2016 SLUSH FEST
A day of mucky madness on a Honda Navi
BBY THE LOOKS OF IT, THE NAVI MIGHT SEEM THE most unsuitable bike to take on an off-road jamboree, but it is one of the easiest to ride. And that attribute shouldn't change much off-road where you have to contend with slippery terrain among other things. I have taken the Navi off-road and it's one of the most fun things you can do. It has an eager motor that loves to break traction on the slippery stuff. And if I drop the Navi, it is going to require less effort to pick up. The Slush Fest is a yearly two-wheeled muck jamboree hosted by Motoring to let off steam and also learn to ride a bike offroad. Now to be a part of the Slush Fest, you need to have a bike that is the complete antithesis of a dirt bike. The Navi fits that description perfectly. The location is just off the grid. We travel off the highway into the wilderness till we reach the Borivali national park compound wall.
For excitement, the lads have charted a course that involves a slippery start over an incline, followed by a 360-degree about turn around a sapling and then you go down a steep incline (bonus points if you take an even steeper shortcut). I set off hoping not to fall.
You never know the true meaning of traction until you ride a bike with road-biased tyres in slippery mud. Here I am on my first lap, frantically trying to prevent the Navi from flying downhill, fingers off the front brake lever, rear wheels locking at the slightest tap. The Navi is quite the pocket rocket in these conditions and the 110cc motor torquey enough to break traction if you gas it more. With practice, I let the tail slide some more and try drifting for a faster turn-in into tight sections like the 360. It isn’t bad either as I am just two seconds off the fastest time, and it was set by an ex-motocross rider!
As the day progresses, it starts to rain to make it more interesting. We decide to cross a shallow stream and it’s surprisingly easy to get the lightweight Navi through, only getting stuck in knee-deep slush due to the scooter-sized 12inch wheels and any attempt to power out results in a spray of muck on the hapless lad standing behind. It does not take much to get the Navi out though. Just pick up the rear wheel and drop it on solid ground. We end the day by fording the stream successfully.
The Navi sure showed the rest of the bigger bikes a thing or two about having fun, and the most interesting bit is, it isn't even a proper motorcycle. It was very easy to handle despite the lack of traction and felt effortless throughout the day. It might not be made for the hoonery I pulled through the day, but not once did it feel out of breath. It did bog down once but all it took was one tug to get the Navi out. Maybe for next year, I should get the Navi in off-road trim!