Wheelie record attempt ends in arrest

[Mikkel]

Awesome effort! Good to hear that the charges are being dropped.

@own : Correction : Its a HERO Honda and not a HONDA Yes there is actually a company called HERO HONDA which has a tie up with HONDA and sells cheap single cylinder machines in India by branding them with gay names like 'Karizma', 'Glamour', 'Spledour', 'Ambition'. You pick your adverb and chances are that company is thinking to launch a puny bike with that name.

And here we were thinking honda couldn't get anymore gay

HERO HONDA - putting the Z in Karizma

[YellowDog]

G'Day all,

I was with this guy when he was attempting the wheelie record. Here are some of the facts for you :

• Motorcycle Used : Hero Honda Karizma 223 CC . 16.8 Bhp
• Rear tyre : 110/18 Front : 100/18
• No performance modifications, except a slightly deflated rear for more traction
• The wheelie was carried for 12Kms and the bike stuttered because of insufficient fuel supply courtesy gravity. He was in condition to to at least 15Kms.
• The attempt was made at ^AM in the morning withe first ray of light in minimal traffic
• We had ourselves called the media to showcase how stunts should be done in a safe way. He was wearing full riding gears which can be seen in the picture below.
• The media had removed all our safety announcements on video and did not mention the riding gear he was wearing. This is a big issue in India because hardly anyone who does stunts wear proper riding gears, sometime not even a helmet.

However, there was a big mess created by the media which forced the police to take action against Gurpreet (aka Skyscraper) to save their skin as to how could they let this happen on national media unchecked.

Anyways, the boy wasd charged with reckless driving and was released very soon.

If you want to see talent die, come to India. We dont have any tracks in most parts of India (specially North) and there are no private roads where the stunters can practice.

I myself am not a stunter but can empathize with someone who dreams so big.

12kms wheelie attempt on a 'moped' projected horribly negative...thats Indian media for you.

One thing I am convinced about is - Police and Bikers can never be at harmony for long.

However, we are countering the damage to our club's image by issuing positive press releases like this.

If you want to have a lowdown on the furore created by this have a look here.



But yes, the mistake that we made is not taking the permission from authorities, but all in all the criminal treatment met out was not worthy of a traffic offense. And we are mighty more experienced in handling such things now, on a brighter side!

In such an environment, that is as safe as it can possibly be.

I guess the media must have been short of stories.

Well done.

[Bob]

This just in:

The Noida authority has offered stunt motorcyclists the chance to use the Formula 1 racetrack, following the news of the arrest of Gurpreet Singh.

The authority said it can't provide special tracks but asked them to use the Formula 1 track being developed instead.

Sandeep Marwah, chairman of Asian Academy of Films and Television added, "Bikers who want to conduct feats can join our institute. We have a course on stunts conducted under the guidance of experts.”

[xbhp]

Yep, positive results showing, isnt it?

[xbhp]

We just got this very positive release in an afternoon newspaper :

Today's Mail Today (April 3rd) reported what we actually wanted and what media twisted and projected. This is wrt this 'fiasco'.

Have a look for yourself here (Page 14-15).

The text is reproduced below for all's convenience :

Biker sorry but will repeat expressway stunt




By Avinash Kalla in New Delhi

"HE IS a 23- year- old multimedia student but academics isn’t his top priority. His passion is motorbiking and like many ambitious young men, Gurpreet Singh had hoped to enter the Limca Book of Records by completing a 12- km ‘ wheelie’ — or riding his motorbike on the rear wheel — on the expressway that connects Noida with Greater Noida. Instead of creating a record, Gurpreet now has a police record. After TV channels started airing his daredevil stunt, the Noida Police booked him for overspeeding on the expressway. Gurpreet, though, insists he wasn’t speeding. And that he would try again. He says his only crime was that he did not take permission from the authorities. Had he done it, he says, he would have been in the Limca Book of Records and “ the world would be addressing me as a record holder and not calling me names.” Gurpreet, charged with rash and negligent driving, is now out on bail. Although he admitted his fault, he is unhappy with the way his attempt to establish a record has been projected. “ I have been made out to be a criminal, but I admit that not taking prior permission was my mistake and I will make sure that I do not repeat it ever.” “ I was not riding at a high speed. I maintained my bike’s speed at 40 to 50 kmph,” he adds. An avid biker, who completed the biking portal xBhp. com’s Great Indian Road Trip two years ago that took him to the Himalayas, did his research and figured out that there was no biking record in the Limca Book for wheelies. He said he was involved with xBHP. com , a biking club that he is a member of, to ensure that his feat got completed and recorded properly. But the club, too, forgot to take permission. “ We admit our mistake,” says Sandeep Gajjar, chief convener, xBhp. com . What upsets him, though, is the way the media projected the event. “ The media conveniently kept mum about the fact that it wasn’t a stunt ride. It was an attempt to set a record. Prior to the ride, a complete footage showcasing the safety precautions being taken was shot. In the footage, the other bikers were advised not to replicate this ride on crowded roads, but the media did not show that. Also, the ride was conducted at 6.45 am when the traffic volume was low,” Gajjar says. Denying it was a stunt to promote one of the sponsors of xBHP, Gajjar said, “ We don’t do standalone events to promote our sponsors. The police and transport authorities must see biking as a sport and work towards promoting it. Why don’t the authorities provide a 2- km stretch that bikers must pay to use?” asks Gajjar. “ It can become a venue for them to perform their tricks.” This may never happen, but Gurpreet can’t wait to have another go at the record. “ I will make sure I take care of all formalities the next time,” he assures."

[Disco Dan]

wearing 'trainers' is 'correct gear' ??

[xbhp]

Um, they have full padding + helmet + gloves. Trust me, in India even if someone is wearing a helmet while doing any such kind of stuff is taken to be 'the complete riding gear', but here we had alll the stuff that we could manage.

Thats the difference between India and say NZ, the facilities and available options. Trust me, no one would like to hang on a 17bhp moped for 12kms on a single wheel at 60kmph if they did have some high capacity options

A close up : http://www.xbhp.com/autopictorials/data/500/sky1.jpg

Agreed thats no leathers, but in the hot sultry weather and considering how expensive (and rare) they are here, we have a start.

[Mikkel]

Um, they have full padding + helmet + gloves. Trust me, in India even if someone is wearing a helmet while doing any such kind of stuff is taken to be 'the complete riding gear', but here we had alll the stuff that we could manage.

Thats the difference between India and say NZ, the facilities and available options. Trust me, no one would like to hang on a 17bhp moped for 12kms on a single wheel at 60kmph if they did have some high capacity options

A close up : http://www.xbhp.com/autopictorials/data/500/sky1.jpg

Agreed thats no leathers, but in the hot sultry weather and considering how expensive (and rare) they are here, we have a start.

Indeed, people rarely see further than the tip of their own nose. A full set of leathers would be how many percent of the average indian annual income?

On another note - what does the NZ law actually say in regards to wheelie-ing? I understand that some people have been stopped by the police for pulling such "stunts"... But in which way are they actually illegal?

[onearmedbandit]

Careless or Dangerous use (they can do you on either). It's to do with not having all the wheels on the ground, thereby not being in full control of your machine. I know. I've been there. (And trying to convince them that you are indeed displaying more control by balancing a wheelie with only one arm falls on deaf ears.)