[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

When you go on these road trips it is important to do so with somebody like minded. In terms of what they like, be it scenery and or food, how they drive, how adventurous they are etc.

Absolutely.

FM tharian and myself met when we were around 7 or 8. I used to make trips to Bangalore during summer and Christmas break. Back then it was exploring rail yards on our cycles, racing each other, crashing and then talking about how we crashed and the details of our wounds.

A decade and a half later, I got my first job, had borrowed my uncle's motorcycle and started exploring the highway mostly on my own. Post tharian getting his first brand new Royal Enfield in 2002, we started doing road trips. We did participate in some Motorcycle club events but when it comes to hitting the road, it would just be us and nobody else. Started on short runs and then headed further out slowly. We kept at it quite regular till I got hitched and the frequency of our road trips reduced. Then he got hitched and soon after, I left the country. Not for once did either of us hesitate when we made a plan. We understood each other. The joy of exploring was just ingrained in us. Explore roads rarely taken. I took all the pictures (Which are memories for us today) during our ride breaks and he did all the map reading. Safety was paramount. I don't think we encountered even a single breakdown apart from pulling over to cool ourselves and our engines on hot summer days. Every trip we did was memorable and something to look forward too.

On plotting road routes, I have started doing something similar to what you have. I plot my destination on the gps and then look closely for alternate roads that can take me to my destination, if not directly. It puts you on the road less traveled and there is a different joy to exploring these back roads. Paper maps can be incredibly useful for this too.

As always, a joy to read your travelogues. Thanks for sharing.

[hondatoyotafan]

Originally Posted by RGK

Very Nice travelogue with good photos of wonderful countrysides.

Is it legal to do left hand drive in UK?

Thank you Jeroen ,Peter and TomTom.

No Problem at all my Germany based friend drives to UK in his personal car whenever he misses India he just goes to southall

[ashwinprakas]

A very inspiring travelogue, it is very hard to find like minded travel mates, some of them are obsessed with the internet, some of them photography and a majority of the rest, both! No one really cares much about machines and driving/riding them anymore.

I used to ride a bit with my childhood friend, who frankly is a wuss on so many levels, I once picked him up after riding 400 km's on a working day(read was in class till noon) and then we rode doubles on my Bajaj Discover 100 4G for the remaining 400 km's journey home, I usually do the whole 800 km's in around 12~15 hours depending on the route and mood, but this time it took me around 24+ hours, my boy wanted to take a break every now and then, we took so many breaks that during the last leg of the ride I started loosing consciousness while riding the motorcycle, for real!

Sorry for the rant but now I guess you know how much I envy the bond you and Peter share.

Hope someday I'll meet someone like minded, who knows why "a minute wasted off the saddle is a mile more on the highway!"

A few questions I have to ask you is how you prevent the windscreen from fogging? After going through your travelogue I've started driving with the windows down for some odd reason it puts me at ease. But when it rains the windscreen starts fogging up from the inside, what would you do when this happens? Do you simply turn the heat Up and change the fans to defogging mode? And what settings do you keep your fan/air controls in?

The fogging is not super bad as with all the windows up and the AC off, but I can still wipe the fog off with my finger. Though the fan's are ON I drive with the AC OFF, am I doing anything wrong here?

I'm sorry for the noob'ish questions but I seldom drive and my exposure to cars are very less compared to the average Bhpian.

Thanks and Cheers,
A.P.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

A few questions I have to ask you is how you prevent the windscreen from fogging? After going through your travelogue I've started driving with the windows down for some odd reason it puts me at ease. But when it rains the windscreen starts fogging up from the inside, what would you do when this happens? Do you simply turn the heat Up and change the fans to defogging mode? And what settings do you keep your fan/air controls in?
.

When you drive top down you have no problems with condensation. For condensation you need a difference in temperature across the window.

In an open top car that is usually not the case. Everything has the same temperature. The only problem is in very heavy rain, some of the rain drops will splash against the inside of the front window. No wipers there!

Jeroen

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

In an open top car that is usually not the case. Everything has the same temperature. The only problem is in very heavy rain, some of the rain drops will splash against the inside of the front window. No wipers there!

Going by that logic I presumed the case would be the same for a hardtop with the windows down, all seems well at lower speeds but as the car picks up speeds say in the 80~100 ballpark a very thin layer starts forming, it doesn't directly affect visibility as it is not noticeable, you only notice it when another car comes in the opposite direction and their beam spreads throughout your windscreen, at first I though it was cause my windscreen was dirty from the outside but when the wipers didn't clear up the film I realized it had formed on the inside.

I've seen a video where CrisFix tests a couple of things to prevent condensation and concludes that shaving cream does a decent job, would give that a shot to see if the effects last.

I'm going to make a habit out of driving with the windows rolled down, seems to be more fun and the 13 year old car has been returning awesome FE figures that would even put its ARAI figures to shame in spite of technically running rich(soot at exhaust tip).

[Jeroen]

Just to add. We never have the airduct blowing towards the window, only downward on our feet. Blowing hot air on a cold windscreen isnt very effective or necessary in a open top car.

However, in a normal car with the windows open I suggest you divert all air from the windows. Also, make sure your windows are very clean. If you or your passengers smoke in your car, your windows are ruined.

All sort of fancy window cleaner about. I find the most effective is still just plain old undiluted ammonia.

Jeroen

[Thad E Ginathom]

Just caught up with this lovely English/Welsh travelogue!

Particularly nostalgic for me were the New Forest sections. Used to holiday there with my parents, as a child. We also visited Beaulieu (I had to google how to spell that! But I was porbably never much good at it) and Lymington.

Later in life, I sailed on the Solent a few times. Used to charter a yacht from a company that did cheap deals for out-of-season (winter) weekends. Circumnavigated the Isle of Wight once: it's a surprisingly long way all the way around. The channel into Lymington is contorted, and narrow. It sort-of zig-zags. Better not miss a buoy and be heading for the wrong one, because there will be a mudbank in the way! And, of course, the yachts have to keep out of the way of the ferries.

It is a very nice way to travel in UK: avoid the main roads and stick to the lanes. We had a family joke: we used to call narrow lanes "B" roads, and narrow lanes with grass growing in the middle were the "A" roads. Specially special were the ones which had full tree cover all the way across