‘Bye Bye Hero Honda! Welcome Hero Moto’.

Following the split by Munjal’s Hero Group from Japan’s leading two-wheeler manufacturer Honda in the recent past, we get to know regarding this name change. Hero Group has applied for this name ‘Hero Moto’ to the Registrar of Companies (ROC) to check for the availability of this name. It seems that the company is awaiting for the reply from ROC. But, even if the name is available and Hero Group gets it registered and patented by the Hero Group, expect the name change to take place not before two months atleast. The reason for this delay is that the company has to get the stakeholder’s nod before proceeding further on this issue.

But, one interesting fact here is that the brands of bikes and scooters would be continued in the market with their own names. For instance, Karizma ZMR would be called Hero Moto Karizma ZMR and the CBZ Xtreme would be called Hero Moto CBZ Xtreme. This sounds like a move after a lot of thoughts on it.

And now guess the amount which the Hero group has allocated for its total re-branding exercise.  It’s a mind whooping 200 and odd crores of Rupees. Also, this huge amount of money is going to play a very crucial role in the company’s export market strategy. The company has identified new markets in Latin America and a few other African nations as well. There are also plans to enter these markets in this financial year itself. Probably, the company may enter new markets with its new name – Hero Moto. Expect a write up from us in some two months on the topic ‘Bye Bye Hero Honda! Welcome Hero Moto’.

These are some of the safety tips which I have gained through mine or someone else's experiences. You may already know some of them but it is good to get refreshed...

1. [Vision] Wear proper eye safety gear at night, so that the Lights

of incoming vehicles don't flash right into your eyes. When buying

shades try buying those through which you can look at the sun

straight for 1 min or so. Wear clear glasses at night at any case,

chances are that a insect might hit you in the eye... Our hand's

natural reflex is to to rub the eye and imagine doing so while

whistling at a speed of 100kms in middle of a highway!

2. [Ghat Roads] Do you switch the engine off or put it in neutral

while descending a hill? This is an absolute no! First reason, in

neutral gear there will be no engine braking - if the slope

increases suddenly then your will not be able to anticipate your

braking and bad things can happen. Second reason, if you approach a

plain surface and if you need to overtake a truck or something, you

will not be able to do so. Generally speaking, you will not be able

to anticipate the behaviour of the vehicle when it is turned off.

So never do it.

3. [Stability] Look out for cow dung, cricket ball sized stones,

rounded pipes or even bundles of cloth. Enough to tip you over in a

flip of eye. Also try avoiding hitting out small animals, they tend

to lock up in the rear tire.

4. [Overtaking] Never overtake from wrong side. If some vehicle

approaching from the opposite derection goes wary, the vehicle you

are overtaking will move to the left naturally which is extremely

risky for you. Also, don't overtake if overtaking lands you on a road

which is joined by another road. Chances are another vehicles may

just cut in at that moment.

5. [Being Human] Always help accident cases, nowadays the law is

quite liberal. So you won't be harassed by anyone. Imagine you or

your near dear ones lying on the road wounded and others just

passing by casually.

6. [Turning] Always use indicators to signal you turning, at least

a few meters from your actual turning point. Sticking out a wide

hand when turning, can be risky in two ways, you can hurt yourself

by a close ongoing vehicle and also you cannot a control a bike

with one hand.

7. [Staying Cool] Some vehicles are driven by mad people. They honk

the horns in a rude manner and flash the high beams wildly. Never

lose your cool in such situations. If you move suddenly, then other

vehicles would not have anticipated your move. Give way to them

slowly. Such drivers are also very attentive and hence staying

where you are will not harm you (except your ears if he is honking

so badly!).

Remember: Expecting that you will not to run into an accident

because you drive safe, is like expecting the lion not to eat you

because you are a vegetarian! India is yet to come up with strict

rules for the roads like US... until then our safety is in our

hands!

Enjoy riding and be safe...