19th August 2013, 13:57
| #1 |
| Team-BHP Support   | Udupi Offroaders go nuts in the rain... for FREE In my initial years of off-roading, we didn’t have to think about the cost of OTR event except in the sense of post-OTR repairs. We could go to any event by paying the nominal charges. I remember paying just Rs.2500 for one Jeep at Coorg OTR, and it covered 5 meals and two days of very nice accommodation for two people. Five years later, the Coorg OTR now costs Rs.12,000 for one Jeep, and it covers only 3 meals for two people and no accommodation. Same trend has affected Munzerabad event at Sakleshpur too. Inflation? I don’t think so. I don’t want to go into the reasons, since the event organizers have the right to fix their price. But as offroad enthusiasts, it is very disappointing for us. Where once we could go as a group, now we can’t since very few could afford these prices. Udupi offroaders was formed recently, in this background. We have about 5-6 offroad vehicles, we have excellent workshop/technical support, but barely any OTRs available or affordable to attend. Therefore, we have started exploring the local terrain and find the hidden gems. Thus, on the independence weekend where the lucky ones were attending TPC or Somwarpet event, we decided to do our own stuff... for FREE. Location: An exotic place within 5kms of my home.  This is mostly a pictorial, so enjoy the scenes and videos. Even though was a small local OTR, we were equipped with winch, tow cables, tow rods, hi-lift jack and tool boxes. Checkout our home made tow bar, displayed by Harish Kumar and Sachin. Since Harish is a snake expert, the tow bar is displayed like a captured python.                   End of first obstacle. To be concluded... Last edited by Samurai : 19th August 2013 at 16:26. |
|  (21)
Thanks
|
| |
|
19th August 2013, 14:03
| #2 |
| Team-BHP Support | Re: Udupi Offroaders go nuts in the rain... for FREE The second obstacle Don't let the above videos lull you into thinking it is a breeze. The ground below the water was unpredictable. You see in the below pic where the brave videographer is sunk till his waist.          Then our King Cobra expert Harish becomes the first stuck vehicle of the day, that too when trying the obstacle of the second time. There was fallen tree under the water that used to push the vehicles off the safe path. Sachin tries add weight to the rear to provide some traction, but in vain.   Finally, our heavyweight Gypsy man Ranjan comes to the rescue. And that works! However, as he tries to do the trail from the other side, he gets stuck royally. This time he needs to be towed out by the CJ500.  After the rescue, Harish successfully completes the obstacle following the safe path.   Next it is Nischal on CJ500 who gets into even bigger trouble. This one will need the winch, so I take my Jeep around to the vantage point.  After that Ranjan takes his Gypsy in the reverse path. Finally, it was my turn. I passed through little drama, but at the last moment I find myself drawn to right side wall and damage the turn indicator.  That was the end of water obstacles. So we move on the next location. To Be Concluded... Last edited by Samurai : 19th August 2013 at 15:20. |
|
| (13)
Thanks
|
|
19th August 2013, 15:47
| #3 |
| Team-BHP Support | Re: Udupi Offroaders go nuts in the rain... for FREE The next obstacle was a hill. As we reached there, we found our entry blocked by a freshly dumped mud. After thanking the dumpers for making the trail even more interesting, we decided to make that our first challenge. The vehicle with the shortest wheelbase started first and gets stuck. He was too slow. So the rescue begins...    As the Jeep was being towed, one of the photographers got too close, so we chased him out of harm's way. Within seconds, the tow cable snapped. This is the first time I have caught the cable snap on camera, although I have seen it a few times. See the ghostly image of the cable.  As I inspected the tow cable, I realised it was an unrated cable, may be good enough for half ton so. Now we brought out the professional 3 ton cable and pulled out the Jeep.  After this Nishchal wanted me to show how it can be done, as other vehicles took alternative path. So I jumped into the driver's seat of the CJ500, engaged 1st gear and found myself moving in reverse.  Then I was told it has International engine with 3-speed gearbox. Damn, I had forgotten about this model. So, I had to drive it backward and forward a few times to get the feel. I even got Nishchal on the passenger seat to ensure I can engage the gear correctly. In my first attempt, I failed to make it because the accelerator vanished under my foot. It just fell forward. Scary stuff. Anyway, in the second attempt I managed to hop over the hill and got to the other side. By then it started raining and I rushed back to my Jeep. Then I tried the same with my Jeep, and made it in second attempt with wheels flying off the ground. By now it was raining hard. Then I got to the higher ground, only to see Sachin's Bolero Pickup sitting on the chassis. It was pulled back at leisure, as there was no hurry.  That was a nice place to hang around, take photos and give some training to newer offroaders. So that is what we did for next hour.                     Meanwhile, I was having some starting problem after every stop. It wasn't the battery since I could crank. Since we had a professional mechanic in the group, I was not too worried. As I came down the last obstacle seen in the video, the engine died at the last stretch. No amount of cranking and pumping (the fuel pump) helped. The symptoms were same as lack of fuel, but my fuel gauge was at 20% mark, well above E. That is when Sachin figured out the reason. In my fuel tank, the outlet was moved from the bottom to the top, to save it from offroad damage. Therefore, the fuel is getting cut-off much earlier. What a bummer! Anyway, after spending another hour hearing about wild life experiences from our King Cobra expert, we finally moved on. My Jeep was towed using the tow bar shown in the earlier post, until the nearby fuel pump. There we had to wait long since a bus was refueling. The pump attendant looked more like a student than a regular employee. As he finished pumping diesel, he looks at the sticker above the fuel lid and says: Oh, you are with Team-BHP, I follow that forum! End of Report Last edited by Samurai : 19th August 2013 at 16:22. |
|
| (27)
Thanks
|
|
19th August 2013, 20:22
| #4 |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,240
Thanked: 229 Times
| Re: Udupi Offroaders go nuts in the rain... for FREE Excellant! Good writeup Samurai. Monsoon has been blessing for karavali offroaders  |
|
| (1)
Thanks
|
|
20th August 2013, 14:08
| #5 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
|
| (1)
Thanks
|
|
20th August 2013, 18:17
| #6 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Pune
Posts: 69
Thanked: 78 Times
| |
|
|
|
20th August 2013, 18:24
| #7 | |
| Team-BHP Support | Re: Udupi Offroaders go nuts in the rain... for FREE Quote:
| |
|
| (5)
Thanks
|
|
20th August 2013, 20:16
| #8 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 133
Thanked: 71 Times
| Re: Udupi Offroaders go nuts in the rain... for FREE This looks fun and I am sure it WAS fun. Can't wait to join some OTR's with the Team BHP gang. Just gimme some more time as I am on the lookout for a capable vehicle |
|
| (1)
Thanks
|
|
22nd August 2013, 17:56
| #9 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 44
Thanked: 14 Times
| |
|
| (1)
Thanks
|
|
22nd August 2013, 20:52
| #10 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
|
| (1)
Thanks
|
|
22nd August 2013, 21:42
| #11 |
| Team-BHP Support  | |
|
| (2)
Thanks
|
| |
|
23rd August 2013, 08:47
| #12 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Bangaloru
Posts: 293
Thanked: 425 Times
| |
|
| (1)
Thanks
|
 |
Most Viewed