Episode 280 : Fear factor

A puncture while travelling or a cut clutch cable is a thought that always nags me when I plan a motorcycle trip. So I carry a tube and a spare clutch cable with me at all times.

The biggest fear is that of getting stranded with no help nearby. And each time I've managed to wriggle out of it by somehow getting assistance.

The scariest thing that can happen while riding a motorcycle is seeing a fast-moving Volvo bus or a heavily-laden truck swing out of its lane onto yours when the gap is just enough to pack a bus in it.

That heart-in-mouth moment happened to me when a KSRTC Airavat (or was it the Rajahamsa?) swung onto my lane while overtaking a truck, forcing me to seek temporary protection from the shoulder of the highway. It convinced me that this is the scariest thing that can happen to a motorcycle-traveller.

But I was partially mistaken. Yes, the scariest moment does involve a bus or a truck. But not when it is travelling in the opposite direction.

You see, when the setting sun is behind you and a bus moving at express speed gains up on you, the shadows that get created are frightening. They look like a prey struggling to escape from the clutches of its predator. And you see it happening in front of you. As if you are watching a scene on National Geographic or Discovery channel.

This is the scariest moment in the life of a motorcycle-traveller.