So here we are at Part 2 of my ‘HexaExperience’, where I give you the low-down on Tata’s stonking new flagship – the Hexa. Watching the fleet of Hexa’s smartly parked in formation waiting for the flag-off was enough to wake up the mind. My co-passengers: Priya & Burhanuddin too had arrived & Usmaan from…
Category: Travel
My Tata Hexa Experience – Part 3: Off-road Demonstration
We returned to Novotel Hyderabad sometime around noon, after a scintillating 180 kilometre drive over a mixed driving loop that helped us understand the Hexa’s abilities in typical road conditions. Tata Motors though had yet another ace up their sleeve. Most AWD owners rarely get to understand the true capabilities of their cars. The Hexa…
Jugaad is killing us
Mechanical failures aren’t exactly a new thing for Indian motorists. The reasons range from lax maintenance standards & ignorance on proper procedures, to sheer indifference towards statutory compliance. We carry on nevertheless. Because, what else can we do. It’s a game of survival out there & we all have got to do what we got…
Tyre Talk – Air Pressure Gauge
When you’re out on the road, the tiny contact patches of rubber called tyres are the only thing keeping us from becoming a part of the scenery. Most folks around would simply go with the tyres that come along with their bikes. Few bother about the grip levels, how supple the rubber is and other…
Welcoming UM Motorcycles to the neighbourhood
Attempting to break into the automotive industry in India is a tall task. The market is ruthless & even established players routinely find their products sinking into red. This bloodbath is most evident in the 2-Wheeler segment, where a handful of bikes & scooters outpace the rest of them. It takes great guts for a…
The lure of an abandoned Jeep
Spotted this Jeep some time back. Was on a work run around a government complex when i saw it standing there, exposed to the elements. It looked like it had been sitting there since a while. Rust had eaten through its once tough body & left it pockmarked with holes all over. Underneath that ailing body…
Riding along the NH8-NH3 Loop with SJCam’s SJ5000+
It’d been nearly two months since i’d gone on a ride, and the term ‘withdrawal symptoms’ would’ve been too mild to describe my state. So when I finally got my bike back home from the mech, a ride was definitely on the cards. Not satisfied with the usual 100 kilometre circuit, a slightly longer loop…
Auto Strike means Traffic-Free Roads in Mumbai
The rickshaw drivers in Mumbai stayed off the streets yesterday. It wasn’t the first time they’d done that, and nor would it be the last. Strikes you see are a powerful bargaining tool and something that the politically inclined have used to varying degrees of success long before the country became independent. Yesterday’s strike was…
Press Kits & Human Greed at Auto Expo 2016
Prologue: “Press Kits” Commonly described as a pre-packaged set of promotional materials. Usually found being distributed at business events, these form a vital cog in the information dissemination chain. The material contained within such kits tends to include: the official press release from the company, quotes from the top rung of the management & so…
Renault Kwid zooms to 25000 bookings within two weeks from launch
Renault India’s newest launch has gotten off to a rocking start – notching up over 25,000 bookings within two weeks. The butch styling on the KWID and the many best-in-segment features seem to have hit a common chord with the Indian car buyer. Always game for a bargain, it has been the competitive pricing range…
Impromptu rides & the cure for the urge
July had come and gone, with August too threatening to disappear at warp speed. It had been hectic scenes, with the past few months having been both, agonizing as well as fruitful. The latter since there have been travel opportunities galore all thanks to things kicking into high gear on the work front. Unfortunately…
How we bought our Riding Jackets
It was January, a brand new start, not just to the year, but to life in general. Celebrating our first month of having run slo-mo donuts ’round the holy fire, the missus and I were planning to experience the magic of India Bike Week. Having made our maiden long-distance ride together only a month earlier…
theangrysaint 