[Divya Sharan]

Hello, hope you're all doing well!

I'm Hotaru and my zodiac sign is Gemini. Though I was born on the 31st of May in 2019, this travelogue is my first interaction (of sorts) on this forum.
This is because I get to ride less in the presence of my elder siblings: Razor, Kari and Bellissa, thereby my road-time being very less or barely being documented.

Thus, I've decided to take matters via my own accelerator cables and I'd like to share the story of me travelling through multiple states to meet my grandparents for the first time. I hope you don't mind me blabbering because us geminis - we just love talking!

For the most of 2020, IT/Services people worked from their natives, but I chose to stay in Bangalore for a multitude of reasons. But I knew that my workload would be low post Dec 20th. Christmas and New Year events maybe big events for my industry but there's a lot less workload on donkeys and more on the higher ups in the business.

Therefore, it was planned that I'd ride home in Christmas, with proper "leaves" and not to work from home. Initially, the plan was for 15 days, but later it reduced to 8 days, as grandparents would visit Bangalore soon, early next year and these leaves could be utilised then.

I got my health checkup done at the SVC on 2nd Dec 2020 and once they gave a nod, I got the oil, oil filter, coolant and air filter changed at home. Keeping finances in check was of utmost importance this time as quite a few unplanned events had sapped my pockets this year.

It would almost be peak winters, therefore I had to ensure I stay warm and in optimal condition.
I took a thorough bath and got the drive chain well lubed.

I was running mechanically stock with only meaningful parts thrown in from the aftermarket, like : a double bubble visor from Zero Gravity (thanks to massive clearance in Melbourne for this), Philips Ultinon LED headlamps, a simple radiator guard, a rider gel seat from RedLine Plus and foam grips from Grip Puppies. And yes, rear grab rails have been changed along with basic swingarm spools being fit.

With all of these done and ready, I only had to wait. Patiently.

The idea was to be at home on Christmas and thus starting on 23rd Dec was finalised. It's roughly 2100 km away after all!
So, I got my belly filled, drive chain greased and sneakers pumped a day prior in order to be in top-notch-ready condition for the ride.

Packing was done with efficiency in mind. A Viaterra tail bag containing stuff inside compression bags from AmazonBasics. Pretty neat stuff.
A small Trek N Ride handlebar pouch was used to keep wallet, power banks and mobile phones handy.





Those 24 hours were a long wait but as the moment arrived, I brought to life - a rumble synonymous with my clan such that all dogs barely opened their eyes once and didn't even bark or run behind me. That's such a welcome change. They always chase after Kari or Bellissa, I knew there was something wrong with them!

The time was almost 2:30 AM.



Bags loaded and it was time for the 1st selfie of the trip.



The idea was to halt at Nagpur for the day, which I admit is a challenge even for a sprinter like me. But, this is why I started so early in the morning. I had enough time to cover 1100 km for Nagpur.

I was maintaining a steady 90-95 with occasional bursts to 110 kmph to keep myself entertained for the first 2 hours when temperatures suddenly dropped way too low. There was fog all around and my passenger needed a pee break. This is when I realised I had already entered Andhra Pradesh.

Here's my derriere's silhouette shot.



My fans never kicked in during morning hours and on two of the three riding days, they didn't even cross 2 bars out of 6 - the air was that nippy!
Soon, I reached a toll gate and my passenger took another pee break. My god, these humans. They keep peeing and pooping all day long!



Sunrise followed and I saw a nice spot to rest for a while and get some quality photographs.







I had covered about 230 km by this time and refilled to see how I was going. I took in 7.7 litres which meant it was 30 kmpl for the night run. Decent enough! Temperature, traffic and roads were favourable to get closer to Hyderabad and sure in another 3 hours, I was knocking on Mehboobnagar's outskirts.



But then all hell broke loose. I entered Hyderabad on a weekday during peak office hours and GMaps routed me through Inner Ring Roads around the city. It took a massive 210 minutes just to leave Hyderabad.

Yes, you read it right. 3.5 hours! I was angry!



Having lost good time in Hyderabad, Nagpur seemed impossible. Adilabad was the 2nd choice and thus I kept moving briskly.



First sunset of the trip happened en-route Adilabad and few photo ops gave me a much needed breather from the running. It being a weekday meant that traffic was ever present and thus it was making the movement somewhat painful.







A quick dash post sunset had me finally parked in Adilabad for the night, after running for 900 km on day 1. Tank full up to the brim and chain re-greased, I waited again for the next day of travel because Rourkela was another 900 km away!

------

Adilabad turned out to be a darn cold place in winters. There's lush greenery all around and though the temperature maybe 8-9 degrees in terms of numbers, it felt chilly! And foggy. Visibility was down to under 20 feet here.

I had to play the waiting game because of the fog plus overnight curfew in Maharashtra which forbid me from using their roads before 5 AM. One thing led to another and I could actually start only by 4:45 AM, a little later than I'd have liked.

It was cold and the progress was slow. NH is mostly in decent state but surprise potholes can be crater like big, if one's not careful. Hence I dared not cross 70-75 kmph. A little after 1.5 hours, I saw sunrise and stopped for a quick photo op. And yeah, the stupid passenger availed the opportunity for another pee break.



Soon, GMaps routed me past Hinganghat, past Nagpur bypass, through villages that could connect me directly to Durg. I was relying on the motorcycle section of GMaps and didn't cross check with car maps/routes. BIG mistake. Bike maps for village routes aren't meant for me. They're more for lighter sprinters and slower movers. Next 200 km were hell and took more than 6.5 hours.

However, every now and then, there would be a nice looking ambience and I'd stop for a photo. It wasn't that the roads were congested or broken that caused me my issues in moving - it was the absolute lack of them!

Here's one photo from a village when I had to wait for the passenger to return back from his pee session.



Roads progressively got worse as the temperature plus traffic rose. It felt as if they dug up every road during the lockdown and didn't complete any! There were hundreds of diversions, absolute absence of asphalt and dried muddy roads induce a jarring feeling without much grip. And where it wasn't dry mud, there was wet mud. Slush like.

Still, I kept moving on with patience, so much so that I felt I could be inducted in Dalai Lama's institution for patient "beings".
A sample of how roads were, for 100+ km.



I was constantly running thoughts in my ECU that Rourkela is out the window. We can at least reach Sambalpur. That seemed like a good idea. But then after consulting GMaps, I realised that Jharsuguda is only 40 km ahead of Sambalpur, so why not halt there for the day? Good idea. Booked a hotel for late check-in at Jharsuguda, while my passenger was stretching his legs in Rajnandgaon. We were officially in Chattisgarh.

Roads got yummy and I could salvage some lost distance whilst also posing for some selfies and portraits and what not!











Much like how dogs are a menace in southern states, MP/Chattisgarh has monkeys and langurs. They sprint out of nowhere. NH Roads are decent though. I desperately wanted to do 100-110 sustained but every 2km there would be a monkey or two on the road. One langur actually got hit by a Splendor guy or should I say the opposite? Both were fine but I couldn't take this risk.

So, I had to grind my teeth and stay under 90 kmph. And then I hit Durg/Bhilai traffic. It was decided to take a lunch break of sorts. It was already getting late. Hence, next 45 min were utilised for filling my tummy as well as the passenger's!

Traffic sense in India has never been good and during the pandemic, it has gone to the dogs. Total anarchy. A lot of other beings tried to race with me, the answer to which was either slow down or accelerate, provided their's room for it. But this was totally sapping me of my energies. It had been a tough day since the start.

Somehow Bhilai got crossed and I slowly ambled into Raipur. My passenger took another break to stretch around and I tried to reminisce about the day while being parked, but could find not much to be happy about. Also, it was already 5:45 PM and Jharsuguda was still 300+ km away! Oops.

Morale was low and so was the mobile battery. Hence, a quick booking was done in New Raipur while hoping for a "refund" from Jharsuguda. It took me 40 min to navigate to the booked property in New Raipur.

Here are a few pics from the small township of sorts, while I was out for a quick refuel/evening stroll.







Again, it was time to sleep when all vitals checked out positive. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, because I knew for sure that roads in Jharkhand aren't in the best of shapes.

--------

I slept well. And started by 3:40 AM which was pretty darn early given how cold it was. There were fewer than 10 trucks I saw until sunrise, let alone any other vehicle.

But it was very foggy. Visibility was near zero and I, for the first time in the trip was scared for getting hit. There are no pics of the fog for the exact same reasons! No risks.
Still, I was managing 55-60 km every hour until sunrise which was decent pace and saw sunrise inside Odisha border.

Good morning everyone.



Here on, it was a good run at 95-105 kmph all the way till Rourkela bypass. One only needs to be aware of cyclists in Odisha. They can turn anywhere, therefore one must maintain good distance from them.





Very soon, I would be turning into roads from my home state and I was excitedly scared. Scared because of potholes. They could damage my rims and excited because this was my first time seeing my native.

And what a wonderful start it was, I was greeted with rivers, lakes and greenery as I approached Simdega.

[Divya Sharan]

But soon after, all my joy vanished. SH to Ranchi outer ring road was in shambles. Returning back was not an option and staying on this road didn't seem wise either. But there was no choice.

There was no road. At All! Plus villagers built large speed breakers every 100m or so. They would eventually touch my exhaust even if I crawled to near zero speeds. And then there were crater sized potholes. I was getting furious and lamented that people in Jharkhand still prefer living like tribals.

Every once in 50-60 km, I would see a good patch of road that would not even last 10 km.







This was the story till Ranchi Outer Ring Road, where both of us took a good break of 45 min to recharge our batteries. Home was 125 km away and it went through another patch of State Highway, but the traffic would ensure you keep moving. That needed some energy and determination after a day's long battering.

Plus it was fun sharing my travel story with the chai waala and curious onlookers around. I was the star!

Post sunset, I resumed my journey toward home and exactly 2.5 hours later - there I was!

Grandparents were super happy with the surprise and their Christmas only got brighter.

Stats when I entered my grandparents' place.



Next morning, I even got ready early with a proper bath and visited my dad's school.





------------------

How a week fled past, is anyone's guess. It was time to ride back.
And after seeing the pathetic condition of roads around MP/CG and JH, I didn't have the suspension to retry the same route.

So, I decided that I'd ride back through Bhubaneshwar - Vizag - Nellore route and hope for the best. Though, a lot of my brethren had forewarned me about the treacherous roads around Rajahmundry.

That was a gamble I was prepared to take. Or was I?

I planned my routes in such a way that I do around 700 km each day, unlike the previous time when I stretched my rubber for close to 1000 km on day 1.
This way, I would be less tired and ready to sprint, fresh; each day!

Day 1 would take me from Bokaro, Jharkhand to Purulia, West Bengal and then onward to Bhadrak, Odisha. I pre-booked my overnight stay near Berhampur, Odisha.

Therefore I set off for Purulia in the wee hours to avoid traffic.
And yes, roads were absolutely deserted.



Granny gave my passenger some woollen clothes to wear under his riding apparel and I'm glad she did because sunrise looked like this!



While my passenger went on another loo break, I decided to pose for the camera again, as one doesn't see such thick fog everywhere.



Maps were next set to Berhampur, Odisha and I navigated through Jamshedpur bypass - Baripada - Bhadrak - Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar. Roads got not so favourable post Bhadrak and so did the traffic.

My passenger met a couple of his good buddies in Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar and had a gala time talking to them while I stood in the sun. It never felt like peak winter season in the capital, at all. It was actually hot!





The halt for the day was Hotel Nirupama, Taratarini just on the outskirts of Berhampur but road gods had other plans - diversions galore! All the way past Chilika from Khurda and therefore the progress was slow. I managed to check-in to the hotel by 8 PM post a refuel and got my drive chain lubed to good measure because the next day was going to be a daddy of heartaches, for I'd have to navigate the fabled Rajahmundry - Vijayawada stretch after crossing a heartache called Vizag/Anakapalle.

-----------------

Next morning, despite the best attempts, my passenger could only start at 5 AM and we were already an hour behind schedule and this meant that there would be no to very few photo stops. Even pee sessions were curtailed on this day.

Add to that, roads from Behrampur all the way till Vizag bypass are in excellent condition. Therefore, despite invitations from the general public, I ensured that my passenger stay comfortable at 100 kmph throughout. No abrupt acceleration or braking - just comfy cruising at 4500 rpm and Vizag approached in relatively less time.

Delicious roads just after sunrise, enroute Srikakulam.



Earlier, I and the passenger discussed long and hard if we wanted to take Anakapalle bypass or not and it was decided to NOT take that route but again road gods wanted to test our patience. Roads around Dwarka locality in Vizag were jam packed and I had to re-route via Anakapalle bypass and I'm sort of glad that I did!

Barring 12 odd km where one gets traffic as well as diversions, roads were relatively fast flowing. Yes, there are minor bumps all along but I maintained 65-70 kmph easily on them.

Soon I crossed Anakapalle and I was on the open stretch towards Vijayawada.



Roads were in fantabulous condition and I was approaching Rajahmundry by 3:30 PM which meant that I could reach Vijayawada by 6:30 PM if roads continued to be good. But then what about the fabled condition of them roads?

Yeah, road gods again played dirty and there was dark dark red on GMaps all along, therefore satanic GMaps re-routed me and my passenger via Nidadavelu.

Oh dear god. There is a reason this road is always in the blue on GMaps. Because, for the next 35 odd km from Vemagiri, Rajahmundry to Tadepallegudem Roadd, Prathipadu - there are NO roads, at all!

Roads were non existent and potholes were big enough to swallow my front end at once. Cruising speeds, wait; there was no cruising. It was a matter of staying alive. I was barely doing 5 to 8 kmph for 35 km. At times 25 kmph. Nothing more. And thus I spent the next 2 hours navigating through hell.

But thanks to my patience and helplessness of my passenger, we both were fine without any incident and soon we joined AH45 towards Vijayawada and raced towards it around 5:25 PM at 80 kmph thanks to heavy duty traffic.

I wanted to halt in Guntur in the best case scenario but Vijayawada was as good and we checked into a hotel by 9 PM.

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This was the last day of the trip and both of us now wanted to reach home safe. Motorcycling is fun but road gods at times make it painful and one needs patience and common sense in bucket loads to be able to recite them tales later. This last day was all about patience and being alert.

I started from Vijayawada at 4 AM and joined the highway in a few minutes. Roads were delicious and I could effortlessly do 4500 - 5000 rpm even before sunrise.





This meant I was in Nellore at 9 AM. My passenger stopped for a decent time here for rest and breakfast. Next we'd navigate through Srikalahasti - Tirupati bypass - Chittoor - Kolar onward to Bangalore, which meant that a loooooot of time was going to be spent on state highways. Therefore, some rest was warranted.

Also, weather gods started threatening us.



As expected, SH is in a decent shape and not the best. One can take a slightly longer but more scenic route via Renigunta. I followed what GMaps served me and at one place near Nedragunta, it took me up a flyover that ended out of nowhere while I was happily chugging at 100 kmph!

There was no board, no man, no barricade. One must instead take the service road beside to avoid a sudden fall. This road can hurt severely in the dark.
Nevertheless, we continued chugging along and my passenger was asking for me to stop for a good bit because he claimed to have lost (sensation in) his backside!



Thereafter we continued cruising and the weather kept getting gloomier.
But this board cheered us up and it brought rain along too, till we hit Mulbagal border.



Thanks to rain, there were no pitstops in between even if the passenger's bum cried and it was a good thing. We were back in home territory and the last loo cum snack break was at CCD, Kolar beside erstwhile Adigas, which sadly has been demolished.



The next 1.5 hours were then spent fighting the usually mad traffic back home but here we were, finally!

Homerun was successful.



Stats at the end of nearly 4100 km trip.



Finally, joined my cousins Bellissa, Kari and Razor for the night and they welcomed me back as a worthy champ!
I hope you enjoyed reading through my story as much as I did, reminiscing about it.

The End.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[drrajasaravanan]

Hi
Very well written from the perspective of Hotaru. Enjoyed reading your post. Nice photos too. Just wanted to ask you which legend inspired you to nickname your steed as Hotaru. Cheers.

[WinniedPo]

That was one of the most well written travelogues I have ever read! I love reading the travelogues on TeamBHP, but this is the first time I've read one written from the POV of the vehicle.

Everything was beautifully described and loved the occasional sprinkles of sarcasm and humour.

I just recently ordered my bike, and reading posts like yours make me so impatient to get my bike, so I can start going on rides like these too.

Anyway, thanks for posting this. Really appreciate it. Happy riding!

[Divya Sharan]

Originally Posted by drrajasaravanan

Hi
Very well written from the perspective of Hotaru. Enjoyed reading your post. Nice photos too. Just wanted to ask you which legend inspired you to nickname your steed as Hotaru. Cheers.

Thanks. Glad you liked the post.
Hotaru means Firefly and it seemed apt.

Originally Posted by WinniedPo

That was one of the most well written travelogues I have ever read! I love reading the travelogues on TeamBHP, but this is the first time I've read one written from the POV of the vehicle.

Everything was beautifully described and loved the occasional sprinkles of sarcasm and humour.

I just recently ordered my bike, and reading posts like yours make me so impatient to get my bike, so I can start going on rides like these too.

Anyway, thanks for posting this. Really appreciate it. Happy riding!

Haha thanks! I wish you all the joys of riding once you get yours!

[ashwinprakas]

Hotaru is in good hands! And since it's you behind the handlebar I'm eagerly waiting for the day I'd see a 100k milestone thread.

Ride Safe Bro.
A.P.

[aabhimanyu04]

Hotaru

What a journey!! I wanted to ask about the brakes on the KRT N650s (sorry if I missed reading about it in the post). I know the older N650s had that big issue to be fixed.

Keep riding mate

[drrajasaravanan]

Originally Posted by Divya Sharan

Thanks. Glad you liked the post.
Hotaru means Firefly and it seemed apt. !

Hi,
I knew hotaru means firefly, have been interested in anime and folklore. There are two myths associated with hotaru in Japanese legends. If I remember right one involves two warriors who after death choose to be fireflies to guide their group to safety and once their task was done they randomly appear to troubled travellers and light their way to safety. They are supposed to bring good luck and cheer. The second legend concerns a very talented lover and I will leave the rest to your imagination. So if you meet any Japanese folks remember the first legend.

[pugram]

Wow - A nice ride with an equally gripping narration.

Do you have an ownership thread for the 650 in the forum ?

[Divya Sharan]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Hotaru is in good hands! And since it's you behind the handlebar I'm eagerly waiting for the day I'd see a 100k milestone thread.

Ride Safe Bro.
A.P.

Thanks buddy! 100k on it would be awesome and I wish to see that day as well.

Originally Posted by aabhimanyu04

Hotaru

What a journey!! I wanted to ask about the brakes on the KRT N650s (sorry if I missed reading about it in the post). I know the older N650s had that big issue to be fixed.

Keep riding mate

Thanks! 2017 onwards, the 650 twins got better brakes from NISSIN with ABS. Therefore you don't need galfer lines and EBC pads anymore! Bite is progressive but strong. Only stock Dunlops aren't the best all round tyres and I'd soon be hopping around for a worthy replacement.

Originally Posted by drrajasaravanan

Hi,
I knew hotaru means firefly, have been interested in anime and folklore. There are two myths associated with hotaru in Japanese legends. If I remember right one involves two warriors who after death choose to be fireflies to guide their group to safety and once their task was done they randomly appear to troubled travellers and light their way to safety. They are supposed to bring good luck and cheer. The second legend concerns a very talented lover and I will leave the rest to your imagination. So if you meet any Japanese folks remember the first legend.

Are we talking about Hotaru Shidare here?
I always like her, err...

Originally Posted by pugram

Wow - A nice ride with an equally gripping narration.

Do you have an ownership thread for the 650 in the forum ?

Thank you!
I have been very lazy and keep postponing penning down the ownership thread forever.
But I'll try to find enough masala for it soon.

[neil.jericho]

A very engaging read! I look forward to your ownership thread.

What mileage did you get on this trip? Also any pictures of the Philips Ultinon LED setup? I remember seeing a few videos of them being installed on the Ninja 300 and the output was good.

[Prav_Panther]

A wonderful travelogue. Lots of love to Hotaru . I remember when I last travelled in July last year, road when you enter Jharkhand till Simdega is in shambles. There are big craters created by trucks. It's was scary as hell. How you managed that stretch? Has it been repaired?

[mh09ad5578]

Awesomeness bro! What a right up. Excellent thread and great pictures. Riding solo for extended distances is quite challenging and super fun. Thanks for taking us along.

[SatyRoy]

Hey Hotaru. Its an absolute delight to meet you. Great narration and pictures. Thank you so much for making us a part of your journey. Really very well put. The perfect blend of sarcasm and humor made it quite a read. Divya Sharan sure must like you. All the best.