Freedom on two wheels

RIZAL SOLOMON gets the inside story on the joys of riding a big bike to nowhere special.

Harris Adam, Haresh Deol and Sunitha Thayaparan share a passion. Biking Malaysia's usual suspects: (from left) Selvarajan, Cornelius Moreira, Gurwinder Singh, Kelvin Anthony and Mohan Balakrishnan

MORE than a few times, while you�re driving up and down the highway, you�ll come across a convoy of bikers on their massive bikes roaring past you.Sometimes you think nothing of it. Sometimes you get annoyed at them. Unless you�re part of their fraternity, you�re just looking at the scenario from the outside, and wondering about these chaps.I used to be like that. I used to be the dude who would pass annoyed remarks as they swept past my car.That was before a few of them ended up as my good friends. I�m still not a biker. My road trips are still made with my car. Which is where the genesis of this article lies. It began with a simple question I asked my biker friends and their fraternity: What is it about biking that you love the most? Motoring journalist Chris Wee, 40, responded with �the feeling of escapism, of getting away from it all.�Also, the camaraderie with fellow bikers who share a bond regardless of what we ride � the open road and feeling of freedom it brings.�Most of them gave pretty much the same answer, proving that biking taps into some primal necessity to just cut loose from the maddening urban lifestyle.What more, it is a reason that I can totally get. There is just something about heading out on a little adventure that recharges us. For them, heading out on two wheels provides a level of freedom few things can match. Magazine publisher Cornelius Moreira, 47, adds this freedom is unique and �you�ll never know this unless you�ve ridden a bike.� For the bikers, having some great company can elevate a good road trip into a great one. �It�s nice to ride alone but also nice in a group, granted everyone is on the same page, or as we say same kepala.These are mature riders who have their egos in check!,� said 36-year-old creative director Pravin Menon. But a trip with a group of bikers isn�t so simple as just getting on a bike and heading out into the open road.Planning is a necessity. The way these guys organise and sort through the logistics of a biking trip is impressive.�I think it starts with decent planning � defining and agreeing on the route; marking the rest and meeting points clearly so that riders can ride at their own pace in between and enjoy their ride. Also agreeing on taking turns bringing up the rear just to make sure no one is left behind,� said 44-year-old independent training consultant Sekhar Chakrabarty. �Whilst each rider should bring his own necessities, it�s smart to also co-ordinate on bringing emergency and first-aid gear to avoid unnecessary duplication. �Again, every rider should be responsible enough to have his bike checked to make sure it is in good working condition, especially on long and overnight rides. Breakdowns can put a real dampener on an otherwise great ride,� he elaborated.Their attention to detail in working out a bike trip is an extension of a deeper philosophy as to what makes a good biker.�A good rider is someone who rides within his limits and rides defensively, thereby keeping himself and others out of harm�s way. He�s a biker who takes safety seriously, and gears up appropriately, thereby setting the right example for other riders as well. This type of rider is someone who will stop to help anyone in need; not just another biker,� adds Sekhar.They�re a welcoming bunch, eager for new riders to discover the joy of their passion for themselves.Again, the advice they deliver to those interested in taking up biking is practical, born from countless hours of riding experience.�Get a full B licence, then start small and work your way up. Too many riders are jumping onto big and powerful litre-bikes way too early and getting into trouble because of that. I�d recommend a 250cc for a beginner who wants to get into �big bikes�, followed by a 600cc and so forth,� said Chris Wee.Above all, as Cornelius explains, �Don�t let your ego get the better of you. Start small and move up.� Each biker has a specific route and trip they recall fondly. Some routes are beloved because they are spectacular, and others because they�re filled with memories. As Chris puts it: �All of them have been memorable, there�s always something special about every ride, even if the destination is merely a place called Nowhere Special.�Sekhar, meanwhile, cites the Kuala Klawang to Titi road as being one of the standouts. �It is probably one of the more technically challenging routes in Selangor. Great for those who love the twisties � there�s a good 30km plus of it and in three distinct stages. Each stage presents a slightly different technical challenge, and all require full concentration. �Also, Frasers via Karak and Bentong, and back via Ulu Yam. This is a great combination of the faster Karak, and the much tighter corners of Frasers,� he says.A biker friend tells me that to head out in the morning when the mist is rising from the jungles and into the amazing Malaysian backroads allows your whole mental system to be rebooted.There is a clarity and joy, derived from the fact that the journey itself is more important than the destination. Be it on a bike, car or bicycle or whatever transport you choose, that�s something anyone can relate to.Of course, talk to any biker and he or she will tell you that being on two wheels where you�re not within the confines of a car is an experience unlike anything else.However, being that immersed in your environment has its drawbacks. Each biker has some story about a ride gone wrong, although it�s not a topic you casually bring up. Sekhar�s story is particularly vivid.�The worst crash? Let�s see ... probably the one about 14 years ago when I was coming down the back way from the Gohtong roundabout at Awana heading towards the Ulu Yam Baru-Batang Kali road.�I was negotiating the downhill corners one minute, and waking up in Tawakal Hospital the next!�To this day I don�t know what happened as I had a concussion. My bike and I crashed into the monsoon drain, and I suffered almost total memory loss for those 2-3 hours between the crash and Tawakal. Not knowing what happened was a little scary,� he recalls.Pravin Menon�s crash too was especially graphic.�The most memorable accident would have to be when my RD350 ploughed into a Proton at 100km/h. The car looked like a lorry hit its sides. I was launched a la an F-18 off the deck of an aircraft carrier, clear over the roof of the car,� he said. Talk to enough of them and you realise that biking is a truly Malaysian experience.Biking attracts Malaysians of all races from their 20s to their 60s. They�re out there connecting with each other and often venture off the major highways and into the backroads that intersect the verdant jungles and villages.They meet people, see and experience things that we, comfortable in the cocoon of our cars, seldom do.However, ultimately, it�s more than just about being on two wheels and hitting the road.As retiree and avid biker Peter Ooi, 62, explains it, �it�s just not all about riding but about experiencing life in all its wonders and getting those insights into human nature � and finding your true self.�

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