[veyron1]

Well Hello there, all bhpians. To all those wondering what the title is all about, well, here goes; Think only Overdrive can do 24-hour drive drives..? Nah. Here goes the write-up of a record of sorts.


To begin with, due credit goes to my dad, veyron2, for making this trip possible.

Now then. Well, it had been two years since I had made any long-distance trip, so to speak. Due to personal reasons, I had to leave for my native palce, Kerala. So I began to think, well, hey, why not make this trip something special? My dad was stuck at work, and he was insisting me to take the train, since I was going alone. But then, lightning struck, my brain flashed, and voila- this idea cropped up. I thought...hey, why not take the Swift to Kerala, all by myself...? It would be a blast, methinks. Ah, then.

After a day of some discussions with the mightier veyron, things were set in place.

I started from Mumbai at 14th June (wednesday), around 12:00 P.M. The roads from Vasai to Belapur weren't that great, except for the Ahmedabad highway. Once I reached the Expressway, things got better, and it was an absolute hoot right uptil Karwar, Karnataka. After that, the roads were so-ho uptil Mangalore, right after which things really turned around. The roads were a mess,the traffic was horrid, blah, blah... But hey, I was in such great spirits, that even a traffic jam right in the middle of the highway couldn't bum me out. Voila...!!! Me and my big thoughts. No sooner had the thought passed my mind, I faced a jam right there. Well, you have to take the highs AND the lows, I thought. I had covered the first 750 kms in about 8 hrs. This setback wouldn't be that heavy, I thought. I was wrong. Of the 1400-odd kms from Vasai, Maharashtra, to Trichur, Kerala, it was the latter 600 kms that took up most of the time.

I reached Kerala by 15th June, 10:00 A.M. Oh yes, I did the entire stretch of 1400-odd kms non-stop. Alone. And since I was alone, I didn't have to halt anywhere. I had all the refreshments that I needed in the car, so it was all okay. Don't ask me how or why; it's just that whenever I'm behind a wheel, I get so immersed that I don't feel the need to eat, drink or sleep....

I'm posting this from a Cafe in Kerala right now, and I don't have enough time to post the entire travelogue experience, so please bear with me. I shall do that once I drive back to Mumbai.

Since I didn't stop anywhere for ANYTHING (well, except for petrol and the odd one-or-two-bathroom breaks), here are some pics that I took en' route, while driving...

The top speed I managed during this trip was 190 kmph, but that pic isn't uploading, so please adjust with this...



Some of the sceneries that I encountered while passing by....

Indian version of the Joshua tree...?


Kannada mountains...



Pitter patter of raindrops, me, and my machine; nothing else;...aah, bliss....


Well, I don't remember which place this was, but the scenery was really pretty....


The A/C was on throughout the trip. Average F.E was 15 kmpl (and that's an astounding figure, considering the r.p.m's the engine was at). I shall post the entire itinerary, with the tank-up stops, time and distance, etc. later. Until then, here's looking forward to the return trip....wallah....

[revharder]

grrrrreat!!
and 15kmpl is way too good considering the heavy foot you have!
nice pics!

[mclaren1885]

U were certainly in a hurry to get off from the cafe .. Excellent pics , pity u had to travel so far alone .. Anyways will let u know when my exams are , its time we meet up on ur return journey ..

750 kms in 8 hrs !!! Imagining how good the raods must have been .. Well where are my 15'' and my suspension mods .. Just cant wait to do this stretch .. Amazing to see the kind of FE u are getting ..

[khaadu75]

Originally Posted by revharder

grrrrreat!!
and 15kmpl is way too good considering the heavy foot you have!
nice pics!

Hey , I wonder why people crib about teh average .. this time I got the swift from HP to Dli and did a distance of about 540 kms and with 32 ltrs of fuel !!! The car has done only 3800 kms so far ... will see how much it gives in the city now ..

Veyron , nice trip dude !!! I'm sire you have more pics lined up ... waiting for them .

Cheers

[Ketan]

I'm sure you must have enjoyed your trip!
But are u crazy!! if that speedo is showing the correct speed,, then thats not safe. again, driving such a long stretch, alone, you shoud have patience, thats the key. Not trying to advice u like a grand pa, neither want to discourage. someone said it right here, use your head rather than your feet while you drive, leave the speed for the tracks.

[jkdas]

nuts nuts nuts . ok I am jealous. Which cafe is it? 15kmpl! wow.

[autozealot]

Hello Veyron 1, drop to a speed of abt 90-100 kmph. Safer for you. Securer for your pocket (Chech out the F.E. then)
Not with an idea of saving a few hundreds, mind you but for the actual mileage figures. Hahaha
Enjoy your trip!!!

az

[Ketan]

I still cant beleive that!!!
Guys, is it possible to have swift going at 190 KMPH? Has anyone tried that speed? I'm not only doubting swift or this guy's capability to drive, but also the roads and traffic here.

[veyron1]

Thanks, guys. Really appreciate the support, a lot. Yeah, like I said, the trip was a blast.

Originally Posted by ketan

I still cant beleive that!!!
Guys, is it possible to have swift going at 190 KMPH? Has anyone tried that speed? I'm not only doubting swift or this guy's capability to drive, but also the roads and traffic here.

Sorry to burst your bubble, buddy. You better believe it. Didn't you see the pic? Agreed, it's showing only 185, but like I said, the pic with 190 has gone corrupt. And hey, I'm a real safe driver-I don't drive with a lead foot on 5-feet wide roads. This pic was taken on the expressway, when the roads were absolutely empty, being as safe as possible. On crowded roads, I don't go above 80 kmph or so, depending upon the traffic. Trust me when I say that I always drive keeping in mind the safety of my car and others on the road as my utmost priority. And before you suspect the vehicle's top speed, please check elsewhere on the forum; there are others who have done 175 kmph+ with ease. There's a big fat line separating FAST and RASH driving, brother....

[Steeroid]

Great going, Atul ! A continuous Mumbai - Trichur drive is an achievement for anyone !

Originally Posted by veyron1

Well, I don't remember which place this was, but the scenery was really pretty....

I think this is everyone's favourite portion of NH17 - Maravanthe.

But 750 kms in 8 hours??????????????? You were AVERAGING 95 kmph? Please confirm

[speedsatya]

hey thats superbbb.....

even i have done mumbai-mangalore alone and yeah you dont have to stop when someone else wants to pee or is hungry ...you are the king when you drive alone ...just stop only when u feel the car needs rest ...the last tim ethat i had done alone on thi stretch was before the GQ days and in about 14 hours ...hehe the look on everyones face when i reached mangalore was like

Originally Posted by Steeroid

But 750 kms in 8 hours??????????????? You were AVERAGING 95 kmph? Please confirm

yeah with teh GQ till hubli ..you can easily do the 600 kms from mumbai-hubli in about 5-6 hours ...but for that you have to leave early...at about 3-4 am from mumbai ...

the last time i did a mumbai-mangalore was in 12.5 hours with my parents and that too included the usual pit n pee stops ..otherwise could have done it faster had i been driving alone .



but when you start from kerala i wouldnt advise you to start verry early in teh morning as you will have heavy traffic mostly of buses coming towards the south ...and you can get disturbed by the 2-3 pairs pf headlamps..

drive safe

[Surprise]

Could not even dream it?

Hats off to you. That shows your craze behind the wheels. doing 750 kms at 8 hrs averaging 90+ is something i have unheard before.

1400 kms, all alone, continous driving - Only few can do this.

By the way, tell me the trick how did u beat ur sleep?

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by veyron1

I had covered the first 750 kms in about 8 hrs. This setback wouldn't be that heavy, I thought. I was wrong.

Exactly which stretch was this man? I recently did 320Kms stretch of NH17 (in both direction) and I didn't see a place where you can manage an average of 95Kmph.

[Ketan]

Originally Posted by speedsatya

yeah with teh GQ till hubli ..you can easily do the 600 kms from mumbai-hubli in about 5-6 hours ...but for that you have to leave early...at about 3-4 am from mumbai ...

the last time i did a mumbai-mangalore was in 12.5 hours with my parents and that too included the usual pit n pee stops ..otherwise could have done it faster had i been driving alone .

You guys rock!!!
I'm at infant level here I guess! However, it looks like a big difference (you took almost 150% of time with the last trip) in terms of trip time.
I beleive 25% of time might have spent during halts along the trip and rest 25% should be due to the difference in the speed you drove!!

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Exactly which stretch was this man? I recently did 320Kms stretch of NH17 (in both direction) and I didn't see a place where you can manage an average of 95Kmph.

Samurai - do the same stretch at night and you'll find a big difference. When Nitin and I came down the same road a few hours after you we had a tough time getting out of Goa, but once we passed the border we covered ground in good time. Eg: Arpora to Karwar + Lunch took us 2.5 hours, but Karwar to Maravanthe (outside Kundapur) took just about 3 hours after which we took over an hour to reach Udupi thanks to blinding headlamps compounded by a streaky wiperblade.

Do the same stretch at night (after the traffic has died down) and you will easily be able to maintain those speeds. The drive from your house in Udupi to Neeleswaram (after Kanhangad) took less than an hour, for instance.