[cjt2012]

The riding season is on , so soon as we stepped off the ship both Varun and I decided to do a longish road tour on the bikes. Since we both work on ships , at the first opportunity to ride we take it. The last long trip I did was to Bhutan from Mumbai in 2024, (you can read that account on this forum) We were looking forward for another trip.
I personally don't like to plan much for a ride, so Varun did most of the route plan. I often say a Road trip is about the adventure and thrill of the Journey and not just about the destination.
We were two of us ( Varun Langrana - Age 36 - 2023 BMW R1250GSA and myself Clement Thomas- Age 49 - 2017 BMW R1200GS ); A few days before the trip we had a short meeting on the route and the places we would like to cover during this trip and a WhatsApp group was made.

My bike is generally well kitted for long trips, The bike was serviced at BMW Thane in Dec 2024 where the valve clearances were checked and shims changed as required ,oil changed , coolant changed , K&N air filter was cleaned, Cardan shaft removed and greased , Cardan Oil changed , Checked torque values on all crucial nuts and bolts and Tyre pressure checked. The Brake pads were not changed since they looked to be good enough

I have both Aluminium Touratech Panniers and Soft Luggage, but i prefer the soft luggage basically to manage the weight ( Panniers tend to be heavier)

Some very essential generic requirements on the motorcycle are as below:
1. USB Charging port 12V (My bike has 3 USB ports)
2. Aux Lights
3. Headlight guards / protectors
4. The Connected cradle to accommodate the phone is a very essential requirement when using Phone for Google map Navigation.
5. Ensure you have good set of riding gear, this is non negotiable - I was using Klim Adventure Rally Pro Jacket , Klim Badland Pants , Rynox Gloves , Scorpion AT950 modular helmet, I prefer a cotton t-shirt inside in the heat.


Other equipment's carried were : Qubo Bike Cam with loop recording charged by the bikes 12v USB port, This is a fantastic piece of kit and its real value for money, essential tools, a Spuncture Puncture repair kit, a compact air compressor (12V supply from the bike), a jump starter , Cable ties (very important), straps, bungee chords, Essential first aid and medicines, Spare Brake pads front and rear, Spark Plug set, key fob spare battery, Emergency key.

Throughout the trip, only regular fuel was used on my bike.

Odometer Reading before setting off



Bike set up for the trip





Day 1: 13.01.2025 Mumbai (MH)- Chitradurga (KA) : 820km
We decided to start a little early and set off at 5:30am , made brisk progress towards Pune and stopped for breakfast somewhere near Shirwal around 8:30am, with good roads on NH48 we were making good progress passing Satara around 10:30 and onwards towards Karad , but soon after Satara the road diversions started and so did the morning traffic which increased quiet a bit. The diversions were there almost every 4 to 5 km which was very annoying and also setting us back in time. For the most part the roads were decent , we were making steady progress and we passed Kolhapur around 12 noon, with a few breaks in between for water, tea and tanking up.

Tea Break near Kolhapur


Lunch stop was soon after Belagavi around 2:00pm after which we pushed on, Soon after Belagavi the roads became very good and it was an absolute pleasure on two wheels, at some point the NH48 becomes AH47 passing Dharwad, Hubballi, Devagiri, Davanagere and by round 7:00pm we were on the outskirts of Chitradurga. We checked into Hotel Ravi Mayur which is a very basic hotel to spend the night.

Day 2: 14.01.2025 Chitradurga (KA) - Kanyakumari (TN) : 850km
We started from the Hotel around 7:45am tanking up on the highway soon after setting off.
The roads (AH47) continued to be excellent and we headed towards Tumakuru and onwards to Bangaluru, as expected we did face some traffic on the outskirts of Bangaluru. We took the NICE ring road ( paying a Toll for our bikes ).
After Bangaluru , we took the NH 44 towards Kanyakumari, passing Hosur and stopping at Krishnagiri for Lunch around 1:00pm
Post lunch , we again made rapid progress with excellent roads in Tamil Nadu continuing, soon we were passing Dharmapuri, Salem, Dindigul, and by evening 5:00pm we were at Madurai where we decided to stop for tea and some refreshments, we had done 350km from krishnagiri to Madurai in 4 hours. We were hoping to reach Kanyakumari by 8:30 or 9:00 pm.

Near Madurai



As we started from Madurai, the weather took and unexpected turn and it started pouring down heavily, we decided to press on with the ride , I changed the ride mode to RAIN and we continued our ride, As if the rain was not enough of an issue; thing were soon going to become nasty, at around 6:30pm the TPMS on the bike started blinking orange and the rear tyre pressure dropped from 42 to 35 and soon it dropped below 30 when the TPMS started to blink Red, At first , I thought that the heavy rain is causing the electronics on the bike to play up, which was definitely not the case, one glance at the rear tyre and it became apparent that it had a puncture. I contacted Varun and we pulled up at the nearest Petrol pump, careful inspection of the tyre revealed a 5 inch long thin steel rod embedded in the tyre, after managing to remove the steel rod, out came the puncture kit and we tried the repairs, however the air was not holding as the hole was larger and a single insert was not sufficient.
Since the festival of Pongal (Which is the biggest festival in TN) was going on everything in Tamilnadu was shut, so were the puncture shops, luckily the petrol pump attendant had the number of a puncture shop owner, he called him and within 20min the guy came to help us, I filled up air at the puncture shop and rode the bike to the puncture shop , where he removed the thin insert and put in a larger insert , this repair worked.
This whole episode set us back by about 1 hour , it was already dark, it was still raining heavily and we still decided to continue to ride to Kanyakumari.
We had an uneventful ride from there to Kanyakumari and reached around 10pm.
Since Pongal was going on, the Hotels in Kanyakumari were overflowing with people, and we did not get any rooms at hotels near the sea, However about 1.5km before Kanyakumari we checked into "The Coral Kanyakumari" which was a relatively new hotel, it was a good hotel with good food.

The Coral Kanyakumari


Day 3 - Day 4 15.01.2025 - 16.01.2025 At Kanyakumari
The Hotel was very comfortable and we were able to get good rest and also explored the places of interest at Kanyakumari, like the Swami Vivekanada Rock, Thiruvalluvar statue, Sunset and sunrise point, Vattakottai fort, Mathoor Aquaduct among other sites.

Some photos from Kanyakumari







At Vattakottai Fort





At Mathoor Aquaduct



Kanyakumari and its approaches are peppered with Wind turbines as it is considered as the best location in India for harnessing wind energy, these massive machines can be seen all along the highways on approaches and its a truly majestic sight.

Day 5 : 17.01.2025 Kanyakumari (TN) - Munnar (KL) (Via Kovalam) 380km

Set out from Kanyakumari at around 8:30am and headed to Kovalam and took the very scenic coastal road, Parked the bike at the common beach parking and rented a beach chair for an hour , enjoyed the nice sunshine and the white sand beach before heading onwards to Munnar.

At Kovalam



Roads in Kerala , while they are very good are mostly single carriageways (even their highways) and as such quiet dangerous, not to mention Google maps on a few occasions taking us through some very narrow rubber plantation roads before linking up to some road, the route led us from Thiruvananthapuram , Kilimanoor, Ayoor, Kottarakkara, Pathanamthitta, Ranni, Pala, Thodupuzha , Adimali to Munnar. Kerala is a very beautiful state with natural beauty like few other places on earth (its little wonder that its called God's own Country). Reached Munnar about 8:00pm ,We stayed at Silver Blooms homestay , it was a decent place however food was not available at the location and the owner would bring us the Breakfast in the mornings.

Lunch Stop on route to Munnar




Day 6 - 18.01.2025 - At Munnar

The Homestay at Munnar


We explored Munnar and near by locations of Top Station, The route is very scenic with Tea Gardens on both sides of the road for some time and then dense forest , the roads were good until Top Station, but then the road became non existent and it started to rain, This made the mountain trails very slippery and both our bikes got bogged down in slush and slippery mud. It took tremendous effort to bring both the bikes out from the slippery mud with the help of another rider who was also stuck in the same predicament. The whole experience was very tiring and scary since we were alone in that area with overcast skies , heavy rain and sticky slippery mud with two big bikes bogged down.

On Route to Top Station Munnar





The mountain trails after Top Station where the bikes got stuck in the slippery mud

[cjt2012]

Day 7 - 19.01.2025 At Munnar

The next day we decided to park the bikes and rent a jeep to explore the other places of interest such as Ayur Valley Farms, Devikulam , Mattupetty Dam, Hanging Bridge , Puyankutti River, 33 waterfalls at Mankulam and Anakulam wild Elephant sighting as it was still raining and we did not want another experience like the previous day.

At Devikulam


Tea Plantations on Route


A Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree


Waterfalls


Hanging Bridge



At 33 Waterfalls


Rock Caves


At Anakulam




Day 8: 20.01.2025 Munnar (KL) - Adiyogi Shiva statue Near Coimbatore (TN)
180km

We started a bit late around 9:30am and headed towards Coimbatore. The roads were generally good but since it was a mountainous and dense forest area the roads were winding; as such we were riding very carefully.
The roads passed through some of the most densely forested areas. The Nayamakad waterfalls, the Kannan Devan Hills, Chinnar wildlife Sanctuary, Aanamalai Tiger Reserve where we actually saw wild Elephants on the roads. The Forest department personnel were managing the traffic on the road so as not to disturb the wild Elephants in their natural habitat.

On Route to Coimbatore



After Aanamalai tiger reserve the forests are left behind to the view of towns and villages. We took the route via Pollachi thence towards Coimbatore onwards towards Adiyogi .
We reached at around 3:00pm and stayed at Sri Vinayaga Residency, this is a new hotel , however they were not having a restaurant so the food had to be sourced from outside.

At Hotel Sri Vinayaga


After a quick shower and change of cloths we headed to the Adiyogi Statue. Its a truly impressive statute which stands at a 112ft tall, Again being Pongal holidays there was a lot of crowd in the area. The light and sound show was very impressive and is highly recommended.

At Isha -Adiyogi Statue



On the way back we had dinner outside and headed to the hotel to retire for the night.

Day 9: 21.01.2025 Adiyogi (TN) - Ooty (TN) 110km
Next on the list was Ooty. We started a little late at around 9:30am from our Hotel and headed towards Coimbatore , then taking NH181 all the way to Ooty, the roads were decent for the most part and we reached Ooty by late afternoon.

On Route to Ooty



We checked in to Homestay Heritage view , which was a very beautifully appointed homestay, the rooms were just brilliant and home cooked food was delivered by a nearby family.

Room at the Homestay Heritage View


After freshening up we took our bikes and went local sightseeing at Ooty, it was bitterly cold in Ooty and weather was just too good, Saw the Nilgiri toy train, Doddabetta peak and Ooty market.

At Doddabetta peak





Day 10: 22.01.2025 Ooty (TN) - Kalpetta Wayanad (KL) 120km

Since the planned trip for the day was only about 120km, we left from the homestay a little late at about 10:30am taking the NH181 , passing through the Tree park, we visited the Pykara waterfalls.

At Film shooting location on route to Wayanad



At Pykara Waterfalls




The roads are very scenic passing through numerous tea estates thence onto SH12 , the roads for the most part were decent single carriage ways with not much traffic, the roads pass through dense forest and mountainous areas as such we needed to be very careful with numerous hairpin bends along the route.
Towards Kalpetta the last 30odd km were really bad as the road was under construction. We reached and checked into Hotel Oshin at Kalpetta , its a new hotel with excellent rooms and good service .

Day 11 - 23.01.2025 At Kalpetta Wayanad (KL)

The day was spent local sight seeing at Chembra lake and peak and some waterfalls. I also did a bit of maintenance on my bike, even though I had serviced the bike bike in Dec 2024, at the time the brake pads had sufficient pad material on them so it was not changed, but when I checked the pads before leaving Ooty the rear brake pads were almost finished, so I decided to renew the pads at the hotel parking. Since I anticipated this, I was carrying spare brake pads with me.

Day 12 - Day 13 24.01.2025 - 25.01.2025 Kalpetta, Wayanad (KL) - Mumbai (MH) : 1230km

Now, This part of the ride will be open to some debate and criticism. We rode 1230km from Kalpetta Wayanad (KL) to Mumbai (MH) directly.

We set off from the hotel a bit late after Breakfast at around 9:30am,the route as recommended by Google Maps was almost vertically northwards using State Highways and local roads. These roads passed through some very dense and thick forest towards Hassan, Channagiri to Davanagere (up until here the progress was relatively slow since the roads were single carriage ways ). At Davanagere we joined onto AH47 towards Mumbai (where the bikes could really stretch their legs and pick up some serious pace).
Initially our plan was to halt for the day at Belagavi, but both of us were not in favor of entering Mumbai in a relatively tired condition and getting stuck in daytime traffic

While It was arguably stupid to do this, the factors in favor of the decision were:
1.Not much two wheeler traffic at night , only trucks , Buses and Cars.
2.No Animals like Dogs ,Cows or Buffalos on the roads at night
3.We had good Aux lights
4.Weather was nice and chill at Night, the outside temperature at night showed 12-14 deg untill we passed Panvel, then it started increasing.
5.The comfort the bike offered was phenomenal, unlike any other bike in the segment
6.It was decided that I would lead and I kept the speed at all times within 90- 100kmph while riding at night

We stopped at Nipani for Dinner around 9pm , and stocked up on water bottles and Redbull (just incase required)and Tanked up , passed Satara around 1am the next stop was Pune , the Shell petrol pump at Wakad around 3am where we tanked up again for the last time on the trip and reached our Homes in Grant Road, Mumbai at 6am.

At Home Parked safely


Odometer After the ride


The round trip was about 3800km , Both the motorcycles did not miss a beat or give us any kind of mechanical trouble.
The benefit of shaft drive was again amply apparent . The superior comfort of the GS/GSA is also something I wish to highlight, the suspension is truly an engineering marvel.
Without a doubt, the BMW GS/GSA is one of the best motorcycles ever made.
Even after riding 1200+ km in about 21 hours ,we did not feel any body pain or fatigue.

Bike getting a little TLC after the ride

I wish here to thank my fellow rider Varun for such a great trip , memory for a lifetime.

[Raskolnikov.R]

Originally Posted by cjt2012

I wish here to thank my fellow rider Varun for such a great trip , memory for a lifetime.

And, we, Team-BHPers, thank you for allowing us to experience your wonderful journey in great detail.

The pictures and prose gel so well, as well as you and your motorcycle, do.

I know I speak for many when I wish you and Varun a ton of motorcycle miles, and anticipate the joy of reading more of your riding journals.

Ride safe, Clemant!

[nettooran]

Nice photos. That was a hell of a distance that you covered in such a short time. Did you miss the Gap road in Munnar? its a must do stretch with bikes.

[Lone rider]

What a wonderful ride. You get rejuvenated after a long ride especially after signing off from ship. Its like charging your battery. I can see your last stretch was the longest.
Did you have any to top up the engine oil in GS during the ride.
The longest i have done is 1150 km on my last day when i had done my solo K2K. Would love to ride with you some time.

[AKSO]

Wow. Well done. The South rocks and your travelogue brings back so many cherished memories. Ride Safe!

[cjt2012]

Originally Posted by nettooran

Nice photos. That was a hell of a distance that you covered in such a short time. Did you miss the Gap road in Munnar? its a must do stretch with bikes.

Thanks, Like I mentioned, it was more about the ride. Our local guide at Munnar was our Home stay owner and we asked him on places to visit at Munnar, sadly we missed the Gap road. Hope to do that some other time.

[cjt2012]

Originally Posted by Lone rider

What a wonderful ride. You get rejuvenated after a long ride especially after signing off from ship. Its like charging your battery. I can see your last stretch was the longest.
Did you have any to top up the engine oil in GS during the ride.
The longest i have done is 1150 km on my last day when i had done my solo K2K. Would love to ride with you some time.

Thanks, Yes, Ships are like a prison sentence these days, there is hardly any opportunity or time to step ashore these days whilst aboard.
Yes, we did stretch ourselves on that last leg, it was a nice experience riding in the night and it was cool and pleasant.
As a general rule , every day before setting off, I would get the bike on center stand and check the oil level and coolant level, rub off the dust from the fork legs and steering damper and glance at the brake pads. We did not need topping up the engine oil during the ride, it was within the permissible range.