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�Its not the destination, but the ride�- (Biking Nirvana on my Z1000)

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  • �Its not the destination, but the ride�- (Biking Nirvana on my Z1000)









    Although, it was a ride into the wilderness, I was enjoying every moment of it purely for the solitude & freedom from all the hussle-bussle & tensions of daily work life. In such rides, there is a close bonding between man & machine and the bike suddenly feels like a living thing that is also enjoying the whole experience with you (non-bikers would think I have gone cuckoo in my head!). For many of you that frown on naked superbikes, do a rethink. The Zed was an absolute feast to ride and no body/wrist fatigue whatsoever. With some added padding on the seat, my bottom complained less this time (want to try out sheep skin-fur & my windshield next time). Anyway the following pictures will describe the whole ride experience.


    All ready to leave home at 7:00AM


    The smooth 6-lane Expressway out of Jeddah


    Gassing up. The red one is 95 Octane & Green one is 91 Octane


    Catching the morning sunrays


    Approaching Usfan town


    The dusty Usfan town is last part of civilization


    Starting approach to the mountain


    There it all begins





    The Dirt section was not easy with super slick tires



    At the half way turning point



    Warning is essential as on some curves when you reach the top, you suddenly see the road dipping sharply to the left or right


    An oasis with date palms





    They call it the Camel Rock, but to me it looks like something else...
















    Thats the road cleaning/maintenance crew (my gratitude to these guys)




    Golden stretch for Jeddah bikers. With almost no traffic & road visible for miles ahead, you can top 300kph on this stretch. My personal best was 220


    The approach back to civilization


    All in a days work. Back home at 11:48AM with 343kms on the odo.



    Growing old is compulsory - growing up is optional
    So many roads, So little time
    RIDE for PASSION

    See us & our global rides at:
    www.rideforpassion.com

  • #2
    Topic Approved.

    Wonderful stuff Haroon. Thoroughly enjoyed the text and the pictures. Those roads look yummy!

    How did the Z1000 perform in this trip? I bet, it was awesome!
    :)

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    • #3
      [quote=Haroon;149490]
      They call it the Camel Rock, but to me it looks like something else...


      Its a Tortoise rock in your opinion or what?
      Never upgrade without getting your basics RIGHT.

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      • #4
        @Haroon-Superb stuff.Thanks for sharing.Both the machine and the road looks yummy.
        Join xBhp On



        My photography page: Gourab Das Photography

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        • #5
          Terrific roads, beauty of a machine and loneliness that is hard to find. Thanks for sharing!
          Join xBhp On

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          • #6
            [quote=Haroon;149490]Its not the destination, but the ride

            Hey Haroon!! Haven't gone thrrough the post completely but the heading did capture my attention. For us, most of the rides are actually not planned well enough in advance. Its just that we so much LOVE to ride on our trusted steeds that we decide on the destination later.

            Just been through the Pics & ur Kawa Naked Bike... Man its looks really AWESOME!! will be reading the entire post soon.

            Happy New Year
            "HASTA LA VICTORIA, SIEMPRE !" - Chesigpic


            http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/18983-spicy-sour-sweet-short-honeymoon-trip.html

            http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/20306-pursuit-swarghat.html#post716409

            http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/2...sary-trip.html

            http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/2...adventure.html

            http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/2...j-monsoon.html

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            • #7
              What Roads man!!! Woah!! Great stuff man. Loved the pics & the write. Amazing. Do keep touring more often !
              The Indian Flag on the mud guard was so cooool
              "HASTA LA VICTORIA, SIEMPRE !" - Chesigpic


              http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/18983-spicy-sour-sweet-short-honeymoon-trip.html

              http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/20306-pursuit-swarghat.html#post716409

              http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/2...sary-trip.html

              http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/2...adventure.html

              http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/2...j-monsoon.html

              Comment


              • #8
                Great ride! Great roads! We can see that you had a Great time!
                The Wheel was a great invention; Two Wheels with a Motor in between was even better!


                BMW Motorrad Days 2011

                Xbhp's Indo-French Kashmir-Ladakh Tour

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                • #9
                  Wonderful trip, Haroon bhai! Thanks for sharing!

                  Originally posted by Haroon View Post
                  They call it the Camel Rock, but to me it looks like something else...
                  I know what you thought. It does look so!
                  All men dream, but not equally. Those that dream at night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act upon their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. - T. E. Lawrence

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                  • #10
                    Awesome ride Haroon. Fantastic place to ride. Total nirvana for a biker

                    btw rmbr me? we had a long chat when u were in bangalore to See-off Gir Nandihills ride.
                    But u look bit different
                    sigpic
                    The truth is out there. Get out of ur couch!!!
                    'My Escapades - The Blog'

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                    • #11
                      Awesome Roads. The machine looks stunning. Must have enjoyed a lot. Thanks for sharing. And yes, the camel rock really looks like a camel sitting with luggage tied on it's back.
                      A professional candid photographer - 17000+ followers. Be in touch
                      https://www.facebook.com/Jonak.Photo

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                      • #12
                        Hey haroon...lovely ride and really nice pics...felt as if i too should have joined you for the ride if i were in saudi

                        P.s : It was nice to see our INDIAN Flag on your bike little bit ot...but i heard that in saudi you cant really do such things...i mean is it fine if they see INDIAN flag on your bike ?

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                        • #13
                          Awesome trip... The roads are tooo inviting!!!

                          BTW I had an uncommon question.... After riding in India on left side of the road... How difficult it is to drive on right lanes... ???

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Glad you guys liked it. Thanks for all your compliments. It was indeed a great time I had.

                            As for the questions on the bike, I love the upright sitting position on the Z1000 and its a perfect fit for my relatively long legs/arms to its footpegs/handlebar (I am almost 6ft), that coupled with light weight of the bike, handling it at high & low speeds is a breeze. Ofcourse, I had redone the stock seat with some extra foam and so it was not much of an issue, but only when my bottom was sweating, there was some discomfort, but few seconds of standing on the footpegs and repositioning my seating position and it was OK. Yes, I want to try a windshield the next time as the windblast was heavy but not annoying. Ofcourse, after being used to the standard vibrations of the boxer engine on my BMW, the inline-4 here was music to my ears and very smooth. The best thing of the bike is that after a 350km ride, I was absolutely fit as a fiddle for more action in the afternoon if I wanted. No body fatigue whatsoever. I must admit that the climate was very nice and not hot & humid like other times, so that was a supporting factor. All in all, the Z may not be a superfast rocket on the race track like the other sportsbikes, but its a fantastic all-round bike. Loads of fun.

                            As for helmet, although I use ear-plugs for all my rides, the less-expensive Nolan helmet was more quieter(relatively I mean) than my costlier Arai helmet. Ofcourse, from experience I prefer the Nolan flip-up for touring as its a lot more convenient at gas stations or to take snaps or even to speak to your own pillion rider or other riders in your group etc. Also on the next trip I want to try the sheep-skin fur I have as I am told that is very comfortable for your bottom when touring.

                            @ Aryan. With fantastic roads & an absolute fun bike- what else can I ask for!

                            @ Sunny, Ken &, MG_Biker1806. Yeah, this was true bliss- me, the bike and the empty roads.

                            @jasmeetsingh & Jonak. Yeah it does look like a camel as well as a tortoise also, but my imagination was little on the naughty side!!

                            @Kirosh_03. You got it right man!

                            @praveenkm. Yeah, I remember you very well and also see your posts on advrider. Maybe the jacket and sunglasses makes me puffed up.

                            @ rx100.7050 & Neo-da1. Yes, I have the flag on my bikes as well as helmets. Always proud to be an Indian anywhere I go. Here in Saudi, probably if you have a full-sized cloth flag, that maybe a problem, but stickers are never a problem.

                            @nutreino. Actually now I am more comfortable riding on the right side of the road as the last time I rode on the left side (India) was almost 14 years back. But I do drive a car in India on my vacation trips and I have always felt it easy to switch. Probably Ken can answer that better as he rides in India more and then rides in Europe etc.



                            Growing old is compulsory - growing up is optional
                            So many roads, So little time
                            RIDE for PASSION

                            See us & our global rides at:
                            www.rideforpassion.com

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Haroon View Post
                              @nutreino. Actually now I am more comfortable riding on the right side of the road as the last time I rode on the left side (India) was almost 14 years back. But I do drive a car in India on my vacation trips and I have always felt it easy to switch. Probably Ken can answer that better as he rides in India more and then rides in Europe etc.
                              Originally posted by nutreino View Post
                              BTW I had an uncommon question.... After riding in India on left side of the road... How difficult it is to drive on right lanes... ???
                              I find it initially difficult. Have to be constantly vigilant. Not on Autoroutes or divider-separated roads. Especially on narrow roads there can be lapses of concentration. Roundabouts is another issue where you are turning in the opposite direction. But after 100 odd kilometres and/or a couple of days of driving/riding, you tend to get used to the difference. There is also the issue of following road signs, reading them and respecting them, stopping at pedestrian X-ings, transversal Non-dotted lines failing which you might end up being caught with a hefty fine and/or confiscation of your IDL.
                              The Wheel was a great invention; Two Wheels with a Motor in between was even better!


                              BMW Motorrad Days 2011

                              Xbhp's Indo-French Kashmir-Ladakh Tour

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