[hrag]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

NOT Fair Hrag. You have to write a report -- which ever sequence it is. You bring in a "headlight adjuster switch controlled 4x4 safari" to the OTR and do a great job with it; and then don't write a report.!! No way. Please do share whatever pics you have and your report.

Done sir. Report with pictures coming up tonight. The pictures will be a mix of those taken by me and others. I'm waiting for chandan's pictures as well as that will complete the picture (pun intended).

Some lessons learned from the OTR:

a) A Jeep is not a Jeep unless it has its bonnet open and 4 guys are peering inside.

b) You are a true Jeeper only when your phone's speed dial is configured:
1 - Mechanic
2 - Electrician
3 - Tinkerer
4 - Near &
5 - Dear

c) The detailed guide prepared (with distance markings) to reach the OTR spot does not apply to a Jeep. Only Army spec Jeeps (sissies) have the speedo / odo in working condition.

d) Nobody actually knows the difference between MM540 and MM550

e) A Jeeper's telephoto lens will cover a distance exactly equal to the distance the Jeep will cover on 1 litre.

f) The Safari has a sophisticated headlight adjuster with the settings:
2H - normal high beam
4H - as above with the fogs in high beam as well
4L - all 4 lights in low beam

g) It is easier to drive to the next village on a country road in the Safari than take a U-turn in the middle.

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by hrag

..... Some lessons learned from the OTR....

You can add 1 more:

#: The big boot of the safari becomes the de-facto bar station in an OTR/Camping night.

[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

...You bring in a "headlight adjuster switch controlled 4x4 safari" to the OTR and do a great job with it

Originally Posted by hrag

...f) The Safari has a sophisticated headlight adjuster with the settings:
2H - normal high beam
4H - as above with the fogs in high beam as well
4L - all 4 lights in low beam
...

that one is hilarious, hrag !

Eagerly waiting for the detailed report on how the Safari performed at the OTR, with pics please ! There has been a lot written in this forum about the on-road performace of the Safari, but very little on the off-road performance.

.

[vinod_nookala]

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

that one is hilarious, hrag !

Eagerly waiting for the detailed report on how the Safari performed at the OTR, with pics please ! There has been a lot written in this forum about the on-road performace of the Safari, but very little on the off-road performance.

.

Safari's 4x4 cpabilities have been under estimated Over time. Under seasoned hands i feel the new safari 2.2 and even the 3.0 dicor can do most of the stuff that a regular LWB vehicle can do.

Waiting for the pics!

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by hrag

e) A Jeeper's telephoto lens will cover a distance exactly equal to the distance the Jeep will cover on 1 litre.

What? My Jeep gives me more FE than both my other vehicles (GV & Santro AT). My Telephoto lens doesn't stretch 13-14kms.

[sushrutha]

Originally Posted by Samurai

What? My Jeep gives me more FE than both my other vehicles (GV & Santro AT). My Telephoto lens doesn't stretch 13-14kms.

He's talking purely interms of OTR / offroading event's FE

[dwaraka]

Hi

One more video of Hrag's Safari action

YouTube - Sakleshpur-OTR2709084

I would say that, there was much similarities to Jeep_thrills off roading and I enjoyed the trip to the core.

Dwarak

[hrag]

Here's my meet report:

We had decided to meet at the ramp where NICE Road meets Tumkur Road at 6:30 am. I leave home at 6:00 am, fire up the Safari (boy, are the others going to be surprised!) and see that the fuel gauge is a little less than 1/2. No worries, I'll fill diesel at the neighbourhood bunk.

Idle for a minute and head to the HP bunk on Bellary Road - the attendants are half asleep and no credit card service at this hour. Forget it, I'll fill somewhere on the way. I'm running late now and take the Outer Ring Road from Hebbal to Tumkur Road, hit Tumkur Road at 6:20 am and there's so much traffic - check my purse at a traffic light and there's not enough cash to fill the Safari's tank.

As I near the meeting point, I spot two long trailer trucks parked and no sign of any TBHP members. I get closer and spot a Jeep with the bonnet open and 4 guys peering inside. Aha - this must be one of the Jeepers!

Folks gathered there are wondering who this is driving up in a Safari. Park, idle for a minute, and get down - meet Chandan (and company), sreerajunnithan (and company), star_aqua (and company) and kittigadu (and pal). khan_sultan is nowhere to be seen. He then shows up in a few minutes. Introductions done and chandan asks me if I have space. Ha - I have space for anything. We then transfer food to the Safari and start, agreeing to sync up at Hotel Mayura at Bellur Cross.

I follow chandan into an IOC bunk and there is no credit card service. But the attendant tells me there's another bunk 1 km down the road which accepts cards. Head there and the same story - anyway fill diesel worth a grand and start.

Under normal circumstances, the Safari would have made mincemeat of the other vehicles on any decent half-road, forget a National Highway. But I have a problem - I'm carrying loads of food which includes lots of gravy. So I take it easy on the rough patches, hoping that the carpets don't get soiled. After Kunigal, I get bored and decide to clip - if the gravy spills, it spills - I'll clean it. Plus, the smell of all that food is making me hungry. Clip the rest of the distance to Hotel Mayura and the rest have just settled down for breakfast.

As I park, I notice kittigadu's bonnet open and all the Jeepers peering inside (Army spec boss, more guys have to peer inside!). It is not starting - kitti calls his mechanic, electrician, plumber, carpenter etc ;-) and finally it starts.

We leave Mayura at 9:00 am and the plan is to reach tank up at an IOC bunk just before Sakleshpura. Follow the rest ofthe vehicles for a while and by now, I am sure no self-respecting bunk on NH48 will accept a credit card and so, clip again to find and ATM. I pop into Channarayapatna town to find an ATM and am positive the rest have zipped past. Post successful ATM jaunt, I clip again and reach the IOC bunk - no sign of the others, tank up and zip to chandan's cottage reaching there at 11:30 am. Call khan_sultan after 15 minutes and find that they have just reached Sakleshpura town. Decide to wait.

The rest slowly arrive and we relax in chandan's cottage. The Jeepers have discovered the rolling hills behind the cottage and while chandan, khan_sultan and I relax, we can hear the Jeeps roaring.

From chandan's balcony:


Near the base of the tower in the picture above, what is actually happening is:


After some pictures, the Jeepers come to the cottage - introductions again and suddenly, sreerajunnithan reaches into his backpack and pulls this out: (note chandan's expression)


After some time, chandan's expression hasn't changed:


We want to know the range of that lens and we are told it is a few km. And then sreerajunnithan says his Jeep's FE is low - how he figured that out, we don't know since he has neither a speedo nor odo - here begins the topic of the lens coverage equalling the Jeep's FE.

We then head out and wait for dwaraka (who started from Bangalore ages ago and everybody is sure he's doing some mini-trails on the way). We then meet Mr. Vikram, our guide for the day. Vikram is very sceptical of the Safari making it on the trail but I am adamant. Encouraged by khan_sultan / chandan / dwaraka, I decide that nothing is going to stop me. If I get stuck, I get stuck but let me find out if the Safari can off-road or not for myself, instead of referring to Google.

First obstacle: some slush on an downward incline. I get into the incline in 4L and there is a hump to be crossed. By the time I accelerate for the hump, the Safari has started sliding towards a rock wall on the RHS. You know the expression with bricks in it - my meter has started and its beating an auto meter without even trying (10K, 20K, 30K). If the side of the Safari hits the wall, I'll have to sacrifice a lot of things.

Nobody is taking pictures - everybody is watching the Safari. A million thoughts run through my head - should I have listened to Vikram? If I get stuck here, I've ruined the OTR for everybody else. But 300 Nm can't be for nothing. Accelerate and the Safari lurches forward clearing the slush and the hump. Reclaimed life once.

Lesson learnt: in the few seconds I was mortified, I should have done something instead of measuring the gap between the Safari and the wall.

OK, this beast can pull off the road. We then reach a small stream and chandan has crossed it. He waits just after the stream and signals me to cross. I ask him to move forward since I don't want to ram into him by mistake. Stream crossed and I get out to take some pictures:

star_aqua crosses:


Next is a 90 degree left turn on a rocky incline - Vikram's assistants ensure only one vehicle at a time. I make the turn and there is another tall step to be crossed. 4L engaged, I lurch only to slip back. Again, with the same result. Vikram says rev it and try. Rev it in 4L and the Safari clears the tall step with the H/T tyres spinning away.

Reach the top and park behind chandan's Gypsy and Vikram's Jeep:


Traffic jam in the jungle:


Waiting to cross another stream, reassuring to have dwarak behind me:


Make it to stop 1 and park next to chandan's Gypsy:


khan_sultan pulls up with his cheerleaders:


To be continued...

[hrag]

Report continued...

Harsha (L) with Vikram (R) and chandan in the background


There's enough wildlife in the City:


After tackling some slush:


The Safari can climb:


At the next halt, a view from the ground:


And then it happens, I'm stuck in a rut. I remember Samurai's post about the Grand Vitara getting stuck. Try everything and then realize my front wheels are not pointing straight - correct, rev and I'm out:


Reach the next spot and I check out the underbody:


I've let the Safari idle and am taking in the views. By now, Vikram has noticed that the Safari is idling at every halt and asks me if it has a starting problem. I say - no, this needs to be idled before starting and shut down. You give us a moment's notice and start.

Vikram's speed on the trails is amazing. By the time we figure out which direction he's heading in, he's already crossed some places, parked and come walking back to check on us!


The hill where the rest are going / have gone:


How can a Safari not do this?


Feels like the city, no place to park after reaching the top:


To be continued...

[hrag]

Someone is shouting from below - dwarak is stuck. We start to get down - these Jeeps & Gypsy have left me no space to take a U-turn. khan_sultan races down the hill in reverse. I do the same at a slower pace. The Jeeps then come down. dwarak is then rescued but not before khan_sultan gets stuck as well.

Vikram then gives us two options - an easy route and a tough one. No prizes for guessing which we chose. This was a rocky narrow trail - I have no pictures but the Safari got a good thorn massage on the sides. While driving to the top (previous picture by somebody else showing Vikram explaining the trail), a bee gets into the Safari and a major dilemma ensues - do I watch the trail or watch the bee? Slow down to an absolute crawl and shoo the bee away. Next come some super thorny branches and one of them gets between my back and the seat - same routine again.

Get back to the base of the hills after a while and all of us are ready for the campfire / barbeque. All of us head to a tea-stall near the Fort to have some well-deserved tea. star_aqua's Jeep has broken down and has to be towed back to chandan's place.

The campfire / barbeque is set up and the Safari's boot serves as the bar counter. Multiple discussions are going on and I want to know what the difference of 10 is between the MM540 and the MM550 - nobody knows!

We all crash after lots of talk, drink & great food.

Wake up on Sunday morning at 6 and get ready before the bathroom rush begins. Later realize that my phone alarm has been ringing since 5 am and Sapna had to switch it off (sorry :-)).

Sometimes the only elbow room that will do is a thousand feet on each side:


After a lovely breakfast at Swarga (thanks Chirag), we head to the planned spot, there's some slush and a huge sandpile!

The Safari climbs the sand wall (with 4 people inside):


People are freaking out on khan_sultan's Gypsy, revving it and it starts to overheat. Even Gypsys pose with bonnets open:


Let's go down to the waterline (4 people inside):


Coming back (4 people and A/C running - wanted to see how it did):


On the way back to Swarga, we spot this road partially submerged under the river. It finally turned out to be a small crossing but straying to the right could mean a submerged vehicle.

Waiting to cross:


Crossing:


Back to Swarga for lunch and we split from there. Some of us came back to the cottage, some left directly.

Ever wanted to quit on a Monday morning?


That's all, folks! Hope you enjoyed it.

[akroy]

Hrishi, excellent writeup plus some breathtaking pics !! I have enjoyed it a lot.

BTW, I didnot know that you own a Safari 4*4 too.

Abhi

[Samurai]

Finally some detailed report. Me like it.

Originally Posted by hrag

And then it happens, I'm stuck in a rut. I remember Samurai's post about the Grand Vitara getting stuck. Try everything and then realize my front wheels are not pointing straight - correct, rev and I'm out:

The GV was not stuck in the rut. In muthodi, it slided down into a storm drain from the slippery road. You had two advantages, no rain and lot more torque.

Originally Posted by hrag

Wake up on Sunday morning at 6 and get ready before the bathroom rush begins.

Didn't you guys stay in tents, so what bathroom rush, shouldn't that be rush to bushes?

[star_aqua]

Fantastic writeup Hrishi.

Originally Posted by hrag

a) A Jeep is not a Jeep unless it has its bonnet open and 4 guys are peering inside.

here is a pic for that:

another pic: posing with open bonnet

Originally Posted by hrag

After some pictures, the Jeepers come to the cottage - introductions again and suddenly, sreerajunnithan reaches into his backpack and pulls this out: (note chandan's expression)
Attachment 55115

Chandhan's expression is too good and caught very well in the pic.

and here is a pic of dicor getting into the slush on the way to sand blasting:

before this could happen, we had to go through a village and all the children came running behind us(can see one coming running behind the dicor in the pic) when they saw the jeeps with yuppies as our jeeps were looking bit different to local jeeps. they kept shouting at us " alli gaadi sikkaakoluthe" meaning "vehicle will get stuck there". listening to these we were more excited and kept smiling at them . telling ourselves "this is what we have come here for".

[snaronikar]

Nice pics and report, Rishi. Other guys, keep the pics comng.

[Blue Thunder]

Nice report coupled with good pics/captions, hrag. I finally got to see the videos yesterday at home (YouTube is blocked in the office). The video where it clears the sand hump is good. The power/torque of the DICOR is very evident there.

Hope you got the underbody thoroughly washed after the meet : also, you may need to check for any greasing that need to be done (usually the propeller shafts).