Did my first Trip last weekend. It was five of us riding an Avenger 220, a Classic 500 and my TBTS. Left Mangalore early on 21st morning to reach Chikmaglur by noon. The roads till Charmadi Ghat section were narrow and the heavy rainfall the night before restricted our speed to 40 kmph. Had a thrilling ride through the ghat section. This road was literally empty as it was closed for around 2 years for reconstruction work done by L&T. We revelled in the scenic beauty which was accentuated by bright sunny skies.
trip Map
After climbing Charmadi Ghat section - The rides.
The sunny surprise at Charmadi.
View from the top.
Freshly plucked jamun.
Coffee Barn Cafe at Kambihalli Estate. Feasted on some of the fluffiest omlettes and great coffee.
Learnt a lot about riding in a group, the hard way after we split up on our way to Kemman Gundi, with no cellphone coverage whatsoever (except of BSNL). Two of us ended up never reaching the place and we wasted about 5 hours regrouping. Stayed in Chikmaglur for the night and proceeded to Kudremukh the next day.
This again was a feast for me because of the empty winding roads, stops make on the way to recharge with fresh coffee and having to see the clouds getting ready to pour before we entered Kudremukh Forest Reserve. A quick lunch of Mirchi wadas and tea and we had no option other than t get riding in the rain. I would especially like to mention the ride through the now stalled, Kudremukh Iron Ore Corporation facility which is bang in the middle of the forest. The scale of this mining plant was huge. Just imagine a magnatite ore mining company built in the middle of a forest back in the late 70s having a 1.3km long pollution control dam built in two stages with a pipeline to transport that ore from Kudremukh to Mangalore where they had the enrichment unit, now defunct. The road crossings throughout the facility had tires of heavy digging/rigging/compression machines serving as roundabouts. The rusted sheds and equipment looked very surreal in the mist after it had rained really heavily.
en-route to Kudremukh the next day.
Butt pleasing stops and some camera action.
Coffee plantations.
Interesting flora.
When plantations change to tea from coffee. And the discussion.
Kudremukh forest reserve. Stopping to see the sun set over the mist covered mountains.
Tripping!
The ride back to Mangalore again was enjoyable as the setting sun had cast a orange hue in the sky and the roads were in excellent condition pre-monsoon.
My motorcycle handled all of it very well except for the climbing part as I had a pillion at all times, but more so because the C5 was having to change gears not so often as me which made me jealous. I haven't calculated the mileage I got but I can say it was above 40kmpl. On the way back some 50 km away from Mangalore I got a shock when I felt something snap while operating the clutch, but to my surprise, the cable had not given way. But, something is very loose. The clutch lever needs free play adjustment very badly and I will have to get the Chain and the Clutch replaced in the next service due in another 3000 km. You can expect this in a motorcycle which would by then have clocked more than 35k. I also know form this trip that my carburetor needs attention as the stuttering that I have got used to can not be handled by others riding my my bull.