Ohh then its ok.

this is a beautiful initiative. kudos to all.

and aryan some nice pics there..i think you forgot the PIN??

Anvancy

Trip Log : Day 1





Trip Log

Day 1

Time : 04:15 am
Place : Home, New Delhi
Said Good bye to mom, gave a good morning kiss to my bike, warmed her engine, set trip meter to zero and zoomed to South Ex In & Out, our meeting point.


Time : 4: 20 am
Place : South Ex In & Out, New Delhi
Although meeting time was 4:30 am but every one was present there before time. Along with ride members (Ken Da, Aryan Da, Psycho, Me, Zayn, Petro) Srivanshu Bhai, Raktim and Addy were also present there to say Best of luck and Good bye to us.
Ken Da made us sign consent forms and we started.
Ken Da led and we all religiously followed him, the weather was a bit chilly, a bit of haze was present in air and above all it was really fun to cruse at three digit speeds on those delhi roads which make us crawl everyday.


Time : 5: 10 am
Place : Near Karnal Bypass, New Delhi
Here we met SikhBiker and finally our group was complete, Ken Da told us that it was OUR ride and now its up us 5 to decide that how we are going to proceed and finally told us about the destination Shimla. We did a group hurdle and some hip hip hurrays and started our Dream Journey.
It was really awesome to ride in those conditions and that even in a group, amazing experience.


Time : 6:30 am
Place : Some toll Both on Delhi - Ambala Highway


At toll Booth


Having some Guru Gyan



Time 8:15 am
Place : Few Kms after Ambala



At the Dhaba


Enjoying The Pararhas



Time 11:30 am
Place : Bajaj Service Station, Panchkula
Initially what we thought just as a routine job, soon turned ito a nightmare or a daymare, whatever one can call it, we did rounds and rounds of Panchkula, just to find a Bajaj service centre, Travelled in almost all the sectors, and finally found one, we were so relived, so happy after finally finding one


The Gear Change Liver


Liver Getting fitted



Time 12:00 noon
Place : Kalka, Start of hills
Ride till Kalka was a breeze, Now the real ride was going to start from here, Ken da and Aryan da, explained us the basics , gave us tips on riding in the hills and how to corner. We were divided in the smaller groups. I along with Zayn was in the first group and we started marching forward. The basic idea was that groups will have a time gap of around 5-10 minutes among them.
It was my first time in the hills and I was really finding it a bit tricky initially, even took 1-2 wrong overtakes, but soon got hang of it, although we were not travelling very fast, as Ken da only said that first try to do things correctly, speed will automatically Increase.
The experience of riding was really really amazing, and I was enjoying a lot. The surrounding, the view, the ambience everything was unbelievable, No words would do justice to my experience, Just loved it. I will never ever forget the same for my entire life

Dada Giving Tips at the Ambala


Me and Zayn prepraing to leave


Leaving for Solan



Inviting Tarmac





Time 1:00 pm
Place : Solan
We were the first to reach Solan, the place was BEAUTIFUL. Me and zyan stopped at a good place and waited for others, Soon other groups also arrived, all the faces were looking so happy, so fresh. It was a wonderful feeling. I again took some tips from Ken Da and after clicking few picswe decided to move forward. But this time other group went first, Me and Zyan 2nd and Kend da swept in the last. We hardly would have crossed 5-6 kms and Ken Da zooooomed passed us, and we were like
But I was driving at my own pace as nither I had that much skills nor my engine was that open.
We stoped at one or two more places to click some wonderful photographs


By Bike at Solan


Whole Group at Solan



Beautiful Hills



Me and Jasmeet Posing


Look at the Mountains



Time 2:10 pm
Place : Hotel Holiday Home, Shimla
Finally Reached Shimla, Although we were feeling a bit tired, but all our faces were smiling, we were happy not only for self but for group. We Checked in Hotel and I shared room with Petro and Zayn. We all took a bit of rest and decided to visit Mall Road and have some Fuel (Read Food)
The way to mall road was steep 30 degree climbing and being a bit tired it was looking like 45 degree, but the ambience of place and presence of some really good friends made it a lot easier

View From Hotel


On Way to Mall Road


Time 4:00 pm
Place: Mall Road, Shimla
We were at the MALL ROAD, one can see almost whole Shimla from here, the place was a beauty, we were running like crazy, clicking pictures at every possible spot and from every possible angle. Jasmeet wanted to search for some garden with fountain where he came when he was a child. And he made us travel quite a few distance to look for it, but in it we were not able to find it. Two hours flew just like that, and yes Ken Da Took a video Interview of all of us

The Famous Church


Ken Da along with Jasmeet, Petro and Zyan


View from Mall Road


Another View


Petro, Zyan, Me and Jasmeet


Beautiful Stachu



Time 6:00 pm
Place : Still Mall Road, Shimla
After so much masti and picture clicking it was time for some serious talk, as it was getting cold so we decided to sit under a shed.
Ken Da and Aryan Da asked each one of us to share our experience so far, what we expected from ride, What were our weaknesses today, what could have been better etc etc.. We all tried to answer in best possible way and in process knew each other better. We really had a very very good talk and some expert advice from both mods. This talk was the 2nd Best thing for me during this whole induction ride. Will never forget it
After talk we decided to have diner, it was early but shops had started closing, so we bought some snacks for 30th morning and had our Diner

The Shed : Under which we chat


Another Beautiful view of stachu


Some Beautiful clicks








Time 9:00 pm
Place : Room No 603, Hotel Holiday Home, Shimla

After Returning to my room and making few calls I tried to sleep but was unsuccessful coz I was DAM happy after such wonderful day
But I closed my eyes said sleep Champ sleep as somewhere deep inside my heart I knew that tomorrow was going to be even Better................


End of Day One

Day 2

WWWWwooooooooooWWWWWWWWWWWWW great Champ nice short descriptive log you have there with beautiful pictures..... I was waiting for this only great great Champ I am so happy for you brother..... waiting eagerly for more


Ken Da and Aryan Da you guys have done a marvellous job... this is gonna move xBhp way ahead. And thanks to you both to make it such a wonderful and happening trip

Cmon guys bring your logs where are others...????

Wow! Champ. Great job. Really enjoyed reading through your log. Well complemented with photographs. I did not realise that you were covering the ride so closely with your camera as well. I however knew that you liked taking pictures seeing the way you did things when we went for the test rides. Hats off to you.

@aryan da: very lovely pics, but those wires spoiled the church pic.
@champ: nice pics and trip log....

for sure..!!

Newbie Induction Ride
Delhi - Shimla
29-30 November 2009


Day 1Now some pics.

L-R Jasmeet,Aryan da,Saurabh at Dhaba


At Dhaba outskirts of Ambala


Talks and Breakfast.


2-2-2 grouping here..


My ride at Kalka


Breather at Solon


Aryan Da on R1


Me on my pony leaving with Aryan da


view from parking lot where we all were staying


En-rout Mall road,shimla


Church


Beautiful Church,Shimla


View of Mall road


Angel


Dinner time


Jasmeet and Aryan da in Hotel
.

End of Day-1

really a nice write up and awesome picture...

Hey, it was fun reading your blog too. Good to see that you guys remembered quite a bit of what you did. Hope you guys maintain such logs on all your trips and also maintain the discipline that you guys showed during the entire trip.

Also wanted to correct you that we reached Shimla at 230PM not 230AM!

Thanks dude.

Hehehehe... yeah exactly DAY-1 was extremely big..lol and another AM how can i do this lolz cant stop laughing..my god...
ok actually Ken da I was writing dear diary in entire trip. cupke-cupke and was the only one who gone to sleep at 12am.

The Ballad of Psycho and Loco

The Ballad of Psycho and Loco (that's what I have decided to name my bike)

November 28th, 2009. 2315 Hrs.
"I can't get to sleep, I think about the implications
Of diving in too deep, And possibly the complications"
"Especially at night, I worry over situations
I know I'll be alright, It's just overkill"
from the song "Overkill" by Colin Hay

Lying in my bed on the night before we had to leave, the above song was on a repeat loop in my head. The anticipation and the adrenaline chanelling through the veins, along with all the gasoline, had made sleeping practically impossible, but it was also necessary to get some shut-eye before embarking upon what was promised to be a whole new experience for us. An induction into the school of tourers. A band of brothers who can live on gasoline and tea for days on end, taking themselves to remote reaches of the continents on machines having two wheels and an engine.

November 29th, 2009. 0315 Hrs.
"Wake up
Grab a brush and put a little makeup
Hide the scars to fade away the shake up
Why'd you leave the keys up on the table?
Here you go create another fable"
from the song "Chop Suey" by System of a Down

The alarm hit me like a bat to the face. I had barely gotten any sleep and suddenly I had to get ready, get into my second skin (the biking gear), and head out to South Ex. to meet the rest of the gang. I reached there at about a quarter past four, and find that apart from the riders undertaking the tour, a few more had gathered to see us off. We waited for theChamp, and then headed to Karnal Bypass where we would meet Sikhbiker and then head north into the (still) night.

The eventual flag off was at about a quarter past five, and initially, our ride was akin to a careful tread on untested waters. Riding in a pre-decided sequence, we headed on, and as a result of road construction, trucks, and no lane markings, the first few kilometers might have been a bit jittery. As we approached Karnal however, after about an hour of riding with Ken Da and Aryan Da flanking us, the first reward was reaped. The beautifully lit Karnal Overpass. Aryan Da had disappeared into the distance as soon as we approached that beautiful stretch of road, and we also upped our pace to make the most of it.

After a brief halt beyond the toll booth at the end of the overpass, we started once more. It was daybreak at about half past six, and we rode on for another hour and a half, stopping next at the Amritsar-Chandigarh bifurcation in the road, and then at a dhaba to gobble some eats. Next stop was Panchkula for some repairs to Petro's ride, and after that, it was time to start what we had been waiting for. To start what we had embarked upon this journey for. To start riding into the hills.

November 29th, 2009. 1200 Hrs.
"The long and winding road
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before
It always leads me here
Lead me to your door."
from the song "The Long and Winding Road" by the Beatles

At noon, we were lined up just beyond the border post where the hills start. Ken Da and Aryan Da stressed upon us the mantras of riding in the hills and making it to the top safely. Split into two groups, and separated by a few minutes, we started the ascent. And this is where it all starts to sink in. The winding and climbing road required us to be one with our rides, to know capabilities, to be wary of the pitfalls, and to respect the limits. And this was the road which was meant for starting the metamorphosis of us beginners into experienced tourers.

The road surface was good, and the curves were inviting us to carry a few extra kilometers worth of speed into them, rewarding the lean-ins and showering us with confidence for the next. Some stretches of the road had just been resurfaced, and it seemed that the brand new tarmac was laid down just so we could enjoy the grip it afforded and take our bikes ever so faster into the corners and out of them. We played this game with the twisties for about an hour, reaching Solan, which had been designated as a regrouping spot.

Heading further up, the experience began to sink in slowly elevating us to a "and nothing else matters" state, and each corner seemed more and more inviting. We then stopped ten or so miles short of Shimla, and snapped a few photographs. Aryan Da, Zayn and Ken Da headed on first, followed by Sikhbiker, Petro, Champ and myself a few minutes later. The last few miles were taken at a slightly sedate pace as some tiredness had also started to kick-in. Regrouping a few kilometers before Shimla, Ken Da led us to our lodgings for the trip, reaching there at about two in the afternoon.

We spent most of the afternoon and evening hanging around the city square in Shimla, and discussed at length about the ride, about minor mistakes that we made and what we need to do to set them right.

After an early dinner and planning to go further the next day, we turned in early to get those eight hours or so of sleep that had eluded most of us the last night.

November 30th, 2009. 0730 Hrs
"Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high"
from the song "Sunshine on my shoulders" by John Denver

The sun was out the next morning, and basking in the winter sun, we warmed up the engines of our bikes. The plan was to head beyond Kufri, take a detour on a mud road back to Mashorba, and get back to Shimla before saying goodbye. The climb to Kufri was steeper, and the curves were more inviting. Refreshed after a good nights sleep, we started attacking them, and despite feeling some drop of power from the carburetted engines, enjoyed every meter of the way to the detour.

Upon reaching the off-roading section, we were instructed to play safe, remember Dhauj, and keep the damned front wheel pointing in the right direction. Once more split into groups, I was teamed up with theChamp, and we headed out first, enjoying the mud road and the sheer drop into the valley just a few feet to our right. Midway through this detour, Zayn and Sikhbiker had taken a left and climbed up a tough route to the highway, but it was not where we were headed, and so while waiting for them, Ken Da lent me his 220 Fi to take for spin. The knobbly tires provided way better grip on the loose track than my bike's tarmac ones were able to mange, and the fuel injected engine was so resilient against the thinning air that on it I was able to hit higher speeds than on my ride for the kilometer or two that I rode it for.

Once regrouped, we started once more down the path, and after a few miles, some on dirt and some on tarmac, with the scenic valley below, we reached the highway, and headed back to Shimla.

November 30th, 2009. 1145 Hrs
"and I wished for so long...
I cannot stay
All the precious moments...
Cannot stay"
from the song Long Road" by Pearl Jam

As we wrapped up our stuff to head back down, there was a sense of accomplishment of having come up to Shimla, having gone beyond, having honed skills off the road, and having enjoyed thoroughly till now, but there also was a lingering gloom in the back of my head that now it was all drawing to a close. I had however overlooked the fact that there were still fifty miles of hills to go down, and that the bike would start gaining power as soon as it tasted some denser air.

The ride down from Shimla was another thoroughly enjoyable experience, dotted with a few stops for regrouping and photosessions. The few times when all seven bikes were descending as a convoy was sure a sight to behold, not just for everyone on the road, but also for us ourselves. I perhaps got the best view of the convoy, having ridden at the tail for quite sometime. Leaning through the valleys, watching the One dispense the traffic with just a slight twist of the wrist, keeping my bike in the upper-power band for the climbing sections, and using all the available engine braking to take the corners is an experience that will remain deeply engraved in my memory for a long long time to come.

After getting down the hills, there was a slight patch of heavy traffic before we were able to reach the highway, and once there, it just seemed to be mere mile munching. To be honest, the hills had spoilt us, and just sitting on the bikes twirling its throttle did not seem to be touring.

It had taken us a fair bit of time to get down and through the heavy traffic patch, and thus the winter sun conspired to set before we were anywhere near our destination. As the last few rays of the setting sun filtered through the trees by the side of the road, we reached Haveli at Karnal, and had a good meal. The ambience of the place is good, and thus it is a top-of-the-list destination for a one day picnic G2G. When that happens though remains to be seen.

November 30th, 2009. 1900 Hrs.
"In our headlights, staring, bleak, beer cans, deer's eyes
On the asphalt underneath, our crushed plans and my lies
Lonely street signs, powerlines, they keep on flashing, flashing by
And we keep riding into the night
It's a late goodbye, such a late goodbye"
adapted from the song "Late Goodbye" by Poets of the Fall

As the night had already descended, we then headed back towards Delhi. Two days of biking might seem a trifle to a seasoned tourer, but for us beginners it was a fairly draining experience, and as a result, I could almost feel myself getting under the thick quilt in my bed for the rest before the next day at office. All the towns, tolls and overpasses flashed by. The massive truck traffic jam entering Delhi was somehow dealt with. And after saying our goodbyes, it was time to head back home, tired, but with mile-wide smiles on our faces.

November 30th, 2009. 2210 Hrs.
"You've crossed the finish line
Won the race but lost your mind
Was it worth it after all?"
from the song "Superman" By Lazlo Bane

Hell YEAH!!!!


Self Evaluation:
1. Organisation and Planning: 4.
2. Mental Preparedness: 5
3. Bike Preparedness: 4 (did not carry extra set of control cables)
4. Safety Precautions before the ride: 4.5 (need propah biking shoes)
5. Safety Measures during the ride: 4 (Made a rash move or two during the ride)
6. Team Spirit and Involvement: 4
7. Overall Improvement before and after the ride: 4


Retrospection:
Just a few days ago I was going through SKSy's Hard Torque thread of being a Biker by Choice. I had always believed that I was a biker by choice, but circumstances somehow had practically reduced me to a mere commuter. The first shot in the arm on the way back to being a biker was the Dhauj outing conducted before the Induction Ride. After a long long time had we ridden out into the wilderness for no other purpose than just riding our bikes and getting better at doing it.

Going to Shimla on a bike was one solid step back to being a biker by choice, but there still is a huge way to go. Just one tour does not make me a complete biker.

Nor does a single tour make me a tourer.

Sure, I am now an inductee into the elite band of brothers who have been to the hills and back, but I should keep it clearly in my mind that I am just an Inductee. There still is a lot of ground to cover, a lot of hills to take the bike up, a lot of valleys to take the bike down into, countless curves to lean into, thousands of miles of hill roads still to see. Many road-side vantage points to stop at and absorb the sublime beauty of the sun shining into the river flowing at the bottom of the ravine. Going high enough to see the clouds in the valleys rather than the rivers at the bottom.

And perhaps even when all this is done, one does not become a full fledged tourer. I guess having what it takes to take five newbies up and down the hills is also necessary. I thus kneel before Aryan Da and Ken Da, seeking their blessings, their leaning skills, their experience, and most of all, their company in future tours, so that one day I could without any reservations call myself a biker and a tourer.

The Photographs
The Participants:












The Pros




The Town








The Views








The Dusk

Wooowwww....!!! That seem to be a great ride you guys had...

Also, Off-lately it is discovered that these newbies are definetly not newbies in writting, great logs people...and some really great pics there....

Specially the one that I liked in the night picture of Shimla, clicked by Zyan....cool...keep it up, you guys have many more thousand kilometers to be covered next....

Brilliant Log there Saurabh no words to describe my feeling.Log with amazing songs is different idea.Kudos to you...

@Manan bhai: Thanks a lot for the compliment.

@Aryan da and Ken da : KUDOS TO YOU..!!..

Beautifully written log and pictures guys. Loved every part of it, reading the log and watching the pictures makes me nostalgic. Thanks for bringing back the memories.