First of its kind

A diary of most of my bike rides, in approximate sequence.

Sub Title: First of its kind
Approx distance: 150kmCompanions: None
Target destination: Somewhere on Coonor highway.
Highlights: My first taste of Nilgiris and chilly mountain breeze.
Pictures taken: No
Route: Coimbatore- Mettupalayam- Coonor

The bigger picture:

A semester holiday meant no friends in hostel and an overdose of TV. A power failure forced me into an early lunch and set my thoughts racing. I observed the cloudy climate and I wanted to make the most of it. I wanted to do a bike trip to a new place and immediately chose Conoor. It was 12:30pm and not much sunlight was left for the day.

In no time I was heading on the highway towards Mettupalayam Road. A biscuit packet, wind-cheater and water bottle in my shoulder bag were the supplies I needed. As I tackled the rough highway at 60kmph maximum and caught a glimpse of Nilgiris from my bike, I felt elated. I wanted to do this for nearly two years and one lazy afternoon it materialized. I heard myself saying to the huge mountains, ‘I am coming there’.

A tender coconut quenched me thirst and the vendor doubled up as the weather forecaster and warned me of some showers. At that point, I only intended to go upto the Buruliar check post and take a U-turn, but my plan took a U-turn instead.

I crossed the plantations on the Mettupalayam-Ooty highway admiring the pleasant climate this region is endowed with. Also the roads had a thin layer of water or moisture than kept its coloration jet black. A blue bike on a black road surrounded by greenery was a pleasant sight for my eyes. I crossed Kallar fruit plantation and headed for an ascent into the Nilgiris. I was awe struck as my bike pointed its head towards the dense green mountains.

The weather was moist and threatened to rain any time. With every passing metre the wind became chiller and was pushing me to reach the peak. I simply could not believe that I am actually doing it as I had dreamt. The roads were slippery and I felt a few rain drops on my body. I didn’t want to stop, but I noticed a fellow biker stopping for a costume change. He seemed like a regular traveler of that route and had leather jacket and gloves. On seeing that, I chided myself for not investing in a pair of gloves and stopped for a biscuit-break.

I parked my bike in a wide section of the road so that I don’t obstruct the free flow of traffic. I was admiring the mist-covered peaks and fresh mountain breeze. A passing biker thought I had a break-down and offered for help, but I thanked him and sent him on his way. Suddenly, a group of ten Bonnet Macaques emerge to relieve me of my biscuits. I mistook then to be friendly, but one male showed its canines and conveyed its intention. I had to leave my biscuits to those locals and got into my jacket. It provided the warmth needed for another uphill ascent.

I wanted to turn back at Buruliar check-post, but I paid the toll Rs7 and headed straight into the mountains. I made very slow progress as I was attracted to look into the deep gorges and valleys below. A rain cloud provided the much-needed misty appearance to the evergreen forested mountains of Nilgiris. It was around 2:30pm but felt like 6:30pm in Coimbatore. A look into my watch only pushed me further as I had plenty of time and light to get back home. As I scaled hairpin after hairpin, I was teaching myself new lessons in cornering. A light drizzle only restricted my reaching Conoor. I came across a road-side church with Mary and Jesus in a glass enclosure, with most of the transparent area misty.

As the drizzle grew in intensity, I was planning to turn back with about 4km to hit Conoor. I caught a glimpse of the narrow-gauge railway track of Nilgiri Mountain Railway and wished that the train would pass by, so that I could wave at the passengers from my bike. I remember seeing some old movie where a jeep and train would go side by side in the mountains in picturesque setting. But I came to sense that I would get completely wet if I carried on and slowed down for a U-turn near a hairpin bend. A group of three bikes were on a downhill journey.

For the first time in my life, I was heading downhill fully assisted by my 12-bhp engine and gravity. I was exploiting my disk-brakes to the maximum and they are worth the extra initial and maintenance cost. In no time, I caught up with the bike group of three. I could clearly make out a dynamically superior LML-Energy bike taking the twisties with full control. I didn’t mean to race with him, but followed him very closely and was almost gave him a good challenge on hill-biking. I was pushing the bike more than in the open highways and was making full use of the banking in turns. I was traveling at twice the uphill speed and was thoroughly enjoying the mountain road- potholeless and smooth tar surfaced.

The chill breeze and continuous drizzle had my kidneys and bladder working overtime and I had to relieve myself in a pit stop. This happened in a place covered with huge trees and lots of birds in its canopy. This is one of the best restrooms which people can get anywhere on earth- answering nature’s call amidst nature. It couldn’t get better than that.

The rest of the hill ride was eventful as I set myself new cornering and braking standards. I even touched 70kmph in one of the twisties. Most of the mundane traffic comprised of buses and a few MUVs. Whenever I passed a bus, I was the centre of fascination for the passengers as they gaped their mouth wide and ogled at my bike. Or did they look down at me as a stupid college-kid riding in chilly weather? I don’t know. I covered the rest of the journey back home still thinking about the hill ride.

For me the first experience of downhill ride was so exhilarating and I simply wanted to do it again. God damn the people who think riding in adverse conditions are risky. The first experience of hill ride was as pleasant as the first kiss or first love, as they say. For me it was the ultimate way of bonding with my bike and enjoying its power and handling to the maximum.

On Pilgrimage

A diary of most of my bike rides, in approximate sequence.

Sub Title: On Pilgrimage
Approx distance: 75km
Companions: Classmate Ramkumar
Target destination: A hill temple (Marudamalai) and Vinayakar temple.
Highlights: My first taste of the hills
Pictures taken: No

Route: Home- Marudamalai- Vinayakar temple- home

The bigger picture:

The thought of riding on a hill appealed to me more than riding on a highway. I always liked the smooth roads and the bankings. The ride to the foothills was eventless and I bought a ticket for taking my bike uphill. For the first time I was ascending an acclivity, neglecting flyovers, subways and underground parking lots. I found that my bike doesn't feel powerful enough for a hill climb. I was getting frustrated that I had to use the first and second gears a lot. I had a very major concern in using more than 5000rpm, as I had just strayed out of run-in period. A TVS 50 overtook me on the outside, ridden on full throttle, of course. I didn't try to race with it and carried on looking at the scenery to calm myself. The climb hardly lasted 10min, as I neared a hairpin bend. This is the first of many more hill rides.

A quick darshan of Lord Muruga and a couple of minutes of scenery gazing led me back to my parked bike-gleaming in the morning sun. My friend suggested that I take the bike downhill without wasting a drop of petrol by letting gravity take care of acceleration. I did just that. Since there wont be much control on the bike with the throttle I carried far greater corner speeds and in the process taught myself the basics of cornering and braking. Remember, we were two up , heavy bike and heading downhill, this only made braking and cornering tougher- and myself a novice at that.

After bidding goodbye to my friend, I headed to a Vinayaker temple on the Coimbatore -Pollachi highway. After another quick darshan of Lord Vinayakar, I found myself heading towards home. I m not a very religious person in heading to temples, but do have the urge to invoke divine blessings. I was showered with blessings as I had a very good experience in all my bike rides, and whenever I pass a temple on the route, I just did a small prayer.

Just to remove too much importance from some of my short rides, I will list them in brief and skip over their bigger picture.
- A ride to Half-way point in Coimbatore Pollachi Highway and Nandi temple on Palakad Highway
- A 100km ride along Coimbatore Trichy Road
- Some more as well, but my memory capacity has overflown.

Meditation makes better riders

A story of most of my bike rides, in approximate sequence

Sub Title: Meditation makes better riders.
Approx distance: 85km
Companions: Classmate Vijayavel
Target destination: somewhere near the virgin rain forests of Siruvani.
Highlights: Really learnt to explore areas and my first ride into reserve forests.
Pictures taken: No

Route: Coimbatore Avinashi road – Ukkadam - Perur – Kovai Kondattam Theme Park - Right turn in a fork with prominent display boards – Head straight for 5km. The road is tar-topped but not devoid of small irregularities and is not smooth. Watch for the odd potholes at night. Very little traffic and public transport.

The bigger picture: Just the day after my first long ride, I was tempted to wander and explore. I didn’t rely on maps, but on words and approximate directions by neighbours. I had a liking for rides through green covered areas. But I just didn’t feel like doing it alone and hence had to coax my friend Vijayavel into it. Having been bitten by some Meditation bug, he agreed only for Eesha Dyanalingam. It is a meditation centre located on the outer periphery of Siruvani reserved rainforests.

The ride to Dyanalingam was beset with lot of stops for ‘directions’ from local folks. Some knew and responded, while the rest was constructed from the puzzles my friend recollected and threw at me in the form of water channels and coconut trees. And finally, the water channel data helped in confirming that we were headed to the right place. A portion of a decent road suddenly descended like in a subway to a coarsely-placed mini-speed breakers about 100 in number. This is actually not to reduce the speed of vehicles, but to allow water during heavy rains to cross the road and not inflict much damage on the roads. A ride on this will jar all the bones, if taken at over 25kmph [for road vehicles].

A brief stop to enjoy the greenery in the scorching sun really excited me with the fact that I am having a ‘pit-stop’ right within the confines of a reserved forest. But having less time on hands, we rushed to the destination only to encounter severe off-road track, laid by trucks carry construction material. After a bumpy ride of about 2km we reached a serene, but overcrowded parking lot only to be comforted by a ‘Welcome’ board.

A shoe-keeper deprived us of the services of my shoe and had to walk bare-footed on thorny surface to reach the Dyanalingam meditation complex. A board read ‘Please don’t talk or make noise’. My friend gesticulated me to a hemispherical dome-like structure and put his finger on his lips to signal ‘don’t speak, just move’. I helped myself into the dome-hall and was awe-struck by the silence and serenity of the place. The sound of my footsteps reverberated throughout the hall and I had to tip-toe myself to one of the numerous cave-like structures to meditate. This is a must-visit place for meditation fanatics.

I simply loved the juice shop which served thick Orange juice, healthy Sukku-coffee and some other age-old food varieties eaten by the Sadhus and Rishis of yesteryears. The environment was green and there is a small hill to be trekked.

The journey back home was not very comfortable as I had to negotiate regular traffic on re-entry coupled with some back discomfort. This magnified even small bumps on the roads. Not to mention fellow road users who have scant regard for bikers returning from a long trip [but how they know that we‘ve been on a longer-than-usual trip?].

My hunger for more rides grew in intensity, limited only by finance, time and company. I ultimately did conquer all these factors. But not simultaneously, thereby leaving me with half-satisfied trips and half-aborted plans. Ultimately, my lust for bike trips into deep and dense jungles with loads of time on my side to enjoy every bit of the spectacle with enough money to cover my expenses never materialized till today. Or is it just my unquenchable desire for more?

Quote: Does Tamil Nadu’s Super Star Rajini Kanth dialogue in his movie Padaiappa hold good in my scenario? ‘Adigamma asa padara aambalayaum, adigamma kova padara pombalaiyum, nalla vazhthatha saritiramae illa’ [English: There is no history of men with excess desire and women with excess anger having lived a fulfilling life].

bumper sticker

I presently sport the following bumper sticker, or the mudflap sticker in my case:

"I M NOT ROSSI"

meaning 1: That people must not mistake my riding style on the highway and hills, and wrongly identify myself with the World MotoGP Champion Valentino Rossi.

meaning 2: That my riding withing city limits is too slow to be Rossi. And that I wont take any unnecessary risks like him.

I wish to have 'Last Man Riding' though.

A story of most of my bike rides, in approximate sequence

A story of most of my bike rides, in approximate sequence

Sub Title: The stepping stone (1)
Approx distance: 50km
Companions: none
Target destination: somewhere on NH47 towards Avinashi
Highlights: First experienced the pains of long distance riding.
Pictures taken: No

Bigger picture: Came back from College library to hit the highway for the longest continuous bike ride of my life then. I had just completed the successful and tough run-in for 2500+km of my first new bike. The one that promised to take me very near to what I like most- forests and mountains. It would give me that freedom that I longed for almost two years. I dreamt of riding to Valparai and Ooty to capture the mountain breeze is its freshest form. I didn't like being cocooned in the creature comforts of a car, which would also shield me away from being one on one with nature and the road.

I just wanted to test the continuous functioning of my bike's engine. I knew that I wont do more than 50km in one go as most of the places I dreamt of touring were within 150km of my home. I also didn’t want to end up far away from home on my first ride. Hence I planned on a 25km one way ride on the smooth NH47 from my home towards Avinashi.

I intended to carry minimum luggage. Just my jeans and full hand T-shirt. This T-shirt eventually becomes one of my most sought after ride wear. It was full-sleeved and had a rugged finish, what more can I ask for? One best thing about all my trips is that I had a helmet on.

I meddled with some meter called tacho and reset it to 0000. I was very eager to put it to use as I had only been doing petty rides to college, grocery shop, railway station and other measly commuting. I was singing all my way and also virtually simulated my future trips and the way I would ride. I didn't cross 50kmph, though slow on the highway, as I didn't want to push too much on my first go. This eventually laid a lot of discipline that I followed in all my lone rides- not more than 60kmph on highway. I did cross 60kmph when I had to hit home early or fight the darkness [and headlights of oncoming vehicles]. I just waited for 0025 to come up on the tacho just to turn back home.

I did a lot of experimentation like keeping my legs on the rear foot pegs and taking up a sports bike position, though I didn't cross 50kmph. I witnessed the dangers of riding near the treacherous inter-city buses as they hurtled past me with inches to spare. I was very particular about adjusting rear-view mirrors to catch good glimpse of the speeding vehicles before they came any close to me. My first tryst with the highway also made me thirsty while riding a bike. My longest ride till then must have been a 15km ride to Roots Horns Division on Mettupalayam Road and back. I also experienced some discomfort in my crotch area as I was wearing a tight jean with a heavy wallet. Thus the signs of pain hinted me of more in the longer and real version of this simulated ride.

I hit home in no time and was silently shouting to everyone that I had done a great feat by touring for about 50km non-stop. But no one seemed to care as they carried about their daily chores of commuting amidst honking and rash overtakings all around. I was happy that my bike is performing with no loss of performance. I got down from my bike to inspect it. I didn't like that coarse noise coming from the engine. It didn’t happen on short rides, but when the engine gets hot, especially after a long ride the noise is definitely disturbing, not to my concentration but to my biker soul that everything isn't right.

After a refreshing Tea, I headed back to the library to carry on with my student activity.
Extra: Readers, please do suggest a title for this series of bike ride articles. Please enter your suggestions in the form of comments.