Thread approved

Brilliant pics.

Wow... wow... wow... awesome pics there bro... well planned trip... route is also superb.. waiting for the blog... hope you start soon...

You are under arrest for stopping at the expressway

You were here and you didnt inform the Mumbai+Pune guys! :/

Awesome pics, seems to be a great trip.

Nice clicks. Dont make us wait long for the log

Thanks Noor.

Thank you.

1. Zaphod a.k.a Sudharshan was stopped on the Express way by Police. We did not know that the expressway does not allow Motorycles. Heck there was no sign anywhere! And he paid 600 rupees with a challan (was asked 300 rs bribe) but he insisted on a challan and paid 600 Rs. Not to forget he was harrased royally by the Police Mr.Bhosle.
2. We did inform a few. We met MG near Pune. Biru was kind enough to host up a dinner GTG, but we were running short of time (plus i got lost in pune amidst Ganesha Dharshan) and reahed Satara that night by 12:30 AM
3. We reached till Kopoli (near Panvel Exit) - Spoke to Nitin (DarkKnight) too - We were warned of too much traffic in Mumbai and returned back towards Amby Valley

Thanks! It was an amazing trip

Thanks. Will post in as soon as possible.

Another much awaited thread! Beautiful pics, looking forward for the trip log.

nice photographs bro...

Nice pics.......waitin for the rest of the log

Planning the Trip:

I have always wanted to chalk out a plan well in advance before commencement of the trip. Rajv and Sudharshan were also planning for a trip and joined the discussions. This time, I did not have much time to plan things in advance and left it out for as : We ride to Goa, Relax, Proceed onto Maharashtra and depending on the weather (Monsoon was in full glory that time) - See what ever is feasible and ride back Home. Seems like a simple plan, but when riding in a group everything do not go your way.. Three is a Group, remember?

Sudharshan rides an Yamaha FZ 16 and Rajiv rides an Kawasaki Ninja 250R. Though they can ride long distances - They were apprehensive of riding 600+ kilometers in a day. They wanted to extend a day more, but also did not want to lose out on seeing places in MH. So we decided that they would leave a day earlier, and i would join them the next day. Coorg was decided as their destination for Day 0 and they would continue onto reach Mangalore on Day 1, which i would be covering the same from Chennai. The Excitement began, Leaves were approved without any questions and we were all set for an interesting road trip.

Day 0: 02 September 2011 : Where it all starts..

I was doing a night shift that week, and swapped my shift to work in afternoon. I was about to leave and Sudharshan was at my office as early as 5 AM, we had some snacks, coffee and bid him good luck for his ride to Coorg. Rajiv joined him at the highway and they rode on to Coorg reaching by 4 PM.

I was supposed to do an afternoon shift, and planned to return back home earlier to pack things and take good rest before the ride. As unfortunate events happen to me like a regular affair, I was called in to work in a Night shift and not afternoon as some important activity was going on in client's environment. I could not say no, and could not even apply for leaves at the last moment.

I could not sleep the whole day, all i did was clean the bike and pack things up. I normally use my saddlebag (on the Thunderbird / Karizma) for any trip prolonging for 3 or more days. The Cramster saddlebags are of no use on the Ninja and all i had was a tank bag and a back pack. The Tank bag was not enough for the amount of things i was carrying and hence took the biggest backpack i had and dumped everything onto it. Even then, the bag was brimming upto the zipper. I tanked up the bike and left for work thinking i could manage some sleep at work. A stupid change management call dragged up-to 5 hours, leaving me no time to rest. With my eyes closing down in tiredness, i reached home around 5. I slept for 30 minutes, had a nice and refreshing bath, moms special coffee and left home.


Day 1: 03 September 2011 : The Drowsy Ride..

6:10 AM, I was off from Home. Mom dad as usual bid good bye & good luck and my sister cursing me for riding out all the time. I hit the highway, listening to music, one side of the headphone does not work off late which again came as a boon as i could still listen to other vehicular movements. The same boring Chennai - Bangalore highway which i know by heart, i was covering up good speeds infact great speeds. I didnt even bother stopping anywhere, after 3 hours of riding non stop - i stopped for breakfast and fuel at Krishnagiri. 275 Kilometers in less than 3 hours. I slapped my helmet and said, Calm down. This aint a Saddlesore! The A2B was crowded way too much, people were standing in queue to eat. I didn't like it at all, so was back to the road looking out for other options. Stopped by some road side eatery- The menu read: Dosa for 10 rupees and Idly for 2 rupees and Half Boil for 5 Rupees! One of the reasons why i love India so much!


Riding on, Crossed Hosur and got onto the Nice Road and must say worth the 40 rupees for 40 Kilometers and that bypassing Bangalore traffic. The Nice road exited me into Tumkur. I had to dodge the Tumkur town traffic for a while, but as soon as i surpassed Tumkur a beautiful 4 lane road welcomed me. It was more of a pleasant surprise as i was awaiting the pothole ridden 2 Lane road. The speed limit in many zones were 100 KMPH! Yes, you read it right a maximum of 100 Kmph legally allowed! The 4 lane continued on till about 17 kilometers before Hassan. The 2 Lane roads were not bad, few potholes and not much traffic. I had to stop in Hassan for fuel. Did not get premium fuel, so had to settle with normal petrol, but performance was never really a concern with normal fuel. Time was 12:20 and have covered 500 kilometers in 6 Hours.


Weather has been pleasant till now and i took a break just to enjoy the scenery around. Sipping my favorite tender coconut and relaxed along the agricultural fields. The clouds turned black, signalling me its going to turn bad. I put on my rain wear and proceeded on. Roads were not bad, but neither great till i reached the Shiradi Ghats. The ghat section was worse - with rain increasing every minute the roads were all inundated. The gross bus drivers would undauntedly drive on the oncoming so close that i had to exit the road, onto the grass and still miss the bus by a whisker! Not to forget the boulders, water crossings and gravel section which takes a toll on the bike and the rider.


Dodging this 50 kilometer bad stretch took close to 3 hours. The newly laid roads, after Nelyady were a blessing in disguise. Scenic roads, awesome climate and soothing melody in the ears - i could not ask for anything more. There were no network and hence could not get in touch with the other two riders. I had tied up the backpack on the rear seat, and due to the weight the bag kept sliding through and left only a little space for me to sit. I had to constantly push the bag up to let myself sit properly and repeating the same process for 300 kilometers stresses my thighs and hip. I was almost near Mangalore, some 50 kilometers left. Did not see much shops en route to stop for a drink, so continued riding on - few kilometers away spotted a flashy Ninja and another rider, and going near it was fellow riders Rajiv and Sudharshan taking a break at a town called Mani.


Not a bad ride i thought, i have covered close to 700 Kilometers now - and they had covered only about 100 Kilometers since morning! Stopped to have a little chat and proceeded on, and at-last i have some company now. Took a break just before Mangalore, informed Meghan our friend from Mangalore for directions to the hotel where the accommodation was booked.

Surprisingly, Mangalore city was too good. Beautiful concrete roads, not much dust and beautiful women. Aaah, we could not concentrate on the road at all once we were crossing City center Mangalore After running around in circles for 30 minutes, we eventually reached the Hotel, Hotel Srinivas - AC Room costs 1200 Rs approximately - neat room and very good service. Informed Meghan that we have settled up in the hotel, and went down for a nice dinner.

Meghan and friends from Mangalore came to visit us at the room. Had a wonderful time speaking to the whole gang. As friends kept on increasing, we didn't know how time passed by and it was close to 11 PM. Over all a wonderful day with lots of riding, meeting new friends and pleasant memories. Crashed in by mid night, and we have a lot of riding to cover the next day. Tomorrow, we are going to GOA!

Road Conditions:

Chennai - Bangalore : Awesome 4 Lane Roads, Boring to me since i have ridden through it a lot.

Bangalore - Channarayapattana - Awesome newly laid 4 Lane road

Channarayapattana till Sakleshpur - Decent 2 Lane Roads.

Sakleshpura till Nelyady - Bad roads, Caution - Ride Slow and Ride Safe!

Nelyady till Mangalore - Good Roads, few intersections are bad due to road construction / gravel roads.

Thanks Machi!

Thanks!

Thanks! Will Post as and when possible!

Few more pictures from the day..

Awesome ride and really beautiful pics there Ananth ! Great going !

Take Care & Ride Safe !

Anath

Nice trip there and as usual awesome pics...