[prasanna_indaje]

Motorcycles double the enjoyment quotient of any journey. But, they are also a trap. More one tries to come out, the more one gets sucked into it unknowingly.

I started doubling the enjoyment quotient of my journeys in 2013, with a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500. While it doubled the enjoyment, it also doubled the worries of being stranded on a lonely highway. However, it took us to Leh and back successfully, with some drama and struggle ! (travelogue here (Delhi to Leh on a Thunderbird 500))

Sold the Thunderbird off in 2017 and thought that's the end of motorcycling for me !

But, NO. I was slowly getting sucked into the art of motorcycling deeper and deeper.

Years rolled and we were in 2021, and the lust for a motorcycle slowly started creeping in. Started search for a pre-owned motorcycle and ended here (Tale of a trip on two wheels | Triumph Tiger 800 XRx | EDIT: Now sold).

Tiger 800 XRx introduced me into the world of reliable touring with the bonus of agility, comfort and safety. It stayed with me for slightly more than a year and ~6000 kilometres.

Sold the Tiger off in mid 2022 and thought that's the real end of motorcycling for me !

But, I proved myself wrong faster this time. It was mid 2023 and I already had a booking for a Duke 390 Adventure in hand. Further analysis and company of good biker friends led me to JSP Motorrad and there was no turning back !!!

An auspicious day in November 2023 saw us taking delivery of our GS 1250 and riding 380 kilometres back home !

[prasanna_indaje]

The first ride was, of course, home. But, this time, home was 380 kilometres away!

We took an early morning flight to Bangalore. Reached JSP around 10 AM, after a quick detour to Malleshwaram for breakfast at Veena Stores.

All requested accessories were fitted well in advance and the bike was ready for delivery when we reached JSP. Delivery formalities were completed by noon and we started our maiden ride on this motorcycle. Managing the motorcycle of this size with a pillion rider in streets of Koramangala bustling with mid-day traffic (all-day traffic, rather) was a task.

Took E-City flyover and then NICE road to exit out of Bangalore and the GS started growing on to us by the time we covered our first 100 kilometres. Initial 'psychological' feeling of difficulty in riding vanished and things started feeling natural.

My wife voted the pillion seat as best in comfort (compared to Tiger 800 and TB 500 that we have used in the past). Kept pace below 3 digits and reached MTR near Yediyur by 2.30 for lunch !

After a good 'full' meal, we continued our journey and stopped again at Sakleshpura for some rest and refreshments. It was almost dark by the time we started from there and the remaining 3 hours of the ride home was a test for the lights and suspension. While the suspension was excellent, I felt the need for a good pair of auxiliary lights for any night rides in future.

We reached home at around 9 PM.


Next morning ! In company of cows.

[prasanna_indaje]

Took the GS to nearby temple and prayed god to bless us in abundance.



The motorcycle is an attention seeker ! A group of enthusiasts will surround it within 5 minutes of parking it, anywhere.

There was a small group of people armed with questions by the time we finished formalities inside the temple and came out. Completed the pooje, answered all questions and returned home.

[prasanna_indaje]

Service intervals for GS are very simple : First one at 1000 kms (or 30 days) , second one at 10000 kms (or a year) and thereafter at every 10000 kms interval (or every year). To keep things further simple, there are no 'free' services.

Odometer reached the 600 kms mark by the time I finished a couple of short spins and the motorcycle was ready for first service. Rode the motorcycle to JSP Bangalore on a Friday morning and left there for first service with odometer hovering around 950 kms.

Ride took about 6 hours. Had a couple of pit-stops for breakfast and some fresh tender coconuts.



Had to ride inside the city for about an hour and the heat was very manageable and so was the ride and handling. Collected the bike next day from JSP and the cost was around 9500 rupees. Included oil and oil filter change.

JSP had apparel and riding gear on sale and I picked up GS Adrar riding jacket at a little over 30% discount. This jacket has excellent fit and finish compared to my old Alpinestars. And also better ventilation.

Started from JSP by 11.30 AM, navigated out of Bangalore via Electronic City flyover and NICE road.



Reached first 1000 kms mark on the outskirts of Bangalore.



Followed by stupendous lunch at MTR



And a pitstop for tender coconut water.

Reached home around 7 PM.

[prasanna_indaje]

I love good food. Saw a video featuring Annapoorna Restaurant in Coimbatore a few years ago while casually browsing YouTube.

Annapoorna in Coimbatore

This video made such an impact on my palate that I decided to visit this restaurant sometime in future.

Years rolled by and now that I had a good means of munching miles, I decided to do a solo ride to Coimbatore, just to taste the vegetarian food options and to visit G D Naidu museum. Planned to travel during the Christmas weekend and booked accommodation in advance.

Day 1
Started early on Saturday, the 23rd of Dec, and stopped at a small hotel, Prakash, on Mangalore - Mysore highway, near Sampaje. This hotel serves simple and homely South Indian breakfast and my choice of the day was, no prizes for guessing, a plate of idlis.



Continued my ride after breakfast and it was fun to ride through Sampaje ghat and gain altitude. Reached Madikeri in no time and continued towards Mysore. Its is from here the long weekend traffic started showing its true colours. Had to encounter 2-3 lanes of oncoming traffic of 4 wheelers from the opposite side, on a 2 lane road. Managed to filter out slowly and crossed Mysore around 12 noon and stopped on the outskirts for some tender coconut water.

Continued my ride towards Nanjangudu, Chamaraja Nagara, Dhimbam Ghat and Coimbatore. Reached Coimbatore by 6 and checked into the hotel. Selecting dinner venue was very simple.Annalakshmi next to my place of stay was the default choice !

Dinner consisted of some free munchies, rasam vada and a super sized masale dose.







Dose was irresistible, and I remembered to take photograph only after nibbling a corner !

Day 2

First stop of the day was Annapoorna. And the breakfast lived upto the expectations. Sambar - Vada, Sambar - Idli and ghee roast masala dose made up my breakfast, along with filter coffee which carried its own calibre !







I noticed a gentleman wearing Forma riding boots while coming out after breakfast and casually asked where he rode from. Conversation that started like this ended with a plan to visit his home in the afternoon and then a ride to Isha foundation.

Visited G D Naidu car museum after breakfast. A well organised place, which also hosts a science centre. I opted to visit only the car museum and took a ticket accordingly. Two floors of this museum display an assortment of vintage, classic and modern cars from different countries. Few of them are replicas and rebuilt in-house. Different engines, gearboxes are on display and some cut-outs too.














Rode to Isha in the afternoon with my newfound rider buddy and spent a couple of hours exploring the surroundings.





Ended the day with a nice cup of coffee and dinner at Anandha's.



Day 3

Took the following route to return home : Coimbatore - Mettupalayam - Coonoor - Wellington - Ooty - Bandipur - Mysore - Madikeri - Puttur

Started from the hotel around 7 AM and stopped for breakfast at A2B in the outskirts of Mettupalayam. Light rain accompanied from here all the way till Ooty. Could not resist stopping at random places for photographs as the weather was amazing and Nilgiris range was playing hide and seek in a thick layer of mist.







Piping hot tea + good weather + whiff of eucalyptus in air + a good machine to ride = Happiness





At Wellington



Colourful Ooty


Ooty to home was a marathon run with some short breaks for fuel and water. Stopped for a quick dinner break about 50 kilometres from home.

Reached home around 8 PM, fully satisfied with the way entire trip unfolded and how GS gave good company !

[prasanna_indaje]

I live in a village, inside a small agricultural property. So are rats, rodents, snakes and other animals, reptiles and insects.

Chances of one of these co-living friends making GS home were high because the motorcycle will not be used on a daily basis. Hence, took help from our friendly neighbourhood fabricator and got a secure 'parking space' built.

9ft (L) X 7 ft (W) X 7ft (H) structure was built using 3/4 inch square galvanised pipes. And the skeleton was shod with 0.4mm thick aluminium sheet all around, except the floor. All sides and the top of the skeletal structure were fabricated individually and then bolted on.





Yes, there is space for another bike !

[prasanna_indaje]

A good old friend and I decided to ride to Shishila, a small village in the foothills of western ghats. There were two main drivers for this ride : visit to Shishileshwara temple and Mangalore buns + coffee at a rustic hotel en-route.

Shishileshwara temple is situated on the banks of river Kapila. This is an old Shiva temple which is also called 'Matsya Theertha' and is famous for Mahashir fishes, that are considered sacred. Fishing of any type is banned here. However, one can buy puffed or beaten rice from nearby shops and feed to fishes.













Hotel Madwesh is a small restaurant at Arasinamakki village, a couple of kilometres from the temple. Do not get deceived by the looks. Mangalore buns, golibaje and other 'Dakshina Kannada' specific snacks (or are they emotions ?) are of the highest order !



Returned home by 2 PM and let the bike rest !

[prasanna_indaje]

Manjeshwara Govinda Pai, also known as Rashtrakavi Govinda Pai, was a Kannada poet who lived in a small town named Manjeshwara in Kerala, which is ~35 kilometres away from Mangalore.

His home 'Gilivindu' is declared as a monument and is open for the public to visit. Visited this place on a Saturday.

Gilivindu, from outside :







Kitchen :



Building also has a dedicated section that focuses on history of 'Yakshagana'

Parthi Subba, who is known as the father of this art in its current form.



Chowki, the green room of Yakshagana:



Attires, masks :











This ride, though short, was most tiring due to under construction roads, dust, and heat.

[prasanna_indaje]

Armed myself up with my riding gear and a small backpack and started my journey towards Barkur on a Sunday morning. Intent was to have breakfast at Gajanana Canteen (here), chit-chat with elderly couple who run this place and then return home.

Reached Barkur around 9 AM to find the canteen closed. Spoke to owners for sometime and learnt that the canteen is closed every Sunday. Decided to ride towards Hebri and then return home via Karkala.





Hunger was building up and found a small hotel which could work !
Had delayed breakfast with some sugarcane juice to wash it down.



Continued my return journey and stopped around 1 PM for some sugarcane juice at a roadside shop.



Reached home around 2.30 PM with 246 kms added to the odometer. Also noticed that mercury touched 39 degrees during the ride and the BMW connected app recorded the same.

[prasanna_indaje]

Few colleagues from Bangalore drove to a friend's estate in Chikmagalur and I joined them at the destination.
Took the following route : Puttur - Ujire - Kottigehara - Mudigere - Chikmagalur



I do not miss breakfast (or whatever meal of the day) at Shenoy Restaurant in Guruvayanakere while traveling towards Chikmagalur. This age-old restaurant offers a variety of local cuisine any time of the day.





Reached ay Chikmagalur at noon and spent the rest of the day with colleagues.

Returned home the next day via Sringeri - Saligrama - Udupi - Mangalore.

Highlights of the day were :

• Masale dose at Town Canteen Chikmagalur
• Temple visits at Sringeri, Kumbhashi and Uchila
• Guava ice cream with salt and chilli at Mantapa, Saligrama
• Sunset at a beach near Saligrama

It was a fun ride with twisty 2 lane roads and open highways. The coastal highway NH 66 is a traveller's paradise that offers views of Arabian Sea, good food options and sparse traffic.

Couple of early morning drone shots from day 2.

[prasanna_indaje]

Motorcycle is living upto the expectations. More than enough power, features, electronic wizardry and mile munching abilities, especially for my use case of traveling in all terrains and weather conditions.

GS is almost stock. Accessories on the bike as of now are - lower crash guard, headlight protector, fork sliders, shaft slider (all from SW Motech) and TFT guard ( from BMW).

Added ConnectedRide Cradle from BMW, a month after purchasing the the motorcycle (and when the cradle was at discount )

Planning to add upper crash guards, a pair of bark busters, side stand switch protection and side stand extender in near future.

Why 1250 when 1300 is almost at the door ?

• The motorcycle in the current form satisfies all my requirements
• This version of GS / GSA have all issues sorted out
• I assumed that 1250 will be definitely cheaper than 1300 whenever it comes
• I was told that the first lot of 1300s would reach our shores only after Oct 24
• Most importantly, GS had all I was expecting and more !

Why GS and why not GSA ?

• I am ok with the fuel tank size and slightly lower GC
• GS gives enough wind protection
• I am comfortable in handling GS than GSA (It is the matter of getting used to, actually)
• More initial investment. I would add the accessories when needed.

Did I test ride anything else ?

Yes. GS 850 and Duke 390 Adventure.

What type of rides I do ?

I ride mostly solo or in very small groups. Short rides to multi-day rides.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Big Bikes section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by prasanna_indaje

Motorcycle is living upto the expectations. More than enough power, features, electronic wizardry and mile munching abilities, especially for my use case of traveling in all terrains and weather conditions.

GS is almost stock. Accessories on the bike as of now are - lower crash guard, headlight protector, fork sliders, shaft slider (all from SW Motech) and TFT guard ( from BMW).

Congratulations Prasanna on your latest acquisition . The bike stands out and is built really well. While I have stopped riding, look forward to driving along the GS, Happy riding.

[dkaile]

Congratulations and welcome to the GS family...

Ride Safe ATGATT

Cheers...

[Bazooka1989]

Congratulations Prasanna on your new toy. Really enjoyed reading your post. Looking forward for more travelogues from you