The Beast.....

The newest addition to the stable is ….The Beast. Why such a lame and clichéd name? Because she scared the living daylights out of me yesterday, that’s why! I was stupid enough during the test ride to accept an offer from her previous owner for a show of how she should be ridden. The 5 to 10 second ride that I endured on the back with this maniac at the helm felt like a life time and was so traumatizing that I actually closed my eyes shut…tight….I’m not ashamed to say it. I had a new appreciation for the power that would be in my hands soon, and new respect for her……and zero respect for the idiot who made my life flash before my eyes on the Colombo/Negombo road…

You have to respect the Beast…….Eric Bana knows it….any fool who has rearranged some part of their skeletal structure due to a misbehaving hunk of metal knows you have to respect the Beast…….You control how the chaos is unleashed to some extent, and you have to deal with the repercussions…..

For all the idiots who think they are invincible super men…..I say, 'stupid SQUID'……you not only shorten the length of your stupid life, but put the lives of random innocents in jeopardy as well…

To those who say they aren’t scared….either you are oblivious or just an idiot…..if the Beast doesn’t scare you, then you are already dead……99% of the thrill is the fear…….

It all sounds very cliché, but this is actually what you feel when you experience all that power waiting to pounce from under your legs…..Few people experience it due to their inability to conquer the overwhelming fear……you can’t remove the fear, just manage it long enough so you can have some fun….

And without further ado, here she is…..

The one percent....

I'm thinking I shouldn't make such a big deal about the title of this blog, lest we descend into irrelevant posts about illegal activities. Because of the restrictions imposed on riders with high capacity motorcycles in Sri Lanka at the moment, which I went on about in my last post, many have 400cc or higher capacity motorcycles illegally registered as 250cc. This is not in anyway close to gun running or messing with the law, but what can I say....I'm a big ass fan of Sons of Anarchy, a must watch for any Harley enthusiasts, riders in general interested in that subject matter etc. Hopefully I'll eventually bring this blog around to logging my riding adventures in Sri Lanka....I just wanted to give a reason for why that specific title was chosen for this blog......You can't help but feel like an outlaw simply weaving through traffic and laughing at the fools in cars stuck in bumper to bumper hell....

Anyway, I rode to Pamunugama, a town on the way to Negombo nestled in the cusp of the Negombo Lagoon, through the Old Colombo/Negombo road. The is the road which initially goes along the Hamilton Canal eventually falling on to the road that straddles the coast line. A wonderful ride, and no traffic to speak of. Just you, your bike, and your woman... about 90% of the road is concrete, which can be slippery. But if you are a responsible rider this will not be a major issue. Being so close to the beach line it is a bit disappointing to not actually see the beach, as it is obscured by a constant mound of sand between the road you are on and the water. But this is not such a big issue either since the ride is so much fun...I apologise that I wont be able to post any pictures from this wonderful route on this post, since I was heading to a friend's birthday on Sunday in Pamunugama. But this will be a road I see my self using regularly in the future, since the love of my life is from Negombo and we will travel frequently to see her family there.

There is a lot to see as well, since you will go through Colombo from the Matakuliya/Modera areas with there interesting architectural difference from other parts of Colombo. You take the old bridge out of Colombo and follow the Canal and further on you pass a small fish market and Pelicans and other interesting sea birds greeting you along the way. You eventually stop following the canal and turn on to the beach road which goes all the way to Negombo.

I recommend this to beginners who are still green when it comes to long treks on their bikes, since this route has very low traffic allowing you to enjoy your ride and the scenery without worrying too much about handling your motorcycle through traffic.

And below is a picture of the wonderful exhaust that was fitted on my Volty 250cc when I bought it. The stock funnel like exhaust the Volty usually comes with in my opinion is ugly as hell. The exhaust on my motorcycle is an awesome classic racing exhaust, and the engine note produced by it is something to behold. It gives my Volty a presence that cannot be had with any other exhaust.

That should do for now. I will do another post about the Old Colombo/Negombo road with pictures of the sights and birds along the way. Also planned is a trip to the Air Force museum at Ratmalana Airport, which after refurbishment looks like a very good day spent on my other passion in life, Aviation....

Genesis...

This blog will be a record of my personal experiences in riding around Sri Lanka, beginning with Colombo and Negombo and any further adventures I get up to as the ride goes on...

Sri Lanka isn't exactly motorcycle friendly even though the majority of the population call a motorcycle there personal mode of transportation due to mostly economic reasons. What I mean by this is that the traffic and the uneducated motorists pose a very high risk when riding in Sri Lanka. It can be said you invite danger when you decide to ride a motorcycle, and some may say it's part of the appeal of riding one...also wherever in the rest of the world one rides, it is a dangerous undertaking to be sure.

I'm not complaining, but telling it as I see it...Another issue being the restrictions on registering motorcycles with higher capacities than 250cc...In most countries people would laugh at the restrictions we face here...Supposedly now there are legal ways to register motorcycle's up to 1000cc but involves hefty sums, political connections, clearance from the Ministry of Defence and other such ridiculous things that motorcycle enthusiasts in Sri Lanka are all too familiar with.

I still haven't been able to clearly get an idea of what is involved in getting a motorcycle of 400cc registered legally, which is my planned upgrade from the 250cc I currently ride.....and speaking of current ride, let me introduce her? it? him?...(I haven't bothered to name my motorcycle, even though it being my first will have a very special place in my heart).

I currently ride a Suzuki Volty 250 (2008), since July of 2013. As my first motorcycle it has been the most forgiving instructor. And when you get up there with the throttle it doesn't pull any punches. In short the perfect first motorcycle. Quite a lot of these in Sri Lanka but rare enough that you only see one once in a while. My heart says to keep it even though I plan get another higher capacity motorcycle. But the reality of that would be one of the motorcycles going into disuse and disrepair.

This first post has gone longer than I intended to write. So I will end it for now with a small note on the blog title I have chosen to use. Any fan of motorcycle culture around the world and especially of outlaw motorcycle clubs will know what a One Percenter is. Wikipedia summarises the meaning succinctly as follows,

'Some outlaw motorcycle clubs can be distinguished by a 1% patch worn on the colors. This is claimed to be a reference to a comment made by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in which they stated that 99% of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens, implying that the last one percent were outlaws.'

I will go into why i chose this phrase as my blog title in more detail another time...and till next time

May your knees, be in the breeze today!