Delhi - Kolkata : A ride on RD350

milindajp · 7th December 2009, 14:24

Technical Update: Put 2lit. Valvoline 2T oil and 10 lits of fuel. while starting from Agra. Speedometer Reading at Allahabad - 13023.

Total Kms covered - 525kms. Average - 21kms/lit. Speed - 70~85kms/hr at 4000~4500rpm.

milindajp · 7th December 2009, 15:04

Images from Varanasi section.....

YouTube - Richshaw Ride - Varanasi

YouTube - Camels on NH2

Sudipto-S-Team · 8th December 2009, 16:59

It's really nice to note that you made it without a problem. I knew you would. Sorry it took me a while to respond to this because I was off team-bhp for a few days. Let's see if we can catch up with each other. I have sent you my number.

sats · 8th December 2009, 18:00

Wow, went through the whole thread in one sitting. Envisioning and materilaising a dream is something only a few are blessed with.

The right spirit of support you can expect only from the BHPians has value added to your wonderful experience, Kudo guys

Look forward to following this thread to completion. My best wishes, Milindajp

Cheers,
Sats

milindajp · 8th December 2009, 22:51

Day Seven (02.12.2009): After returning from temple, I took some snacks and tea, checked my bike and started for Kolkata. Today will be a big day for me and I will be covering 770 kms as per the mile stones. So, by 5am I started and first fill up the tank of my bike. The quality of fuel available in the small towns of Bihar is very doubtful so I wanted to make sure I face not fuel scarcity before I reach some big towns like Sasaram and Dhanbad. The exit road from Varanasi to NH2 is like the war torn Afghanistan. Negotiating my way with the long queue of trucks, I headed for Sasaram. By the time I reach Sasaram town, it was almost 8 o’clock. As I spent some time in late 90’s in this town due to my professional assignments, the town is quite known to me. I didn’t find things changed much except a few commercial buildings. The biggest attraction of Sasaram is undoubtedly the Tomb of Sher Shah Suri and as the roads are all known to me, I first stopped at the tomb of Sher Shah and took some photos. Then taking a small road linking NH2 near Chandimata mandir, I again headed for my next destination Dhanbad. The roads of UP and Bihar are now in good shape but all sorts are traffic violations are frequent. Trucks, bikes, tractors, carts and even cycles are driving in the wrong directions making riding extra careful. Even people are crossing the road as if they are having a morning walk in their own garden – blowing horns didn’t even turn their head.

The stretch between Sasaram and Dhanbad was incedent free except stopping at two places for a quick puff of cigerett and once I called Sengupta Sir to update my location. Again, I got his valuable suggestion to stop at Khalsa Hotel just after Dhanbad. As usual I missed Khalsa Hotel and have to drive in the wrong direction for a kilometer – but with indicators flasing and riding on the parking space….

The foods of Khalsa Hotel are really awesome. I bet some star restaurants can’t provide such delicious dishes. The thought of riding another 300km stopped me from having a full lunch. However, I rested for an hour and again started for Kolkata. A few kms and I have to stop more than an hour at a railway crossing. The construction work of NH2 is not finished yet in this part. Is this Isri Bazar? With nothing to do except waiting patiently, I even took a small video

My next stop is at a famous Jublee patrol staion at Asansole. Unfortunately, payment by credit/debit cards is no more available here, so I took a few liters of fuel and headed for Durgapur. Suddenly, the volume of traffic increased significantly and later I came to know that there was a road accident involving a tata indica. The car slammed on a guy crossing the road running, then hit the left side ralling and overturned. Three people died instantly and the locals blocked the road for two hours. When finally, the road block was removed, my clock was showing 4pm. Another half an hour, and I reached Durgapur, filling the tank form a petrol pump on opposite side of the road near Muchipara Moore on NH2 and paid by card. A few kilometers of riding and I stopped at Panja Hotel, Darjeeling moore for some food.

At 5:30 I started from Darjeeling moore for the last lag of my jouney. But, darkness have already disended and there were lot of trucks. The road near Panagarh is narrow and very crowded – some parts passing through bazaar area. The most difficult riding I experienced in this stretch – trucks filled with sands heading towards Kolkata, water oozing out of the sand and making the road slippery. Moreover, trucks are overtaking eachother with a variation of 2kmph speed, making it very difficult to overtake them. However, I kept the speed limited to 80kmph and crossed Dankuni. In the darkness, I missed the diversion for Vidyasagar setu, and have to take old Dunlop Bridge to enter the city. This one mistake increases my riding by almost 20kms. Exactly at 12:35am I reached home. The first thing I did was to sms all my friends and fellow Bhpians – to inform them that I have reached home safely. I was exhausted, hungry – but everything was gone when I saw the smiling face of my daughter. I promised to meet her on 2nd Dec, but missed it by 35 mins..... I am sorry papa.

Next few days, it will all be rest and nice home cooked food and definitely posting this dairy in Team-Bhp. May be planning for the next expedition secretly….

milindajp · 9th December 2009, 17:15

Images from the last lag.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usB4lQTzyMQ

YouTube - Rail crossing

r_nairtvm · 10th December 2009, 11:35

Milinda,

Your reports are coming out really great.

I had done this exact trip in the reverse direction in 1982 in my Yezdi. But then it was only the good old two lane NH2 all the way.

Slightly OT - What happened to all the saddle bags etc you had bought. I can't see any of your carry on luggage in any of the pictures of you on the bike. May be I missed the point in one of your earlier posts, was there some one accompanying you in a car or something?

Keep the reports and the photos comimg (also bring back all of the photos back to Dubai, we will have a private screening for the BHPians in Dubai LOL!)

All the best

Take Care & Ride Safe

Ram

souravdebiswas · 11th December 2009, 11:26

Milind,

That was a very good report. Good that the journey was safe and without any hassles in JHK and Bihar.

I intend to drive down from Delhi to Kolkata and back in December (another 2 weeks left). Will leave on 25th, stay overnight at benaras and reach kolkata on 26th evening. Will be leaving Kolkata on 2nd jan and be back in Delhi on 3rd Jan. I had planned a similar trip last year but couldnt make it. So this time I hope I can do it.

You report would be most helpful. My only concern is the declaration of election results and violence thereafter. If things appear fine as per new reports, I will be making the trip definetely.

Dr. Sengupta -- we should definetely meet up in Kolkata this time. Hope you would be going.

milindajp · 11th December 2009, 23:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by souravdebiswas

Milind,

That was a very good report. Good that the journey was safe and without any hassles in JHK and Bihar.

I intend to drive down from Delhi to Kolkata and back in December (another 2 weeks left). Will leave on 25th, stay overnight at benaras and reach kolkata on 26th evening. Will be leaving Kolkata on 2nd jan and be back in Delhi on 3rd Jan. I had planned a similar trip last year but couldnt make it. So this time I hope I can do it.

You report would be most helpful. My only concern is the declaration of election results and violence thereafter. If things appear fine as per new reports, I will be making the trip definetely.

Dr. Sengupta -- we should definetely meet up in Kolkata this time. Hope you would be going.

Hi Sourav,
Thanks for the compliments.
Just a gew suggestions regarding your planned trip, though I don't know yet which car or bike you will be usuing.

1. Forget about any problems in JHK and Bihar - the roads are in best shape.
2. There is very less chance of any road blockade or any odd situation effecting NH2 for election.
3. Try watching Aarti at Viswanath Mandir (3am - 4am) and start early so that you can cross JHK and Bihar well before sunset.
4. Keep the fellow bhpians contact no in case you need them.
5. Try taking fuel at Mathura, Allahabad, Varanasi, Dhanbad and Asansol or Durgapur.

I am sending my Kolkata contact no - if you need any more suggestion, just call me.

regards

Milinda JP

SS-Traveller · 12th December 2009, 21:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by souravdebiswas

Dr. Sengupta -- we should definetely meet up in Kolkata this time. Hope you would be going.

I'm in CCU from 26th Dec afternoon till 2nd Jan night.

souravdebiswas · 13th December 2009, 00:12

Hi Milind

Thanks for the suggestions. will keep that in mind. After seeing the snaps of the aarti that you had taken, I have actually made plans to see that before leaving benaras.

Will be driving in my ford fiesta 1.6S. Alone. So hope things go well. I always wanted to make this trip ever since I shifted to Delhi about 3 years back...but never got an opportunity. thought of making the trip in my old opel astra, but was actually scared it might break down. So this time I will definitely make it.

we should catch up along with Dr. Sengupta one of the days that I am there...anytime between 27th and 1st.

Thanks for your contact number. Will get in touch with you tommorrow to take further details.

Also wanted to thank HV Kumar and Dr. Sengupta especially. Driving logs of HV and the travelouge of Dr. Sengupta has given detailed insight into this particular road trip.

Regards,

Sourav

Jimmy_u · 10th January 2010, 11:51

Hi milindajp,

Can you put this file up for download , seems its been deleted from the site.thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by milindajp

Guys, just uploaded a very detailed road map of India. The map is big enough and how will be of your help. I scanned it part by part from Eicher and then joined them. The file is 35 MB in size and can be downloaded by clicking the below link

https://n2.fileflow.com:443/fileflow...cFnpJ7Z&type=1

Regards

btirthankar · 11th January 2010, 21:11

commendable and you must post the entire thing as a crisp travelogue with pictures in the appropriate section.

milindajp · 11th January 2010, 21:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by btirthankar

commendable and you must post the entire thing as a crisp travelogue with pictures in the appropriate section.

I really appriciate your advice. But I am confessing that I am very inexperienced in writting travelogue, so I know that it is neither very crispy nor technically of high standards.

If my limitations in writing the travelogue results in not meeting the standards of Team-BHP, I am really apologetic.

nomadabhi · 1st September 2011, 15:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by milindajp

Hi friends,

After a long waiting period of almost 3 years, I just bought one RD350 HT. I am really grateful to my childhood buddy Kallol Dutta, who spent many precious weekends searching for a decent RD350 and without whose active support, my dream would never been a reality.

I am posting an image of the same, but now it is in restoration phase with Sumeet Mehndiratta - the RD Guru. As I want the color to be red and everything to be as per showroom condition, the full restoration will take a month or so. I will be posting more images as and when I got them from the workshop.

I am planning to be in India by Nov end and drive the beast to Kolkata. I need your suggestions and helping hand to make this planned journey a memorable one.

Is it safe to drive a bike in NH2 during Nov end and Dec starting?
What is the road condition of NH2?
Approximately how much distance will I be able to cover a day in NH2 riding on a RD350.
What are the best places for night halt in this journey?
Is it safe to drive between Varanasi and Asansol, and which is the best place for night stay in this 467km path?
Do I need any special paper to drive through the states of UP & Bihar
Which is the best GPS to be used and approx cost involved.

I would appreciate all your suggestions and please feel free to post your advice.

Regards

Hi tried sending PVT message but failed.
Please confirm:
4th Sep 2011
RD350 meet
Lonavala

let me know

7th December 2009, 14:24	#121
milindajp BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Highway Posts: 213 Thanked: 206 Times	Technical Update: Put 2lit. Valvoline 2T oil and 10 lits of fuel. while starting from Agra. Speedometer Reading at Allahabad - 13023. Total Kms covered - 525kms. Average - 21kms/lit. Speed - 70~85kms/hr at 4000~4500rpm.
	() Thanks

8th December 2009, 16:59	#123
Sudipto-S-Team Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Kolkata Posts: 1,320 Thanked: 290 Times View My Garage	It's really nice to note that you made it without a problem. I knew you would. Sorry it took me a while to respond to this because I was off team-bhp for a few days. Let's see if we can catch up with each other. I have sent you my number.
	() Thanks

8th December 2009, 18:00	#124
sats BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 112 Thanked: 36 Times	Wow, went through the whole thread in one sitting. Envisioning and materilaising a dream is something only a few are blessed with. The right spirit of support you can expect only from the BHPians has value added to your wonderful experience, Kudo guys Look forward to following this thread to completion. My best wishes, Milindajp Cheers, Sats Last edited by sats : 8th December 2009 at 18:02.
	() Thanks

8th December 2009, 22:51	#125
milindajp BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Highway Posts: 213 Thanked: 206 Times	Day Seven (02.12.2009): After returning from temple, I took some snacks and tea, checked my bike and started for Kolkata. Today will be a big day for me and I will be covering 770 kms as per the mile stones. So, by 5am I started and first fill up the tank of my bike. The quality of fuel available in the small towns of Bihar is very doubtful so I wanted to make sure I face not fuel scarcity before I reach some big towns like Sasaram and Dhanbad. The exit road from Varanasi to NH2 is like the war torn Afghanistan. Negotiating my way with the long queue of trucks, I headed for Sasaram. By the time I reach Sasaram town, it was almost 8 o’clock. As I spent some time in late 90’s in this town due to my professional assignments, the town is quite known to me. I didn’t find things changed much except a few commercial buildings. The biggest attraction of Sasaram is undoubtedly the Tomb of Sher Shah Suri and as the roads are all known to me, I first stopped at the tomb of Sher Shah and took some photos. Then taking a small road linking NH2 near Chandimata mandir, I again headed for my next destination Dhanbad. The roads of UP and Bihar are now in good shape but all sorts are traffic violations are frequent. Trucks, bikes, tractors, carts and even cycles are driving in the wrong directions making riding extra careful. Even people are crossing the road as if they are having a morning walk in their own garden – blowing horns didn’t even turn their head. The stretch between Sasaram and Dhanbad was incedent free except stopping at two places for a quick puff of cigerett and once I called Sengupta Sir to update my location. Again, I got his valuable suggestion to stop at Khalsa Hotel just after Dhanbad. As usual I missed Khalsa Hotel and have to drive in the wrong direction for a kilometer – but with indicators flasing and riding on the parking space…. The foods of Khalsa Hotel are really awesome. I bet some star restaurants can’t provide such delicious dishes. The thought of riding another 300km stopped me from having a full lunch. However, I rested for an hour and again started for Kolkata. A few kms and I have to stop more than an hour at a railway crossing. The construction work of NH2 is not finished yet in this part. Is this Isri Bazar? With nothing to do except waiting patiently, I even took a small video My next stop is at a famous Jublee patrol staion at Asansole. Unfortunately, payment by credit/debit cards is no more available here, so I took a few liters of fuel and headed for Durgapur. Suddenly, the volume of traffic increased significantly and later I came to know that there was a road accident involving a tata indica. The car slammed on a guy crossing the road running, then hit the left side ralling and overturned. Three people died instantly and the locals blocked the road for two hours. When finally, the road block was removed, my clock was showing 4pm. Another half an hour, and I reached Durgapur, filling the tank form a petrol pump on opposite side of the road near Muchipara Moore on NH2 and paid by card. A few kilometers of riding and I stopped at Panja Hotel, Darjeeling moore for some food. At 5:30 I started from Darjeeling moore for the last lag of my jouney. But, darkness have already disended and there were lot of trucks. The road near Panagarh is narrow and very crowded – some parts passing through bazaar area. The most difficult riding I experienced in this stretch – trucks filled with sands heading towards Kolkata, water oozing out of the sand and making the road slippery. Moreover, trucks are overtaking eachother with a variation of 2kmph speed, making it very difficult to overtake them. However, I kept the speed limited to 80kmph and crossed Dankuni. In the darkness, I missed the diversion for Vidyasagar setu, and have to take old Dunlop Bridge to enter the city. This one mistake increases my riding by almost 20kms. Exactly at 12:35am I reached home. The first thing I did was to sms all my friends and fellow Bhpians – to inform them that I have reached home safely. I was exhausted, hungry – but everything was gone when I saw the smiling face of my daughter. I promised to meet her on 2nd Dec, but missed it by 35 mins..... I am sorry papa. Next few days, it will all be rest and nice home cooked food and definitely posting this dairy in Team-Bhp. May be planning for the next expedition secretly….
	() Thanks

10th December 2009, 11:35	#127
r_nairtvm Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Dubai/TRV/BLR Posts: 2,091 Thanked: 2,547 Times View My Garage	Good Report Milinda, Your reports are coming out really great. I had done this exact trip in the reverse direction in 1982 in my Yezdi. But then it was only the good old two lane NH2 all the way. Slightly OT - What happened to all the saddle bags etc you had bought. I can't see any of your carry on luggage in any of the pictures of you on the bike. May be I missed the point in one of your earlier posts, was there some one accompanying you in a car or something? Keep the reports and the photos comimg (also bring back all of the photos back to Dubai, we will have a private screening for the BHPians in Dubai LOL!) All the best Take Care & Ride Safe Ram Last edited by r_nairtvm : 10th December 2009 at 11:36.
	() Thanks

11th December 2009, 11:26	#128
souravdebiswas BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 130 Thanked: 71 Times	Milind, That was a very good report. Good that the journey was safe and without any hassles in JHK and Bihar. I intend to drive down from Delhi to Kolkata and back in December (another 2 weeks left). Will leave on 25th, stay overnight at benaras and reach kolkata on 26th evening. Will be leaving Kolkata on 2nd jan and be back in Delhi on 3rd Jan. I had planned a similar trip last year but couldnt make it. So this time I hope I can do it. You report would be most helpful. My only concern is the declaration of election results and violence thereafter. If things appear fine as per new reports, I will be making the trip definetely. Dr. Sengupta -- we should definetely meet up in Kolkata this time. Hope you would be going.
	() Thanks

13th December 2009, 00:12	#131
souravdebiswas BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 130 Thanked: 71 Times	Hi Milind Thanks for the suggestions. will keep that in mind. After seeing the snaps of the aarti that you had taken, I have actually made plans to see that before leaving benaras. Will be driving in my ford fiesta 1.6S. Alone. So hope things go well. I always wanted to make this trip ever since I shifted to Delhi about 3 years back...but never got an opportunity. thought of making the trip in my old opel astra, but was actually scared it might break down. So this time I will definitely make it. we should catch up along with Dr. Sengupta one of the days that I am there...anytime between 27th and 1st. Thanks for your contact number. Will get in touch with you tommorrow to take further details. Also wanted to thank HV Kumar and Dr. Sengupta especially. Driving logs of HV and the travelouge of Dr. Sengupta has given detailed insight into this particular road trip. Regards, Sourav
	() Thanks

11th January 2010, 21:11	#133
btirthankar BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Some Moving Vehicle Posts: 816 Thanked: 127 Times View My Garage	commendable commendable and you must post the entire thing as a crisp travelogue with pictures in the appropriate section.
	() Thanks