Check out this video from a ride to Veer Dam, then via Saswad and then back to Pune about a month ago. Do leave your comments and subscribe to the channel for more.

Riding buddy Gurpratap with Kimi Räikkönen at EICMA 2022. Kimi was at the Kawasaki stall where they met.

Just back from a morning ride to Lonavala. I rode the Ducati Multistrada 950 S today. What a beaut!

Always fan of Akshay bhai's posts. Nice one Bhai.

Thanks. Always a nice feeling to spread some love and receive it

Welcome to my new Ninja Warrior - The Kawasaki Ninja 1000. This is the first set of pictures from my Sunday (15.01.23) morning ride.

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Wow! Awesome. Many congrats on your N1000 Bhai. Happy miles ahead

This travelogue is from a ride to South of India on my new Kawasaki Ninja 1000 and Gurpratap's Ducati Multistrada S. We began this fabulous ride on Jan 21, 2023 and returned back on Jan 29.

Day 1: Pune to Tumkur, 750 kms

We set off from Pune at 5.30 am and were on the highway AH 47 in no time. The weather was cold a rejuvinating 10C with my four cylinders begging to be revved. Our first stop was for breakfast at Sai Inn which is a little before Kolhapur.


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From somewhere between Satara and Kolhapur.

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The roads throughout Karnataka barring the 30 km two-lane road between Dharwad and Hubli are fantastic with hardly any diversions. Some stretches can get a little boring as they are just straight and require you to just keep the throttle pinned open. The Ninja with its 140 hp engine can bomb these stretches with ease as also the cruise control on the Ducati which aids the rider during such occasions.
Lunch break at CCD near Devangere.

We reached Urban Resort, Tumkur by around 5 pm and after wiping our bikes down and had an early dinner washed down by a chilled beer.

Day 2: Tumkur to Kanyakumari - 750 km

We began the ride for this day at 5.30am, This picture from the parking lot at Urban Resort, Tumkur



We made tracks for Hosur circumventing Bangalore via the NICE Ring Road and stopped for breakfast at A2B. Man, the filter coffee and south Indian fare is something out of this world.




We pushed on and made for Dindigul in Tamil Nadu which we reached in time for lunch having covered 450 km. Its uncanny, but whenever we have approached Dindigul we have always seen plenty of goats a few kilometeres before reaching Thalappakatti (means Turban in Tamil) Restaurant which is famous for its mutton dishes. The roads so far were superb which the Ninja was most happy with. We pleasantly realised that our average cruising speeds on the new bikes had gone up by around 15 kmph and that we were in much better shape compared to the earlier bikes of the N300 and Thruxton.

A slightly disheveled Akshay stretching.


One of the tasty meat dishes we had.




We left after this rather heavy lunch and pointed the bikes for Kanyakumari. The roads in Tamil Nadu are top-notch and just the next level. We reached Kanyakumari by 5pm and stopped to take a few pictures.









Trip Meter from Pune

Day 3: Kanyakumari - Sightseeing

Location, location, location, you may have heard this phrase earlier and let me tell you that when in Kanyakumari it is TTDC Hotel Tamil Nādu at Beach Road that you must stay at. The view of the sea and spaciousness is just damn good.

Parking outside our rooms at TTDC.



The beer that is available in TN through their TASMAC (government regulated outlets). They don't believe in mild beer.



We awoke leisurely after a much-needed restful night's sleep and after the complimentary breakfast (south Indian) we decided to walk and visit the Vivekananda Rock Memorial and get an opportunity to see the Thiruvalluvar Statue up close. There is an approach directly from the hotel onto Beach Road and we walked along the promenade where there is a newish Food Court sporting all types of cuisine. I was impressed with how well organized, clean and well-kept the place was.

Breakfast

This series of pictures is from the ferry ride to Vivekananda Rock Memorial which is in the middle of the sea from where you can also see the Thiruvalluvar Statue. The ferry ride Rs.50/- per head if you are willing to wait for at least one-hour in a really long line or take the express ticket at Rs.200/- per head and skip to the front of the line. You have no choice but to get in line for the way back, but the line moves pretty quick.














A good provision and reminder to all the Neanderthals who spit in public places and destroy anything that's good.






All this roaming around the rock makes one thirsty and there is a row of water taps with Aquaguard drinking water to quench one's thirst (reminds me of my school days)





Deja Vu, we had visited this View Tower the last time we had visited Kanyakumari, way back in 2016.


Stopped for a yummy cold coffee at a kiosk on the walk back to the hotel.




Entrance to TTDC


Later in the evening, wiping my bike down for the ride the next day.


View from the hotel room balcony

Day 4: Kanyakumari to Kodaikanal. 350 km


The next morning amidst a drizzle of rain we left Kanyakumari and swung the bikes back onto the highway heading for Kodaikanal. The drizzle was relentless and for some reason we did not put on the rain gear but our riding gear was damp. I had put on the rain covers for my luggage, so the rest of my stuff was kept dry. I had switched the Ninja 1000 riding mode to Low Power (essentially this mode restricts the engine to 70% of the 140hp) and raised the KSTC Traction Control setting to number 2 which allows for more intrusive control by the ECU. I was mighty impressed and felt the difference whilst riding in the wet and the bike inspired confidence in its handling characteristics.

At a restroom in a petrol station



We left AH47 between Madurai and Dindigul and headed towards Batlagundu. This part of the ride takes you past a few small villages and is a relaxed, rustic ride. These pictures are from the hills heading up to Kodai. It had stopped drizzling, though there were some wet patches on the road.












We reached our hotel Le Poshe by Sparsa at lunch-time and which is where we would be staying for the next two days. Some pictures from that afternoon and evening. We had the buffet dinner at the hotel and generally chilled out.

This is the Video for the South Ride in Jan 2023.

We pulled an overnight ride to Ratnagiri District on April 8, 2023. This 670 km round trip took us on the freshly laid tarmac of Anuskura Ghat. Un unplanned detour pulled us to Ratnagiri to buy a helmet and we then finished the day's ride at Amba Ghat. We stayed overnight at The Jungle Resort, Amba which was comfortable in the wooden log cabins. We left early the next morning and had a fantastic ride back to Pune reaching home at 11.15 am.