Bug hazard
The place where I live and the places I go, in Northern India, there are certain times in a year when insects and bugs show up in large numbers, especially at night. So, riding becomes a little difficult as they are all over my helmet visor creating distraction. Some even get inside and hit the eyes. This happens right after the monsoon ends around Diwali and then goes away as winter sets in.
Manja - kite string
There is a season for flying kites in Northern India that peaks around Indepedence Day, which falls on August 15. The kites are flown and controlled with manja (a type of string). The manja is made of abrasive materials like powdered glass so it can cut the strings of other kites during a kite-fight. It is like a sport here. People fly kites and then try to cut the strings of other kites in the sky.
Some even do this for money in certain regions. The last kite to remain in the sky becomes the winner after cutting the kites of other participants. Now what happens to the kites that get cut in the sky? They slowly fly down to residential areas and streets with part of the abrasive string still attached. If this sharp thread comes in contact with skin, it can cut it deep.
In fact, every year, a few riders die because of a kite string catching a rider by the neck and bleeding him to death. Many riders also get deep skin cuts when they accidentally come in contact with the manja.
Nails on the road
If we talk about construction sites in India, especially in densely populated housing colonies where a house is being built, expect sharp nails lying on the road in front of it. Due to lack of space and civic sense, construction or woodwork mess spills over to the street outside. If you happen to ride on that street, the likelyhood of getting a tyre puncture increases exponentially.
It is rare for my bike tyres to have punctures but in the past, 3 out of 5 times when I had punctures, I happened to pass through a construction site. Sometimes, I would get a deep single puncture from a long nail and on other occasions, 3-5 micro-punctures from smaill nails used by carpenters.
Similarly, avoid riding on the left corner of major highways as loose bolts from cars, trucks and buses get swept aside. Also, when I go over speed bumpers, I've noticed loose nails lying at the corner of the road where the speed-breaker ends.
Killer highways
During a certain time of the year, some highways turn deadly and as a motorcycle rider you should be aware of the risks each highway could be known for. For example, in Northern India, highways and expressways like the Taj (Yamuna) Expressway gets too foggy during the months of Jan and Feb. Every year, without fail, many pile-ups of vehicles happen and many die. Likewise, during certain months right after harvest (especially in October and November), stubble burning is high around States like Punjab and Haryana (in India). As a resut, the smoke greatly reduces visibility on highways.
And, there are expressways like KMP (Peripheral Expressway) around Delhi/NCR that are filled with random potholes and uneven raod surfaces and joints that can throw a biker off-balance at high speed.
Stray animals and wandering humans on highways
If you've ridden acrosss the length and breadth of India, you would notice that every region has unique risks for riders. On highways and local roads in States like Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, you can expect cows to suddenly cross highways and find them resting right in the middle of the road. This gets really dangerous at night as groups of cows could be sitting right in the middle and you are unable to spot them just in time, due to the strong vehicular light from the opposite lane blinding your vision momentarily. It is even worse in case of black cows sitting in the middle of a road on a pitch-dark night.
As for humans, in densely populated States like Uttarpradesh, people can appear on roads out of nowhere. Even if you have the widest and smoothest highways, if it passes through a town or a village, expect anybody to show up anytime. I've seen people especially women, who wouldn't look to either side and suddenly cross the road talking on a phone casually, expecting fast-moving cars to magically jump over them.
Be cautious on narrow streets in India
If you ride through narrow streets in India, be it in a city, town or village, always be ready to get surprised by kids, dogs, goats, cows, bikes and cycles coming into your way suddenly, more so around intersections. Always expect something to pop-up and cross your path without looking. Also, if cars are parked on both sides tightly, be careful of doors opening suddenly in front of you, a kid or dog running between cars and crossing the road in a flash.
The lesson to learn here: Bikers should be aware of predictable hazards in certain months/seasons of a year at a given place and specific risks that exist in certain areas of a city, highway and region. In Northern India, highways become a death-trap in the dense fog of Jan and Feb. Stubble smoke from farm fires affect highway visibility in October/November. In August, the risk of kite strings cutting the neck and skin becomes a concern for bikers. Around October end, millions of tiny insects appear at night that create distraction while riding as they get attracted to light and hit the helmet visor in large numbers.
In certain regions of India (like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat), it is common to see stray cows roaming the highways and resting in the middle of the road at night. A lot of accidents happen due to this reason. You will also easily find nails and other tiny hazards around constructions sites. Likewise, there are so many other hazards that can be specific to one region or a certain season that every biker should observe and be cautious about. The more self aware a rider is, of his or her environment, the safer he or she will be.
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