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Riding has no meaning till the time you take the road test. You can run but you cannot hide… so I set out for the trip on my Ninja 650R for the road test which I had been procrastinating since long. I always had heard and read about long trips but I always felt with sports tourer it can’t be done. But the unexplored had to be explored and the notion had to be changed.
It is generally said to take step at a time preferably smalls steps so that you can learn gradually and take your time to adapt and but in my case that didn’t happen at all. I always wanted to go for long bike rides but never got a chance to do so may be due to right company or maybe I avoid large group as I like to be independent. My first ride on my Ninja was to Banbasa 350 odd km which was not a good experience on Ninja as roads were bad and Ninja was uncomfortable to the max due to its riding position and engine heat during the trip and too much taxing on hands due to too much of braking on bad roads.
But when Saurabh discussed with me his plan to go to his home town (Jalgaon, Maharashtra), it ignited a spark which blasted the already lying fuel for riding inside my mind. Without thinking much I said “I am in” for the trip and that was it. Within few days I applied for leaves in office and I was all set.
Now the only question going in my mind was “Such a long ride on Ninja and that also without knowing road conditions and only probable service station in Pune which was 1600km from Gurgaon”. That was a big risk I was taking as I had never read about anyone taking Ninja 650 on such a long ride and also myself being a novice. But to realize the dream, the risk had to be taken.
So the planning started from my side as Saurabh wanted to keep the trip unplanned so as to experience max adventure. But with Ninja I had I had to be little cautious.The planning started from 15th Nov 2015. I drafted the plan (with inputs from Saurabh) below with expected distance between each halt point.
THE PLAN
THE START..
18-DEC | GWALIOR | 330km
Route
NH8 -> Greater Noida -> Yamuna Express Way till Agra -> Mumbai –Agra National Highway Crossing Chambal Ghati – Morena till Gwalior.
Road Conditions
Bit slow within Agra and Mumbai Agra Highway is good and one can cruise between 70-100km/hr easily. No unwanted bumps or breakers but sometimes people do show up in between so caution is advised. Good presence of petrol pumps and puncture repair stations, so no worries from that standpoint.
19-Dec | KHAJURAHO | 290km
Route
Rairu-Dbara Bypass Road-> NH75 via Chatterpur to Bamitha -> Khajuraho
Road Conditions
One of the most excellent roads in MP starts after 30kms from Gwalior which mainly was hilly ride with high frequency of loaded trucks. After crossing Jhansi roads are just excellent & riding is complete bliss. Once you get on to NH75 for next 100kms we were just riders of the storm. We easily blazed at 120km/hr+ and on my Ninja I clocked 170-180km/hr.
We had never expected road conditions to be so excellent with negligible traffic. As the roads crosses through various villages so traffic is negligible as it only consisted of motorbikes & cars on rare occasions. The roads mostly are 2-way but negligible less traffic makes you more confident on such roads.
20-Dec | SANCHI | 330km
Route
NH75-> Chattarpur -> NH 86 ->North-South Corridor (*don’t miss the exit for Sagar city) -> NH86-> Vidisha -> Sanchi
Road Conditions
Excellent roads with all kinds of terrain i.e. Hilly, flat, curvy & scenic. Zero bumps/breakers. Heaven for road trips.
21-Dec | PACHMARHI | 210km
Route
MP SH19 -> Raisen -> Sultanpur -> NH12-> Narmada River -> Pipariya -> Pachmarhi
Road Conditions
Excellent roads with all kinds of terrain i.e. Hilly, flat, curvy & scenic. Zero bumps/breakers.
22-Dec | JALGAON | 500km
Till the time you are with in MP, roads are excellent but moment Maharashtra starts, condition of roards starts getting worse. Some places have virtually no roads due to roads being under construction.
That's where both the riders and machines got tested. Developed a major fault with bullet but the day was saved by a mechanic in the small town of Harda
23-24Dec | PUNE| 400km
Roads are ok from Jalgaon to Pune. But the Aurangabad expressway is the best.
25-Dec|DAMAN|320km
Route
Old Mumbai-Pune Express Highway -> Sion-Panvel Express Highway ->Thane-Belapur Road ->Mulund-Airoli Road ->Ghorbunder Road -> NH8
Road Conditions
Excellent roads with all kinds of terrain i.e. Hilly, flat, curvy & scenic. Zero bumps/breakers.
26-Dec|AHEMDABAD|368km
Route
NH8
Road Conditions
Excellent roads but boring.
27-Dec|UDAIPUR|270km
Route
NH8
Road Conditions
Excellent
28-Dec|AJMER|280km
Route
NH8
Road Conditions
Excellent
29-Dec|GURGAON|362km
Home Sweet Home
It is generally said to take step at a time preferably smalls steps so that you can learn gradually and take your time to adapt and but in my case that didn’t happen at all. I always wanted to go for long bike rides but never got a chance to do so may be due to right company or maybe I avoid large group as I like to be independent. My first ride on my Ninja was to Banbasa 350 odd km which was not a good experience on Ninja as roads were bad and Ninja was uncomfortable to the max due to its riding position and engine heat during the trip and too much taxing on hands due to too much of braking on bad roads.
But when Saurabh discussed with me his plan to go to his home town (Jalgaon, Maharashtra), it ignited a spark which blasted the already lying fuel for riding inside my mind. Without thinking much I said “I am in” for the trip and that was it. Within few days I applied for leaves in office and I was all set.
Now the only question going in my mind was “Such a long ride on Ninja and that also without knowing road conditions and only probable service station in Pune which was 1600km from Gurgaon”. That was a big risk I was taking as I had never read about anyone taking Ninja 650 on such a long ride and also myself being a novice. But to realize the dream, the risk had to be taken.
So the planning started from my side as Saurabh wanted to keep the trip unplanned so as to experience max adventure. But with Ninja I had I had to be little cautious.The planning started from 15th Nov 2015. I drafted the plan (with inputs from Saurabh) below with expected distance between each halt point.
THE PLAN
| FROM | TO | KM | Time (hrs) | Date | S_Time | R_Time | DAY |
| Gurgaon | Gwalior | 330 | 6.5 | 18 | 7:00 AM | 2:00 PM | Friday |
| Gwalior | Khajuraho | 282 | 6 | 19 | 7:00 AM | 1:00 PM | Saturday |
| Khajuraho | Sanchi | 324 | 6.5 | 20 | 7:00 AM | 2:00 PM | Sunday |
| Sanchi | Pachmarhi | 210 | 8 | 21 | 7:00 AM | 3:00 PM | Monday |
| Pachmarhi | Jalgaon | 481 | 10 | 22 | 7:00 AM | 5:00 PM | Tuesday |
| Jalgaon (Solo Trip Starts) | Pune | 389 | 8 | 23 | 7:00 AM | 3:00 PM | Wednesday |
| Pune | Pune | 0 | 24 | Thursday | |||
| Pune | Daman | 312 | 6 | 25 | 7:00 AM | 1:00 PM | Friday |
| Daman | Ahemdabad | 360 | 6 | 26 | 7:00 AM | 1:00 PM | Saturday |
| Ahemdabad | Udaipur | 260 | 5 | 27 | 7:00 AM | 12:00 PM | Sunday |
| Udaipur | Ajmer | 275 | 5.5 | 28 | 7:00 AM | 12:00 PM | Monday |
| Ajmer | Gurgaon | 362 | 7 | 29 | 7:00 AM | 2:00 PM | Tuesday |
THE START..
18-DEC | GWALIOR | 330km
Route
NH8 -> Greater Noida -> Yamuna Express Way till Agra -> Mumbai –Agra National Highway Crossing Chambal Ghati – Morena till Gwalior.
Road Conditions
Bit slow within Agra and Mumbai Agra Highway is good and one can cruise between 70-100km/hr easily. No unwanted bumps or breakers but sometimes people do show up in between so caution is advised. Good presence of petrol pumps and puncture repair stations, so no worries from that standpoint.
19-Dec | KHAJURAHO | 290km
Route
Rairu-Dbara Bypass Road-> NH75 via Chatterpur to Bamitha -> Khajuraho
Road Conditions
One of the most excellent roads in MP starts after 30kms from Gwalior which mainly was hilly ride with high frequency of loaded trucks. After crossing Jhansi roads are just excellent & riding is complete bliss. Once you get on to NH75 for next 100kms we were just riders of the storm. We easily blazed at 120km/hr+ and on my Ninja I clocked 170-180km/hr.
We had never expected road conditions to be so excellent with negligible traffic. As the roads crosses through various villages so traffic is negligible as it only consisted of motorbikes & cars on rare occasions. The roads mostly are 2-way but negligible less traffic makes you more confident on such roads.
20-Dec | SANCHI | 330km
Route
NH75-> Chattarpur -> NH 86 ->North-South Corridor (*don’t miss the exit for Sagar city) -> NH86-> Vidisha -> Sanchi
Road Conditions
Excellent roads with all kinds of terrain i.e. Hilly, flat, curvy & scenic. Zero bumps/breakers. Heaven for road trips.
21-Dec | PACHMARHI | 210km
Route
MP SH19 -> Raisen -> Sultanpur -> NH12-> Narmada River -> Pipariya -> Pachmarhi
Road Conditions
Excellent roads with all kinds of terrain i.e. Hilly, flat, curvy & scenic. Zero bumps/breakers.
22-Dec | JALGAON | 500km
Till the time you are with in MP, roads are excellent but moment Maharashtra starts, condition of roards starts getting worse. Some places have virtually no roads due to roads being under construction.
That's where both the riders and machines got tested. Developed a major fault with bullet but the day was saved by a mechanic in the small town of Harda
23-24Dec | PUNE| 400km
Roads are ok from Jalgaon to Pune. But the Aurangabad expressway is the best.
25-Dec|DAMAN|320km
Route
Old Mumbai-Pune Express Highway -> Sion-Panvel Express Highway ->Thane-Belapur Road ->Mulund-Airoli Road ->Ghorbunder Road -> NH8
Road Conditions
Excellent roads with all kinds of terrain i.e. Hilly, flat, curvy & scenic. Zero bumps/breakers.
26-Dec|AHEMDABAD|368km
Route
NH8
Road Conditions
Excellent roads but boring.
27-Dec|UDAIPUR|270km
Route
NH8
Road Conditions
Excellent
28-Dec|AJMER|280km
Route
NH8
Road Conditions
Excellent
29-Dec|GURGAON|362km
Home Sweet Home
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