A Journey Towards Mumbai INDIA

The Pleasant Morning

On this wonderful day, we woke up somewhere around 5 o’clock in the morning, finding ourselves in the quite western Lemon Tree hotel Vadodara. We continued our journey towards Mumbai on our motorcycle. The morning was pleasant, with a cool breeze. As we headed towards Surat, on our way to Mumbai, we already began to notice that the desert was behind us; the air was cleaner, the wind was gentler, and the scent of nature was in the air.

Entering the Hilly Area

Arriving in the hilly area with winding roads, we encountered more forests and trees on the hills and mountains; the agriculture was greener, indicating that we were no longer in the Rajasthan Desert. On this wonderful day, everything was normal, feeling good and making good progress because the streets were quite acceptable, a bit cleaner, and traffic flowed smoothly. I remember we would occasionally stop to have some tea in a roadside stall, taking shelter from the heat under the shade of trees, although it was still quite warm, the air was more humid, and there was less dust.

The Unexpected Halt

As we continued towards Surat, while quietly traveling, there were still areas under construction along the road. Upon reaching an area where there was no asphalt, just a temporary road with dirt and rocks, the motorcycle coughed 2-3 times and stopped. What could have happened? We thought everything was over, and we only had today to reach Mumbai. In fact, what happened was that we ran out of gas. The motorcycle had a fuel tap with 3 positions: open full, reserve, and closed. On that day, I hadn’t checked which position it was in, so it had already passed the reserve, as I had left it a few days ago.

Explanations for the Fuel Tap Positions
Here are the explanations for the positions:
ON (Open): The “ON” position is used when you want to use fuel from the tank to power the engine. When the tap is set to “ON,” gasoline flows from the tank to the carburetor, feeding the engine when it’s running. This position is typically used when the fuel tank is full, and the engine is running.

OFF (Closed): The “OFF” position is used to cut off the fuel flow from the tank to the engine. When the tap is set to “OFF,” the fuel flow is blocked, and the engine does not receive fuel, even if it’s running. This position is used to stop fuel supply when the engine is off or when engines need maintenance or repair.

RES (Reserve): The “RES” (Reserve) position is used when the fuel level in the main tank is low, and it’s necessary to switch to the reserve fuel. When the tap is set to “RES,” another fuel supply route opens from a reserved section of the tank, known as the reserve. This position provides a limited amount of additional fuel, allowing you to reach the nearest gas station for refueling.

The Realization and Solution

Normally, after refueling, the tap should be placed in the “ON” position. When riding for a long duration, the gas level decreases, and the fuel level in the tank shrinks. When you notice the motorcycle stuttering, losing power, and feeling like it’s choking while riding, it means your gas is running low, and the tank is almost empty. Now, when you see the motorcycle stuttering during acceleration, it’s necessary to switch the tap to the “RES” position (reserve). When you switch to the “RES” position, the motorcycle probably has a few liters of gasoline left, 3-5 liters, depending on the motorcycle.

This gasoline should be enough to reach the first gas station. When you reach the gas station and refuel, after refueling, turn the tap to the “ON” position. If you forget to put it on the “ON” position and leave it on “RES,” the channel from the “RES” position remains open, meaning you’ve let all the gasoline from the tank flow into the carburetor to burn. So, this means you’ll end up with the motorcycle stopped and without gas in the tank. That’s what happened to me.

A few days ago, I put the tap on “RES” because I forgot to put it back on “ON” after refueling, being distracted by other things around me. That’s how I ended up on the edge of a village where my motorcycle coughed three times, then the engine stopped completely. I had a kind of scare, my girlfriend was already panicking. I didn’t really know what was going on, but when I saw what I did and why the engine stopped, I calmed down.

The Helpful Stranger

I remember now that there were scooters and motorcycles passing by, but they didn’t speak English, and they didn’t know what we were doing there. I looked at the map, and there was a gas station about 2 km back. That means we passed by it a few minutes ago. I waited a bit, and a young man about 35 years old came on a newer white scooter; he spoke good English and came very determined to help us. He understood the problem right away, so he decided to take me on his motorcycle to the gas station to get some gas.

At the gas station, a kind lady gave me a 2-liter can of gasoline. I paid for it and offered to fill a young man’s motorcycle as a gesture of gratitude, but he refused and said it was his pleasure to help. When I returned to my girlfriend, I suggested giving him money, but he declined. This experience showed that India has wonderful people who come to your aid when needed. I want to thank this young man for being in the right place at the right time.

We reached the gas station; the lady there was nice and gave me a 2-liter can of gasoline. I paid for it, then I offered to fill his motorcycle’s tank since he helped me and did a good deed. But this young man refused and said it was his pleasure to help me, refusing to let me pay for the gas.

When I got back to my girlfriend who was waiting for me next to the motorcycle, I suggested giving him some money, but he refused. Again, I can say that India also has wonderful people who come to your aid when you need them. Thank you to this young man on this occasion. He was the right man in the right place.Shorten with AI

Arriving in Mumbai

It was a pleasure to travel on this day, as everything was more beautiful, greener, and the wind was soothing. Passing through Surat, we continued towards Mumbai. Arriving in Mumbai, we went straight to the hotel where we slept, and in the evening, we went out to meet a lady. Someone from England sent a gift to this lady through us, so we were kind of couriers.

To be continued…

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