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The Riders & their machines Kiron- Blue Classic 180, Eric - Red ZMA, Sherzad - Red Classic 180 with a DTSi sticker :)), John - Black 180 DTSi, Kapil - Black 150 DTSi UG, Prannoy - No bike, a pillion or rider, provided whoever took him ;) Deepak - Black 150 DTSi. Total Distance Covered 380 kms (both ways)
Thanks and acknowledgements To all riders, but a special token of thanks to Sheru for all those lovely pics and videos that he took as a pillion. Thanks to Kapil too for getting his cam and adding more to the collection :)
Thanks and acknowledgements To all riders, but a special token of thanks to Sheru for all those lovely pics and videos that he took as a pillion. Thanks to Kapil too for getting his cam and adding more to the collection :)
Finally after discussing numerous destinations like Lonavla for some pro-curve taking practice, Dahanu for the hot kababs, Murud Janjira for a longer sprint, or just a small local ride to Manor or Kalyan, we decided that its going to be Dahanu. But it still didn't turn out that way. Vinod called me up the previous night and told me to hunt for some info on Dadra and Nagar Haveli on the net. I had a fraction of hope that he was going to turn up coz he was so curious about the place. So anticipating he too joining us, I surfed around and took prints of tourist map, places of interest etc. Dadra seemed a good proposition, as it had a number of places worth seeing. The ride to the destination was accomplished, visiting all the places there, forget it.. why??? Read on. And yes, Vinod didn't join us, he went ahead with his pre-planned programme to Alibaug.
Confirmed with most of the participating riders if they had any problems. Nothing major, everyone were excited to ride. Just John had a minor problem with his wheel alignment. His M45 and the swingarm were in a love affair and were getting too physical kissing each other whenever they got an opportunity i.e. bike running :)) Hehehe kidding. Actually his rear tyre was brushing against the swingarm which if not attended too would have resulted in heating of the tyre with serious uncalled results. So he intimated that he would be catch us later on the ride after fixing it up by his mechanic. I was to meet Kapil at Cadbury's flyover at Thane and ride together till Ghodbunder Naka. Kapil was on time and so was me and we both had a nice bumpy ride till Ghodbunder. Just before touching the spot, we thought everyone would be up and giving us lectures for being late by some 15 minutes. To both our surprise, no one had turned up, just we two - these Bandra kids are getting spoiled :)) John who was supposed to join us later too arrived before them after getting all the work done on his bike. Boy does his bike look raw!!! Just for info, he has replaced his DTSi fairing with a Classic assembly. Add to that his black mags with chrome on the side walls, he's got his heat shield, rear footpeg assembly all painted black. Just now the engine is left, which he will get it done soon. His bike looks more of a Black Honda Hornet than a Pulsar.
Confirmed with most of the participating riders if they had any problems. Nothing major, everyone were excited to ride. Just John had a minor problem with his wheel alignment. His M45 and the swingarm were in a love affair and were getting too physical kissing each other whenever they got an opportunity i.e. bike running :)) Hehehe kidding. Actually his rear tyre was brushing against the swingarm which if not attended too would have resulted in heating of the tyre with serious uncalled results. So he intimated that he would be catch us later on the ride after fixing it up by his mechanic. I was to meet Kapil at Cadbury's flyover at Thane and ride together till Ghodbunder Naka. Kapil was on time and so was me and we both had a nice bumpy ride till Ghodbunder. Just before touching the spot, we thought everyone would be up and giving us lectures for being late by some 15 minutes. To both our surprise, no one had turned up, just we two - these Bandra kids are getting spoiled :)) John who was supposed to join us later too arrived before them after getting all the work done on his bike. Boy does his bike look raw!!! Just for info, he has replaced his DTSi fairing with a Classic assembly. Add to that his black mags with chrome on the side walls, he's got his heat shield, rear footpeg assembly all painted black. Just now the engine is left, which he will get it done soon. His bike looks more of a Black Honda Hornet than a Pulsar.
So we had tea at a local stall, to kick out any of the left over sleep that was there in our eyes. Its about time to roll on. Our thumbs gently get on the starter button and our engines fire up to life. I know a small group of Pulsars doesn't in anyway come close near to the thumping of the bullets, but still its pretty pleasant to hear them roaring at one given place and time. Eric was given the responsibility to lead as he was running-in his ZMA and couldn't exceed 80 kph, so it turned out to be a good ploy of riding in discipline. We were riding in a straight line for some couple of distances and within the speed limits due to traffic. Eric and myself took a halt for refueling, sadly the difference in price wasn't very substantial :(
Still the formation isn't spoiled, but that was till we got out of the suburban traffic and all the Rossis, Haydens and Biaggis in us come to life. 80 kph, that's the speed what kids ride on such a stretch. For riders who haven't come to us on rides, please note that we were very much aware of our limits and we are quite comfortable riding at 100+ kph. It wasn't just a rush of blood or exuberance, it has all come by experience of riding fast but no way rash. Anyway, the first meeting halt decided was Manor- so run your horse as fast as you can till the spot. Rising petrol prices, fuel consumption- do the hell with it. We don't get an opportunity or a stretch like this to ride everyday.
In no time the speedo needle crosses the 100 mark. All I could hear was engine growling and the small turbulence created by the fairing onto my visor when in crouching mode. Poor Eric, bike in running-in, couldn't exceed 80 and he was the one left far behind. The real fun was seeing Kiron zip past us. LOL, he never rides fast, but this time he was in a mood to enjoy to the max. We reach Manor in no time and this time for a change decide to take some snacks at a different restaurant. Hey wait wait wait, did I say restaurant??? Then sorry for that, it was a bakery more than a restaurant. That bugger didn't have anything except biscuits, and the special item there on the menu card was tea. Had to eat something, so ordered a couple of Good-Day and 50:50 packs with tea and took a short nap. You can have a see at Sheru's newly found four-legged and tailed friend of whose he was so eager to click photos ;D
We moved out and the catch-me-if-you-can plot was again on, everyone except Eric with their throttle completely opened up. We stopped on a bridge over a nice flowing river. The bridge was shaking as if a dinosaur was trundling to and fro, actually it was due to the vehicles passing over the plated gap-sections on the bridge that were creating tremors. The surrounding was quite picturesque and Kapil was out with his Powershot clicking each and every spot. As usual Eric was the last one to arrive at the spot and all our halts were scheduled for him to catch us up. I know it will be a totally different story next time when his bike would have completed its running-in and we will find Mr. Eric with that typical wide grin on his face when he finds us arriving later :D We ride on, passing Charoti Naka and in between I take a halt for enquiring directions to the place. I am sure most of the people were not aware that we had crossed the State Border and entered Gujarat. We're into Valsad and ride till the Bhilwad intersection from where we had to take right for Silvassa. Eric arrives later, gets onto Sheru's bike and in a world of his own forgets that we have to take right and rips straight on that annoys everyone.
Prannoy takes Kapil's bike to chase and get him back. It was hot and sunny and with our jackets on, we were sweating badly. I find a small shed and ride right into it, will see later if someone interrupts- and everyone follows. In the meantime Prannoy is back with his catch and is praising Kapil's bike all the way. Before riding off, Eric goes out to explore the path and comes back with a bad experience of a spoilt and bumpy road. Hey this isn't an Autobahn and what's a ride without some bumps to shake us up. We had to ride and face upto it. Wasn't a big one, just a km of bad roads till the entrance pillar of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. After that the roads are a dream. Though not very wide, but void of any pits and with trees on both sides providing the very much needed shade, it was a treat riding. It was hard believing that we were doing 80 on that stretch. We reach Silvassa and take left towards Dadra riding through the dusty and bustling Vapi Industrial Area. In no time we are at our Destination- the Banganga Lake Garden, cool place with cool breeze flowing (have a look at the snaps and you'll know). Lekin kya hawa khaake pet bhare???
We park our bikes outside the Garden and in a super-hungry mode, we hunt around for a restaurant which thankfully we find a good one in the form of Dadra Resort. First visit is to the washroom for downloading and freshen-up stuff. Walk into the restaurant and get the tables fused. Everyone's scrolling through the menu card only to find the same old items you'll find everywhere. Wanted something special..so Gujarati Thaali was it. Order 7 of it and while it arrives we board and attack on the onions and pickles. Its said that when you're badly hungry even an onion tastes sweet and it stood true that time. Some 10 minutes later the Thalis arrive and aakraman.. everyone's dug deep into it without bothering to look around who's eating what and how :D Stomach full in no time and to digest the gulped food, buttermilk arrives. So everyone's satisfied- was a good place and good food served. I should say Paisa Vasool ho gaya, now time to lay down, I mean for some rest ;) So the Lake Garden was the best place for it.
John, Prannoy and Eric stay out to guard the bikes. err sorry, I mean they weren't interested to come in. Kiron, Sheru, Kapil and me get in. Entrance isnt free, 5 bucks per head. No problem, seeing the park you can say that the money is being put to the right purpose - you wont find a single piece of garbage around. A beautiful park with greenery all round, beautiful lake with boat rides, nice shade under the trees to relax and gooses quacking around. Pretty impressive stuff. We four roam around while Sheru and Kapil exercise their cams. Finally we find a nice shady spot and go flat on our backs for about an hour chatting with each other gazing at the blue sky above. I was wondering what these guys were discussing outside in the parking lot instead of coming in. So time for the freebirds to fly back to their nests. We get on with our riding gear and one by one out of the gate with our machines. So recollecting the first para of the log of the number of places to visit, it was better to skip the idea coz each place was far apart from each other. Would have been dark if we had gone for a site see. Anyway next stop was for fuel, we were impressed by the setup of the petrol pumps there, nice big ones with good equipment. We stop at an HP Station- most of the people tank up except me, I had the required amount of fuel to take me home. Kapil refuels using his card and he gets stuck, the reader wasn't responding :D
Same nice roads again amidst the shade of the trees, and this time we reach Bhilad in comparatively lesser time. Sheru, Kapil and myself zoom miles ahead of the rest, breaking all kind of top-end records of our bikes. And this time there wasn't any downslope to help our bikes push, was just a flat stretch without any wind resistance. The throttle is opened up right till the end, my needle touching exactly 130 kph and I start closing on Sheru's bike. Though I had a 150, I thought I will be able to pass him coz he's got a 180 CLASSIC with much heavier tyres. But no, he just seem to get ahead. And now comes the biggest shock, I hear an engine besides me, maybe it would be John. Eh, its Kapil, I stare at my speedo again- damn its still at 130, how is it possible, how how how??? No way I thought can a 150 UG do 130 kph on the speedo. The last time I got a shock was when Siddharth was neck to neck with me at 120 on the Ghoti stretch and I thought that was the max a 150 UG can do in the best of conditions. And this wasn't just a flash in a pan kind of run.
We were running at the same speed for around 5-6 minutes before the check-post slowed us down. The first thing I did after getting down from my bike was asking Sheru what speed was he doing, I doing 130 still couldn't catch him up. Sherubhai, so happy as if he has won a MotoGP race, dancing with joy says 133 kph. Asked Kapil too how come he managed to pull his bike to this limit. Boy wasn't he too happy. And guys no major errors on our speedos here. Obviously if you would have checked the speed with a Sigma it would have been some 8-9 kph less. But whatever, we three were more than happy. Our poor bikes, they would have been panting after that run. Later John arrives followed by everyone.
Eric was the first to leave but we're there at the same place for some 10 minutes. Leaving later too, at our speeds we would have easily caught him. So off we are again, and this time no one came close to Sheru and me. That was the biggest thrill of my life. Taking an S-Curve, quite steep at exactly 120 kph and that too a right one at first. Well I am leaning as much as I could and a Scorpio in front of me, leaning I had to change directions, using the clutch or the brakes at that speed and angle would have spelt disaster, I get easy on the throttle and as I am about to overtake it, Sheru gives me a heart attack. Zoooooooommmm he passes me. The rights over and now comes the left, change of direction and transfer of bodyweight on the left, again leaning as much as we can. I could see Sheru almost scrapping his feeler bolts under his pegs, he was jussssst some ½ of an inch away from it. Guys I should tell you, never fall for his innocent face, this bloke rides like a devil ;D Kapil gave an excellent example in his mail, like a missile chasing a fighter jet in some movie. But in the movie the missile succeeds and here the missile gives up :D We jolt ahead of everybody till Manor and stopover for a tea sip. Refreshed, but this time Sheru decides to give Prannoy some ride while as a pillion he takes videos and if you would have gone through them, awesome would have been the first word that would have come out. Taking videos as a pillion at 120 kph and rotating the cam in all directions is certainly not an easy task. Hats off to him for the great work.
This time we encounter some traffic and some really bad roads. Its almost dark and from nowhere do you stumble upon a crater right in the middle of the road. I almost rammed into Prannoy at 100 when first he hit a row of ditches, followed by me- I am right exactly behind him, a mistake again and till the time I am acting on the balance, he brakes. I don't take notice of it as I am busy looking down in the balancing act. And as I lift my head, a pulse goes down my spine and I brake hard. Back to normal, ride ahead, but on the safer side this time. Now my bike gets onto reserve, I ask Kapil to ride with me at a reduced speed. We ride slowly with the rest far ahead of us. Kapil takes some snaps in the dark i.e refer to the hazard lights glowing in the dark and the half moon. He's a good photographer this guy, also if you see the flowers he has clicked at the Banganga Lake Garden, they quite resemble to the ones clicked by the pros. Sure a good camera does the work, but you need a good clicker too. My planning for refuel goes in vain, I didn't find a good decent petrol pump. Finally we reach Ghodbunder Naka, morning we met to meet and now in the evening to disburse.
Nobody seemed tired or fatigued, the excitement and anticipation for another ride was clearly evident J John stays nearby, the Bandra guys head straight via the W.E. Highway while Kapil and me take left to the horrible Thane-Ghodbunder Road. Yuck, it was so dusty as if we were in a cement factory with the power fans blowing. I refuel at Thane and I was so eager about the snaps and videos I decide to ride with Kapil to Chembur to get the CD right away. He thankfully doesn't refuse, but he needs to freshen up, I too need the same. I drop in at my aunt's place and take a warm shower. After some time Kapil calls up saying the CD is ready. I meet him, take custody of the CD containing some exciting moments of the ride. Thanks a lot to him. I head back to my aunt's place and run the CD at least 10 times, the videos were just great.
Thanks again to Sheru for the shoot and Kapil for the camera. I leave my aunt's place and ride home. Though I could feel a bit sore in the butt, there wasn't any fatigue or tiredness. Rode at a steady pace all the way to Thane recollecting the moments of the day. I found two Pulsars going along slowly one behind the other and I join them. Another group ride here ;D Reach home, have a good heavy dinner, before getting to bed, I thank god on a successful ride and getting everyone back safe home. So that is it, my sincere thanks to everyone who came to the ride and made it a success, specially John, its always heartwarming to see him. Though I miss most of the groupies, some of them whom I've never seen or spoken too, but particularly Satya and Vinod as they're regulars on trips and also it would be a crime if I don't mention our beloved thumper Ishtiaque. I know they had some other obligations to fulfill, can understand. Although I thoroughly enjoy every trip, there is a small disappointment in a corner of my heart with expectations of new people turning up.
Washing, cleaning and polishing your bike is a part of a biker's spirit, but its still a part, the major one is to ride, which is found lacking. Anoop, Apoorva, Lokesh, Shreyas, Parimal, Nayan- the list is pretty big. Try to make it next time coz a bike on the road is worth more than 2 in the house.
The pics HERE