A RiDe so Enjoying!!!

Hey frnds !!! 1st my sincere regrets for those who were unable to make the ride possible for themselves . Anways a good wished to those who made this ride an gr8 memory to last until the next ride in future.
I wanted to share my thoughts with all you guys.
The Day of Demanded was on 10th April 2010 Sat, ah !! that was an weekend which most of us were waiting mostly me for the ride towards the hills with other like minded/hill lovers/ etc etc .
DAY 1
So by 4:30am I, Aryan Da, Zyan,Anshuman, Anusheel left for the destination we were joined by Kunjal near ISBt and here we go ramming our engines towards the Hills. By day break we gorged upon some nice parathas at the JhilMil dhaba and again an long stretch to Kalka. Avg speed was almost 85-95kmph and it was neither speedy nor slow but all enjoiing the day like anything.

From Kalka we are almost given the glimpse of Hills and then we started enjoying the ride. By Dharampur we met with Shivanshu,Kurt,Abhishek.
Now the ride really gets serious as we snake past through trucks, small cars and often BMW's . Towards hills we were almost divided in small groups of 3-4 bikes snaking up into the hills of Himanchal Pradesh.For me it was my first ride in the hills of North India and that too with an group as I had done North Sikkim way back in 2006 & 07. Well the was an difference between the terrain of both the states but the rider was the same i.e Rpmboy or Uday or me.
Watching the dance of bikes and that too in an professional way was so eye candid and the bikes were also going superbly. It was almost like Tokyo Drift session but on bikes. What I reconciled in the ride is that you tend to ride more cautiosly when you are in an group due to positive peer pressure.
All the riders were acting like an grown up boys enjoying the ride thats it ,all present for some serious riding action no "beep beep" close to what so ever.
We reached Naldhera by almost 12:23pm, which was as calculated by Aryan Da and quite an decent ride down by all the members. We were welcomed by the staff with warm welcome and let me remind you he felt us like we had left his hotel and forgotten him for long. He made us feel like small brothers who have been naughty on the road but they are hungry back home.Nobdy almost counted the number of chappatis we ate , roti just keeps on coming and all emtied the serving plate.. Dont be afraid there was no famine in Naldhera afterwards !!!
After an good food like all Indian & like all bikers ,most of us were feeling very sleepy as last friday was such an thing to sleep.
A quick nap eased all and I must share with you that I dreamt of riding in the Hills in my subconsience mind too.With an quick nap all setled down to have an photo shoot which you have already seen in the 1st page itself. Then started hunting down for some non-veg food and later found that eggs were offered by hotel itself , so again an quick tiffin comprising of Omlette& Bread settled our hunger.
After that we took an decision to take an new route from Naldhera to Dharampur bypassing Shimla. Dinner was equally brilliant and after that we had an "Fire-Less" campfire on the roof of Hotel with breeze kissing us in all parts of the body.
And Yes !! one thing Kurt bhai knws these hills like u knw ur Class-X marks, it was like an google mapping system within human being. Bhaiya take this an comittment from me you are the best person to ask when venturing into the Hills in this part of India.
So, Day 2 in my words was awsome with all bikes following the stacks and maintaining the distance and responsiblities within each other . I'll share with you very soon !!! watchout for this space !!!!

Overnight G2G; riding with some of the best riders - riding in night ; enjoying on top of terrace with all the 11 riders laughing away to glory under the starry night, cracking jokes ohh YES this was one of the best rides I have had so far with such a large group.

Well my ride started on Saturday morning i.e. 10th April, 2010 at 0130hrs. Why so early? Well here is the answer - When I got my R15 I decided that whenever I would start touring on this bike, I would go at Monkey Point, Lord Hanuman's temple. But at the same time I had to ride along with Official Overnight G2G of the Delhi xBhp chapter as well. But just for my own needs I couldnt let other riders take a detour. So i decided to go to Monkey Point, Kasauli, take Lord Hanuman's Blessing and then join the whole group at Dharampur.

Now sitting at dhaba in evening as usual, was discussing it with Abhishek2433. Yes the same guys who is another great tourer and great rider too, it was a pleasure to ride with him. He said he will join me but not sure whether he will be climbing up at Monkey Point. I thought fair enough. Hence, the plan started. Abhishek and I decided we should cover the plains as early as possible, this was done keeping in mind the group of other riders would be leaving by 4:30am. So we had to meet them by 10:30am at Dharampur.

All was set Abhishek got his bike serviced; mine was also all ready to ride to hills for the first time. Her ODO was 2060kms. Now Friday after office there came some urgent work due to which I reached my room at 10pm. simply had my dinner and crashed. Alarm was set to 0030hrs, but at 0020hrs Abhishek calls me saying - "uth jata toh hum nikal lenege 0130hrs ko" I was like okie. Did all the morning rituals, and packed up my bike and hit the road at around 0115hrs. Had to meet Abhishek at a Petrol Pump where I reached a bit early. Riding in morning or late nights is another pleasure. Well I was standing outside on road with my bike and luggage, lit up a smoke, did a final check of tyre pressure, bungees all tied up properly and then I see Avenger coming and yes it was Abhishek. And then we both hit the roads.

Riding with Abhishek2433 was a pleasure he is indeed a Great Rider. We rode till Panchkula met Kurtrules there, and then we rode to Kasauli. Ohh Kurtrules can be officially declared as Hill Boy as he is one of the best riders of hill I have met . Roads to Kasauli have gone a bit bad but proper riding ensures you that you will enjoy it. And after visiting Monkey Point, we were at Dharampur at around 1015am. I was having my breakfast at that time, when I saw the whole group coming. I finished it fast, and then met with all. After that we started riding ahead.

Now we were a group of riders. Riding in hills is very different from riding in plains. Who have done it they know it very well. And riding a group in hills is not easy. It needs good understanding about the respective machine, good confidence on themselves, proper coordination and riding as per their own capability. And above all this, riding in group in hills DOESNT MEAN to follow the rider in front. In hills riding is an individual's game, it doesnt matter if youu are in a group or not.

Hence, we all left as a group of 11riders. All were riding sanely and with their own comfortable pace. I liked this very much; Hills are one place where all riders have to ride as per their own capability and Yes we all were riding this way. Keeping our distance and speed, we were enjoying the twisties and the beautiful tarmac. The views started becoming beautiful and the roads were all smooth. Though traffic was there in between when we used to come across some village, but not much. We used to stop lets say after an hour of ride to re-group and then leave again. All the riders were riding properly and enjoying every moment of this. Like this we reached Shimla where we encountered a bit of traffic jam. After crossing the traffic jam we reached Naldhera at around 1330hrs. The place was all quite with the magnificent Golf Club right across our Hotel. Hotel was beautiful and the view was magnificent. Thanks to OF Sir for this . Discipline is what needed in a hill ride and yes everyone showed that in this ride.

Then the usual chit chat sessions began after a good wash and lunch. Kurt and me went ahead after lunch to see some more places nearby, so took our steeds and rode around 10 to 15kms ahead of Naldhera towards Tattapani. but due to scorching heat even in hills we stopped by and sat under a shop sipping Cold Drink. There Kurt gave some tips about Hill Riding (which I would always keep in mind) and general chit chat. And it was great to spent some time with Kurt he is a very nice person and yes a n excellent Hill Rider. After that went back to the Hotel, then the photo sessions started, clicked some pictures. And then had our evening tea. General discussions continued with some jokes being cracked in between. We all sat in one room and were chit chatting. Then at dinner time, it was suggested by Kurt to leave early in morning so to experience the beauty of the valley with sunrise. It would be a sort of night riding as well. All agreed to it and keeping that into consideration we crashed early. The time we left our hotels in morning was 0500hrs. The valley was pitch dark, few riders were riding in dark and that also in hills for first time. So we were all ready and outside on our bikes all ready to leave. Then before leaving Aryan briefed us all about the ride, the formation and leader and sweeper were decided with the riders position in the group. And yes I was the sweeper and man I was lucky to be one .

We left from our hotel at 0500hrs and maintain the gapping in between all were riding properly and as per the instruction given. And being the Sweeper of the group I had one of my dreams come true. Watching 10 bikes ahead of me on those twisties was a treat to eyes, It was like the stars with a red tail light are moving in those hills which was pitch black at that moment, made it look more beautiful than I had expected. Watching the headlight glow on the hills was damn amazing I can’t even express it in words. Was just missing someone with a digi cam behind to capture this moment of our ride. And as the Sun started rising the valley started coming to life. And the view was jaw dropping at some places all thanks to Kurt for making our morning so beautiful. He knows the hills like the back of his hands.

All riders rode very well & safely and like a mature person which was great. This hill ride was beautiful. I had fun riding my R15 for the very first time in hills and she rocks man. The whole credit goes to Aryan Da who at first place organized this official ride. Then my sincere thanks to Abhishek2433 with whom it was a pleasure riding in night, marvelous rider he is. And then Kurtrules for joining in at Panchkula and then riding along with us till we hit NH1 back to Delhi. Kurt is one Gem of a person, enjoyed his presence a lot. And thanks to all the 11riders for making this ride a pleasurable moment, it won’t have been possible without you all. And another person who deserves attention is SarabhFI who after giving his interview at Chandigarh came to Naldhera all alone just to join us. Thank you all for making this ride happen and for making it happen safely.

Looking for more of such rides in future. Till then RIDE SAFE

Now let the pics do the talk and wait for experience penned down from other riders as well.


good morning







Doggy greets us at Kasauli



Abhishek2433 & Kurtrules









Our face for this ride





more pics soon

Wonderfully written travelogue Shivi Bhai,Uday and Aryan da amazing pics there.

Naldehra looks superb! Bhai log, keep them coming.

@Aryan.. Finally you are up with Pics.. was waiting for crisp logs & pics desparately..

Shivanshu bhai.. dont you guys have captured some beautiful moments from your cam's or you guys just made Aryan bhai a Paparazzi ..

Himanshu here are some more bro... just be patient bro and you will get to see more pics ... All riders must be lazing around after riding in scorching heat yesterday And also being in group does'nt permit you to stop often for pics and poses so I didnt click much pics but there are few who did.

Till then enjoy some more pics

Great Pics there Shivanshu Bhai.. I take my words back.. i understand the butt situation too.. its more than enough as of today as you guys are still updating this thread for us only...epxecting this to be full fleshed by Wednesday

Kudos..!!!

Thanks bro for understanding. You know riding on NH1 in this weather from around 11am till 3:30pm is not easy task man..... and seriously it was very hot man ... yeah do expect people pouring in the pics and logs more from tomorrow onwards bro

@aryan- as usual ur third eye captures some real good natural beauties.
loved each n every 1 of them and waiting for more vistas frm ur side.
@ Mr R15(shivanshu)- nice write up n pics bro. its truely my pleasure to ride with u guys. this ride is a real treat for my eyes n mind, especially tht night riding part tht u hv mention, oho yaar no words can define those moments! those moments will b in my brain's play list forever.
will briefed up my experience shortly.

@Shivanshu: Lovely write up and great pics... damn I missed the fun

I am happy that you all had fun there and enjoyed it to the core.... Wish to see more threads in future like this.

Looks like it was a fantastic trip for everyone! My compliments and respect for Kurt and Aryan to take the charge and come through with a fantastic experience for everyone.

Overnight G2G plan was a complete success.The trip started for me from friday when me and Addy met at Dhaba and went to Petro's house in GK.We went for sleep pretty late at approx 12am and woke up at 2:45am.Called Aryan da and as usual he was ready for this ride.Our meeting point was South ex petrol bunk,where Me,Addy,Aryan da,Anuj,RPMboy,Anshuman met.we all started our ride at 4am as said and we all where on Karnal bypass at 4:30am at that point of time we where 7 riders.After riding continuous for 2hours we reach Zilmil here Sarab was waiting for us.We had wonderful parathas and tea then zoomed to our next stop Kalka ,but at Punchkula we all decided that Kalka stop should be canceled and next stop will be Dharampur where we'll be meeting Shivi da,Vaibhav sir and "mast mola" Abhishek.Riding sanely in group we reach Dharampur.There was no stop from here we reached Shimla and saw a huge non-moving traffic line we some how managed to cross that problem easily.This is why I don;t like shimla its so crowded and hot that there is no difference b/w Shimla and Delhi.The route from Shimla to Naldhera was awesome wide road,less traffic and smooth fresh air flowing throw the mountain.We all reach Naldhera at 1:30am which is very good time to reach.Saw there was not much difference b/w the climate of Delhi and Naldhera apart from cool-dry wind blowing.Rooms where amazing, ordered food for 22 men we ate like hell....after eating lunch we all where in our respected rooms for a nap,in evening it was time for photo session.After that headed back to our hotel here Vaibhav sir decided to take different route bypassing shimla and that in night.We all agreed to it but now problem was many don;t have fuel in there bikes and there was no pump en-route so we have to go Dalli to tank up in night getting tank filled.We all had dinner after having good dinner we all sat on the Hotel roof seeing shimla,Uday and Abhishek as usual craking some wonderful jokes.... We went to sleep at 12am.Uday waking me up said its 2:45am get up,I said you get ready I will put my jeans,gears and move he said ok after 5mins he came from out side and said "sala mai bakra ban gaya koi nahi utha hai" except Aryan da......We all got ready at 4:30am here Aryan da told us how to and at what speed we have to ride giving us our positions we were of to Delhi it was pitch dark.Amazing to see 4 bikes in front of me and it was great to see those red light on twisties after having breakfast we rode continuous only stop was at Punchkula where we said bye to Vaibhav sir.All were riding their stallions at 85 to 95kmph covering distance really fast.I reach home at 4:10 pm It was so hot that I was feeling as if I was sitting in nuclear reactor.

Himachal is amazing place but the distance on plans we had to cover to reach Himachal is a pain in this heat its better to leave for Himachal in Night..

I missed it brothers but still KUDOS. wonderful pics still i have to read the logs but i know it will be same wonderfull

Last month, while browsing through the archives I came across Aryan’s post on a group ride being planned in the second week of April. Now, I might be a frequent tourer, but riding in a large group was relatively new to me. My normal sojourns are either solo or with a couple of other folks, whose riding styles I am familiar with. So quite frankly I was looking forward to be a part of the group.

Hence it began on Kalka road, where Shivanshu and Abhishek where waiting for me when I pulled up on my steed, early morning on Saturday, the 10th day of April. The gallant souls had started off as early as 1 from their respective homes back in Delhi, post a little sleep session. Shivanshu had vowed to begin his ride, after seeking the blessings of Lord Hanuman, Manki Point, kasauli. So we headed off to Kasauli. Progress was swift, and we were sipping refreshments near Jabli in no time. It was the first encounter with the R-15 on hills, for Shivanshu. And boy was he good! Watching him take every corner with such flair and making the exit look a visual delight, was quite pleasing. Alright, some credit to the machine’s handling capabilities, but most of it to the expert RX100 rider!Abhishek was rock solid at the back. We reached Kasauli and headed off to Daily needs where Abhishek and I had breakfast and Shivanshu went off to seek blessings. It was here, post a healthy discussion with Abhishek, did I realize that he’s a very sensible man with great clarity of thought who knows his positivity and limitations and is mature enough to stay well within them.

Shivanshu returned after an hour and we headed off to Dharampur where the rest of the group gathered. We were eleven in all when we headed off towards Shimla. The group was a bunch of all level headed folks led by no other than Aryan, whose riding habits are just as impressive as his eloquence over the forum. I was beginning to feel comfortable and the paranoia of a group ride fading away albeit bit by bit.

We reached Shimla and took the Victory tunnel and then the road to Dhalli and finally descending towards Naldehra. As I was familiar with the route, so I took the lead. It was 1:30 Pm when we reached and I from the look on everyone’s face, they were pretty satisfied with the timing.

It was time for lunch, which every one gobbled up in to time. Hunger, was to blame, as always. Post lunch, me and Shivanshu decided to go on a bit further where he could find himself a place for some captures and I could enjoy the silence in the air. But owing to the ridiculously high temperatures, we headed back and sat for an hour or so near a shop, spending time in general chit-chat and beating the heat with a round of cold drinks.

Aryan was sitting on the chair, fiddling with his camera and getting ready for a photo shoot when we arrived back at the hotel. Did I forget to mention how classy the ambience and how tidy the rooms were? Well I have now. Right, so everyone was sleeping except Aryan. We three sat and watched the overtly exuberant IPL. Sometime later Aryan left to satisfy his whim for photography which I well and truly believe, will pop your eyes out sooner or later

The day passed by, onset of darkness and a thought crept up on the back of my mind. We’d taken the route from Shimla, so I believed that it would be wiser to take a longer albeit more scenic route on the return. Plus, it seemed like not many had ridden after dark on hills, hence this might be just another feather in the hat for them. I put the proposal and much to my surprise, it was readily accepted by all! Good, no convincing required!That was when I realized the zeal for adventure within all these folks.

So post dinner, we headed back to our bunks for the early rise the next morning, but not before quick, fun rounds of laughter therapy sessions! I still remember that mirchi incident, on which, rpmboy would be able to throw in more light

I scrambled out of bed with a certain degree of uneasiness owing to the fact that I was suffering from nausea. It was 4 and we were behind schedule. But somehow we managed to hit the road by 5 am. I was leading, and whenever I took a U-turn, the sight of 10 bikes going downhill with headlights beaming, was heavenly. I was beginning to enjoy this concept of group riding. The affinity to an ideology that I was averse to initially was gradually rising!

All I expected from the riders was some cooperation. And believe me, I was not let down. Everyone stuck to their riding position and rode really well. In spite of the fact that I did restrain my speed, I thoroughly enjoyed. And Old Fox’s words “that’s our responsibility” were a constant companion. Thank you sir!

Reached Panchkula and I parted ways. The gang continued and finally reached at around 4.

That’s my story!

Shivanshu aka Devil: You are one heck of a guy! I love your enthusiasm and respect you for the person that you are. And you ride well! That’s a complete package

Looking forward to ride with you in the future bhai!

Aryan: You are one of the sanest rider that I have ever come across. Your riding should be a bench mark and made sticky on xBhp, for others to follow! And although you don’t talk much, but you let your pics cover up for that. Thanks for everything and it was splendid riding with you. Let’s plan ahead

Abhishek2433: It was great interacting with you up in Kasauli. Your outlook towards riding and life in general shows how level-headed and mature you are. Kudus to that!

Anuj_kewl: It was nice riding with you back at night when we left for fuel! The way you take on those curves is commendable. We’ll surely meet up in the future.

Fasterthanthefastest: Good thing you left infy. Otherwise you would have been working for peanuts just like me

Kunjal: Sweet guy ho yaar! And man when I heard that the CBZ has done 2 lac, my jaw dropped!

Sarab_Fi: Thank you for riding alone all the way and joining us. That shows your enthusiasm towards touring!

Zayn, Addy and rmpboy (Uday): Although we did not interact much you guys were great co-riders. Catch you at the Dhaba soon!

Folks, remember, all I need is a little cooperation. If you guys continue to cooperate like you did this time on then I will enthrall you even more, in the near future. And that’s a promise!

And sorry guys no pics, a direct implication of the fact that I had no camera. I’ll leave that to the experts read mod-saab Aryan

Regards
Vaibhav aka KurtRules