Revisiting the bicycling post - part 1

 My previous post was about my return to bicycling. The bicycle I purchased online was a "budget one" from amazon.in, and my review was linked in the earlier post.

Though the bicycle I bought is perfect for me, admittedly, I now have some reservations regarding the purchase. I think it was not a great idea to buy a bicycle online for a few reasons that may be applicable to my case.

• When you buy a bicycle (or any vehicle) online without trying it first like I did, one never knows the ride quality. In my case, as you can see from my review on the online shopping site, I had ordered a different one, and then because of delays shifted to the one I purchased.
• I would have preferred to visit a store like Decathlon, which interestingly opened up a physical store later closer to where I stay. They not only seem to have budget bikes, but also allow prospective customers to take trial rides. Of course, most of their budget bikes seem to be of their own brands (BTWin, Rockrider), though I am not sure.
• Whereas the disadvantage of shopping from a local store would seem to be that they do not have much of a variety (read "high end ones"), Decathlon seems to do a good job in terms of variety.
• Returning a bicycle bought online would be a pain because only when it is assembled, would you be able to try it. And then, when you decided to return it, we would have to disassemble it again so that one could fit it in the box.
• Decathlon also claims to offer servicing for the bicycle purchased.
  

Coming back to my current bicycle, I have been riding it even through the Mumbai rains. Now, most modern bicycles don't need an anti-rust coating for the monsoon, and yet I find that certain nuts and bolts are showing signs of rusting. This could be attributed to the Mumbai "sea side" nature notorious for causing rust due to the "salty air". I did apply a WD-40 spray onto the bicycle regularly, but this doesn't seem to work that well on certain parts.

Nevertheless, I ride regularly, and am thoroughly enjoying the experience. The part 2 of this reprise will contain more experiences of my cycling.

My return to bicycling

Since I decided to retire from active employment, I was looking at some form of light exercise in addition to walking. (Jogging is also one of my favorites, but doing so with a mask is challenging.) I thought cycling might be a good one, and bought one of those "modern city (aka hybrid) cycles" online (my review is here). So, it has been about 3 months since I took the first ride on the bicycle. Read on for experiences.

Past experiences with cycling

Now, before getting into the current details, I think a bit of my past experiences will help understand this post better. When I was a teenager, I have been the owner of a BSA SLR and a BSA Roadster (unfortunately also called the "bhaiyya" cycle that is used by milk delivery folks). I used the cycle more as a transport to get me to pre-degree college. The roads on Mumbai (especially the area I live) were not congested at all back then, and it used to be a good way to get around. Heck, I even remember that my dad and I used to visit the municipal vegetable market every Sunday to get back veggies for the week. Side note: This was something that my mother would detest as she was of the opinion of using fresh veggies only; not bought one week back and stored in the refrigerator! But dad reigned supreme. Anyways, I enjoyed those trips, as well as some occasional exercise rides along the road by the beach. Much later, I used a second-hand Atlas cycle to get around campus for a couple of years that I was doing my masters.
The important points I am trying to make is that my experience with cycles goes way back when there was a limited choice of cycle models, and secondly, the traffic in my routes were not that dense.

Cut to the present

As I mentioned earlier, I purchased a cycle online about 3 months ago. Though I had ordered a different brand, there were multiple delays, and I cancelled the order, and ordered another brand. I was looking at a Rs. sub-10K cycle (preferably with a multi speed gear, but I could only find single speed ones at the price range I was looking at.

Assembly

This one came with useful tools like an Allen key and a multi size spanner. However, no screwdriver is provided. This is needed for fitting the reflectors and the brakes. After watching the video as well as the instructions in the booklet, I was able to easily assemble most of the bike, except the brakes and the saddle. Even so, I decided to take the first ride. Within a minute, I had to abort the ride because the saddle became tilted. Later, it turned out that I had not fitted the saddle properly.

I went to the local bicycle repair stall, and they quoted Rs. 300 (Mumbai price) to do a thorough checking and tuning of the cycle. I wanted to negotiate, but I gave in since I was excited to be cycling again. They went about their job tightening various nuts and bolts.

First proper ride

Now, after the guys had assembled and checked it, the repair stall guy took a test ride to see if everything was proper. Once he handed over the cycle to me, I did not start riding immediately as I was not confident. I took the cycle by pushing it until out of the stall people's sight. But when I tried to mount the cycle, it was as if I had forgotten how I had to ride a bicycle. Also, the traffic was intense, and I was a bit scared. So, I kept pushing the cycle to an inner road that had almost no traffic. There, with great trepidiation, I mounted the cycle, and started riding it. After a couple of wobbles, I was now feeling more confident. Elated, I returned home deciding that I would ride later that day.

The fun in cycling

Usually, you will come across two kinds of folks in casual cycling in cities. One, who keep riding in safe areas (like within a gated area), and two, those who hit the streets. The first kind of folks, I daresay, do not get the necessary ups-and-downs of a street terrain ride. So, I wanted the second option. That's when I decided I would hit the (unsafe) streets of Mumbai. I had to choose timings and the route with lesser risks accordingly. It was still wintry season, so I narrowed down on 3 timings: 7 am, 2 pm, and 5 pm. I did not want to cycle in the dark. And, boy, did I have fun riding 3 times a day. What with the inclines, a superb exercise for my lungs and thighs. Remember, it is single speed.

Somewhere down the line, during a casual conversation, someone suggested a route change that takes one onto an almost no-traffic street. I made the modifications to the route, and that was it. The risks were reduced, but not totally. I still wanted to see the sea (pun intended).

Accessorizing the bicycle

When I got it assembled at the bicycle stall, I also got a mechanical bell fitted.

I had also ordered the mudflaps / mudguards separately which I wanted to be fit, but the cycle stall owner advised against it. He said those will be useful only during the monsoon, and can be fitted then. He further said that if those are fitted now, then there is a chance that it may break when mounting / dismounting the bicycle.

I had also ordered a bicycle chain lock that could be used to secure the cycle to a fixed object (like a fence or a post).

Finally, I ordered rear view mirrors as well as a speedometer / odometer. I could fit both of these without anyone's assistance.

3 months down

After 3 months, it is now early summer in Mumbai. I now ride only in the mornings. It has been a pleasure of an exercise.

Overall, I think this will continue until rains start in Mumbai during the monsoons. I will figure out what to do then. But, my experience with these "modern" bicycles has been truly superb.

My experience of transferring a vehicle across Indian states

 TL;DR

I shifted from Bangalore to Mumbai during the lockdown (for other reasons than the locakdown), and I did not want to sell my scooter in Bangalore (again, because of personal reasons that are not relevant for this blog). It took me more than one year finally to get the full process completed. It also cost me about Rs. 20K that would be lesser than the price I would have sold the scooter at. In essence, it was a foolish decision, but taken consciously because of reasons not relevant here.

Briefly, the steps are these:

1. Get an NOC (No Objection Certificate) from the relevant RTO of the current (old) state in which the vehicle is registered 
2. Get movers and packers to transport the vehicle to the final destination
3. Apply for a new registration (transfer) in the destination state (RTO whose jurisdiction the destination address falls under) [Note: this requires a lot of paperwork]; make require payments
4. Destination RTO will schedule physical inspection of the vehicle
5. Check the Parivahan portal (link) for the allocation of the new registration
6. If your destination state requires the new HSRP number plates, get one made from a showroom (preferably a large one)
7. New RC card will be delivered to the address specified
8. Finally, change the address with the insurance company (requires the new RC card)
9. Optionally, claim the road tax difference from the source / old RTO
   

Background

As mentioned above, I had a scooter that I wanted to transfer from Bangalore to Mumbai (that is, from Karnataka to Maharashtra state). Let us leave aside why I wanted to do so. So, the process started by me visiting Bangalore in Novemeber 2020. All the first 8 steps mentioned above took more than an year (maybe due to the Covid situation); I did not yet perform the 9th step (road tax claim).

Preparing for the transfer

The first step is to get an NOC (no-objection certificate) from the source RTO (from where the vehicle is to be transferred), in my case, that was KA 04 (Yeshwantpur RTO in Bangalore). On advice from my relative, I gave the required documents (photocopies of RC, Aadhaar) to a local motor driving school. They charged me about Rs. 4000, which I thought was quite high. I had already applied for an online NOC, but having a local person do the work is perhaps the easiest way.

Moving the vehicle

While I returned back to Mumbai, the physical NOC was obtained by my relative (t0 + 1 month). I had then entrusted him to do the physical transfer of the vehicle. I booked a "packers and movers" online via website / email. It cost me around Rs. 12K - not a problem for me as my employer was bearing the costs for my transfer from Bangalore to Mumbai. Finally, in this phase, my relative "loaded" the vehicle onto the truck for transportation to Mumbai.

Then, I received physical delivery of the scooter within a few days (December 2020). Interestingly, the "movers and packers" drove the scooter from wherever their main delivery point was to my residential address.

Applying for a new registration in the destination state

Now, this was Covid time where work / office site restrictions were in progress. I do not know what regulations the RTO was following, but technically, I needed to apply for an RTO transfer (many folks are comfortable without that). Note that RTO transfer is theoretically required even from inter-state transfer (for example, Thane RTO to Mumbai). 

I decided (unfortunately) to approach an RTO "agent". There are many such counters outside the MH02 RTO office. It is interesting to note that only a few of these agents handle interstate RTO transfers.

In hindsight

Though everything can be done by oneself, certain applications like the interstate transfer requires a lot of paperwork (I guess, close to 10 documents), including getting police clearance from within the jurisdiction of the destination RTO. In hindsight, I was glad that I outsourced the work to an RTO agent. However, the agent I hired turned out to be a dud. I also had to pay him a hefty fee upfront, as well as submit the original RC card to him. I didn't receive any application details from him. This was my bad. I should have followed up, but he kept saying it would get done in a week's time, etc. I should have at least asked him for a photocopy of the papers. Ideally, I should have at least received an SMS on my cellphone number mentioned in the application that the application was put in and was in progress. With that, I could have checked the Parivahan website for the status updates.

Dilemma with the RC

So, now I had submitted the original RC as well as not having any other documentation to show that an application was made. This meant I was a bit scared to ride the vehicle publicly as I may be caught, and fined for not having an RC or other papers to show it had been submitted for a transfer. Of course, I had the photocopy of the KA RC card, but I was not sure that was enough.

Inspection of the vehicle

After 3 months of following up with the agent, he finally mentioned that I would have to get the vehicle to the RTO for inspection. I was glad that we were moving somewhere. So, the inspection happened, and then again, things went cold from the agent side. He simply kept saying it was work in progress, and that things were moving slowly due to the thin attendance at the RTO office on account of COVID restrictions.

Getting the photocopies of the application

I decided at least I must have the application photocopies with the documents submitted. I threatened him, and finally, he gave me the set of documents which I promptly photocopied.  Mind you, it is a lot of documents. I was beginning to feel that he had lost it, which could have caused me grave trouble, as I could not ask for a duplicate RC from the source RTO as it had already issued the NOC for movement to the MH02 RTO, and could not approach MH02 RTO as well due to it not being transferred. But, I was lucky. 

The way this works is that the agent "outsources" the "inside" work to some other guy. 

Getting the new registration number 

Finally, after a good 9 months of waiting, I finally got an SMS message that the new number was issued, which means the transfer had been done. I had to make further online payments, but at least there was some progress. I was not sure what happened to the fees I paid the agent because I thought it covered all the expenses. In any case, I was in no mood to argue. I made the payment, and the agent handed me a photocopy of the application with the new registration number issued.

The next step was to get the new RC card. The RTO agent said it would get delivered at the address specified within 15 days. However, even after waiting for 2 months, there were no signs of the RC card. This time I decided it was time to approach the RTO office directly. I went there with the new registration allocation confirmation, and showed it to the "RC Printing and Dispatch" counter. They looked it up, and mentioned the HSRP (High Security Registration Plate) number is not registered. They asked me to approach another counter. There the gentleman mentioned that I should get the HSRP made from a showroom. I asked him which ones he knew. He said anyone. I went to a showroom nearby, and then to another showroom, and both of them said that the number plates are issued by the RTO.

To know more about HSRP, see this link. Also, be aware that this (link) is not a valid HSRP.

Most important: Getting the new HSRP number plates made

This was the beginning of a big "running around in circles". One more trip from the RTO and back to the 2 showrooms that I visited again pointed to each other. Now, coming to this HSRP. This is a new security feature in the number plates. However, implementation is varied across the states of India. Whereas some like Karnataka were early adopters, Mahrashtra introduced it only recently (perhaps a couple of years ago).

If you search on the web, you will find several websites outlining steps to get the new HSRP plates. However, note that these steps are for vehicles already registered.

Still, there is another dimension to it. If you buy / bought a new vehicle in any state with HSRP implementation recently / earlier, this is taken care by the showroom. Since mine was a new registration as far as the RTO was concerned, there was no showroom help. One thing I found out to be correct is that this is not done by the RTO.

Getting frustrated, I ended up calling a high end bike showroom. The helpful lady confirmed that they do the HSRP plates, but they can only do it for the vehicles that are within their inventory. That is, only for those vehicles that they have chasis numbers for. She advised me to contact the showroom I bought it from (in my case, Bangalore). Following up with the Bangalore showroom, they said it was beyond their jurisdiction as they could only do it for the specific RTO (not even state) that they were attached to.

Totally frustrated, I placed a complaint on the manufacturer customer care number. After explaining to the customer care agent in great detail, I was asked which showroom refused to issue the HSRP / RC. I named the one. But, knowing how outsourced call centers worked, I was not sure if my problem was exactly understood. The agents would have to choose a canned problem, and it probably got registered as vehicle purchased from showroom X, but HSRP / RC not received. As luck would have it, the complaint landed on showroom Y of the same showroom.

I soon got a call from the manager of customer Y, and he was furious why I registered the complaint for their showroom when I had not even purchased from them or visited them. I was prepared for such an eventuality, so I asked for time to explain the problem. The manager of the showroom Y was patient enough to listen to my problem, thought for a while, and asked me to visit their showroom.

With some glimmer of hope I visited showroom Y, was directed to an office at the back where a couple of folks were responsible for registrations of **newly sold** vehicles. After hearing me out, they mentioned a fee, asked for the allocation form of the new registration number, and mentioned I would get it after a few days. With fingers crossed, I returned home. But, sure enough, I received a call that the HSRP plates were ready, and need to collect it from the showroom Y. I went there, and got the HSRP number plates. Victory, at last? No. Remember, we still need to get the new RC.

RC card

Once the HSRP were registered, printed, and collected, I received the RC by registered post within about a week. Phew. A total of more than 12 months had gone by from the first application for transfer.

Insurance address change

The last step was to change the address in the insurance, which, of course, requires the scan of the new RC. A simple email to the insurer, and the new policy with the new vehicle registration number as well as the address was emailed to me.

Conclusion

So, that ended one hell of a struggle with the inter state transfer during COVID times. I am not sure what caused so much delay:

* COVID (and its impact on the number of staff allowed in the RTO)

* Dud agent

* Unknown procedures about the HSRP for inter state transfer

So, there you have it. I wrote this not only to vent up my frustration, but also as a way to help others who might face similar issues. The sad part in my case was this was for a measly scooter, and probably, ended up paying equivalent amounts of its current value. But, like I said, I did not to sell it in Bangalore because of personal reasons.