Coimbatore is
one of those unique places which give wanderers like us something new to
explore, and this time it was Anaikatti. This scenic place is located 28 kms
from Coimbatore and shares its border with Kerala. The reason this quiet little
hill got our attention was one of my friend, who has a farmhouse up there. Our
ride for this one day retreat was the Yamaha FZ 16 V 1.0 and the Fazer. Both
these machines are able handlers when it comes to riding them on hills or
plains.
road after Kanuvai
Nearing the foothills
We started at
9.30 in the morning from Coimbatore, and the route is very much
straightforward. You have to take the Thadagam – Anaikatty road, passing
Edayarpalayam, Kanuvai, Mankarai to reach the foothills. The traffic eases up pretty much
after crossing kanuvai and that allowed us to stretch the FZ’s legs for a
while, managing around 80 – 90kmph, making it to the foothills in just 20
minutes.
at Sholayur
small hillocks near Sholayur
The straight
line stability of both the bikes is good and inspires confidence. The brakes
have sufficient bite and stopping power is good. The front sports a 267 mm disc brake
and the rear comes with drum brakes. Both the bikes make 14 PS of power and
13.6 Nm of torque and are eager to rev all the way to the redline and employ a
constant mesh, 5 - speed manual gearbox in a one down, 4 up pattern. Telescopic
forks are used in the front and monoshock suspension in the rear. The
suspension setup and chassis make both these machines rider oriented; and for
the pillion rider, it gets uncomfy for long rides on that small seat. Also
while the stiff chassis is great for cornering, the ride becomes bumpy on bad
roads. On the looks department, both are sporty and are best looking in the
front three - quarter view. The dials are simple and functional and have the
digital speedo and rev counters with trip meter.
the FZ 16 and Fazer
Anaikatti at
an altitude of just over 700 meters above msl, makes for a quick climb and we made
it before 11 in the morning. A little further down the main road, we took an unmarked left
turn, which leads to Sholayur, where our friends’ farmhouse is located. The narrow
road was much like an off road terrain with potholes and big stones, but the
160 mm ground clearance meant not much harm to the underbelly of the
motorcycles. The diamond chassis of the FZ 16 makes it a sporty handler and
tackling corners are a delight. On a rainy day, a lot of focus was needed to
navigate the narrow, terrible road to Sholayur. Thankfully, our friend’s farmhouse was
just 4 kms from the main road. We took a break there and headed further
to explore the vastly unused terrain.
cloudy and rainy throughout the day
windmills st Sholayur
A little
further there are roads branch from the Sholayur road, and these lead to
windmills located there. The
cloudy and rainy weather transformed the mountainous region to a scenic
location, due to which a lot of time was spent taking pictures and hiking small
hillocks nearby. There are small eatery joints in the village of Anaikatti to satisfy
your hunger, but don’t go expecting tasty meals. We started the ride back to
Coimbatore by 4.30 in the evening and made it in less than an hour to Idayarpalayam and
stopped for tea. The grippy MRF radials in the front and
rear, made the bike handle rainy conditions in an effortless manner. The
FZ 16 and Fazer also had the widest rear tire (140mm) in its segment when
launched which had a positive impact on the handling characteristics of the
motorcycles. For a quick one day getaway to Anaikatti, the FZ and Fazer proved
to be fun motorcycles to ride and the weather being in favor to us making the
locales wonderful.
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