8th October 2011, 16:31
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| BHPian  Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Chennai
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| The Maha RoadTrip The Maha RoadTrip! Tamil Nadu | Karnataka | Goa | Maharashtra - 3 Riders | 9 Days | 3300 Kilometers! Riding Dates : 03 September 2011 to 11 September 2011 Prologue : Maharashtra, has been a must visit place in my secret wish list for quite a while. Leaves and money will never listen to our dreams all the time, So i had to wait till i got the right amount of money and the spare leaves to ride to Maharashtra. Maharashtra did not create the awe / furore that Kerala or Kashmir did, Only till i actually visited the wonderful state. But after riding through Maharashtra, I must say I'm pleasantly surprised and had enough goosebumps to come back once again. And, To Visit Maharashtra, We need to pass through Karnataka and Goa. So if we have to pass through Goa - We need to stop and relax in Goa, Otherwise the vacation gods will curse us! So, We decided to Spend time in Karnataka, Goa and then proceed to Maharashtra. Where we went, what we saw, how things went for the next 10 days is what awaits in “The Maha Road Trip” Riders : Ananth T E - Kawasaki Ninja 250R Rajiv P a.k.a rajivenky - Kawasaki Ninja 250R  Sudharshan S a.k.a Zaphod - Yamaha FZ16 Route We Took: Chennai - Mangalore - Mrudeshwar - Goa - Malvan - Ratnagiri - Chiplun - Mahabaleshwar - Pune - Lonavala - Pune - Satara - Kaas - Tohsegar - Belgaum - Chennai Total Kilometers : Around 3300 Google Maps Link : Chennai, Tamil Nadu to Chennai, Tamil Nadu - Google Maps Route Map:  What all we saw? Few random pictures till the time i sit down and write up the logs.. Its going to take a while, so bare with me if i take some time  The Three Ingenious : Sudharshan, Me & Rajiv  The Ninja goes Fishing!  Ninja 250R - The Do it all Motorcycle!   Goaaaa!   Panchghani..  Sudharshan at Mahabaleshwar, amidst the fog..  Me & Rajiv at Kaas  Kaaaaas..  Would all the day wise logs as and when i find time.. Thanks for looking. Cheers! Ananth T E Last edited by GTO : 19th October 2011 at 13:21. Reason: Removing pictures of dangerous riding styles & stopping on the Expressway |
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8th October 2011, 16:54
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| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai
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8th October 2011, 17:00
| #3 | |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: MH42
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| Re: The Maha RoadTrip Quote:
@HVK, lot of zig zaggging with the route you had taken, i hope, it was deliberate to extend quality time with pillion rider.:  [ wild guess][ though you have posted as one rider].@madbiker, go ahead man, we are loving it! Last edited by ASHISHPALLOD : 8th October 2011 at 17:09. | |
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8th October 2011, 17:09
| #4 | |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai
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| Re: The Maha RoadTrip Quote:
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8th October 2011, 17:16
| #5 | |||
| BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Chennai
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| Re: The Maha RoadTrip Quote:
I see where this all began and it is so commendable that you rode so much kilometers in not so good roads those days. Thanks once again for everything Quote:
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9th October 2011, 01:22
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9th October 2011, 11:31
| #7 | |
| Distinguished - BHPian  Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: MUMBAI
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| Re: The Maha RoadTrip Quote:
 .Dear MadBiker - Wow, I would love to do a trip like this. You lucky guys! Best regards, Behram Dhabhar | |
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9th October 2011, 12:51
| #8 | ||
| BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Chennai
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| Re: The Maha RoadTrip Quote:
Quote:
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9th October 2011, 18:24
| #9 |
| BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Chennai
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| Re: The Maha RoadTrip Planning the Trip: I have always wanted to chalk out a plan well in advance before commencement of the trip. Rajv and Sudharshan were also planning for a trip and joined the discussions. This time, I did not have much time to plan things in advance and left it out for as : We ride to Goa, Relax, Proceed onto Maharashtra and depending on the weather (Monsoon was in full glory that time) - See what ever is feasible and ride back Home. Seems like a simple plan, but when riding in a group everything do not go your way.. Three is a Group, remember? Sudharshan rides an Yamaha FZ 16 and Rajiv rides an Kawasaki Ninja 250R. Though they can ride long distances - They were apprehensive of riding 600+ kilometers in a day. They wanted to extend a day more, but also did not want to lose out on seeing places in MH. So we decided that they would leave a day earlier, and i would join them the next day. Coorg was decided as their destination for Day 0 and they would continue onto reach Mangalore on Day 1, which i would be covering the same from Chennai. The Excitement began, Leaves were approved without any questions and we were all set for an interesting road trip. Day 0: 02 September 2011 : Where it all starts.. I was doing a night shift that week, and swapped my shift to work in afternoon. I was about to leave and Sudharshan was at my office as early as 5 AM, we had some snacks, coffee and bid him good luck for his ride to Coorg. Rajiv joined him at the highway and they rode on to Coorg reaching by 4 PM. I was supposed to do an afternoon shift, and planned to return back home earlier to pack things and take good rest before the ride. As unfortunate events happen to me like a regular affair, I was called in to work in a Night shift and not afternoon as some important activity was going on in client's environment. I could not say no, and could not even apply for leaves at the last moment. I could not sleep the whole day, all i did was clean the bike and pack things up. I normally use my saddlebag (on the Thunderbird / Karizma) for any trip prolonging for 3 or more days. The Cramster saddlebags are of no use on the Ninja and all i had was a tank bag and a back pack. The Tank bag was not enough for the amount of things i was carrying and hence took the biggest backpack i had and dumped everything onto it. Even then, the bag was brimming upto the zipper. I tanked up the bike and left for work thinking i could manage some sleep at work. A stupid change management call dragged up-to 5 hours, leaving me no time to rest. With my eyes closing down in tiredness, i reached home around 5. I slept for 30 minutes, had a nice and refreshing bath, moms special coffee and left home. Day 1: 03 September 2011 : The Drowsy Ride.. 6:10 AM, I was off from Home. Mom dad as usual bid good bye & good luck and my sister cursing me for riding out all the time. I hit the highway, listening to music, one side of the headphone does not work off late which again came as a boon as i could still listen to other vehicular movements. The same boring Chennai - Bangalore highway which i know by heart, i was covering up good speeds infact great speeds. I didnt even bother stopping anywhere, after 3 hours of riding non stop - i stopped for breakfast and fuel at Krishnagiri. 275 Kilometers in less than 3 hours. I slapped my helmet and said, Calm down. This aint a Saddlesore! The A2B was crowded way too much, people were standing in queue to eat. I didn't like it at all, so was back to the road looking out for other options. Stopped by some road side eatery- The menu read: Dosa for 10 rupees and Idly for 2 rupees and Half Boil for 5 Rupees!  One of the reasons why i love India so much!Nice Road, Bangalore  Riding on, Crossed Hosur and got onto the Nice Road and must say worth the 40 rupees for 40 Kilometers and that bypassing Bangalore traffic. The Nice road exited me into Tumkur. I had to dodge the Tumkur town traffic for a while, but as soon as i surpassed Tumkur a beautiful 4 lane road welcomed me. It was more of a pleasant surprise as i was awaiting the pothole ridden 2 Lane road. The speed limit in many zones were 100 KMPH! Yes, you read it right a maximum of 100 Kmph legally allowed! The 4 lane continued on till about 17 kilometers before Hassan. The 2 Lane roads were not bad, few potholes and not much traffic. I had to stop in Hassan for fuel. Did not get premium fuel, so had to settle with normal petrol, but performance was never really a concern with normal fuel. Time was 12:20 and have covered 500 kilometers in 6 Hours. Around Hassan, NH 48    Weather has been pleasant till now and i took a break just to enjoy the scenery around. Sipping my favorite tender coconut and relaxed along the agricultural fields. The clouds turned black, signalling me its going to turn bad. I put on my rain wear and proceeded on. Roads were not bad, but neither great till i reached the Shiradi Ghats. The ghat section was worse - with rain increasing every minute the roads were all inundated. The gross bus drivers would undauntedly drive on the oncoming so close that i had to exit the road, onto the grass and still miss the bus by a whisker! Not to forget the boulders, water crossings and gravel section which takes a toll on the bike and the rider. Sakleshpur  Dodging this 50 kilometer bad stretch took close to 3 hours. The newly laid roads, after Nelyady were a blessing in disguise. Scenic roads, awesome climate and soothing melody in the ears - i could not ask for anything more. There were no network and hence could not get in touch with the other two riders. I had tied up the backpack on the rear seat, and due to the weight the bag kept sliding through and left only a little space for me to sit. I had to constantly push the bag up to let myself sit properly and repeating the same process for 300 kilometers stresses my thighs and hip. I was almost near Mangalore, some 50 kilometers left. Did not see much shops en route to stop for a drink, so continued riding on - few kilometers away spotted a flashy Ninja and another rider, and going near it was fellow riders Rajiv and Sudharshan taking a break at a town called Mani. Shiradi Ghats..    Not a bad ride i thought, i have covered close to 700 Kilometers now - and they had covered only about 100 Kilometers since morning! Stopped to have a little chat and proceeded on, and at-last i have some company now. Took a break just before Mangalore, informed Meghan our friend from Mangalore for directions to the hotel where the accommodation was booked. Surprisingly, Mangalore city was too good. Beautiful concrete roads, not much dust and beautiful women. Aaah, we could not concentrate on the road at all once we were crossing City center Mangalore  After running around in circles for 30 minutes, we eventually reached the Hotel, Hotel Srinivas - AC Room costs 1200 Rs approximately - neat room and very good service. Informed Meghan that we have settled up in the hotel, and went down for a nice dinner. Meghan and friends from Mangalore came to visit us at the room. Had a wonderful time speaking to the whole gang. As friends kept on increasing, we didn't know how time passed by and it was close to 11 PM. Over all a wonderful day with lots of riding, meeting new friends and pleasant memories. Crashed in by mid night, and we have a lot of riding to cover the next day. Tomorrow, we are going to GOA! Road Conditions: Chennai - Bangalore : Awesome 4 Lane Roads, Boring to me since i have ridden through it a lot. Bangalore - Channarayapattana - Awesome newly laid 4 Lane road Channarayapattana till Sakleshpur - Decent 2 Lane Roads. Sakleshpura till Nelyady - Bad roads, Caution - Ride Slow and Ride Safe! Nelyady till Mangalore - Good Roads, few intersections are bad due to road construction / gravel roads. |
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9th October 2011, 19:40
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| BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Chennai
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| Re: The Maha RoadTrip Few more pictures from the day..        |
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9th October 2011, 21:36
| #11 | |
| BHPian  | Re: The Maha RoadTrip Quote:
Wow! what a trip you are enjoying your Ninja thoroughly, picture from this thread are nice as usual and from Kerala thread as well. I have query what camera you use? There should be some provision to carry language on sports bike right, there are cramster bags for pulser as well you should try that they are little bit short compared to Thunderbird's bag. You can find my only one trip :( on RE 350 here, cramser with full of luagage. Keep the picture and travel log come in. Thanks, Vishal. | |
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9th October 2011, 22:00
| #12 | |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: City of seven islands.
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| Re: The Maha RoadTrip Quote:
Can you post your trip logs too saar? Will be interesting to see what the exact timings were. Last edited by MX6 : 9th October 2011 at 22:03. | |
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9th October 2011, 22:10
| #13 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Chennai
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| Re: The Maha RoadTrip Quote:
I use a Canon 500D + Tamron 17-50 F2.8 Lens. About the Cramster luggage, I have a Cramster Colt Saddle bag and Cramster Tank Bag which i used in Thunderbird and Karizma before. Bun unfortunately, the tank bag was too small to be carried and saddle bag does not fit on the ninja. Need to order something like Rjays Saddlebag. This is how it looked on my Thunderbird:  Last edited by GTO : 19th October 2011 at 13:48. Reason: Quoted post & dangerous pictures deleted | |
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10th October 2011, 11:15
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| BHPian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Chennai
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10th October 2011, 20:18
| #15 |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore
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| Re: The Maha RoadTrip Oh wow!! Was just getting over the SS1600 post of yours and here comes another Maha trip in every sense!! Amazing Ananth. You are a true biker and kudos to your spirit. Please bring on the rest of the log soon  Can hardly wait to read it and also the wonderful pics that you capture are just too good!! |
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