daredemon

Safety Gears Worn : Thick Denim Jacket, Hand Gloves, Balaclava, Helmet, Safety Shoes.
Bikes Taken : Yamaha FZ-S (mine), Bullet Classic 500 & Honda Unicorn.

I am an avid rider and I like to ride my bike as far as it can take me. I wanted to do extensive travelling but
Since I am a family man, I am unable to do so, Also another factor is funds. As Family comes first and biking later
I am unable to give my full attention & dedication to it. Well a rider will be a rider no matter what people say or do. I am always happy, excited, eager to go anywhere possible on my bike. No waiting for anyone, no public transport,
No standing in lines anymore for ticket. Its just me and my ride.

2 Months earlier (around January) me & my friend had decided to go on the bike trip to Goa and I readily agreed without even giving a second thought. I am a father of a 2 yr old son and people are surprised when they hear about me going for a road trip. I mean WTF, is a person suppose to give up his dreams after getting married or after being a father. I always keep on thinking about this, but in the end, its world after all and people will talk and go on and will try to discourage you at every single point. Its only a person who shares the love for riding will understand what it is to ride.

We had already made the plans but the date was not decided. So finally when I landed in Mumbai all the plans were finalized and we were ready to take off. This time we had done a smart work due to our prior experience with luggage. We sent all our bags one day prior to our journey through Bus and we were suppose to collect it next day from Goa. Whoa the luggage is taken care of which is always the main problem in any bike rides. As usual I always like to service my bike and keep it upto date. Bike service is done, oil is changed to semi-synthetic (Yamalube) but it matters a lot for long distance rides.

So the day comes and we are suppose to meet at 4:30 am at Panvel McDonalds and as usual my friends turn up late.
I get so pissed off when people take me for granted and don’t realize their responsibilities. Its very difficult to make a person realize, but neways they arrived at 5:30 am. So here we meet outside McDonalds and have a final check on our Beasts. We also add a tin of premix liquid in all our engine oil as it is suppose to keep the engine free from carbon deposits and also helps in keeping the engine heat low. My friend had a problem with his idling on the Bullet as it was a little fast than usual. The worst part is that the idling screw is exactly below the seat and no screwdriver can be used directly. We tried many ways and finally somehow he managed to get the idling low as required. It was almost 7am when we hit the road and finally started our journey towards GOA. We refueled our tanks at Pen petrol station and also checked our tyre pressures and then we moved on. The tarmac was very smooth with less potholes and it was a pleasure riding early in the morning.

Our average speed on the ride was between 80-90 kmph. In between we used to give sudden bursts upto 100kmph as and when the roads were free and open. We had decided our halts to be taken after every 60-75 kms. Break consists of peeing, drinking water and also call our near & dear ones to inform our location. One thing which came in handy was the google maps on our phone to track our location, as well to know how far will be our next location for halt. The NH17 is a pretty good highway to ride on. The weather was pleasant and it was a comfortable ride. As the sun started rising we could feel the heat, but still it was bearable. But as we were bikers nothing can deter us from reaching our destination. Now this ride had become a seasoned ride for me as this is my 3rd trip on bike to Goa. So forth we continued our journey with our required breaks for ourselves and our bikes. We halted for breakfast at Mahad as usual. Just had something light to eat, coz then it becomes very difficult on a full stomach to concentrate on the rode due to laziness. The dhaba that we had stopped had a very non-attentive owner who was not interested much in service. We ate what we wanted and moved forward. As time went by we kept riding on the straight roads and the curvy ghats. On the ghats the only thrills were the curves and at every curve I was mastering the art of cornering and bending. Man oh man I felt as if I am in heaven. I was riding the FZ16 and due to its wide rear tyre the grip was awesome making the ride more pleasurable. The only thing negative about the bike I felt that it needs more power as it cannot sustain long rides for a good amount of time. But I was happy for the moment with what I had. Of course in future you never know what may happen, I can even get a superbike, but that’s out of question right now.

Finally we made it to chiplun and we took our regular break. Its always advisable to always carry water and some light snacks while travelling. It saves you from dehydration. I don’t have the exact timings of the break taken and at what kms. But will surely try and do that next time. We tried and covered most of the distance with an aim of reaching GOA before sunset, but still we were lacking behind. Somewhere after ratnagiri we decided that we were getting late as we wanted to cross goa border before dark. And so the other 2 bikes started ripping and went ahead and I had difficulty catching up with them. The problem with my bike was that it was running little rough after 85kmph as it had some problem with the sprocket. I had already informed the service guy to rectify the issue. And he thought that tightening the chain will fix the issue, But that was not the case, the bike was still rough and I was afraid to drag it further. Still occasionally I was trying to rip on 90-95 kmph. As I mentioned earlier the bike lacks a little power. But as I was trying my best to catch up with them I saw one of my friends bike halted next to the road indicating me to stop. I immediately sensed something had gone wrong and yes I was correct, a rear FLAT TYRE. My friends brother on his unicorn hit an unexpected deep pothole right in the middle of the road. Now the next thing where are we gonna find a Punture Shop. And we were really lucky to see that there was a puncture shop right opposite our road. We tried to call my other friend on the bullet but he was too fast on his bullet too to notice the vibrations on his cellphone. After some time he picked up the phone and we informed him about the incident and he came back to the puncture shop. It took nearly 45 mins to fix the puncture, as the puncture fellow had gone to eat food. So we had to wait for him to come and fix the puncture. Finally we made a go ahead and this time all the 3 bikes were ripping, with a target of reaching goa border before sunset. It was a mad and crazy ride. Those roads, small lanes, curvy sharp turns were all covered in no time. It was just that we had made up our minds on something and we had to do it. I was on the lead on most of the way not coz I was fast but in general. Sometimes the other two bikes used to lead. Our riding formation & co-ordination was pretty good. My friends brother on the Unicorn being a first timer on such a long ride performed pretty well although he needs to be little sharp on roads.

P.S. : All the ripping done by me at times required were done all with precaution and keeping safety in mind.
We used to honk at every sharp curve/turn/ junction so that atleast the opposite vehicle are aware that they have
Vehicles coming from the front.

Finally we managed to cross the Goa Border Checking around 5.30pm and were still madly pushing our bike to the limits. After we crossed boarder it became slightly dark and once again the road was covered under darkness. Our HID’s came to rescue. Although I had fitted a projector for the HID, the projection of light was not all satisfactory. You can call it poor & pathetic. I regret my decision to install it. Neways at 6.30 pm we reached Mapusa market where we were supposed to collect our baggages. Finally got our baggage and now do you know the first thing to do when u come to GOA. Guess Guess???? We had the First sip of beer just outside the market area, standing besides our bikes and tasting our success. Our beasts stood firmly by our sides and we were indeed proud of it.

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__________________
Ride Hard !!! Ride Safe!!! Enjoy every moment on your machine !!! Cheers....

SKSy_Biker

Trip log approved

mitz

hey bro, nice trip.. & some realy nice clicks..
How was the ride experience on FZ ? I am planning for goa within next few months with a pillion so just wanted your opinion as to is it manageable to ride all the way to goa in one day like u guys did with a heavy pillion on FZ & some luggage too ?

__________________

• Why do I ride ??

Because Cricket, football, basketball, Tennis etc require just ONE BALL ;)

daredemon

Thanks for the approval SKSy_Biker

__________________
Ride Hard !!! Ride Safe!!! Enjoy every moment on your machine !!! Cheers....

daredemon

Hey Mitz,
As per my experience i would advice you to go single.
I have been to Goa twice on FZ and it really lacks power on long stretches.
If you have to take a pillion it is doeable but make your trip for 2 days (split 50% of the travel). FZ is not at all comfortable for a pillion for long hours because of the narrow rear seat & on top of that you will also have luggage (that will be more stressful).
We had sent our luggage from Paulo Travels Office in Bandra to goa. They will give you a proper receipt and your luggage will reach the next day early morning or afternoon (they will provide you the ETA).

It is manageable to do the trip in one day provided you leave early in the morning at 4.30 am.
Any more queries i would be more than happy to help you with.
All the best buddy.

P.S. - Just get your bike well serviced, check clutch plates, replace oil 2 days before the trip and you should be good to go. Also do not tune the bike for average as it might hamper the performance, just maintain the original settings provided by the company. Also check the chain (it shouldnt be too tight or too loose)

__________________
Ride Hard !!! Ride Safe!!! Enjoy every moment on your machine !!! Cheers....

mitz

Thanks a lot for a detailed feedback bro. Pillion on FZ wud b uncomfortable on long trips I knew but just wanted a second opinion. Anyways, Pillion is out for sure. And realy a big thanks for informing about the luggage delivery options as I'm most certainly going to deliver our luggage in advance like you did. Just provide me with a fair idea of how much it may cost to get 3-4 normal bags packs delivered via bus.

Bike would definitely be serviced enough but I was concerned about engine over heating. Would it effect too much since we would definitely plan for a single day trip to goa like you guys did without any halts for night.

__________________

• Why do I ride ??

Because Cricket, football, basketball, Tennis etc require just ONE BALL ;)

daredemon

You are always welcome Mitz.
Even we had sent 4 bags which costed us around Rs.250 (Mumbai to Goa) but when you are coming back they might charge you around Rs.400 - 450, you can bargain with them a bit but i can assure you that its safe.
Paulo Travels (Bandra) Parcel counter tel. no. 022-26518932.
Dont worry too much about engine overheating. As i told you just change the oil to a semi-synthetic (good one) and take halts after every 70-80kms depending on your riding capacity and the bike should just do fine.

Also the reason why i told you to leave early is coz the engine does not get much stressed out in early morning rides and you can cover most of the distance by afternoon.

__________________
Ride Hard !!! Ride Safe!!! Enjoy every moment on your machine !!! Cheers....

mitz

Thanks for all the relevant details bro especially the phone number of Paulo Travels. I would definitely go for this option & enjoy luggage free peaceful ride to GOA especially since the charges seem absolutely reasonable.
I am currently using Motul seme syntheti & will switch over to Motul Fully synthetic before the ride..
As advised by you, even I like to start early in morning & cover atleast 30-40% of the distance before 12.00 pm.
How were the roads though? You took NH17 oi guess? I am planning to go by NH17 & come back via NH4 as NH4 would be much safer & faster i guess

__________________

• Why do I ride ??

Because Cricket, football, basketball, Tennis etc require just ONE BALL ;)

daredemon

Mitz, i would suggest you to take NH17 both ways. Although i have never been on NH4, but if you still take it i think its 60-70 kms more.

80% of the roads are good on NH17. Work is still goin on on some roads. I hope by now almost 85% of the roads should be good but you never know after the rains. If you take the NH4 let me know (time & distance), coz it will be helpful for me for my future rides.

__________________
Ride Hard !!! Ride Safe!!! Enjoy every moment on your machine !!! Cheers....

mitz

Sure bro.. If i do manage to take up NH4 on return, i would update with you the details.
I'v heard NH4 is quite safe & fast since it doesnt involve too many of the ghats that NH17 offer. Plus more safe because of proper dividers on the road all the way & since we would be riding to goa for the first time, that too in rainy season i.e by june-july, I wouldn't wanna risk much with NH17.

__________________

• Why do I ride ??

Because Cricket, football, basketball, Tennis etc require just ONE BALL ;)