VOLUME ISSUE FEBRUARY , P93
pushing carts laden with food and the occa-
sional chicken all share the small roadways
in a flow of motion and horn honks. Small
utility trucks, often loaded, are common.
Cars were not.
After several miles, the adrenaline sub
-
sided and the code of the road in India began
to reveal itself. First off: Don't be in a hurry.
My American traffic instincts had me trying
to thread through as quickly as possible.
The Super Meteor is certainly up for it; we
were astride pretty much the fastest thing
on the road. But it's not about speed in India,
it's about sharing the space, making room,
filling in a gap. And everywhere: the sound of
horns from every vehicle—except mine. Short
beeps let everyone know where you are; lon
-
ger ones indicate a need to move, merge or
pass. Large trucks have two horns; a friendly
one that plays a fun tune, and a blaring horn
for getting your attention. It works. Slowly, I
start to use my horn more. Here I am, here I
come. Hello, India.
On open highways, passing is the name of
the game. You pass the tuk-tuk at the same
time it's passing the farm tractor. Pass on
the left, right or right down the middle, just
gas it and go as needed. The shoulder is just
another lane, especially on two wheels.
As I came around one slow-moving truck,
another truck was closing fast heading my
way—in my lane. Instead of slowing (or
panicking), the driver calmly eased over to
Roll deep into the
throttle above second
gear and the Super
Meteor moves out
with gusto, but
without terrifying
acceleration.
