Opening Stats-
1. Date of purchase : 12/12/12
2. Last service done : first free Service
3. Opening Odo reading : 1856 km
4. Fuel used : Xtrapremium high octane petrol form Indian Oil
5. Accessories Installed : Mobile Charging point (cigarette lighter type)
6. Gear: full face helmet (Vega Boolean), jeans, sweatshirt, pullovers
7. Luggage hold- saddle bag (custom stitched)
After the exciting first trip of 850 kilometers to Ahobilam and Yaaganti, the Beast deserved another long haul. Incidentally, I had to visit Pune for a continuing education course on the 12th and 13th of Jan. This gave me another long ride opportunity. Approximately 1250 km round trip meant I could explore the Beast a little bit more and test her boundaries.
Immediately post first service, I got a mobile charging point installed (will be detailing it in another post) fire long trip so that I can simultaneously charge the phone on the ride. I finally managed to get my permanent registration done. It was surprisingly simple, took me less than 25 min, i dint have to go through any agents and I dint have to wait in long queues! (That is a giant leap for the RTA. Kudos). I was told that a number would be assigned and the same would be sent to my residence by post. However, I could get the details of the number after 7 pm online on the AP Transport website on the same day.
I started the next day (still with the T/R number plates as I got my permanent number late the previous evening) at 5:20 am from Hyderabad and tanked up on the Mumbai highway at Indian Oil bunk. I recommend the XtraPremium high octane petrol for the RE TBTS 500 (will soon write a post about the different fields I've tried and researched about for the beast).
I covered about 70 km and had to halt at Sangareddy owing to extreme chill. I had underestimated the cold and I hadn't yet purchased biking jackets and other biking wear. My sweatshirt, a thick hoodie and a pullover did good to keep me warm, but lack of gloves made my fibers numb. What makes the cold worse is the wind. At high speeds, due to the winds, even a 20 degree temperature feels bitingly cold.
At a dhaba outside Sangareddy, forced by the weather, I had to reluctantly make my first pitstop at 6:45. A nice Charpai (a cot weaved out of rope around a wooden frame) came of good use as I lazed for over an hour waiting for the sun to come up. Had hot idlis and a dosa for breakfast before I started back on the ride at 9 am with the Sun keeping me warm and comfy.
The next pitstop was at Basvakalyan. Not out of necessity, but due to a cop who pulled me over for a routine traffic check. My bike still had a T/R registration. Karnataka cops are the sweetest when you talk to them in Kannada! When he demanded the papers (which I was carrying with me packed in my saddle bag), I asked him in Kannada the significance if the place. He was so excited to tell me about Basvanna of the 12th century and his socio-philosophical movement. He told me to take a detour and visit the beautiful place and ecotone its history and spirituality. He even told me that I dint have to open my luggage to show the papers. If I was catering them, it was ok.
The cop asked me where I was coming from; when I told him I was a Dental surgeon from Hyderabad going to Pune to attend a workshop, he was stupefied! He asked me why I was riding a bike when I could have chosen to drive or use a train or even fly to Pune. Unfortunately, what a rider experiences cannot be put in words. It has to be experienced. (I ride, so I am!)
I'm glad I took the detour and visited the shrine of Basvanna which was about 3 km off the highway. The 102 foot statue of Basvanna in a serene Sukhasana (yogic seating pose) is reminiscent of the social and cultural impact his literary works had in the 12th century. Basvanna was a philosopher, Statesman and reformer of his time. Basava fought against the inhuman practice of caste system, which discriminated people based on their birth, and certain rituals in Hinduism. He spread social awareness through his poetry, popularly known as Vachanaas. Basavanna used Ishtalinga (image/linga of god in one's body) to eradicate untouchability, establish equality among all human beings and a means to attain spiritual enlightenment. His literary works have been a vital part of the Kannada literature; and his life was dedicated to eradicating the social strife which plagued the region in medieval India.
Spending an hour at Basvakalyan, I was refreshed physically, mentally and spiritually. My next stop was at Solapur for lunch. A simple but very tasty "rice plate" which I understood was a traditional version of a Thali its those parts consisting of two chapatis, a bowl of rice, a curry made of sprouted green gram (moong), Daal (lentils), and yoghourt, sided with raw onions and pickled lemon. After my very tasty lunch, the ride from Solapur to Pune continued.
The mobile charger point was very useful as my power-hungry phone was running low after all the pictures I took on the way and the phone-calls and email checks during the Pitstops.
This leg of the journey was slower due to the four-laning work in progress. But for the constant diversions on the road, it was fairly good stretch of road. With another pitstop for chai, I finally reached Pune by 9 pm- exhausted but enriched.
Ride Summary:
Total Distance: 580 km
Top speed: 125 kmph
Average speed: 55 kmph
Fuel economy: 39 kmpl
Nature of ride: strenuous
Ride highlights: discovered Basvakalyan and its rich heritage
Ride lows: beyond 400 km, back started to hurt.
Return journey... Coming soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment