It all started with an idea proposed by KK on Mobike008's thread that there should be a Hyderabad - Bangalore bikers meet of sorts. Few others agreed and soon there was a thread created for a mega Bangalore - Hyderabad motorcycle meet. Long story short, that did not happen and I myself personally dropped out of it at a stage where there were only two bikes left in the participation list, a list that included some very fast cars and some even faster drivers whom I clearly remember dodging, seeing the way they approached in the RVM with fire breathing intensity in the last Team-Bhp meet (I attended). Just doesn't seem fun taking my old car out for the meets anymore, and especially when its a solo drive.
Anyways - It was soon learned that Avinash and gang are headed to Kodachadri the next weekend afterwards the meet, and I still remember Red Liner's reaction - 'Koda is in Karnataka. Why do we think of meeting up at Kurnool or Anantapur when we can all ride there instead?'
So the plan was formed and the final participation list from Bangalore included Red Liner, KK_HakunaMatata, dreamseller and myself. KK was pretty excited himself, having never pushed his bike this much on a single day and hats off to dreamseller - who decided to do this ride on the mighty 954 Fireblade! Some others were interested, but could not join the ride due to personal reasons - and some others had to be excluded for keeping a manageable combination of man and machine for the ride.
Personally I'm thankful to all the events that unfolded as Kodachadri was a far more interesting destination as compared to Kurnool or Anantapur, and with some nice people and brilliant machines for company - this was ever so memorable. As I repeat often, the Versys comes into its own for trips exceeding 500kms and these are the kind of trips that make you fall in love with the Versys all over again.
4AM start from Bangalore considering the distances involved and the road conditions. We were planning to avoid the long boring highways enroute and took the Chikmagalur, Tarikere, Shimoga route. I was the first to arrive at the meetup point, followed by KK, Red Liner and we had a small bit of waiting to do for dreamseller - who arrived fashionably late in style with his 'Blade.
First CCD break for a cup of hot coffee and half a sandwich. Morning was cold as is expected in December, and the stock lights on both my Versys and the 'Blade were struggling to light up anything on the road. Lights on the Dominar impressed everyone and two of us were riding along with the Dominar thanks to his lights. Thankfully the night was soon done with, and sunrise happened while we were waiting for the food. Interestingly, Sourav's first impression of the Versys was the tall windscreen as his mind couldn't really grasp the fact that the stock windscreen itself was towering so high in the air.
Next stop was for a proper breakfast at Chikmagalur. All three of them had yummy masala dosas whereas I had to satisfy myself with Idli Vada. Had to break the jinx of falling sick after eating heavy ghee and oil based foods during rides and decided to stick to the more healthier stuff this time around.
Parked outside Town Canteen, Chikmagalur. Excellent place for morning breakfast stop with the small restroom being the only downer for this place. Food is always excellent here. Being a Saturday - the place was crowded though - with a bus full of college kids arriving just seconds after we parked our bikes in front of the hotel.
Small break for water in the middle of nowhere. The route from Chikmagalur to Shimoga was throughly enjoyable with a lot of twisties, tight corners, flowing straights and good surfaced roads. All the bikes were coping up well with the situation. Versys felt natural here as well - as it was the biggest and heaviest bike here, but we could keep up with the gang in the corners. Ramana had already informed the other two that they could feel free to move ahead if they found it too boring to keep pace with the Versys.
'Blade was in a different league here and being a proper trackbred - it made the corners look sexy. I clearly remember taking a few corners, feeling good and then seeing the blade absolutely nail it in the RVMs and imagining how the corner looks far sexier now with the Blade in the scene.
Another water break between Shimoga and Kodachadri. This time we stopped near a beautiful field and could use the opportunity to click a couple of pics of the bikes as well. With all selfishness - I started with a click of my Versys 650.
Followed by the next Versys 650. Ramana had the biggest bike of the lot with aftermarket top box adding to the visual heft of the bike.
The Dominar was next. I was quite impressed by the value offered by the Dominar, and later congratulated KK on an excellent choice he has made. The lights are brilliant on the highway, the console and instrumentation feels premium, the engine is good enough to easily keep pace at cruising speeds and IMO - it looks the part as well!
The blade was probably the odd one out in a touring setup, but it was always a heart over head decision for Sourav. Could clearly see him trying to keep pain at bay by stretching his limbs whenever possible. But boy - was it a headturner everywhere it went. Everyone would turn around and look at the 'Blade and then there were our other bikes that were also just there. People came up and asked questions about the Blade whenever possible too!
Another selfish click of my Versys!
It was impressive how compact the 'Blade was for a 1000cc superbike. In the flesh - it really didn't feel all that different in size compared to the Dominar and anyone could easily mistake it for a 600 rather than a litre class machine. Weight was somewhere around 180kgs as well, as mentioned by Sourav - and that again is not too different from the Dominar either.
Roads tailor made for the capabilities of the Versys. These are the kind of trips that make you fall in love head over heels with the Versys all over again!
If there was anything missing - it was the inline4 soundtrack which the Blade made us all remind. With these sweet exhausts, it could be heard from quite far off as well - so much so that the track was playing in my ears all day, even when the bike was too far away to be heard. My mind just kept imagining the soundtrack out of nowhere - so much that I was wondering how I could ever fall asleep at night if the mind still goes playing this music in my ears.
More fuel stops for the Blade and the Dominar though - as expected. However, both of them were getting good FE figures as well, and the FE returned by the Fireblade left even the owner stunned. He kept repeating this in awe and shock whenever he tanked up! Guess the FE? A solid 19 - 20 kmpl on the 'Blade.
One last click of all the machines before we moved on! Few minutes later, I see only Red Liner upfront and the Dominar LEDs at the rear. The 'Blade was clearly missing in action. Stopped at the roadside, waited for a few minutes along with KK - before deciding to ride back. Sourav was standing at the same spot as earlier with a bike that was refusing to crank, and a villager giving company with all amusement. The slow speed run through a small town earlier had drained the battery and there was no cranking voltage left. Made some good use of the muscles to push start the 'Blade and soon we were on the way.
The next stretch was again throughly enjoyable all the way till Kodachadri. I was happy to see the tyre clean and used end to end (though not sure if it looks that way in the pics). Can't wait to throw out the Dunlops and put some stickier rubber both front and rear. That should make the Versys one hell of a sleeper machine when cornering - no one expects a machine of such height and weight to attack corners.
Finally at the destination. 460 kms one way. Reached by 1:31 PM wheras we had a start from ParleG toll (meetup point) by 4:30 AM.
Cruising speeds on two lane highways translate to excellent FE figures. Versys returned a solid 23.7 kmpl and I was rather impressed, since FE was not on the back on my mind while riding the bike. If not for the stellar 19 - 20 kmpl returned by the litre class Honda, this would have been considered absolutely amazing FE.
At the destination (Simha Farm, Kodachadri) - Mr. Avinash was nowhere to be seen. (To be continued in the next post ...).