Rickshaw Run: What is a Rickshaw and how am I racing one?

In my last blog I discussed the "Pimping process" which is very similar to the livery unveil of modern Formula 1 team. Now, I am going to talk about the Rickshaw the three-wheeled "mean machine" that will be our unreliable, unfriendly and velocity-challenged race vehicle. What exactly an Auto Rickshaw?

The Auto Rickshaw is a popular vehicle for tight Indian streets and is mainly used as a taxi vehicle. What the Auto Rickshaw is made for is 2,000-mile adventures across India. That's what makes the Rickshaw Run such an adventure. So here are the details:

The Bajaj RE 2 Stroke Rickshaw

• Single Cylinder
• Two Stroke, forced air cooled, SI engine
• 145cc
• 4 forward x 1 reverse
• 12v battery
• 610kg

So it's not a very sophisticated machine. Because of that, we feel that preventative maintenance is the key to limiting our number of breakdowns throughout the journey. To do this we are going to zero in on a few things that we feel are going to keep us motoring down the road for 14 days:

• - You never know where a tire will blow out and the last thing we need is the tire to blow out in the middle of the desert. So, we plan to have two mounted wheels and tires strapped to our roof rack at all times.
• - Fouled plugs seem to be an issue with 2-stroke Rickshaws so we plan to have about seven spark plugs for the 14-day journey. Every other day we plan to swap out the spark plugs to keep fresh spark on board for the ride.
• - Since it is a 2-stroke motor and requires a smart mix of oil and gas, we want to make sure that we are always accurately mixing our oil and fuel. Additionally, we want to be sure that we are always filling up with good quality fuel so that the engine purrs like a Bobcat!
• - With the dirty back roads and the smog-filled air, it's important to be sure that we clean out all of our filters each night.
• - It's better to be safe than sorry. For about 5 dollars we can get a complete service on the Rickshaw at one of the thousands of certified Bajaj service locations along the way. We think its worth the $5 to get the Rickshaw serviced.

With all of that planning let's hope that we make it to the finish line in a respectable manner and have our Rickshaw in good enough condition to hot dog it across the finish line on two wheels like these guys!