Route:
- Point "A" (Start) - Hebbal Flyover
- Point "B" (Start) - Bharat Petrol Pump/Kamat Restaurant after Hunegal
- Point "C" (Start) - Hoskote
- Point "D" (Start) - Stones Pub, Indira Nagar
Bikes:
- Royal Enfield Machismo 500CC (Rider - Darren Pinto)
- Bajaj Pulsar 200CC (Rider - Smruti Swarup)
Distance Covered / Time: 171 Kms / 4 hours
Pit Stops:
- Avati - To Take Snaps
- Kamat Restaurant - Breakfast
- Hoskote - Sutta Break
- Stones Pub, Indira Nagar - Final Stop (Beer Stop)
Trip Narration:
Evening of 4th September 2010, I took down Darren's phone number from our Google Group. And started preparing for the Trip on 5th September 2010. First thing to do was to clean the bike properly, then it was followed by other basic activities - put some chain spray on the chain, check the brakes, check the engine oil, at the end take it to the Gas Station and gas the machine up and check the pressure in the tires.
Started from my place at Bannerghatta Road early and reached Hebbal Flyover at sharp 5:30 AM (I have a bad habit of reaching early ;)). Was a bit hungry, so had some chai and cake at a bakery. Called Darren at 5:45 AM to see if he had started. Darren had just started and said he will go to the church on the way and will be on the spot by 6:30 AM.
The 45 minutes wait was interesting. It was early in the morning and the small shops and the street vendors were just opening. There was a bakery where I was having chai, and just in front of it were some flower vendors, who had put small pieces of tarpaulin and had set-up their business of flowers on it. The early morning air was fresh and soothing with the fragrance of some flowers. I just thought - Man what an amazing day....
At one point I felt funny, and checked my face in the mirror to see if everything was okay. People passing by were staring at me as if I was an alien. Then I realized what was unusual -
I thought I should move to another spot and wait for Darren, but just then my cell phone rang. I was more than happy to see that it was Darren. He asked me if I was on the spot, and I said of course, to this Darren said he couldn't see me and asked me to come to a nearby temple. And I did go near the temple, but couldn't see him anywhere. He asked me if I there were any autos nearby, I replied yes there were, still no trace of Darren. I finally made Darren talk to an Auto wallah. The Auto guy told the same thing - I was under the Hebbal Flyover, in front of the Bus-stop and near the temple.
I then told Darren that I was standing before the Railway line, and Darren said he's on the other side. We both laughed over the phone and the next thing I did was, ride on the flyover take a left diversion towards Tumkur Road, then once on the Highway take a "U" turn and teach near the temple.
When we met, we had a hearty laugh at the confusion, and decided to have chat over a chai while waiting for Indi. We shared our memories about our previous trips, Darren described some of the trips that they had in the past. The way he narrated was beautiful, I felt as if I was just standing there, watching the group getting ready for the ride and go. He explained how sometimes they faced some technical difficulties with the bikes and how they together managed to fix the problem. I felt inspired, on hearing that every time the group had any problems on the trip, they worked together to fix it. And then just laughed it off, to take off the stress. I feel privileged to be part of an amazing club - FSR.
Coming back to the Trip. We decided that we will wait till 7 AM for others and then will start off. We were just about to start when we got a call from Indi. He had crossed Mekhri Circle and said that he would reach in 5 mins. We decided to meet at the culvert at the end of the bridge. We stopped right at the culvert and in a few minutes, we were joined by Indi. I kept looking at Indi's Bullet and thought the way people would have reacted had Indi been in my place waiting in front of the bakery. lol. His pump and other equipments looked like miniature bazookas attached to his bike. :)
Indi was not keeping well and was not at the peak of his fitness. He had not recovered completely from a previous accident at Goa where he had hurt his ligaments near the spine. I got a bit concerned as he was feeling dizzy. After traveling a few kilometers, he decided to head back. It was a good call, as I never recommend anyone in bad health to go for a ride.
So it was just Darren and me. We started at an average speed of about 75kmph and continued at the same pace till we crossed Bangalore International Airport. The moment we took the diversion after Airport we started to punish our bikes. And I am sure our machines would have enjoyed it as well. We felt as if the roads were just made for us, kilometers of long and empty stretch of wide roads, what more does a rider want?? It was fun, the thump of the Enfield and the Roar of the Pulsar were music for ears... but I we missed our friends from the club, man just imagine if 2 bikes could make music what would more bikes make, definitely an enchanting song that will leave its mark on our brains for years. And we would be so happy to tell the forth coming generation about the amazing trips our team had.
The road went on and on and so did thoughts in the mind. I was just enjoying the lovely scenery, hill tops covered by fog, green fields, fresh air. I was just hogging the picturesque scenery. Then suddenly I saw something yellow coming from the opposite direction. When it crossed me, it left my mouth open. It was a Lamborghini Gallardo. A few kilometers after that we stopped to take some pictures of the hill and of course us ;). On the way we also happened to cross some cyclists.
Moving ahead, we saw another amazing scene, the highway rose up to a bridge, and it just looked amazing because there was a hill across it and the road seemed to go into the hill which in turn was touching the sky, I requested Darren to stop, to which he humbly agreed. Took a snap and again headed straight. We finally decided to stop at Kamath for breakfast, where we had a sumptuous breakfast consisting of Masala Dosa, Wada and Coffee. After the breakfast we took a "U" turn and headed back. After some kilometers we took a left diversion on a under-construction bridge and headed for the village roads. I happen to ride carefully on village roads and ensure that I don't over-speed as there are 4 vulnerabilities - Dogs, Cattle, Kids and Old people. You never know when they would decide to cross the roads. Adding to that the motor cyclists on these roads do not care to wear a helmet.
I was fortunate to escape 2 accidents, both the times I confronted dogs trying to cross the road. Darren in turn being a more experienced rider than me would vanish. But he would wait for me at every turn to ensure that I don't take the wrong route. After crossing some villages and lots of twists and turns. I finally reached Hoskote Flyover but was unable to find Darren. I then took out my cell to call him, but vooop he was just behind me smiling. I didn't notice that he had stopped at a junction on the way, and had followed me through the last stretch of 10-15 kms.
We finally decided to end the trip at Stones Indira Nagar, and Darren called Indi to see if he could join us. We started off again to Indira Nagar, I got caught-up in traffic and was left behind. And on the way my bike started giving the famous jerk... yes the one that it gives when the tank goes empty. I was calculating the distance in my mind and was surprised as the gas was not supposed to run out. Anyways I turned the Fuel key to Reserve, but to my shock my bike won't start, I was trying to check if I had turned the key properly when I felt something wet and cold on my gloves. And the moment I looked down, I got the shock of my life. The fuel pipe had come of the Fuel regulator and Petrol was all over my engine. I turned the Regulator off and stopped the bike immediately, fixed the pipe back and waited for the Petrol to dry. Once the petrol was dry, I started off again towards Stones, where Darren was already waiting for me. I had some difficulty finding the road as I was not a regular on that route. Finally I managed to reach Indira Nagar, and was guided by Darren to Stones. At Stones we were later joined by Indi who was sweating a lot after a 4.2 Km walk from his place.
After spending some time together and some gossip we took off. Indi took a drive back home with his son and Bhabi. Darren on his Machismo 500 and me with my old pal Pulsar 200. :)
But we definitely missed everyone else. And I am looking forward to the October - 2010 ride and am hoping that more members from our team would participate. To make the trip more fun.
Cheers,
Smruti Swarup
Route Map:
Evening of 4th September 2010, I took down Darren's phone number from our Google Group. And started preparing for the Trip on 5th September 2010. First thing to do was to clean the bike properly, then it was followed by other basic activities - put some chain spray on the chain, check the brakes, check the engine oil, at the end take it to the Gas Station and gas the machine up and check the pressure in the tires.
Started from my place at Bannerghatta Road early and reached Hebbal Flyover at sharp 5:30 AM (I have a bad habit of reaching early ;)). Was a bit hungry, so had some chai and cake at a bakery. Called Darren at 5:45 AM to see if he had started. Darren had just started and said he will go to the church on the way and will be on the spot by 6:30 AM.
The 45 minutes wait was interesting. It was early in the morning and the small shops and the street vendors were just opening. There was a bakery where I was having chai, and just in front of it were some flower vendors, who had put small pieces of tarpaulin and had set-up their business of flowers on it. The early morning air was fresh and soothing with the fragrance of some flowers. I just thought - Man what an amazing day....
At one point I felt funny, and checked my face in the mirror to see if everything was okay. People passing by were staring at me as if I was an alien. Then I realized what was unusual -
- An olive green colored bike
- Fog lamps on the bike
- Shemagh around the neck
- Yamaha Riding Jacket(the safety padding made it look huge)
- And last but not least, the Pipe from my Camel Bak Hydration System which came all the way from the back-pack then over the shoulder finally reaching near my mouth.
I thought I should move to another spot and wait for Darren, but just then my cell phone rang. I was more than happy to see that it was Darren. He asked me if I was on the spot, and I said of course, to this Darren said he couldn't see me and asked me to come to a nearby temple. And I did go near the temple, but couldn't see him anywhere. He asked me if I there were any autos nearby, I replied yes there were, still no trace of Darren. I finally made Darren talk to an Auto wallah. The Auto guy told the same thing - I was under the Hebbal Flyover, in front of the Bus-stop and near the temple.
I then told Darren that I was standing before the Railway line, and Darren said he's on the other side. We both laughed over the phone and the next thing I did was, ride on the flyover take a left diversion towards Tumkur Road, then once on the Highway take a "U" turn and teach near the temple.
When we met, we had a hearty laugh at the confusion, and decided to have chat over a chai while waiting for Indi. We shared our memories about our previous trips, Darren described some of the trips that they had in the past. The way he narrated was beautiful, I felt as if I was just standing there, watching the group getting ready for the ride and go. He explained how sometimes they faced some technical difficulties with the bikes and how they together managed to fix the problem. I felt inspired, on hearing that every time the group had any problems on the trip, they worked together to fix it. And then just laughed it off, to take off the stress. I feel privileged to be part of an amazing club - FSR.
Coming back to the Trip. We decided that we will wait till 7 AM for others and then will start off. We were just about to start when we got a call from Indi. He had crossed Mekhri Circle and said that he would reach in 5 mins. We decided to meet at the culvert at the end of the bridge. We stopped right at the culvert and in a few minutes, we were joined by Indi. I kept looking at Indi's Bullet and thought the way people would have reacted had Indi been in my place waiting in front of the bakery. lol. His pump and other equipments looked like miniature bazookas attached to his bike. :)
Indi was not keeping well and was not at the peak of his fitness. He had not recovered completely from a previous accident at Goa where he had hurt his ligaments near the spine. I got a bit concerned as he was feeling dizzy. After traveling a few kilometers, he decided to head back. It was a good call, as I never recommend anyone in bad health to go for a ride.
So it was just Darren and me. We started at an average speed of about 75kmph and continued at the same pace till we crossed Bangalore International Airport. The moment we took the diversion after Airport we started to punish our bikes. And I am sure our machines would have enjoyed it as well. We felt as if the roads were just made for us, kilometers of long and empty stretch of wide roads, what more does a rider want?? It was fun, the thump of the Enfield and the Roar of the Pulsar were music for ears... but I we missed our friends from the club, man just imagine if 2 bikes could make music what would more bikes make, definitely an enchanting song that will leave its mark on our brains for years. And we would be so happy to tell the forth coming generation about the amazing trips our team had.
The road went on and on and so did thoughts in the mind. I was just enjoying the lovely scenery, hill tops covered by fog, green fields, fresh air. I was just hogging the picturesque scenery. Then suddenly I saw something yellow coming from the opposite direction. When it crossed me, it left my mouth open. It was a Lamborghini Gallardo. A few kilometers after that we stopped to take some pictures of the hill and of course us ;). On the way we also happened to cross some cyclists.
Moving ahead, we saw another amazing scene, the highway rose up to a bridge, and it just looked amazing because there was a hill across it and the road seemed to go into the hill which in turn was touching the sky, I requested Darren to stop, to which he humbly agreed. Took a snap and again headed straight. We finally decided to stop at Kamath for breakfast, where we had a sumptuous breakfast consisting of Masala Dosa, Wada and Coffee. After the breakfast we took a "U" turn and headed back. After some kilometers we took a left diversion on a under-construction bridge and headed for the village roads. I happen to ride carefully on village roads and ensure that I don't over-speed as there are 4 vulnerabilities - Dogs, Cattle, Kids and Old people. You never know when they would decide to cross the roads. Adding to that the motor cyclists on these roads do not care to wear a helmet.
I was fortunate to escape 2 accidents, both the times I confronted dogs trying to cross the road. Darren in turn being a more experienced rider than me would vanish. But he would wait for me at every turn to ensure that I don't take the wrong route. After crossing some villages and lots of twists and turns. I finally reached Hoskote Flyover but was unable to find Darren. I then took out my cell to call him, but vooop he was just behind me smiling. I didn't notice that he had stopped at a junction on the way, and had followed me through the last stretch of 10-15 kms.
We finally decided to end the trip at Stones Indira Nagar, and Darren called Indi to see if he could join us. We started off again to Indira Nagar, I got caught-up in traffic and was left behind. And on the way my bike started giving the famous jerk... yes the one that it gives when the tank goes empty. I was calculating the distance in my mind and was surprised as the gas was not supposed to run out. Anyways I turned the Fuel key to Reserve, but to my shock my bike won't start, I was trying to check if I had turned the key properly when I felt something wet and cold on my gloves. And the moment I looked down, I got the shock of my life. The fuel pipe had come of the Fuel regulator and Petrol was all over my engine. I turned the Regulator off and stopped the bike immediately, fixed the pipe back and waited for the Petrol to dry. Once the petrol was dry, I started off again towards Stones, where Darren was already waiting for me. I had some difficulty finding the road as I was not a regular on that route. Finally I managed to reach Indira Nagar, and was guided by Darren to Stones. At Stones we were later joined by Indi who was sweating a lot after a 4.2 Km walk from his place.
After spending some time together and some gossip we took off. Indi took a drive back home with his son and Bhabi. Darren on his Machismo 500 and me with my old pal Pulsar 200. :)
But we definitely missed everyone else. And I am looking forward to the October - 2010 ride and am hoping that more members from our team would participate. To make the trip more fun.
Cheers,
Smruti Swarup
Route Map:
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