Re: Run to the Hills - Pune to Ooty

Travelogue Approved

Cool bikes you guys riding on. Hope to see some slightly less grainy pictures

Re: Run to the Hills - Pune to Ooty

Day 2 Tues Feb 11

We were up early and raring to go for the 400km stretch to Ooty. Our original route plan was to head for Mysore from Hiriyur which is 40km after Chitradurga, but after having a word with the hotel manager who told us that Mysore via Tumkur would be a better bet as the road was bad from Hiriyur though a little longer (Chitradurga - Tumkur 130km AH47). We opted for the manager's advice which turned out to be sound. After a quick breakfast of some super medu vada we began the ride at 7:45am. We reached Tumkur which was just 78km from Bangalore at around 10:30am. We now set our bearings for Mysore (155km). From here on we were off the AH47 and onto State Highways. The stretch between Tumkur and Konigal (30km) is filled with potholes which slowed us down considerably. From Konigal we got onto SH19 and our heading was Nagamangala - Pandavapura. There is a brief 30km stretch on the Bangalore - Mangalore expressway (bikes allowed) where one has to turn left to the Mysore Road. We then proceeded to Mysore which was slow going due to traffic. In Mysore take the ring road leading to Mysore Race Club, Zoo, Mysore Palace and then the road to Ooty. In Mysore city we separated and lost 30min. We finally regrouped and set our sights for Ooty. The Mysore Ooty road was full of traffic and we were getting tired after riding in the hot sun post Tumkur on not-so-good roads, so we stopped at 4pm for lunch at a roadside dhaba.

After a leisurely lunch we crawled along the Mysore Ooty highway and reached Bandipur National Park by around 6pm with the sun beginning to set. We were looking forward to climb the 36 hairpin road to Ooty but we first made a stop just a little after the Bandipur Forest Reserve for a break. Here we met with some locals who had come down from Ooty for a drive who put us on to a hotel (Sun Park) in Ooty so that we wouldn't waste time hunting for accommodation once we reached. We put on our jacket liners, changed visor, had tea, watched a volleyball match and then left for the final stretch to Ooty at around 6:45pm. Despite it being pitch dark with the temperature plummeting to 5 degrees the climb up the hill was awesome. There was no traffic against us so the vision from our bike headlights lit up the hills making it a pleasure to ride. We reached our hotel at around 8:00pm. After checking in and relaxing we ordered supper from kebab corner which was so-so after which we called it a night with a smile on our faces. Being off-season the hotel was operating on a skeleton staff, so room service was basic tea & snacks. The cost for the room Rs.2400/- per night, Rs.700/- extra for the heater.

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Day 3 Wed Feb 12

We woke up late and decided to get the bikes washed, have a long lunch (Hyderabad Biryani House) and do some shopping for our folks back home. Ooty is renowned for their spices, green tea, chocolates and oils. After doing all that and refueling we headed back to chill out in the hotel by 4:00pm. Xerxis went for a stroll (read check out the local talent) and I wanted to laze around. We called it an early night as we wanted to begin early the next morning if we were to avoid the traffic on the Ooty - Mysore Road. We had decided to stick to the same route whilst returning that we took whilst coming to Ooty, with the exception that we target Hubli (650km from Ooty) for the night halt as Xerxis wanted to return directly to Mumbai on Feb 14. Valentine day celebration!!

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Apologies for the poor picture quality. All the pictures taken were from a blackberry phone & Samsung tablet. The memories I can assure you are life like and vivid.

Re: Run to the Hills - Pune to Ooty

Day 4 Thurs Feb 13

We began our ride at 6:40am amidst darkness, bone chilling cold and foggy weather. The visor could not be left closed as our vision would fog up in seconds so with no alternative, we had to leave it open & be subjected to our eyes watering profusely. We rode slowly and began our descent down the 36 hairpin which after around 10 bends the sun came up and the weather warmed up a little. We were now able to close the visor and push a little speed. Xerxis wanted to spend some time in the Bandipur Forest taking pictures of the wildlife (deer, monkeys, peacocks, elephants). We then proceeded to Mysore which at that time in the morning we reached around 10:30am. We had a brief halt for tea before entering Mysore and proceeded to negotiate our way through the city. We reached Tumkur at around 2pm which after a short break we got onto the AH47 with our sights on Chitradurga and Hubli. We reached Hubli at 7pm and I can tell you that it was one of the worst towns that I have been to. It was over crowded, completely disorganized traffic & people, terrible roads, no signboards whatsoever and in one hell of a mess. After searching for a hotel which took us from the west of the city to the east we finally found a place called Hans Hotel at 8:30pm. This was our hardest day of riding amongst all five days. We had covered 650km with the Hubli episode a dampener. The hotel was nice but a little steep at Rs.3400/-. By the time we finished dinner and freshened up we retired for the night at 11:30pm.

Re: Run to the Hills - Pune to Ooty

Great Ride... Both bikes are looking gud.. But I like the windscreen of Duke 390.. Looking cool on it..

Re: Run to the Hills - Pune to Ooty

Thanks. The windscreen on the Duke that Xerxis installed was super and I highly recomend it for long distance high speed touring. This particular windscreen is made by a German company MRA and is available at JD Promoto in Mumbai for Rs.8000/-. It is adjustable for height and angle.

Re: Run to the Hills - Pune to Ooty

Alright... I think I came across the DIY thread about this windscreen...

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Conclusion:

We had completed an epic ride crossing 3 state borders, with many super memories like the one where the driver fell off from the truck chassis because he fell asleep and suddenly the truck was driver-less banging all over the highway. The warmth and hospitality of people all along our journey when we stopped. The beauty that our great Country has to offer. We left as men and returned as rock-stars!!

Re: Run to the Hills - Pune to Ooty

The Bikes:
Both bikes are well mated to pull long rides and eat up tarmac with efficient precision. The ideal cruising speed was 110 to 120kmph on AH47. Both bikes have loads of overtaking power on tap and there were short times we let open the throttle which left us amazed at how fast we covered distance. There were times we had to smoke a couple of cagers who began to bother us on the highway – no problem in doing so. Both bikes are very reliable with absolutely no mechanical/electrical problems throughout the entire ride. The KTM390 being a naked bike does subject the rider to more wind buffeting especially at higher speeds which is pronounced when riding in a crosswind, this was despite the after-market touring windscreen that Xerxis had installed on his bike which really helped. After 110kmph expect your visor to be plastered with bugs which is a nuisance, this problem is at its worst during sundown. The slipper clutch on the Ninja300 was fantastic and came into play on the 36 hairpin descent. Petrol prices are cheaper in TN by around Rs.5/-when compared to Pune. The safe fuel range on the KTM390 was a modest 200km which entailed frequent fueling halts. My Ninja300 made the entire round trip on 5 full tanks.

Re: Run to the Hills - Pune to Ooty

The route map which we took on our ride