Re: Day Rides

Day 5 : Valparai

The plan for the day was to ride to Athirapilly Water Falls which was situated in Kerala, some 77 km away from our Hotel. Unfortunately, we were stopped at the Malakkappara Check Post and asked to turn back due to the roads being almost nonexistent, after the devastating Kerala floods. Only Cars and Buses were permitted beyond this point. With sad hearts, we turned around and then over a cup of tea and biscuits (breakfast) we contemplated about where to ride for the remainder of the day. Google aunty suggested the following.



We rode back past the Sholayar Dam on superbly paved roads and back into Valparai town. These pictures are from the Sholayar Dam part of the ride in the morning.



The first part of the ride after Sholayar was to Nirar Dam approx 16 km away from the main town which was on good roads and surrounded by tea plantations on both sides. We were once again stopped at the checkpoint to the dam entrance as no vehicles were allowed beyond that point.



The second part of the ride was to Nallamudi View Point which was 25 km from the main town and this leg of the ride turned out to be a disaster. The roads were all broken and was pure bike-bashing non-stop. The view point at the end was also crappy and people were charged Rs.30/- for this. Anyway, I decided to rest my case and my ass at the only tea stall at the entrance to the view point sipping some lovely chai, watching the tourists making jack asses of themselves and generally minded my own business and the bikes. After 30 mins of sun bathing GB returns with this.



A few minutes after leaving from the view point, GB's Thruxton comes down with a puncture in the rear wheel, in the middle of nowhere. We quickly decided that I would return to the main town of Valparai and find a puncture repair chap and bring him back to repair the Tyre. After bumping and generally feeling like a milkshake I returned to the town to find there were only 2 puncture repair shops. One of them the guy had gone for lunch and the other was too busy with customers to leave his shop and come with me. I then hot footed it back to the hotel and picked up the ResQ Teach air pump which was in GB's bag and spoke to Subhash at the hotel reception to help me find a puncture repair guy. He was more than helpful, and accompanied me on his bike to speak with the first shop I had gone to and who had fortunately returned from lunch. Language is a big barrier down South especially if one is dealing with locals and this is what Subhash helped me with mostly. Anyway Vel (the puncture repair technician), hitched up his lungi and clambered aboard the Ninja waving out to all and sundry in the town. After some more bike-bashing and Vel sliding his crotch into my back, we reached GB's bike after a-hour-and-a-half. The Tyre was quickly patched and air filled in 10 minutes. We then got back into town to get the Tyre checked properly after which we got back to the hotel at 4 pm ravenously hungry. We fortified our tummies with some superb food of biryani & prawns. Lesson to be learnt, it is a good practice to ride with at least one more rider on a long trip and if one is not fond of bad roads, turn back if possible.

The remainder of the evening was spent chilling out, repacking luggage for the next day, and some more food made Chinese style from the next door restaurant before we called it an early night.

Re: Day Rides

Day 6 : Valparai to Ooty



We began our ride from Valparai early at 5.15 am and hit the descent on the ghats with the sun beginning to rise. The forest roads are always beautiful to ride through early morning and this was no exception.



We stopped for tea and a quick break just after the forest reserve checkpoint and Pollachi.



We branched off from Pollachi to take the bypass which is a busy road with a lot of flyovers still under construction, but overall it did save time and more importantly bypassed the city of Coimbatore. Along this bypass we spotted our first KDFC coffee outlet and I quickly screeched to a halt with a big grin on my face. After the most satisfying delicious degree filter coffee (I had 2 cups) and medu vada we continued on our way.



After crossing Mettupalayam the ascent to the hairpins began with the temperature rapidly beginning to drop. Once again the beauty of the hills was mesmerizing and we thoroughly enjoyed the ride. We reached our hotel Sun Park Grand for this overnight stay at around 1.30 pm and after dumping our luggage in the splendily laid out rooms, we headed out for lunch and some chocolate shopping to take back home.



As a treat to help GB fix the puncture on his bike, lunch was on him. We shared two pizzas and the most heavenly chocolate dessert that warmed the cockles of my heart. Thanks Gurpratap, that was burrp yummy!



We relaxed in the evening with the weather freezing at around 10 degree with finally some mild beer and tandoori chicken. It was a beautiful evening with some rich memories in the recent days which ran like a kaleidoscope through our minds.

Re: Day Rides

Day 7 : Ooty to Chitradurga



We began the ride at 5.15 am from our hotel in Ooty and for the first time I used my jacket thermal liner & a light sweater. Progress was slow for the first 30 minutes, due to the dark & extreme cold, which made my eyes water and visor fog up till I could sort out the correct vent adjustments on my lid. The descent in the hills, early in the morning was a fantastic experience as it usually is and we rode more or less continually, till we took a break for tea before entering Bandipur National Park. Here I came across some of those colorful TN buses that I always enjoy seeing.



We entered Bandipur Forest with high expectations of seeing some wildlife, but alas, all we saw was a domesticated elephant in the distance drinking water and some peacocks. Since one is not allowed to stop the bike or any vehicle on this road, we couldn't manage many photographs, but I do have some video footage. The first 20 kms after entering the National Park is characterized by speed breakers placed every 100 meters apart which is a bit of a pain. The natural beauty of this park is astounding and one can't help but feel overawed.



The road after crossing the Bandipur National Park has been widened in some areas to four-lane which we were fortunate to cover rapidly till Mysore for otherwise this stretch is notorious for being a busy road with few opportunities to overtake. On this stretch GB had a close call, when an old man loitering on the side of the otherwise deserted road suddenly decided in all his wisdom to cross it without looking left or right and escaped getting hit by the Thruxton. That chap was saved by the thread of his lungi . GB post that was a little shaken but not stirred and we continued till Mysore, where we took the bypass to avoid going into Mysore city and which thereafter put us directly onto the Mysore Bangalore highway. Somewhere half-way between Mysore and Bangalore was a A2B where we stopped and had some sev puri and tea. I still cant figure out what is high class Indian veg?



We carried on to take the Ring Road instead of the road indicated to Nelamangala before the Ring Road and then stopped a little before Tumkur Town at a CCD for a light lunch of smoked chicken sandwiches and cold coffee.



We reached hotel Naveen Regency situated at Chitradurga by 5.15 pm and after wiping our bikes down, sipping some chai, baths, prep for the next day, we settled in my room for some cold beer and veg food (the restaurant serving non-veg was shut because of Diwali).



As we stopped rolling the cameras post Bangalore, this is the last video from the series Wheels Spin, A Ride to South India.

Re: Day Rides

Day 8 : Nov 10, Chitradurga to Pune 635 km

We left from Hotel Naveen Regency at 5.15 am for the final leg of this marvelous ride. Apart from a few quick halts here and there we were in Kolhapur at around 1.00 pm and decided to have lunch at Mac Donald.



Fortified with a burger and cold coffee we bombed the stretch between Kolhapur to Satara and were pleasantly surprised to see the flyover at Satara complete and operational. A little after Satara, GB refueled his bike and we headed towards Pune. We stopped just after the new Katraj tunnel to bid farewell and also to acclimatize our minds to riding at city speeds, a practice that we usually follow when back from long rides. I reached home at 3.45 pm after being on the road for a week and having ridden 3200 km across some of the most beautiful hills and roads that our country has to offer. My mind is in overdrive and my soul is satisfied, at least for a while with all the beauty that I have experienced. I thank the Almighty to have looked after me and my riding buddy and giving us this opportunity to pull this ride.

"If you want to be happy for a day, drink.
If you want to be happy for a year, marry.
If you want to be happy for a lifetime, ride a motorcycle."
― Anonymous

Re: Day Rides

Great going!

Re: Day Rides

Videos are being posted and an ongoing effort. Refer to the YouTube links at the end of each day's ride in the previous South India ride post

Re: Day Rides

Pushed off to Goa over the weekend for an impromptu ride. Since I was riding alone I didn't shoot any video but just a few photographs. I stayed at my friend Craig's place which is this enormous Portuguese villa in Nerul. The Pune to Goa journey was uneventful as it was probably a Friday, however my fuel management was off and I had to stop to refuel three times between as prices became cheaper once past Maharashtra. I took the Chorla ghat route via Belgaum making stops for lunch at Nipani (breakfast) and Delta (lunch of fried fish & chappati). I stopped at Chorla to take these two photographs



I spent a relaxed and late evening with Craig and a few of his friends munching on some delicious Goa sausage and a sandwich which Craig had made.

I left Candolim at around 6.30 am on Sunday and enjoyed the morning ride on Chorla to return home at 3.30 pm for a late lunch. Road condition updates are posted in the relevant section.

Re: Day Rides

Just back from a glorious Sunday morning ride to Wai. The highway was buzzing with a large number of bikers out amidst super riding weather ranging between 10°C to 15°C. These pictures were taken when we stopped for breakfast after going around Khambatki ghat.

Re: Day Rides

A few assorted pictures from various short Sunday morning rides to Khambatki ghat over the last few weekends.

Re: Day Rides

[MENTION=6008]akshay[/MENTION] I appreciate your zest for riding. Off lately i have been lazy to go for short rides. Somehow it's been stuck in my head that if i take out my bike it would be for long tourings, due to which my bike nowadays stands in the shed for weeks together which is not good. Need to get up and go out there and enjoy the rides.

Re: Day Rides

Hey, believe me long tours take a lot of planning esp for taking time off from work and other stuff, which as a result, happen very few times a year. My advice is to find a friend who has a like-minded passion to ride and scratch the itch by doing short weekend runs of about 150 to 200 km. In this way, you will keep up your riding skills, be satisfied mentally and present more opportunities for pulling long tours. Best of luck!

Re: Day Rides

"You meet some of the nicest people on a motorbike," so goes the saying. We met Amol on his Honda CBR 650F on a spin to Smile Stone which is 20 km before Ahmednagar on a Saturday morning ride and after striking up a friendship we fixed up to ride for Khambatki ghat the following morning. These pictures and video are from this spirited ride amidst a very cold, windy and overcast morning ride.

https://youtu.be/IJ11yAu3-MA

Re: Day Rides

From this morning ride, we met up with George and his Suzuki group who were out on brand new GSX 1000 & 750 bikes.

Re: Day Rides

Ride to the City of Lakes, Udaipur

Day 1 : Pune to Ahmedabad (720 km)

Pyaar, vyaar and Valentine's Day saw Gurpratap and I set off from Pune at 5.15 am heading for the first leg of this ride to Ahmedabad. Riding buddy Amol decided to join us till Khopoli to bid us farewell and also tuck in a morning spin.



We rode past Panvel a little thereafter which was thankfully a smooth experience as people weren't out on the streets and headed towards Airoli where we missed a turn and ended up adding 30 minutes doing a Mumbai darshan thanks to the pathetic signboards. Somewhere along the way in this stretch we had Medu Vadas from a street stall vendor and pushed on towards Fountain hotel to join NH48. After clearing this, we stopped for some tea and fuel in GBs bike.



A little later we crossed the Maharashtra border and entered Gujarat when we reached hotel Ahura which is situated a little after Charoti. This was a meal which we had both been looking forward to even though it was a little early at around 11 am. We ordered mutton kheema pao and cutlets washed down by chai afterwards.



The Mumbai - Ahmedabad highway though in good condition is very dusty and plagued with heavy traffic. After a while it does get boring on the straights and the only excitement was to take a few gentle turns at higher speeds. There are traffic bottlenecks in Surat and Baruch but apart from this it was free flowing. Be careful of idiots driving & riding on the wrong side of the road. We got to Baroda and then took the route via Anand (in good condition throughout) to enter Ahmedabad and then turned right on to Sardar Patel Ring road where our hotel Grand Vinayak was awaiting us for the overnight halt. We reached the hotel at 7 pm and after checking in to our well appointed, air-conditioned rooms, we wiped the bikes down in the basement parking and prepped our gear for the next morning's ride. For dinner we detoxed and ordered room service which consisted off veg chowmein, club sandwich, fresh lime sodas and icecream. We called it an early night as we were rising the next morning at 4.30 am.



Day 2 : Ahmedabad to Udaipur (260 km)

We began our ride at in the dark at 5.30 am amidst bitterly cold weather. As we had heard about the six-lane work going on towards Udaipur, we took a different route via some rustic countryside to eventually rejoin NH48 but bypass the town of Gandhinagar. This was slower going as the roads were narrower than the highway and patchy in some parts. At one stop at a roadside vendor for some hot tea, they were playing Kumar Sanu songs (which GB hates) but one song got stuck in his head which he went on belting out the remainder of the trip.



As we merged onto NH48 the entire highway was dug up on the sides with the six-lane work going on.. This entire stretch is tedious, slow going and treacherous to say the least. Plenty of diversions, unmarked speed breakers, patchy stretches of road, dust etc characterizes this highway. Some pictures from this part of the morning ride till we reached our hotel Bonjour Paradise in Udaipur at 12 pm.



Our hotel Bonjour Paradise was quite nice and is situated close to the Fateh Sagar Lake. There is ample & safe parking coupled with sprawling lawns and a swimming pool. The rooms are well appointed and offer a good view of the forts atop some mountains in the distance.



We quickly checked in and after dumping our luggage proceeded on GB's bike for lunch to Jhumar restaurant which was highly recommended by the hotel chaps. The restaurant was close to the hotel and magnificently overlooks the Fateh Sagar Lake. The lunch was outstanding and I highly recommend this joint to my fellow riders for a relaxed and tasty meal. We ordered the non-veg platter (chicken, mutton & fish) and Lal Maas with rotis.



After this scrumptious lunch and feeling rather full and drowsy, we made our way to visit City Palace. The Palace is situated among narrow crowded lanes and for Rs.25/- they allow you to park the bike a little inside the gates which is much safer and organized. The ticket costs Rs.300/- per head and includes the glass museum (if you do not want to see the glass museum, the price is lower, but not advertised at the ticket counter) but not the view of the Lake Palace, for which there is a separate charge of Rs.30/- per head. The entire place is well maintained and shares some part with the famed Taj Palace hotel.
It was built over a period of nearly 400 years, with contributions from several rulers of the Mewar dynasty. Its construction began in 1553, started by Maharana Udai Singh II of the Sisodia Rajputfamily as he shifted his capital from the erstwhile Chittor to the new found city of Udaipur.[1] The palace is located on the east bank of Lake Pichola and has several palaces built within its complex. (Wikipedia).
I shall let the pictures do the talking.



We wrapped up the sightseeing by about 3.30 pm and headed back to the hotel for some R&R and en-route stopped to refuel the Thruxton.



After a 30 minute nap we wiped our bikes down watching the sunset and had some tea. A shaadi party happening in the hotel saw the bridegroom (sword by his side) and his buddies wistfully looking at us and perhaps having second thoughts, Ha!



The evening was spent chilling at the veranda outside our rooms with some snacks and cold beer.



Day 3 : Udaipur to Daman (600 km)

Yet another early and cold morning greeted us as we left for the return leg at 5.30 am from our hotel in Udaipur. At that time in the morning we sifted through the deserted winding streets of Udaipur and hit the NH48 highway. Our route plan for the day was to return via Modasa - Godhra - Halol - Baroda - Surat - Baruch - Daman. This route would bypass most of the shitty Ahmedabad - Udaipur stretch as well as the city of Ahmedabad.



Somewhere along the highway just after clearing Udaipur we stopped for some tea. A most helpful and well spoken truck driver assisted us with precise directions and road conditions for the route we were about to take.



As soon as we turned off NH48 onto the Modasa - Godhra stretch the road was butter smooth, well marked and scenic. We stopped for a bite to eat, some tea, visor change etc. at a Honest outlet (chain of highway eatery's that were all over Guj).



It was good to finally be able to open up the throttle on this lovely road with less traffic and enjoy the kilometers flash by. After reaching Baroda, we rejoined the Ahmedabad - Mumbai NH48 highway and shortly thereafter pulled over at a restaurant to chug some cold lassi and take a short break.



We continued on the dusty and fairly busy NH48 highway and stopped for another break of tea before Baruch. The weather was fairly warm now in the afternoon. GB took some pictures of the signboards in this still under construction joint we stopped at.



We reached our hotel Sandy Resort at Devka Beach by 5 pm after refueling in Daman en-route from Udvada. After checking in and parking our bags, we headed out on GB's bike for a quick shopping spree and returned to wipe the bikes down for the last leg home the next day. The evening was spent by the poolside having a relaxed dinner at Sandy Resort which was a little overpriced (for crying out loud, who charges for schezwan sauce with golden fried prawns) and watching some corporate shindig in the restaurant area (sausage party) making asses of themselves. The highlight of the meal was the Sandy Special for desert.



Day 4 : Daman - Pune (330 km)

We left the resort in Daman at 5.30 am and exited Daman via Udvada (much smoother and avoids Daman town) where we stopped for a quick cup of tea to warm us up and just before beginning the NH48 highway. We made a stop on the highway to irrigate and have some water just before the sun came up .



We then blitzed the remainder of the highway and made a stop for a vada pao and tea just before Fountain hotel by 8 am. It was good to see a large number of bikes in the opposite direction pulling out from Mumbai for a morning ride.



This time around we didn't make any mistakes negotiating our way through Thane and stopped at the Panvel Mac Donald for a bite to eat and cold coffee. We made short work of the Panvel - Lonavala stretch and stopped for a quick cup of tea at RK Lonavala. We shortly thereafter reached home at 12:45 pm and well in time for lunch.

Re: Day Rides

This is the video from the Ride to Udaipur. Hope you enjoy it and please subscribe to my channel.