Thread Approved

Chalo KD aage badho.....

Wow nice pics there & 151 kp/h ? anybody to confirm this digit ? any other NS owner ? not doubting but just wanna confirm if its normal or need a long stretch to reach that !

Thanks a lot for the super quick approval , approved in an hour

Writing the day 1 now in office.. and there goes my productivity

Shahbaz sir : Thanks !! 151kmph is the speedo indicated figure and NS have about 6-8% speedo error(read somewhere in the ownership thread) so that brings the true speed down to 139kmph , many NS owners have reached speeds north of 150. Previsously I had reach a max of 146 on NECE road and Electronic City flyover in Bangalore but 150+ was a first time for me too..

Preparations and the Day 1

As this was my first ride where I was going to tie a bag with bungee cords on my pillion seat, I was pretty excited and could not stop smiling the whole day before the ride. I had always looked up to bikers in this attire with a sense of admiration. And today I was going to be one among them. Today I was going to be on the ROAD. During planning I had some doubts regarding some parts of ride but then I decided to stop worrying about them too much and thought of taking a decision when the time comes.

To add to all my doubts and fears about the solo ride my mom refused and started scolding me for even thinking of doing such a thing. She was like you went to Nandi and Shivanasamudram , i did not say anything, but this is nonsense. And after my mummy's first reaction I thought it was over. One can argue with his brother, managers in office, but winning an argument with my mom was looking very difficult. Hundreds of things went through my mind at that time. Should I cancel the ride or do a small one till pondy? But then I explained how much this ride meant to me and how badly I wanted to do it. I started explaining her about xBhp and how we follow safe riding principles, etc. After 30 minutes of solid discussion she agreed to let me go but with a condition that I should call her two times a day. Then I knew that there is nothing stopping me.

Luggage : One backpack with my clothes ,extra pairs of socks ,2 t shirts, a sweatshirt and a pyjama, 3M 4 way cleaning spray and 3M wet sprayable grease, bajaj toolkit, mobile and cam chargers. This bag was tied to the pillion seat.

One more backpack to keep both my Cameras (one point and shoot and one recently bought DSLR), a tripod, double sided tape, packing tape(thank god I kept this, was put to good use), water bottle and 12 bars of snickers, and one BELKIN mobile on the go charger.

One small notepad was kept in the bag which had details about major points, addresses and emergency contact numbers.

Even though I had GPS in my phone I decided not to use it and place my trust on JPS (Janta Positioning System), that’s one benefit of the population of our country, wherever you go you will find someone.

I would like to thank my brother (Vageesh Dwivedi) for trusting me with his Tamron 70-300mm lens. That lens helped me click some really good shots.



^^Bike washed, polished and loaded !



^^Geared up to ride


Day 1:
Route: Bangalore – Hoskote – Kolar – Chittoor – Sriperumbudur - Chennai

I decided to skip the famous Hosur- Krishnagiri-Vellore route as I had been to Krishnagiri 2 times in the last 40 days. And the Kolar –Chittoor route had lot of 2 laned roads with no divider in between which have trees on both sides and lot of natural curves.

12:21 pm: Started from Kundalahalli Gate, proceeded towards Hoskote and was riding slow to get accustomed with the luggage. After 10-12 kms I started to twist my right wrist to the tunes of the winds. I took my first break after 55kms, drank some water clicked 1-2 pics and was back on saddle in no time. Then I thought to cover some good distance before stopping for lunch. The speedo indicated 110-120 instantly responding to my thirst for speed. But the crosswinds gave me a hard time, I had to keep my steed within 100, above that crosswinds were making it difficult for me to handle the bike; it was flying from one lane to another.



^^Near Kolar

Soon I finished the long straight highway stretch and entered the silent two laned roads. I had to be very careful now, as some bus and taxi drivers think that both of these lanes are owned by them. But my mind was at peace and I started to feel the connection with my Bike which I miss in the cities. I did not plug in headphones; the engine’s high revving exhaust note was music to my ears. It was like me and my bike was having a chat and she pleaded me to take her to open roads more often. Stopped for lunch near Chittoor. Had a nice egg keema and some chapattis for Rs.70/-

3:40 pm: Till then I hadn’t clicked many pictures so decided to take a photo break once I see a water body or a mountain. To my good luck I found both at one place. Took a stop to click this:




Quickly covered the distance till Sriperumbudur then stopped to click some sunset pics:






6:30 pm: Went through small village roads to reach Tambaram and then Okiyampet Thoraipakkam,Chennai my destination for the day.

Total distance covered: 349 kms
Time Taken: 6.5 hours approx

I did not click many pictures ,realized it late as I was too busy in riding ! I will make up for the pictures in the day 2 and day 3 logs.
This was a day of the crosswinds and scorching heat but at the end of the day I slept with a smile.

KD aur kitna wait karwayega ???

Good one buddy, keep riding,

Nice start waiting for more pics and details :-)

Haha.. posted the day 1 and will post day 2 by tonight.

Thanks !! Thats the promise i have made to myself.. a lot of rides to follow

Thanks will post day 2 by tonight !!

The bike has a speedo error of approx 9%.. confirmed using the advanced DGPS system by the AUTOCAR magazine when they tested it...

Bajaj's claim of 136 km/hr top speed is true when the bike's speedo is reading 150 km/hr.....

Day 2 : Full day in pondicherry.

Day 2:
Route: Chennai – Mahabalipuram-Pondicherry

7:00 am: Got up and took out my chain maintenance kit, cleaned and lubed my chain as it had been 600kms since it was cleaned and lubed last. I had to meet some of my college friends and seniors staying in Chennai. After all the chit chats I started for Pondicherry by 10:15 am. I knew the distance is less for today and I can just relax and enjoy the route. As I stayed in Thoraipakkam, OMR road I got connected to ECR very easily without facing any troubles. I was cruising at 90ish speeds and there it was the mighty sea, the sound of waves, I left my throttle to listen to this music. Had heard a lot about the beauty of ECR, and indeed it deserves the praise. The road is well laid with trees covering the road and saving us from the blessings of the sun god. Many times you get a view of the waves hitting the shore and that feeling of riding parallel to a sea is priceless. I envy the bikers in Chennai for they can ride on this road anytime they want.

10:45am: Reached Mahabalipuram, visited the sea shore temple and sat there for a while. The place was quiet but I got various curious looks from the tourists because of my riding gear. One of the foreigners’ kid pointed at me and asked his dad

Kid: Who is this weird guy?
His Dad: That guy is a smart biker, and travels to places on his motorcycle while taking care of his safety.
Kid: But why, when he can take the flight?
His Dad: Trust me, its fun on the motorcycle.
Me (Waved my hand, smiled and said): Exactly, it’s fun.



^^Sea Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram

Upon hearing his answer I was sure that he is also a biker or a close friend of one. After some relaxed moments at the temple I decided to make a move. Joined ECR and vroom, ripped the bike to enjoy the loud yet sweet exhaust note, the winds and the open roads. Stopped at a place covered with trees to click some photos and take a water and snickers break.



^^EEE CEE AAR

12:30 pm: Entered UT Pondicherry and asked people around about some decent places to stay. They directed me to New Bus Stand area. Reached new bus stand in a while; asking direction from locals, and checked in to a hotel.



Receptionist: Sir how many rooms do you want?
Me(a bit confused): One only.
Receptionist: Ask all your biker friends to stay here only sir, we have nice parking.
Me: But I am riding alone.
Receptionist: Oh then you must be a photographer? Are you into wildlife photography (pointing at my tripod which was poking out of my backpack)?
Me: No it’s just a hobby, I am not a professional.
Receptionist: Ok. Have a safe trip sir.
Me: Thanks !!

Dropped my luggage and went out to find delicious lunch. There was a traditional south Indian point next to my hotel. Had one full meal (2 chapattis, unlimited rice with sambhar, rasam, 2-3 different curries, some dry vegetables, and sweet halwa) for 70/- Rs. After having lot of rice I started feeling sleepy but somehow I headed out to Auro Ville.



That place is filled with foreigners, being an Indian and carrying a camera, I felt like a foreign tourist there. The place is peaceful and a very good establishment. I did not meditate but roamed around observed people and checked out their shops for natural stuff. Middle aged to old aged couples riding the moped is a common sight there. Yet to my bad luck whenever I stopped and waited for someone like this to click, they never appeared.



^^People just relax there, some play chess, some sit quiet all by themselves and some just talk to friends over a cup of coffee.



^^He played with sugar and water for 10 mins



^^The replica



6:00 pm: Came back to the new bus stand road and visited the famous Rocky Gandhi Beach. The place was full of tourists. I sat down near a rock and closed my eyes laid back and relaxed there for a while and then started clicking some random photos.



^^Me wearing my Naked Wolves T shirt








^^Lets walk like humans today.


^^Police anna was asking everyone to leave the beach at 6:30pm.

10:00 pm: Had dinner at a place nearby and walked down to the beach area only to realize that nature never sleeps. This time the beach was less crowded and I could hear the waves pretty loud, the strong wind against the face is very soothing. Again I started clicking some random pics and went back to my hotel to sleep soon, as I did not want to miss the sunrise in pondy.










The hide and seek with the sun and a long tough ride from pondy - munnar to follow on day 3.
Stay Tuned !!

KD sahi hai be
awesome clicks
Nice way for Njoying n Learning ur DSLR

am not able to see the pics due to proxy

Day 3: Sunrise surprise and night riding in Munnar

Day 3: Sunrise surprise and night riding in Munnar

5:30 am: Woke up, refreshed and got ready by 6 to witness the sunrise. Packed my cam, tripod and started remembering all the things I had read in various blogs regarding shooting a sunrise. Super excited me reached the Gandhi Beach by 6:15 am, set up the tripod and started clicking some pics to pass my time. The road opposite is blocked for vehicles early morning and late nights, so it was a favorite jogging spot. Spotted many health conscious people and a good number of tourists waiting for the sunrise with great excitement. But the weather had a mood of its own. It started getting all bright and white without showing us the face of sun. It was very cloudy and till 7:00 am I was unable to spot the Sun. And regarding the ride this day I already had doubts, I was not sure that I will be able to reach Munnar in time or not. According to my plan after shooting the sunrise I should have left Pondy by 7, but here I was still waiting desperately for the sun.



^^Me waiting for the sunrise



^^One uncle aunty also waiting for the sunrise. They looked very patient.

7:10 am: The first sight of Sun, it was lovely. Peeking through the clouds hitting the water surface, the rays looked beautiful. Being a lazy software engineer I do not wake up before the Sun often. It was refreshing; I just looked at it for some time, clicked some noob photos, and had some very deep thoughts while drinking a hot cup of tea. Reached the hotel room and packed my stuff quickly. In 10-15 minutes I was all geared up for the ride I had questioned the feasibility of. While checking out the receptionist asked me to show him the photos I clicked in Pondicherry. I explained to him my problem that I was already an hour and a half late than my plan. He understood and nodded with a smile, SAAR you will reach in time.



^^The SUNRISE



^^Fishermen

8:30 am: Time to fuel up, that too in Pondy; Yaay !! Got 10 litres of fuel at 66 Rs pl.

Route planned:
Part 1: Pondy-Cuddalore-Kurinjippadi-Kumbakonam-ThanjavurRumba Nandri Anna(Thank you very much brother), a phrase which I had learnt in my college.

From there started a very difficult ride on narrow bumpy roads with loads of surprises at every 5-6km. A big pothole, or a careless person crossing a road; who does not like to acknowledge the horn, or the clueless animals all around, arrogant bus drivers, I knew that this is a test of my concentration. Whenever I saw a long empty stretch I revved hard but my happiness would end in a few kms. Crossed many villages in this part of my ride, though I like riding on small state highways which go through many villages, but it was not a pleasant experience.

The Chidambaram bypass was the best stretch that I got but that lasted for 5 minutes only. After covering 100 odd kms I was getting a little impatient, there was no opportunity to move fast. Just after crossing a village I thought of accelerating till I see the next hurdle, was doing 80+ kmph and a goat decided to get into my way. Applied brakes my way, i.e. apply it hard; just as when it feels like wheel getting locked leave it for a second and apply again, and again till the bike stops. I call this the camel ride. Of course the engine braking was utilized to keep the bike as stable as possible. I decelerated to 20ish speeds and the goat sees me then, moves aside. Did I forget to mention that there was a bus coming from the opposite direction? Else it would have been easy I could have just changed my lane. Thanked God for saving me and moved ahead.

11:00 am: Reached Kumbakonam, the temple town; the name is just; as even in the outskirts I could spot some big temples. There are many temples in the city but none for the God of Touring or Roads I guess. The whole stretch till Thanjavur from here was in a very bad shape with moderate city traffic. But yes one thing which I liked was I started seeing a lot of TN 49Route:
Part 2: Thanjavur-Trichy-Dindigul-Theni-Munnar

1:45 pm: I was running late by 2 hours, haha it sounds like a railway announcement. I was informed by the Janta that from here to Dindigul is a very wide smooth highway and I could cover some distance quick. And that is what I did, just stopped once to take few photos, and eat some snacks; for the most part I was riding like I stole it. The rev hungry engine of my 200NS was happy. Reached Dindigul in no time and asked some local people about the road conditions and route till Theni. The response I got was making me sad. Soon I came to a point where there were no roads, just dry hard mud on which lot of heavy vehicles were also touring, hence a lot of dust in the air. The next 20 kms were like this. A decent km was followed by 2 km of mud roads, rocky roads, etc. Then I was back in the State Highway kind of roads I love. Reached Theni by 5:00pm and without wasting much time moved towards Munnar.









^^my REVZ-S after doing 100kms in an hour.

5:55 pm: I could see the huge mountains ahead of me and I got a feeling that finally I am here surrendering to the mountains, and asking them to take care of me for the next 2 days. Clicked a sunset pic and moved ahead with a promise that I will respect the mountains and be within my limits.



Soon I was stopped at a police check post. They checked my DL, Registration papers, Insurance and gave me a green signal with a warning to look out for trucks and jeeps coming down and ordered me to ride slow. I humbly agreed to them and was in the lap of mountains. As soon as the ghat roads started I saw a milestone : Munnar 64 kms. It meant 64 kms of pure fun and adventurous ride. A nice end to the tough day I had till then. As I rode uphill the temperature started to fall and I could feel the chill. Soon it was pretty dark and I saw some jeeps coming down at very good (read: risky) speeds. I stopped at a corner drank some water and rode ahead 200% concentration. I could listen to 7 days of the week song from Tokyo Drift in my mind for the whole time. I wished if I could slide my bike through the curves. I held my dreamy horses and came out of the fantasy world. Soon it was too cold and I felt the need to use wind cheater liner for my Spartan Helios jacket. Pulled out the liner and decided not to stop before I reach Munnar.

My relatives forced me to prebook a room as it was Christmas season. I had to find a resort named Spring Dale in Devikulam. Rode my way up and whenever I asked for directions I was told : NARAE PONGE (go straight). I continued saw a sign board with directions for Devikulam, now the hunt for the resort started. I went ahead and tried to enter a home stay to ask some concrete directions for the resort, as there was nobody at that time(8:15pm) on roads. Unfortunately that home stay owner had left his dog open, and I was trying to intrude in his territory. As expected that dog chased me; I took a U turn and left that place ASAP. Took a wrong turn but luckily a local guy riding his bike helped me reach the resort. The headlights of pulsar 200NS were good enough and kept the roads well lit. Upon reaching there the receptionist told me that there was some confusion and my room is not available now. I insisted and started losing my temper as I had already made the payment. So, he arranged a honeymoon cottage for me.

9:00 pm: I was cold, very cold, checked in to my room to find a cozy bed. The receptionist told me that the kitchen is closed now and food cannot be arranged. I was angry but decided not to waste my energy in shouting at him again. Had 4 bars of snickers and some haldiram snacks I had packed for emergency. I realized that my CROSS gloves are not for cold weather. My fingers were numb and the palm had become a bit stiff. I was not feeling sleepy, took out my cam and clicked the Moon at MOONAR. Experimented with some photos of the stars but could not get a satisfactory result.



^^MOON at MOONAR



^^My stay, SPRING DALE Resort.

After a long ride through various types of roads, I was very tired; crashed on bed and slept in no time.