Two months under a tarpaulin: go or no-go
Your motorcycle has been parked under a tarpaulin in a Kathmandu courtyard for two months while you were away. You need it at 7:00 a.m. for an 18 km commute to Baneshwor with a colleague as pillion. It rained overnight and the courtyard has a mossy concrete ramp onto the road. Before starting you notice: the front brake lever pulls almost to the grip with a spongy feel; the chain shows about 45 mm of slack at its tightest point against a 20–30 mm specification, and the links near the front sprocket are dry with one stiff link; the tyres read 18 psi front and 22 psi rear against 25/29 recommended, before adding a pillion; the battery cranks slowly; your full-face helmet has a 6 cm scratch across the visor at eye level; and the pillion's open-face helmet is one size too large with a frayed strap and a cracked buckle. Fuel is on reserve.
1. Which of these defects stop the ride, and in what order do you deal with them?
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Two are no-go items, one is a fix-before-moving item and the rest are manageable.
Stop the ride:
- The front brake. A lever that comes back to the grip with a spongy feel means air or moisture in the hydraulic line, or a leaking master/slave seal. Air compresses, so the first pull may feel almost normal and the second may not-on a descent into traffic that is a total brake loss. Do not ride it; bleed the system, check for leaks, and top up with the specified fluid.
- The pillion helmet. Loose fit plus a frayed strap and cracked buckle means it will not stay on the head in a fall. No helmet, no pillion-this is not negotiable and it is also the law for both rider and pillion.
Fix before moving: inflate to 25/29 psi, adjust the chain to spec and lubricate it, and clear the mossy ramp on foot first. A slow-crank battery after two months is expected; charge or bump-start only after the brake is sorted.
2. Explain why the chain, tyre pressures and the mossy ramp matter more with a pillion aboard than they would solo.
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Adding a pillion roughly doubles the load on the rear and shifts the centre of gravity backwards and upwards. Each defect is amplified:
- Chain: 45 mm of slack lets the chain slap and can derail it under load, and a dry, stiff link will not articulate around the sprocket-it can snap or lock the rear wheel. A chain failure with a passenger aboard usually means a locked wheel and a fall. Adjust to 20–30 mm, lubricate, and replace the chain if the stiff link will not free up.
- Tyres: at 18/22 psi the sidewalls flex, the bike squirms in corners, and the rear can overheat and fail. Under-inflation also destroys steering precision, which you notice most when braking with a passenger.
- Mossy ramp: wet moss on concrete offers almost no grip, and a passenger changes the balance point. Push the bike up or down the ramp with the engine off and the pillion walking, rather than riding it and risking a slow sideways fall.
Fix the cheap items first; they are cheap only before they bite.
3. The scratched visor and the slow-cranking battery: how do these affect your decision, and what do you do about them?
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Scratched visor. A 6 cm scratch at eye level scatters light at night and in rain, and it also creates a blind spot precisely where you need to see a pedestrian stepping out. It is not a cosmetic issue. If you cannot replace it, the correct decision is not to ride in low light or rain with that helmet-daylight only, or borrow a sound helmet. Do not ride with the visor up at speed to see past the scratch.
Slow-cranking battery. After two months standing, a weak crank is normal, but it warns you that the charging system's health is unknown and that the bike may not restart if you stall in traffic. Charge it overnight, then check that the voltage rises when running. If it does not, ride with a plan: keep the engine running at stops, avoid stalling, and do not stop in a place where a non-start leaves you in a live lane.
The overall decision is straightforward: the brake and the pillion helmet must be resolved before the bike moves; the tyre pressures, chain and ramp must be resolved before it moves with a passenger.