Planning:
Naked Wolves (Bengaluru P200NS owners club) decided to do a special ride on 14th November 2012 to give the children of an orphanage the gift of smile and happiness. The idea was given by Rahul Devnath to Arjun Shankar and the whole group got excited on hearing the first words about it. Upon receiving such a good response we decided to make it big and contribute our time and efforts to make this Children’s day unforgettable for all those kids. We decided the place to be St. Joseph Convent, Kolar Gold Fields (110kms ride from Bengaluru). Khivraj Motors extended their support and promised to arrange the lunch at the venue and encouraged us for this ride. We planned to conduct some events for the kids and provide some good entertainment to them. The ride was named Miles for smiles, the name was suggested by Aayush Sinha.

I would like to quote Mother Teresa here: “It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”


Execution:
On 14th Nov 2012, 28 riders from Bengaluru with a very clear motive to make this day very special for the kids started their ride at 8:30 AM from MG road. We follow strict group riding principles and promote safe riding which xbhp has taught us. We even had a chase car to keep our baggage and transport some stationery items for the kids.

Thanks a lot to Venkat Shyam Sir for letting me use his ride(Ninja 650) to brief about group riding signals



The route followed was: MG Road -> Old Madras Road -> KR Puram -> Hoskote -> Kolar -> KGF

After we crossed city boundaries the toll road welcomed us with wide smooth layers of tarmac and a scenic view to make both the rider and the photographer happy. We were cruising at 70ish speeds and enjoyed riding in disciplined formations; be it staggered or single file. Arjun took the responsibility of leading the group and made the ride safe for all of us. The view for the sweep rider was the best. I love the Naked looks of the NS and this scene of 28 200NS riding together in sync was a visual treat for my eyes.





We took a break near Kolar at Kamat for breakfast. It was a nice place to stop, nice food and lots of space to park our bikes.



Then came a moment which I will remember for a very long time. We started towards KGF, from the flyover we needed to take a very beautiful curve to join the road towards KGF. My eyes just lit up with the joy of leaning into that corner. Started leaning, halfway saw a long black streak on the middle of the road, ignored it and thought it might be just some rubber marks, I was pretty much inclined, but to our bad luck that black streak was oil deposit and we wobbled (at least the 4 of us), but it was our good luck that we were riding the super stable 200NS, 4 bikes wobbled at 75+ speeds halfway down the corner and no crash. We were all like “God Bless the perimeter frame for providing this bike the stability which saved a crash today.”

Lesson Learnt: I will not lean into unknown curves if there is any doubt on my mind.

From there the roads became narrower and sun god started showing us how powerful he is in the open. I must appreciate the Spartan Helios Jacket I was wearing, very good mesh, ventilation was perfect, and air was flowing through my body. A good investment! We reached the convent at 11:30am. A very warm welcome was given to us by the kids and a very good banner was put up by Khivraj to welcome us to this part of Karnataka.



We all forgot about everything else and became a kid once we reached there. Sister Superior Nalini and Sister Sama had asked the kids to be prepared and sit in their auditorium.
We all prayed with the kids, lightened up the lamp and sat along with them.



^^Outside the prayer hall.

We saw some great energetic performances by KTM girls (they were all dressed in white and orange), junior Michael Jackson, and a mix of Hollywood, Bollywood, Kollywood dancers. One group danced on Justin Beiber’s Baby Baby, trust me guys that was the first time I had clapped upon hearing that song. We had asked the sisters to get the drawings from the students in advance. After all the dance performances, we conducted a small quiz, distributed chocolates in response to the correct answers. One of our rider’s (Abrar Ali) brother, Saif Ali was the one who drove the chase car, he is a dancer, a good one. He moved on a slow track by Adnan Sami and won a lot of fans by his performance. Kids were stunned and were inspired, he became a hero for them.



^^ Junior Michael Jackson



^^KTM girls



^^Saif Ali's dance

We took a break for lunch interacted with the kids and celebrated Suraj’s (one of our youngest member) Bday with the traditional butt kicks. We were all surprised to see that no one wastes food there, almost all the kids knew English language, and were well behaved under the supervision of Sisters. A good job done by Sisters to shape up those kids like this.



^^Arjun Serving food to the kids



^^ Smiling Sister - Miles for SMILES : check

Post lunch we gave prizes to best dancers and artists. Some boys showcased their unity by doing some small stunts and building pyramids. We had a small photo shoot with the kids and said good bye to all of them and thanked the whole management for giving us the opportunity to visit.



The return ride started at around 6pm. It was getting dark. Rahul Devnath with his HIDs helped Arjun lead the pack. It was very cold outside and everyone’s thermal liners were coming out of their bags. Some riders left early, because of some other commitments they had to reach home soon. The roads were not so empty this time but still we were able to maintain 70+ kmph. We stopped for a chai/sutta/pee break at a Punjabi dhaba, had a very sweet tea, and a healthy discussion with Rahul Devnath about his Kanyakumari-Ladakh-Kanyakumari, 11000kms ride. With another 50 kms to do, we started cruising at higher speeds, and reached Bengaluru(KR Puram) by 8 pm.

On my way back home, I stopped at McD, ordered my meal and sat down. The thought of having done something good for the kids on children’s day brought a smile on my face too. So Miles for Smiles was successful in bringing smiles on everyone’s faces.

I guess it’s already proven by Surojit’s interstate ride and MG’s Kerela ride that this mini rocket is very comfortable and confidence inspiring when you go for a ride, but I will say it on behalf of Naked Wolves one more time: we all love this powerful machine. It’s beauty, aggression, and the awesomeness has won the hearts of many.






Thanks a lot to every rider who joined us and special thanks to Saif, Vallabh(Photographer) who joined just to help us in organizing it.(They dont own NS but still took the day off for this ride)

Photography Credits : Rahul Devnath, Pramodh M Acharya, Abhilash Lakra, Vallabh Pradeep.

A lot more photos to come !!
Next Set of photos : http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/2...tml#post895250