Day 3: May 3, 2012
Leg 4: Payyanur - Pune
Departure: 0500 hrs, Payyanur

We were supposed to hit the road by 0400 hrs, but due to small delays and subsequent (again, delicious!) breakfast, we delayed the start till 0500 hrs. We bid goodbye to my parents and my grandma, setting off on the treacherous NH 17.

Finally, we set off from there by 0830 hrs with Siva leading me. The road from Surathkal through Udupi to Kundapur is dotted with diversions as four-laning is underway. Here we ran into the famed, mad-n-rash bus drivers of South Canara, one of whom was extremely angry because a couple of (puny) Pulsars had overtaken him! He refused to take it lying down and aggressively started following us, honking loudly. We thankfully managed to pull away from him quickly and set into our riding rhythm once again.

We then stopped at Marvante Beach at 1000 hrs. This is one of the most beautiful roads in India, where the road goes on for a stretch of about 2 kms, right next to the sea. The latter 1 km stretch is extremely picturesque as it is surrounded by the sea on one side and a river on the other! We stopped to relax and took a few pics.

The machines

Both bikes performed admirably well throughout the trip and gave the riders absolutely no hassles.

Kaushik Jayaram, P150:
The P150 required its RVM to be tightened once in Kolhapur and that was the only issue faced. Engine oil levels were checked in Mysore as well as in Kerala and found to be fine. But when the oil level was checked after the trip in Pune, it was observed to be very low, indicating that the oil had been consumed during the last days running. A post-ride service revealed no other issues apart from excess oil consumption. Mileage was 35 kmpl on highways and 40 kmpl on twisty ghat roads.



Siva Chaithanya, P220:Trip Stats

Total Distance Covered: 2253 kms
Total Riding Time: 34.08 hrs
Average Speed: 66 kmph
Average Mileage Returned: 36 kmpl
Cost of Trip (fuel + food): Rs. 5500


Safety

Adequate safety gear was worn at all times, which included a full face helmet, riding jacket with CE approved shoulder - forearm armour, ventilated hard-knuckle gloves, knee guards and strong shoes. All traffic rules were strictly adhered to and riding was fast, never rash. Group riding techniques were followed with both riders leading by turn. Communication between riders by using hand signs and signals was pretty effective.

Scope for improvementThanks!

We would like to thank the following folks for their help and magnanimity, which was essential for the success of this trip. First of all, big thanks to Kunal Bhagi and his entire beautiful family, for housing us at his place and being ever so hospitable. Thanks also to Arjun Manjunatha, one of my earliest biking buddies and one of the few souls who saw reason in what we were doing! I will always remain grateful to my Dad, Mom and my Grandma for not confiscating my driving license when I landed up at home on my bike and for being ok with me and my biking! Big thanks to Karthik Jayaram, Priya and Kashyap Jayaram for convincing my parents to let me keep my license! Thanks also to Karthik Jayaram for giving me his bike and maintaining it so beautifully, that even after 65,000 kms it could handle a trip of this magnitude with no hassles at all! Many thanks to Chaitanya Vijay and Atasi Giri for all their support and continuous encouragement. Big thanks to xbhp - our one stop shop for any and all biking input! Finally, thanks to Siva Chaithanya, my fellow rider for being the crazy guy that he is and for going ahead with all the crazy plans that we come up with.

May there be many more!

Thank you Kaushik for that beautifully written log. You gave me a lot of visibility in those pics .
It was a real pleasure and a very enriching experience. I generally ride with music ON on a trip..atleast for a while. Keeps the spirits up. But this trip was unique. When we started from home, I had music on -but after four songs it felt like the earphones might give me an ache if worn for too long in the helmet. So i decided to save the music to fight sleep if required. So it was just 15 mins of music in 30 hours of riding. When i thought about how i could stay away from the gaane, i realised, i enjoyed each minute of it. We drove on all kinds of roads, passed through all kinds of terrain (except snow - Leh should satisfy that), surprised people, met up with friends, visited college and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I had become one with the bike. The night ride on NH-4 to Bangalore especially, felt like a video game.
All in all, it was an amazing first long trip! Proud to have driven alongside Kaushik Jayaram, from whom i learnt the pleasures in long riding. Would be city-riding my P220 with sunglasses and an air-inflated shirt if not for him . We have done quite a few trips so far and i hope we do many more.

Cheers Mate

Great riders you both are.,
Without skipping a single world,read the log completely .,,

Next time take two more days and treat our eyes with pics..

Take care Siva and Kaushik.,,

Ride safely.,

nice Tlog...njoyed it..

If we take 2 more days, i think we'd end up riding 1.5k kms more
But yes, should take more (and better) pics!
Thanks for your time, i know it was a pretty long log!


Thanks!

Nice log mate... Enjoyed it...
better pics next time

Nice write-up bro... congrats

Excellent

Nicely written log! Tightly written and almost entirely captures the feeling of the tarmac racing by inches beneath your feet. Kudos

P.s-Lucky you found food in Mysore late at night.

Thumbs up

Hey Kaushik,

Your travelogue makes me Nostalgic. Makes me miss my home town. I truly admire your determination during this summer time.

I am sure you will ride more miles and see breathtaking views in future. Keep up this log.

Best Regards,
Kareem

@madelikeagun, @peregrine, @JK and @calibre: thanks a lot guys!

Very detailed log & well written...

Hope you do more rides in future...

simple and a well accomplished ride. and the last day ride was lloong..