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Hi guys,
On Sunday (10 Apr), I did a quick return trip to Nasik. Sorry for not sending out an invite to the Pune group; my plans were in flux and I had decided only on Saturday to go ahead. The objective was to check out the long-distance comfort issues of my Pulsar 150 Classic in prep for my Leh trip in July.
A brief report:
Pune to Nasik
Departure: 0530h
The early morning ride was very pleasant, to say the least. The exit to the Nasik phata is a pain to negotiate - the exit under the flyover has been barricaded and one has to ride ahead, cut across traffic and then get on to the Nasik road proper.In fact, at places, near villages, there was a distinct nip in the air. I was amazed to see even light mist near ponds - and this when summer is about to hit the area! Traffic was quite light and I was making good time.
Breakfast At 0730h, I stopped for a break at a Saroj dhaba. Bad luck - only tea on offer and I sure was not in the mood for aloo parathas! So I had a tea and rode ahead and lo and behold, a Kamat restaurant came up on the left. My tummy was doing an imitation of a balky, poorly tuned V 8 so I stopped and was about to enter the parking lot when the attendant waved me off with much disdain and I had to park away from the "mothya gadya" area. Talk about discrimination against bikers... Poha nd tea came to Rs 40 and the poha plate was way too small to justify the price...
I have a remark on the mentality of people in this state, rather the mentality of socially and financially upward people. Before I get brickbats flying at me, let me haste to add that I too belong to the latter category. At Kamat, NOT ONE PERSON spoke to me about my garb (elbow and knee guards, jacket, gauntlets etc) but kept giving sidelong glances. I have ridden/driven in J & K, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, U.P., Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa etc and at ALL the aforementioned places, somebody has approached me to strike up a conversation about the weather, where are we going etc. But not here. Wonder why...
At around this time, I noticed a peculiar attribute of the bike which I shall elaborate on later.
The ghats came and went and the Pulsar was pulsating nicely.
At 1030h, I was a bit tired so broke for a pee and water at a dhaba at Sinnar. The misal pav was here was excellent, sorry, forgot the name of the place. At last, one farmer asked me about my destination. A small chat for 5 mins and I was on my way.
Arrival Nasik: 1130h.
I could have arrived 30 mins early but some time was wasted in finding the route to the Military Hospital in Devlali where my good friend had posted a guide to take me to his house.
Lunch was a relaxed affair. This friend and I go back to 1995 when he was a doctor in my battalion and we had grown close. Now, his kids are grown up, one has flown the nest and husband and wife are preparing for the lonely days ahead when both kids would have their own lives and the home would suddenly become more of a house than a home...
Nasik to Pune
Departure: 1445h.
Bidding farewell to old friends is difficult and time-consuming and so I was back on the road a little after my planned-for time.
Refueled with 7 lits at the HP bunk in Devlali. Once again, the odd issue cropped up only to go away later.
By the time I was 10 odd kms short of Sinnar, the sky clouded over and I was spared the Sun's rebuke.
Again, the ghats came and went, no issues with bike or rider.
At the last ghat before Pune - forgot the name- one moronic driver caused a jam by trying to overtake while a bus was climbing. Within seconds, it was a 3 km gridlock. Irate drivers got out and I too helped out to clear the mess. Reminded me of the CEAT advt - the road is full of idiots. Thanks to my two wheels vs the other's 4, I sped ahead and the rest of the 4 wheelers were able to catch up after almost 45 mins.
Darkness came short of Chakan. Guys, this patch is a real nightmare and I cannot advise more strongly to exercise max caution in this area, especially during darkness. There are no overhead lights, there are numerous intersections, all without signals, the median plastic tree shaped dividers are broken in patches so the opposite traffic's headlights hit one full in the face and the traffic is very fast, thanks to the lovely road quality. I had bought a new CROSS helmet with a clear visor on Wednesday and was thankful for the superb optics of the visor.
Arrival: 2015h
My wife was happy to see me and the kids were chomping on the famous Nasik seedless grapes in no time. A couple of chilled beers and dinner later, I was refreshed enough to take the family out for ice-cream.
Distance ridden: 450 km, time in saddle: 11 hours.
Equipment
Cramster saddle bags, tank bag and a small soft bag bungeed to the pillion seat. 02 X 5 lit cans filled to simulate petrol. All spares and clothes as per my list for Leh minus the emergency rations. Adequate water as per high altitude norms.
The bike issue
I had noticed on my daily riding in Pune that when I filled the tank up to capacity - 14 lits - the carb seemed to not breathe properly. When the fuel came down to a bit more than 3/4 full, the bike suddenly came to life. This odd attribute was completely proven on the instant trip and twice at that.
Tank full, she just did not want to cross 5000 rpm/5th/60 kph. The carb sounded almost strangulated and any additional throttle input caused knocking. But with some fuel burnt, the carb started sounding typically Pulsar rorty, the revs picked up and she was cruising effortlessly at 5k rpm/70 kph and wanting to go ahead.
Deduction
The carb needs a specified head room of air in the tank for it to correctly mix the fuel with the air which means that below this air space, the FUEL pressure at the main jet is inadequate to sustain revs beyond about 4.5K.
Any inputs on this issue - people facing the same phenomenon etc are welcome. This is an important issue for me: I will have to cater for more fuel outside the tank for my Leh trip then.
Photos
The scenery was very dry. Also, I was a bit pressed for time so did not click any snaps, sorry!
Problems faced
None at all, the Almighty be praised.
On Sunday (10 Apr), I did a quick return trip to Nasik. Sorry for not sending out an invite to the Pune group; my plans were in flux and I had decided only on Saturday to go ahead. The objective was to check out the long-distance comfort issues of my Pulsar 150 Classic in prep for my Leh trip in July.
A brief report:
Pune to Nasik
Departure: 0530h
The early morning ride was very pleasant, to say the least. The exit to the Nasik phata is a pain to negotiate - the exit under the flyover has been barricaded and one has to ride ahead, cut across traffic and then get on to the Nasik road proper.In fact, at places, near villages, there was a distinct nip in the air. I was amazed to see even light mist near ponds - and this when summer is about to hit the area! Traffic was quite light and I was making good time.
Breakfast At 0730h, I stopped for a break at a Saroj dhaba. Bad luck - only tea on offer and I sure was not in the mood for aloo parathas! So I had a tea and rode ahead and lo and behold, a Kamat restaurant came up on the left. My tummy was doing an imitation of a balky, poorly tuned V 8 so I stopped and was about to enter the parking lot when the attendant waved me off with much disdain and I had to park away from the "mothya gadya" area. Talk about discrimination against bikers... Poha nd tea came to Rs 40 and the poha plate was way too small to justify the price...
I have a remark on the mentality of people in this state, rather the mentality of socially and financially upward people. Before I get brickbats flying at me, let me haste to add that I too belong to the latter category. At Kamat, NOT ONE PERSON spoke to me about my garb (elbow and knee guards, jacket, gauntlets etc) but kept giving sidelong glances. I have ridden/driven in J & K, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, U.P., Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa etc and at ALL the aforementioned places, somebody has approached me to strike up a conversation about the weather, where are we going etc. But not here. Wonder why...
At around this time, I noticed a peculiar attribute of the bike which I shall elaborate on later.
The ghats came and went and the Pulsar was pulsating nicely.
At 1030h, I was a bit tired so broke for a pee and water at a dhaba at Sinnar. The misal pav was here was excellent, sorry, forgot the name of the place. At last, one farmer asked me about my destination. A small chat for 5 mins and I was on my way.
Arrival Nasik: 1130h.
I could have arrived 30 mins early but some time was wasted in finding the route to the Military Hospital in Devlali where my good friend had posted a guide to take me to his house.
Lunch was a relaxed affair. This friend and I go back to 1995 when he was a doctor in my battalion and we had grown close. Now, his kids are grown up, one has flown the nest and husband and wife are preparing for the lonely days ahead when both kids would have their own lives and the home would suddenly become more of a house than a home...
Nasik to Pune
Departure: 1445h.
Bidding farewell to old friends is difficult and time-consuming and so I was back on the road a little after my planned-for time.
Refueled with 7 lits at the HP bunk in Devlali. Once again, the odd issue cropped up only to go away later.
By the time I was 10 odd kms short of Sinnar, the sky clouded over and I was spared the Sun's rebuke.
Again, the ghats came and went, no issues with bike or rider.
At the last ghat before Pune - forgot the name- one moronic driver caused a jam by trying to overtake while a bus was climbing. Within seconds, it was a 3 km gridlock. Irate drivers got out and I too helped out to clear the mess. Reminded me of the CEAT advt - the road is full of idiots. Thanks to my two wheels vs the other's 4, I sped ahead and the rest of the 4 wheelers were able to catch up after almost 45 mins.
Darkness came short of Chakan. Guys, this patch is a real nightmare and I cannot advise more strongly to exercise max caution in this area, especially during darkness. There are no overhead lights, there are numerous intersections, all without signals, the median plastic tree shaped dividers are broken in patches so the opposite traffic's headlights hit one full in the face and the traffic is very fast, thanks to the lovely road quality. I had bought a new CROSS helmet with a clear visor on Wednesday and was thankful for the superb optics of the visor.
Arrival: 2015h
My wife was happy to see me and the kids were chomping on the famous Nasik seedless grapes in no time. A couple of chilled beers and dinner later, I was refreshed enough to take the family out for ice-cream.
Distance ridden: 450 km, time in saddle: 11 hours.
Equipment
Cramster saddle bags, tank bag and a small soft bag bungeed to the pillion seat. 02 X 5 lit cans filled to simulate petrol. All spares and clothes as per my list for Leh minus the emergency rations. Adequate water as per high altitude norms.
The bike issue
I had noticed on my daily riding in Pune that when I filled the tank up to capacity - 14 lits - the carb seemed to not breathe properly. When the fuel came down to a bit more than 3/4 full, the bike suddenly came to life. This odd attribute was completely proven on the instant trip and twice at that.
Tank full, she just did not want to cross 5000 rpm/5th/60 kph. The carb sounded almost strangulated and any additional throttle input caused knocking. But with some fuel burnt, the carb started sounding typically Pulsar rorty, the revs picked up and she was cruising effortlessly at 5k rpm/70 kph and wanting to go ahead.
Deduction
The carb needs a specified head room of air in the tank for it to correctly mix the fuel with the air which means that below this air space, the FUEL pressure at the main jet is inadequate to sustain revs beyond about 4.5K.
Any inputs on this issue - people facing the same phenomenon etc are welcome. This is an important issue for me: I will have to cater for more fuel outside the tank for my Leh trip then.
Photos
The scenery was very dry. Also, I was a bit pressed for time so did not click any snaps, sorry!
Problems faced
None at all, the Almighty be praised.
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