I digged out an rare ""Honda CM125T custom chopper"" motorcycle....

One day i was just riding through an rural short cut road just to avoid all the city traffic i came across something really interesting. In front of an old motorcycle shack i have seen some piles of junk put up for sale and i noticed that there is a Gem among them. It was an old ""Honda CM125T Custom"" motorcycle, I know you might be thinking what is so special and rare about ""Honda CM125T Custom"", they are everywhere!!!, But just wait I'll tell you what made it rare later. so stopped to take a look. The bike was really in a very bad shape, for a while i thought i would forget about the paint and outer look, the engine was a mess, with broken timing chains, completely worn out clutch plates, basically no compression on the engine at all but the shop owner fired it with major difficulty and it started. I rode it for few meters and thought it will be very unhealthy to ride it in this condition. So i asked the price and i bought it on the next day, with great difficulty i manage to ride it back to my home after a hours ride from the shop. Phew!! hard part is over, now it is time to get it properly re-done. I took it up to my motorcycle mechanic and got it's engine and electrical system completely restored as well as wheels and then add new shocks to rear and put a new set of forks and oil seals, oils etc.

Now it rides like a baby, smooth as ever, when i bought the bike it has shown amazing 365,000 odd Kilometers on the speedometer and according to the mechanic this was it's first engine restoration and he said the speedometer hasn't also worked for at least 100,000KM which means this bike has previously done whooping 450,000KM before engine restoration. I am no motorcycle mechanic so what i thought, Honda is an mechanical marvel. :), you can see a picture of the bike above, how it is after major restoration has been done, Photo is taken before i put new set of wheels of course and rims. i still have to work on the paint and outer look jobs. But now it runs really well.

Honda CM125T Custom (Chopper) Specifications

• 125cc Honda Twin Engine
• 2 inline cylinders
• CDI
• Speedometer and rev counter
• Made in japan
• Two Short Exhausts (original)
  

Well as i said rare above, try searching the net for model that i have found and you will see. well there are plenty of Honda CM125, CM180, CM200 etc especially made during the period of 1978 till somewhere mid 1980's until the look completely changed in to current Honda CM125T. What make this bike rare is because this has a CDI unit unlike the earlier models, it has original short exhausts makes sound really better than other models of the same look by honda, exhausts are originally from honda. The other CM models, especially the ones with same look did not come with a Rev-Counter, only the speedometer, this model has the Rev-counter facility. Basically this is a Honda CM180 Chopper body running on Honda Benley 125cc engine and coolest part is it is not modified by a user but originally came like this from honda somewhere mid 80's till early 90's.

Few of the oversized monsters in sri lankan roads ( motorcycles beyond 250cc in sri lanka )

Everybody who knows me knows that i am a motorcycle enthusiast, i enjoy riding as much as i enjoy every other good things in life. So this is my little blog in the internet and i thought i would put this entry in it's best possible way. Yes i know, if you are not living in sri lankan you would already be laughing at this entry because it says over-sized  monsters, well it's not like in your country fellas, in sri lanka according to the current law maximum allowed engine capacity for a motorcycle is 250cc, you cannot go beyond that. Even if you manage to go beyond that you still cannot get it legally registered in the RMV (Deparment of Registering Motor Vehicles). Lets imagine by some sheer luck and hard work you manage to get your monster registered in RMV, if she looks really big like 750cc traffic police will keep on stopping ya and asking you questions about the bike. So fellas, don't talk about riding anything beyond 650cc on the sri lankan roads. I am one of those ambitious positive people who lives in Sri Lanka that always wishes RMV will change it's laws someday so people can free go ahead with 1000cc and above and cruise the sri lankan roads. All of ya guys might be wandering right now, why the heck 250cc? :O well this is what sri lankan traffic police, RMV and government says. They say, Traffic police have 450cc, 650cc, etc and above. So if someone use to have something equivalent or above, they can always commit a crime and getaway. that's the simple objections they put when it comes to importing bigger, higher capacity machines. Personally i think it is the dumbest things i ever heard. Engine capacity do decide the speed of the bike but that is not one of the main factors as far as i see... take this for an example, an properly tuned "Honda Baja XR 250cc" can take on any 450cc conventional traffic bike after doing a crime scene and it can even go off the road without any hassle. So i think it is time for sri lankan government to think again and re do the rules and regulations.

But HEY! being a motorcycle enthusiast, rules ain't gonna stop me from riding over capacity motorcycle, so i own a Yamaha XV535, i love to cruise all around, I've been all around the island and i didn't come across any problems from law.

Phew! Touch wood fellas, here is a picture of me and my bike. I have added two more pictures of the over capacity motorcycles which i came across on the road while i am riding. they all were registered but i have taken off the registration numbers before posting it on my blog to preserve the anonymity so that riders will never have a problem including me. White tank with a golden jaguar badge is a "Honda Steed 400cc modified", and the one with nikel tank is a indian made motorcycle called "Royal Enfield 350cc Bullet".

Another great crossing through the endless island

It's time to ride across the good ol' island again, and this time it is not professional but more family oriented and leisure-fun purpose. Company staff i am currently employed decided to go on a fun trip to the ancient city called "Anuradhapure" on last weekend. Everything was well planned and all the people from all the branches were invited and so they all went. Me, my wife and some of my very good ol' friends also got together from our branch and decided to join the party. Me and my wife came to a conclusion that going in a car or something else would be boring so here we go, an job for good ol' me, so we hopped on to our trusty Yamaha virago 400 and started the journey.

It was three days long and covered nearly 450 Kilometers, we went through all the important places in "Anuradhapura", some of them are "Sri Mahabodhiya" "Ruwanwelisaya" and of course sri lankas most magnificent rock cut buddha statue ever "Avukana". We were well accommodated at "Palm Garden Hotel at Anuradhapura. You can see that in the picture starting from left, My self, my wife and my good old friend, we are starring at the grandeur of finest and tallest rock cut buddha statue in whole of island which dates back to 5th century during the reign of king "Dhathusena". This statue is completely carved out of solid granite rock. According to the legend the precision of this masterpiece is so accurate that if one lays a drop of water on the forehead of Buddha it should glide all the way down and falls in right exactly between the feet of the statue.

The statue is facing over the "Kala Weva" one of the largest man made reservoir in whole of island, also made during king "Dhathusena's" period. I think this photo is pretty good since we should not take any photographs facing back to any religious and sacred monument. We came across a small church in the hotel ground that we were accommodated, it was within the hotel garden and we thought it is because entire hotel was owned by a Italian who must have been a roman catholic. I thought i would post a snap or two of that little neat place.

I was starring at the nice painting and my friend manage to steal a snap of me. Well it was a good thing again that i was facing to the religious painting. The other photo to the right shows the main entrance of the church which looked really nice when lighten up with candles and small electrical lights. It had enough room for about fifteen to eighteen people to comfortably sit and do their religious prayers. In all my life of traveling through out the island i never come across a place like this before, that is why i thought i would post it on my blog. a small church within a fiver star hotel. really a great idea i think. Entire fun trip was finished within three days and many hours and kilometers on the road. Slightly exhausting but major fun. It was all great to follow up my friends vehicle and sometimes do overtakes and pass them and then later catch up with each other. Like i always say, there are no other better way to see this island than on a trusty motorcycle.

Do you believe in ghosts?

I thought i would post this in my blog since i received it from a friend of mine. I am interested in all this paranormal stuff i guess that is the nature of most right brainers, Always in search for unknown and adventure. Some of the photos which i received clearly shown that they are work of some photo-shop people, some of them are really amateur looking to me so i decided to leave them out of the blog and post what was quiet convincing looking to me. So Take a look folks.

 A snap like above will scare the hell out of you if it was in your family photo right?. Well creepy.

 

  

  

I hope you all enjoyed, next time when ya have your photos developed, make sure you double check them for anything peculiar. :)

I Love this doctor... This really does make sense

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! ..... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans ! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

And remember:

'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO, What a Ride'

AND....

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.


CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Once again i got caught in the island spell..... 12 days of touring

I know this is a bit of too old news to publish as a new post in my blog but here goes, as I always say nothing really matters as long as you feel good about it. These are some snaps and thoughts of the tour I had all around sri lanka last February. Since I am a National tourist guide lecturer, I always get to tour around this island and explain about it to the tourists, but something that really amazes me is that I never got fed up of this island no matter how many times I have travel through it.

On this tour we have taken two motorcycles, one is a Yamaha XT 400cc which and the other is Honda XR Baja 250cc. They were pretty sturdy enough to get us through all twelve days of the tour. I went up as the tour guide and Jane was the tourist. She is from England and wants to tour all around sri lanka on a motorcycle specifically because she is a photographer and she says best way to see the island is on motorcycle. I sure do agree with her.

Above picture shows the two motorcycles we have used on our tour. Well pretty good for their old age since the owner of them have kept them in very good (engine) Condition lol.

Here is just a glimpse of knuckles mountain range over the my side mirror. It is one of the most scenic places here in this island. Every time i go there, the beauty of it really do capture my heart and soul.

Well that's me after few hours of riding up in the knuckles mountain range. It is fun really it is.

This is my self has stopped to rest for a while and jane also wanted to take few pictures of the surroundings.
This picture was taken on our way back to hotel from polonnaruwa. it is an ancient sri lankan city, it contains remnants from the kings times which they use to govern the country from this specific place. It's a very good place to ride around because not many mountains and hard turns to take, just straight road, endless straight road to all your destinations.


To the right you can see a photograph of my tent in the "Ella Adventure Park". That is one of the coolest places to stay when you are on a slightly adventure type tour. It was quiet late when we reached adventure park. We could not see a thing, with very little amount of light we had to walk about a kilometer in to the jungle where we also had to cross a hanging bridge to the camp site. It's an amazing place with barely no electricity. So later onwards my tourist had to go to a cabana which is near by the main office, restaurant etc in the camp site. then i was escorted to the most remotest place in the entire area, the furthest tent which was quiet fun. nothing but just kerosene lamp light, wind, sound of the river, bats and owls. after a cold water shower, i crawled in to my tent for a soothing quiet goodnight sleep. It was the off season so my self were the only person who were in the furthest campsite from the main office. Scary eh? Fun though.
I manage to take a picture in the morning of the bridge we crossed to come to camp site, well i am sure that is not a place to cross especially at night in pitch black. So if anyone of you who is happen to reading this entry in my blog, If you ever visit "Ella Adventure Park" of Sri Lanka, make sure you go there in a morning because otherwise it will be very difficult. Best way to go and enjoy "Ella adventure park" is go there in the morning, relax and get to know the surroundings. you could do some of their many great adventure activities, have your lunch and relax a bit at your camp site in the evening and make sure you hop in to the restaurant before it gets dark for dinner.
Well that was just a tiny fraction of the entire tour so i thought of sharing it with everyone. well last picture was taken at the "Galle" in "dalawella hotel", as the final farewell picture for the 12 day motorcycle adventure tour all around the island. Well goodbyes are always sad but for some reason when it comes to adventure, recreational touring it is not that sad because everyone takes a pinch of the memories that they have made out through out the entire tour. i hope you all liked this entry and please feel free leave comments about it.

Industrial Revolution and the Human Cradle

Since the beginning, Our mother earth was perfectly equipped to serve all beings in their needs… she had such profound knowledge her self had the ability to evolve for the well beings of her children… as a perfect example from harsh winters to glowing sweet summer mornings, for many thousands of years her children which we today calls “life” lived in harmony with all their love for the cradle which they came from, and their love towards the mother. From all of her children she had one special child which is us the human kind she cared the most… but for the well being of our own kind we have started a revolution… a revolution which we call the “industrial revolution” in search for all possibilities beyond what earth and nature it self could provide for us, blindly causing mass destruction to our mother, our brothers and sisters. Humanity has crawled out from the web of life not knowing that they are just a mere strand of it… but thinking they are the supreme ruler of the entire web of life.

As the time goes on we felt that the destruction we blindly cause to our cradle has an adverse effect on our own kind… as retaliation of our own action we received worst starting from diseases to massive natural disasters.

It was too late to turn back and run in to the arms our mother… it was too late… humanity cannot go back to where it was because he does not remember the path that he came all the way. So humans understood the situation and they have tried a different approach which we today call as “Save the Environment”. It works… Return home journey seems still far for humanity but it is possible… the current industrial world is doing everything that is possible to minimize the damage caused by them to the nature. The journey to reunite with our mother has begun…

This is why we who are at “Sierra Ready-mix” do everything in a nature friendly way to minimize the environmental pollution to maximum possibility. We have built and planned our ready-mix factory in such a way that for the most it may not look like a factory at all. We have implement recycling technology to unlock the maximum potential of natural resources ensuring nothing goes to waste. We have also implemented the 5S method of organizing the entire factory and its workers so everything will co-operate with each other seamlessly. I am glad to be a part of “Sierra Team” because we who are at sierra has understood that we do not have two earths to live… we only have one… so save it… save its resources… the future of humanity depends on it.


Harsha A. Vithanage

nofacemonster@gmail.com
National Tourist Guide Lecturer
2009 August 20