[Invstamith]

I always had dreamt of a Multi City South India ride culminating at the Archial Munai, at Dhanushkodi. Two events made it happen- First one being the purchase of my Big bike, and the second one being a dear friend (Mr.S) asking me to join on a Kashmir to Kanyakumari ride.
To the bike buying story first- I was at JSP Motorrad Bangalore, enquiring about a new 850, and got led to someone selling a 9-month used GSA. Rushed to his place to check out the bike, and liked what I saw. My only apprehension was the size and the bulk of the bike. But the owner assured me the it’s the bulk that defines the bike. Sealed the deal the next day, and flew in next weekend to pick the bike.
That’s me just before I started riding back from Bangalore to Manipal.

When I told the friend of the bike, he immediately asked if I was interested in doing a K2K with him. It would be a 3-week ride, plus 5-6 days for other logistics. Work wouldn’t let me to take such a long time off, so asked if I could ride the Southern Triangle with him. We set the dates and I was only super excited! With 45 days to spare for the ride to begin, I set up on equipping myself and the bike for the ride. Bought Dirtsack Core 30 Semi Rigid Luggage system for the bike. This ride proved to be a good way to put the system to use, and it does deliver. Its quite sturdy, holds its shape and looks great on the bike. Used corded locks available off Amazon to secure the system in its place. The Auxiliary Pods that were given free with the system were mounted outside the bags for quick access stuff like rain gear, water and visor cleaner.
Gear used-
1- Rynox Tornado Pro V4 Jacket (procured new by my younger brother, as we needed a CE Level 2 jacket to match the bikes abilities)
2- Mototech Aero Tour Pro Mesh riding pants (Highly recommended, provides very good ventilation)
3- Tarmac Adventure Pro riding boots (Solid support, good shin and toe protection, but not vented, calves feel sweaty and hot during summer rides)
4- Royal Enfield Rambler V2 gloves (need an upgrade, good for city use, but I feel it lacks protection and comfort for long rides)
5- Raida Hydration backpack (Basic, does its job well, no complaints)
6- LS2 Pioneer Evo Helmet (Extremely good for the price, Light, and well finished, comes integrated with a sunglass visor as well)
7- Sena 10c Evo Helmet Bluetooth and Intercom (never really used it on the ride, the mic conked off midway, so was just an accessory on the helmet)

That's a week packed into 2 semi rigid panniers.


Bike loaded and ready to ride!


One very essential point to note during summer rides to wear good base layers, and keep the body fully covered. I used Quick Dry T shirts from Decathlon which ended up being really useful on the Hot days. Never wear a cotton t shirt under the riding jacket for a summer ride, as you’d be announcing your arrival like a skunk! Using a neck tube also proved to be very effective in protecting the neck from the heat and wicking off the sweat. Plus, if it gets really hot, we can just wet the neck tube and wear it for some nice cooling effect. Also used a good Balaclava and Arm covers.
Now coming to the ride!
I was to join Mr.S from Bengaluru. The plan was to ride to Madurai, Dhanushkodi, Kanyakumari, Coimbatore, and split up at Madikeri.

Day 1- 0 to 419km
As always, I took to Agumbe-Balehonnur-Aldur-Belur-Hassan-Bengaluru route. Started off at about 1030 am after finishing the Diwali Pooja at one of our commercial establishments. I am always an early start person; this was a first for me. My priorities when riding are very clear, get on the saddle the earliest you can, reach the destination before the sun blazes, and then chill. Took a break at the Bhadra Stop for some coffee and omlettes as usual in Balehonnur, and a couple of Hydration breaks later, made it to my aunts place near Electronic city by 730pm.

The route selected. Best for bikes with nice curvy ghat sections, for cars, better add Chikkamagalur as a point on the map, you can avoid the inner broken roads.



Day 1 Tripmeter.


Day 2- 419km to 814km
Met up with Mr.S at Attibele Toll at 8 am. Post the pleasantries and admiring each others bikes, we started off. Took the Hosur-Dharmapuri-Salem-Madurai route. This was my first experience riding on the TN Highways. And Boy! What a delight the roads are. TN easily has the best highways in India. They are not just well planned and well made, but are very well maintained too! Stopped for breakfast at SaiSangeet a little after Dharmapuri. Rode on with Hydration and Rose Milk break every 90 mins to arrive at Heritage Madurai a little post 3 pm. A very lovely property bang in the heart of Madurai. Loved the old-world charm and the greenery of the resort. Parked the bikes, freshened up, took a rickshaw to the temple at about 6 pm. Phones aren’t allowed inside the temple. What magnificence, what planning, what brilliant architecture, and all this without any of the modern planning tools. You will need a good 3 hours to explore the temple and admire the beauty. Tried the famous Jigar Thanda outside the temple. Headed back to the hotel for some chilled drinks and a great dinner buffet. A note on the food at the hotel- it was very good and tasty for a 5 star! The quality was great, and tasted very good too, serving the Indian Taste buds well. The hotel has a strict Anti Vlogging policy, hence i feel this is all I can write about it.

That's me setting out from Bangalore.


The 2 bikes together.


Route taken.


Breakfast Point
Attachment 2682439

Lovely "Heritage Madurai"


Day 2 Total.


Day 3- 814km to 1043km
The plan was to ride to the hotel at Rameshwaram, freshen up, and then head to Dhanushkodi. And since Google Maps showed a 3 hour ride, we started off lazily at 11 am post a good and a filling breakfast. Madurai to Rameshwaram highway passes through a lot of villages, and as a result, you’ll encounter a lot of bike/scooter borne locals zipping along and across the highway at good speeds, sometimes, even diagonally cutting across the road. I had 3 such Heart in the Mouth events of the highway, and then decided to drop my average speed by 10kmph. As we neared Rameshwaram, Mr.S suggested to ride straight to Dhanushkodi and then come back to the room. Stopped near the iconic Pamban Bridge for a few clicks. The bridge literally shakes when a truck or a bus passes on the other lane! Headed straight to Dhanushkodi, and then Archial Munai. The last 15km from Rameshwaram is an arrow straight road with water on both sides, very enjoyable to ride, but needs caution as some cars drive like maniacs here, and the lanes are not divided. Stopped for pictures, and met 3 interesting people here. First one, a kid, thought I’m some celebrity from the Kannada movies, and asked for pictures! I happily obliged. The second man, slightly high on spirits, was very curious to know if we would sink in water with our riding gear. I didn’t want him to try it practically by pushing me into the ocean, and swiftly escaped. The third one, has been written of in TBHP. He is from Satara, and has ridden to Leh-Ladakh thrice on his Bajaj Platina. Visited the Kodandarama Temple on the way back, reached Hotel Star Palace at Rameshwaram at 6pm. Quickly freshened up, and took an auto to the Rameshwaram temple. Had a quick darshan, clicked a few pictures, drank a Bovonto and headed back to the hotel.

The route we took.


The 2 bikes on Pamban


The Last Point on Indian Land


Me arriving at the destination (and my sister in law says "Your Food has arrived on Swiggy on seeing the image)


The Satara guy.


Our bikes at the hotel in Rameshwaram


Day 3 total


The Stunningly built Rameshwaram Temple.


Day 4- 1043km to 1330km
Post a quick breakfast, we started off towards Kanyakumari at a little post 8.30am. A little after Rameshwaram town, my maps indicated a Left turn onto a State Highway, which would then connect to Tirunelvelli via Sattur. It was all a single lane road upto Tirunelvelli, very well paved, but passing through villages. Mr.S and myself got separated and had some tense moments until we could connect with one another. Post Tirunelvelli, it was a 4 lane highway, with hundreds of wind mills on both the sides! They were so close; you could see the shadows on the roads. Reached Hotel Sea View at about 2pm. It’s a old hotel, but bang on the beach. You can see the Vivekananda Memorial rock form the room. The only downside, a Church next door was belting out continuously all through the evening and again at 5 am in the morning. Nevertheless, woke up early for a great sunrise.

The route we took.


Bikes enroute to Kanyakumari


A nice pic from the ferry point.


View of the Vivekananda Memorial and the Thiruvalluvar Statue from the room.


Day 4 Total


Day 5- 1330km to 1762km
Here, both of us accomplished what we had set out for. Mr.S completed his Kashmir to Kanyakumari and I finished the southern Triangle. I decided to ride back to Manipal via Coimbatore, and Mr.S decided to head to Salem and then to Bangalore.
Post a quick goodbye, we headed out separately. Started at 8am, rode to Coimbatore via Madurai. A very mechanical ride, was just wanting the day to get over. Docked at Ibis Coimbatore at 3pm, totally exhausted and sweaty! Was the most tiring day for me. Partly due to the anxiety of riding alone, and partly due to the extreme heat. Had a late lunch at the hotel and crashed in the bed by 6pm! Understandably, not a single pic from the ride today.

Day 5 Total


Day 6-1762km to 2267km
Was planning to ride to Madikeri via Ooty-Satyamangalam-Hunsur with an early start. Woke up at 3 am, only to realize that Ooty was at 10 Degrees! Not wanting to freeze myself to death, delayed the start by an Hour, at 5.30am. Rode past Coonoor by 7am, and cleared Ooty by 8! The downer, cops weren’t allowing 2 wheelers through the Satyamangalam route. Had to take the more tedious and longer route through Sultan Bathery to Madikeri. Pushed my ETA by an hour. I was in 2 minds, either to stay at Madikeri or ride straight to Manipal. Kept the decision on hold until reaching Madikeri. At Ponnampet, Google showed similar timelines for arrival at my resort at Madikeri and Café Coffee Day Sullia. Stopped to recheck. Under the shade of a Silver Oak tree in a Coffee plantation, sipping on a Red Bull, I made up my mind to ride to CCD Sullia, take a 2 hour rest break there, and then head onwards to Manipal. Note that I had already been riding for almost 7 hours by then. But, since the ride was entirely up the Western Ghats, it was mostly at temperatures below 20 Degrees. Else, I’d have been exhausted by then. Reached CCD Sullia at 2.15pm. Took a good 1 hour break, ate almost everything they had, drank 2 cold coffees, and started the last part of the ride at 3.15pm. Rode through the extremely dusty section near BC Road, Kalladka, only to catch a bad bout of sneezing due to all the dust. Nevertheless, reached home at 6.45pm, to a rousing welcome by the kids (only my wife knew of my arrival, was a surprise for the kids). A big sigh of relief! Completed my ride, and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Riding through Ooty


The Homecoming!


Final Readings!


A few of my learnings from this ride, Me getting into the “Advising Uncle” zone now-
1- You’ll always have doubts as the departure day approaches. Do I need to take this risk? Is it worth the pain in the butt? Is it worth riding through the Hot Coastal climate? But, all of these thoughts vanish the moment you are on the saddle.
2- Benevolence. Of Lord. To make me worthy of a big machine. Of Family. To allow me on an unplanned expedition like this.
3- Hydration. The most important thing. Drink plenty of fluids. We were skipping meals, but were stopping every 90 mins for water, some juices or ice creams! A skipped lunch doesn’t cause much difference, but a skipped hydration break, makes you feel super dehydrated, and not able to concentrate.
4- I was starting and ending each day of ride with effervescent ORS/Electrolyte tablets dissolved in 250ml of water. It made a whole lot of difference.
5- Use of Packing cubes. Extremely versatile. I used 1 cube for 2 riding days. Makes it so easy to plan and organize. I never lugged my Panniers into any of the hotels. Just pulled out the right cube. Highly recommended.
6- Ride at your comfortable speed. Seasoned riders will never try to match up or catch up. They will rather fix 2-3 meeting points on the route, regroup, and ride. Its an open invitation to disaster if you try to imitate someone else’s speed and style.
7- Quick Dry Clothes. Every piece of cloth in direct contact with my body was a quickdry. T shirt, neck tube, balaclava, arm sleeves and running tights. You'll be surprised on how it helps regulate the temperature. Plus, once you reach the destination, a quick rinse in water, and they are dry and good to go within 2 hours!
8- People will try to close in on big bikes. Even when riding. Gracefully, move away. Mostly they are distracted by the bike, and are endangering themselves by riding close to either get a pic or see the bike.
9- Some local chaps will egg you for a race. Clearly indicate using hand movements to deny. Note, we are geared up, they aren’t. 99% wont even have a helmet on them. A situation best avoided.
10- Reflect. Biking gives you immense time to reflect on your life, career, family, everything! There's no music, no munchies, no chit chat to distract you. Its just you talking to yourself, for hours at a stretch.
Coincidently came across a One liner on a notepad last evening- “ Have you spoken to yourself today? If not, you have lost an opportunity to interact with a very interesting man!”


A motorcyclist needs no therapist.
Now I know why!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[ashkamath]

Wow. That was an absolutely mesmerizing travelogue. As a motorcycle rider myself I concur to everything that you narrated, the preparation, the ride and the aftermath thoughts. Very fluid & brisk narrative and a beautiful ride.

Ride safe. Stay safe

[deetee]

Lovely writeup Amit, befitting outing for the bike.
While reading the blog I was curious to know if you are ever tired of the ultra long journey, seems like you held up very well throughout , kudos!

[Deep Blue]

Wow! Excellent write up Amith.

When I hear the word, "bikers", somehow I am conditioned to picture rash buggers zooming around in life and limb threatening ways.
Your write up clears the zen part of riding!

[PatienceWins]

Excellent write up. Nice pictures. Felt like traveling with you. As a rider, I could relate to you.

Liked the last part the most, Reflect - “ Have you spoken to yourself today? If not, you have lost an opportunity to interact with a very interesting man!”

[AKSO]

Well done. I am also back from my annual South ride during the Diwali week and am still trying to pen down the travelogue. The South rocks and those TN roads are just awesome. Congrats on the bike. Ride safe and ATGATT