[voodoochild]

Day 2: Odo stands at 14610

A look outside at 6am tells me the rain has stopped. For how long, is not my business. Lets get on! I've heard from a friend that there's a place called Sadhale Mess in Sawantwadi that is worth its salt. Lets give it a shot.

Downstairs, the mainstand bracket is acting up again. I'm a bit wary of bending it around too often, but I just have to. Moving out of the motel, roads are smooth, narrow and winding. The mist hasn't yet lifted from last night, and there's that smell again of fresh vegetation.



I get into Sawantwadi and Sadhale Mess. It is a very homely place, run by the Deosthali family. Exceptionally clean, leave your footwear outside and all. The owners remember my friend when they hear my Roadking outside (he'd come 2 years prior with his bride on a Roadking honeymoon). The poori-sagu is just like home, the view of the lotus pond in the rain outside (yes, started again) only makes it better. All in all, I love the down-to-earth feel of this place but miserable coffee makes me leave.

A while later I stop for the usual, and what do I see!


I call the boys in Panjim to catch up for lunch, but the blighters are still asleep! But they're Goan and its a Sunday morning, so I'll let them be. For another 32km. Panjim city is rainy and deserted, not the Panjim I've seen so many times before. I ride around all the familiar sights, waiting for Keith and Macky to wake up. When they do, we head for some cold stuff near the Governor's Bungalow, then Macky runs off to socialise (not with the Governor). Keith and I meet one more of his friends for lunch at a really small restaurant at Dona Paula. I've totally forgotten the name, and this place is approached only on a footpath guarded by pigs and hens.
They have the most delicious fish and prawns! Surmai rava fry, butter garlic prawns, ahhh!!!

The view from the restaurant.

[naveenroy]

This is what a RR is all about. Man, you write well.

The pics are very good too - considering that you took them in bad weather. Ah, the shot of Goa

[voodoochild]

After a solid lunch, I chill at Keith's place for a bit and head off at 1630hrs. Traffic opens up after a small snarl at Margao and roads are real nice. Its all smooth sailing, and then...



Even the silly movie poster at the side doesn't take away the feeling that I'm already home! Well, closer to home than yesterday atleast.

Its about 1800hrs and getting dark already. I'd rather not have the unpleasantness of night riding again, so I rush past Karwar port and Ankola. Darkess has gathered, and in the rain I miss the Kudle Road turnoff to Gokarna, my pitstop for the night. I turn back and find my way into the town. There's a stationery shop on the road where I stop just to hear some Kannada (feels good to hear the coastal accent after so long!). The ajji insisted I stay the night at their place, but I didn't want to impose, so I ran off to Gokarna town and parked at the beach for a while, where an old man and his cow offer to share a tender coconut and their company. This done, it is time to drain my boots again. Where? Gokarna International? Ha! I find a Kamat Lodge (not the actual Kamat folks I think, it looks too seedy) which takes 100 bucks for a single room. It is as small as most people's office cubicle, but suits me just fine. I watch the rain from my balcony (yes, for 100 bucks I get a balcony too!!). I'm getting a bit bored of ingesting rainwater, so I head out for something different. There's some inane Kannada movie playing at the inn opposite, so I watch it over a spicy chilli chicken dry. Man, that chicken is making me smile right now!

2230hrs in Gokarna and I've got a long swim ahead tomorrow. Lights out!

[voodoochild]

Day 3, 0530hrs. I wake up to the sound of...wait for it...RAIN! Real heavy rain. After spending an hour just watching the coconut trees from the balcony, I realise that I actually have another 500km to go today. As quickly as wet clothes will allow, I get dressed and hurry downstairs. I'd already paid for the room last night and the recepionist aka watchman is still asleep, so I'm off. Its a Monday morning and my Layla's waiting alone in parking lot, half sunk into the mud. I ease her out, dreading what the night's rain has done to her. Quick check again and all is ok. Odo reads 14875. We get going.

0730, quick stop for breakfast at Kumta. Idlis were great, sambar was typical Mangalore home-style, and finally I get outstanding coffee!



Refuelling at Honnavara, a group gathers to inspect my bike. People even offer kerosene to fuel my ride to Bangalore! "Bike sakatthaagi odutthe saar!" (the bike'll run really well sir!). Thanks but no, thanks! I've no time to chat. Really got to scoot!

Enroute to Sagara, the clouds are drifting up from the valley to my left. There's something really soothing about riding alone, slowly through the clouds. Winding roads only make it more enjoyable. The roads aren't very good at all, but I'm not complaining. I'd rather take all the time in the world on this road.

This was one of the better stretches of road.


Customary spot, unconventional vista


Up in the hills just before Sagara, there's a little rivulet running alongside the road. A small bylane takes off from the main road, so I pull in and stop to see what I can see. Its a Government School. To the left of my bike is the brook that runs around the school compound.


While I'm there, two kids come up from the next village. Kids and curiosity go together, and they have to stop to talk. I'm glad for the 5 minutes company with Parashurama and Ganesh. Ganesh takes the pic, Parashurama smiles shyly while their classmate looks on.


They run off to school, and I'm back on the road. As I descend towards Sagara, I hit one of the countless rumblestrips and hear a loud thunk, followed by a scrape. Uh-ohh!!! It turns out the mainstand bracket has finally given way and the stand is dragging on the road. I try my best to secure it with spare bungee cord, to no avail. A passing Trax Gamma full of Dharmasthala pilgrims saves the day with thick-gauge wire and conversations about the army (must be the fatigues again). My first incident! Now onwards, no mainstand, so I officially cannot park the bike?

The road gets better and the rain stops beyond Sagara. Finally I've got a smooth road and can actually see ahead!


Shimoga is full of Monday traffic and diesel smoke. I quickly get through, crouch behind the bars and try to maintain a constant 100kph. But not for long. This is where the fatigue begins to kick in, with my backside screaming in protest! After about an hour, I NEED TO STOP! A break is made at a tea-stall, leaning the bike against a tree and eat some pakodas. I'm in no mood for photos anymore, its a race against time, rain and bum-ache to get home. I play tag at 100kph with a Pulsar, but he keeps stopping to put on/take off his rain gear at every sign of a drizzle!

Banavara and Tiptur pass by, and I catch rain in Tumkur again. I've had to keep jumping around in my seat the whole time to prevent my backside falling off. Crouching helped a bit, but I think the rain was the saving grace. It does wonders to a non-iron butt.

Crawling through traffic at Peenya, BHEL, I reach my mechanic at Shivajinagar at exactly 1930hrs with absolutely nothing to report. The BJYMC regulars hang around for a chai, then run off for the St. Mary's procession. I head off to stunned grandparents and an overexcited dog.

Three days, two travellers and only one mishap. The odo reads 15399. I'm home.

[pganapathy]

Awesome thread voodoochild. Really got me interested. Now that today was/is also a bandh, hope you got the day off to write more.

Looking forward to feeding our addiction with interesting TL's that have good writing and photos (no doubt a proper camera would have been better but this has more charm and challenges the mind more to become innovative and imaginative).

Please get around to the rest of it chop chop. It is hard to wait.

[ninjatalli]

What a lovely thread! 650 kms on the Ahmedabad - Pune route during the hot summer on a Pulsar had me dead for over two days; doing the entire Pune - Goa - Bangalore stretch during the rain is an awesome plan! Man, I am jealous!


Btw, what a lovely writing style. The absence of pictures is not even noticed, until you mentioned it multiple times! Long time since I have come upon a thread that speaks more volumes about the writing style over the pictures! Rated 5 stars, btw!

[voodoochild]

Originally Posted by pganapathy

Awesome thread voodoochild. Really got me interested. Now that today was/is also a bandh, hope you got the day off to write more...
Please get around to the rest of it chop chop. It is hard to wait.

Why do you Bangalore guys have so many bandhs man?! This not fair I tell you!
But I'm done writing. I got home in the end, didn't you read?

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

What a lovely thread! ...Pune - Goa - Bangalore stretch during the rain is an awesome plan! Man, I am jealous!
Btw, what a lovely writing style. The absence of pictures is not even noticed, until you mentioned it multiple times! Long time since I have come upon a thread that speaks more volumes about the writing style over the pictures! Rated 5 stars, btw!

Many thanks!! I was hoping I didn't get flamed for the crappy pics. I'm not too much of a photographer (or maybe no one's dared to hand me a good cam yet) so I'm glad the writing made up for it.

Cheers,
Rahul

[pganapathy]

Originally Posted by voodoochild

Why do you Bangalore guys have so many bandhs man?! This not fair I tell you!
But I'm done writing. I got home in the end, didn't you read?



Many thanks!! I was hoping I didn't get flamed for the crappy pics. I'm not too much of a photographer (or maybe no one's dared to hand me a good cam yet) so I'm glad the writing made up for it.

Cheers,
Rahul

Bandhs are designed around giving our members time to complete their TL's. Otherwise it takes too long and us junkies here tend to harass you until the writing gets done

I opened the page and then took a while before I got round to sending the message. By then you posted. My bad.

Anyway, glad you had no issues on the bike other than the stand breaking. The rain must have been interesting to ride in.

Don't worry too much about the photos. If your prose is descriptive enough, we dont really care. That is why most people prefer the books to their movies

Nice thread and totally deserving of the 5 stars I rated it

[pganapathy]

Originally Posted by voodoochild

Why do you Bangalore guys have so many bandhs man?! This not fair I tell you!
But I'm done writing. I got home in the end, didn't you read?



Many thanks!! I was hoping I didn't get flamed for the crappy pics. I'm not too much of a photographer (or maybe no one's dared to hand me a good cam yet) so I'm glad the writing made up for it.

Cheers,
Rahul

Bandhs are designed around giving our members time to complete their TL's. Otherwise it takes too long and us junkies here tend to harass you until the writing gets done

I opened the page and then took a while before I got round to sending the message. By then you posted. My bad.

Anyway, glad you had no issues on the bike other than the stand breaking. The rain must have been interesting to ride in.

Don't worry too much about the photos. If your prose is descriptive enough, we dont really care. That is why most people prefer the books to their movies

Nice thread and totally deserving of the 5 stars I rated it

[voodoochild]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

I usually avoid riding in the wet since i hate to see my baby covered with muck. I always plan my rides to the T and am often amazed at how people just gather their guts and ride with such an adventurous spirit.

Aditya, muck washes off man! But that stupid grin when you ride through the western ghats will stay for quite a while. If you're getting it dirty, get it super-dirty, you'll have much more fun that way ! Bike-pampering can happen when you return. I just changed oil and cables before and after the trip, and gave her a nice silicon glaze spa treatment.

I wouldn't say I don't plan my rides actually. A full set of tools and spares is always about 85% of my luggage. I'd planned for pretty-much everything. Cables, plugs, bulbs, even chain links! I've now also added those plastic zip-tie thingies to the toolkit, for those stand-clamp-breaking incidents. And there's only so much that can conk off on a Yezdi anyway. I'm sure a Ninja would be much less troublesome, but a Yezdi sure is easier to fix :P

Originally Posted by pganapathy

The rain must have been interesting to ride in.

Riding in the rain sure is most satisfying. Lush greenery, no traffic, engine runs cooler (two-strokes can get moody in summers). Give the monsoon a few days to wash off oil and sludge from the roads, and you're good to go. Everyone needs monsoon-motorcycle therapy. It helps if you like to swim though.

Cheers,
Rahul

[sami316]

Really amazing travelogue. Its one of a kind thanks to the Road King. Your writing style and narration is very crisp and at the same time quite amusing. The pics have come out really well considering the condition in which they were taken and have an earthy feel to most of them. Thanks again for sharing, looking forward to more from you in the near future.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear Rahul - riding a Yezdi in the rains takes some guts so congratulations. How's your "milkmanwalla Jawa" coming along? I hope its done now.

You made me remember January 1990 when wifey and I rode down from Mumbai to our home town Navsari (270 kms one way on the road to Ahmedabad) on my 1984 Ind Suzuki. I would just love to do it again! Sadly, my Ind Suzuki is acting up, so it is safely parked in my garage in Pune. Can you help me to make it run properly? I would love to hear its engine purring once again! I also need to start my 1967 Rajdoot. I have your number, I'll call you sometime next week, let's catch up.

Till then, its back to the grind! .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[voodoochild]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Rahul...

Ah Sir, many thanks for your comments! The "doodhwala Jawa" came home on 18th of Jan and is running fabulously! She's still in her run-in, but doing very well indeed. She's been christened Nadia

The IND-Suzuki is a very well-behaved motorcycle, and it isn't surprising at all that she's given you almost 30 years of service! She can be set right in a jiffy, especially since she's already in Pune! We'll work on it, no worries. And the Rajdoot, ahhh!

Do call, I've got some Jeep-talk to do with you too

Cheers,
Rahul

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by voodoochild

Aditya, muck washes off man! But that stupid grin when you ride through the western ghats will stay for quite a while.

Give the monsoon a few days to wash off oil and sludge from the roads, and you're good to go.

Cheers,
Rahul

Hey Rahul,
Finally we get to see your TL, fantastic to say the least buddie. Very well written and compiled. It reminded me of the Cyclone Nilam Ride that I did on my FZ a few months ago. Only luxury that I had was a proper 4 laner but then it was horrendous rain all throughout.

On your Roadking, have noticed a Tachometer. Does it actually work? How have you made it to work? Suggest you to pen a ownership thread on your RK.

Do post in some pictures on Nadia.

@ Team BHP Mods,
There have been a deluge of motorcycles diaries, why not open up a section in Team BHP for Motorcyles TL alone

[voodoochild]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

On your Roadking, have noticed a Tachometer. Does it actually work? How have you made it to work?

Thanks Mahesh. When I bought my Roadking on 3rd February 2007, she had a steering-cum-ignition lock installed. The regular one that you see in my pics. The ignition switch on the RH instrument pod was a dummy. When I got the motorcycle refurbished (I won't say restored, as she was running flawlessly to begin with) the mechanic Razzack (Elgin Talkies Shivajinagar) suggested that I retain the aftermarket ignition lock (it was indeed neatly done, very practical, I did keep it finally) and install a glass on the RH pod to prevent water damage. And then he put in a Bajaj tacho faceplate there without asking! I'd have preferred the original Yezdi tacho.

So, no it isn't wired to work. But the tacho mod has been done on Roadkings by Fairoz & Moosa, cutting into the dummy oilpump housing on the LH crankcase cover. I'd rather not resort to invasive surgery. I'm fine with my waterproof dummy Bajaj tacho

Nadia's turning out to be very un-photogenic man! Nobody wants to take a camera near her! I've hijacked Patrick's thread with some bad pics. This weekend I shall go militant on all my photographer friends, demand their time and attention!

Cheers,
Rahul