[Photo Feature]: 24 hrs / 2 bikes / 3 riders / 3 states - xBhp.com : The Global Indian Biking Community

JOSH5898 · 08-26-2009, 12:32 PM

It started off as a casual discussion which soon turned out to be a reality. When, I, Manish & Nitin (my friends) met up in the evening and were having a casual discussion about doing a quick dash thru 3 states in 24 hrs, nobody was aware that it would be so quick and immediate. It was a Saturday and 6:00 PM we made all plans, checked Google for route maps, cleaned our bikes, and split to collect our gear. Initially the plan was to take My Suzuki GSXR 1000 & Manish’s brand new P220 for the trip but then the 220 had done only 90 kms and he was hesitant to put his new bike to the limits in the hard terrain so my R15 was brought in to replace the 220.

A FEW TEASERS TO START WITH

ken cool · 08-26-2009, 12:57 PM

Tour Approved

Wasn't this already approved? Why do I get this feeling of déjà vu?

JOSH5898 · 08-26-2009, 01:01 PM

thnx ken...

JOSH5898 · 08-26-2009, 01:06 PM

TIRUPPUR TO METTUPALAYAM (T.N)
Me on my Gixxer & my two friends on R15 met again at 08:00 PM, tanked up, trip meters set to zero, decided to make our first stop at Mettupalayam, we headed out slowly towards the SH-19 exit which joins the NH-47 at Avinashi. The R15 quickly zoomed past the city traffic and headed out while I was pretty slow and was working my way out with the Gixxer. When I crossed Avinashi and reached the main highway the Gixxer was all set and was doing 90 - 110 kmph and was way ahead of the R15, reached Mettupalayam at 09:20 PM and soon the R15 also reached. We had dinner and decided to make our next stop at Coonoor and with R15 leading the way we hit the NH-67 from where the ghat section begins.

JOSH5898 · 08-26-2009, 01:31 PM

METTUPALAYAM TO OOTY (T.N)
The road on the Ghats were well tarred and marked with minimum traffic and pleasant weather which helped us to maintain decent speeds and soon I was getting to know the handling and riding of the Gixxer. This was my first trip on a litre bike thru the hills so was a bit tensed at first, but after riding thru the first few hairpin bends I was now much confident about the handling and the Gixxer. Reaching Coonoor at 10:45 PM we took a 15 mins break to stretch and started off to Ooty. It started to get cold and also drizzle so we cut down on the speeds , the Gixxer seemed hard to handle at slow speeds and now my back and wrists were killing me, we reached Ella Nalli which has the only fuel station which is open 24 hrs on the hills and took a break for ten mins to relax which helped my back and wrists. I tanked up the Gixxer again as I was not aware of its actual mileage and had no idea where the next available fuel station was. Finally we reached Ooty at 11:40 PM and had steaming hot coffee which was very refreshing and gave us a bit warmth from the cold at a small tea stall outside the main bus stand which again is the only stall open till late nights. After a 30 mins break by then the rain also had stopped, we checked for directions and were on our way thru Gudalur as we were told that the Masinagudi Roads were not in good shape after the rains.

OOTY TO GUNDULPET VIA BANDIPUR (T.N. TO KARNATAKA)
The Gudalur roads were just awesome and we again started making good progress and reached Gudular by 01:10 AM a quick ten minutes break and we were back to riding. Again there are two routes to reach WAYANAD from Gudalur but we wanted to cover 3 states so we took the Gundulpet route and reached the THORAPALLY (TAMILNADU) check post by 1:35 AM from where the jungle begins .There were many vehicles waiting in line and upon reaching the main check post gate we came to know that the gate closes at 1:00AM and opens only at 6:00 AM for all. Within a few minutes we saw trucks & tempos coming from the Karnataka border and upon asked they said that the guards at the check post collect money and let vehicles pass thru. Soon the drivers waiting on the Tamilnadu Border started arguing and protesting with the guards to let them also go which turned out to be a major issue and the Forest Officer was called in and after an hour of arguing and demanding the gates were opened from this side at 2:45 AM but much to our dismay the guards let go only four wheelers and our bikes were not allowed to go which means we had to wait alone at the check post for another 3 HRS. Even after pleading and requesting the guards did not allow us. It started to rain again and was getting very cold too so we decided to wait at the check post till dawn and to kill our time we started helping the guards to check the trucks and operating the check post gates.

INTO THE JUNGLE
Finally it was 5:30 AM and the gates were opened for traffic and the forest guards told us to stay in between two trucks until we crossed the complete jungle. We were following a few trucks and there were another few behind us, as soon as the sun raised it was bright enough to see so we decided to lead the way hoping to see some wildlife and made ahead of the trucks, we came across a few wild Bison and a herd of Deer but no sight of elephants or any other animals. We soon crossed the Bandipur check post and with no hope to see any wild life as there was too much traffic cos even the Karnataka side check posts were opened, we picked up speed and started making progress towards Gundulpet. The roads 12 kms before Gundulpet were literally non-existent, and in very bad shape after the rains, it was a nightmare for me & my Gixxer to cross such big potholes, so with R15 leading and guiding the way we started off on the back breaking and wrist killing road and covered the 12 kms stretch in 1:10 mins, we had to take a break after riding this bad stretch and stopped at a tea stall, freshened up, had some tasty masala chai and stretched for a good 20 mins. Re-energized, re-filled and re-committed, we headed off to Wayanad, the roads were getting better. There were fewer bumps and fewer potholes, and my speed was picking up as well. The funny thing about these SBKs is, the faster you go, the less tired you become. At least that’s what I felt.

The Roads were a rider’s dream come true. They were so clean, very well tarred, with not even a single obstacle and clean view. With lush green fields on either side of the roads and early morning post monsoon wind blowing at your face, it was a moment to capture and cherish. The Gixxer was on its own, I felt as if the bike was telling me twist the throttle so I slowly started increasing the speed and the Gixxer was dancing on the roads, I felt as if the bike was speaking to the winds. The speed increased more and soon I did an all time record on my Gixxxer of 220 kmph on a very straight road. I felt like a KING after riding at this speed for the first time in my life, the Gixxer’s firing was like the best music I ever heard, but then I came to my senses and slowed down to 120-130 KMPH and soon started entering the Kerala state border. I reached first and was enjoying the nature’s beauty where after 25 MINS the R15 showed up, we discussed the scenery and the beauty etc and after a 10 min break started off to Wayanad. The Roads again were superb and soon we started munching miles and by 9:00 AM entered Sultan Bathery. We checked into hotel REGENCY and decided to hit the bed for a few hours as no one had even closed their eyes for a minute the whole night.

WAYANAD TO BANDIPUR (KERALA TO KARNATAKA – RETURN JOURNEY)
After 3 hrs of sleep and a very tasty lunch at HOTEL MINT FLOWER we started off at 01:30 PM. There were two roads one which we came from and the other which goes direct to OOTY from Wayanad. We checked with the fuel station guy where we tanked up and came to know that the direct road was not as good as the one we came from so we decided to go back thru the same way, but then we will have to cross the scary 12 kms of Gundulpet again.
The folks in town were all around Gixxer by this time, there were two wheelers and cars following me. Kids were very happy to see a SBK and many requested for pictures which I gladly obliged. I was very happy to be a proud owner of the SBK. Most people were having discussion about which bike it was and the price. I came across a few very funny comments like this bike is not worth the money and am crazy to buy it, I could have instead bought a good car for this price, mileage is very less, looks like pulsar modified, and the best one was one over smart local guy is arguing with a few saying it is a modified pulsar fitted with a matador van engine inside that is why the firing is so loud and guess what !!! The guy was a four wheeler mechanic!!!
Well after some time pass we started riding again. The Gixxer was back to its self on the beautiful stretch of road and I started pushing it to good speeds of 140-150 thru out and made very good progress and waited for the R15 at the beginning of the Gundulpet – Bandipur Stretch. The R15 was also making good speed of 100-110 kmph and with two riders it was pretty fast. Once we met again the R15 was leading and guiding me thru the bad stretch and we took around 55 mins to cover the 12 kms again, took a break to stretch and then hit the roads again. It was drizzling now and we had to slow down as it was already evening. We stopped for a water break at Pugmark restaurant for 15min and entered the Bandipur forest range riding slow hoping to see some elephants. We didn’t have to wait for long, soon we saw a herd of elephants grazing and made a quick stop to take a few pictures and were back to riding.

KARNATAKA TO TAMILNADU
We reached Thepakadu that is the TN border and gate of Madumalai Wildlife Sanctuary. Straight road goes to Ooty which is the normal bus route. We turned left on a single track bridge. This is the Ooty road via Masinagudi and 30km less than the former.
The Steep Climb: We hit the 36 hairpin climb. This was really an endurance test for me and my friends. It was the steepest I have encountered in my life. Initially I got really scared seeing such a steep road. After travelling a hideously treacherous 10kms of earth I just had to stop for rest. Arms were aching, back was complaining, time was 5.00 PM. This break was very necessary because at this point of time, both I and my friends were absolutely famished. I knew it was never going to be easy, but the roads were just unbelievable, and the local traffic on the small steep road was real crazy. My back and wrists were now really hurting back cos I was not able to pick up speed nor shift gears, all the while riding in the first gear and using the clutch had my palms hurting more, but we had no choice and had to complete the climb so we set off again. , it was indeed very steep which we later realized while descent. It was like after 36 Hairpins and 14km and another hour of agonising ride we finally managed to reach Charing Cross in OOTY at 06:20 PM. We took a long break for tea and snacks in OOTY and at 7:30 PM decided to start our journey with R15 leading the way.

OOTY TO TIRUPPUR
I was pretty confident about most of the roads till Tiruppur. The roads were mighty impressive but just when we were making good progress and had a perfect sync between the two bikes we were blasted by strong thunder showers. We could have carried on, but now visibility was an issue. So we had to stop. We found a small bus stop there and decided to wait for the rain to stop. Meanwhile I was admiring the beauty of the Gixxer 1000. It is one of the few wild-child that Suzuki has ever produced and mine being a 06 model which is considered one of the best Gixxers produced I was on cloud 9 to be the proud owner of this beast. Then my eyes drifted to the R15 standing nearby. I really enjoy riding the R15; it’s a very mean and sexy bike too and felt proud again. I thanked GOD a thousand times to bless me with these two amazing BIKES. The rains stopped and the fresh smell of soil after the showers grew on us. Not too far now, I thought. By now, we were already having some locals following us and people wanted to know the price and mileage of the Gixxer. I wonder why mostly everyone in South is interested in the Mileage rather than anything else; I must have answered at least 40 people regarding the mileage till now and was now in no mood to discuss anything. I just wanted to complete this wonderful trip successfully.

By this time, our hungry stomachs had started growling again, and the weather was starting to get very very cold. We made our final food-stop in a hill side coffee shop near Coonoor. We talked about the day that went by, the most funny moments, the most scary one etc etc. After a good snack and hot coffee, we took over riding duties again, it was 8:20PM and now the roads were really flowing. So was the traffic. As soon as we hit the Mettupalayam highway, I felt the need for speed. Roads were, of course, very good, and speeds climbed to 130kmph plus and I was way ahead of the R15 now. After reaching Annur I decided to stop and wait for my friends. When they too reached we had a ten min break and were back on the highway. With both bikes making good speeds we reached Avinashi by 9:00 PM. There is a beautiful and ancient temple of Lord Shiva in Avinashi. We made a quick stop at the temple to thank god for bringing us back home safe and sound and headed towards Tiruppur. The roads were beautiful, and with quite less traffic, and soon we entered the city.
They say all good things come to an end so did this great trip. We reached home exactly at 09:30 PM and were very happy to have successfully completed this wonderful trip to 3 states with different terrains, weather, language, diversity and felt really proud to belong to this wonderful country where there is so much UNITY IN DIVERSITY . I FELT VERY PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN.
Reaching home I was totally famished, all my thoughts were about the trip which we did and with a quick kiss to my Gixxer & the R15 I went to bed with a big smile on my face and plans about our next trip.
TOTAL DISTANCE: 528 KMS / TIME: 25.50 HRS
TOTAL FUEL CONSUMED : GIXXER –41.5 LTRS / R15 – 17 LTRS
AVERAGE KMPL : GIXXER 12.9 KMPL / R15 – 31 KMPL
ROUTE
TIRUPPUR-AVINASHI-ANNUR-METTUPALAYAM-ARAVANKADU-COONOOR-OOTY-GUDALUR-BANDIPUR-GUNDULPET-SUTLAN BATHERY.

Signing Off
J O S H
RIDE HARD OR STAY HOME.

JOSH5898 · 08-26-2009, 02:17 PM

goatiguru29 · 08-26-2009, 02:32 PM

Nice & short log...you could have used a better cam so we could have drooled at the pictures....East or West,South or North people in india are always fascinated by MILEAGE

whizzkid_ram · 08-26-2009, 03:04 PM

nice ride & pics buddy

amandeepkamboj19 · 08-26-2009, 03:09 PM

nice pics

gixxer and r15 both looks ultimate

JOSH5898 · 08-26-2009, 03:28 PM

thnx guys... wanted to take my cam but missed it in hurry so managed with a friend's...

08-26-2009, 12:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
JOSH5898 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: COIMBATORE Posts: 813	24 hrs / 2 bikes / 3 riders / 3 states It started off as a casual discussion which soon turned out to be a reality. When, I, Manish & Nitin (my friends) met up in the evening and were having a casual discussion about doing a quick dash thru 3 states in 24 hrs, nobody was aware that it would be so quick and immediate. It was a Saturday and 6:00 PM we made all plans, checked Google for route maps, cleaned our bikes, and split to collect our gear. Initially the plan was to take My Suzuki GSXR 1000 & Manish’s brand new P220 for the trip but then the 220 had done only 90 kms and he was hesitant to put his new bike to the limits in the hard terrain so my R15 was brought in to replace the 220. A FEW TEASERS TO START WITH __________________ Cheers JOSH

08-26-2009, 12:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
ken cool Super Moderator Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 4,677	Tour Approved Wasn't this already approved? Why do I get this feeling of déjà vu? __________________ 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

08-26-2009, 01:01 PM	#3 (permalink)
JOSH5898 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: COIMBATORE Posts: 813	thnx ken... __________________ Cheers JOSH

08-26-2009, 01:06 PM	#4 (permalink)
JOSH5898 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: COIMBATORE Posts: 813	TIRUPPUR TO METTUPALAYAM (T.N) Me on my Gixxer & my two friends on R15 met again at 08:00 PM, tanked up, trip meters set to zero, decided to make our first stop at Mettupalayam, we headed out slowly towards the SH-19 exit which joins the NH-47 at Avinashi. The R15 quickly zoomed past the city traffic and headed out while I was pretty slow and was working my way out with the Gixxer. When I crossed Avinashi and reached the main highway the Gixxer was all set and was doing 90 - 110 kmph and was way ahead of the R15, reached Mettupalayam at 09:20 PM and soon the R15 also reached. We had dinner and decided to make our next stop at Coonoor and with R15 leading the way we hit the NH-67 from where the ghat section begins. __________________ Cheers JOSH

08-26-2009, 02:17 PM	#6 (permalink)
JOSH5898 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: COIMBATORE Posts: 813	__________________ Cheers JOSH

08-26-2009, 02:32 PM	#7 (permalink)
goatiguru29 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Calicut,TVM,Chennai Posts: 433	Nice & short log...you could have used a better cam so we could have drooled at the pictures....East or West,South or North people in india are always fascinated by MILEAGE __________________ No man will be a marine engineer who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail;for being in a ship is being in jail,with a chance of being drowned.A man in a jail has more room,better food and commonly better company.

08-26-2009, 03:04 PM	#8 (permalink)
whizzkid_ram Bucephalus Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UNITED STATES OF CHENNAI, TN 21 AH 4555, TN 21 J 4555, TN 21 AF 4555 Posts: 1,842	nice ride & pics buddy __________________ B o D a C i O u S The increase in performance is directly proportional to the size of the hole in your pocket :D

08-26-2009, 03:09 PM	#9 (permalink)
amandeepkamboj19 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Delhi Posts: 361	nice pics gixxer and r15 both looks ultimate __________________ BIKE + BEER=

08-26-2009, 03:28 PM	#10 (permalink)
JOSH5898 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: COIMBATORE Posts: 813	thnx guys... wanted to take my cam but missed it in hurry so managed with a friend's... __________________ Cheers JOSH

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