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SlowMotionInfinity
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Delhi
Posts: 5,399
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Day 2 Updated : Black & White Episode 2: Run to Hatu Peak (The Mountain Ride test)
Black & White Episode 2: Run to Hatu Peak
After Black & White Episode 1 : Run to Jaipur we decided to head and do some serious touring on Superbikes. Off we went after consulting you all on this thread (thanks for the suggestions and information) to Narkanda and onwards to Hatu Peak.
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Day 1 Log
The Banshee’s Himalayan Odyssey
Text : Sandeep Goswami (Old Fox) and tips by Sundeep Gajjar
Pictures: Sundeep Gajjar (Sunny)
Superbikes are a heavy and tricky handful anywhere. And they become so all the more in heavy traffic, on bad roads and narrow mountain twisties. We got all this and more on the recent ride on two R1’s to Narkanda and Hatu Peak in Himachal Pradesh. We had been gunning for a ride on the ‘One’s to the mountains once the bikes had been run-in and Narkanda, some 70 odd kms beyond Simla, seemed a good destination to head to. An unusually severe and extended monsoon with the subsequent landslides had taken a heavy toll of the roads high up but we were game for it. Nothing like the proverbial ‘baptism by fire’ as a preamble to the long pan-India ride ahead.
Day 1: Saturday Nov 1st ‘08
The final rider tally stood thus: Sunny and your’s truly on the R-1’s, Manan on the R-15 and Rishi (a friend of mine) on my ZMA. Plans for a really early departure were sort-of rearranged as we had the exalted company of a black Goldwing (Sunny’s friend Shammi and his son), a yellow Comet (our very own Vroom aka Ashish) and Roger on his trusty Eliminator till Murthal, our breakfast stop. The ‘Wing really dwarfs the One’s. Or rather it dwarfs almost every other two wheeler and even some 4 wheelers for that matter in sheer length and girth. Its handlebars are wide enough to provide leverage sufficient to lift a truck! And it was THE attention grabber at the dhaba we stopped at for breakfast.
Easy group camaraderie accompanied by a leisurely morning meal of tandoori paranthas and tea ensured that we finally hit the road well past 0800 hrs. With some 10-11 hrs of riding ahead, we focused on making good time. Traffic was moderate and soon we were crossing the brand new Panipat toll road, a real blessing, at a fair clip. No, we were NOT speeding on the 1’s, primarily in deference to our brethren riding on lesser bikes and secondarily also in deference to the law of the land. The R-1’s have limited range and need to be led to their watering hole (read petrol pump) every 200 odd kms. So we tanked up again between Ambala and Chandigarh, deciding to take a break at the Café Coffee Day just before Dharampur. Doing a couple of hours on the One at a stretch can be tiring, with the wrists, neck and back taking the worst though even the poor overworked brain starts clamoring for a break too. Ice cold Choco Frappe and Devil’s Own were welcome elements and so were the lounge sofas as we rested and relaxed our cramped limbs. The road ahead was inviting and some three quarters of an hour later we were corner-carving again. The smaller bikes had no problems keeping up with the biggies as we both were holding back those 180 odd ponies, the inconsistent road surface, lots of traffic and our unfamiliarity with the bikes on the hills being the reasons. A couple of photo-shoots on good clean curves later we crossed Simla. The ‘good’ roads disappeared, making way for deep ruts, crater-sized pot-holes, gravel, slush and sand virtually all over the place. The rains had done their job well. And the stiffly sprung R-1’s would slam back at us with almost the same violence as we’d take them through the rough.
Kufri, Fagu, Theog…..the story of the road was the same. We had made good time earlier in the day and were within 30 odd kms from Narkanda as dusk started settling in. The golden hour for photography became the golden hour and a half as we clicked away in a race with the setting sun. Dark enough for those brilliant lights of the 1’s and the cameras were finally stashed away. The curves though showed up the classic deficiency of motorcycle headlights. Lean the bike into a turn and the lights are actually pointing the other way. A centrally placed headlamp with wide beam-spread wins hands-down here compared to the four spread faring mounted lamps of the One. Hit a short straight and the road ahead would be lighted like a fairy ground but the curves were another story. We reached Hatu Hotel a little before 1900 hrs. A long but rewarding day as we had gained confidence both in the bikes and our riding ability.
Day 2 will see us ride to 10,500ft and snow capped mountains, stay tuned...
Some random things which noted while riding a Superbike to the mountains (in India): (by Sundeep Gajjar [Sunny])
- Start off real early, always. Specially if you are in a metro city. Call center cabs have made us forget the meaning of really serene, quite and beautiful mornings.
- Carry two helmet visors along : One clear for early morning pre dawn and post dusk and one tinted for the day. Dont rely on shades, you could encounter dark long tunnels en route in the mountains which could leave you virtually blinded if you dont stop and take your shades off. With a visor you can simply pull it up while entering.
- Needless to say, dont overspeed, specially on relatively empty highways. If you go beyond 150kmph you yourself will be the one to blame if someone crossing the road causes a crash. In India, no one expects something to hurl at them at 200kmph!
- even on a green light be very cautious and keep a 360 degree watch. Similarly, early morning dont stop abruptly at a red light, specially in the middle of the width of the road, most of the drivers dont obey early morning signals due to sparse traffic and they might crash into you from behind.
- In general, on a highway it is safer to be faster than slower to the rest of the traffic.
- A 190 rear does not guarantee you more traction on loose gravel in the mountains because the contact patch is roughly the same as on Indian bikes having thinner rubber but the momentum is greater.
- Try taking corners at 2nd or 3rd gear in the mountains, specially if roads are not that good.
- Try to find a position in which you balance the load on your wrist and shoulders, don't stiffen your wrist, shocks from potholes could damage it in the long run.
- Try not to carry heavy stuff on your back, though this is one thing which I dont follow.
- On open and plain stretches loosen a bit by stretching a bit while riding the bike one leg and arm at a time. Do shoulder circles too. Blood circulation often falls to a minimum due to high pressure on the shoulders, wrists and thighs.
- Install a light on the visor. Under braking the lights (even when on high beam) angel down on the road failing to illuminate a substantial area ahead on the road despite of them being bright. This is a very dangerous thing.
- Choose your line well ahead of taking a blind turn, anything could be around the corner. Don't even think of changing lines in an emergency on a superbike on Indian mountain corners. Your luck might run out.
Shammi, Goldwing rider, getting a good massage at a dhabha in Murthal
Bikes lined up in Murthal
L-R: Manan C, Vrooom, Puneet (Roger), Old Fox, Rishi
Vrooom sharing a lighter moment
To Shimla
Coffee stop near Parwanoo at a Cafe Coffe Day Outlet
Trees en route Shimla
The Good Roads...
The not so good roads...
Then some more good roads...
The 1 followed by 15..
Evening, beyond Shimla...
Almost pitch dark...
At 7810ft in Narkanda
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Quote:
Day 2: Sunday Nov 2nd ‘08
text : Sandeep Goswami (Old Fox)
Photos: Old Fox and Sunny
Sunday dawned really early for us. We were out and headed for Hatu Peak by 0615 hrs to catch the rising sun. The road to Hatu is narrow, about a foot and a half to spare on either side of a Sumo. And the gradient is daunting, especially at some hairpins. The only saving grace is the good surface. The WIDE turning circle of the 1’s made tackling those hairpins, with the gradient, quite a job. Bottom gear, low rpm and on the clutch with feet sticking out like out-riggers was the standard operating procedure. Hatu top was silent and alone, just for us. And the sun was just beginning to peek from behind the eastern peaks.
The photo-session got underway with gusto. The bikes were shot first and then our friendly neighbourhood lensman turned his loving attention to Manan’s enthusiastic antics. The chap is a trained gymnast and can do standing cartwheels with a Daijya held in one hand!. A proposed action sequence of clicking him mid-air in a flying-kick stance went sort of wrong on the landing part and our fittest became temporarily lame. A badly twisted knee (later diagnosed as an overstretched tendon) put him out of action. Hats off to Manan’s ‘never-say-die’ spirit that he managed to ride down Hatu and all the way to Delhi the next day with that busted knee.
Some villagers came over for ‘darshan’ at the Hatu Mata temple and one of them was carrying a locally made muzzle loading gun. Sunny, our understated creative, requested a borrow of the weapon and I ‘shot’ him with the branded R1, gun in hand, gun raised, bowed with gun at arm’s length and finally gun on camera tripod. Great! The sun was high up by now and the ‘light’ not really flattering for the bikes, we bowed in obeisance at the temple and started the descent. A pond halfway between Hatu-Narkanda had attracted Sunny’s attention on the way up. Now, with the sun up, he panned into action. Rode the branded R1 over grass and slush to the far end of the pond to take HDR’s that would make the scene look straight out of a place like Alaska. Good going there. Another half hour at that location and we returned to the hotel and our belated breakfast.
The rest of the day was spent in fixing Manan, checking out the bikes, updating the site (Sunny did that, we were the overseeing advisors) and lazing around in the hotel lawns in the afternoon sun. Wanted to visit the nearby Tani-Jubbar Lake but someone from the hotel staff said a tree had fallen across the road enroute and the authorities would take time in clearing it. And also didn’t want to leave the injured Manan all alone behind. Talk of group ethics :-D. We were planning an early start for Delhi the next morning to avoid getting caught in rush-hour Simla traffic (you bet it is just that at office-time) and so turned in rather early post dinner.
A photo from the last evening
To Hatu
To Hatu Peak
10,500 feet at Hatu Peak
Black and White
Black and White 2
L-R: Rishi, Manan, Sandeep Goswami, Sunny
Showroom at 10.5k feet!
Manan Relaxing after an acrobatic session
Rishi probably looking into the future and contemplating the tyre puncture 
The mighty R15
Manan cartwheeling
The Hatu Mandir
Coming down from the Hatu Mandir
Vistas from hatu peak
Vistas from hatu peak
Road back from Hatu is very narrow, you often have to give way to four wheelers, and you s houldnt be caught on the dropside, specially on a superbike!
At Hatu Peak
He raam, agli baar mujhe R1 dena, R15 nahi!
DSG Advert Interrupt
Catch!
End the War!
Road from Hatu to Narkanda
Decadextrous Manan!
The result after a Kung Fu jump!
Back to Narkanda
Lake Hatu
Sunset from Hatu Hotel
Relaxing in our hotel garden
A tree in our hotel garden
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Quote:
Day 3: Nov 3rd ‘08
TEXT: SANDEEP GOSWAMI (OLD FOX)
PHOTOS: SUNDEEP GAJJAR (SUNNY) & OLD FOX
To Delhi
Chill morning, the 1’s intake air temp indicator showing 6 degC on the display. Starting was no issue. One single 5-6 sec push of the starter button and the characteristic cold-engine-so-still-hesitant growl fills the quiet mountain dawn. Both the R15 and the ZMA to started as good and idled softly. A few minutes of warm-up and we were underway, looked at by a few guests of the hotel from their glass-paned balconies. Superbikes are natural ‘celebrities’ I guess. Nothing less can urge a ‘normal’ urbanite on a holiday in the hills to leave a warm bed to just look at a bike. Had planned an early departure and yes, we did manage to ride out of the hotel parking lot by 0645 hrs.
The road was empty but for a few early turckers. We stopped a couple of times for making videos and then at a small dhaba before Theog for breakfast. The ride was slow because of the bad roads and by the time we entered Simla from the Dalli tunnel, the office-time rush was everywhere. Sunny and Manan were a little ahead of me and Rishi and took a right towards Sanjauli. Rishi did manage to wave to Sunny before we were carried forward on a tidal wave of traffic and people. Stopping and waiting for them was out of question. How can a mere mountain-ridge accommodate so many people and get THAT crowded??? We rode on and the Cart Road was messier than Karol Bagh on a weekend evening. In the melee, Sunny and Manan also got separated and both carried on assuming the other three to be ahead of them. Rishi and I stopped at the Applecart Inn, a small lesser known Himachal Tourism resort some 6kms short of Kandaghat when riding from Simla. Called Sunny who said he was at Kandaghat and would ride back. Manan was loath to stop because of his game knee and wouldn’t respond to our repeated phone-calls. He didn’t actually stop till he’d reached the Café Coffee Day near Dharampur, the place we’d stopped at on the way up, and then called us. We asked him to carry on alone as he wanted to join his office the same evening and waiting for us would have cost him a couple of extra hours.
We had some food, rest, photography and videography at the resort before hitting the road home again. Traffic was building up all the time and going by the kamikaze-like driving sense of the majority of drivers from the plains, we kept a tight reign on our speeds downhill. The loads on the back and wrists are a bit too much on the downhill sections on the R1 and so sedate riding was the order of the day. The harder you ride the harder you brake and the harder you curse sportsbike design when the wrists jam up painfully. Kalka and Pinjore are bad bottle-necks on this route and take patience and effort to get past on a superbike. Bad road surface with small round gravel, jay-walkers galore and Jackie-Chan’s clone driven autos make for a tense tumble-wash environment, not at all conducive to mental peace when ridden through on a 11 hundred thousand rupee bike.
The much awaited ZMA incident!!
The Panchkula – Zirakpur section is being widened and the road is littered with small flint rocks, the kind you find on railway tracks. Supposed to form the foundation layer of the tarmac but a few are scattered around as left-overs. Rishi’s ZMA hit one particularly sharp one with the front tyre as it materialized from under a car ahead. Chopped its was through the tyre carcass and side-wall and punctured the tube. Sudden explosive deflation of the front at 60+ with a pannier-laden rear didn’t give him even a fighting chance before he kissed tarmac. Not much damage to either – Rishi was in proper riding gear – and the panniers saved the ZMA but for a cracked fairing and a slightly bent front brake lever. Sunny and I were a little ahead and stopped just short of the Zirakpur left turn when Rishi called. So ride back, push the bike to the side, under shade, remove the front wheel and ride to the nearest tyre-wallah for a new tyre-tube combo. Mondays are when Panchkula is closed and we were directed to the auto-market at Mani Majra. I stopped at a traffic-signal close to the market, Rishi perched high behind me on the black R1, the ZMA wheel in hand, and a traffic cop comes ambling over. The 1’s didn’t have a front number plate and that became our undoing at the hands of the extra-strict Chandigarh police.
A ‘challan’ for Rs. 300 to be paid up at the Sec-29 Police lines was thrust in my hand. Rishi went the rest of the way in a rickshaw while I went in search of the ‘police lines’ to deposit the fine amount, get a receipt and retrieve my driving license. Fun. And education. Meanwhile, Sunny was spending time on the roadside with a beauty parked next to him and ended up telling the mileage/price/top-speed/power details of the 1 to more people then even the Yamaha had ever advertised to. Fun and education. So much attention at so young an age and still the man was willing to kill us for leaving him alone like that. The 6 - inch screwdriver just didn’t punch through the DSG’s me and Rishi were wearing that day. Thank God for ATGATT.
ZMA incident ends!!
The wheel was fixed, everything loaded back in place and we warmed up the bikes again as Sunny said his bye’s to the R1 lovers who had befriended him. He had meanwhile managed to contact the runaway Manan and arranged for him to leave his helmet’s ‘clear’ visor at a petrol bunk near Karnal as he rides with a tinted one during daytime and Manan was carrying the spare visor in his backpack. All that was left now was for us to ride home. Darkness fell soon after we crossed Ambala but it was not an issue with the 1’s splendid lights. Very effective lights in the plains. The rest of the ride was uneventful. The entry into Delhi from Azadpur side was terrible as always after 9PM. Trucks, trucks and trucks all over the place. We squeezed the 1’s along the left, competing for space with the Platina’s, Glamour’s and the Splendor’s, in a manner rather very undignified for a supersports but then one has to get home finally…right? A final bye to Sunny once we hit the by-pass and he vroomed off into the night alone while me and Rishi headed for our common ‘jamna-paar’ residences at the ZMA’s pace.
All in all, it was a great trip. Helped us become friends with the 1. The throttle was no longer an in-built conscientious cop ready to catch us at the first mistake. The bike could be handled and even poled around at moderate speeds. But……..it remained as unforgiving of a lack of focus as ever. The banshee can fling you into those fires of hell with one, just one tiny wrong move. Respect it and ride long and safe….><
Narkanda to Shimla
Narkanda to Shimla
The Castrol r1
Spot the Wolf
Roadside Spectators
Relaxing at Apple Cart Inn
Apple Cart Inn
Apple Cart Inn
Coming soon near you: Fastest roadside tyre repair emergency service unit : Swami TyreFixers & Co. aka SwamiGO!
Curios, very curious onlookers at a roadside Dhabha en route Delhi
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11-01-2008, 08:48 PM
Waiting for other pictures. If that teaser pic is anything to go by, I am sure this thread is literally waiting to explode..
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