....and the Eagle flew away

                                                          

It was one of the disappointing days in my whole like as this was the day when i was going to sell my Eagle. I bought it in sept 2007 and it has been a great companion. I still remember how excited I was the day i took the delivery of my stunning black karizma-R bike. Did my first ride to Harihareshwar even though it was still in the running in period. it was an amazing machine and does not tire the rider at all. that day it was raining like hell and still it was just munching the miles as any other normal day.

                                         from the first ride......

            any day..any time...just start the bike and go on, this was how i used to ride it and i dont remember even a single day when it has complained. But as i was moving out of pune and don't want to get into the issues of transferring the vehicle to another RTO i finally decided to sell it. Got hold of a person who is a city commuter and promised me to take good care of my very own Eagle. He was pretty impressed by the way it was maintained.
          

Rajahmundry-Pune

This was my last leg of the journey. I was really sad this 1 week spent at village was really good with no tension of work and good food through out the day. The ceremony went really well and my dad was free from the responsibility. Finally he went to temple after 1 year as it was the custom that he should not go to a temple in the first year after my grandma died. The D-day arrived and was shocked to see that the front fork was leaking oil. The oil seal got damaged and I didn’t saw that. There were tensions around Andhra because of the separate Telangana movement and I had to leave AP asap. So went to one of the hero Honda service stations and he said that I can drive the bike without issues for the next 2000 kms as the oil leak was took minimal. Go changed the engine oil and got the tank full as I might not get fuel because of the disturbance going around.


2:00 pm: After having lunch and some rest got back on the bike. Started back and the plan was to reach pune by 7 or 8 in the morning. Again as it was almost 1000 kms ride I took my first break after crossing Vijayawada at 4:15 pm and after 200 kms. I saw the amazingly big lord Hanuman idol and took some snaps.

6:45 pm: Reached Suryapet and it was time to have food as it’s known for tasty food. It was dark by the time I finished my so called dinner and as the entire section till Hyd was a single lane I knew that the journey will be a little tougher. By this time I covered exactly 300 kms and more 140 kms to go.

10:15 pm: Reached Hyd and then felt that I should take a break as my little sister called me and wanted me to spend the night at her place. So took rest at night as the next day was Sunday and I can afford that. So the plan was to leave early morning 4 am for pune and reach by 12 noon. but got up at 5:30.

6:15 am: started back, but the traffic has already started and I knew that I have to cover the first 300 kms in the least possible time as the road from Sholapur was not in a really good shape. So covered the first first 100 kms in 2 hours and had breakfast in Zaheerabad.

Some where after zaheerabad

11:00 am: Reached Sholapur after covering 293 kms with the bike ripping between 100-120 kms/hr. But because of the traffic it was really tough to maintain a constant speed. But still I did well and took a tea break there. After covering another 130 kms saw an accident which got the shivers run down my spine. 2 guys were on the bike and it slipped, one of them died on the spot and the other was serious. After this my speed reduced and the was driving more cautiously. Also the road conditions helped me as the last 150 kms before pune was in a really really bad shape with lot of bigggggg pot holes. Finally saw that the govt has waken up and the 4 laning of the road has started because of lot of accidents happening.

3:15 pm: Finally reached Pune (hadapsar) and met Chaitanya whom I had to return the tank bag which was really helpful during the journey and reached home at 3:45.

Covered a total of 998 kms in this final leg of the journey covering a total to 2698 kms on the entire journey.

Route taken
=========
Rajahmundry—Vijayawada—Hyderabad: 445 kms
Hyderabad—Sholapur—Pune: 575 kms

Time taken: 17 hours and 45 mins (night halt in Hyd)
Avg speed: 58 km/hr
Total: 998 kms

Tirupati-Rajahmundry

As I came back from Tirumala my aunt had already prepared the lunch by then. Had lunch and it was time to take rest as I had to start for Rajahmundry. Slept for around 3 hours and I was all charged up to start the journey again. Got the things packed up and loaded them on the bike again. I was to ride slow as I had entire 12 hours to cover these 605 kms. I decided to make sure that my avg speed should somewhere between 80-85 kms/hr.

6:30 pm: Started from my aunt’s place and I was pretty happy as this route was pretty good as most of it consisted of 4 lane (500 kms). So got my tanked filled up after I left the city outskirts and started towards Srikalahasti. This part of the journey was not too good as the 4 lane’s will start somewhere near Nellore.

8:00 pm: Reached Naidupet where I had tea, this was pretty busy junction which also showed me Nellore towards left. But just to be sure I confirmed with the person at the tea stall and he asked me to take right which joins the 4 lane by pass (GQ section between Chennai and Vizag). By this time I almost covered 70 kms in 1.5 hours including the break.

11:30 pm: After riding for around 200 kms I was feeling hungry and had to stop by at one of the dhabas. It was ok types by the paratha’s he made were really good. Took almost 45 minutes of break and it was time to start again.

2:40 am: Reached Vijayawada and the odo showed 413 kms. All the shops were closed and not even a single tapri was open. It was really cold and there was fog all around making it tougher to see after a certain distance on the road.

4:30 am: Finally found a tea stall and immediately stopped with a smile on my face. The guy was amazed to see me and started enquiring, where I am coming from and going to etc etc. I was really feeling sleepy, so had a nice nap of 20 mins after having 2 cups of tea and got up at 5:15. I was still to cover 115 kms to reach my village.

6:15 am: Covered the last 115 kms in less than an hour as my constant speed was at 120 km/hr. Reached Podagatlapalli and was really happy to see my parents and all my aunts who came there for my grandma’s ceremony. The entire village and I can see people going to begin their daily routine. Covered 593 kms in just around 12 hours which and I was happy as it went according to the plan.

Route Taken
==========
Tirupati—Srikalahasti—Gudur: 95 kms
Gudur—Nellore—Prakasam—Guntur: 285 kms
Guntur—Vijayawada—Rajahmundry: 230 kms

Time taken: 12 hrs
Avg speed: 50 km/hr
Total: 593 kms

Balaji Darshan (Pune-Tirupati)

It was time for the long planned leave and the longest journey I have done till now. Got all my stuff on the bike (tank bag, saddle bags etc) and it was almost time to leave to seek god’s blessings followed by grandma’s ceremony. As the journey was long and I had to cover almost 1100 kms my plan was to cover as much as possible without taking my first break.


11:11 pm: Got the bike serviced during the day and the tank was filled to the brim so that I don’t waste time at night. Started from Pune after Ramya (my sister) took some pics and waved me off. According to the plan started almost at 11 pm (11 min’s late :P).

2:20 am: Crossed Kolhapur (235 kms) without taking a break and that too in just 3 hours and 9 mins. It was cold night and I can really feel the coldness in the air even from within my leather jacket, becoz of this I decided to maintain my avg speed at 90 kms/hr. Drove for almost 269 kms when I really felt that I should take a break at around 2:45 am. Filled up the tank after riding for 318 kms in Hattarki just to be sure that I have enough petrol to ride until all the pumps are back up and running.

5:00 am: Reached Dharwad after riding for almost 400 kms and was really feeling hungry as I didn’t had dinner because I had to ride. Stopped at one of the road side restaurants near Tegur and had surprisingly amazing hot wada sambar. The wada was so crispy from outside and soft in the inside that it just melts in the mouth. Started from there and then the roads played the spoil sport. Single road started after the odo showed 425 kms and then there was missing roads which continued till the odo showed 523 kms.

10:10 am: Reached Sira, took me more than 5 hours to cover the last 330 kms. The roads are being constructed and it’s a hell to ride that section. But it was not over, the worse was about to come. After I crossed Sira, the roads till Chik ballapur were all covered with speed breakers and pot holes. Because of the increasing heat and bad roads I lost my cool. Just wanted to ride the good roads again and god heard me. The roads after chintamani till madanapalle was amazing and I also entered into Andhra Pradesh in this section.

4:25 pm: Finally reached Tirupati after covering a lot of bad roads and some ghat’s with the odo showing 1047 kms. My Aunt (Sesha atta) was there to receive me when I reached home. Took bath and was dead tired because of the bad roads.

Just wanted to sleep but as I had to go to Tirumala, I boarded the bus at around 7:30. Reached to the top of the hills and took my room in the Sudarshan guest house which I booked 3 months in advance. Got my head shaved off the next morning 6:00 am after having a very good sleep and then met my elder sister (Aparna) who also visited from Banglore on the same dates.

Before:

After:

The rooms up there were pretty decent as they consist of a double bed with attached toilet and bath. Hot water is available and might be the best service available for Rs.100. 4-5 people can share the room easily.

On the way back down after the darshan which took me around 2 hours saw the amazing ghat roads. That was the time I started regretting that I should have bought my bike along. But its fine as darshan was the main think and it was pretty good.

Route taken:
=========
Pune-Belgaum-Chitradurg-Sira: 730 kms

Sira-Madhugiri-Gauribidanur-Chik ballapur-Sidlaghatta-Chintamani-Madanapalle-Tirupati: 315 kms

Time taken: 17 hrs and 20 mins.

Avg speed: 61 km/hr

Total: 1047 kms

Saoner-Nagpur-Pune

Route
=========================================

Saoner(0 kms)—Kalmeshwar(18 kms)—Kondhali village(54 kms)—Amravati(164 kms)—Akola(257 kms)--Chikli(374 kms)—Deoalgaon Raja(410 kms)—Jalna(446 kms)—Aurangabad(513 kms)—Ahmednagar(623 kms)—Pune(743 kms)

1:00 pm: The leaves were over and it was time to leave back for the boring life back in Pune. The weather was real bad, it was a scorching heat outside and was really afraid to step out. Started the journey with mom and dad waving off at the gates, this time it was a new route to take on. Took the kalmeshwar road from Saoner and then from there followed the katol road. A left turn 3 kms before katol lead me to bazargaon which is on the Amravati highway. It was a beautiful 4 lane for the next 60 kms which I covered in exactly 26 kms with the bike ripping at 120-130 kms. The road then turned into a single lane but still butter smooth till Akola.

4:00 pm: Reached Akola and took a small drinks break, had a couple of glasses of nimbu paani. Covered 257 kms in 3 hours, it was an amazing run with hot air gushing in from below the helmet and fighting the likes of the whether.

7:55 pm: Reached Aurangabad after covering 256 kms from Akola with no breaks at all. As soon as I crossed the Aurangabad traffic it was time to take a much needed break. Had 3 packs of LMN (Parle product) and a litre of water and started on. It was a 230 kms run and need to make it in as much less time as possible.

10:35 pm: At last I was able to finish the 230 kms in 2:40 hours. The bike was roaring at 120 kms constant with almost the Pune-Aurangabad stretch being a 4 lane. By the time I parked the bike in the parking the engine was emitting smokes and was the same behavior shown by the silencer. Looks like the bike has taken a lot of beating on this day and needs a much needed rest itself. But it was one hell of a trip, enjoyed the most out of it.

Total time needed: 9 hours and 35 mins
Total petrol needed: 23 ltrs
Total distance: 743 kms
Avg speed: 79.9kms/hr
Gear used: Leather jacket, gloves (DSG), Knee guards (alpinestars), helmet (AVG), balaclava, Saddlebags (Cramster)

Pune-Nagpur-Saoner

Route
========================================

Pune(0 km)--Ahmednagar(120 km)--Aurangabad(240 km)--Jalna(330 km)--sindkhed raja(360 km)--Sultanpur--Mekhar(buldana) (411.9)----Malegaon--Shelu Bajar--Karanja(525 km)--Yavatmal(605 km)--Wardha(682.5 km)--Nagpur(762 km)--Saoner(797)

8:30 pm: Bags were all packed, tank was full of petrol and all the riding gears were on. This was a much awaited ride as I was finally going to home (Nagpur) after more than a year. Left Pune after struggling with the traffic and was on the 4 lane highway ripping at 120 kms/hr. After crossing the first 60 kms finally felt like there is no road ahead, due to the 4 laning of the highway. Crossed ahmednagar at 10:30 after taking a drinks break.

11:00 pm: The Ahmednagar-Aurangabad patch is an awesome stretch with very few vehicles at this time. I was ripping at 110-120 kms when suddenly a Honda city was trying to cross the road. Tried hitting the breaks and finally hit the vehicle at 20 kms/hr speed. No bruises, thanks to the complete gear. But the right side front cowl and the foot rest were broken. Had a small argument with the driver who thinks that it was my fault travelling on a straight road when he is crossing the highway.

1:00 am: Finally crossed Aurangabad as that accident wasted 30-45 mins of the time. The bike was still good except for a broken foot rest which was hanging by a metal wire. Took the Jalna by pass at 1:30, to my bad luck there was not even a single petrol pump and the bike was having just enough fuel to travel another 60 odd kms.

2:20 am: Reached sindkhet raja at 2:20 when I saw a police chowkey, the team was amazed when I asked the directions for Nagpur. They felt like there is an alien sitting on the bike when they saw me with the gloves and knee guards. Also told me that there is a petrol pump which is just 2-3 kms ahead, it was a sight of relief for me. By the time I reached the petrol pump felt like its closed and there were some workers who were sleeping there. When I woke up one of them he turned out to the petrol pump attendant.
Filled up the tank and I was again on the road. Even after riding at above 100 the bike managed to cover 340 kms/11 ltrs of petrol.

5:00 am: Crossed karanja and travelled for around 30 odd kms when I felt like a much needed break. Stopped for a tea break as at this time I was in need of some sleep. Was in office the whole day and riding the whole night. Till now covered almost 590 kms. The road was real bad when I started from sindkhet raja, but then came the dream stretch which was a single road but butter smooth.

7:00 am: Crossed Nagpur and travelled around 35 kms to reach home sweet home. When I rang the door bell saw my dad opening the door. He was really happy to see me and called mom as well. It was a total of 797 kms in 10:30 hrs from Pune to Nagpur followed by Saoner.
Went to the Hero Honda service station and got the bike repaired which costed me a dear Rs. 3850. Spent the next 4 days just eating and sleeping, I just have to name the dish and mom used to prepare that for me.

Road conditions (Pune-Nagpur-Saoner): Pune to Jalna almost 4 lane with few bad patches of 1-2 kms here and there. Jalna to karanja, amazing road with 10 kms of bad patch after Sindkhet raja. It’s a no mans land and won’t see much of a traffic. Might find few tea stalls and puncture shops. Overall the roads a much better than the old times.

1. Total time needed: 10 hours and 30 mins
2. Total petrol needed: 23 ltrs
3. Total distance: 797 kms
4. Avg speed: 75.9kms/hr
5. Gear used: Leather jacket, gloves (DSG), Knee guards (alpinestars), helmet (AVG), balaclava, Saddlebags (Cramster)

Hedvi Ride

Hedvi
5am. Got up and was all excited to ride. Shake myself off the lethargy of the warm cosy comforts of the bed, and get up feeling a tinge of excitement about the upcoming ride.

6am. Down in the parking. Got all fixed up with helmets and gloves. The ipod started playing my best songs. Started off for the meeting point-Chandni Chowk in Pune.

There is something exhilirating about an early morning. Some promise of something grand. A whiff of enthusiasm about a new day. I am amazed to see so many people already on the road - the sky is completely dark at this time. Kids in school uniforms waiting for busses at 6:30am near the Pashan circle as I head up towards Chandni Chowk. As I pass the army area, the chill hits the hands. Wow! The drop in temperature was quite sudden!

6:40am and I am at Chandni Chowk. Jay was there. Vibhu, Rishi and Narendra, were about to reach. Tried to call them up, no response - they are probably on the way. The dawn is just breaking ... and everyone was there to get on the road.

7:00am [ 0 kms ] Finally everyone is here, and we start off. I was to lead the way and decided to stick to 80kmph speed limits as there were new riders. The next stop was for the breakfast. The rookies have been let in on the big plan - we ride without many stops! That’s it, No over speeding, no racing, just very few stops. The traffic on the highway is quite sparse, and we make good time.

8:30am [ 52kms] Stop at Ram Vade Waala for breakfast. This place is crawling with people ! I am stumped - why so much of traffic. Thats when Naren says - probably all going to Mahabaleshwar ... aah ! We quickly assess the route again - do we go through mahabaleshwar and head over to Nh17 or go via Umraj and make a turn to chiplun? We decide on the later. The pleasures of riding with a group - new plans made constantly!

The ride after that was pretty simple. Nice straight highways with the run rising over the small hills on the left side. A few breaks for water and we reached Umbraj at 11:30. Hmm, we should reach chiplun by 1, so we decided to ditch having lunch there and directly go to Hedvi . Called up the fellow in Hedvi and asked him to get lunch ready for us.

Umbraj to Chiplun is ghat roads. Till halfway, the roads are bad, but around 30-40 kms before chiplun they become smooth and are fun to ride on! On the left side is a river ( i dont know the name , and google maps does not show the river) .

Chiplun took us some time to get through. The helpful people there pointed us right at the center of the busy weekend market, where progress was at snails pace. Finally out of it and we chugged along ahead towards Hedvi. Rishi was keeping up with me far ahead in the distance, while the others were bit behind. After asking directions again and again, a few turns later, we were at Hedvi.

13:30 [288] reached the resort in Hedvi. The less I write about it, the better - it’s not something I would recommend to people. Just a room to stay in, with common toilets, sigh.

We wasted no time and called for lunch, South Indian style. Finished that off and decided to take a small nap. Vibhu and Jay decided to take a breather and sleep the afternoon off. Rishi and Naren decided to chill out under the trees near the beach.

Finally around 4:30pm we moved onto the beach. It was still quite hot, but Jay and I were hoping for some good sunset shots - the only damper - the clouds on the horizon. However, it was the same clouds which turned the sky into a riot of colors! Check out the pics because I can't describe it in words.

Evening went in gupshup and another round of dinner which was same as lunch. We also settled our bills there to take care of the early start, and also as we could not bear another round of the food there !

Next Day

Jay was to leave really early, and in the process all of us got up :) .. though we finally started off quite late around 8:30am. I took that opportunity to use the public loo before others ( ;-) ), and also to take a few shots of the dawn. Man, it feels so fresh up at that time. Pity, I don't do it more often.



Breakfast stop was at Chiplun. The ghats from hedvi to chiplun are quite good, but this time, for the first time, Vibhu got a backache, gave him a couple of disprins to eat - which lasted quite a bit almost all the way back home.

After that we followed the same route back. At the top of the ghats, we stopped for a photo shoot. At that place is a police check post - where the guy after seeing us stop called us over to the hut and started asking for our identities etc. Then started filling in info in their book. Luckily for us the first person he asked was Narendra...
Officer : Whats your name ?
Naren : Narendra K
Officer : Na... ?
N : Narendra
O : Fullname ?
N : Write Narendra K
O : give full name.
N : Narendra Katlamudi
O Writes down "Narendra K" ;-)
That was quite funny! Then I asked the cops why they are harassing us when we have stopped and they are not stopping the other people who just zoom past. Officer said that tomorrow is Republic Day so he has to do these things, but I guess by this time he got tired of writing down a single name, so he said ok.


The journey after that did not have much to write about. It was a very hot day though, and we had lots of water breaks. The good thing was that all 4 of us kept together almost thorughout the journey, with a couple of dashes to break up the monotony.

4:30pm [588kms] and we are back at my house. I had to depart as had a prior appointment, parted way just before Pune, while the remaining 3 continued together.

Felt good to have a trip after a long time:D

And then in the evening I went out for a short drive ;)