26 replies to this topic

[arn]

A close friend’s daughters wedding was the excuse for the next jaunt out of town, To Mahe to be precise, a small Union territory just south of the town of Thallasery. There are many routes, but I chose what would supposedly be the shortest via Rannebeenur and Shimoga. Besides, having experienced the horrible condition of NH17 just a few months back, I did not want to travel on that route more than I had to.



Start was at about 03:30 am, planned to avoid Mumbai as well as Pune traffic before hitting the 4 lane runways leading to Rannebennur. The plan was to halt at the Kolhapur McDonald for brunch and then have grub as and when I got hungry. What I did not factor in was the biting cold which would seep in through the jacket, quilted liner, sweater and sweatshirt. While speeds were low it was still tolerable, and Mumbai Pune having heavy traffic and foggy conditions, average speeds for till pune for the first 2 ½ hrs was just 62 kph. It’s only once I cleared Pune and Katraj that speeds rose and so did the windchill aided savage cold. Crossing Kambhatki ghat, I realized that I’d have to forget about Mcfood and stop NOW. There was a row of teas stalls and I pulled over and had some biscuits with the lovely kadak chai that only roadside eateries make, partly to warm my stomach and partly to warm my hands.

That done it was time to hit the roads and let the CBR stretch it’s legs. Six laning is in progress on the Pune Satara stretch, so the authorities have no incentive to do proper repairs, hence the road is pretty bumpy, discouraging high speeds. However, after that the road is fast with light traffic and and stoppages were only for fuel, which the CBR develops a thirst for once it starts to cruise at 115+. By the time I reached Rannebennur, the average moving speed had climbed to well over 80 kph, in spite of having sat around 60 for the first 2 ½ hrs.



The GPS was referred to to get to the town of Honnali somewhere between Rannebennur and Shimoga, and the road was a fairly OK internal one, but after that the road degenerated into just aggregate dumped on whatever had been the old road. To top it all up, I was directed onto the wrong road (a good one for a change) and covered almost 20 fast km before the GPS and common sense both told me that I was going in the wrong direction. Shimoga came up after 3:30pm and I had a rice plate at a local eatery, the most expensive item being the soft drink. I also realized that the bike was handling pretty weird, and it was apparent that the rear tyre had lost all air. I stopped a few km out of Shimoga, to repair that and it turned out that the puncture repair guy had gone to Shimoga for the day – all I would get was air. The next guy had a look at the bike, another look at the lack of centre stand, and flatly refused to do anything apart from fill up air.

Well, air was good enough for me as I had mistakenly packed the pump with the other tools, it would be a PITA to remove, I had the rest of the puncture repair stuff at hand. I borrowed some water from a nearby eatery, traced the puncture (no foreign material, caused by a sharp rock), plugged it and was gone. That’s when the dream road started.

Spice and coffee estates, sometimes jungles, sometimes clumps of palm trees, occasionally fields, and running for some distance along the Tunga river, this set of absolutely gorgeous twisties continued for well over an hour after which I stopped to take some pics.









I shall not bore you with the tyre shot taken at this point, you can view it here:
http://motoroids.com...dpost__p__16937

It was a tough choice to ride rather than stop and go down to the river in places but I knew I was already running a bit late, and I did not really want to reach my destination at the crack of dawn, so I kept moving. The road stayed just as beautiful, but broken sections started to appear and there was a hideous 25 km section after Karkala where there was basically no road again. Anyways, by about 7:45 pm I was on the outskirts of Mangalore, and I knew I was on the home stretch. I was hungry, but have great respect for  the food available in Kerala, so I kept moving. At that point a R15 shot ahead of me. New model, rider in a hurry. I had my "fast rabbit".

I stayed on his tail, and let him clear the road for me all the way to Kasargod, it made my riding a lot easier as he did all the tricky stuff, I just had to follow his lights and maintain distance. He did try but there is really no way an R15 is going to run away from a CBR. At Kasargod, he turned off into town and I carried on looking for an eatery, which I found shortly. It was a relief to see the road had a new black top, which though devoid of any lane markings, was at least completely pothole free. Also, I could now give the marriage party a projected ETA, and was relieved to discover that they had not really planned to sleep that night.

At midnight. I was at my destination, and after the usual gupshup, it was time to go to the hotel where I had been put up





<h2><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1434541">Mumbai Mahe via Shimoga</a></h2> <object width="400" height="300" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/swflash.cab"><param name="movie" value="http://www.everytrail.com/swf/widget.swf"/><param name="FlashVars" value="units=english&mode=0&key=ABQIAAAA_7wvFEi7gGngCZrOfos63hSN1xyBy-BzBD--25ZLXpVi3GfbehTQlZCXdpUFII2A5CGeExVTCyX1ow&tripId=1434541&startLat=11.702023968&startLon=75.534007&mapType=Terrain&"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.everytrail.com/swf/widget.swf" quality="high" width="400" height="300" FlashVars="units=english&mode=0&key=ABQIAAAA_7wvFEi7gGngCZrOfos63hSN1xyBy-BzBD--25ZLXpVi3GfbehTQlZCXdpUFII2A5CGeExVTCyX1ow&tripId=1434541&startLat=11.702023968&startLon=75.534007&mapType=Terrain&" play="true"  quality="high"  pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></object><br/>EveryTrail - Find <a href="http://www.everytrail.com/best/hiking-california">trail maps for California</a> and beyond<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.everytrail.com/trip/widgetimpression?trip_id=1434541"></script>

[Silver Phantom]

Loved the Writeup Doc.. Though i think the GPS would be right at home in the Tank Bag. The Prutrusion off the Fairing might have caused a slight drag (minimal but irritating i think). And is that green LCD display on the right side a Watch or some other kind of Indicator / meter..?!?! Any story on the Ride Back.. Would like to read that too...

[Ricci]

The intrepid doc is at it again ! Wow ! Doc tales !

CV : I think that's the voltmeter still clamped on, to monitor the battery voltage.

[arn]

The bally map under the last pic has decided not to embed

As Ricci pointed out, that's a voltmeter. I had fitted  a 130/100 halogen bulb and was not sure whether it would cause a dent in the charging (should not as this has 100W more spare power than the ZMA), and I wanted to be sure. The bike supports that without an issue. Also, unlike the ZMA reflector, there is no damage to the silvering even after the bulb stays on all day and night, highly recommended for improving daytime visibility.

Unfortunately, the bike's screen is a POS from the standpoint of weather protection unless you are tucked in, so add ons are not going to make too much difference any which way, The GPS mounted on the tankbag is not going to be easily visible - you have to look down. The way it is, I don't lose view of the road, at all. Much safer.


The next two days were spent  enjoying the various ceremonies and of course, eating.



The House, all dolled up





The boy was a Bengali and the girl Malayali, so the there were two sets of ceremonies to satisfy both parties. The malayali ceremony was held inside a beautiful and picturesque temple, with a priest who considered himself so pure that he did not even want to touch something that anybody else might be touching at the same point of time. Consequently, he tossed them the rice, the garlands etc and it turned out that both of them were pretty good at catching things. Finally having dropped the mangalsutra into the brides hands (from a safe distance), the priest pronounced them married, the couple took a circuit of the temple, registered the marriage at the temple office, and the short but sweet 20 min ceremony was over. Of course the bong ceremony was held the next night at the town hall of Thalaserry, and there cannot be a bigger contrast between that and the mallu one. Full of rituals aimed at providing entertainment for spectators, that ceremony could have gone on for a cool 3 hours +, but was truncated to just 1 ½ hrs, partly because it was past dinnertime and people were getting hungry. Twenty twenty v/s test match cut short due to poor light.


It was time to start the same night – I was planning to travel to Coorg, and from there towards BLR, but use a detour to get to the Hyderabad highway. I’d planned to start at 2:30 but it took a while more to get moving, finally I was on my way by 3:30

[Ricci]

arn, on 19 February 2012 - 12:04 AM, said:

I had fitted  a 130/100 halogen bulb and was not sure whether it would cause a dent in the charging (should not as this has 100W more spare power than the ZMA), and I wanted to be sure. The bike supports that without an issue. Also, unlike the ZMA reflector, there is no damage to the silvering even after the bulb stays on all day and night, highly recommended for improving daytime visibility.

That's good to hear. The ZMA's alternator is rates 188W, P220's 200W. What's the CBR's - 250W ?
Sounds like my kind of bike (*cough* headlamp fetish ), wish it had a bigger heart. You're running a relay setup, right ? Any general direction towards cost/brand of relay , and wiring changes if any ?

arn, on 19 February 2012 - 12:04 AM, said:

with a priest who considered himself so pure that he did not even want to touch something that anybody else might be touching at the same point of time. Consequently, he tossed them the rice, the garlands etc and it turned out that both of them were pretty good at catching things.

hahaha, must be a funny sight watching that. Perhaps because the groom was non-Malayali, the priest thought it best not to get touchy-feely :-/

[arn]

280W. Inidvidual relays, running off a fuse from a standalone battery wire, apparently plug n [play relay boxes are available from Hella and PMP (which I would have used had I been aware of them - one line from the battery, stock headlight connector plug in, another direct set to the new headlight bulb).

Yeah, the bride was particularly good at fielding the garland which seemed destined to be an overthrow. There was a cry of "good catch" from one of the spectators, and some applause too....

[rahul_rn]

finally got to read this after quite sometime..
doc and his rides lovely as ever.. But seriously doc i have got to ask you the question my dad asked me the day i went home from Pune.. Don't you get bored seeing so much of road..?? i mean i just rode for 350kms and to my dad's question i was bored and kind of tired seeing the road, and you ride for 1000kms as if it was just 10kms..

[arn]

Rahul, my riding is geared to cover maximum distance in minimum time (so as to have as much time at my destination as possible considering the number of days leave that I take). The fast straight dual carriageways are boring - you seen one, you pretty much seen them all, but some sections of roads with fast sweepers are plain fun. As are well maintained twisties.

More about the ride tomorrow

[arn]

Travelling through the deserted roads of Thalasary, the GPS guided me towards Virarajendrapet. Initially, the roads were petty bumpy (no potholes, just shoddy repairs), but the road started to improve as I crossed Irrity and rode through the hills and jungles before V'pet (that is part of a game sanctuary). I just wish it had been daytime, the views would have been gorgeous. I was also keeping an eye on the odo as a landmark was due, and soon:



Happened here:





However, as soon as I reached V'pet the good road simply disappeared, and the usual collection of craters started as I made my way towards Madikere. It was also bitterly cold now, and even though speeds were low on account of the roads, I could feel the savage chill in the air. Dawn was breaking and there was this fog in the air .






Anyways, I finally lurched and bounced my way into Madikere hoping for a cup of coffee, to discover that none of the eateries are open at 8:00 am. Apparently, breakfast is to be had at home/late hereabouts. Some distance out, I located a small shack that was selling biscuits and coffee - breakfast time..

This is supposed to be one of the best biking roads in the world, (towards Mysore) the road was smooth and well marked out. And the scenery...





The traffic started to increase as the road approached Mysore, and I then turned North to bypass Bangalore, heading towards Neelamangla

[rahul_rn]

well have to agree to that point i.e. twistees are way better as you are enjoying most of the time..

[pulsurge]

Nice ride Doc. At first I imagine lovely hills, lush green fields, lotsa coconut trees lined up near the backwaters....but then suddenly realised

"Spice and coffee estates, sometimes jungles, sometimes clumps of palm trees, occasionally fields, and running for some distance along the Tunga river, this set of absolutely gorgeous twisties continued for well over an hour" SUPER LIKE!

[arn]

Mysore is a small city, and the GPS guided me out quickly enough. At that point wherever there was a junction I tried to choose the better looking road going in the general direction, so for the last bit I wound up on NH 48 which is another low traffic dual carriageway. However, after Neelamangala there is a lot of construction activity, basically , a big mess , the 15km taking 30 min to clear until I hit Dodabalapur, after which the road is quite nice till the point it joins the Hyderabad highway at Devanahalli.

I'll not bore you with the road as it's one of those which have only one purpose, to get you from point A to point B in minimum time. It was already afternoon though, and my tank was empty when this nice looking Punjabi dhaba came up.




Lunch.






Now it was time to run. 2 fuel stops and lack of aerodynamics/weather protection notwithstanding, Hyderabad came up at a speed averaging over 100 kph. On the way I got overtaken 4 times by a BMW X1 cruising at 140kph, and he'd get to see my tail lights at each toll plaza. Finally, the last plaza before Hyderabad had a Q of about 10 vehicles per window - I did not see him in my mirrors again. The speeds might sound ridiculous, but considering the road, I think vehicles travelling at even 180 kph will not face any significant problem Anyways, traffic began to increase as I approached Hyderabad, and it seemed like complete and utter anarchy on the road until I figured out that traffic stuck rigidly to 3 simple and easy to understand rules which basically covered every eventuality and let people know clearly as to who was responsible for what, for the safety of all.

The 3 rules of Hyderabadi traffic.

Rule # 1  : You are fully responsible for avoiding anything in your general direction of motion (usually in front of you and whatever is in your peripheral vision). What happens behind you due to your actions is none of your business, thats for the chaps behind you to adjust to.

Rule # 2: Whoever occupies a certain spot of road claims the right of way to it, retroactively. This is regardless of direction - you may approach from whichever direction into traffic travelling in any direction - you have only one responsibility, ie, you have to avoid whatever is directly in front of you (see Rule #1).

Rule # 3 : There are no other rules.

As you can see, it's both simple and brilliant. Since you have no right of way to any point on the road you did not manage to occupy, why would you want to honk if somebody cuts across or approaches from the "wrong" direction? It was obviously somebody else's right of way (see Rule # 2). So no honking, no road rage, and everybody avoids bumping the fella in front. And it promotes really quick mastery of the clutch, accelerator and brakes......


100 kph average till there unfortunately had me land in Hyderabad when it was most congested and after a few minutes trying to understand how the mess operated, I was administering cuts, diving into spaces, and edging others out of my way with the best of the local talent as we moved north slowly at about 10 kph. Before clearing the city, though, I stopped to have dinner and was on the way again by about 10:15 pm.

No pics of Hyderabadi traffic, sorry. It's one of those things like Leh, the Taj  Mahal, Murud Janjira. You gotta BE there, descriptions are incomplete.

[Silver Phantom]

Loved the Rules.. And Hyderabadi Traffic sounds like Hyderabadi Biryaani.. Combleedely Uneeque...
One Koshun though.. Why have you removed the Fairing?!?! Anything to do with better Cooling?!?!

[NikhilB]

Lived in Hyd for a year...

you got the traffic rules spot-on... Every chap is a budding schumacher/rossi...

[udayanchan]

Me too Lived in Hyderabad for a year - 2009-2010

Isnt the Outer ring road  "ORR"  ready - my guess was it could bypass the entire city- if i remember right even beyond patancheru?

Uday