Bangalore Trippers.

Well, I have been waiting for this from quite long. I always dreamt of long motorcycle rides, but never thought of being a part of bikers breed. However, in order to accomplish few trips, I got this Thunderbird 500 and was lucky to get my hands on it within 10 days despite waiting period of a month. Since then, my fascination for travelling has grown exponentially. In my free time I have this irresistible itching of reading more travelogues, read about more fellow riders, read their accomplishments and appreciate the same.
This bike has been a sort of life changer for me. I love it like anything and without taking much of time, I admit that it has become more of my soulmate. Last 125 days have gone like a second, and I see this 10,000 Kms digit in the meter. Here is a small glimpse of this short journey of this small milestone.

How it started?

It started with a small trip to Nijagal Betta (70Kms) which further leaded to consecutive 16 weekend road trips to following places (Rest of them were completed with gao of one weekend)

Nijagal betta, Hasarghetta Farms, Maddur, ShivaSamundara, Kudremukh, Coorg, Yelagiri Hills, Nandi Hills, Bheemeshwari, Muthati Forests, Bandipur, Avalabetta, Hogenakkal Falls, Mysore Chamundi Hills, Madurai, Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari, Ooty, Coonoor, Lepakshi, and a bunch of rides to Airport and Raasta Cafe.

About the bike?

Well, without a question, bike is a beast. Loved every bit of it. But even the beasts have problems, and hence I will be writing a bit about the problems too.

Weight?

Its really really heavy and will not recommend the same if you are skinny or cannot withhold much of weight. While sitting on the bike, dragging it back always make me wish if the bike could have a reverse gear. Also when it starts falling down to one side, you will have to leave everything else and put all your force in balancing the same.

But well, weight is what gives this bike a very strong grip on the road.

Design?

Its long. Bulky. Cult. Seating position, handle position, position of pilion rider, etc. are very well in place and do not create any sort of problem as such (in comparison to other sport bikes where pilion seats are painful to pilion as well as rider).

Handle position is in a great position, but riding for more than 500 kms in a day makes me a bit uncomfortable at left shoulder. (Why left only, not sure.) I still feel Duke has better handle position, but seats in Duke sucks big time.

Handling?

Well most of folks have a perception that handling should be difficult on such a bike. No. Its not. Its definitely not as good as duke, but its still quite good. Only thing is, because of massive weight, I do not perform cornering on it. Having said that, cornering is completely possible. Just that I don't do that since I believe this is more of a cruiser bike and not a racing one.

Stability?

Because of good weight and nice balancing, stability is really great. I once faced a critical situation where in I saw one car on other side of divider turning to its right without any indicator/dipper etc. I was at 80 kmph and applied both of the breaks to get in 20 kmph within 2-3 seconds, without causing any slip. It keeps sticked to ground. However since the rear tyre is not much wide, I do not take chances in uneven roads. May be I will get this one upgraded to a more wide tyre soon.

PickUp?

This is something I can always brag about. Its awesome and gives me enormous confidence while I am overtaking any vehicle. Talk to it, and it will roar back. Even at 5000 rpm and speed of 100 at 5th gear, it feels like lot of power is still left within. KTM 390 is the only bike my group which has beaten my bike like anything (It actually nailed it).

Comfort?

With such a wide cushioned seat for rider and smooth cushioned seat for pilion, nothing to say about the seating position. But riding for more than 800 kms in a day gets me pain in the ass (which looks legit since 800 kms is good amount of distance in a day).

Performance?

Haven't felt much in this respect too. Only once it happened when I had a bulky friend as pilion and I was riding on Ooty Hairpins. By the time I crossed 28th hairpin, I felt as if the pickup is not coming and there is some problem with engine. But fortunately it was just a result of over-pampering of the bike and bike was completely fine next day when I rode the same on hills.

Problems faced?

Its too much heavy. I am not skinny, but I still feel it uncomfortable while dragging it back.
Most of the time I hear chain "kitch kitch" sound when not oiled for more than 500 kms.
Visibility of the projector headlight is not great. Especially when riding on roads without proper lightings. I have got extra lights on my crash guard which I use on only on highways without proper lights.

While riding with knee guards with metal parts, bike can get scratches on fuel tank.

Cost of Ownership:

I have got all the four services done (500, 3000, 6000 and 9000 kms). Regular servicing fee. Two times it was below 700 INR and other two times below 1500.

Apart from that one of my key turned into bad shape and hence key-set was changed.

If you haven't got bored and are still with me, here are a few of the pics I have managed to get while tripping:

Spend more time with yourselves. Know more about India. Travel more. Take a long break. Give your bike a treat.

These endless thoughts have been running in my mind from long time. I was looking for a break from tech-savy life, 11 to 5 schedule, from the ad-hoc tasks and on top of everything, a Travel experience in remote areas. After 13 consecutive roadtrips on every weekend, I was looking for something long. Earlier I have seen some pics of Pamban bridge few days back and then my friend Darshan asked me for a trip to Kanyakumari. I took a second to decide, and yes, my answer was affirmative, without realizing its 1800 kms.

And to the good part, the whole trip was good for every bit of it.

Small Itinerary.

Day 1 – Bangalore > Krishnagiri > Salem > Karur > Dindigul > Madurai. [460 Kms]

Day 2 – Madurai >Sattur > Kovilpatti > Tirunelvelli > Panakudi > Kanyakumari. [ 250 Kms]

Day 3 – Kanyakumari > Sathankulam > Thothkudi > Ramanathpuram > Rameswaram [345 Kms]

Day 4 - Rameshwaram > Dhanushkodi > Rameshwaram > Madurai > Bangalore. [733 Kms]

So when did it happen?

We started on auspicious day of Ganesh Chaturthi, 17^th September and stopped the meters on 20^th September.

Other folks?

Four partners in crime.

Nutan – Duke 200

Chirag – Duke 390

Krutarth (aka Shukla Ji)– Pulsar NS 200

Darshan & Shubham (Me) – TB500

Preperation:

Started saving money few days back. Yes, I do cut down my other expanses in order to compensate the money I spend while traveling.

I already had riding jacket, gloves and helmet. I missed Knee Guards (which was bad at my part)

Got a rucksack and dumped belongings of 3 people in one.

Got bungee ropes to tie the bag.

Got proper sleep in night before leaving.

Got my bike serviced two days before leaving.

Lets get into more details.

Day 1 – Bangalore > Krishnagiri > Salem > Karur > Dindigul > Madurai. [460 Kms]

We all accumulated at Silk Board, and left Bangalore around 1.30 PM.

Weather was with us so we took break after every 100 Kms. First one after Krishnagiri.

Break after Krishnagiri

After we crossed Dharmapuri, Pulsar started throwing out the coolant. Tried a bunch of service centers, but no help. Either closed, or mechanics not available. We rode it with a lot of precautions and reached Madurai late in night. Found a hotel and checked in. We were afraid of roadism in Madurai, but luckily this hotel has got very good parking system.

Roads were kickass. View of the small hills were too amazing.

Day 2 – Madurai >Sattur > Kovilpatti > Tirunelvelli > Panakudi > Kanyakumari. [ 250 Kms]

Waked up around 9’O clock, went to the Holy Meenakshi Amman Temple. Took VIP pass to save time. There was peace in the temple and the art work on the walls and roof was amazing.

Meenakshi Amman Temple - Stambh

Meenakshi Amman Temple: View from outside.

Came out of the temple, it was hot like anything and we were sweating like hell. After a nice tea (and some of us had Nariyal Paani), packed the bags, and checked out of the hotel, and left for Kanyakumari.

Bags packed

After riding for 50 Kms, we realized this well in time that weather is not with us today. Its really hot and Sun was in full fledge heat mode, due to which we were dehydrating, fast So we took breaks after 70 kms. But no trip goes on without shit. And this time Pulsar has took the charge. Coolant level went near the minimum level. A little more loss of coolant means bike was going to be packed up in a truck. Studied the problem on internet and concluded a workaround. Do not slant the bike on side stand when stopping as the coolant is flowing then only, so we strictly used center stand after this. To the luck, this worked though rest of the trip.

Around 40 kms before Kanyakumari, climate changed, sunshine was left behind. All we can see were numerous amount of wind mills followed by chain of beautiful mountains. View was breathtaking, and I slowed down my TB to enjoy the view as it passes by slowly now.

Heat which can dehydrate you within minutes.

Wind Mills: Keep counting them.

With all this hiss, we reached Kanyakumari around 5 PM, so already have missed the ferry towards Vivekananda Rock. So we went up the terrace, enjoyed the amazing view of sunset. We can see the SEA all three sides of us, and the other one was filled in with good locking highway which we just left behind.

And This is when I realized, To see the end, to feel the end, you need to reach the end. Yes we have did it, we have reached the end of India Mainland.

View from the hotel.

Then was time to hit the shores, went to the beach, did some chit chat and came back.

My itch of hitting the southern most beach of India was not yet fulfilled, so in midnight, I went down the southern most road of India, adjacent to the sea. Breeze was cold and only noise I can hear was the beautiful sounds of the endless waves.

Day 3 – Kanyakumari > Sathankulam > Thothkudi > Ramanathpuram > Rameswaram [345 Kms]

Waked up early, and I experienced the beautiful Sunrise for the first time in my life. It was amazing to see some bright fireball coming out of the darkness, post which, we got into ferry towards Vivekananda Rock. Set there for some time, alone, thinking about life, happiness, satisfaction and all. Said thanks to God and my parents as they supported this trip.

Oh! That first time Sunrise watch.

Thiruvalluvar Statue

Came back to hotel, packed the bags at lightning speed and left for Rameshwaram.

Bad decision in the very beginning of the day and picked road towards Thoohkudi, as we thought this will save us a bunch Kms. But within 20 kms of starting the same, roads vanished and because of a blind spot, three of our bikes jumped off from the smooth road to the shitty road. This one shacked us apart.

Down the line we ignored the bad road, but focused and enjoyed the beauty of small South Indian villages passing by. They were beautiful. Despite communication gap, people were really helping and everyone welcomed us with smile.

Ultimately we completed this 100 kms stretch of village roads, and hit the highway. After some time, took right turn towards Rameshwaram.

After this, ride to Rameswarama was a time-chase run for us, since it was 3.30 Pm and we were left with only 2 hours to complete 164 Kms. If we were late, view of Pamban bridge was going away along with Dhanushkodi ride. We were really scared of this and hence rode at high speeds, and luckily reached Pamban bridge by 5.15. Winds on this road were scary, and they turned dangerous every time a truck / bus passed by. But that was fun, chasing the time.

Standing on Pamban bridge was the best feeling I had. Endless sea on both the sides, firing cracking sound of winds. Countless waves moving towards the bridge, light sky blue color, and the cold breeze just made the perfect evening. On the other side, a train passing by over the sea, parallel to you. I really don't think I will encounter such view anywhere else.

Only one of its Railway Bridge in India.

By the night, my itch of roaming around for peace started again and I again picked my TB500 for a short treat near the sea. View of the city at night was adorable in comparison to the crowd and mess which gets in the city by the morning arrives at its door.

This night I have got one of the best sleeps of my life. My mind was relaxed, light and while sitting at beach, I could easily talk to myself.

Day 4 - Rameshwaram > Dhanushkodi > Rameshwaram > Madurai > Bangalore. [733 Kms]

In morning, we left for Dhanushkodi. This was by far the most exciting part of the journey, and the element which have actually attracted us towards this whole trip. For those, who are not aware of where this place is, Let me tell you. From Pamban Island, there goes a very thin strip of road towards Old Rameshwaram which got devastated in 1962. This road earlier led to SriLanka via Ram Setu (also known as Adam’s Bridge). However the road is not complete now, and last point to reach is Dhanushkodi Ram Sethu View Point. Unfortunately, due to construction of some road, the cops didn’t allowed us to go the end point. But whatever we saw that morning was the first experience of its kind for my eyes. Riding down the road towards the sea, with sea on both of your sides, accompanied by thumping sound of Royal Enfield Engine and the waves. Epic. Beautiful. Majestic. When I rode off the bike, I had goose-bumps and extreme amount of joy running in myself.

Into the sea, with sea on both the sides.

We spent around half an hour there, since we were running out of time. We have to ride 730 Kms in a day.

So left for Bangalore, via Rameshwaram > Madurai > Bangalore. Since the ride was really long, it created pain in the ass, especially to Duke and Pulsar Owners.

We left Dhanushkodi at 8 in morning, and we reached Bangalore around 7.30 in the evening. (11.30 hours for 730 Kms, Not bad).

Last break of the trip @ Krishnagiri.

Summary:
To summarize, this was the best trip I have ever done, and longest too, on bike. Complete different experience altogether. I will share some of the pics here, but my mind has captured endless number of shots of the beautifully amazing view which will be here for the rest of my life.

Along with all the good part, we learned a lot from the mistakes we did in the whole trip.

Good Stuff:

Views were so beautiful and amazing, that I never even thought of them.

All the food we had was at roadside small South Indian Daabas, and they server the most delicious food in the leaf. Before turning left for Rameswaram, I had the best meal in my life. Yes, I am serious.

We are now all set for a bit longer trips.

Dumped all stuff in a bag. Fixed this on one bike throughout the trip.

Amazing Experience.

Learnt Tamil a bit.

Shit that happened:

Pulsar got fucked up. Wasted lot of time.

Bungees were broke down. Had to bought new ones. Wasted time.

Wrong road chosen while going from Kanyakumari to Rameswaram. Wasted energies as well as time.

Learnings:

Rider should have very good sync with his bike. If there is even a slight problem, either get it repaired or don’t get your bike.

Carry extra bungee cables, clutch wires.

Carry water bottles with each bike all the time, especially in hot weather.

Be sure of all the roads, well ahead. Share the route before leaving. Make sure everyone is well aware of roads.

Drive in a group. At any point of time, all the bikes should not have distance of more than 10 Kms.

Be all geared up.

Get minimum amount of luggage, and keep space for filling in new stuff in the trip.

Leave early in morning, to avoid drive in night.

Get some towel / or anything else which is soft on seat. This will save your arse from huge pain.

Carry all documents with you. Including Insurance papers.

Memorable Moment:

While riding through a village, a bunch of kids along with their parents were astonished to see us. They waved their hand. While I waved back, their faces were full of immense pleasure and joy as if they were not expecting a reply. This kept me very much alive throughout the trip. I still have those smiling joyful faces in my head and gives me a smile back on my face whenever I think of those folks. Irrespective of caste, color, health and wealth, I found them to be truly beautiful at their heart.

More Pics: