[amoghchaphalkar]

Nice report and equally nice pics! I do not think I have seen so many Duster's participating in an off-roading excursion. Curious about why were they getting stuck.

Originally Posted by AJ-got-BHP

[b][u]

The remains of the Immersions that happen in the river :
Attachment 1502641

THAT completely freaked me out the first time! Then I realised it is not real

[PapaBravo]

Originally Posted by AJ-got-BHP

Part I : Offroading on the way to the Mundeswari Riverbed


Disclaimer :
Before any such debate or the battle begins, let me clarify that some people may think looking at the above snaps that either I have something against the Renault Duster AWD or that the Duster is not a capable Offroad vehicle. Neither of the above facts are true !! I would put it this way that some part is luck whereas some of it is driving skills. There were 4 Renault Dusters AWD with us on the given day out of which BHPian PapaBravo's (Pawan's) Duster did the trail like a breeze, very much flawlessly. I guess Pawan has understood the Duster AWD very well over time and his driving skills simply compliment their 'Jugalbandi' !! IMHO Pawan - I suppose you should mentor the AWD's at the next Offroad event in the pipeline

Wonderful report Arav. Fantastic pictures. The royalty for the last two OTRs is still pending. Also, the best part of this OTR was the home made rolls you got. We would have started without them.

Thank you for the appreciation. Not sure whether I am the right person to mentor or not. Every OTR is such a learning experience. I am a learner & will always be. Putting prior learnings to use is the key. Also, I believe the luck was on my side as well. Tyres were landing in the right places.

Originally Posted by psurelia

That is so true Arav! I missed the mud-party yet again. Hope to be part of the fun during the next OTR by Kolkata Offroaders and that will be my very first rendezvous with the Gurus of KO. I am eagerly waiting for the next KO OTR to be announced.

The pictures are really superb and the trail looks really interesting. Thanks for sharing the fun!

Don't make the King Kong angry. Get it to its natural habitat soon.

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Awesome report Arav once again, you own this section of off-roading meets in and around Kolkata. Great to see the participant numbers increasing day by day. Unfortunately I could not take my Bolero that day due to a front prop shaft problem. But that gave me the opportunity to do the spotting as well drive a few vehicles like the Bolero with the m-eagle engine, the Gypsy with the Baleno 1.6 engine and the mighty Pajero Sports
The Dusters of Pawan and sinsha were most impressive considering the fact that many people (including me) had thought that they would not be able to do the complete trail.
Adi, senhero and 1100D should be transported to Mars as the Earth is no longer enough for them. The newbies were going bonkers seeing the insane stuff done by these guys.

Missed the action of your bolero. But good to see that you got to experience so many different vehicles in one OTR. I should try that one day. No obstacle seems big enough for 1100D & Senhero. As far as newbies are concerned, swapnil got scared when at one point the we were on two wheels & rocking.

If I would have seen the trail beforehand I would have thought so as well. Feels good when your car (duster) surprises you & it was not even modified for extensive OTR.

Originally Posted by MercFan

All the Jeeps and the Thars are born for offroading, including the Pajero Sport.

Duster proves yet again it is no where near to being an offroader?

Well not really buddy. It's not a hardcore offroader but goes most of the places. After all that is what it is built to do. Apart from OTR, it also takes me to office in complete comfort. Its all about striking a balance.

Originally Posted by tacho9000

Dear MercFan with all due respects passing on a comment like the duster is incapable or nowhere near to being an offroader is quite a noobish comment. Agreed the dusters of Ghostrider28 as well as the orange duster had got stuck quite a few times but it was mostly due to their lack of experience wrt offroading skills. We all have seen how bhpian PapaBravo had performed with his duster awd in the sense that it didn't get stuck anywhere neither did it need to get any help from the winch. It powered and performed well throughout the otr and I will admit that PapaBravo knows pretty awesome driving. Also there was this duster awd which had done sandakphu,a pretty tough terrain for any vehicle in this part of country. It wouldn't have done if it were built delicately and had delicate components which wouldn't stand a chance in offroading situation. Even I had my jeep tilted on the side due to rookie mistake done by my brother. So next time do watch the pictures clearly and understand what has happened before making such an arbitrary comment.

P.S.- I hope this comment will be taking in the most positive manner and no arguments will follow.

Regards,
Subhra

Thanks Subhra for so much appreciation. Awesome driver is quite heavy. As said earlier, I think I was lucky that tyres were falling in the right places.

Originally Posted by amoghchaphalkar

Nice report and equally nice pics! I do not think I have seen so many Duster's participating in an off-roading excursion. Curious about why were they getting stuck.

amoghchaphalkar, To be very frank, even the Jeeps & other vehicles were getting stuck but Duster seems to get the popularity.

I do not have many pictures attaching three that I got as whatsapp forwards or thru facebook.

Sitting in my favorite director chair



My navigator swapnilalto. It was his first OTR



Submarine shot



The twins



The famous 8181. This thing can go anywhere



Regards

Pawan

[Swapnil_Alto]

This was my first OTR and thanks to BlackPearl, PapaBravo & Navsjab for allowing me to tag along with them. Honestly, I got quite scared few times when the car used to tilt but PapaBravo would take the car through the obstacles like a pro. Meanwhile, he also taught me how to tackle these obstacles as I had no idea how to drive a 4X4 in that kind of terrain. Was glad to meet many more BHPians at the venue too.

Couldn't take too many pics as my phone's battery drained out during the OTR. However, charged the phone with the help of a car charger and managed to click few pics. Here are some pics from my phone camera:


PapaBravo's Hulk!


GhostRider28's Girgiti!


Duster AWD being rescued.






That's BlackPearl and SamfromIndia


Sinsha's Duster






1100D's Marengo!


GhostRider28 conquering the last obstacle!


Regards,
Swapnil

[navsjab]

Great report and awesome pics Arav, SouraC, Pawan and Swapnil_Alto.

This was my first OTR and as you said Arav, it was a pleasure to be a part of this great event.

Having always loved the Thar/Gypsy/Jeep class of vehicle this was long overdue. I am very thankful to Bhpian 1100D to have let me drive his Scorpio 4WD. My first experience with a vehicle with four wheels engaged

Sharing some videos and pictures that I captured. All from my mobile so apologies on the clarity.

A descent taken with ease

https://youtu.be/b7_Ss9xMm6w

Adhiraaj with the legendary 8181

https://youtu.be/abE4ftGVXms

A Thar Crde, cake walk

https://youtu.be/162NAHRtDzA

PapaBravo's Duster and a Pajero Sport cross the river

https://youtu.be/Y_4J3meMUu0

The assembly point


The queue from behind


Destination, somewhere there


A small wait among many such. That is DBhpian BlackPearl and Bhpian tacho9000 on the left


The locals enjoying the event too


Bhpian 1100D walking towards Marengo (his scorpio 4WD)


The mighty vehicles



From the driving seat, 1100D guiding me


Would have been the only selfie of the event


From the rear view


Jeep jeep jeep


Thar through the water


Gypsy in style

[Dr_MNC_SK]

Hello all,

Seems a quite fun filled day with ample amount of offroading action by all vehicles. Good to see the Duster perform almost at par with the hard core 4x4s. I do see quite a lot of water crossings and fordings in the meet, just wanted to ask briefly what all post event preventive measures do you all take may be vehicle to vehicle basis or on an event basis?

Thank you in advance.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by tacho9000

Dear MercFan with all due respects passing on a comment like the duster is incapable or nowhere near to being an offroader is quite a noobish comment. ..

Sorry to barge in, but, Offroading is quite often misinterpreted. Driving on broken tarmac, or on really bad roads isnt offroading. It is just bad roading. Offroading is driving off the road, where there is no road.

The lack of a low ratio gearbox, which is the first and foremost requirement, itself makes the Duster pretty much incabable of offroading.

That said, the Duster is an amazing road vehicle. The fact that, a road vehicle can do so much stuff itself makes it a vehicle with amazing capabilities.

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Sorry to barge in, but, Offroading is quite often misinterpreted. Driving on broken tarmac, or on really bad roads isnt offroading. It is just bad roading. Offroading is driving off the road, where there is no road.

The lack of a low ratio gearbox, which is the first and foremost requirement, itself makes the Duster pretty much incabable of offroading.

That said, the Duster is an amazing road vehicle. The fact that, a road vehicle can do so much stuff itself makes it a vehicle with amazing capabilities.

There is nothing to barge in, it is all about healthy discussions. While I agree to your point that Duster cannot be called a true off-roader in the sense that it will not be able to do rock-crawling or extremely steep slopes due to the absence of a low ratio gearbox, but would also mention that it outshines the part-time 4 WDs without diff-locks in off-roading conditions like deep slush and sand. The biggest advantage that the Duster has in these conditions is the electronic aid.

[soumobakshi]

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

Wonderful report Arav. Fantastic pictures.

Regards

Pawan

Looks like you were the Duster Celebrity when others were getting stuck you did it with elan! Kudos

[AJ-got-BHP]

Sharing the 2nd Set of pictures of the May Day OTR Event.

Sir Uday Bhan Singh catches up with everyone :

Picture Courtesy : BHPian SamfromIndia

It's rare to frame them together :


The legendary Jeep staring at the trail :


Footing itself down the slope :


The 4x4 convoy :




BHPian Ghostrider's Duster AWD :






On the Riverbed :


BHPian 1100D's Marengo in action :




The lone Mitsubishi Outlander :


Some Jeep in action :




Myself with my ride for the day :


BHPian Swapnil_Alto strolling with the Jeep :


Beaten by the Heat :


These kids were having their own share of fun :


So True !! :


Disclaimer : Some of the pictures are from the participants who were present that day at the OTR, but are not BHPians.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by MercFan

All the Jeeps and the Thars are born for offroading, including the Pajero Sport.

Duster proves yet again it is no where near to being an offroader?

Your statement indeed makes sense. Duster was not designed as an offroader, but a monocoque vehicle that can tackle a few normal adversities.

All the others you have mentioned were originated as offroaders.

Originally Posted by tacho9000

Dear MercFan with all due respects passing on a comment like the duster is incapable or nowhere near to being an offroader is quite a noobish comment. Agreed the dusters of Ghostrider28 as well as the orange duster had got stuck quite a few times but it was mostly due to their lack of experience wrt offroading skills. We all have seen how bhpian PapaBravo had performed with his duster awd in the sense that it didn't get stuck anywhere neither did it need to get any help from the winch. It powered and performed well throughout the otr and I will admit that PapaBravo knows pretty awesome driving. Also there was this duster awd which had done sandakphu,a pretty tough terrain for any vehicle in this part of country. It wouldn't have done if it were built delicately and had delicate components which wouldn't stand a chance in offroading situation. Even I had my jeep tilted on the side due to rookie mistake done by my brother. So next time do watch the pictures clearly and understand what has happened before making such an arbitrary comment.

P.S.- I hope this comment will be taking in the most positive manner and no arguments will follow.

Regards,
Subhra

I find his post to be absolutely spot on. Completing this trail (or reaching Sandakphu) isn't the determining criteria. Because 1> The trail that most of the modern crossovers were subjected to was simple 2> How comfortably it reached Sandakphu is a question mark (Blackpearl was a direct witness).

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Sorry to barge in, but, Offroading is quite often misinterpreted. Driving on broken tarmac, or on really bad roads isnt offroading. It is just bad roading. Offroading is driving off the road, where there is no road.

The lack of a low ratio gearbox, which is the first and foremost requirement, itself makes the Duster pretty much incabable of offroading.

That said, the Duster is an amazing road vehicle. The fact that, a road vehicle can do so much stuff itself makes it a vehicle with amazing capabilities.

Super, spot on. This was planned as a soft OTR with the trail chosen to ensure there were easier escape routes. Besides it was known that there would be crossovers and new folks.

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

but would also mention that it outshines the part-time 4 WDs without diff-locks in off-roading conditions like deep slush and sand. The biggest advantage that the Duster has in these conditions is the electronic aid.

Did it show that prowess? Apart from one Duster, the others needed attention almost every step of the way. That too when the trail was chosen in such a way that the Dusters would have been at an advantage. Electronic aids should have ensured that the dusters got stuck less, irrespective of drivers skill (or thoughtfulness). The observation was that at every obstacle, there was one or more Duster getting stuck, that too in areas where a 2WD (Bolero) was walking past. It delayed the proceedings quite a bit.

In our last preparatory OTR for the Kolkata-on-wheels, there was something that I had noted with the duster on sand. If you switch traction control on, it would start cutting power at the hint of a sandy climb. Switch traction control off, you are at the mercy of drivers skill.

However, what truly disappointed was the Outlander.

[Sheel]

Wow!! Kolkata Off-roaders are surely going places & lots of new faces as well. There are few new gen 4WD Scorpios, none of 'em participated it appears. Would have been good to know as to where they stand at.

Unintentionally, I tend to off-road and engage 4H almost everytime I have to go to a site. Wish to participate someday but not with these Bridgestones.

Did someone contest an election? White shirt with shades

[1100D]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Did someone contest an election? White shirt with shades

Haha! Was running a temperature and last few weeks have been unbearably hot in these parts, so every trick to beat the heat.

[petrolhead_neel]

Fabulous thread AJ-got-BHP! Almost felt like I was there at the vent myself. And some stunning pictures too! In this report, the Gypsys are simply stealing the show!

I would have loved to be a part of this event. Though 1st May was a day well spent for me as it was our car's first year birthday, this would've been a completely new experience! Please, please do let me know the next time it happens as I would definitely try to manage to get there. Also, meeting UBS Sir has been a dream since quite some time now.

Neel

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by AJ-got-BHP

All said and done, sorely missed the action from your Bolero. It's always a pleasure to capture stills of your Bolero through the lenses. Hopefully next time for sure.

Yes Arav you have taken some stunning pictures of the Bolero in the past. This time I even put up this compass sticker on the Bolero just before the event to make it a better off-roader, but could not take the vehicle

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

Missed the action of your bolero.

Yes Pawan, the trail was so nice that I was missing the Bolero too. Anyways, next time.

Originally Posted by 1100D

Did it show that prowess? Apart from one Duster, the others needed attention almost every step of the way. That too when the trail was chosen in such a way that the Dusters would have been at an advantage. Electronic aids should have ensured that the dusters got stuck less, irrespective of drivers skill (or thoughtfulness). The observation was that at every obstacle, there was one or more Duster getting stuck, that too in areas where a 2WD (Bolero) was walking past. It delayed the proceedings quite a bit.

Ok, point noted. I did not know that the trail was chosen keeping the AWDs in mind. It looked pretty difficult to me

[AJ-got-BHP]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Yes Arav you have taken some stunning pictures of the Bolero in the past. This time I even put up this compass sticker on the Bolero just before the event to make it a better off-roader, but could not take the vehicle

Your Bolero is looking stunning in that picture BlackPearl !!

Sharing an edited Picture of your Bolero with Blackened A, B & C Pillar :



Suggest you to get this done in order to make the vehicle look more complete. I know you are going to kill me for saying this but currently it's looking as if it's got a beard and no Moustache


GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYONE !! Our May Day OTR Event has been covered in the Times of India Supplementary "Calcutta Times" today - Edition dated 07.05.2016 Sharing the pdf file for everyone's reference :

TOI Calcutta Times 07.05.2016.pdf