Riding motorcycles to one’s heart’s content

If the year 2016 was spent behind the wheel of Atom (my old Maruti 800 which I still miss a lot) driving like I stole it, the year 2017 definitely was about riding motorcycles to my heart's content; this year was all about motorcycles. Any motorcycle aficionado would relate to that liberating feeling when they ride their motorcycles to the fullest, having their lone time with their beloved bike.

The road en route to Vellingiri hills

Humble motorcycles ranging from the practical commuter like TVS Star City, the all round fun city commuter Gladiator 125 to my brother-in-law’s very agile and sharp FZ were my rides for this year. The TVS Star City was my office commute as I used to ride it to Chakan for a distance of nearly 40 kms three to four times a week for a period of nine months. And after a really long time, at least two years I got to spend some really great time riding my motorcycle, the SS 125. But not before a thorough service that set me back by a hefty bill of eight grand, including the front tyre change and battery change.

The greenery and empty roads did add more to the thrill of riding

 After spending so much time riding the nimble Star City in Pune, I was looking for the kick start lever in my bike, forgetting that it had an electric starter. Thumbing the electric starter and swinging a leg over my ride after that big a gap felt a lot different and took some time for me to reconnect with her. Riding the all-new FZ was a breath of fresh air and a welcome change amidst this train of mixed feelings, though it was for a short stint only.

Two days of driving and two days of riding sounds fun no? After our drive to the calm and scenic hills of Anaikatti and the majestic Athirapally falls, I took my Gladiator to Dhyanalingam, located in the foothills of Vellingiri hills in Coimbatore. At a distance of about 32 kms from Coimbatore and 25 km from my place near Maruthamali, the trip can be completed in half a day. Four kilometers further down the road is the temple of Vellingiri Aandavar, which also happens to be at the base point for the Vellingiri trek. This trek is quite popular offers some pretty breathtaking views at the summit, after trekking on a full moon night, to see the sun rise at the top. It offers a surreal experience and is a must-visit for anyone who likes adventure treks.

Adi yogi statue, which was inaugurated by prime minister Modi

The route to Isha yoga near Poondi offers some pretty good corners and bends and the roads are a mix of narrow portions and wide highway sections with greenery and forest on both sides, making it a relaxing and enjoyable ride. The next day, it was a ride was to the hill temple of Maruthamalai, and the nearest hill climb from my place and it offers a couple of hair-pin bends.

The Gladiator 125 felt at home while riding hard on corners

The Gladiator felt like a completely new motorcycle after the service and the new grippy MRF tyre at the front did induce some confidence to push it around the corners and brake hard. The 125cc single cylinder mill of the Gladiator produces 11bhp and a maximum twist of 10.4Nm of torque. Sure those figures are adequate for city commutes, but the motorcycle feels underpowered when it comes to the occasional highway rides. The super smooth 5-speed gearbox is a pleasure to operate with short gear ratios and a tall fifth that comes handy for the highway ride. The diamond tubular frame of the Gladiator is a sorted one and lends to its sporty character. The handling has also improved with the change in tyres and it reflected a lot while pushing her in the corners. The CEAT rear tyre with buttons did improve wet grip a lot, while the earlier MRF Zappers felt slippery in those conditions.

It looked and felt like a new motorcycle after the service

Smooth tarmac with sufficient bends for some fun

Looking back, this year turned out to be another memorable one as I even got a chance to visit the Indian Superbike Festival in Pune a few days ago, thanks to my job as a freelance auto journalist at evo India. Hoping the next year will be a year filled with time spent on motorcycle saddles and behind the wheel of many cars, as the best thrills of life are had on two wheels or four wheels! Happy New Year!

The mean looking BMW S 1000 RR was one of my favorite motorcycles

The Ducati XDiavel 

Drive - Coimbatore to Anaikatti & Athirapally falls in a Wagon R

Life is full of surprises. Just when you wonder about the no – road – only – rocks and pebbles for road kind of a remote village up in the hills (Sholayur in Anaikatty -  Kerala) will get some decent connectivity someday, it gets a brand new concrete/tar road all the way up to and beyond the village the very next year. Gives a sense of hope and thought that somewhere something is improving to make people’s lives better no matter where they are, no? Yes it is an off - beat place which makes it a spectacular vista, surrounded by mountain ranges and lush green forest. 

Sholayur, above Anakatti

The weather conditions were pleasant, not too sunny but windy

Our ride again was my friend’s Wagon R - the blue-eyed boy. The car had clocked some 15000 odd kilometres and we were about to add a few hundred more. The boxy, spacious hatch has a heart that is a peppy 998 cc 3 - pot K10B petrol motor, churning out a max power of 68PS and 90Nm of torque. It has a 5-speed manual transmission that gives power to the front wheels. That fifth gear isn’t much use in the city – more for highway usage due to its short gearing. The gearbox is quick shifting and combined with the eager engine, it’s a fun city car. The front and rear seats can be split 60:40. The boot capacity is 185 liters, sufficient for a quick weekend getaway. The quality of the materials used for interiors could have been better. The dual tone beige and black interiors go well with the overall interiors. The silver finish around the controls in the dashboard has a nice feel to it.

Lawns spread across - a very common sight in these areas.

The route to Anaikatty is the same route as mentioned in my earlier ride to Anaikatti on the FZ and Fazer back in 2012. The only difference being the road was newly laid offering a better driving experience and the monsoon – turning all the barren landscape to lush greenery - such a brilliant sight. It's a perfect one day getaway for unwinding yourself among the verdant hills and windmills surrounded by the calm atmosphere and grazing cattle. Sounds like a page out of Heidi right?

En route to Sholayur

The Wagon R poses for Photo shoot

Our variant was the VXi and it supported Mp3 and AUX input to keep us entertained. It also has central locking, cup holders, power windows for all four sides, a decent pioneer music system with 4 speakers and power steering. The tall stance (1670 mm height) provides a commanding view for a small hatch. It also contributes to a fair bit of body roll and is unstable at speeds exceeding 100kmph. The only serious flaw in the car is the thick A-pillar which obstructs the view and creates a blind spot. It could be dangerous while negotiating hairpin bends while driving in the hills. I had to bend forward or look in the passenger side window to see any oncoming traffic. The NVH levels in the cabin is more because it isn’t well insulated as the engine noise at high revs crept in along with the road noise in the highways. The car sits on 155/65R14 on all four corners, braking is taken care of discs up front and drum brakes at the rear.

A lot of area for camping

The 165mm of ground clearance also meant that no underbody damage while encountering some rough terrain here and there. And the legendary aspect of the car – love it or hate it -  it simply doesn’t forgive you if you try to hit a bump or speed breaker in 2^nd gear – ‘no sir you need to come back to cog 1 and then move me, else I’ll stop bang in the middle of the road’ attitude. Imagine this strict attitude of the car when climbing hills. We had that sort of experience when we went to Mudumalai in the same car some years back. But since my friend was learning to drive at that time, I thought it was his fault. Sigh.

Sholayur - a remote hill above Anaikatti

The spacious and airy cabin of the Wagon R

Enter day 2. After driving to and from Anaikatty, a sudden plan to visit the mighty Athirapally falls materializes. By 8 am we were off from my place near Maruthamalai. With the handy google maps with us, we hit the road on our way to Palakad. We tanked 13.61 liters of petrol, had a light breakfast at the Gowrishankar hotel at Palghat highway. There is a route connecting my place to Palakad highway, which goes via Perur – Kovaipudur. This route has less traffic comparing to the route that goes through the city via Ukkadam. Without any stops elsewhere, with the weather being cloudy and rainy for most of the trip, we were driving through the plains. One can also access the roads via Valparai -  Chalakudi -  Athirapally. But the hills of Valparai slow you down and it is recommended that a night stay at Valparai and an early morning getaway to Athirapally falls can give the best of both worlds for a two or three-day trip. With time being the constraint for a two day trip, we opted for the plains for a one-dayer.

Salem  - cochin highway

en route to Thrissur on the salem -  cochin highway

The detour to Athirapally falls comes before entering Thrissur city, on the highway with a big arch and signs about a theme park called Dreamland. The road is a single lane narrow road, with lush greenery all around, thanks to the monsoon rain. The journey onwards saw us encounter very little traffic and the rain made it even better sight around we made it to the falls by 1 pm give or take. The Vazhachal river joins along this route near Chalakudy. Never knew these places had their own charm with many churches dotted along the route. Many parks, theme parks, and outdoor adventure play areas were lined along this road leading to the falls.

Road to the falls - simple and smooth

Entrance to the falls

View of the falls from the clearing

Pathway to the falls through the rocky mountain

We assumed that being a weekday the crowd might be less. Surprise, surprise. It seemed like most of the people in Kerala had come to visit the falls. It was a mad rush, much like visiting a carnival. Finding a parking space had become difficult. We parked the car some half km away from the entrance. One needs to get the entrance tickets that cost Rs 30 / person and charges for the vehicle. The hike to the falls involves nearly 1km with the paths well paved with bamboos at the side that make a border with the forest. One can hear the gushing of the water as you approach the falls. Once you head down to the base of the falls – the clearing makes way to a spellbinding sight – the Athirapally falls roaring down from a height of 25 meters, with four clearings for the river water to drop. The jet stream that forms after the water hits the rocks form a gentle spray to fall on you – so gentle that it’s only after sometime after you have spent ogling at the falls you realize that you are partially drenched - and it wasn’t raining. The sheer volume of the water that flows down the four clearings is simply overwhelming. After spending one and a half hours just staring at the falls, wildly taking pictures and videos of it, we hit came back for some lunch. An hour later, we hit the road, at around 4 pm turning back to Coimbatore.

The gentle spray drenches you completely 

The return journey was not much eventful. A traffic jam at Kuthiran for nearly 2 hrs dulled the experience. We were exhausted. But that wasn’t enough it seems. Dullness has to go right? Did I mention a third companion during our return trip? A Centipede. A big one mind you! A not – so – pleasant surprise. It was crawling in my right foot and initially, I dismissed it as a bug. Only to find out in the flash of streetlight that hit my hand – it was crawling there and almost bit me! And after giving it a farewell by the side of the highway we were on our way - with some peace of mind and some alertness. How it entered the car formed the base of the conversation for the next few minutes after which it diverted to politics, cars and the usual men stuff. We reached home at 11 pm, 3 hrs late by our estimate due to the jam. We had driven 388km tanking up 20.36 liters of petrol, with the car giving an economy of 19.05kmpl. The car has a 35-liter fuel tank and can give a range of 665km before tanking up. Overall the Wagon R is a practical, no-nonsense, and spacious city car with decent interiors.

view of the falls from the top

view of the falls from the bottom

 The Athirapally falls is a gem of a place in India, surrounded by the picturesque Sholayar Peaks, the dense jungle foliage (Vazhachal forest) through which the waters flow to the Arabian Sea. The fact that it is often referred to as the Niagara Falls of India says a lot about it. A picture can say a thousand words. But the video clip below offers a glimpse of the mighty falls that is Athirapally. Best time to visit is after monsoon where the falls will be in its full glory. 

My friend Muthuraj and his Wagon R

The roaring Athirapally falls

Drive - Pune to Shirdi in a Tata Nano

It has been more than 6 months since I have moved to Pune and I haven’t had a single chance to go around exploring Maharashtra for its iconic holy places, scenic mountains and some quiet beaches due to a hectic work schedule and lack of company. Then a chance to go on a road trip materialized spontaneously and all four of my roommates were in to visit a holy place - Shirdi. Only the means to visit the place was left. That too was arranged at the last moment. Our ride was the tiny Tata Nano – courtesy of my friend who had borrowed the car from his friend. And so began the one day trip to Shirdi and back. The world famous Shirdi Sai Baba temple is located just 180 Kms from Pune. Iconic holy place, check.

Early morning photoshoot!

NH 60, en route to Sangamner

Our car was MY2012 model special edition Nano LX, with red graphics on the sides and a special edition sticker at the back, distinguishing it from the regular versions. Enter into the car and it’s like a toned down 1BHK apartment. Space is one thing that is big for a car this small. The rear legroom can put many big hatches to shame. The Nano was equipped with two gloveboxes for storage in front on both sides of the dash. Keeping us entertained throughout the drive was the 2 speaker Blaukpunkt audio system, with aux input and USB port. Funny thing, only my mobile seemed to be compatible with the aux cable (drive with only my playlist, check..!). Power windows are offered in front only. The beige dashboard is a welcome change along with the passenger side rear view mirror which proved to be useful in the highways. We started before dawn from my place at Chinchwad, where we passed through Chikali, Dehu Alandi road, joining at NH 60. Once we hit the NH 60, it was all the way straight route taking us through Chakan – Peth – Narayangaon -  Alephata -  Gunjalwadi  -  Sangamner for 144km.

The narrow village road to shirdi

Simple layout with storage space on both sides, beige dashboard a welcome change

The Tata Nano is equipped with a 2 cylinder 624 cc petrol engine churning out max power of 38 bhp at 5500 rpm, peak torque 51 Nm at 4000 rpm. The car has a 15-liter capacity petrol tank and spare tyre under the hood. The car is rear engine rear wheel drive,  with a 4-speed manual gearbox. The clutch felt heavy and the brakes felt a little slow in response. Both the clutch and brake pedals have a long pedal travel - a dead pedal near the clutch would have been nice. Braking is taken care of 180mm drum brakes in all four wheels.

Petrol tank and spare tyre under the hood

Spacious interiors with generous headroom and legroom

Small outside, big inside!

 We stopped once for a tea just outside Peth, on the highway after two hrs of driving. The Nano evoked mixed feelings throughout the day. The area where you underestimate it, it shined. Looking at the dials with its speed limited to 120kmph, one would expect it to max out at 100 or 110kmph. I was pleasantly surprised when the speedo was showing an excess of 110kmph on a straight section of the dual carriageway. The Nano can comfortably cruise all day at 80 – 90kmph. However, overtaking needs effort as the tall fourth gear makes it sluggish. You have to be focused when driving the Nano at speeds above 80kmph, as it becomes a little uneasy even for small undulations on road. The anti-roll bars up front reduce the instability during highway speeds and in cornering, but only to an extent.

Tea - charge at highway

It was a traffic free day for most of the drive

                             
 Due to its tall stance (1652 mm height), it offers a commanding view of the road ahead but also makes it unstable due to crosswinds on the highway, and there is a fair amount of body roll if cornered at speeds of 50 – 60kmph. Dual airbags should have been at least optional. The skinny tyres too take the fun away as you can’t be speeding around corners. The thick A-pillar causes a blind side when navigating in the city and can become quite a hindrance. The compact dimensions (3099 mm wheelbase) however prove to be a boon as the Nano can squeeze into a small space without a fuss. Turning radius is a very small 4 m.

The Nano is the champ of parking wars

This route offers a mix of straight roads and ghat sections

There are three ghat sections in this route and the views were pretty awesome outside since it rained and there was greenery all around. Once at Sangamner, you have to take a detour that is a 34 km drive on village roads to Shirdi. The Nano absorbed most of the bumps but the road conditions were too harsh for the little car. The poorly maintained roads had giant potholes that slowed us down during the last few kilometres. The duration of the journey was four hours and we reached exactly at 8a.m. As always it was a crowded day for Dharshan but not as much compared to the afternoon crowd – the queue started at the roads. We completed the Dharshan by 11 am sharp, walked half a km for the prasadalaya, and by 1:30 pm we were on our way back. It was a hot day in Shirdi, and there we were jogging barefoot on the asphalt from the prasadalyaya to the car parked half a km away. And the AC of the car wasn’t working. Once we hit the road things became better, the weather too became gradually cool from the hot weather back there.

Pomegranate fields along the village road that leads to Shirdi

The place is famous for pomegranates, as there were fields of pomegranates along the road to Shirdi and a kg of the fruit was available for Rs 25! So don’t forget to pack an extra bag for the fruits when visiting. After a quick tea in near Sangamner, the smooth roads of NH60 welcomed us back and we made it back to Pune at 6 pm. We tanked up 18 liters of petrol, drove 356km in a day, with an economy of 19.77kmpl. Considering the harsh terrain encountered, the Nano surprised us with its ability to handle potholes that even it can fit into and the 180 mm ground clearance ensured no harm to the underbody.  The Nano offered decent levels of comfort such that there was no fatigue at the end of the day after driving more than 350 odd kilometres. This was one trip that went exactly as per schedule, without any planning as things were easier in Shirdi to get the dharshan which helped us save time and enjoy the drive, which was the idea - go on a great road trip in a fun car.