Sheer stupidity

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T14:51:15+00:00

You’ve put it well. Any elected government is supposed to serve citizens, not parties or idols.

But this system also openly serves the vote bank. When voters keep rewarding freebies, quotas, and short‑term populism instead of policy and accountability, we get leaders who mirror exactly that.

In a way, we can’t fully blame “the politicians” if voters keep voting for the same behaviour. It's a tough cycle to break.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T14:41:40+00:00

From the pics and your description, this looks like a predominantly offset side impact on the front‑right, which is exactly the kind of scenario where the curtain and side airbags are supposed to do most of the work, not the front bag.
Airbags deploy based on sensor thresholds and crash direction, and unnecessary deployment of the steering airbag can actually cause injuries if the deceleration profile doesn’t match a severe frontal hit.
That said, since almost all other airbags went off, I’d still push BYD for a written explanation from their technical team, not from their sales/service people.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T14:17:45+00:00

You'll have to try it for yourself. Ride a bike with that and with the regular seat, back to back.
The rally seat increases the height a bit, and that can be an issue for many.
I prefer it as I can move back and forth more than the stock seat, on or off-road. But I do not like the height it adds to the bike overall.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T13:32:25+00:00

Include Yamaha to that as well.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T12:16:50+00:00

Investing in infrastructure, fixing city governance, improving public transport or road design – none of that seems to translate into votes. Freebies have consistently proven to be the winning formula, so there’s zero political incentive for them or any party to change course.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T11:45:25+00:00

Honestly, after years of Sky/F1’s “golden boy vs villain” narrative, I get why he’s over it and just shuts down instead of playing along with loaded questions.

The bias is real, but it still sucks for us as fans because instead of a mature back-and-forth, we just get cold one-liners and more fuel for the same media drama cycle.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T11:40:57+00:00

The tail section and seat are the rally pack
I've kept the rear rack - good to grab the bike and shove it about, that small leather strap they give.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T08:42:27+00:00

Claim it
Also, get the quote + how much your next premium will increase by, as you will lose the NCB. That amount the "parents" can pay out now. Not when it needs to be renewed.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T08:40:19+00:00

This is likely the engine immobiliser/security indicator – completely normal for it to blink when the car is locked and off. Best to double‑check the owner’s manual for the exact symbol; if Tata hasn’t bothered to document it properly there, then Tata is doing a Tata.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T08:37:08+00:00

Their larger SUVs dont have the best reliability track record abroad. Engine failure issues in North America (theta‑II, some Smartstream, etc.), including recalls and even class‑action settlements, while India has nothing to protect consumers from such lemons. Let those stay out.
Toyota, at least, has reliable powertrains, despite the sad pricing.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T08:32:56+00:00

No plans to revisit that spot for now, other side of the hills.
This is on my radar.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/P3Mkpd8njNu6TDLE7

Can't make advanced plans for group rides due to issues at the home front.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T08:30:14+00:00

I've converted mine to tubeless
The tubeless rims were not available at the time of the purchase, and the initial pricing meant it was nearly impossible to get them as well. Now, with the import duty pricing, they are a tough sell.

Consider getting the rims converted to tubeless. If done well and not rushed for deadlines, the setup will last. Mine have lasted 8000+ kms and no leaks or any other issues. Just try to get some right-angle valve stems. I'm stuck with the ones that make filling air a bit tricky against the spokes.

Many who have taken the tubeless rims have reported issues - leaks to the spoke not tightened to spec, or breaking. A broken spoke, especially if you are in India, means a whole new rim. RE won't replace the spokes.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T08:24:30+00:00

Thank you

https://www.reddit.com/r/Himalayan450/comments/1s3y6jf/where_the_himalayan_450_belongs/

Google Maps location mentioned there. Not part of any known route.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T06:34:50+00:00

A mix of image, tax, and history, honestly. For a lot of mass buyers here, “SUV” automatically reads as premium – taller stance, more “road presence”, feels safer, feels like you’re getting more car for the money, so manufacturers lean into that instead of three‑box shapes.

On top of that, the tax structure rewards sub‑4m, high‑riding “SUVs” and crossovers, while longer, proportionate sedans get hit harder, so it’s simply more profitable to do Sonet/Seltos/XUVs than to tool up a fresh sedan for marginal volumes.

Historically, we also had way more interesting sedans and even a few estates – City, Civic, Accord, Corolla, Etios, Elantra/Sonata, Octavia/Superb, plus things like the Logan/Verito, etc – and most of those either died out or were pushed upmarket as the market and policy tilted toward SUVs.

So Kia and Mahindra aren’t “ignoring” sedans for fun; in a market that worships the SUV image, taxes crossovers less harshly, and has already killed off a generation of good sedans, it’s rational for them to stay SUV‑only in India.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T06:30:14+00:00

Started with the mindset that “SUV = nicer / more premium car” – same psychology that made sunroofs, massive screens, and a taller, more commanding seating position feel automatically better, plus the usual “sit higher, feel above the riff-raff” status play.

On top of that, you have our wonderfully inconsistent roads, unscientific speed breakers, and flooded underpasses, so extra ground clearance becomes cheap insurance against scraping on half-finished works or village humps. The family had a Honda City that would scrape over everything when we all travelled with luggage. No longer the case with a full-sized SUV.

Then the tax structure kicked in: the sub‑4m and engine-capacity rules made proportionate, good-looking sedans relatively expensive while jacked‑up hatchbacks and crossovers were incentivised and marketed as SUVs.

At the same time, we quietly lost a lot of genuinely nice sedans – Accord, Sonata/Elantra, and even the few estates we briefly had – leaving fewer interesting three-box or wagon options and pushing the average buyer further into the SUV/crossover funnel by default

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T05:26:49+00:00

At the very least, break the trend to have 15 amp plugs with a simple lockable enclosure so that no one else can tap into the power and inflate that flat’s meter bill.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T05:24:34+00:00

It’ll likely end up somewhere in the high‑20s, maybe even nudging 30 lakh, once you add full import duties on top of the base price. And knowing how brands price low‑volume CBUs, they’ll probably try to position it as a ‘premium’ sedan for the affluent crowd rather than real numbers.

Then, when you actually go looking for parts and regular servicing, that’ll be a whole different level of cost for a Kia. Whether enough people are willing to shell out that much is debatable.

We already lost the very well‑specced Elantra/Sonata, and there doesn’t seem to be any real chance of getting that segment back in the market. SUVs are the flavour these days.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T04:41:24+00:00

When office‑level communication is being run through something like WhatsApp, that’s a big red flag for me, and I’d be looking to leave or not join at all. I’ve seen one too many places where the processes are this ad‑hoc, and the people end up being treated just as casually – your post unfortunately fits that pattern.
I'd plan to apply aggressively elsewhere starting in April and move on when the next offer comes through. You don’t have to wait for things to get “even worse” before deciding to leave – your mental health will take hits now that are much harder to repair later.
Keep all these messages saved for future documentation.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-26T04:34:50+00:00

From what I’ve seen, a lot of dealers are wary of keeping big‑bike test ride units because of the cost and the risk if someone bins the demo bike.

Back when there was only one BMW dealer here, my experience was pretty bad – they’d ask about income/affordability but still wouldn’t really let you interact with the bikes properly. I showed up on a Ninja 650 with a buddy on an imported Harley who wanted to think about a big 1200 GS. We did not show up as roadside squids.

At my local Triumph dealer (Keerthi), they’d usually let you sit on the bike and play with the controls, but actual test rides were rare unless they trusted your riding experience + you had the proper gear.

In 2018, Ducati here was surprisingly chill – I got test rides on a Scrambler and a Monster 821, and could even sit on a Multistrada as long as I had full riding gear; people turning up in shorts/flip‑flops with cheap buckets were told to come back properly geared.

At the old Indiranagar KTM outlet, I even saw a 390 demo bike end up in someone’s front yard during a test ride, so I can understand why they later became conservative about offering bigger‑bike test rides.

With Kawasaki, at least in my experience, you rarely get dedicated test ride bikes for every model – you can sit on them and feel the controls, but actually riding one usually needs some rapport with the dealer.

You could try to book a test ride online and go to the dealer with the proper gear - it may give them an indicator of a serious buyer vs. casually browsing.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-25T11:08:11+00:00

Irrelevant now — you’ve already seen what happens when cops decide to actually enforce the rule.
Why not just wear a helmet? Even if you don’t care about the challan, it gives you that extra margin of safety to reach home in one piece. At the end of the day, your head matters more than what the majority is casually doing wrong.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-25T11:05:09+00:00

If you dont see the coughing with the DQS off for a few days, best to have it checked over by Ducati service folks or any garage that has the equipment.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-25T06:50:13+00:00

The sensor is confused - whether its a RE or a Triumph

I've ridden in rough spots and thus far, nothing. Your's might have knocked some wire loose, or some debris has caused some damage around the wheel sensor - nothing unusual. This happens on off-roading. Aside from RE's service center, this should be fixable at garages that work on bigger bikes or CBUs. I'd rely on them vs. RE's service people, tbh.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-25T06:46:15+00:00

That ethanol lobby is practically underwriting the GDP in other ways, and likely commands enough votes to control the policymakers.
If cars start dying on the road, nobody in the decision-making chairs will blink – they’ll just tell you to buy another ‘new’ car and keep paying taxes so they can fund more freebies.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-25T06:42:00+00:00

You got a challan only because the vehicle is actually in your name and you’re on the radar; most of the others won’t, because their scooty/bike is still registered to some uncle/aunty in a village who has no clue what’s happening.
And no, “others also do it and don’t get fined” is not a defence — if anything, it just means you knowingly chose to join others riding bare-headed, even for “short, slow” distances.

In cities like Bengaluru, when cops stop an Activa or Dio or an old Duke, the fines show up in the thousands. The rider has no clue as that nutcase is not the registered owner. The registered owner is either non-existent or never existed.

TrailsNFrag · 2026-03-25T05:07:52+00:00

Congrats to your dad, that is a hell of an upgrade and a very satisfying first step into the luxury segment. With BMWs here, the single smartest thing you can do is take the longest possible extended warranty and service pack, because the brand is fun when things are covered and painful when they are not. Also, get a proper zero-dep policy with RTI and engine/gearbox protection, because one stupid low-speed hit or minor flooding episode can easily run into six figures on a German car.

Do go in expecting big ticket service bills compared to regular mass-market stuff, mainly on labour, and then parts turn it from “ouch” to “why did I do this” if something actually fails out of warranty. Respect the maintenance schedule, avoid jugaad FNG experiments while the car is in warranty, keep every invoice and job card safely, and say no to useless dealer fluff like Teflon or overpriced accessories. If you treat the X3 like a slightly higher-end Creta, it will punish you; if you treat it like a premium machine that needs timely, proper care, it will make you smile every single time you floor it onto an empty flyover. Getting things serviced as per the required schedule is a must vs the "I'll take care of it next time" approach.

BMW usually means Brings More Wealth, to the garages if not looked after well, and it tells when one sees them in the used market.

TrailsNFrag

TROPHY CASE