2010 - End of the year exploration

As we have approached the end of 2010, there is no short of plans for off-road excursions. Sunil Prathivadi has agreed to travel alongside me and do a bit of outdoor photography. We are planning to cover the North Canara (Apsarakonda, Bidaara, Honavara, Haldipur, Canacona and Sirsi) where there is nothing short of natural beauty.

This is the second time we are travelling towards North of Canara and we are more than excited to cover more than what we actually can. We are planning to cover few unexplored spaces along the way as we may travel on some of the off-roaders. You can follow us on our Facebook.

We would like to thank Mr. Sripadha Shastry for making this dream come true as we want to cover this year on a high note. Scenery is not a mere background and this is our moto. After completing the project of photo shooting vintage automobiles, we would like to extend our second shoot on the nature.

How are we going to do it? Wait until we upload the photos.

2010-2011 karting series

It is very regretful to annoucement the departure of Suraj Yuvraj but we wish him all the best on his future projects. Dr. Monil Athirvadi has brought in several changes into the championship hoping it will add spice to the existing game.

Jaisimha Besadi, Sunil Prathivadi and Abhilash Nair have confirmed their participation while the first round of race would start in Monsanto. We are yet to receive confirmation from remaining participants including those who have participated earlier.

Following are the tracks that have underwent major changes in the interest of safety and also the ones where race would take place;

(1) A1-Ring (Spielberg)
(2) Ain-Diab (Casablanca)
(3) Aintree (Liverpool)
(4) AVUS (Berlin)
(5) Boavista (Porto)
(6) Brands Hatch
(7) Bremgarten Bremgarten)
(8) Caesar's Palace (Las Vegas)
(9) Charade (road circuit)
(10) Clermont-Ferrand (France)
(11) Dijon-Prenois (France)
(12) Donington Park (Leicestershire)
(13) Estoril (Estoril)
(14) Fair Park (Dallas)
(15) Kyalami (Midrand, Gauteng RSA)
(16) Long Beach (Long Beach)
(17) Magny-Cours (Circuit of Nevers)
(18) Monsanto (Lisbon)
(19) Montjuïc (Barcelona)
(20) Mont-Tremblant (Quebec)
(21) Mosport (Bowmanville)
(22) Nivelles-Baulers (Nivelles)
(23) Nürburgring (Nürburg)
(24) Österreichring (Zeltweg)
(25) Paul Ricard (Castellet)
(26) Pedralbes (Barcelona)
(27) Pescara (Pescara)
(28) Phoenix (Phoenix-AR)
(29) Reims-Gueux (Reims)
(30) Riverside (Riverside)
(31) Rouen-Les-Essarts (Rouen)
(32) Anderstorp (Anderstorp)
(33) Sebring (Sebring)
(34) Tanaka (Aida)
(35) Watkins Glen (Watkins Glen)
(36) Zandvoort (Zandvoort)
(37) Zeltweg Airfield (Zeltweg)
(38) Zolder (Heusden-Zolder)

YAMAHA RD-350: Ride to Muthathi

I'm not sure of the feeling how it would be; had I attended the YAMAHA RD-350 meet when it had its maximum attendees. I try to attend these events here and there but I miss quite a few.

An effort to congregate all the members was exemplary. Courtesy of Captain Cocunut.

The conversation turned to Robert Zimmerman

Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, painter and poet. He has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was at first an informal chronicler, and later an apparently reluctant figurehead of social unrest. A number of his songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'" became anthems for the civil rights and anti-war movements. His early lyrics incorporated a variety of political, social and philosophical, as well as literary influences. They defied existing pop music conventions and appealed hugely to the then burgeoning counterculture. Dylan has both amplified and personalized musical genres, exploring numerous distinct traditions in American song – from folk, blues and country to gospel, rock and roll and rockabilly, to English, Scottish and Irish folk music, embracing even jazz and swing.

Dylan performs with guitar, piano and harmonica. Backed by a changing line-up of musicians, he has toured steadily since the late 1980s on what has been dubbed the Never Ending Tour. His accomplishments as a recording artist and performer have been central to his career, but his greatest contribution is generally considered to be his songwriting.

He has received numerous awards over the years including Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Awards; he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2008 a Bob Dylan Pathway was opened in the singer's honor in his birthplace of Duluth, Minnesota. The Pulitzer Prize jury in 2008 awarded him a special citation for what they called his profound impact on popular music and American culture, "marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.

Dylan released his most recent studio album, Christmas in the Heart, on October 13, 2009. It comprised traditional Christmas songs, including "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing". All Dylan's royalties from the sale of this album will benefit the charities Feeding America in the USA, Crisis in the UK, and the World Food Programme.

Falling ages - old locations of Bangalore

1. Raja Mahal Vilas (Stage-I &II)

2. Sadashivanagar,

3. Palace Orchids (Upper & Lower)

4. Vyalikaval (Palace Guttahalli)

5. Jaya Mahal,

6. Malleshwaram,

7. Basavanagudi,

8. Jayanagar.

YAMAHA RD-350 - Riding down the memory lane.

The RD350 was a motorcycle produced by Yamaha. It was the premier sport lightweight of the early 70's and was evolved from the piston port (pre-reed valve intake tract) with drum-brake system.
Well developed for its time, it featured a reliable aircooled, parallel twin, 6 speed, reed valve equipped intake tract two-stroke engine. It was in production as either a dark green or brandy red with white and black side details with metal emblem "Yamaha" on the tank RD350 (1973), the RD350A (1974), simple purple tank with "Yamaha" decal on the tank, and the orange with white RD350B (1975). The B model also featured a silver and black colour scheme.

All models were equipped with "Autolube" automatic oil injection, relieving the user from the need to be mixing gasoline and two-stroke oil. Rim sizes were 18" WM2 (1.85") front and 18" WM3 (2.15"), both being of chromed, wire spoked steel construction.
Brakes were: single front disc brake and a rear drum brake, which Cycle Magazine described the combination as the best in its class.
The frame dimensions of the street 350 were very similar to the famous Yamaha TZ250 and TZ350 series factory road race bikes, differing mainly in weight and front fork rake - the RD being ~27 degrees and the TZ being ~25 degrees. The frames appeared similar, side by side, with the street frame adorned with many brackets for the street equipment. The weight difference was substantial though, with the street going RD frame weighing almost twice as much as the "TZ" roadrace race frame.
The stock bike made about 32 to 35 true rear-wheel HP at about 7500 rpm - very fast for the time. A contemporary of the RD was the Kawasaki H2 750cc Triple, said to make 72 to 75 true HP.
The RD350B in IndiaThe RD350B was assembled in India between 1983-1990 by Escorts group under the brand name Rajdoot 350. It did not repeat the worldwide success of the RD350B in the Indian market. High purchase price and poor fuel consumption can be attributed to its lackluster sales figures. However, it established Yamaha as a performance bike manufacturer in India. There were two models for the Rajdoot 350 - High Torque and Low Torque. Compared to the Yamaha RD350B that made 39 crankshaft bhp, the Indian-made HIGH TORQUE made 30.5 bhp and the later LOW TORQUE made only 27 bhp, all in quest of better fuel economy. By the time the production ended in 1990, the bike was completely indigenized with very little Japanese part content.
Like the original, Rajdoot 350 also enjoys a cult status in India. Owners clubs and organized rides are existent in almost all major cities. Today, good used bikes often change hands for 3 to 4 times the original purchase price. A lot of the bikes got scrapped or became non-runners due to lack of spares in the early 1990s. However, specialist dealers are supplying all major spares that are locally made or imported from USA and Singapore.
The Indian Scenario: Unfortunately the RD did not enjoy that much success in India. The running costs was the greatest deterrent for the Indian rider to buy the RD and with the reputation of it being a “Lethal” bike ensured the sales of the RD was poor. Some people thought RD stood for “Rapid Death” ! Yamaha promoted the bike with the line “For the few who dared to Dream and be different” but that’s what happened literally in reality. The Hero Honda CD 100 which was launched in the 1985 further dented the RD’s sales figures as it had better mileage. Yamaha still continued to offer the RD LT. The RX100 was later launched in 1985 and it continued to sell better than the RD. Finally the RD 350 was discontinued by Yamaha in 1990 after years of frustration. The “Fill it, Shut it, Forget it” era marked the demise of the RD 350.
The RD 350 was a bike way ahead for its time and especially in the Indian context, the bike was not suited for the Indian consumer. The bike though a very competent and quality product enjoyed little success in our country.