| bangalore to Kottayam-kerala on my RE Classic 500
After finishing the last concrete on my apartment I was finally free. My friends called up from Chennai and invited me over. Having no riding gear or any protective gear required for a long haul I decided to visit cramster on Cunningham road and Picked out a K2K 2.0 jacket and a Blaster riding gloves.I Ran out of money for the saddle bag and tank bag so had to sacrifice them for another time. So back home after the buy i called up my friends and told them I’m riding there when my parents called me told me to come home(BUS/Train). A crazy idea struck my mind, to ride home to Kerala to my home that is in Kottayam a good 630 km’s away. This is a really long drive for me as the maximum I have driven is 300km on a day and I suffer from a stiff back also. To avoid the traffic of Bangalore and getting fatigued in the start itself, bunking at my brothers place in Bomanahalli seemed like a good idea.
Morning 0445hrs I started my journey to kerala through krishnagiri on my relatively new classic 500. The K2K jacket was very comfy but the same could not be said for the riding gloves. It was very stiff and required a lot of effort for me to depress the clutch lever. Quickly settling to a cruising speed of 90kmh I headed out to hosur where petrol is cheap and where my first stop would be. On the way a p220 overtook me with the dude wearing riding gear et all. Seeking company for the trip I decided to catch up with him, but it was not to be since hosur came up and I was critically low on fuel. I pulled into a HP petrol bunk and tanked up with power petrol worth 890 bucks. Throttling hard after the now vanished p220 in a bid to tag alone I crossed krishnagiri. Either the dude was going to Chennai or he was doing speeds of 120+ since i didnt see him after that. So I aborted the chase and quickly settled into a 100-110kmph cruise speed. On the way saw a fresh accident with a lorry crashing into the back of a Scorpio with children inside(nobody hurt). There was a small jam, with the enraged driver of the Scorpio slapping the truck driver which he truly deserved. Then the situation escalated with the Scorpio driver starting to beat up the guy and his co passengers manhandling the cleaner. Trying to diffuse the situation I tried to make them stop but to no avail. When he took up a rock to smash it on the lorry guys head I stepped off the bike and told the Scorpio dude to stop beating him up on which he threatened me. I told him I’m going to inform the police and rode to the next police station. In my rear view mirror I saw the Scorpio driver getting worried and he dropped the Rock. So after complaining to the highway police I resumed my journey.
Thinking of the events and the road rage incident I missed the turn to Mettur dam and had to retrace myself. Once on this road I reduced speeds to 60-80 since me and Tbhpian Nijelj had an accident on this stretch. On the way there was a rider on the side stretching his legs near krishnagiri on an Apache 160 which I saw in the last moment and by the time it registered I was gone pretty far. He caught up with me and after enquiry’s said he is headed to palakkad which was a relief for me since it was a good 200km’s to palakkad from here. He set the pace about 100-110kmph which was a bit scary for me because of my previous history on this stretch of 2 lane road. We proceeded to Bhavani from where the roads started to get really bumpy and undulating with both bikes jumping around at the speed we were riding.
Then it started for me, the infamous saddle sores which got the better of us near Bhavani. So we decided to rest on the way since I got a phone also. This is where they make jiggery into sharkara lumps and the place smelled really sweet. After the phone we introduced over selves and lo here is another Tbhpian Naresh. After clicking some pic’s with his camera we headed to the dreaded avinashi single lane and under construction roads. It was hell, with the cuts in the road every bump in the road was a bump in the rump and with crawling traffic Naresh lost it! Then I saw his apache rushing through the trucks with a pulsar on his tail(another hero with no helmet) going off into the distant plume of dust and exhaust smoke only after to reappear in 5 minutes confessing he lost it for a few minutes. So we decided to take a break since it was 11am and his DSG gear and my cramster K2K was doing its job to efficiently baking us under the dry heat of Coimbatore. Seeking shelter we ran into a restaurant ordered two big ghee roast and chomped it down.
After we traversed through avinashi and the Kerala border known as Walayar naresh spotted a logan with the motard sticker on it. Naresh is into bike racing and stuff which is lost on me I am more of a car guy. After reaching palakkad we bid adieu and I proceeded to thrissur where my fuel light came on. Pulling up into a pump the attendants were looking at me like I was some kind of astronaut because of the gear. Filled up with 500 bucks worth of petrol left for Cochin. My butt was killing me now, but I pushed on till Angamaly by then the heat was also quite unbearable. The roads where pretty good though with most of the flyovers completed and cars giving way for me maybe because of the exhaust note of the c5 at full blast. Saw a US pizza on the way and sat down to have lunch since it was 1300hrs and I was starting to feel a bit dizzy. I sat under the a/c for a good 45 minutes before I left with my saddle sore a bit relieved. Cochin was also hot and passed through without stopping. I took the route through kakkanad since it is not so congested as vytilla and roads are pretty good. By this time I found out was causing the saddle sores. When we sit down the jeans formed pleats under the bum and you know the rest. Cochin-kottayam is a dream drive since the roads are by heart to me with some excellent sweeping corners where I scrapped my side pegs a plenty. I reached home to my parents with a red hot ladle in my moms hand and dad with an outstretched hand asking for the keys to the bike and muttering “you will never ride again in your life”L.
Summary
Distance Traveled-630 km
Time taken-11 hours with 4 stops
Petrol consumed-around 16.5lts
Mileage-38kmpl
Max speed attained-143km/hr(speedometer)
Problems-pronounced popping sounds while decelerating, petrol smell while idling, loose bolt of silencer
What I learnt
1.Never put luggage on one side and invest in a saddle bag since I scrapped my bag on left hand corners and when skidding will skid to one side
2.Never put a half faced helmet for a long ride, it is comfy but does not give you enough protection.
3.Always wear gloves and a protective jacket if go moolah buy some leg protection also
4.Should wear cycling shorts underneath or better still buy padded riding pants.
5.Riding long distance with your feet on the back pedals are great way to relax your legs( the fast Indian bike riding position).
6.Having a riding partner is always good since you cannot gauge how tired you have become by yourself and you will not take a break and keep riding on.
7.Always rehydrate yourself and take breaks or you will fall sleepy.
8.Cut your finger nails before you go on long drives wearing gloves because the gloves strain against your nails and will pain after sometime.
Review of the K2K jacket and Blaster gloves from Cramster
The jacket is a very good product which is very snug even though I am a big guy with a tummy. I think the breezer 4.0 is a joke since it does not feel very sturdy and looks cheap. I was sweating in both these jackets when I was wearing them in the show room, so it’s better to go for the one which has better resistance to cold since I will be using it in Bangalore and also the Himalayas. It also has a pocket near the lower tailbone but a sponge there could give you some additional protection to your saddle sore. The spinal support on the jacket was very helpful since I did not have a hint of back pain after the journey even though I have a back pain problem.
As for the blaster it was uncomfortable at first but after some running in it gave superb amounts of grip due to the silicon membrane inside the glove.
The bike
The classic 500 was very good with vibrations to a minimum when cruising at 120 with the rear view mirrors usable, but gun the engine and you will feel the vibes creeping in from the handle but not from the foot pegs. The exhaust note is to die for and I did not listen to my i pod on the way but it will make you a little deaf after a while. Another thing is horns are not so necessary since the exhaust note itself will warn the vehicle in the front except lorry’s :-)
Will I do this trip again?
I don’t think so. This route is not so scenic and I think I can do longer distances than this. Next is Goa and in July ladakh-leh.
Last edited by GTO : 15th April 2011 at 15:30.
Reason: Spacing out your paragraphs for easy readability to other users
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15th April 2011, 10:55
(1)
Thanks
