no_nonsense4857

Come December and everybody is in party mood, with that extra joyfulness in their tone. Some getting ready for Christmas and many awaiting the new year. But this season meant something more to me and a small group of friends. We all had planned to have a small decent road trip

Many of us somehow managed to apply for leaves in advance. Some had to plan meticulously - sending their family out on a 'separate' holiday so that they could join in and enjoy being a 'temporary bachelor'. Luck was on our side so all fell into place and there we were, grouping up near Silk Board Junction, early morning on the 26th.

We were 10 and had 9 steeds on the trip, all special in their own unique ways.

Band of Brothers

Top Row : Nazeer, PK, Calvin, Sai
Bottom Row : Sashi, Guru, Kamli, Abhi, Arvind, Prem

Abhilash -> R15 -> Pocket Rocket
Arvind -> Bullet Machismo 500 -> Smooth operator
Calvin -> Bullet 350 (Electra) -> This trip was his baby
Guru -> RD 350 -> Two stroke music, gives METALLICA a run for their money
Kamlesh -> Bullet 350 (Standard)
Nazeer -> Our only pillion / photographer / iron butt man
PK -> Bullet 350 (Standard)
Prem -> Pulsar 150 -> Fastest one in the pack - highest bhp due to missing side stand
Sai -> Karizma
Shashi -> Hunk -> Our digital SLR specialist

As we were already late there was not time for pleasantries. Once the pack was ready, we headed towards Hosur. The dangerous roads of electronic city posed us more challenges than the roads ahead in our trip.

Once we crossed Hosur and proceeded towards Krishnagiri we were invited by wide, well maintained, sweeping roads. It was dawn and the visibility was getting better adding to the comfort. Our average speeds automatically increased since nobody could keep their steeds below 90. The RD did a 170 before the speedo cable gave way, the R15 touched a 140 and the Karizma was comfortable at 125. There was fog every where, the bikes were very happy since the engines were running butter smooth, though the riders were not that happy due to the chill factor.

Krishnagiri sunrise


Tanking up at the fuel station


We crossed Krishnagiri and by 11 touched Selam. Had brunch there, checked with the locals regarding the routes and started towards our first destination - Kollimalai.

We keep cruising at 80 speeds and a small deviation from the highway changes the landscape from a boring tarred road to very interesting tarred roads, paddy fields on either sides and the amazing view of the mountains behind them. We ride approx 30 Km towards the entrance to Kollimalai. In these 30 Km we saw the silhouettes of the vast stretch of mountains gain color and texture. This progress is so enjoyable that your mind is confused unable to concentrate on the riding since your eyes are working overtime absorbing the blissful shades of green. We all assemble at the foot hill.

Onroute to Kollimalai


There is something unique about Kollimalai. I have been to Nandi hills, Ooty etc. and the maximum hairpin bends i've encountered / enjoyed on a one way trip to the destination would not have crossed 30. But Kollimalai has not 30 but 70 hair pin bends before you get to the destination.

Tasty bends... story begins


We start towards the top. The combination of the elevation and the good banking provided by the bends make for a pleasurable biking experience. For once, our riding instincts take over making us forget the nature in all its glory. As you keep climbing, the once tall trees that blocked your view at the foot hill start getting shorter and they give way to the amazing view of the valley beneath. I couldn’t but stop here and there forgetting about the hair pin bends for some time and basking in the afternoon sun with this beautiful view in front of me.

Wish i had a SLR that could be pulled out from my trouser pocket






We reach Kollimalai and check into our rooms where we have a snoring competition even before we could order lunch. Most of them hit the bed where as a few of us fought off the drowsiness so that we could get good sleep at night. Some chitchat, photoes, jokes, bike maintenance and its already evening. Some more chitchat, a few drinks and a spicy dinner before we called it a day.

Dreamers


Day 2 starts early as usual. We get ready, fire up our engines and get going. We climb down the 70 bends and reach the foot hill. Breakfast, and its destination Trichy.

Early birds.... err.... bikers


Pretty uneventful ride and we all get to Trichy where we are greeted by total traffic chaos. There is a political rally happening and the traffic snarls are so many, along with the heat touching a 40C at least. This drains us out totally and our bikes too. We some how reach the center of the city and decide on the route ahead. The confusion ahead breaks us up into three groups heading out in three directions all wanting to reach the same destination Pudukkotai... Me and Guru were ahead and decided to cruise at 60 waiting for the others to catch up. The engines were so hot that a normal idle rpm of 1100 had shot up to 1600.

Scenic Pudukkotai


The crusing gave it some respite and once every body caught up, we headed to the nearest hotel to have a late - much needed lunch. Post lunch, we took two hours to reach our destination for the day - Ramanathapuram - approximately 70 Km away from Rameshwaram.

Pudukkotai Part II


We took two hours to find ourselves and our bikes some place to stay in the night. All this confusion due to the president of India visiting Rameshwaram the next day. We all check in and freshen up. Funny thing is, the water was so salty.... it came close to the warm salty water we normally use for gargling when having a sore throat! So, bathing with this water was an experience.

Day 3 took us to Rameshwaram where we were stopped by coppers even before we were anywhere near the Holy Shrine. Wearing helmets is not mandatory there, so we with all our protective gear and helmets looked like aliens to them. Now, they would not want aliens anywhere near the president right? So, we were shown the route to a bus station where we could wait for another 5 hours before the president went back home. Hence the bus station got a new name - "Pratiba Patil Bus Stand".

Pratiba Patil Bus Stand


Shashi some how sneaked out of the bus station and managed to find ourselves a private beach (so to speak) deep inside the village situated behind the bus stand. This place was so good that we stopped cursing our president for being such a spoil sport and started to praise her for being the reason behind our visiting this place. Two of the locals got so friendly that they cooked lunch for us and did not want anything in return. They own some land (the very place we had occupied) and one statement amazed me when we offered to pay for the lunch. He said - "there is nothing you can offer me that i dont have".

Approach to our private beach


The R15 chilling


We had some good time? No, we had some great time! Why you ask? Because we were taking each others bike for a mini ride through the village. I still get goose bumps remembering the fluttering sounds of the RD350 - pure two stroke twin cylinder bliss. Your mind goes into overdrive trying to synchronize with the left right beats from the dual silencers on the bike.... i can go on and on with this some other time

We had lunch. Gave our hosts sincere thanks and headed towards the shrine. On the way, the destination automatically changed to Dhanushkoti, a place where the Arabian Sea meets the Indian Ocean. You get to ride on a road nearly 15 Km long with water on both the sides and an unobstructed view of the sea and the ocean to any distance your eye can see. How ever to get to the beach where they meet, we had to hitch a ride on a four wheel drive truck. It was a amazing seesaw ride offroading in the truck and at one point we thought we would sink with the truck seeing the water all around us.

Straitght stretch of Danushkoti


Offroading to get to the tip


A text book sunset at Danushkoti


Back from Dhanushkoti we had to head to the temple and the beach near the temple to enjoy the sunset. But we had a surprise. A deflated tyre on a bike and no tools (we had stashed our entire luggage in the lodge since this was just a 60 Km ride). So, getting the bike on a truck and moving it to Rameshwaram for a puncher job took away all the time. Some of us rushed to the temple and seeking the blessing of Shiva and by the time we were out, it was night.

We had a good dinner near the bus station and headed back to our rooms. Had a small party to end the day.

Day 4 dejavu - destination Kollimalai.
We had planned to get back to the same place before our final leg of the journey back home. Trichy was the spoil sport again and once we were out of Trichy, we had broken into three separate groups. Also, the sheer number of transport trucks on the way to Namakkal made a formation ride virtually impossible. So, everybody started to ride at speeds they deemed comfortable and there was no riding in formation as such. Two of them had already reached the foot hills where as i broke out from the pack, hoping to reach the village early so that i get all the time to take some much desired snaps. Reach early i did and took some snaps happily before heading to the foot hills.

The fun begins even before you reach the foot hills




I rode half way up to find the same place with the amazing view of the valley beneath, sat down with my mind totally blank (a rarity now a days).

Whats in store for 2009?????


Only me n my bike - fooling around


Then after some time, surprise surprise! I hear a bullet coming down. Then i am awaken from my day dreaming by Kamlesh who so much wanted to come with us on 26th but could'nt. So, he rode from Bangalore to Kollimalai when we were busy getting back from Rameshwaram to Kollimalai. Still not satisfied by the twisty turvy roads, we both happily rode back down to the foot hill awaiting the others so that we ride back to the top again.

The rest come a bit late since they stopped at the city to pack lunch for all of us. Then i see Guru tinkering with his stop watch with a mischievous grin. I knew that the RD350 is in launch mode and will take off any time. I say 'whazzup' with a similar grin and tell him that i'm gonna rip with him too. Well it’s a RD350... so it was a 'catch me if you can' scenario. The RD350 launches and then the Karizma plays catch up all the way to the top of the hill. I had to break so late and hard when trying to keep up with the RD that i was forced to use the front disk which is normally a taboo while navigating hair pins. I do one mistake and the RD is a blip on my visor. I would not have attained the same insane speeds if i was the one ahead. It was a bit easy since i already knew the breaking points since i was reading Guru's tail light with never seen before concentration. We just could not stop at the check post at the top; we kept ripping at insane speeds until we reached the lodge. We did all that in 35 minutes riding through approximately 80 hair pin bends. It took some time to get the adrenaline levels down which coincided with the rest of the pack trickling in one by one to the lodge.

Had lunch and dinner at once since it was party time and nobody was interested to eat before partying

Day 5 - grim realities of life.
Office calling. Had to be at my workstation by 12 noon. It was 6, and i'm getting ready to leave - alone. Abhi says he'll join me too and gets up. By the time we fire up our engines and move - its nearly 7:30 and we were four (me, Abhi, PK and Prem). We maintain good speeds on the way down, and reach Selam. PK and Prem decide that they want to ride comfortably with as many butt breaks as possible. I was in a hurry and so was Abhi, we decide to tank up at Salem and ride / rip all the way to the outskirts of Bangalore. Guru gives us a surprise visit at the fuel station in Salem. Once we leave the fuel satation.... it was impossible to keep the bikes below 90 given the chilly atmosphere and the buttery engines. Abhis R15 doing a comfortable 135 and mine doing a comfortable 120. We reach hosur by 11:15 and there we split up and i finally park the bike at the office at 11:30.

It was a strange hangover when i walked in with a huge grin on my face. Called up the rest. Everybody were back home safe and sound by the evening that day. An awesome conclusion to the trip and 2008 with a lot of fond memories to cherish. We all had a get together during the week end, share the photoes, a lot of jokes and a lot of coffee to officially conclude the trip.

Calvin coined this trip as 'Cut Through Breeze' a few years back. And this was CTB IV. Always game for V

Aryan

Topic Approved.

Wonderful stuff.

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ravi@17bhp

Nice trip log and lovely pics. Seems like it is a "Bullet" ride. For the first time I am seeing an RD on xbhp (to my knowledge), touring serious distance.

Pardon my ignorance, where is this "Kollimalai". I am listening this destination for the first time, that too with 70 hairpin bends.

The Tourer thread is flooding. Almost 15 threads in the last month.

Sunny

This is NEVER going to happen, for I wish I could get a point and shoot of my trouser pocket. No SLR would ever fit in your pocket unless you are size 50+ or something.

Dhanushkodi must have been awesome, did you go to the abandoned school and church at the tip? It was surreal when I visited it.

no_nonsense4857

Yes. I too feel that this is the first time the RD clocked a 1400 Km trip without a screwdriver being brought out. It was rock stable in terms of reliability.

I am still trying to figure out how would i take so many photoes on the move in case i have a DSLR

The pocket point and shoot does not do justice in specially lit situations... foggy morning, evening landscapes, forests with a lot of foilage etc...

HydBiker

Cheers guys... that's a trip to remember. If you want me to pick up the best part of the trip... or may be the best part among the many trips you'd have done earlier and would do later... it is the comments from the person in Rameshwaram -

"there is nothing you can offer me that i dont have"

This sounds to me as the most concise form of Bhagavadgeeta.

Kudos to him... He has shown you India a few centuries old. Lucky you

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ravi@17bhp

Of course I do not have DSLR, but have Powershot S2IS considerably closer to a DSLR in size. What I recently started doing is, haning the camera around the neck even while riding.

mithun.08

Wonderful trip.. good pics.. That RD looks superb

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praveenkm

Awesome ride guys. Never thought there could be such beautiful places in the dry part. Awesome pictures. Reg ZMA looks cool on the green back drop

btw you guys could have rode all way on the bikes instead of the jeeps. We went till the Navy check post, and had to walk only the last 1km. Since we went on bike could stay there for almost half a day!

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navnish

Wow... Awesome pics and nice logs.

Good to see the RD touring....