[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by that_sedate_guy

Forget lining up the bikes, during one of the rides I did with friends all on small commuters but regardless, not one of them even remembered to click a pic near the bikes in the first place!

Commuter or big bike doesn't matter for us, btw

From the prior to last weekend -

Originally Posted by KarthikK

They don't do anything. Instead they have coffee and watch me move and line up most of the bikes (because they think I manage the bike manhandling effortlessly) . Maybe I should ask for some tips next time for the physical work.

Same here, only difference is I am the 'bike valet' here, while CD shoots the best group pictures . He is the 'shoot director' with the best suggestions on lining up with suitable backgrounds, etc.

I call out this lie! We lazy guys do help move the lighter bikes - mostly the Euros (and the Kawa 400 in the above scenario).

The 220kgs+ machines are best left to KarthikK who moves, drags, lifts it around like it were just another commuter.

[that_sedate_guy]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

From the prior to last weekend

That's a beautiful looking trio! I'm pretty sure I need to learn a thing or two more about making monsoon rides actually look spectacular and not anticlimactic like my rain rides usually end up

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Last weekend was quite an anti-climax to all the discussion in the previous page for the efforts our friends' group takes in photographing bikes - four of us rode to Kolar for Mulbalgal Masala Dosa and this is literally the only picture that I have -

KarthikK and ebmrajesh were on the Honda CB500X with a mutual friend on his new Honda Transalp



One of the benefits of living outside of the City is that sometimes you can squeeze out short rides on days when time doesn't permit otherwise. Nandi foothills + curd vada at a nearby place has become a very enjoyable routine these days.

Took some extra pics while my friend was trying to set up a time-lapse of the clouds. Apologies in advance if I'm boring anyone of you with the same location as posted earlier

















Lastly, who says scooters should have all the fun in traffic - back to the grind as well. Doing 40kms of commute in Bangalore traffic these days (51 through STRR) - One way and the Tiger Sport has been more than upto the job. Today's morning run also brought up the 18,500 kms milestone -

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

The ZX10R welcome ride: Short ~300km breakfast ride to MTR Bellur Cross

Ever since fellow moderator KarthikK picked up the Kawasaki ZX10R- we have been begging him to get it for a ride, which kept getting postponed for various reasons. Finally it happened this weekend, with a short ~300km ride.

Even on the delivery day, many of us friends were even more excited for him than himself - and personally speaking - I'm so so glad that he decided to upgrade from the 6R to the 10R. My introduction to the world of big bikes also happened while accompanying Karthik for his supersport (Triumph Daytona 675R) test rides in 2016 and I'm extremely glad to see him fulfill that dream (Nope - IMHO the Ninja 1000 and the Ninja 400 never counted to that same category!). However, having tamed that Ninja 1000 for a good 40k kms - he has surely earned himself the skills to master the 10R!

KarthikK on the Kawasaki ZX10R with ebmrajesh on the Honda CB500X with csentil on his new Honda Transalp



Senthil's Honda Transalp is rather new in the group as well and is an impressive machine. Doesn't look bulky IMHO - and that's a good thing. Just wish it had a better front end design! Too vanilla there with the CB500X inspired elements, but with even more empty real estate. That said, seems to be an extremely capable machine and quite a fun one for a a Honda - and he has gone the extra mile to spec it with tubeless spoke wheels from the Honda Africa Twin.



The quintessential highway tourer -



ZX10R refuelling. Can't blame it though - this beast makes as much power as the other three big bikes, combined!!! 18L fuel tank is good enough for 250+ kms.



Humble Tiger Sport with the mighty 10R



Group shot before parting -

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Photolog - Coorg (Somwarpet) overnighter

A short and sweet overnighter ride to a familiar homestay in Somwarpet where the agenda was just to relax and chit-chat. There were 4 of us in total - neil.jericho on his Suzuki Gixxer SF250, shaikhmimran on the Suzuki VStrom 650, his BIL on Neil's KTM Duke 390 and finally yours truly on the Tiger Sport 660. Imran's BIL was in town and looking forward to the ride - the reason we went ahead despite majority of the usual friends being busy with the festival.

This is the third or fourth time I'm visiting this place, including a night stay during the 5-day ride with the Aerox earlier last month - the place continues to impress for the facilities, food and upkeep.

At the meeting point near Nelamangala flyover, the start time of 6:30AM delayed by the usual 20 mins Indigo standard time:



Yours truly arriving on the Tiger Sport 660, pic courtesy Neil:



After an uneventful progress till the breakfast stop near Yediyur, pic courtesy Neil:



Much needed coffee and breakfast to kickstart the day. I had neer dosas with coffee, while the others had chow chow bath and plain dosas.



Was turning out to be a bright and sunny day. Since we had the lunch stop set for Madikeri- Google Maps suggested the route from Channarayapatna to Arakalagud which turned out to be a wrong decision - the road surface was quite bad compared to the Hassan - Arakalagud stretch. Taking a breather somewhere along the way, pic courtesy Neil:



Imran embracing his inner influencer vibes, pic courtesy Neil:



By 12:30pm we were at Madikeri for the lunch stop - a Kerala-style restaurant inside Madikeri town (Paris restaurant). Thankfully we could find parking spots right outside the restaurant and none of these bikes were very attention grabbing. Pic courtesy Neil:



Ambience and cleanliness were average, but the food was decent. We enjoyed the hot Kerala Parota served with chicken curry. Also some traditional snacks like Banana Roast:



While we were having lunch, the heavens started to pour. And the much sought after monsoon ride was here to be had:



The VStrom 650 towering over the scooters in the parking lot, shrugging off the rain:



We made a move once the rain slightly reduced. A light drizzle would be our constant companion for the remaining one hour of ride from Madikeri to Somwarpet. A quick stop to regroup:



And wait for everyone else to get drenched while Neil puts on his rain liner! He tries to compensate by making it a photo opp



And the shot, pic courtesy Neil:



Another quick photo-op before entering the homestay at Somwarpet, Green pastures Coorg:



We were greeted with some coffee and snacks soon as we reached the property and settled down! The coffee served here is very nice indeed and managed to freshen us up for the rest of the evening. The agenda of which included random discussions and even more photoshoots.



Neil takes out his Olympus and goes on shutterbug rampage. Collage of all the bikes, pic courtesy Neil:



And of the Tiger Sport 660, thanks to him:



Green Pastures Coorg is a homestay which is very very easy to recommend- especially for families and folks traditionally not very used to the concept of homestays. The facilities, cleanliness and general professionalism is genuinely one of the best around. It is quite a beautiful property as well and consists of three rooms adjacent to the family house:



The Rocky climb from the main road, with coffee plantation cover on either sides:



Leading upto this walkway leading to the homestay, where some of the bigger bikes can struggle a bit:



Outdoor seating maintained in a corner of the property:



Small room for the lunch table, fridge and water purifier:



Closer look at the pebble and bonsai formation:



The bonfire area looks unused over the recent months, quite likely due to the rainy season:



Three parallel rooms available in this property with a common outdoor seating area:



These traditional Athangudi floor tiles define the charecter of this place, very beautifully done indeed:



Coffee plantations all around:



Saplings getting readied:



Beautiful flowers all around, captured by Neil:



A lot of chit-chat later, we called for dinner and called it a day:



(To be continued...)

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

I woke up before the sun came up, couldn't switch on the lights because I was sharing the room with Neil and he was still fast asleep - so decided to stroll near the bikes. The softness of dawn lighting was giving off a dreamy vibe on these colourful machines, so I started clicking away:



The homestay with our bikes parked:



The two polar opposite machines, both owned by Neil - one being a sedate tourer and the other being a naughty naked.



The big Suzuki overshadows everything else in the frame - those gold rims are quite something else. Tubeless spoke wheels too - Transalp and 800DE to learn some things here!



Each with a different shade:



And each with a totally different personality too:



Soon it started drizzling again, the water drops slowly dripping from the tanks:



Once the rain stopped, it was time for some profile shots (the others still fast asleep, mind you!). Starting with the big 'zuki, which was a huge pain to move around:



The baby 'zuki:





The angry Duke:


With such a menacing front end design:



And a polar opposite rear. Look ma, I'm a butterfly



Neil is finally up and about with his Olympus, clicking his favourite steed:



So I focus on the versatile Tiger Sport:







Both the 'zukis:



Lined up to leave?



(To be continued...)

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Breakfast was a nice affair - with a serving of dosa, omelette, ela ada (not sure if its called the same in Karnataka), chutney and freshly sourced papaya and passion fruit juice. A cup of coffee each later, we were ready to get a move on.



Ready to ride:



Visited a local scenic spot before hitting the highways. Called Makala gudi beta - this would be the second time I'm visiting the place. The first instance was just before the Covid lockdowns with Mrs & Mr KarthikK - we had walked up from the homestay to witness the sunrise from this viewpoint:



Both of Neil's bikes:



The grandeur of the western ghats as visible from Makalagudi beta:



The place is rather poorly maintained though - and is quite likely a popular drinking hub for the locals.



Back to our favourite pass time, clicking pics of the machines. Starting with the Tiger Sport:



The VStrom poses by the small pond on the other side:



The Duke:



And the Gixxxerrrr:



The luggage setup for the Tiger Sport was far from ideal this time, but I barely had any luggage for the full-sized tailbag, forget carrying the panniers! Seen here is the smaller 15L drybag from Rynox:



neil.jericho unable to hide his smile despite the helmet. One can only speculate as to why!



One final pose from shaikhmimran before we roll:



Both the Suzuki's posing while heading down into Somwarpet, pic courtesy Imran:



Quick stop somewhere on the state highways before Arakalagud, pic courtesy Neil:



Yours truly on the Tiger Sport 660, pic courtesy Neil:



Lunch stop was not pre-decided and we just decided randomly to stop at one of the crowded fish land places on Hassan road. Reviews were rather ordinary- so we decided to just stick to the basics and wasn't disappointed:



We split ways after a short tea break at Nelamangala.

Back home by late evening after riding an hour through one of the heaviest rains I've experienced on a two-wheeler. Although I was initially concerned about the grip from the old Michelins - the bike didn't feel fazed even a bit and kept the same highway pace on the STRR all the way through to home. Parting shot for the day:

[roadie_swift]

Thank you so much for this whole thread, CD sir! It’s been exciting to follow your Triumph’ant chronicles, frequent rides and meticulous detailing.

After dithering for months between the Street Triple RS (inspired by @abhi_tjet) and the Tiger, finally your massive thread has tipped the scales, and I’m awaiting delivery of my own baby Tiger 660. Hoping to add my bit soon to TBHP’s Tiger Archives.

Cheers,
R_S

——


PS - I know they are wildly different bikes, but I didn’t get the HO permission to keep a 2-bike garage, so my beloved H’ness will have to go, and I didn’t think the Street Triple RS would like being the daily commuter. It’s a beast!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by roadie_swift

I’m awaiting delivery of my own baby Tiger 660. Hoping to add my bit soon to TBHP’s Tiger Archives.

Congratulations sir! Thats great to hear

Which colour did you book? Hope the dealer was able to provide a proper test ride.

[roadie_swift]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Which colour did you book? Hope the dealer was able to provide a proper test ride.

Thanks CD sir! It’s an MY23 bike and I got an unbeatable deal. Colour option is the same as yours, red. 😁

As for test ride, I got a 10-12 km ride, but most of it was on the Western Express Highway in Mumbai, which, as I’m sure you know, is a travesty for such a great bike.

But I test rode TS850, TS660 and STR back to back, each for about a similar distance on same road, and found the TS660 to be the most welcoming! It was just… home for me.

Considering I’m just about 167cm, I was apprehensive about the seat height, but all 3 were totally manageable, even the STR, although I couldn’t flatfoot on any of those. But then my current ride (last 2 years, ~7000 km) is a Honda H’ness 350, so flatfooting is an alien concept to me anyway. 😄

For those familiar with Mumbai, I commute daily from Goregaon to Lower Parel (~26 km), and neither STR not Tiger 850 gave me the comfort to manage that particular section full of crazy traffic, especially in the evenings.

Two things I’m still a little worried / unsure about -

1. Ground clearance, compared to H’ness (since my usual Sunday riding routes keep sprouting new unscientifically tall speed bumps)

2. Heat - Even after 10km in workday traffic on a cool day, the heat was noticeable. I have a feeling I will need asbestos gear if I ride this one in bumper to bumper Mumbai traffic during summer. (Surprisingly the TS850 seemed a little better at that, or maybe I got used to the heat)

Any views on the points above? Thanks!


Cheers,
R_S

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by roadie_swift

TS660 to be the most welcoming! It was just… home for me.

Lovely!

Frankly - I have a similar feeling with these midsize adventure styled bikes too - they feel 'home'. I might love a fast run on the Street Triple RS, but the moment I switch back to the Tiger Sport, it just feels so 'me'!

Originally Posted by roadie_swift

Two things I’m still a little worried / unsure about -

1. Ground clearance, compared to H’ness (since my usual Sunday riding routes keep sprouting new unscientifically tall speed bumps)

2. Heat - Even after 10km in workday traffic on a cool day, the heat was noticeable. I have a feeling I will need asbestos gear if I ride this one in bumper to bumper Mumbai traffic during summer. (Surprisingly the TS850 seemed a little better at that, or maybe I got used to the heat)

Any views on the points above? Thanks!

Probably a good day to talk about these points - I did 73kms across the length, breadth and the heart of Bangalore today.

1. Ground clearance - Make no mistake, 162mm ground clearance is just about adequate! You can hit the bottom if you are careless over the larger speedbreakers and the oil sump is placed dangerously in the line of a hit and can cause significant engine damage if the owner is careless. I haven't heard of anyone who damaged their sumps on the Tiger Sport, but on the Trident with even lower 150mm clearance - yes!

Now that said, I am on the hefty side at 180cms and 89kgs - I have only ever hit the underbody lightly over some of the larger speedbreakers a half dozen times in the past ~18k kms of ownership. The worst hit was once when I went off the road to avoid a traffic jam - and had to navigate a deep rut which I took on very carelessly.

Am I worried about the ground clearance? Absolutely not - but would I slow down for the absolutely unscientifically designed speedbreakers - absolutely yes. This isn't a proper adventure bike - it is more of a adventure stanced sport tourer.

If you have managed these roads well with the H'ness - I doubt you have any cause for concern. Afterall, the 162mm GC for the Tiger Sport is very similar to that of the H'ness at 166mm - because the H'ness also has to compensate for a longer wheelbase at 1,441mm as against 1,418mm.

If you need more peace of mind, locally made sump guards like the below are available now, in addition to the expensive and imported options

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=IHWEqIoc6dM

2. Heat - As mentioned above - I crossed through the entire heart of Bangalore today and was wearing my jeans with woodlands shoes. The heat from the 660cc triple is felt constantly on the socks and there is no doubt about it. But it never became a point of bother for me, nor the cause of discomfort or pain - just something you will always be aware of and will have to get adjusted! In fact i have felt similar heating in traffic with some of the smaller capacity vehicles like the Duke 390 and still don't have second thoughts in taking the Tiger Sport out for commutes!

Our sense of tolerance might be different though - for me engine heat has become an major issue on only a couple of motorcycles so far - 1. the Ducati Monster which I wanted to abandon in the peak hour traffic rather than endure the pain and 2. the new Triumph Speed Triple 1200RS - where, strangely, it is not the usual wave of heat as with most big bikes. In the Speed Triple, the portion of metal frame below the tank gets very very hot and for me - that's exactly where my knee was rubbing when trying to hold the tank. Feels like a hot rod in constant contact with the leg.

PS: Kawasaki motorcycles have brilliant heat management! My Versys used to be extremely good in this regard, and even the Ninja 1000 runs rather cool for a litre class inline4 machine!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

20,000 kms

The Tiger Sport 660 crossed 20k kms on the odo today.



Since I took delivery when at 2,288 kms on the odo - 17,712 kms have been under my ownership of 501 days (1 year, 4 months and 12 days) at an average of 35.35 kms per day.

Shot yesterday while heading back from work -





Ordered a few goodies for the man and the machine recently, although nothing fancy - mostly just for regular maintenance and upkeep:

1. Tyres - TVS-Eurogrip Roadhound (120/70 R17 and 180/55 R17)

The current set of Michelins have served me well for 20k kms, and these include some hard riding and even three days of CSS track riding! Very much impressed by the capabilities of these Michelins. Why not just get the same set then?

Because the Michelin Road 6 comes in at 48k for the pair! And at that rate - my mind started calculating the economic viability of it - with the Eurogrip tyres costing 21k a pair - anything above 9k kms is a bonus, even considering 2k for an additional tyre change in case of the TVS as compared to the Michelins. Not bad math then! But the quality?

Co-incidentally, this was the same time fellow moderator libranof1987 attended the trackday conducted by Eurogrip tyres and came out impressed. Full report here - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...rip-tyres.html (Track day at Kari Motor Speedway | Tread Talks: A MasterClass by Eurogrip Tyres). Fellow BHPians have also had only good thing to say about the TVS Eurogrip Protorq Extreme tyres, and the Roadhounds are supposed to be better than the Protorq range. Based on all these factors, looked like it couldn't be a bad idea to give these tyres a shot!

The tyremarket.com debacle

The tyres were cheapest at tyremarket.com and I have had good experiences with them in the past - so went ahead and placed the order. Couple of days later - I get a call from their customer service that the tyres have not been launched only (!!!) and I can opt for the Vredestein instead - which I completely denied. They said they will process the cancellation, and also take action against the seller who has listed the "unlaunched" product on the website. The mail was more formal and cited they were unable to source the tyres -

We would like to inform you that we tried sourcing the above product from all possible sellers at our end and found that none of the sellers has the stock for the product.

We understand that our system lets you place the order. This was due to the wrong inventory updated by our sellers. Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused We would like to inform you that necessary actions will be taken against the seller who had not made the timely changes in the inventory though the product was not available.

But the lack of ethics is what I'm more pissed about! The tyre is not even launched? What an absolute lie when BHPians have been running on these tyres for months now - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ml#post5765836 (My Journey - The Honda CBR650R)

I'm still waiting for the refund!

Please accept our apology for the delay in refund credit.

We would like to inform you that your payment has been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. It should be credited shortly, as the confirmation received from our payment gateway

The Torque Block secrecy

With Tyre market out of contention, I reached out to Torque Block who initially quoted 23,500/- for the tyres. Now what I don't appreciate for Torque Block is all the need for whatsapp conversations and the 'bro talk' to purchase the product from them. Anyways, after quoting the tyre market prices - they quoted 21,150/- a pair and had it delivered home the same day via porter.

That's 26.8k saved compared to the Michelins - now fingers crossed on the performance.

I would have preferred a more transparent approach for the purchase, but anyways - good experience overall and glad the stock was readily available when needed.



Why not Vredestein?

Because of poor feedback from BHPians about the Centauro ST and lack of stocks of the Centauro NS. Still early days for the Eurogrip Roadhound - but i felt it is worth a test.

The earlier Vredestein discussion here - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ml#post5659131

2. EBC Brake Pads - FA226HH and FA140HH

Brake pads were last changed at 13k kms with the OEM Nissins, but looks to have worn out rather faster this time around - probably due to the track days. The OEM Nissins are rather expensive and I had better experience earlier with the EBC pads on the Versys than Nissins, hence ordered them ahead of the year-end service.

The stock Nissin pads costed 9590/- for the dual front pairs and 4620 for the rear set - totalling to 14,210/- for just the pads. In comparison, the EBC FA226HH*2 sets for the front was ordered from Bikester Global for 6800/- and the EBC FA140HH for the rear was ordered from Moto Usher for 3200/- bringing the total to 10k.

Thats a cool 4.2k saved just on the parts - and I hear prices have gone up ever since!

3. Gear Shift pad / Shoe protector

- For those office commutes!

4. Grand Pitstop Paddock Stand with swingarm rest

Purchased from Amazon - went for the variant with motorcycle weight upto 350kgs



5. To be ordered - Chain and sprocket set

Enquired on the pricing to replace these at Triumph and it looks like a whopping 16,500/- + labour expense is incoming.

Instead I'm planning to order as below-

- DID 520 VX3 Chain Links 122
- Esjot Rear Sprocket 51 teeth for 520 chain
- JT Front Sprocket 16 teeth for 520 chain.

The set is costing 9.3k, which should be worth it even adding an expected 50% customs. Just waiting for the next credit card cycle to order this one!

[Balaji31582]

Thanks for the detailed vlog and keeping it upto date Dr CD (yeah, i like that way ) for folks like me who may in future always love to get one of the mid segment heavyweights.
One off topic question if I may allowed to go so. In my fzs25 i tried exploring different brake pads than the yamaha OEM, constantly there was brake pad noise coming in and my FNG mech cited that using yamaha OEM will solve. It rightfully also happened that way. Please share if there are specs I should follow if I want to explore with different brake pads other than the OEM as I felt they worn out quicker before expected life time.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Balaji31582

Thanks for the detailed vlog and keeping it upto date Dr CD (yeah, i like that way ) for folks like me who may in future always love to get one of the mid segment heavyweights.

Thank you

Hope that future arrives soon.

PS: Dr CD is just Mr. Neil gone crazy - Doctors and doctorates will both be pissed

Originally Posted by Balaji31582

One off topic question if I may allowed to go so. In my fzs25 i tried exploring different brake pads than the yamaha OEM, constantly there was brake pad noise coming in and my FNG mech cited that using yamaha OEM will solve. It rightfully also happened that way. Please share if there are specs I should follow if I want to explore with different brake pads other than the OEM as I felt they worn out quicker before expected life time.

Which brake pads did you use?

EBC is quite a reputed option in brake pads and I believe makes quality pads, better or similar to the stock Nissins on the Tiger Sport. If I had a Brembo - may be I wouldn't have tried EBC

The EBC sintered pads I had on the Versys did produce a grinding noise as compared to the stock Nissin ones - but had a better bite and less fade. I guess some noise is inevitable due to the very construction of these sintered pads.

Will try it with the Tiger Sport and report if there are any drawbacks noticed.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Photolog - Tirunelli (Wayanad) overnighter

- Part 1/3

This trip was slightly different compared to the earlier documented ones - this was more of a temple visit than a weekend getaway. My friend has the habit of visiting Tirunelli temple once every few months at the least and I had also accompanied him on an earlier occasion. He wanted to ride there again during his birthday earlier this month, which had to be postponed and ended up as a weekend ride last weekend.

Tirunelli Temple

A beautiful old temple situated at the foothills of the Brahmagiri Hills in Wayanad, which forms a natural border between Kerala and Karnataka. The temple has documented literature evidences to prove its 1000 year old history - and is situated in a beautiful natural setting with the Brahmagiri hill as the backdrop and the river Papanashini to one side. Although some renovation activities have changed the old charm of this temple, it still feels like a place from an older timeframe and beliefs.

Problem of choices - he initially wanted to bring his Honda CB500X due to better practicality, but then I volunteered to carry a larger tail bag to include some of his luggage as well - making him ditch the 500X in favour of his newer and more exciting Triumph Street Triple 765 RS.

Started from home by 5AM and made it to his place by 5:30 AM. Had a nice tea prepared by his mom and was on the road by around 6AM. Carried the Rynox 42L Expedition Trail Bag so that some of his luggage also can be accomodated.



Reached MTR Bellur by around 7:30 AM for a small coffee / vada stop:



The little Tiger Sport 660 finds the company of its elder brothers - the 800s and the 900s! Lol!



"Drop a lakh on the table, lets discuss!" His Shoei GT Air III with my GT Air II



Me realizing I have no skills in clicking food pictures, before giving up. I clicked his sambar vada when it arrived, but when my own curd vada arrived - I just dived right in. This trend would repeat a bit later in the day as well - and then you would see no more food pictures for this photolog!



Next stop - a small restaurant before entering the Nagarhole tiger reserve. This place is one of the few decent options available before entering the forest range, hence a good stop. Indianoil XP95 bunk is available within a kilometer as well - so the machines can be filled up too!



Same trend as earlier - where I clicked the picture when his Idli arrived and completely forgot my Ghee Roast and coffee.



A beautiful view of the valley with the Kabini reservoir in the background stopped us:



Yours truly on the Tiger Sport 660:



My friend with his Street Triple 765RS:



Both the machines together:





The sky!!! Beautiful roads till you enter the reserve, but then the road conditions significantly deteriorate:



The next 45 minutes would be hard work - navigating broken patches and potholes - the Tiger Sport didn't break into a sweat, but I had to be slow anyways because the RS had relatively harder suspension. Once in the buffer zone - these fields and the beautiful blue skies were wallpaper-like and we decided to take another photo break:















Not sure from where his iPhone captured so much of gloss, but I ain't complaining!



Onset of afternoon clouds made the sky even more dramatic, but it also signalled us to make a move. Rain wasn't predicted for the day, but you could sense that the predictions would be proven wrong as usual.



(To be continued...)