Royal Enfield Classic 500 rider’s fall shows the importance of being attentive at all times [Video]

Staying attentive on the road is critical, be it on a car or a motorcycle, or any other vehicle for that matter. In  fact, motorcycles, scooters and bicycles need extra attention as they’re balanced by the rider more than anything else. A Royal Enfield Classic 500 owner found this out the hard way, as a momentary slip in attention caused a minor crash.  While this rider got away with a minor scrape or two, things could have easily gone very wrong had this attention  deficit happened at speed. Here, this video shows how it all played out.

Notably, the motorcycle involved in the fall is a beatifully modified Royal Enfield Classic Chrome 500. In fact, the  motorcycle features scrambler styling with a modified seat, new instrument cluster, blacked out engine, under handle mounted rear view mirror a new, wider handlebar and a megaphone exhaust. What really saved the rider as well as the motorcycle from heavier damage though is the crash guard. In fact, the crash guard took most of the impact, shielding the rider’s leg as well as the motorcycle’s left hand side from significant damage.

Bottomline: The takeaway here is the fact that riding a motorcycle requires 100 % all the time, irrespective of the  skill level of the rider. It just takes a momentary lapse in attention for things to go seriously wrong, and often,  crashes – both minor and major – occur at times when the rider has let her/his guard down. Also, it’s very important to wear proper riding gear as it protects the rider from major injury during small falls.

However, riding gear cannot  be a substitute for safe riding practices, and can only do so much to protect the rider in case of crashes at very  high speed. Net-net, make sure you wear your riding gear at all times. Seasoned motorcyclists even have an acronym  for this – ATGATT – which expands into ‘all the gear all the time’.

Talking a bit about the motorcycle itself, it’s a Classic 500 Chrome, which is a chrome heavy motorcycle sold by  Royal Enfield. In fact, it’s pricier than most other Classic 500s, and very few people buy it as maintaining the  chrome in a shiny condition takes some effort. In return for all this effort, the motorcycle rewards the rider by being an attention magnet.

It’s hard not to notice a shiny, Royal Enfield Classic Chrome 500 cruising down the road. The motorcycle is powered by a 499cc, four stroke single cylinder engine that’s one of its kind. A long stroke motor,  it features overhead valves actuated by hydraulic tappets. A five speed manual gearbox is standard. The motor puts  out 27.2 Bhp of peak power and 41.2 Nm of peak torque. Disc brakes are standard on both wheels, along with dual  channel ABS. The bike is priced at Rs. 2 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi.