Friday, September 21, 2007
Kamshet - Pune – Sinhagad - 28/29072007
The Inddiethumpers were to ride to Panshet, and meet the Roadshakers in Sinhagad, on the 28th and 29th of July, however due to torrential rainfall on Friday the 27th, the ride had to be called off.
Due to professional commitments, I don’t get much leave, so i decided to make the most of it, and ride anyway. In my case, an opportunity missed, is an opportunity lost. Fortunately the day before the ride, Siddhart and i had decided to ride no matter what, and ride we did.
Route: Goregaon – Bandra – BKC – Sion – Chembur – Vashi – Panvel – Lonavala – Khandala – Kamshet – Pune - Sinhagad
Armed with a map prepared for me by Prasad “Doc the LeadFoot” Bhangle, from the Roadshakers, I set off for Pune at 11:30am from Goregaon, to meet Siddhart at Panvel Naka, however due to the heavy rains the previous night, the trucks and trailers had not left the city, and were waiting to do so the next day. This led to a traffic jam of biblical proportions, and I reached Panvel only by 3pm.
Met up with Siddhart, hogged on some bhuta (roasted corn) and kicked off. We reached Lonavala in no time, continued doing good speed until Kamshet, where we took a small halt, and proceeded.
Reached Pune, met up with Baljeet Singh, from the Roadshakers (who made a roaring entry on his 500). Baljeet helped us find accommodation; we dumped our heavy bags, and went off to feed our demanding stomachs. Now as a matter of amazing co-incidence Baljeet owns “Mai Dhaba”, the house of the best Tandoori Chicken and Rogan Josh I have ever eaten. The dhaba itself is an amazing setup, my favorite, a close second after the food, was the lovely seating arrangement, very comfortable, especially after a long ride.
Our stomachs full, and our soul’s content we went off to catch some shut eye.
Woke up late the next morn, met up with Baljeet, who drew out the most amazing map I have ever had, his map detailed the Pune - Sinhagad route, and the way back to Kamshet directly, without getting into Pune city. Enroute we stoped at Burger King, and enjoyed the biggest burger I have EVER seen!!
The ride to sinhagad was nice, nice steep slopes. However the road needs some overdue repair work. The end route was shut off for some reason, and there was a massive traffic jam up on the slope, seing which we headed back down.
The ride home was pretty uneventful, rode from the Sinhagad exit, on the Bombay Bangalore Highway at a continuous 110, right up to Lonavala, where we got a little bit of traffic, and then some real heavy rain. Whilst passing outside the Kohinoor catering college in Khandala, all we could see was fog, fog, and more fog, That was the icing on the cake. Reached Panvel, took the oh-so-important halt at Dutta snacks, parted ways, and headed home.
On the way home, right from Kalamboli to Goregaon, I had the thundershowers as a constant companion.
The ride was an amazing experience, A special thanks to Prasad bhai for the map, and Baljeet Singh, who was an amazing help, the creator of the most detailed maps, and also another set of thanks to him, for leading me on the path to the best Tandoori Chicken I have ever set my taste buds upon!!
Pix of the ride.. http://s95.photobucket.com/albums/l134/christopherkeve/Rides%20n%20Trips/Pune%2028-29072007/?start=all
Due to professional commitments, I don’t get much leave, so i decided to make the most of it, and ride anyway. In my case, an opportunity missed, is an opportunity lost. Fortunately the day before the ride, Siddhart and i had decided to ride no matter what, and ride we did.
Route: Goregaon – Bandra – BKC – Sion – Chembur – Vashi – Panvel – Lonavala – Khandala – Kamshet – Pune - Sinhagad
Armed with a map prepared for me by Prasad “Doc the LeadFoot” Bhangle, from the Roadshakers, I set off for Pune at 11:30am from Goregaon, to meet Siddhart at Panvel Naka, however due to the heavy rains the previous night, the trucks and trailers had not left the city, and were waiting to do so the next day. This led to a traffic jam of biblical proportions, and I reached Panvel only by 3pm.
Met up with Siddhart, hogged on some bhuta (roasted corn) and kicked off. We reached Lonavala in no time, continued doing good speed until Kamshet, where we took a small halt, and proceeded.
Reached Pune, met up with Baljeet Singh, from the Roadshakers (who made a roaring entry on his 500). Baljeet helped us find accommodation; we dumped our heavy bags, and went off to feed our demanding stomachs. Now as a matter of amazing co-incidence Baljeet owns “Mai Dhaba”, the house of the best Tandoori Chicken and Rogan Josh I have ever eaten. The dhaba itself is an amazing setup, my favorite, a close second after the food, was the lovely seating arrangement, very comfortable, especially after a long ride.
Our stomachs full, and our soul’s content we went off to catch some shut eye.
Woke up late the next morn, met up with Baljeet, who drew out the most amazing map I have ever had, his map detailed the Pune - Sinhagad route, and the way back to Kamshet directly, without getting into Pune city. Enroute we stoped at Burger King, and enjoyed the biggest burger I have EVER seen!!
The ride to sinhagad was nice, nice steep slopes. However the road needs some overdue repair work. The end route was shut off for some reason, and there was a massive traffic jam up on the slope, seing which we headed back down.
The ride home was pretty uneventful, rode from the Sinhagad exit, on the Bombay Bangalore Highway at a continuous 110, right up to Lonavala, where we got a little bit of traffic, and then some real heavy rain. Whilst passing outside the Kohinoor catering college in Khandala, all we could see was fog, fog, and more fog, That was the icing on the cake. Reached Panvel, took the oh-so-important halt at Dutta snacks, parted ways, and headed home.
On the way home, right from Kalamboli to Goregaon, I had the thundershowers as a constant companion.
The ride was an amazing experience, A special thanks to Prasad bhai for the map, and Baljeet Singh, who was an amazing help, the creator of the most detailed maps, and also another set of thanks to him, for leading me on the path to the best Tandoori Chicken I have ever set my taste buds upon!!
Pix of the ride.. http://s95.photobucket.com/albums/l134/christopherkeve/Rides%20n%20Trips/Pune%2028-29072007/?start=all
Malsej – Inddiethumpers – Roadshakers – 07/08-07-2007
| A couple of days before the ride, I recollect trying different antics, struggling to meet deadlines, pleading to get my off’s swapped. And voila, everything slipped into place, and I got my projects completed, my leave worked out, and my bike ready (somewhat). The plan was top follow the In-orbit – JVLR – Thane – NH3 – NH222 - Kalyan – Murbad – Malsej. At Malsej, we were to meet up with the legendary foot peg scrapin’, ghat riding, Roadshakers. The ride kicked off with a Royal assembly line of 55+ Inddiethumpers. This time, we created history, everyone reached before time, giving birth to a corollary to the IST (Inddiethumpers Standard Time). At Thane:   The sound of 55 bullets riding in a snake like formation was mind-blowing.  A pit stop at Murbad, and of course a little wait for our dear Puncture King, Monish “The Dark Knight” Bhansal, who struck a flat rear tire. Finally we set off, the ride was awe inspiring to say the least, until we came up to a large squarish milestone shaped structure, which read Nani Ghat, after which, the ride was simply orgasmic. On the way to Malsej, Enroute, we passed a couple of small towns, and a couple of villages, the expression on the country folks’ faces were that of bedazzlement, and awe. We had some nice showers from the cliffs above. Enroute I saw a notice that read “Do not stop, falling rocks”. The winding ghats continued, fog infested, waterfall abundant, and of course the fresh air, was like a hallucinogen. A little later I understood the hidden meaning of that sign-post. A small rock (too big to be called a stone) came tumbling down from one of the cliffs, and decided to plunk itself on my helmet . Such is the riding experience of NH222.  In a little while we were at Sushant resort, a tiny little resort, who had no idea what they had gotten themselves into when they promised Manish (RS) the place the previous weekend. 55 thumping machines rolled in, with headlights flashing, and the Inddiethumpers horn sync blaring. Here I saw a decent patch of sludge like muck, and couldn’t resist getting into it, a couple of fish tails, and I silenced the beast within, for now at least. We all parked, and settled in. The parking lot of Sushant resort, was looking like someone was hosting a mini-RM (rider mania). 64 bullets.. Need I say more?   The meeting/intro sessions were entertaining, to say the least! Got a chance to get acquainted with a couple of Roadshakers, and of course meet up with a longtime online friend, Prasad “Doc The lead foot” Bhangale. The alcohol, food, smokes, coupled with the jokes, the introductions, the conversations kept us all awake well into the night. After which all you could see was enfielders fallin, here, there, and everywhere, deep in an undisturbed slumber. Surprisingly the nap was pretty comfortable, given the fact that 5 to 7 of us were sharing a single bed. The morning kicked in, with sleepy enfielders ambling about the place, washing up, grabbin a bite to eat, many bites in some cases , and of course the oh, so important chai and suttas. After a hearty breakfast, a couple of us headed out to Shivneri fort, the birth place of Shivaji. The road was disappointing, fortunately our noble steed did what they have been doing since the 1800’s, road taming, they were seemingly gliding over the rough so called roads. Now our puncture champ, felt a little bored, so he decided to pop another flat tire, which was fortunately fixed at a nearby fuel bunker, even more fortunate was the fact that we had to tow the bike downhill. Back to Sushant, we met up with the entire sleepy gang. The Roadshakers accompanied us back down the ghats (remember the footscrapin ghat ridin part??) We stopped at a nice little cozy place, with a fog filled valley to one side, and a steep rocky cliff on the other, where we had a crazy photo session, filled with fog, bullets, bulleteers, and of course, waterfalls.   A stop at the waterfalls, before we headed back to our corporate lives, and civilization.   One crazy experience, one hell of a ride, which I hope to replicate over and over and over again. Pictures from the ride: http://s95.photobucket.com/albums/l134/christopherkeve/Rides%20n%20Trips/Malsej%20-%20IT%20-%20RS%20-%2007-08072007/?start=all |  | |
Solo Ride to Udvada for lunch on Sunday, the 29042007
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Ride to Udvada
Solo Ride to Udvada for lunch on Sunday, the 29th April 2007.
Followed by an inddiethumpers meeting at Arey milk colony
I am on the whole a leave starved biker.
One principle which stand very true in my case is the number of plans/rides, is inversely proportional to the number of constraints faced.
Since I had an off on Sunday the 29th of April, I decided to ride somewhere.. The search for the ideal place began, this concluded when my moms reminded me of a place we had visited once.
So the location was decided as Udvada. Udvada is a Zorastrian town in Gujarat.
The route was: Bandra, Dahisar, Manor, Charoti, Talasri, Vaapi, Pardi, Udvada.
Set off from Bandra at 5am, (on time, hehe) reached Dahisar Check naaka by 540. Had an amazing cruise in Bombay, the morning time makes for an idea time to ride in the Bombay suburbs, not too much traffic and also the fact that the private pick-and-drop indica's are a little scarce at this time of the morning.
Stopped at manor for a chai and a smoke, gobbled up some amazing bhurji at Hotel Mastaan, followed by the traditional Ice Cream.
Continued along what might be my favorite road in Maharashtra, the road from Manor to past Charoti continuing right up to Talasri and the turn of for Daman and Silvasa. This road is my favorite for a couple of simple reasons, it’s an incredible semi-twisting road, with rough tarmac, (amazing grip for your tires, tried scraping my foot pegs, was quite successful!!), and this is the road on which I had once done a mile a minute with the Iron Horsemen MC.
The road to Talasri was pretty much abandoned, which made for an amazing ride! Vaapi junction was quite a nightmare, fortunately it was short lived.
Reached Udvada by 10am (made pretty lousy time). Headed for the rickshaw stand for directions, was led to the Globe hotel. A hearty meal of some amazing malvani food, followed by patra ni machi, dhansak, and a rice prep; the name of which I am unable to recall, and I was all set to take on the beaches. Headed to the beach, had a nice time basing in the sun, got my clothes full of sand though ;) Was quite hot, good thing there was a naaryal waala there; he was amazed to see this guy pull up with the helmet, ray bans and a bandana (my terrorist biker look). The poor fella was even more surprised to see me gulp down two naryal paanis. Headed back to the Globe hotel, has a slight wash up, managed to get most of the sand out of me clothes...
Then headed back, reached home at 330, just in time to have a bath and get going for the Inddiethumpers meet. Gave my baby some time to cool her self down too.
Reached Arey Milk colony at sharp 430, forgot to take into account IST (Inddiethumpers Standard Time), by 530 we were all there, had some discussions about a ride to Daman on the 19-20th of May, and also a lot of discussions and tips for the Leh ride.
We then headed off to Powai - Pop tates, where we let ourselves act like thorough-bred bikers, eating, drinking, smoking, making merry!
Reached home at 9:30pm.
Covered approx 500kms, had some amazing food, a nice visit to the beach, met up with some kickass bikers. What an amazing way to spend a Sunday!!
Ride to Udvada
Solo Ride to Udvada for lunch on Sunday, the 29th April 2007.
Followed by an inddiethumpers meeting at Arey milk colony
I am on the whole a leave starved biker.
One principle which stand very true in my case is the number of plans/rides, is inversely proportional to the number of constraints faced.
Since I had an off on Sunday the 29th of April, I decided to ride somewhere.. The search for the ideal place began, this concluded when my moms reminded me of a place we had visited once.
So the location was decided as Udvada. Udvada is a Zorastrian town in Gujarat.
The route was: Bandra, Dahisar, Manor, Charoti, Talasri, Vaapi, Pardi, Udvada.
Set off from Bandra at 5am, (on time, hehe) reached Dahisar Check naaka by 540. Had an amazing cruise in Bombay, the morning time makes for an idea time to ride in the Bombay suburbs, not too much traffic and also the fact that the private pick-and-drop indica's are a little scarce at this time of the morning.
Stopped at manor for a chai and a smoke, gobbled up some amazing bhurji at Hotel Mastaan, followed by the traditional Ice Cream.
Continued along what might be my favorite road in Maharashtra, the road from Manor to past Charoti continuing right up to Talasri and the turn of for Daman and Silvasa. This road is my favorite for a couple of simple reasons, it’s an incredible semi-twisting road, with rough tarmac, (amazing grip for your tires, tried scraping my foot pegs, was quite successful!!), and this is the road on which I had once done a mile a minute with the Iron Horsemen MC.
The road to Talasri was pretty much abandoned, which made for an amazing ride! Vaapi junction was quite a nightmare, fortunately it was short lived.
Reached Udvada by 10am (made pretty lousy time). Headed for the rickshaw stand for directions, was led to the Globe hotel. A hearty meal of some amazing malvani food, followed by patra ni machi, dhansak, and a rice prep; the name of which I am unable to recall, and I was all set to take on the beaches. Headed to the beach, had a nice time basing in the sun, got my clothes full of sand though ;) Was quite hot, good thing there was a naaryal waala there; he was amazed to see this guy pull up with the helmet, ray bans and a bandana (my terrorist biker look). The poor fella was even more surprised to see me gulp down two naryal paanis. Headed back to the Globe hotel, has a slight wash up, managed to get most of the sand out of me clothes...
Then headed back, reached home at 330, just in time to have a bath and get going for the Inddiethumpers meet. Gave my baby some time to cool her self down too.
Reached Arey Milk colony at sharp 430, forgot to take into account IST (Inddiethumpers Standard Time), by 530 we were all there, had some discussions about a ride to Daman on the 19-20th of May, and also a lot of discussions and tips for the Leh ride.
We then headed off to Powai - Pop tates, where we let ourselves act like thorough-bred bikers, eating, drinking, smoking, making merry!
Reached home at 9:30pm.
Covered approx 500kms, had some amazing food, a nice visit to the beach, met up with some kickass bikers. What an amazing way to spend a Sunday!!
Mods to my Bullet
Made a couple of changes to my baby..
535 handlebar For comfortable cruising, matching cables ofcourse
KB headlight switch, and kill switch Not really in love with the standard bullets switc...
Custom wiring Wires stretched to the front, AC/DC wiring
Skoda horns Very helpful on the highways, and to scare pesky pedestrians
Clear view mirrors Helps me get a wider view
Cut tank For the sake of customization
Halo bulb for the headlight Very useful for night riding
High output oil pump Keeps my baby's head cool, very important if you doin any long distance riding.
Higher capacity oil pipes Keeps my baby's head cool, very important if you doin any long distance riding.
Bigger Jets Mostly don't use them, use them only when I wanna rip
Bigger tail light assembly Just liked the look, its the 5s taillight
Toolboxes Taken them back to the original flat panel ones
Bikini mudguards Looks sleeker, more tire showing, gives a more agressive look to the bike.
Ambassador petrol tank cover over the point Prevents water entering the CB point
Higher tensile clutch springs Better clutch actioning
Gas shockabsorbers My lucky but ;)
Spring Seats My lucky but ;)
Speedo in MPH - (miles per hour) For the vintage value
Extended signal lights Just liked the look, no specific reason
Side stand Electra duck bill side stand
Saddle Bags Good for touring
Tank Bag Good for touring
500 cc stays Increases the height of the mudguard, good if uv got shock-absorbers with a long travel.
Disc brake For emergency braking
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