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Few months back I bought my first motorcycle Apache RTR 2004V Race Edition 2.0. Before that I had no experience of riding other than the rare occasional drives on my friends' motorbikes. I always wanted to travel, and I believe the idea of moving on two wheels gives me the freedom.
My dream is always long rides, and I had already planned a trip to my home in Kerala before the purchase. It is around 600kms from Bangalore which was a very big challenge for a total beginner like me who knew very little about a motorcycle. I knew I had to ride all day long. So I had to start preparing myself mentally and physically for it. I had to finish the run in period as well, so there was time to get ready.
Then came the days of reading travelogues, watching long trip vlogs, advices and info, learning what to do when, what not o do, how to behave on road, what to carry, extreme weather, stories of accidents, crimes etc etc. Being aware of the inherent risks on the roads, I started purchasing riding gears within my budget after some research.
Initially I had a fear whether I could manage the power delivered by the motorcycle, if I could balance the weight etc, you know those feelings when you get a new bike. After the first few days I never looked back. Every weekend Saturday/Sunday morning I used to wake up around 5:30 AM and go for ride covering more than 100kms in one stretch. Usually I go around Bangalore ring roads or outside the city and come back. I use to exercise daily and sleep for a minimum of 7 hours at night, this helped me stay fit with more stamina. Even after the continuous 2-3 hour morning rides, I felt less tired and really active. I got comfortable with the riding gears and riding posture as well. This helped me build confidence for a continues 12-14 hour journey.
I was least worried about the motorcycle as it was brand new. I followed the usual advices, rode around 50kmph during my first 500kms safely under 4k rpm and had the first service. Gradually I moved to higher speeds and rpms during the next 500kms. I knew the machine could take what I was planning to do to it.
My home is in Pala, Kottayam district which is around 600kms from Bangalore. I was determined to finish the ride in one day. Initial plan was to take the route Bangalore- Salem- Coimbatore- Palakkad- Pala, but unfortunately it started raining heavily and flood started out in Kerala in this route. So I decided to take the other route BLR- Salem- Dindigul- Kumily- Pala.
I did not get the RC card yet. It was the previous day to my trip day, so I called the showroom. I had already enquired multiple times and every reply was 'it will take minimum 90 days to get it from RTO'. When they repeated the same story this time after 60 days of purchase, I shouted at the showroom guy to check if they had the card with them in showroom. And they had it with them. I collected the card, filled the tank, packed my luggage anticipating rain during my journey and went to bed exactly at 9:00PM, but I slept late thinking about the ride. It was 3:00AM when my alarm sounded. Right before the ride I shared my live location in WhatsApp to my family, friends as well as colleagues. This location share gets expired after 8 hours and I didn't forget to update it in between the ride. I did set the Google Maps route. By 3:30AM 11th August I started my ride.
I felt the breeze. There was very less traffic in the morning and I could see me cruising through the highway. I hoped to see the sunrise but it was cloudy. At 7:00AM after covering the first 200kms, I took rest for some 20 minutes somewhere near Salem and had a snicker bar for breakfast. After one more hour of riding I had another 7 minutes of break. Then I had my 6 hour continuous ride of 290kms before another 10 minute break for my so called lunch which was a snicker bar again. I had already entered the Western Ghats. I always consumed water in between to keep me hydrated, fortunately it was not too sunny at any point of time.
I reached home safely around 5:30PM. It took about 14 hours to travel around 600 kms with about 15 litres of petrol.
Thank you for reading.
PS: Not sure of the category to which this one should go into! And the pics, I have them edited a little. I never thought I would post them here.
My dream is always long rides, and I had already planned a trip to my home in Kerala before the purchase. It is around 600kms from Bangalore which was a very big challenge for a total beginner like me who knew very little about a motorcycle. I knew I had to ride all day long. So I had to start preparing myself mentally and physically for it. I had to finish the run in period as well, so there was time to get ready.
Then came the days of reading travelogues, watching long trip vlogs, advices and info, learning what to do when, what not o do, how to behave on road, what to carry, extreme weather, stories of accidents, crimes etc etc. Being aware of the inherent risks on the roads, I started purchasing riding gears within my budget after some research.
Initially I had a fear whether I could manage the power delivered by the motorcycle, if I could balance the weight etc, you know those feelings when you get a new bike. After the first few days I never looked back. Every weekend Saturday/Sunday morning I used to wake up around 5:30 AM and go for ride covering more than 100kms in one stretch. Usually I go around Bangalore ring roads or outside the city and come back. I use to exercise daily and sleep for a minimum of 7 hours at night, this helped me stay fit with more stamina. Even after the continuous 2-3 hour morning rides, I felt less tired and really active. I got comfortable with the riding gears and riding posture as well. This helped me build confidence for a continues 12-14 hour journey.
I was least worried about the motorcycle as it was brand new. I followed the usual advices, rode around 50kmph during my first 500kms safely under 4k rpm and had the first service. Gradually I moved to higher speeds and rpms during the next 500kms. I knew the machine could take what I was planning to do to it.
My home is in Pala, Kottayam district which is around 600kms from Bangalore. I was determined to finish the ride in one day. Initial plan was to take the route Bangalore- Salem- Coimbatore- Palakkad- Pala, but unfortunately it started raining heavily and flood started out in Kerala in this route. So I decided to take the other route BLR- Salem- Dindigul- Kumily- Pala.
I did not get the RC card yet. It was the previous day to my trip day, so I called the showroom. I had already enquired multiple times and every reply was 'it will take minimum 90 days to get it from RTO'. When they repeated the same story this time after 60 days of purchase, I shouted at the showroom guy to check if they had the card with them in showroom. And they had it with them. I collected the card, filled the tank, packed my luggage anticipating rain during my journey and went to bed exactly at 9:00PM, but I slept late thinking about the ride. It was 3:00AM when my alarm sounded. Right before the ride I shared my live location in WhatsApp to my family, friends as well as colleagues. This location share gets expired after 8 hours and I didn't forget to update it in between the ride. I did set the Google Maps route. By 3:30AM 11th August I started my ride.
I felt the breeze. There was very less traffic in the morning and I could see me cruising through the highway. I hoped to see the sunrise but it was cloudy. At 7:00AM after covering the first 200kms, I took rest for some 20 minutes somewhere near Salem and had a snicker bar for breakfast. After one more hour of riding I had another 7 minutes of break. Then I had my 6 hour continuous ride of 290kms before another 10 minute break for my so called lunch which was a snicker bar again. I had already entered the Western Ghats. I always consumed water in between to keep me hydrated, fortunately it was not too sunny at any point of time.
I reached home safely around 5:30PM. It took about 14 hours to travel around 600 kms with about 15 litres of petrol.
Thank you for reading.
PS: Not sure of the category to which this one should go into! And the pics, I have them edited a little. I never thought I would post them here.
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