Hi All, I was in Sri Lanka a couple of weeks ago and I was surprised by the motorcycle scene there. I’ve always had mates who are Sri Lankan and they make fantastic curries so visiting the place was on my bucket list. Basically, Sri Lanka is a cross between India and somewhere like Vietnam. The native Sri Lankan people are Buddhists, so they don’t drink (mostly) and have a very “happy” outlook on life. Sadly, the country has a large Indian community and Islam is also taking hold. I say sadly, as it’s very clear when you’re dealing with a Sri Lankan as opposed to an Indian or Muslim or Christian. I’m not a big fan of religion in general, but those Buddhists seem to have the right attitude to life. Anyway, onto the bike scene… My mate and I flew into Colombo and hired a car from the airport. Having driven and ridden in many countries I wasn’t too worried about the “awful” driving conditions everyone was warning us about. Over half the road traffic is bikes and they’re mostly 100cc to 180cc singles. There are some 2-strokes, but mostly 4-strokes. And I noticed a lot more scooters coming onto the market. Most bikes look like Chinesium clones with a few Japanese bikes thrown in for good measure. There are some really odd engine sizes too…115cc, 130cc 135cc etc. I could have hired a scooter in Mirissa Beach, but ended up lying on the beach and getting drunk on cheap ($3) Mojitos! It wasn’t until the last day in Sri Lanka that I saw a 250/4. Also, the cops use 250cc bikes, but they’re being replaced with 600/4 bikes in Colombo. The problem with having a large capacity bike in these places is that you just get to the scene of the accident quicker! A guy on a CBR600 came flying out of a side street and the Tuk-Tuk next to me didn’t even flinch. The guy ended doing a stoppie just to avoid running into the tuk-tuk. I’d say It’s good to be back, but I’m in Tassie this week. The weather is much nicer down here than in Sri Lanka! Cheers Rare Odd...135cc 250/4 Cop 250cc The big boys 600/4 cop bikes in Colombo.
