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A solo ride to "Scotland of India", Kodagu.
Hello to all my fellow members of XBHP. This is Vivek from Chennai and I would like to share my solo ride experience from Chennai to Madikeri and back. This is my very first travelogue in XBHP and I'll try my level best to narrate this travelogue as interesting as possible. As a matter of fact, I have little to no knowledge when it comes to writing. So, kindly bear with me. I'll gradually try to improve in my future travelogues.
The Plan:
"There's no smoke without fire", would be an ideal proverb for my situation. It's been almost a year since I made a long drive with my beast, Thunderbird 350. Last year in the month of June, I rode all the way from Chennai to Munnar in order to get a hands on experience of the Western Ghats. It's been a while and I haven't made any long journeys since then. This march, I switched to a new company with a more relaxed working environment. Thus, a leisure environment had exposed me to several forums. I spend a considerable amount of time in searching for the correct destination for my next ride. Just like any other biker or a tourer, I too wanted to get LEH'd. But, I'm still an amateur. I know that I would need a vast knowledge to understand the complexity of executing such a huge task. When I asked other riders, who have made it all the way to Ladakh advised me to get used to the driving. I was advised to cover all kind of roads as much as possible and to be prepared for the next big thing. I just wanted take an additional leave along with the weekend that followed by the Independence Day. Since I did not plan anything, I returned to office canceling my leave. My Team Leader asked me "You asked for a leave, right?" and I told things did not go as planned. It also made me to think, "Shouldn't I be planning for a ride?".
I would like to add a context to this story. That would be my new "spartan proteus riding pants". I just got them two days back and it made me to plan for a solo ride. All these thoughts occurred within few seconds and I asked my Team Leader whether I can get leaves on Thursday and Friday. His reply was "You need two days from this week? Well, I gotta check with others and will let you know". So, I was certain that I'll get a three day weekend minimum. If it's a four day weekend, then it's a bonus. Didn't think of leaving South India, as 4 days are feasible only to cover places in the four states down south. My choices were minimal, I had three options. Rameswaram, Hampi and Coorg. Rameswaram, because I simply love Dhanushkodi and this is the place I had always wanted to visit but due to unforeseen circumstances, I couldn't make it. Hampi, because of it's Heritage. Coorg, for the weather.
Two reasons I wanted this plan to be executed without a miss:
1. The Riding Pants.
2. I informed my TL regarding the leaves, If I fail to take them, he may not consider my leaves in future.
With the above things taken into consideration, I also had my Thunderbird serviced. It was doing all good but the only problem I had was a chain noise. As suggested by the RE mechanics, I changed my Chain Sprocket. That didn't do any good. Also, I was advised to use Chain lube oil every once in a while. That didn't resolve the problem either. I walked to the service center and explained my problem for the umpteenth time. I finally had it resolved. But I didn't get a response when asked what's causing this problem. Since I told the mechanic that I'm going for a long drive, he added an alternate clutch cable in case of emergency and thanked him for that.
Destination Coorg
I got an approval from my TL on Wednesday, that I can go ahead with my leaves as planned. As soon as he said that, I started preparing for a trip to Rameswaram. The routes were familiar to me and I also get constant updates from the fellow travelers. However, the only thing did not gel well with the plan was an accommodation.Rooms were either full or not available for single. Called few hotels and just wanted to ensure a reservation but most of them were rude and did not answer my query at all. That was not a good start at all. It may seem funny, but if the response is too bad I don't go along with that. Hence, I dropped my plan to Rameswaram. Didn't think about any other places other than Kodagu, formerly called as Coorg. Remember, all this happened on Wednesday evening, just a day before my journey. Coorg wasn't that difficult to plan. All it took was just 15 minutes to sketch the routes and places to be visited. Found an awesome deal at GoIbibo, which was 50% lesser than the original price. Booked the rooms and all set for the ride.
Why Solo?
This is a million dollar question, that you will come across your friends and family. Why would you go all alone driving to a place that you've never been or at least that needs to be enjoyed with friends? Yes, that's a pretty valid question. But, how many of them are ready to go for a road trip? Most of them would back off, if I say them that, it's going to be a bike tour. Also, to be honest, I'm tired of traveling in trains and buses. It's boring. Also, when you go for a solo ride, you're not dependent. You don't have to worry about another fellow driver. You can drive at peace. I know my body and mind. So I always push myself above the average, but I can't do this if I have a fellow rider with me that could lead to devastation, if something goes out of proportion. So, that's why I always prefer going solo. I guess, I've made my introduction part. I'll narrate my complete travelogue once my thread gets approved. For now, let the pictures speak for itself.
Yours truly
Somewhere after Ambur, Chennai-Bangalore Highway
After Kushal Nagar, the road to Madikeri
En-route to Tala Kaveri
Hello to all my fellow members of XBHP. This is Vivek from Chennai and I would like to share my solo ride experience from Chennai to Madikeri and back. This is my very first travelogue in XBHP and I'll try my level best to narrate this travelogue as interesting as possible. As a matter of fact, I have little to no knowledge when it comes to writing. So, kindly bear with me. I'll gradually try to improve in my future travelogues.
The Plan:
"There's no smoke without fire", would be an ideal proverb for my situation. It's been almost a year since I made a long drive with my beast, Thunderbird 350. Last year in the month of June, I rode all the way from Chennai to Munnar in order to get a hands on experience of the Western Ghats. It's been a while and I haven't made any long journeys since then. This march, I switched to a new company with a more relaxed working environment. Thus, a leisure environment had exposed me to several forums. I spend a considerable amount of time in searching for the correct destination for my next ride. Just like any other biker or a tourer, I too wanted to get LEH'd. But, I'm still an amateur. I know that I would need a vast knowledge to understand the complexity of executing such a huge task. When I asked other riders, who have made it all the way to Ladakh advised me to get used to the driving. I was advised to cover all kind of roads as much as possible and to be prepared for the next big thing. I just wanted take an additional leave along with the weekend that followed by the Independence Day. Since I did not plan anything, I returned to office canceling my leave. My Team Leader asked me "You asked for a leave, right?" and I told things did not go as planned. It also made me to think, "Shouldn't I be planning for a ride?".
I would like to add a context to this story. That would be my new "spartan proteus riding pants". I just got them two days back and it made me to plan for a solo ride. All these thoughts occurred within few seconds and I asked my Team Leader whether I can get leaves on Thursday and Friday. His reply was "You need two days from this week? Well, I gotta check with others and will let you know". So, I was certain that I'll get a three day weekend minimum. If it's a four day weekend, then it's a bonus. Didn't think of leaving South India, as 4 days are feasible only to cover places in the four states down south. My choices were minimal, I had three options. Rameswaram, Hampi and Coorg. Rameswaram, because I simply love Dhanushkodi and this is the place I had always wanted to visit but due to unforeseen circumstances, I couldn't make it. Hampi, because of it's Heritage. Coorg, for the weather.
Two reasons I wanted this plan to be executed without a miss:
1. The Riding Pants.
2. I informed my TL regarding the leaves, If I fail to take them, he may not consider my leaves in future.
With the above things taken into consideration, I also had my Thunderbird serviced. It was doing all good but the only problem I had was a chain noise. As suggested by the RE mechanics, I changed my Chain Sprocket. That didn't do any good. Also, I was advised to use Chain lube oil every once in a while. That didn't resolve the problem either. I walked to the service center and explained my problem for the umpteenth time. I finally had it resolved. But I didn't get a response when asked what's causing this problem. Since I told the mechanic that I'm going for a long drive, he added an alternate clutch cable in case of emergency and thanked him for that.
Destination Coorg
I got an approval from my TL on Wednesday, that I can go ahead with my leaves as planned. As soon as he said that, I started preparing for a trip to Rameswaram. The routes were familiar to me and I also get constant updates from the fellow travelers. However, the only thing did not gel well with the plan was an accommodation.Rooms were either full or not available for single. Called few hotels and just wanted to ensure a reservation but most of them were rude and did not answer my query at all. That was not a good start at all. It may seem funny, but if the response is too bad I don't go along with that. Hence, I dropped my plan to Rameswaram. Didn't think about any other places other than Kodagu, formerly called as Coorg. Remember, all this happened on Wednesday evening, just a day before my journey. Coorg wasn't that difficult to plan. All it took was just 15 minutes to sketch the routes and places to be visited. Found an awesome deal at GoIbibo, which was 50% lesser than the original price. Booked the rooms and all set for the ride.
Why Solo?
This is a million dollar question, that you will come across your friends and family. Why would you go all alone driving to a place that you've never been or at least that needs to be enjoyed with friends? Yes, that's a pretty valid question. But, how many of them are ready to go for a road trip? Most of them would back off, if I say them that, it's going to be a bike tour. Also, to be honest, I'm tired of traveling in trains and buses. It's boring. Also, when you go for a solo ride, you're not dependent. You don't have to worry about another fellow driver. You can drive at peace. I know my body and mind. So I always push myself above the average, but I can't do this if I have a fellow rider with me that could lead to devastation, if something goes out of proportion. So, that's why I always prefer going solo. I guess, I've made my introduction part. I'll narrate my complete travelogue once my thread gets approved. For now, let the pictures speak for itself.
Yours truly
Somewhere after Ambur, Chennai-Bangalore Highway
After Kushal Nagar, the road to Madikeri
En-route to Tala Kaveri
Planning to do Rajasthan very soon solo.
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