Topic Approved

Looking at the pictures details awaited eagerly.

Hope you guys got a bullock cart to pull the bull back to tarmac.

we wish we had a bullock cart and tarmac but we did not have them both. to get a 200kg bike out of that kind off mess required a lot of hands. read the log which will be updated soon to know how we got this 500cc bull out of a real mess.

@The Bull photo
I can clearly imagine You and Tarun, by the side thinking, "Now What?"
Curious to know how you got it out.

Wonder how much time did it take for you guys to pull the bullet out!

You guys just returned from LEH and you are already did another trip

I know after the leh ride in June both Ananth and I rode to the same place with a gap of 2 weeks. Funny thing was the bike was not serviced after my Leh ride but did it manage the trip or not keep reading...

Day 1 - Chennai - Thekady

As I was working on the 29th of July got some good news but at the wrong time. I was informed that I would have 3 days off from work starting that Saturday. First thing that popped inot my mind was road trip. I have to tell you guys that I just returned from a trip to the Himalayas and the bike was not even service after that. I did not know if I should proceed without servicing the bike and do a solo ride to someplace. Check out the Chennai thread on Friday evening to find Tarun heading to Kerala the same weekend. Called up Ananth and got information about the place he visited last week. Called Tarun to finalize the trip and was off in a jiffy to a mechanic shop to have the following things checked. Since the trip was planned on a very short notice I could not service the bike and hence got the Spark plug cleaned, changed the oil and got the chain tightened and lubricated.

Saturday July31st

The plan was to start early at 3 to reach Thekady before 4 so that we can get to the boat ride there. Was up and ready and proceeded to pick up the gloved which I bought in Drass from Ananth and proceeded to the meeting point. Met Tarun there on his 500cc Bull. The ride from Chennai to Thekady in Kerala will take me through the Towns of Thiruchy, Dhidukal, Theni, Kumily and then to Thekady. The ride from Chennai to Thiruchy was little bit boring considering the fact that we were riding on a smooth 4way lane. I asked Tarun to lead the way as the lights of the bull were miles ahead of the Zma’s. Stopped for some tea and then proceeded again toward Thiruchy. Stopped once to have a look at the beautiful sunrise. The last 50 kms to Thiruchy saw us riding in heavy cross winds. Winds which were causing the mighty Bull some trouble. The Zma was its usual – swaying from one side to another every time there is a gush of wind. Tanked up before Thiruchy and the bull was giving something close to 27 and the Zma around 35.

As soon as we hit Thiruchy we had to proceed towards Dhindukal and when we asked for directions we were told that we missed the highway. I was pretty sure I did not see a board. Finally after listening to the villager reached a small junction leading to a village road which will take us to the Tiruchy Dhindukal highway. Even though the roads were painfully small, riding here was pleasurable. Soon we hit a railway crossing where we were delayed for about 15 minutes. Good for our buts but bad for our trip as we had to reach Thekady by 4 PM and we did not want to loose time. Took some pictures of Villagers here who were asking the same questions – What is the mileage and why travel by Bike. “I guess I am used to it and I answer their questions patiently. The roads from here on were not great as there was construction work going on to get thing highway into a 4 lane one. We were still maintaining 80 km/hr on the Speedo but the frequent take diversion board did not help us with our overall speed. A couple of breaks and we were riding towards Theni. The roads from here on were 2 lane but super smooth and our speeds increased. Reached Theni at 1 in the afternoon and called up Ananth to check for the boat timings. We were surprised when he said the last boat was at 3.30 and we had to be there at 3 PM. We had about 70 kms to go and 2 hours of tie. The only concern was we had to ride about 25 odd kms in the ghats section and it began raining. Took refuge in a reliance petrol bunk(did not know these guys were back) tanked up again and the mileage factors were –

Bull – 26 km/l
Zma – 33km/l

Out came our rain suits and we were riding in the rain. As soon as we hit the ghat section the rain disappeared. Reached Kumily in no time and from here on Thekady was 5 kms and we reached the Periyar Tiger reserve at 2.30 PM. We took a room close to the park and went into the reserve. The charges were 25 Rs per head. Riding inside the jungle was bliss. Green Forests smell of fresh grass a smooth Honda mill – I knew I was in Heaven. Parked our bikes got the boat tickets (150rs) per head. (You can get the government run boats for 40rs but there are booked well in advance. The boat ride was nothing to write about, it was scenic and you do see wildlife but ouf 18-55 kit lens was not helping us here. We were lucky to spot elephants(far far away in the hills), wild boar, Sambhar dear, Indian Gaur(Commonly called Bison) and some birds. The reason I say the boat ride was not great because you sit on a noisy boat with stinking life jackets and with irritating people who have no sense to enjoy the beauty. Thankfully I happened to sit next to a cute German girl chatting all the way. Tarun on the other hand slept for some time as he was exhausted after the 500 km ride. We were back to our room at 5 PM and the only thing on our mind was Food. I have to tell you this I happen to be a vegetarian and Kerala is not the best place for veggies. Food was ok nevertheless. Made some calls back home and called up Praveen(Xbhp member from Kotayam) who was going to join us the next day and help us on our way through the beautiful Iduki district in Kerala.

Now for some pics.

All the pics were taken with 2 Canon 500d Cameras by both Tarun and Myself


Two Touring machines which are like chalk and cheese.


Sunrise on the Nh45


Villagers looking at us(Should I say Staring at us)


I prefer roads..


This road goes to Madurai and we had to take a right


The board says it all






The foreigner I was chatting away with


Tarun full of energy trying to capture everything



I am sure you will get a bird’s eye view from there..


Tarun dreaming about the next two days I guess 


Periyar Dam


Indian Guar (Bisons are not found in India)




The beautiful canopy is so thick it allows very little light


The dense jungle and the Zma likes it



The smooth road inside the jungle


Black and white picture – Vintage look

Good to see the log turning up good, Nice trip.. Good that you chose to ride on to Idukki & then Munnar.. My planning never failed

By the way, No post processing or It was just weird settings? I seriously feel there is something missing in your pictures than it was before.

Good ride there Steve and Tarun!

Tarc, that is a serious piece of mud-plugging!!
"Pajero on 2-wheels!!!"

that is one beautiful bunch of pictures...pics in teaser are cool

Seems you guys had a lot of fun... waiting for the rest of the log... and PHOTOS!!

Well, first day we were shooting in Auto mode ..And only then on we tried some weird settings ..And I have no knowledge of post-processing..not sure whether, Steve has postprocessed these pics..

One of the lessons learnt was - never let a bull lead while offroading and that too in slushy areas.

wow super duper pics. Loved that one where the ZMA was trying off roading.

Preview of Day 2

We have an extra bike and am equally enthusiastic rider


Zma Vs ZMR


Roads or should I say Path we were riding through


Wait for the log and more pics shortly....