Safe Riding and Touring Exercise Workshop

Hi Fellow riders,

As we all know, riding is more like music and no body is perfect in this art.

As a part of our ongoing effort to improve ourselves, a few like minded friends met on Saturday evening over "1/2 kaapi" and discussed ways to improve ourselves.

All of us were of a single opinion that we needed to improve and improve for better with a proper "Guru" to train us.

We were able to locate a trained "Safety Rider" who was trained by instructors from Japanese riding schools. He has volunteered to help us out in our endeavour to improve our selves. We were excited to hear the same from him.

This 3-4 hour program is tentatively scheduled to be held in Bangalore in the second or third week end of Jan'08. A nominal fee of Rs. One hundred has been fixed for each trainee and the session is limited for a few.It's a corporate sponsored program by one of the bike manufacturers for safety awareness and learning riding techniques like panic braking, effective cornering, rain riding etc..Also not only for amatures, even experienced riders can hone their skills and get their skills to the new level!!!

You could drop your requests in the comments section of the blog & please mention the following details in it too

Full name:
Bike Make & Model :
Mobile number:
Email id:

We are confident that you would not be disappointed with the outcome of this Training program.*
Kindly hurry as the Seats are Limited!!!!


[The LAST DATE for entries is 25th December]


* There is going to be a selection process through which the final list of participants will be decided

Jungle Safari on bikes!!!

"Come on man we can make it to Ooty before nightfall!". This was at around 3:30pm on a saturday afternoon at the foothills of Himavad Gopal Swamy Betta! This is the best way i remember our "One Day" trip we had planned for Himavad Gopal Swamy Betta and Bandipur.
The day was 24th of August 2007. We had been deprived of a ride since long.. My konkan trip had got cancelled because of some family reason. I was depressed as i was(and still) waiting for the P220 to stabilize so that i could buy it!! Suddenly Vasanth had this idea of going off on a ride to Himavad Gopal swamy betta and Bandipur. My non-riding friend Chalapathi was also interested in pillion riding so he also joined us.
As usual my non riding friend delayed us and we left from Rajarajeshwari Nagar arch at around 6:40 am. To make up for the time e kept a good pace then suddenly "Dhello" bhai as vasanth is called affectionately had stopped just a few metres ahead in ramanagaram. On further enquiry we learnt that one of his new double horns had fallen off some where. as it was quite early we tried searching for it but in vain. So thus disappointed we stopped at Maddur coffee day for breakfast.
After a hearty breakfast and rest we started again and the next stop was HP petrol pump just before Gundulpet.
Here we filled up our tanks and enquired about Himavad Gopal Swamy Betta and Bandipur at the fuel pump. Here is where the "Ooty ka keeda" bit Vaas as the attendant told him that the road to ooty was very good after Bandipur and that it was a mere 80-90 kms form Bandipur.
I was a bit confused and in a dillema because i had not planned for such a 2 day trip and also i was low on cash. Anyways we first thought we would visit Himavad Gopal Swamy Betta then decide the rest.
We reached Himavad Gopal Swamy Betta and found tight police security! They were letting the vehicles in a very controlled manner on the narrow uphill road to Himavad Gopal Swamy Betta temple. I was even asked for my license!! I was wondering wat was going on. Then we reached the top and it was one amazing climb as it was very n arrow and archiac KSRTC buses were in front of our convoy. But at the same time the view of the surrounding planes was amazing!!
when we reached the top we learnt why the tight security was in place. There was a film shooting going on in the picturesque top of the hill. There was a huge crowd so me and Vaas tried out our new caterpillar shoes at trekking ; came back very satisfied.
We trekked down the hill from one side which was
covered by steppes grass and I was amazed to find traces of
elephants on the slopes[in exac words:-foot marks and elephant poop] Me and Vaas
were both amazed at how an elephant could climb up such slopes. Then
a shocker Shocker #1! kids were shouting near the bottom of the hill
and there was a commotion. When the kids and other ppl finally came
up it was conveyed that there were elephants which were going
downhill! And the kids had pelted stones at them to chase them! I
wanted to trek down and see that for myself, but the riding jacket,
2kg boots, my tank bag[full with spares and other stuff], my
friend's bag[he had gone for darshan inside the temple], my half
dead lungs thanks to my legence to ITC and also the extra fat that i
always carry around[just in case! You never know when u need it]
just did not give me enough confidence to trek down.
anyways me and Vaas did some photography on the hill top with our
phone cameras and captured beautiful pics.
After that we headed for Bandipur. Somewhere earlier we had stopped
at a fuel pump and Vaas enquired about places nearby worth visiting
and had got info that Ooty was just 70kms from Gundulpet. So now he
wanted desperately to head to Ooty. But me and my friend had other
plans and I was in particuler not in a mindset to ride to Ooty. So
we had lunch at Bandipur Plaza and headed for the safari at Bandiput.
Shocker#2, there were some pigs rummaging around the Forest guard
quarters and some goat like creatures browsing the bushes nearby. On
closer inspection these turned out to be wild boars and deer!! right
in between the forest guard quarters, with people dwelling all
around!
Ok fine the animals were really wild [FYI my friend tried to take a
close shot of the boar and got a angry grunt when he was within 5
feet of the animal in question]. No messing around with those razor
sharp teeth and he backed out!
Then it was timne for the safari! There was a large group of Mallus'
in the bus making a lot of commotion all the while. There was this
aunty who used to point out little details about every animal we saw
to her 24 something years old daughter in a high pitch voice which
for sure scared most of the animals. Fine some ppl are not blessed
with the fruits of evolution and reasoning! The first half was
boring, we spotted only deer and peacocks[we learnt the words for
peacock and deer from the aunty who all the while kept shouting to
her daughter], then suddenly there was a huge elephant feeding near
some trees, aha atlast an elephant sighting! But alas there was this
particularly thin lungi clad chap aboard it who was minding the huge
tusker! So we moved on and then suddenly 15 minutes into the ride we
hit the state highway. I thought all the money was waste as we had
not sighted any big wild animal. Then the driver took us to another
part of the jungle where we were able to spot some elephants with
calves and what an initmidating glare they gave us with ears up and
trunk raised and sniffing the bus! When they reatreated quickly we
moved on and in another 600mts we were back in the forest guard
quarters! These animals were so near human habitation and yet were
so difficult to find!
It was almost 5:30 pm when we left form Bandipur sanctuary, we
traced our way back to Mysore with some night riding. And here is
where me and Vaas had a hard time with trucks coming in opposite
direction with highbeam on almost blinding us. The cramster jacket
was lit up form the back and front thanks to the 3m scotchlite
lining. One particular truck driver was so amazed with the
reflective lining that he kept on dipping and dimming his headlight
just to see my jacket!! Also there were chaps on cycles and on foot
all over the road and were hardly visible. Plus there were some
people whose brains as well as tail light bulbs had fused and were
riding without any sense.
Vaas not having slept in last 24hrs thanks to his night shift was
particularly finding it difficult. so we decided to halt in Mysore
for the night. Reached mysore at around 8:30pm, after a refreshing
bath and dinner we hit the sack and got up at around 7:00am on
sunday after having breakfast and bath left Mysore at around 9 and
reached Maddur coffee day for a break.
Shock #3 there was this line up of some very exquisite bikes at
maddur coffee day[Triumph Bonniville triple[750cc],Suzuki GSXR
1000cc, BMW GF1200 Adventure and a Kawasaki 1000[ never heard of
this model name]]. Then more awe as the riders of these bikes turned
out of CCD with full riding gear and all decked up! Was tremendously
jealous of them and was speculating where they were headed[for their
fun ride].
Shocker #4 those guys just had come to CCD maddur they took a U turn
and headed back to Bangalore. What the heck! when they have such
powerful bikes and especially a world conquering GS1200 Adventure
why were they heading back home??!! The apt answer was provided by
Vaas. What if something brokedown where will they get the spares and
the technician to repair it?? So it was completely valid point
against buying a litre bike or any imported bike unless the spares
are available. Or else its just cafe runs between bangalore and
mysore or some other well paved road within easy reach of Bangalore.
Then we returned uneventfully to Bangalore amidst some maniac
traffic.
End of the ride and a memorable weekend. Next time we are making it
all the way to Ooty!

Twisties tour

After returning from Coorg on Apr 8th, I was wondering where will my wonderlust take me next. I was longing for a ride already!! Enter Vasanth("Vaas2000"[BN] a.k.a DeadMan Inc[XBhp]). My good friend and fellow member in BN and XBhp. He started a thread[made up of mails to and fro between different people who might have been interested in making the trip].
Finally the dates we had proposed were agreed upon and the route was decided and everything was finalized within a few days.
Finally the day was about to dawn[Apr 28th 2007]. All excited i had packed my cramsters, frozen my all important supply of Gatorade, cleaned my riding gear the previous day. Everything ready i cleaned my bike fairing and applied the ceremonious vermilion and some flowers for good luck. Then when I took the bike off the center stand; lo and behold! I found God had decided some other fate for me that day. I'd got a flat rear tire which i found out when I was about to start at 5:00am !!!!! I was devastated; then when i got to grips I thouhgt everything bad that had happened to me had a good reason. Yeah! It was to avoid a bigger problem or just even to avoid some embarassment. So I thought of dropping out of the trip and called Vaas and told what had happened. Vaas being my good friend and fellow rider said he'd try and convince the others to wait somewhere on the way.
Ok one good thing I found is to what extent my fellow riders will support me!!Then came the task to get the bike into shape. Bangalore being a late waking city finding a puncture walla was a big task. I tried a lot of persons whom i thought could help[including the ever helping Mr Venkat from Autoservice our friendly neighbourhood service center owner.] But to no avail, I kept on trying and at 9:30 am was able to get everything in place and started for Hassan where the other people were to wait for me after visiting Shravanabelagola.
First day I proved my mettle and my bike's. Reached outskirts of Hassan by 12:50 which is around 180-200kms from Bangalore[This includes the horribly busy traffic ridden roads from my Home to the diversion to NH48 some 40kms].
The road being fairly good from the diversion I was able to maintain good speeds. But I must say had a very bad experience when a truck was about to plough me down at 80km/hour!! The ruthless fucker just barged into my lane from the opposite direction trying to overtake another slower moving truck. I had to brake hard and the bike skidded into the gravel on the sides of the road!! Narrow escape but just a small example what kind of lane discipline our transport vehicle drivers follow and what risk they create to the other vehicles. Finally rejoined my fellow riders and then on it was just fun. When alone you are to fend for yourself but in a group you have like minded people who will support you at any cost. Also on a highway when in a group you get noticed better than when riding solo.

Here on the fun part started! We stopped near a waterfall just after Sakleshpur which is just by the road so very accessible. The cool water was refreshing to wash your face with. Potable dont think so!

The ride through the ghats takes you into a different place altogether!! You are surrounded by thick vegetation and greenary envelopes you! After the hot plains where the air is hot and dry the cool breeze in the lush jungles is a welcome treat.
We stopped at various places to take pics and cherish the sights. All the while we were dreading the rains!! Had heard from people travelling in that direction that there were heavy rains in these regions. Fortunately all the while we were riding the roads were wet to a little extent indicating that we had missed the rains by a short time. Good for us! Finally reached Mangalore at around 6:30 pm.
Accomodation; such a simple thing! I had asked my colleagues for accomodation and accounting to my vulnerability; they had suggested some place deep in the heart of the city with small narrow winding roads and throughly mad I repeat MAD bus drivers zigzagging their passengers through these streets!!
To the rescue came fellow XBhpians "Zahin" and "Sujay"!! They tagged along and found some accomodation which even had decent parking space and clean toilets and hold your breath DAMN CHEAP!!! I mean what can you term this when the propreiter allows 3 people to stay in the same double room meant for 2 for just Rs350/-! Kudos to these guys!

Next morning was to the beach!! Thaneerbhavi to be exact: All of us had fun playing in the surf and also driving up and down the beach on our bikes!! The photo below will tell the whole story!


Funny how the beach and surf can turn hard core bikers into kids free to enjoy themselves void of all inhibitions! Next stop was "Bekal Fort"!. But before that we were treated to a hearty breakfast by Zahin and wash and cleaning at the hotel.
"Bekal Fort" is situated 14kms from Kasargod town just after crossing into Kerala. This fort does not have any descriptions on who built it or why the location and all. Kerala Torism please note.
Well its claim to fame is that the song "Tu hi re" of "Bombay" film was shot here in monsoon.
Here are some pics!

Next after some cool drinks we left for Calicut but it was already 5:00pm so we rode until just before dusk and stopped at Kannur for the night. Now this is strange: We could not find a decent hotel which served fish in Kannur which is right on the coast! Maybe as fish is Kannur's staple diet, they love to indulge in beef and chicken in hotels and restaurants which was a common menu at many places!!
Next day me and Vaas hyped everybody up by talking about the twisties that we would come across on the way to Kalpetta our next destination! Yes this is the title of the blog because this is the crust of our ride! This is the "creme la creme" of our ride!
Before we started we came to know about a beautiful beach called "Kappad" near Calicut. So that was our next stop for the day. Truly this is a wonderful beach!! Calm, serene, clean and unspoilt.

We had breakfast at Kappad beach resort which was really good! We then explored the beach. Just as we were doing it I remembered my co rider Kamlesh Sanwal's photo trick and this is the result!

Coool ain't it!? Its actually our reflections on the tinted visor of my helmet!
After monkeying around for a while we left for Kalpetta and man what roads just cream and butter smooth!
Finally at around 1:00pm we reached Adivaram village just before Lakkidi ghats! I was leading the pack so I stopped and announced that we were at the start of our beloved "Twisties"!! Hurray!!



One view from the top!

Here on the "Valentino" in every one of us started to wake up and riders tried to take sharp turns with maximum lean. I scraped my feeler bolts twice and am proud to brag about it! After that we reached Kalpetta and had a hearty lunch and rested. In the evening we set off for Kuruva island supposed to be just 40 kms from Kalpetta. Very misleading at the least coz it turned out to be somewhere nearly 70 kms with about the last 3kms of dirt track. And to add to that there was nothing much to see there.When we started off from there the rain gods thought of giving us a shower! So there we were riding in slush and dirt back from Kuruva. To add to our misery it was almost dusk. Unfortunalely one of our bike's battery went konk and the whole bike depended on battery to run.Somehow we managed to get the bike started. Then on it was pure disciplined riding in formation keeping the konked bike in the center and maintaining safe speeds,proper signalling and et all! Finally reached Hotel had booze and crashed for the night!
Next morning was the day when we would eat twisties for breakfast! We got up real early so that the Lakkidi ghat twisties would be deserted and we could pull some good foot-peg scraping turns and bends.
But before that some serenity and zen meditation and this is the place for that! The Lakkidi viewpoint. Calm..........

Here are the results!! Awesome ain't it!



Later we were off to Tushargiri falls and some water splashing and photography!!

After this it was time to return to the daily grind of office and boring weekends; but before that it was the blast on Mysore-Bangalore highway!! Attained a top speed of 115 km/hr almost on par with Bullets!! But the real winner was the ZMA; bloody thing just accelerates and leaves just dust behind! But wonly slight glitch, it got dark very soon, so back to the routine of formation ride and controlled speeds.
Reached Bangalore at 10:30pm regrouped at Bangalore University Gates; thanked each other for their excellent company and parted ways, just for the next time a ride comes our way!

Coorg Trip

Coorg!! The place full of sceneries and splendid twisty roads the dream of many a bikers! Had been to Coorg on the long weekend Apr 6, 7, 8. In the wrong season; people advised against it but had no other choice as an employee in a software company [:(].This was my first solo ride as the people in the car travelling along with me were far behind all the time [:)].
As expected the temp was high and the humidity was intolerable; but my enthusiasm for twisty roads got the better of it!
Started off real early 0530hrs to avoid the heat of midday. Reached Mysore by 0800hrs after a butt break at Mandya Coffee Day waiting for Car wallas. Mysore to Hunsur and then on to Bylakuppe. Bylakuppe is one amazing place; it is the settlement for displaced Tibetians and almost like a mini Tibet. Had breakfast here and continued to wait for the car wallas!. Got a nice pic of a Tibetian girl there standing near my bike. Had to bribe her with my Gatorade to get her out!

After that we headed to visit the monasteries or better known as "Gompas". Here we were amazed by the beauty of the paintings and sculptures and the Dragons.

After this we went ahead straight ahead to Madikeri and were welcomed by the statue of Major General Cariappa at the entrance of Madikeri. Straight away we were taken to our homestay which was set deep inside a coffee estate.
The guy who was the caretaker of the Coffee estate was a very friendly an helped us buy booze and snacks for the night. He was extremely friendly and even cooked lunch for us. And wat a spread it was: pondi curry(pork curry), chapathis, rice, daal, baingan curry for my veggie friends and payasam.
After a little nap we started the local sight seeing. I must say the place is carved out of heaven!! In the evening "Raja Seat" is the place to be: absolutely breathtaking view from here. Also if your guide is enterprising enough he'll take you to the top of the hill where BSNL tower is located and the view from here is again splendid. On the other side is the view from near the garbage dump!! Yeah i spelt it correct. The hillock near garbage dump also provides a very beautiful view if you can stand the stench. Why the hell does the Madikeri Municipality dumps the garbage in such a scenic place was a big wonder for us. After this we headed back to our homestay and the ride back into the estate literally freaks you out!! You have thick jungle on both sides and after dark the caretaker had advised us not to venture there as elephants and leopards come there to drink water as in the middle of the estate was a small perennial lake.
Next day early morning the caretaker guy:Sathish took us on a tour of the estate. Man the size of spread of the estate was like 15 football fields put together. Here he gave us the samples of the various produce of the estate like ginger, turmeric, coffee, cardamom and pepper. Early morning in the fog in the estate is an experience to cherish. The coolness of the slight breeze, the fragrance of numerous wild flowers hanging in the fog is so tantlizing! If heaven existed then it must be something like this!
Later after more sight seeing that is Bhagamandala and Talakaveri we returned to our coffee estate(atleast for 2 days I could call it mine!!). Talakaveri was under reconstruction so was not very enjoyable. Bhagamandala was also no fun. But the road from Bhagamandala to Talakaveri if laid with a fresh layer of tar would be so amazing!! After this went back to my estate and crashed for the day after a sumptuous meal cooked by our host Sathish.
Next day returned back to the hustle and bustle and innumerable traffic jams and pollution. Wish I could work from that coffee estate and never have to come to Bangalore again!! Huh!If wishes were horses??!!!
Ciao then Coorg, will come to savour your beauty again soon.

Biker Nirvana

The topic is very familiar to many who see biking as a way of enjoying freedom and an experience of adventure. But from the eyes of a true responsible biker it is more and its different.
It doesn't just mean riding fast and hard from point A to point B wearing a cow's worth of leather or meeting up at a local pub for a round of booze or just pull stunts on public roads with demonic sounding machines that puff out a lot of smoke.
Biking Nirvana to many in my biking group is a sense of comradery with fellow bikers and sometimes their families. For many in our group it means having a nice shining 'stock' and 'reliable' bike and going places far and wide and enjoying the whole time exploring along the way. It means precise planning and farsightedness and being prepared for the worst situation. And most importantly it does not always mean tearing along the road at breakneck speeds, many enjoy relaxed pace and take their own time travelling.
There is also a myth that bikers can only be young 20 something college guys or young professionals!!! I know 2 fellow bikers "56 years young" and one among them had done a trip in the Himalayas!! There you have it "Myth busted"!!!
So all in all Biking Nirvana explained!!!






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