[shaikhmimran]

Thank you everyone for their inputs and advice. I completed Bangalore-Lonavala-Bangalore run covering 1905 kms.
Fuel stops at Bangalore- Rannebenur- BPCL CoCo before Kolhapur.
One observation, I think it's fr easier to go into this BPCL CoCo while coming via Bangalore by taking a U Turn on the slope. Going to the toll for U Turn is too far. Also the Pump has fewer pumps in operation & lacks facility. Suggest you choose pumps before with better facilities.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by shaikhmimran

Thank you everyone for their inputs and advice. I completed Bangalore-Lonavala-Bangalore run covering 1905 kms.
Fuel stops at Bangalore- Rannebenur- BPCL CoCo before Kolhapur.
One observation, I think it's fr easier to go into this BPCL CoCo while coming via Bangalore by taking a U Turn on the slope. Going to the toll for U Turn is too far. Also the Pump has fewer pumps in operation & lacks facility. Suggest you choose pumps before with better facilities.

Which COCO are you referring to?

If its the same Between Kagal and Nippani then it is well located and can be easily approached from both directions. We have done this with 10 cars in tow.

Why would you want to take a U Turn near the toll?

When heading towards Mumbai you dont take the elevated section/bridge, drive on the service lane, turn right below and immediately turn left onto service lane on the other side and you spot this bunk. Post refilling you take the U Turn below the same bridge and head on service road towards Kolhapur and join the main corridor at the next entry. Distance from Highway exit to Station is 700 meters altogether.

When driving down to Bangalore, you only dont climb the same bridge and remain on service road and access this station, refuel and continue ahead on same service road to join the main corridor.

Unless you are referring to a totally different BPCL COCO here.

Simple illustration-


On Facilities, please tell us what exactly. Its got plenty of dispensers and separate for Private vehicles but on a Weekend this place sees rush as you know how cheap is both Diesel and Petrol compared to MH. Loads of trucks refill here too as it makes a lot of difference for them. Plus, this is located almost soon after the KA Tax check post and truckers find it easy to reach here from the same service lane.

They accept cards most of the times unlike Konduskar who had stopped accepting it altogether or had only premium Petrol most occasions.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by shaikhmimran

Also the Pump has fewer pumps in operation & lacks facility. Suggest you choose pumps before with better facilities.

If this is the BP coco near nippani then for sure it has good amount of dispensers. I have been here thrice and never faced any issues. As mentioned by parag, last time we were a group of 10 cars and we entered different dispensers and could fill in quick time.

[shaikhmimran]

Hey Parag & Arun,
Yes, I am referring to the same petrol bunk that is illustrated.
The access route is same as shown by you. I read somewhere on this thread about taking U Turn at toll so thought of mentioning the correct route.
On the way from Bangalore, even if you miss taking the service road and climb that hill, on the slope there is another U Turn for the service road. Which will take you to the underpass. Now the no. of dispensers are many but no staff & had staff vehicles parked in the filling bays on Onward journey & fuel tankers parked in return journey.
So there was pile up. For credit card, had to walk to their office to swipe, take the Merchant copy and hand it back to the filling staff. The toilets are broken and dirty. They are constructing new toilet block near the air filling area. The air filling pump was unmanned too.

[condor]

condor : Spotted one more restaurant between Chitradurga & Hiriyur, called Atithya ( if I remember right). It's on the left before Hiriyur. Hence an option before the Kamat at Sira.

Due to the crowds last weekend, I ended up having breakfast here. The place is okay-ish. Looks to be a regular stop for the KSRTC buses.

One advantage is easy access - both exit from & entry to highway, from either side.

Has anyone tried Aroma Veg at JG Halli ( on the left between Sira & Hiriyur ) ?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by shaikhmimran

I read somewhere on this thread about taking U Turn at toll so thought of mentioning the correct route.

As far as I know, I have on many occasions referred to the same station and the access route without any U Turn at the toll. In fact, the toll is a reference in case you are driving south. Not sure if anyone else mentioned about a U turn at the toll. That's way too long as the toll itself is located around 4 kms away from this station and you end up driving 10 kms extra for this refill then!

On the way from Bangalore, even if you miss taking the service road and climb that hill,

And this is precisely why I have mentioned in detail where you take the exit to service lane. If its an easy one, you would not see me mention intricate details in my posts earlier few months back on how to reach here . Not t forget, there is a nice little signage with a BPCL logo exactly where you exit for the service lane.

Now the no. of dispensers are many but no staff & had staff vehicles parked in the filling bays on Onward journey & fuel tankers parked in return journey.So there was pile up.

Consider that as a good break to stretch your legs. From all my previous experiences, I normally end up with a 10 minute break here. I refill, park ahead, walk and swipe my card and return and clean the windscreen. Its just bad luck if you had to wait long. Else it has always been a quick affair in terms of refilling.

For credit card, had to walk to their office to swipe, take the Merchant copy and hand it back to the filling staff. The toilets are broken and dirty. They are constructing new toilet block near the air filling area. The air filling pump was unmanned too.

Don't you think you are asking for too much now? Most of the highways may or may not have portable swiping machines but having a card facility itself is a big relief for many of us.

On rest rooms I agree(for Men and not ladies)and glad they are building another one. However, there is McD, CCD & KFC Only 10 minutes way from here if you are driving north and Amar (again another 10 mins away) if you are driving south.

Originally Posted by condor

Due to the crowds last weekend, I ended up having breakfast here. The place is okay-ish. Looks to be a regular stop for the KSRTC buses.

Yes condor, I mentioned the same earlier. I normally see a sea of buses parked here most of the times I passed - Both private and KSRTC. In fact, even if I spot more than 1 Volvo at Kamat, I keep driving ahead.

Has anyone tried Aroma Veg at JG Halli ( on the left between Sira & Hiriyur ) ?

Tried it once for evening snacks. Place is clean but food is not.

[shaikhmimran]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Consider that as a good break to stretch your legs.

I would surely agree with you if I was in a car but on a motorcyle you have to be able to see it all the time due to saddle bags, navi on the bike etc. So it is inconvenient to leave the bike unattended.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Don't you think you are asking for too much now? Most of the highways may or may not have portable swiping machines but having a card facility itself is a big relief for many of us.

C'mon now, I think its fair to assume Card facility specially at a CoCo.

However I would like to sincerely appreciate you for such detailed information gathering and sharing.
Another heads-up is for the Kamath at Rannebennur(with Reliance Pump). On my onward journey, I literally had to go to kitchen and take my own food (as a Biker, such acts are accepted with humor by everyone) as I could see they were short of staff. Sure enough on my return journey, there was a banner put up at entrance announcing staff vacancies for waiters etc.

[pratika]

Originally Posted by Shabzhere

Hi Folks,

I am driving this Thursday from Pune to Bangalore , starting around 5 AM sharp .

Any inputs if anyone recently just taken this route on present road conditions till Kholapur ?

I intend to complete by journey of 860 kms in around 13-14 hours , hope that's doable.

I usually do Mumbai-Bangalore once in 1-2 months. IMO roads from Pune-Satara are not the best, the last lane opens/closes randomly. Plus there is quite a bit of traffic on that stretch. For Satara-Kolhapur the highway is much better, but still there are slow moving vehicles in both the lanes. Expect to overtake from either of lanes.

The fun begins once you enter Karnataka. Boy their roads are awesome and its as if traffic vanishes once you enter that state. Till you hit Tumkur, driving will be mostly pleasurable. There is a stretch of 30 kms before Hubli that is undivided roads, but its not that bad at all.

Once you hit Tumkur (70 kms before Bangalore) the chaos will slowly begin.

Assuming a conservative average speed of 65 kmph, 860 kms would have driving time of ~13 hrs. So manage your breaks well and you should be able to reach on time.

Enjoy your journey. Drive safe.

[Shabzhere]

Originally Posted by pratika

I usually do Mumbai-Bangalore once in 1-2 months. IMO roads from Pune-Satara are not the best, the last lane opens/closes randomly. Plus there is quite a bit of traffic on that stretch. For Satara-Kolhapur the highway is much better, but still there are slow moving vehicles in both the lanes. Expect to overtake from either of lanes.

The fun begins once you enter Karnataka. Boy their roads are awesome and its as if traffic vanishes once you enter that state. Till you hit Tumkur, driving will be mostly pleasurable. There is a stretch of 30 kms before Hubli that is undivided roads, but its not that bad at all.

Once you hit Tumkur (70 kms before Bangalore) the chaos will slowly begin.

Assuming a conservative average speed of 65 kmph, 860 kms would have driving time of ~13 hrs. So manage your breaks well and you should be able to reach on time.

Enjoy your journey. Drive safe.

Thanks pratik I wanted to enter Bangalore before the evening traffic hits me bad since i go on a weekday.

[hangover]

Originally Posted by Shabzhere

Hi Folks,

I am driving this Thursday from Pune to Bangalore , starting around 5 AM sharp .

Any inputs if anyone recently just taken this route on present road conditions till Kholapur ?

I intend to complete by journey of 860 kms in around 13-14 hours , hope that's doable.

Back in 1997 when I was in Bangalore, I had left behind a girlfriend in Pune. I had a Yamaha Rx 100, time on my hands and some cash. I decided to visit her over the weekend. So I left Bangalore at 4 am and hit the road to Pune.

I maintained a constant speed and did not stop anywhere for food. I had a water bottle in a back pack.

I covered the distance in 10 hours flat.

I knew my bike would use a large amount of petrol and oil. So I had carried 2 liters of 2T oil which I would pour into the bike side tank every 300 or so Kilometers. I had a fear of the bike overheating and seizing and so I would pour some oil in the fuel tank as well. I got a mileage of 20-25 kmpl only. The oil in the fuel tank meant I left behind a trail of smoke all the way from Bangalore to Pune.

After 2 days in Pune it was time to return. It was the monsoons and I caught a steady downpour from Chitradurga onward up to Bangalore. And there was no urgency getting back.

So my return leg took 12 hours.

I was not particularly unique in this 10 hr trip to Pune. A few months prior to me a chap called Prithwiraj Banwasi had driven a works TVS Shogun from Bangalore to Bombay in 12 hrs flat as part of the bikes launch activities. But he did not do it both ways. I believe he's now a reporter with TOI.

So yeah you can do it in 13-14 hours quite easily. I won't comment on the road conditions currently as my trip was 18 years ago.

Get a good nights sleep prior and just push onward all the way.

And yeah my girlfriend and me are now happily married. To other people.

[paragsachania]

^ That was "Prakruti" Banawasi in and around 1999-2001 times and in a Suzuki Fiero.

And he did that in 12 hours by losing his way and entering Pune wrongly as per the report I read in ToI then else would have been faster. There was no proper Pune Bypass then too (not even the westerly bypass) and expressway was still in construction Phase and hence there would be a good amount of traffic on the usual NH4 then due to this too.

Its always like this - It takes almost the same time it took a decade ago even with a median in between. For instance, most of us did Bangalore Mangalore in 6 to 7 hours a decade back and take the same time today also.

Tolls(not applicable for bikes anyway), density, decrease in no of empty and fast stretches due to misc activities on our highways.

In fact, there were no Tata Aces or 6 seater rickshaws then to make the rest of the world crawl like how they do today ☺. And the most important reason - Getting in and Getting out of a city never took so much time then.

And surprisingly, even having bypasses to major towns and cities haven't really helped save time (if you compare to years before)

[hangover]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

^ That was "Prakruti" Banawasi in and around 1999-2001 times and in a Suzuki Fiero.
..
And surprisingly, even having bypasses to major towns and cities haven't really helped save time (if you compare to years before)

Ah yes, it was Prakruti on the company sponsored Fiero. Spelling mistake's on my part. Thanks.

You know, the only thing town bypasses have accomplished is killing travel related commercial activities in that town. If you enter Kunigal and Tumkur now a days, the tea, food and other vendors are all in bad shape.

I read somewhere that Tumkur's population has actually come down since the bypass was built. I don't have the exact numbers. But I recollect some 1% of the population moves out to Bangalore and elsewhere each year.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Its always like this - It takes almost the same time it took a decade ago even with a median in between. For instance, most of us did Bangalore Mangalore in 6 to 7 hours a decade back and take the same time today also.

And surprisingly, even having bypasses to major towns and cities haven't really helped save time (if you compare to years before)

Indeed. Even I used to do Hassan-Bangalore in 2 hrs before the 4 lane road existed. But we have to accept that the volume of traffic has substantially increased over the years. Even the 4 lane roads these days cannot handle the 'long weekend' traffic. It would be a nightmare just to imagine such traffic on a 2 laned NH

Originally Posted by hangover

You know, the only thing town bypasses have accomplished is killing travel related commercial activities in that town. If you enter Kunigal and Tumkur now a days, the tea, food and other vendors are all in bad shape.

I agree, but bypasses have become a necessity. It provides a huge relief to the travelers and to the residents of the city/towns as well with respect to the traffic. As smaller towns start to grow, they will start choking on their own traffic forget the highway traffic.

Originally Posted by hangover

I read somewhere that Tumkur's population has actually come down since the bypass was built. I don't have the exact numbers. But I recollect some 1% of the population moves out to Bangalore and elsewhere each year.

I would believe it is more because of the proximity to Bangalore and the plethora of opportunities it offers. Not only Tumkur, but most cities surrounding Bangalore (like Hassan, Kolar, Chikballapur etc) face this issue as most youngsters prefer to leave their hometowns and move in to Bangalore.

[VJ_MAVRICK]

Hello Friends !

I am planning a road trip to Tiptur from Pune and I understand that there is a detour off NH4 either at Hubli or Dharwad directly to Tiptur. Can anyone throw some light on this ?

I did post earlier as well but its from Tumkur coming from Bangalore. Somehow it do not materialize but now I will be going down from Pune and I was told that from Hubli or Dharwad there is a separate road and hence the query.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by VJ_MAVRICK

Hello Friends !

I am planning a road trip to Tiptur from Pune and I understand that there is a detour off NH4 either at Hubli or Dharwad directly to Tiptur. Can anyone throw some light on this ?

I did post earlier as well but its from Tumkur coming from Bangalore. Somehow it do not materialize but now I will be going down from Pune and I was told that from Hubli or Dharwad there is a separate road and hence the query.

You are better off driving down all the way till Hiriyur on the main highway itself and then reach Tiptur via Huliyar.

I am not really sure about any other separate road being referred here from Hubli but possible alternatives are:

1. Harihar Honalli Shimoga Bhadravati Kadur Arasikere Tiptur

2. Chitradurga Shimoga Bhadravati Kadur Arasikere Tiptur