was then that I understood that what I eat is after something is murdered.

3. My Uncle: No, we didn’t eat my uncle.. . He is a doctor and on multiple occasions had told us that a vegetarian diet is healthier and there are no nutrients that a complete vegetarian diet lacks. My dad argued that Omega 3 fatty acids are found only in fish. But my uncle pointed out that even flax seeds contain the same and can compensate for the component easily.

4. Spirituality: The environment I’ve been brought up in, has been more spiritual than religious. I read in a book and then heard that killing any bird or animal for any reason is a huge karmic load on a person. Although I was young, I had an understanding that said this is wrong.

Consequently, one fine morning, I got up and declared that I’ve now turned a vegetarian. My parents welcomed my decision and never argued with me over it. Then mom turned a vegetarian and subsequently so did dad and my sister. Now, we are so staunch in our beliefs of vegetarianism that we don’t eat pastry, chocolates, biscuits etc which have egg as their component. We also don’t eat in restaurants ,parties etc which are not purely vegetarian. Most parts of India have such restaurants.
Now the effects this conversion has had on me:

• I’m more at peace with myself. I’m not guilty anymore that something from the animal kingdom was murdered for my pleasure and luxury.

• I’m healthier as there is less bad cholesterol and fat in my body than it would have been had I been a non-vegetarian. I’m not slim, undoubtedly, but I’m not really fat either and am definitely fit.

• I contribute automatically to the cause of global warming. I read recently that eating non-vegetarian food uses more of nature’s precious resources than eating vegetarian food.

• I’m less aggressive than before. When I was young I used to be very short tempered, but now I’m more mild tempered and yes a vegetarian diet does have this effect.

• Migraine has lived with me, my whole life and for this my doctors had always suggested a vegetarian diet at veggies contain less heat and are easier to digest. This statement was proven over a period of time when the migraine attacks reduced.

Many of you will argue calling my reasons weak and the effects undesirable.. But honestly for me its about my conscience. My peace of mind. And my contribution to God’s beautiful creation.

This is a simple and short video which resonates with my thoughts:

Ubi or not Ubi???

The much much hyped ubilsate a.k.a Aakash tablet is like the Tata Nano of tablets.. Its the cheapest in the world(So india has finally beat China in producing the cheapest.. YIPEEEE ).
So when my girlfriend was browsing through diamonds I thought I’ll save my pocket my using a friend’s ubislate. But like the Nano had its set of problems.. it seems so does ubislate.

The first problem is the configuration itself.. As per the official website the configuration is this:

Dimensions: 190.5mm x 118.5mm x 15.7mm

Weight: 350 grams

Display: 7-inch Resistive Touch Screen (800 x 480 pixels)

Video Playback and Streaming: Full HD (1080p) support

Operating System: Android 2.2 (Froyo)

Storage: 2 GB Internal (Expandable upto 32 GB vi MicroSD card)

CPU: 366 MHz Connexant Processor

RAM: 256 MB

Battery Backup: Upto 3 hours/180 Minutes (1.5 to 2 hours while playing HD video) (2100 mAh Battery)

Data Connectivity: GPRS, Wi-Fi (802.11 IEEE a/b/g) and 3G (via Dongle)

USB Ports: 2 full USB ports
So here are some of the pros and many of the cons(I can’t help but be biased.. Hey its not me who designed the damn thing!!)
Pros:

- Affordable

- FHD (1080p) video playback/streaming

-Video Streaming (Video Download also supported for YouTube)

Price and Availability:

Ubislate (Aakash Tablet) Price in India: Rs.2,500 (Last updated on Dec. 16, 2011)

Cons:
Here is the actual  pricing of the Aakash Tablet, for those who feel Aakash is real cheap -

Tablet cost – Rs. 2500
Shipping cost – Rs. 200
A 4GB or 8GB MicroSD card – Rs. 500 to Rs. 800
No earphones given, purchase one – At least Rs. 400

Its going to be Rs. 4000 collectively, for sure.
Processor is a self killer:Aakash has just 336 MHz processor. Half of it would always be kept on use for just running the OS, so one can assume the limitation in multi-tasking.
Low memory, no big storage possible, hence no entertainment
Low battery:Even a simple Android phone comes with a 1500 mAh battery, for the mere 3 to 3.5-inch screens. Most of the battery would be drained from that 2100 mAh capacity to just run the Aakash tablet.
Poor display, reflects light:The screen reflects the light, and at its highest brightness too, the tablet won’t be able to display the stuff well in the bright conditions.
No bluetooth, no support for a USB dongle
No Android Market, no app installation
Students discount was limited to technology colleges,does this mean the students of law, medicine etc. are technologically challenged and won’t need the tablet devices for any specific purpose?

Here’s a video of the Hand’s on review of the product:

How to order the Aakash Android Tablet for Rs. 1138

A circular has already been issued to all affiliated colleges and departments, any students who wants to buy the tablet can place an order with their college. Just go to the office or your department and ask for the booking form for Aakash tablet, fill it up and book your tablet. Payment has to be made to your college.

So, if you are a student who just wants something to play with, but doesn’t really care much about the config and 3000 Rs is not a biggie for you, go ahead.. For simple time-passing its a good enough machine at a very affordable price. But for those of you wondering which are some good alternatives. Here are a few:

One of the best is Ainol Novo 7, comes for $100, and is the first tablet to have the latest Android OS 4.0 version.
Another one from Wespro is for 6.5k and comes with the SIM option.
One from Maxtouuch comes with Wi-Fi, 3G dongle support, built-in camera etc. and it comes for around 6k.