[Mrs&Mr_Shenu]

Why??

Munnar GAP road is located approximately 125 kilometers (Around 3 Hours 30 Minutes) from Kochi. I have visited this place and have been blown away by the stunning natural beauty of the area. The view from GAP road is unparalleled, and the numerous turns and curves provide an engaging driving experience (For me!!).

BUT WHYYY on an ACTIVA????

Since I mentioned the idea, let me justify problems of such a journey on Honda Activa. To be honest, I was encouraged to do a drive with my better half as I have already done few drives around Kuttikanam, Vagamon, Ramakkalmedu etc. She is interested to travel on 2-wheeler more these days avoiding car altogether.

With that side is sorted out, bigger elephant in the room is, which Vehicle?

I do have a V12 (Bajaj) and Honda Activa (Workhorse). But V12 met with a small accident which had bent the front fork, So V12 was out of the list.
Activa has been part of our older Journey from Chennai to Mahabalipuram, kanchipuram, Thiruttani with a rock-solid reliability. Also, with my sedate driving, Activa will be ideal as I may not cross even 45 km/h speed. With that in mind, we finally decided to submit ourselves for this idea.

Man suggests a Plan and God Gives Plan change....

Day before the journey, during the routine grocery purchase travel, Activa started shuddering like a back tyre puncture at a mild speed. I stopped multiple times, with no specific thing to pinpoint the issue. Decided to somehow drive very slow and reach back home where we have a mechanic shop nearby. Alas, the vehicle suddenly stopped with a a big thud. Now, the accelerator is just revving the engine and back wheel is not turning.

I called my friendly neighborhood mechanic who was bit far away (12-15 KM away). He suspected a belt issue, asked me to look for a local mechanic near to my location. Luckily, I had one shop nearby around 300 Meters away. Pushed Activa on a bright afternoon with a heavy mind with full of doubts and confused wife.

Mechanic of this shop looked at the vehicle and had a similar suggestion. He opened the left-hand side, which gives access to the belt. It was indeed the belt, broken.



He cleaned the interior , side thoroughly and then fixed the belt.





Activa is back to life... We both thanked god and reached back home. Sat on the idea, deliberating and finally decided to go ahead with the drive.

Plan & Stops

1. Start from Kundanoor Junction at 4:15 AM

Uneventful. Fuel was topped already. So Vehicle is full with Fuel and Tyre Nitrogen.

2. Stop for a tea after 5-5:30 AM at Muvattupuzha

We stopped at TEA ZONE, Muvattupuzha. A small Kerala style eatery with Hot tea and local delicacies. Saw Another Group with Delhi Registration bikes who also seemed to be travelling to Munnar.



3. Breakfast Stop at Adimali.

Kalavara Hotel near to Adimali was the next stop for us. Had a delicious Ghee Roast and hot tea. Saw 2 couples who reached on Honda Highness 350. Given sometime to look at those bikes in real world, up close. may be another time(Sigh..)



4. Photo snaps at Cheeyapara, Valara Water Falls.

Lot of people, monkeys and Kerala Transport Buses. Captured video and pictures. The Fog started coming in which we badly wanted.



My Activa on a shade, resting before next gallop.



5. Stop at Some view points for a quick picture and No Stop at Munnar Town.

Tea estates are a treat to watch which Munnar has plenty, The route we have chosen takes us directly through such locations and with Fog it is mesmerising.

6. Stop and mandatory Picture Snap at GAP Road Locations (Lockhart Gap View, View Point).

Absolutely Beautiful. This is definitely a place to visit, soak the natural beauty, sit and enjoy. Spent around 1.5 hours here at multiple locations.







7. Return Via RajaKumari, Rajakad, Vellathuval.

This drive was bit treacherous, no major stop except for Fuel. We thought to reach Kothamangalam by noon so that we can have lunch. But the route was absolutely never ending (as per my wife, I loved the route though). Finally reached restaurant at around 1 and food was heavenly as rats were running inside the tummy.

Started the return journey back to Kochi at around 1:30 PM and it is through Kolenchery, Thiruvankulam, Thripoonithura and finally to Kundanoor at around 3:45 PM.

Activa worked as a stable and reliable workhorse and gave no complaints. We stopped around every 1.5 hours so that machine is not burdened much.

Finally the conclusion..

Distance Covered - 300 KM (Approximate)
Fuel- 8 Litres of Fuel (Energetic Mind too)
Expense - 856 (Fuel) + 400 (Food, Tea).

Happy Minds, Full of Memories, Enough Material to upload for Dopamine Dose for others in YouTube.

[Krish_Diesel]

Thank you for the vlog. I would urge to post more details and narration of your exicting journey. Very curiosly waiting.

[Mrs&Mr_Shenu]

Originally Posted by Krish_Diesel

Thank you for the vlog. I would urge to post more details and narration of your exicting journey. Very curiosly waiting.

@Krish_Diesel and Team BHP. Thanks for the Support.

My First Post in this Forum and it is part of Hot Threads!!! Honor for me...

[RD410]

Awesome writeup! I myself do multiple Munnar runs in a year with my friend, either on my 2015 Dio 110 or friends bs6 Activa 125. No planning, preparation or anything. On weekends or holidays, when we are bored, we just take out the scooter, fill petrol, check tyre air pressure and leave. We maintain a steady 40-50 kph, discussing life along the way and don't even realise when we reached Munnar. Once we reach Munnar, we sip some tea, buy some tea powder and return! Yes we are mad So far we have covered Marayoor, Kanthaloor, Chinnaar, Devikulam, Vattavada, Mankulam, Lekshmi Estate and Gap Road. Yet Munnar never fails to excite us. Looking forward to explore even more places. For touring with a pillion, I always find a scooter to be more apt. No need for constant gear shifting allows you to enjoy the views at a leisurely pace. It also allows you to communicate with your pillion more effectively. The overall fatigue at the end of ride is less compared to most motorcycles. Moreover, my Dio pulls effortlessly in the hills, no power lag. The same cannot be said about Activa 125 as its fuel injection system has some trouble adjusting to the higher altitude, but it compensates for it by returning lovely FE (55 kpl)


Marayoor


Vattavada

[Gfactor]

Absolutely brilliant, only recently found using Scooters is the best way to travel in Kerala, Last month took a Ntorq from RoyalBrothers on rent and travelled from Trivandrum to Varkala and Kollam, it's such an easy and stress free way to commute in Kerala.

I have travelled in cars, bikes across Kerala, but with the recent speed limit AI cameras and narrow roads, no matter how powerful a vehicle you use max average speed you can achieve is 40 kmph, with scooters you get to keep that same average speed or even get more with a lot more relaxed ride, ability to quickly accelerate past ultra slow vehicles all at the same time when you do not have to worry about speed cameras as these scooters won't go past 80 and you will instantly know when you are getting near 70 and slow down.

[Mrs&Mr_Shenu]

Thank You RD410 and Gfactor.

Originally Posted by RD410

Once we reach Munnar, we sip some tea, buy some tea powder and return! Yes we are mad

I do agree that riding on a slow vehicle provides ample time to soak in the nature around us, chat a bit, share thoughts. For sensible people (believe me, I am one of them), it may be total "NO"-sense to have a warm tea at Munnar and come back to Kochi on Sunday Morning / noon. But, we have to have some non-sense within us. Right??

Originally Posted by Gfactor

Absolutely brilliant, only recently found using Scooters is the best way to travel in Kerala, Last month took a Ntorq from RoyalBrothers on rent and travelled from Trivandrum to Varkala and Kollam, it's such an easy and stress free way to commute in Kerala.

Riding in and around Kochi on a two-wheeler is a sensible option for couples / Small families (Husband, Wife and a Kid). It will be too difficult to manage for larger groups and for longer travels. Weather also plays different part and can be highly unpredictable.

Royal Brothers (RB) offers a long list of ride options to choose from. Few friends of mine who rented from RB had a pleasant experience. In fact, I am planning to try this option to have ride on CB350 or Classic 350. This will somehow will help to convince better half to zero-in on next bike. .

I will try to provide a honest review, once it is done, for fellow BHPians.

Happy Riding till then..

[Mrs&Mr_Shenu]

Created a Youtube video (Malayalam Language) on this ride. Sorry for all who may not understand the language. Apologies..

Video summarises our ride, though missing on many aspect of the story narrated in this thread (activa incident, food and return journey). Idea was more to capture the essence of Munnar Gap Road.

Link:

https://youtu.be/_angFdVD0uY

[RD410]

Originally Posted by Mrs&Mr_Shenu

Activa has been part of our older Journey from Chennai to Mahabalipuram, kanchipuram, Thiruttani with a rock-solid reliability.

Since you use your scooter for long rides, I have a suggestion for you. Use Castrol Power 1 Ultimate 5w40 fully synthetic scooter engine oil. You'll be surprised by how it transforms your Activa. I've been using it in my Dio since last 20k kms, 7-8 bottles used till now. Before that I was using OE 10w30 mineral oil. For starters, the cruising speed has increased from 60 kph to 70-75 kph. Now the scooter is easily keeping up with 150-160cc motorcycles. Cold starting issues and heating in traffic has completely dissappeared. Mileage increased from 45-50kpl to consistent 50-55 kpl. All the small noises from engine has gone and the exhaust note has become crisp. The most positive thing about this oil is consistency. There is no strain, stress or heating from engine even after riding continuously for 150kms with pillion. It easily retains it's smoothness even after 3k kms, but I change it before that as part of preventive maintenance. Overall it's as if this engine oil has unlocked the true potential of the engine! This is specially formulated for scooters, so its 100% safe. And for just ₹500, I feel it's totally worth it.

[Mrs&Mr_Shenu]

Originally Posted by RD410

Since you use your scooter for long rides, I have a suggestion for you. Use Castrol Power 1 Ultimate 5w40 fully synthetic scooter engine oil. You'll be surprised by how it transforms your Activa.

Thanks a lot for that suggestion @RD410. Going to try this next time.. I am not sure what oil my local garage is using as I am happy with his overall expertise and choice of quality spares.

By the way, I am.planning to upgrade to a bigger bike. Activa will be continued as daily work horse.