The nostalgia of long bike ridings tempted me to put up some writings
about pleasurable bike riding. This describes my experiences on South Indian
highways.
The first
venture was to Mysore (Some times in 2001 december).
We were four people and two bikes. Unlike the 'traditionally' 'strong' bikes
like Enfield we have 100cc bikes - Hero Honda Splendour (mine) and Hero Honda
Passion.
As far as my bike
is concerned I felt that she was then matured enough to go for long drives. In
the City she used to give a constant 67Km/lit which is dream of any biker. Also
she is very calm..(You know, no that trrrr...sound!) obedient (Nice breaks!),
comfortable to ride on (Good design). She will cry to any extent to get the
things done her favor (Good hones in day time and Good bright/Dim lightings at
night). She doesn't want to be looked ugly and every week she wants to be
cleaned.(Though I have missed several weeks) but she is very generous even when
I missed that. Any way as they say "Inner beauty is more important than the
outer beauty".. she also thinks so! Her engine is superb and every 1500 Kms she
wants her engine oil to be replaced otherwise she will start
agitating.
Ok.
Now back to my first ride. We started around 5:30 am after a nice bath. We had a
Then
slowly my adrenaline got used to the concept of long riding
in bike and I should say that not every body can do that. These are all matters
of one’s personal interests and out-look.
Our next
venture suffered a fare time gap as everybody were busy with work. Then we
decided to go for a longer stretch. We decided Chikmagallur
- the second largest coffee plantation in the world famously known as
"The Brazil of India". This time we started in the after noon and the route was
Bangalore - Hassan National High way (Which is the straight stretch Bangalore -
Mangalore NH) The road was superb. One can easily cruise at 80km in daytime.
(But be careful to look after your engine). As the "busyness" of the city gave
way to the peace of the rural India, I had the thought that "Indian development
is not complete without adequate care to the people of Rural India and the
majority of the Indian population resides in the rural India" ---remember the
great Gandhi!! OK. Let us continue our
story.
Some places on the
way were dry. May be because it was a summer season. Despite that some stretches
were beautiful with eucalyptus on the roadsides and you know the smell... and
then the large farms of mainly ground nuts. There were rice fields also in
between. From Hassan we had to take a deviation to Belur. It was a state highway
and by the time we reached there it was 6:30 - 7:00pm. So, for the first time I
"felt" the danger of riding bikes in Indian roads in the night time. Alas! it
was too much. The bright headlights of the "proud" truck and Bus drivers
compelled me to stop the bike to a standstill. I even thought that I won't ride.
However some how after a tiresome riding we reached
Chikmagallur.
The place is famous
for coffee and you could really feel that scintilla rating coffee smell as you
approach the place. Around 9:00pm we reached there. The next day we went to a
Hill top called Kemmennagudi which is ~40kms
away. For the first time I ride through the so called "ghat road" with turnings
and uphill. You need a special skill to ride efficiently under these conditions.
In between there were many "view-points" and wondered how delicately the nature
has been balanced! Then came down..There are many interesting incidents but
skipping for lack of time and space! One thing - you should never switch off
your engine while coming down hill. I know that most of the people are tempted
to do so in order to save fuel. It is very important that the bike should be in
the control of the gears. This serves mainly two purposes. Firstly, it gives an
efficient slow down mechanism by the gearing down process. Secondly if you keep
on applying breaks, it generates lot's of heat and chances are that your break
shoe goes bad and you know if it's a bad day then the break itself can go
off...So guys, be cautious.
Then we headed
towards Belur and Halebedu- one of the richest architectural places in the
world. The temple in Belur was supposed to be built around 800AD. We wondered
the great skill those architects had and amazed at those creations. One should
really see that to appreciate it. Then we headed towards Bangalore with a deep
sense of gratitude and peace. I should say that the richness that's present in
Indian philosophy, culture, tradition, art, architecture etc: are far from
closely examined and studied for the awareness about the same is scarce in the
present day for many. We started after lunch and reached safely at around
5:30pm.
Another amazing trip I
had was Bangalore - Madikkeri - Mangalore -
Bangalore.This was unforgettable. On a fine morning around 4:30 we started. We
were going through Mysore road and as usual we were driving with extra caution.
(Because it's Mysore road!). From Srirangapatnam we had a
deviation which heads towards Coorg city without touching Mysore. The way was
via Hunsur. After a decent stretch you will see a
deviation road which goes to the famous 'Nagarahole Wild Life Sanctury'. It was
only 60Kms from there. Unfortunately we did not go there. We went in the
madikkery road. The whole stretch was so beautiful that we stopped in between
and spend at least half an hour on the palms of nature. There were those swans,
which fly above those farms, which ends in a little hill and big tress on the
road sides with traffic a rarity! There were a handsome stretches of land on the
way inhabited by Tibettans and it seemed one whole town belonged to
them.
Madikkeri is a Hill City close to Kerala. There were almost
70 degrees up hills and down hills in the city. No wonder why we could see
majority Yamaha bikes! It was cooler than Banglore. Most of the people
knew/speak malayalam. Even the kannada that they speak had a malayalam "twist"-
(You know if you had heard 91FM radio city Bangalore and the famous malayali
aunty's voice!). Another unforgettable place is Thalakkavery which is 35Kms away and which is the
origin of the famous Kaveri river, which helps the wide stretches of
agricultural lands and farmers of mainly Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Then there is
a place to climb up ~ 2-3Kms and once you reached there, you might feel
as though heaven has been manifested in the earth.. All the
sides were only green hills and there were that tranquility. No wonder it's said
that many "rishis" did meditation there. The very limitation
of or rather my inability to explain those experiences makes
me to think of humen being's "limitations" how ever "big" his "achievements" be!
Ok. Then we came down
to our rooms. The plan was to return to Bangalore. Suddenly
The next day morning
we started off to Mangalore. It was the Ghat Road and mist all around. Even we
had to put the indicator light, which is yellow and hence can pierce through the
mist. We could hardly see any thing far than 200meters! So we went dead
slow..and it was an experience in itself. When the time was 7:00am. mist has
been cleared and we reached the valley. Then on the roads and the surroundings
looked like a typical kerala village!
It was fun all
around. Finally after travelling 150Kms we joined the
National Highway
We had many short
(with in 70Kms) rides around Bangalore including Nandi
Hills.
Having covered many
Karnataka highways, our attention was turned to Anthra Pradesh.
Then I have been to
Thiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu near Pondicherry. The
road from
The Most challenging and
amazing trip so far I had is a trip from Bangalore to Thiruvanant
1) Unless you have enough experience, confidence, familiarity with Indian
Highways and the driving culture, never ever attempt a night
ride.
2)Please ensure that your head light gives enough through
put (If need be put a halogen lamp which is more bright).
3)Ensure
that the break light is working fine and check that all electrical connections
are
4) Never ‘look’ at the head light of the
opposite vehicle. Just 'concentrate' on the road.
If the
head-light is too powerful think in this way - The vehicle can not come on it's
right side (in India). So there has to be some space to the right of that head
light. And calculate accordingly. One thing- some times there will be a vehicle
over taking another and they don't as such 'respect' bikers.You should be
cautious enough to notice those movements and slow down and some times you may
even have to stop on the road side. Please always dim/bright many times
irrespective of whether the opposite vehicle does it. Once you got that 'trick'
of driving in the night then you are safe. Never afraid. Your confidence and
crisis handling is very important. Just believe in yourself and keep
going.
5)Extra concentration and care is needed. If you are
feeling drowsy, stop the vehicle
OK. now back to our
story. In the early hours we reached Kerala Border Palghat. The
The
bike has been checked thoroughly and the engine oil has been
changed. The return was started at 2:00pm and
reached back the next day morning 5:00am.
Another interesting trip we had was the Sivasamudram-Thalakkad trip. After a long time gap we were in full gear to yet another voyage- this time through the not so navigated Kanakapura Road. It’s not like any other national highways where lots of traffic is there with the usual trucks and so on.. This is a “silent” highway as I would call. How ever the roads don’t have the “standard” width. So one should be very careful especially during night. Better avoid night riding through this road until you are familiar with the curves and the pits. OK. We started from Bangalore by 2:30pm an a saturday afternoon. Till kanakapura it was fun with almost no traffic and then some stretches were bad. Our aim was Thalakkad. I should acknowledge that the scenaries on this road is comparable to the Mysore-Gundlepat (which I shall explain later) or the route to Coorg via Hunsur. The presence of Kauveri river might be a factor to make the whole stretch so beautiful. By 5:30 or so we were at Thalakkad. There is a place called Jaladhama resort which is an island surrounded by the Kauveri river. Then it was too late and we decided to go to Kollegal. We took some terrible short-cut from Thalakkad the road was unforgettable(!). We encountered the “Biggest Hump” we ever had (about 3 feets!). I am sure if it were a Maruthi car, life would have been stuck in a hump! So atlast we reached Kollegal, stayed at a Yatri Nivas lodge near the Bus stand. The next morning after the break fast we headed towards Sivasamudram. I always felt that riding in the morning hours is a wonderful and serine experience. After about 25Kms we were at Sivasamudram falls. It was good. We had a little bit trecking to reach down near the falls. Prasanth went even down with his atheletic body and it was fun altogether. However localites told that there is a better place to take bath. Hence we climbed up and to the right there was a way to the river with lots of branches and rocks. That place was apt. We took bath in that chilled water. It was quite a good relaxation after that climbing. Then had some coffee and by 11:00 am started the return journey. Hey, one thing – some of the snaps that we took in the Kanakapura road has been kept in my Photo Albums- (http://ipc.iisc.ernet.in/~suresh/others.html). OK from Malavalli we decided to enter Maddur in the Mysore Road to have some manovering in the Mysore road. I have one advice here. If you want some practice to become a better rider go to Mysore road (ofcourse day time!). Either you will lose interest to ride or you will become a genius in riding! We reached back to Bangalore by 1:30pm on that Sunday.
Then Murari provoked me to go to Gundulpet and Wayanad in Kerala. My aim was to see Bandipur Forest. Only we two started towards Gundulpet which is close to Bandipur and in fact is bordering Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Again the route was via Mysore. By 3:00pm on a Saturday we started. Reached Mysore by 5:45 or so. Then after a little break took the road to Nanjangud. Again nature was showing her beauty. At Nanjangud we had the dinner around 7:30. Then headed towards Gundulpet. After some stretch you can see the concrete road which was more slippery. To add the agony rain started pouring heavily. I am very afraid to ride during rain because the probability of slipping down is very high. Any way in that rain, in the night, in that isolated stretch we traveled. Reached Gundulpet by 8:30pm. Remember that you should not ride too side of the road because it was full of pot holes. Ride only in the middle wherever possible. Without doing much we slept off so that we can awake early morning to Bandipur. Bandipur was hardly 20Kms from there. Amazingly Ooty was only about 80Kms from there. We had the Forest Safari. Bandipur is a rain forest. During rainy season it will be very greenery. We had lots of lots of deer to see besides other small inhabitants like langurs, peacocks, sambar, pangolin, jungle fowls etc: We didn’t see elephant though Bandipur is famous for that. After about one hour inside the forest we came out. There were passages of elephants which are called “elephant tracks” there. Then had the breakfast in Gundulpet. Then headed towards a place called Gopalaswamy betta. It was a hill. But the road was so steep that to reach about 3000ft above sea level we rode only about 4kms. It was steep to the extent that we had at more than one time put the gear in the 1st ! I liked that place. There is a temple over the top. I would compare this to Kemmenagundi near Chikmagalur. Then came down to head towards Moolehole and further to Sultan Batheri (in Kerala). It was a countryside road. There were almost all kinds of vegetables and other cereals being grown over there. I could see cabbage, tobacco, raggi, maize, sugarcane,groundnuts, lady’s finger, Sunflower, millets, bitter gourd. Basically I like these kind of agricultural lands. We saw the rustic life styles of the farmers. It was a humbling feeling to be in the midst of the land tillers. OK. Then were traveling (for the first time) through a thick forest. It was yet again a typical feeling. We encountered a lone elepant on the road side. It is said that they some times become dangerous. Any way we stopped for a little while but moved further ahead. Then once again I entered in bike to Kerala – this time through the forest! We had lunch at Sultan Batheri. Then after a while came back to Gundulpet. Took some snaps too. See my Photo Album. OK. Then we started our Bangalore journey. We had for the first time a ride in the night through the Mysore Road. We were proud of ourselves that we have become somewhat adept riders in thick traffic. We reached in about two and half hours running time. Make it understood that it was not ride taking risks; but gentle maneuvering. Any way we were back to room by 8:45pm.
Having been to Bandhipur, I thought why not Nagarahole – another wild life santury in the western ghats in Karnataka. This time the trip was not with my conventional bike mates, but with IPC bike club members Abhijit, Nagesh and Venkat. Sagar missed it due to last minute unavoidable circumstances. With my Splendour, with Nagesh’s Pulsar and Abhijit’s Boxer we were ready to go by around 2:30pm. To start with, Venkat was pillion in Boxer and my pillion was two bags tied with a useful, elastic stuff and Nagesh’s pillion seat remained vacant. We headed towards the packed Mysore road. I felt, how many times this road… Any way traffic was very heavy. As I was so much used to this road I could go a little fast. We had decided that we should stop at Channapatna. I waited there anticipating others for some time before I could meet them. Then I changed my mind set and then onwards we were moving together. It was really nice this time. From Srirangapatnam we took a deviation to the right to Hunsoor. I had been in this way before on my ride to Madikkeri. One thing, there is a dhabha just before that turning and the Gobi we had there was so deliciuous. I never had such a nice Gobi Manchurian! Ok. by that time it was twilight. After some busy stretches near Mysore we reached the Hunsoor highway.
By that time it was night. Unfortunately Boxer’s head light went off. So Nagesh and myself accompanied Abhijit very carefully till we reached Hunsoor. And again I had a casual glance on my speedometer while on the move just to see that it’s not working. This was the first time after around more than 2 years that such a problem happens. Abhijit told me that it’s not serious as it had happened with him before and it may be that the cable might be loose. I knew it and then it was replaced. Abhijit’s bike head light was fixed. We stayed that night at Hunsoor as localites told that people are not permitted in the night at Nagarahole. The next morning, early by 6:00, we were ready to take off to Nagarahole. The road from Hunsoor to Nagarahole was nice. We all were enjoying that morning road. But the enjoyment didn’t last forever. Suddenly we felt some thing is wrong. I found that my hand was slowly “freezing”! The story was not different for others also. It was so chilly (~10deg) that we all stopped and were helping each other by rubbing hands to get back to the normal temp. I got a couple of clothes and Nagesh covered that on my hand and then we started. It was too cold. Then I decided that I would always take gloves (I have a very nice Kashmiri woolen glove) in future trips. We went upto Nagarahole just to realize that safari is over and the next safari is only at 3:30 in the afternoon. We had some needed “hot” coffee in the forest lounge restaurent. Came back to Hunsoor. Then vacated the room and headed towards Iruppu falls near Kutta. That stretch via a place called Gonikopal was so lovely. There were coffee plantations and sceneries unlimited! We took lot’s of snaps (See my photo album). We had to climb a bit to reach the falls. It was a nice isolated falls. We entered the water and it was just the freezing water! While in that morning only the hands were frozen, now the whole body was so! It took some time for the temperature to be equilibrated! Any it was nice. We couldn’t enjoy that silence as hundreds of school children had their excursion that time.
Any way it was a nice place to visit. Then we went to Kutta. After some bargaining we hired a jeep for 220/- to Nagarahole for the forest safari in that afternoon. In that “forest van” we took our seats. It was not a new experience for me as it was very similar to that in bandhipur. While Bandhipur is famous for elephants, Nagarahole is for Tigers. Any way we had that one odd hour inside the forest. These are not very thick forests. It’s because of the presence of elephants. We saw a couple of wild elephants, deers all along, some variety of monkeys (langoors) etc: We decided to go back to Mysore via Kabini.
This route was through forest. It was already around 5:30 as we started from Kutta. Some body cautioned us about the presence of wild elephants. So we wanted to cross the forest road as early as possible. After some stretch we entered Kerala. It was the third time that I was entering Kerala in Bike! This time through North Waynad region. The road was superb with beautiful turnings inside the forest. As soon as we were to enter Karnataka, the way the road received us, gave us a painful memory. I was going in the back carefully. In my sight I saw that some kind of a “muddy” region is ahead and I slowed down. Suddenly Boxer which was rode by Venkat underwent some “shaky moments” in that unexpected pot hole in the mud and Nagesh’s Pulsar also suffered a “jump”. Then onwards, some 20kms, was like this – resembling some old mud road with sharp stones looking sharply on our tyres as though they didn’t get any prey. We were moving at 20Km/hr. Fortunately neither the stones on the road nor the wild elephants deceived us. We crossed that forest and entered a village by around 7:30pm.Had must stoppage there. It was the most tiresome ride I ever had. Then in the night we headed towards Mysore. Venkat gave way to the bags in the pillion seat. It was decided to stay in Mysore. The next early morning started towards Bangalore and finally reached by around 10:00am. What a nice trip it was! (For a nice comprehensive description of this trip see this link also.)
Here are a few practical tips for long riders without having to worry too much about the finer technicalities.
Pre-requisites
for long riders:
1)You should have a decent road map with distance
chart
2)Should have a first-aid kit which should contain muscle
relaxant oil-ments, Band-aids,
Dettol, a medical soap, Clean
clothes, water etc:
3)Should obviously wear Helmet,Jacket and
shoe. Should not wear loose shirts etc:
4)Always check your Bike
thoroughly, especially brakes, head lights, Change the engine
oil.
5)If you hear any unnatural sound consult a mechanic
immediately. After servicing don't
directly start for the long
ride. Ride at least 20kms in your place and ensure that everything is
fine.
6) Never fully fill the petrol tank. Maximum fill 3/4th. I
would prefer even less than that.
7)Put a cushion cloth on the
seat, which can be helpful for your comfort.
8)Clean your head
light every two hours with a cloth.
9)Rest your
vehicle for at least 15 minutes every 200Kms.(You should consult an authorized
mechanic who may be able to tell you finer technicalities for the make of your
bike)
10)Extra caution during night (Consult my early
suggestions).
11)Never take any turnings with more than 60Km/hour
speed.
12)Do not fill air fully into the tyres. Due to friction
there will be a slight expansion
of tyres. Keep this in
mind.
13)Always use horn while overtaking during day time and
dim/bright during night.
14)Never involve in speed
competition.
15)You should be familiar with all the traffic
signals.
16)Please always ensure that your vehicle's RC book
(attested copy is enough), Insurance details, No pollution certificate are all
there and updated. And of course needless to say, you should have a valid
driving license.(Better keep the original also safely)
17)Last but
not the least- be confident, sharp and beware all the time.
This travelogue would not be complete without my fellow travellers. I learned and enjoyed a lot with them. It's a pleasure to ride with Hariharan, Satheesh, Prakash, Shankar, Shankar.V.M, Abhijit, Nagesh, Venkat, Sagar, Arindam and Murari. A special thanks to Murari from whom initially I learned pretty good handy stuffs.
The story shall continue!
Happy and Safe Riding!!!
Thanks for going through this page. Your suggestions/criticisms are Welcome.
If you want any further details
Related link : See IPC Bike Club