Solo to Secunderabad - 12-14th March 2014

I had few more days left in my rejuvenation leave under my belt after completing the ride to Kanyakumari, so I decided to do a solo to Hyderabad/Secunderabad. It has been a few years since I have last rode to Hyderabad. Last time I rode to Hyderabad was on my unicorn along with Raghu. I could not take my CBR as it was not in great condition so I have to resort to TB.

I planned to leave on 12th march after taking a days rest from the previous ride & I planned to be back on 14th March as I wanted to spend time with KT @ home during week-end.

I was aware that the roads are great so I knew I can cover the 600+ Km in about 8-10hrs, however as it happens with most rides there was more surprises in store for me on this ride.

I got delayed & could start from home only by 7:45 am given I was alone, I was able to make up for the lost time by riding without taking many breaks, I took a short brunch break before Gooty at around 11:30 am. I was kind of happy that my plans are back on track but i guess it was too early. 

At around 1:45 pm about 150Km before Hyderabad the trouble started when all of a sudden by bike stopped & would not start. After 90 min & few calls to the friend in Hyderabad I analyzed that one of fuze is gone bad, so I was completely off the plan now & because of this the traffic has also increased as a result I reached Shamsabad by 6:30 & then it took 90 min to reach my friends home in the peak city traffic. I finally reached at about 8:00 pm. 

First thing I did next day was to give my bike for servicing to get the fuze problem sorted so that I do not suffer similar issues on my way back home to Bangalore.

The ride back home was a lot more comfortable & without any issues with the bike. I started at about 8:30 am & reached my home by 7:00 pm

Destination    : Secunderabad

Total distance:  1362 KM  
Motorcycle    : Thunderbird 500 CC
Riders            : Me
Things to remember: Do carry basic spares as it is a pretty long ride & things can go bad.
Road Condition: Very Good


To:Secunderabad
Total Distance: 632 Kms
Time: Just over 12 hrs.
Breaks:2 small breaks & a big long break to fix the bike

Route:IIM Bangalore --> Hebbal --> Kurnool --> Samshabad --> Trimulgherry(Secunderabad)
Road Condition:The roads are good all the way.

From: Secunderabad
Total Distance: 635 Kms
Time: Over 10 hr 30 min.
Break: Multiple short breaks

Route: Trimulgherry(Secunderabad) --> Samshabad --> Kurnool --> Hebbal --> Bangalore

Road Condition: The roads are good all the way.

Here are some of the pictures of the beautiful highway, the complete set could be found here Flickr from the ride.

Created with flickr slideshow.

A long Week-end Ride ( Kanyakumari 7-10 th March 2014 )

It was a long time since we(KT & I) have been on a long ride,  so we decided to visit Kanyakumari over the week-end. We started on 7th March, rode all night & reached Kanyakumari early in the morning. It was a nice ride as the roads leading to Kanyakumari are great. It was after a long time that I rode again all night and it was great experience, especially the stretch just before Kanyakumari is amazing with both side of the road full of windmills. We stayed in the TTDC guest house as that was the only decently prized place we can find with the view of Swami Vivekanad rock memorial. During our stay we also visited few close by places like the less know Mathoor bridge & Vattakotai Fort, the rest of time we spent in Kanyakumari visiting different tourist spot within the city. Overall it was a nice weather. Also luckily the TB did not through any major tantrums. 

While on our way back home KT also spun her leg over the saddle to get a feel of what it means to ride for long hours with a pillion, she rode for a good 450+ km on the way back. We were back home by 10th March late evening.

I am definitely going back to Kanaykumari by road again & ensure that i have enough time to visit other near-by places.

Destination    : Kanyakumari

Total distance: 1502 KM  
Motorcycle    : Thunderbird 500 CC
Riders            :  KT and Me
Things to remember: There are lot of places that you can visit around Kanaykumari so do plan in advance as it takes time to reach to these places.
Road Condition:The roads are good all the way especially the stretch just before Kanaykumari is great.


To:Kanyakumari
Total Distance: 693 Kms
Time: Over 13 hr.
Breaks: Lot of breaks as we traveled in the night

Route: Home -- > Kanyakumari via Krishnagiri , Madurai.
Road Condition:The roads are good all the way.

From: Kanyakumari
Total Distance: 693 Kms
Time: Close to 12 hr.
Break: Multiple short breaks

Route: Kanyakumari -- > Home Via Madurai, Krishnagiri .

Road Condition: The roads are good all the way.

Here are the pics on Flickr from the ride. I have also included pictures of the nearby places we visited near Kanyakumari during our stay there.

Created with flickr slideshow.

 

Ride to Krishnagiri Reservior - 1st Feb 2014

After returning from the Goa, I have been wanting to go for a ride with KT as she was the only one who was not able to make it to IBW in Goa. So we decided to do a short ride & we went to Krishnagiri reserviour in Tamilnadu. The place is about 100 odd Kms from our home so we left in the afternoon & we were back by evening of the same day. We decide to go on TB as it is lot more comfortable for the Pillion. We started from home after lunch & reached the location by early evening, as it was evening there were not many people near the dam which was good as we could spend some peaceful time without being bothered by the crowd. The place is quite scenic & beautiful. The weather was also quite cool as there were clouds around. There was a bit of trouble that the bike started to give while returning but overall it was a good short half day ride.

Destination    : Krishnagiri Reserviour

Total distance: 245 KM  
Motorcycle    : Thunderbird 500 CC
Riders            :  KT and Me
Things to remember: If you like taking pictures do take your camera as this place is very nice and also has some very scenic spots.
Road Condition:The roads are good all the way till Krishnagiri Reserviour, however as there is construction going on the highway there are quite a few diversion.



To: Krishnagiri Reserviour
Total Distance: 115 Kms
Time:2hr 30 Min
Breaks: Took few short break 

Route: Home -->Hosur Road, Krishnagiri Reserviour
Road Condition:The roads are good all the way, the roads do get narrow once you take the right after Krishnagiri City however the roads are good all the way.

From: Krishnagiri Reserviour
Total Distance:120 Kms
Time: 3 Hr
Break: Multiple short breaks

Route: Krishnagiri Reserviour --> Hosur Road, Apartment.

Road Condition: The roads are good all the way.

Here are some pictures from the ride on Flickr.

Created with flickr slideshow.

 

India Bike Week - IBW 2014

After Returning from GOA in October last year KT mentioned to me about IBW - 2014 which was about to happen in Goa from 17th - 18th January 2014. I immediately along with KT, Raghu and Avinash bought tickets for the event as there was an early bird offer. We decide to ride to Goa in Jan to attend the event in 3 different bikes (TB 500, CBR 250R and Ninja 300). However as it happens with most plan this too didn't go as per the plan. Avinash dropped from the original plan and due to this and some work as well KT also dropped the plan. So It was just me and Raghu who went to event in Vagator, Goa. The event was the second edition of the event in India sponsored majorly by Harley Davidson India.

I have been waiting for this event from last year when I heard about the event as this is the biggest gathering of bikers from across the country & all kind of motorcyclist come there. However at the same time I was sad that not everyone could make it. We went to Goa a day before the event so that we can take enough rest before we hit the main event day. For more details about the IBW-2014 please refer here.

We decided to go on  Royal Enfield TB500. We decided to start early in the morning so that we reach Goa by early evening. We started from Bangalore on 16th to reach a day early take enough rest, on 16th we were able to start from home by 7:12 AM, we managed to reach hotel by 4:30 PM.

On 17th we had a pleasant surprise when Avinash also joined us, however he was there only for a day & left on 18th early morning. As far as the event goes there was

Here is the short description about the route 

Destination    : Vagator, Goa

Route Map

Total distance: 1649 KM (Including Local Travel in Goa)
Motorcycle    : Thunderbird 500 CC
Riders            : Raghu and Me
Total Petrol Used : 60 Lts.
Things to remember: Do remember to carry your camera if you are a shutter-bug also ensure that you leave early in the morning so that you take stops as and when needed and also to avoid peak traffic.
Road Condition:The roads are good all the way till Hubli, once you cross Hubli and take either Karwar route or the other route the road which goes through the forest reserve are not very great & most of your time will taken here to cover the last 150+ Kms.

To: Vagator, Goa
Total Distance: 724 KM
Time: 9 hr 18 Min
Breaks: Took multiple short break along with few long breaks

Route: Home -->NICE Road, Tumkur Exit, Nelamangala, Hubli, Karwar, Vagator, Goa
Road Condition:The roads are good all the way, however once you take the left after Hubli the road do become narrow and the condition of the roads are change dramatically.

From: Vagator, Goa
Total Distance: 724 KM
Time: 12hr 45 Min
Break: Multiple breaks

Route: Vagator, Goa --> Vagator, Karwar, Hubli, Nelamangala, NICE Road, Apartment.

Road Condition: The stretch from Hotel to Karwar was good however the stretch from Karwar to Hubli was not so great. Once you cross Hubli and hit the main highway AH47 the roads are beautiful.

We got delayed while coming back as Raghu had an injury during the event so we ended up taking a lot more breaks than usual also as we were riding in the night overall speed reduced.

India Bike week is the only event where motorcyclist from all over the country assemble & share there experience, we had the opportunity to interact with some of the famous names in India biking Scene Vishnu Mehta, Arnob Gupta & Bharadwaj Dayala . Infact there were lot of famous international motorcylist like Nick Sanders & Ted Simon who shared there experiences. You get to see a lot of super bikes not only from Harley but also from other manufactures like Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Triump etc...

There were multiple delays in the event however it was full of activities like loudest bike, rubber burning, Stunt Riding, MRF Freestyle & many more. There was always something to do all the way till late in the night. However as raghu was injured we were not able to stay back for the after party @ Rainforest.

I will most likely be attending the next IBW also.

Here are some picture on Flickr from the ride and the event itself.

Created with flickr slideshow.

A Late Saturday afternoon Ride

This was our first ride of 2014 (Jan 4th) & since it was a very impromptu ride we needed to choose a place which is close by, basically a destination which is under 150 Km from our home. So we finalized to visit a place called Lepakshi. Lepakshi is locateed in Anantapur district, in Andhra Pradesh. I have heard of this place from one of the RE riding groups.

To our surprise we found that Lepakshi has the world's largest monolithic nandi, there is also a very old & famous temple dedicated to Veerabhadra. There are three shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Virabhadra. An open-air Lingam (symbol of god Shiva) from Lepakshi sheltered by a naga, however we could visit only Veerabhadra temple as by the time we reached Nandi it was already 5. Since we were late we did get to see the sunset from the Veerabhadra.

Unlike other famous places there were not many tourist here which was a welcome relief also Unlike our last ride we ensured that we pick-up camera to ensure we capture moments from our ride & yes we did manage to capture some really moments.

The roads to the location are really good & since most of the journey is on Blr-Hyd highway there are ample place to re-fill both your self & the motorcycle.

Here are the details of the ride...

Destination     : Lepakshi
Total distance: 290 KM
Motorcycle    : Thunderbird 500 CC
Riders            : Me & KT
Things to remember: Do remember to carry your camera if you are a shutterbug also ensure that you leave early in the morning so that you see all the 3 temples & spend some good time there. If you visiting with friends or family then it is also a good spot to picnic.

To: Lepakshi
Total Distance: 145 KM
Time: 3.5 hr
Breaks: Took 4 short breaks

Route: IIM Bangalore -- > Lepakshi Via Mekri Circle, Hebbal, Blr-Hyd highway.
Road Condition:The roads are good all the way, however once you take the left to Lepakshi the road do become narrow though the condition of the roads are decent.

From: Lepakshi
Total Distance: 145 KM
Time: 3hr 45 Min
Break: Multiple breaks

Route: Lepakshi --> IIM Bangalore Via Blr-Hyd highway, Hebbal, Mekri Circle.

Road Condition: Good.

It was a very enjoyable ride & hopefully we will plan better when we visit the place again.

Here are the picture of the ride & the location

Created with flickr slideshow.

Last Ride of 2013

Finally I am able to get myself to capture the details of my last ride of 2013.

Off late as part of getting riding practice for KT we have been going for lot of short rides, this ride was not the longest ride we have done however it was one of the full filling ride though. The original plan was to do a early morning ride on Sunday (29th Dec) however as it turned out we got up late & started from only by 10.  The destination needed to be close enough so that we can be back home by late afternoon, so we decided to go to Hesarghatta Grassland as it was close by and also we have heard a lot about the location from one of our friend who said it is a good location for taking photographs.

As we just wanted to ride & get some practice for KT we did not pick up camera & took off just with our phones. The idea was to explore the place & then go more prepared next time.

Here are the details of the ride...

Destination: Hesarghatta  Grasslands
Total distance: 109.1 KM
Motorcycle: Thunderbird 500 CC
Riders: Me & KT
Things to remember: There are not restaurant or food joints for any refreshment there we accidentally ended up at "Our Native Village" & the resort folks were kind enough to let us use order some refreshment.

We started from home by 1 PM also we decide to take different route while doing the return trip. On the way to the grassland.

To: Hesarghatta Grasslands
Total Distance: 48.8 KM
Time: 2 hr
Breaks: Took 2 short breaks

Route: IIM Bangalore -- > Hesarghatta Grassland Via Mekri Circle, Yeshwantpur.
Road Condition: The usual Bangalore city road with lodes of traffic signals

From: Hesarghatta Grasslands
Total Distance: 60.3 KM
Time: 1hr 45 Min
Break: 1

Route: Hesarghatta Grassland --> IIM Bangalore Via Outer Ring Road, NICE Road

Road Condition: Faster & much better roads with very few traffic signals.

Route Maps:

To Hesarghatta

From Hesarghatta

It was a good short ride & we were back home by 2 PM. We liked the place & I am sure we will re-visit the place very soon. 

Here is short video that we took while returning from Hesarghatta Grasslands.

An attempt...

It has been over two & half year since I have written any blog post, however I am going to attempt a new start. I will try & create a travel log as i keep visiting different places by road.

One more reason is that off late my wife (KT) has started to learn how to ride a motorcycle, It will be a good log for us as we start riding together.

To start with I am going to write about the short ride we did on 27th Dec 2013 & hopefully will follow that up with more....

I am hoping I will succeed in this attempt :).