Royal Enfield riders emphasise on safety first this Road Safety week
Guwahati, January 16,2022: Shashank Deka and Monroe Phukan have both been riding motorcycles from an early age and their love for motorcycling and travel has taken them places. 37-year-old Shashank is a travel specialist, a tour organizer who organizes adventure motorcycle tours around the Northeast and Ladakh.
Sharing about his memorable ride, Shashank said, “I have done a lot of tours around the Northeast of India on my Himalayan. However, the most memorable ride will be the ride from Assam to Myanmar. I was riding my Himalayan inside Myanmar for 9 days. It was an enriching experience. Few locals wanted to trade my bike for money as they found this to be a great looking bike.”
A mother of two, Monroe has had a lot of adventurous rides herself, “I have travelled extensively across our beautiful North East, Bhutan, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, J & K, Uttarakhand, Kerala. I went on a 54 days continuous riding spree with my friend from Ladakh, Avdheesh who himself is an award winning traveller across NE and Bhutan in 2017. Learned a lot about local customs, visited some edgy terrains and came in contact with one of the most cherished hospitality, food and fauna!”
When it comes to riding motorcycles, both give equal importance to safety. According to Shashank, “If we start respecting the road and the fellow people, life will be easier for each one of us. A little patience and basic human values is all that is required to make this a better place. Also, I believe in All The Gears All The Time. Basically, one should wear a full sleeve shirt, jeans, a good pair of shoes, gloves and Helmet whenever they are on their Motorbike.”
Monroe too emphasizes on having basic protective gear, “Riding jacket, knee guard, full mask helmet, hand gloves with guard, my army boots with waterproof cover. Please note that I have made these purchases, these gears over the time so don’t stress yourself to purchase them all at once or to think that you cannot ride without them except for the full mask helmet!”
Apart from the necessary gear they also believe in taking a few precautions while on the road for long trips. “I believe in travelling light, but right. Quality riding gear is a must. Carrying essential spares, first aid kit is priority. I also share my itinerary and emergency contact numbers with my known ones. Most importantly, I get my motorcycle serviced before a long ride and thoroughly inspect it for a few days before the actual ride begins to rectify errors, if any.”
Monroe too added, “First thing first, understand the terrain you are going to explore as India is a kaleidoscope of varied physical features and thus you got to prepare accordingly. Then start assembling the necessities: riding gears (it’s always better to be guarded in them body joints), the riding amenities with some extras (bungee cords, knife, torch cell, etc.), solar ones always come in handy. Your set of basic first aid although it’s there in your RE machine but carry one extra. RE SoW number of the region. Pack efficiently and smart, don’t keep any loose straps hanging. And, I have mention this that the Indian Army has been one of the best guiding and helping force in those treacherous terrains and they always say this, “Respect the Roads”.”
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