Suzuki @ Auto Expo 2008

Suzuki was a brightly lit WHITE background stall and was distinctly divided into 2 segments comprising the MIGHTY GODS and the smaller lords..(LOL). Yes the right side - for spectators - pavilion contained the massive machines while the left side contained the India based production machines on display.



First to start with the Heavy ones. There was the Suzuki HAYABUSA, the fastest production bike in the world in the new brilliant RED attractive striping. This bike despite has achieved the status of being a legend and still is carved deep in the psyche of the Indian Biker. The Hayabusa incidentally is a well bred Fighting Bird of Prey which has swooped and made easy meat of all its adversaries.

Next to the Hayabusa were some of the smaller machines lined up. Starting with the Dual Purpose Suzuki DRZ 400 SM dressed in immaculate white. This could be one of the bikes Suzuki might just plan to get into India although rumours are that the Indian variant shall be the RMZ 450 DR or something. Next to the MX machine was the Dhoom machine. The Bandit 1250S in Black. This was one touring machine which could make some sense when brought into India.

The new Gixxer, the GSX 1000 R was also there in silver-white combination. The new Gixxers are one of the most competitive 1 litre bikes all over the world. The new avatar of the bike was revolutionary and significantly different from the Gixxers of the past years. Next to the Gixxer was the massive Scooter the Bergmann.The Luxury limousine of Scooting world this was definitely an eye catcher in all senses.

Beyond the 3 possible contestants for the Suzuki import bike for India was the mean looking street fighter the Suzuki BKing. The King of Bikes this awesome naked bike was just standing and simply stinking off oodles of sheer muscular grunt and torque. This was something which could go screaming past you on one wheel while you would just run for cover.

The Indian products pavilion had the Heat and Zeus in different variant forms with tall models accompanying them. Somehow there was also a Master of Ceremonies trying to conduct an awesome introduction of these awesome machines along with some music and other background effects. The new scooter from Suzuki the Accesss 125 was also there. Although it did have a touch of freshness it reeked of Honda Activa likeness. But then isn't that how most scoots look now a days.

The STAR attraction of the Suzuki stall was obviously the SUZUKI BIPLANE concept. Perhaps the same engine as the gixxer, the biplane concept was perhaps straight out of a sci-fi movie. Painted in a stylish futuristic golden glow, it had a brutish front with large twin disc brakes and an aggressive LED headlamp assembly. The handlebars were also on a different pivot like arrangement which made turning a different concept altogether.The small racing seat was also attached to the monoshock which sprung the rear wheel. Turn indicators were built into the handlebars themselves. Inspired by the classic biplane first introduced by the Wright Brothers, this was first disclosed at the Tokyo Motorshow, but somehow i couldn't understand the PLANE part in this design concept.

We also met the Pretty lady in charge of Marketing the Suzuki Motorcycles and wondered what Suzuki had in store for Bike fanatics in the coming year. We are watching Ms Anamika - And Yes that's her ACTUAL name - Although she didn't have clear cut plans for us immediately she definitely promised us that time would be worth the wait.

Overall an awesome experience..Keep it up SUZUKI.

Click here to see all the Suzuki Pics:

Honda @ Auto Expo 2008

You meet the nicest people on a Honda they say and perhaps that was exactly what i did experience at the Honda pavilion. The sales people at the stands were really very kind to lead me to the senior most official there Mr Gupta who actually was heading the design department. A lot of companies were actually putting a lot of emphasis on design aspect in the field of motorcycling trying to put the message across that it takes a lot to make any motorcycle look like what the rider wants or feels it to look like. The basic shape may perhaps be the same but the versatility of accessories and graphics play an important role, more so on the mind of the Indian rider whose knowledge of ergonomics is pretty poor and whose body can actually somehow mould itself to any shape the contraption that vehicle takes over. From personal experience i can say that i would rather endure the "once in a blue moon" pain in the shoulder than notice that my handle is slightly bent by a few degrees and opt for a perfectly straight handle.

The STAR of the show however was the newly launched AVIATOR scooter, a poor excuse for a revolutionary design, it just looked like a Karolbagh version of the activa. There were definitely some advancements but somehow not very evident to my visually observant but technically ignorant Indian mind. It did have unique headlamp assembly, perhaps a brighter bulb. Indicators had moved form the handlebars to the side aprons and a dual tone colour scheme created a classique appeal. It had a different front suspension set up and a front disc brake along with a stylish integrated grab rail at the rear as innovations but over all had the same Scooter like look and feel.

As soon as we entered the Honda stall, we noticed the Honda Rider Trainer, a computer simulated riding platform which helped increase rider response on roads by understanding how random traffic moved and predicting the moves accordingly. basically a unique device to teach plain riding. I would love to see the complex algorithm which would go into creation of such a simulation for the average Indian traffic situation. Millions and millions of complex mathematical permutations and combinations which i doubt the processor shall ever be able to comprehend and accordingly re-produce.

The most obvious ATTRACTION of the show however pretty much down played was the RC 212V, the MOTO GP legend. IT featured an 800 cc liquid cooled DOHC engine. The model for 2008 had the all new chassis built with mass centralization thus improving race dynamics to a large extent. This bike was in the livery of Ace Rider No1 Nicky Hayden.

The other 2 beauties from the the CBRrrrrrrrrr Family were the 1000 RR and the 600 RR. The 1 litre power plant as well as some other structural parts were basically race derived and added to the overall enhancements featured for the 2008 model. It was also done up in a fine wine red - black and beige livery. Looked real classy. It looked more Julia Roberts than Britney spears..Guys..those who cant relate to the comparison..please forgive. The 600 CC beauty was in classic BLACK. somehow Black is the only colour which is EVERGREEN. The Yamaha had a black bike, Suzuki's had a black bike, TVS too and now Honda also.

The only Bike which actually was a sight from a Touring and motorcycling perspective was the Hornet CB 600F Hornet. Shining in Gold livery this lean mean machine seemed poised for newer conquests. Its however a sad truth that most of the naked bikes somehow are never considered as Superbikes despite them delivering quite impressive performance figures.

Besides these there were two concepts based on the Honda Shine. The first one was a repsol Honda coloured CBF Sports concept which looked quite close to a Karizma and had conventional twin shocks at the rear. This was a true blue 2 seater with an integrated headlamp assembly.

The other Shine derivative was the CBF racing concept painted in Honda racing red colours and striking graphics this had disc brakes both front and rear and was a single seater. The CBF sports concept could be a sporty upgrade and with Yamaha also coming into the 150 segment seriously, this could already have a lucrative competitive market to launch itself.

Besides this the standard Unicorn, Shine and the new graphically jazzed up Dio dlx were there along with the veterans Activa and Eterno.

At the extreme end of the pavilion was the Honda Design Corner where in people could interact with the Honda designers and conjure up the dream bike of their choice by providing inputs while the designers would immediately just add small touches to the concept as it took shape. Kudos to Honda for this. We would now like to see this translate into the actual bikes that are expected from Honda in the coming months.

Click here to see More pics of the Honda Pavilion:

Bajaj @ Auto Expo 2008

The Bajaj pavilion somehow was completely away from the rest of the two wheelers. Although spread over the largest area amongst all the Bikes this time the pavilion theme was distinctly divided into three different colour zones itself. Bajaj itself was the cool and comfortable blue while KTM took over the bright orange strikingly attractive section and Kawasaki was occupying a smallish semi circular podium with just one guy watching over the Bikes. In the center of the pavilion was a revolving turntable like enclosure which housed the Bajaj small car.

As soon as we entered the Bajaj pavilion the core Bajaj bikes displayed were against a blue background and all of them were in striking blue graphics. Being biased towards blue as its my favourite colour, i obviously enjoyed the huge display. The only 'available' bike was the Bajaj Avenger 200 DTSi. Which now i believe makes one listen to the music of the Gods..Next to it were three new concepts from Bajaj, the XCD Sprint a revamped XCD with better styling, tail lamps and a slightly different exhaust system.The instrument console was also revamped with a differently designed digital speedo. This motorcycle could perhaps be the power version of the XCD making it move an inch closer to Discover territory.

The Discover however itself had moved up to 150 cc and striking looks. Devoid of all snazzy graphics, the Disco put up at the stall looked a mean machine with not much decals at all. The most attractive feature of the Disco besides its upgraded engine was the manner in which the front indicators were integrated into a tank mounted scoop thus blending into the bodywork itself.

The Pulsar however was prominent because of its complete absence from the Expo. As we had earlier been tipped by BAL officials during our Chakan plant visit that the entire Pulsar range would now be completely re-defined we were expecting some more upgrades perhaps a 300 cc mill or maybe even larger but then even the customary Pulsar Dtsi's were absent so was the new 200. The Pulsar 220 DTSFi there was done up completely in chrome and made a huge impact on most people. I remember having seen a similar bike from another manufacturer some time back but then don't understand why a revolutionary manufacturer like Bajaj would need to ape a concept like this. I guess it had a reason as was visible by the presence of 2 jammin rockstars next to the all shiny and chrome 220. The music they churned out was really awesome and just short of psychedelic.

Somehow i have a feeling that there is a sudden big big surprise expected from Bajaj when it comes to the tried and tested Pulsar family of motorcycles. They have been around for quite some time and have become a big brand in themselves so perhaps its time for the Brand to sustain itself on its heritage. BAL guys !! - Any scoops for us ?

The most aggressive looking of all Bajaj Products on display was the BLADE DTSi scooter. A big leap from the Kristal, this scooter is easily the best looking in the market today, perhaps we may have split opinions between this one and the Italjet designed one from Kinetic. But here lies a sure shot winner from Bajaj. Only if this now lives up to its reputation of coming frmo a family of scooter manufacturers, and revolutionising the manner in which India commutes, rather "POWER-COMMUTES" on Scooters.

At the center was the biggest surprise of all - The Bajaj small Car. Dont tell me... this is what the Pulsar has grown into??? Well although not much hyped like the similar project from another giant Indian auto manufacturer, this Car literally stole my heart mainly because of its chunky build quality feel and the fact that it looked similar to a lot many cars already on the road thus making it feel part of the current lot. Didn't look outlandish or something way beyond its league.

Click here for Pics from the Bajaj Pavilion.

Until then KEEP RIDING !!!!

TVS @ Auto Expo 2008

The TVS pavilion was perhaps the second most attractive pavilion and was also quite crowded with the official launch of their new and controversial 125 cc machine the FLAME. Yes the presenter herself was finding it slightly difficult to keep track of the exact alphabets which made up the technological marvel called CCVVTI or something the same concept which perhaps Bajaj had claimed of having patented hence it was a copyright violation to use it again. Overall it did look like the centre stage was captured by the Flame. Besides an auto rickshaw which looked like straight out of the future one new vehicle caught my attention which was the TVS Scooty Teenz – Electric variant. This was now no longer powered by an ICE but instead was run on electric motors powered by a Battery pack.

There were two concept bikes on the TVS stalls this year and none of them were either placed at a strategic location or hyped enough to create a major fervour. The X-Fossil was perhaps and electric or hybrid vehicle. Despite the radical design there wasn’t much appeal in the bike which claimed a top speed in excess of 140 KMPH. The other concept vehicle was a small scooter, again hybrid the TVS Qube.

TVS Indonesia also displayed the TVS Neo, a revolutionary step through that had been developed primarily for that market. I don’t think TVS would plan to launch the same vehicle here as Indian riders aren’t much open to the concept of a step through qualifying as a complete motorcycle. Save the ubiquitous M-80 from Bajaj all the other Step-through’s have simply disappeared within months of their launch. The concept vehicle based on the Neo was also on display. Aptly called Raptor this beast had massive disc brakes and a dual purpose suspension. An under-seat exhaust neatly tucked in indicated an end can tuned for performance.

The most popular rather prominent bike albeit was the TVS Flame. This bike has been in the hype for a long long time but then controversy had always been bugging the same down. Displayed alongside with 2 accompanying models who were rather busy chatting amongst themselves rather than seeing the reaction of the people on the Bike? I am somehow still not convinced the purpose of the models accompanying the bikes if they don’t sit on the bike nor do they speak about the bike.

Perhaps the crown jewel of this pavilion and perhaps least hyped about were the Apache bikes. This family of motorcycles was developed straight after the Fiero’s and is now considered as the flagship of the TVS stable. The bikes on display were again in striking colours. Although not much hyped there was the revolutionary Fuel Injected version of the Apache RTR. The cutting edge technology having made emission cleaner as well as engine and over all bike response better in all respect as compared to older conventional fuel system bikes. The Apache RTR Fi also had a unique distinguishing scoop attached to the tank presumably to cool the engine or perhaps direct airflow to the fuel pump/air intake.

The sexiest (pardon the language) of all the Bikes in the TVS podium was the Race Specification “conventional” Carburetted Apache RTR 160. This magnificent beast in pure gunmetal colour was distinguished visually only by the slightly different silencer and surprisingly was not splattered with wild and race specification decals. This was perhaps a secretly developed contraption and could be configured by taking the stock Apache 160RTR and approximately 10K into a TVS showroom and riding off after modifications on a screaming beastly machine. This was perhaps the fastest current Indian motorcycle. Although there had been talks in the racing circuit of TVS having secretly developed a lot of add-ons for the Apache RTR to make it the scorcher it ought to be, this was quite a surprise as we did not expect it to be such a simple bolt on screw on kind of a job. Perhaps we can now have a single machine which could beat the shit out of everyone during track days on weekends and then also zip through commuter traffic on the way to office during the rest of the week.

It was here that we had the opportunity to interact with the masterminds behind the creation of these super performance machines with the racing heritage and the “need for speed” attitude. It was during these talks that we came to know what immense amount of quality work goes behind getting the TVS bikes on the road and then subsequently the race track. Probably despite privateers racing on a lot of other bikes its TVS which has significantly contributed to the world of road racing by concentrating on the factors which affect racing performance of the motorcycle and using technology developed on the chicanes and straights to suit every day motorcycles give thrill to the average commuter who perhaps looks at squeezing performance out of the measly sub 200 cc mills available in Indian market today. Kudos to those stalwarts Siddarth and Jagrit who carefully want to develop a line of performance machines catered to understanding speed dynamics and quick handling on the race track and subsequently come up with our own definition of India bred “mini-superbikes” as we may call them.

More Pics from the TVS pavilion:

Yamaha @ Auto Expo 2008

Perhaps the most attractive Stand in the Motorcycle World at the Auto Expo 2008 was YAMAHA.

Yes I confess I am a true blue Yamaha Aficionado and I guess I spent maximum time out there at the Yamaha stall, so much that I actually wished if I could just LIVE at the stand for the 2 days I was in Delhi, much to the amusement of some of the Yamaha staff there. The press release officially announced the launch of some HIGH DECIBEL bikes from the Yamaha stables, High decibels indeed.... not only from the end cans but also from the voices of excited onlookers.


The Biggest and best attraction of this stand was obviously the Yamaha R 15, looking like the younger sibling of the beautiful & powerful Yamaha R1. Incidentally both the bikes were placed side by side, in same livery which drew a clear cut comparison between the both.



Entering into the Yamaha stall brought back a certain part of history alive as we had an appropriately (Bright Red Shirt, Smart Short Skirt, Knee Length black boots, straight out of modern 1980’s) dressed lady accompanying an RX 100 Gleaming Black and a RD 350 Lustrous Red; All Stock n Shiny Chromy Silencers reminding everyone of the wonder years.

More Pics of the Classic Beauties:

Next to them was the massive R1, in dual shades of menacing Black. This motorcycle was recently launched in India officially and today comes equipped with the standard road worth accessories – yes – saree guard etc etc – despite its racy form. I wonder how a saree clad damsel would ever reach the pillion seat and manage to sit sideways on the same. If anyone spots one like this please click a snap and send it across. It could be a sight worth seeing.

Rossi's M1 was also displayed alongside the Blue R1.



More Pics of the R1’s & M1:

There were 3 samples of the freshly developed R 15, one in exact same livery as the R1, Two Tone Menacing Black, and 2 in the Yamaha Blue livery. One Blue R 15 was displayed along with a set of accompanying accessories while the 2nd Blue babe adorned the centrestage along with a red outfitted Glam Brigade rider.




The unique 4 Valve engine with its forged aluminium piston, developed for this motorcycle and the Delta Box frame which formed the skeleton for the bike were displayed as independent show stoppers. The engine displayed had a cutaway section through which the technology behind the massive power generation was visible. It was also liquid cooled, unlike the engine oil which was cooled in some of the newly launched oil cooled bikes. Equipped with twin disc brakes front and rear, the R 15 is a thoroughbred race horse rather a wild mustang with well defined rearset foot pegs and a stance which could bring out the Moto Gp enthusiast even from within the most lethargic people. This was a shape which could entice, enthral and certainly blow one’s mind. We were lucky to meet up with the gentleman who was the brain behind this brainchild. Mr Tripathi - HATS OFF TO YOU SIR..!!! You have managed to conjure up a machine which as of date promises impressive figures on paper and now in Metal and GFP. Now its time to get this baby on to the tarmac and let us know what kind of decibels you would want to generate.


Add to it a couple of other strikingly good looking forms of the fairer gender and VOILA you have a deadly concoction.


Video of the R 15

More Pics of the R15:

The Gladiator was also present there, again in concept forms but perhaps now about to be launched into production. These upgraded versions were called the Gladiator SS in dual tone silver with either yellow gold or red trim while the RS was the true Yamaha Blue with striking graphics. Specs were quite same rather looked identical to the earlier Gladiator (Yes!! I too owned one at a time – the only 125 cc mills churning out double digit power ratings) but perhaps the trim and other smaller details had been changed.



More Gladiator Pics :




Beyond the Gladiator concepts was another Blue R1 alongside Rossi’s mean machine the M1. It was rumoured that Rossi might just drop down to grace the occasion with his presence but I guess I had to be satisfied with just my picture alongside the M1.

The Naked bikes section was right next to the main announcement booth and had great music playing continuously. There were 3 bikes adorning the stands there namely the (Brand New) FZ, the FZ-1 and the Torque Sports MT01. The FZ seemed to be a design marvel in its own category and sported practically possible specifications which could be mass produced in India thus making it perhaps a more financially viable motorcycle. It sported a very mean ‘street fighter’ like looks but had the standard 2 valve engine 150 cc in capacity perhaps churning out close to 16 – 18 horses.

Video of the FZ 150


Pics of the FZ Muscle Bike

Yamaha also made its presence felt through its riding gear displayed which actually complemented the awesome motorcycles present there.

Incidentally Yamaha was also the official Bike of the event as was visible by the numerous Gladiators, and Alba bikes running all over the venue ferrying people and light goods from one end to another.

As per Yamaha, most motorcycle owners ride, corner and brake almost unconsciously, however these 3 aspects form the core of motorcycling and when these are achieved with precision and control, the Man-Machine interaction is at its best and the rider experience is a far greater enjoyment.

This, as per Yamaha is the essence of their Motorcycle technology. Their technology has its roots in the highly competitive arena of racing, and they promise to bring the same benefit to people now through their recently to be launched beasts.


The cherry on the top of the cake perhaps was Rossi's Machine. ALthough it was rumuored that Rossi might just drop in to grace the pavillion, i guess i did the needful instead.



Overall Yamaha sounded very promising with 2 very impressive models being released just in time to cater to the ever increasing demand of powerful yet affordable motorcycle technology in India

More Pics

Look out for Yamaha in 2008!!!!!




Until then Keep Riding !!

My Delhi Trip

The Bike Nomads went to their first official Auto Expo visit. Official as they carried an identity of a Bike-Nomad to interact with the industry and evaluate the Motorcycles exhibited at the event.

This epic journey was actually planned during the month long sabbatical that Navendu and i had taken from our respective slavery's (jobs) and had decided to let our passion overtake our sensibility and give us a chance to interact with the best of the two wheeler industry.

We started off form Pune on the 13Th afternoon and reached Mumbai Central station to catch the Rajghani express. As we stood in the door of the fast moving train watching the sunset, we wondered what kind of a trip we had embarked upon and what kind of surprises awaited us at Delhi.

Delhi was reached just as dawn broke the still cold blue of the skies. After reaching Delhi we immediately spend some time in rush hour traffic trying to park the car and change in time to reach the auto expo within business hours.

Since we concentrated only on the Bikes there we moved straight to the Hall 7 which had most of the Bikes while Bajaj had moved out into Hall 3 exclusively as a strategic move or perhaps just a matter of convenience.

Detailed reports on each stall to follow soon. Watch this blog for more.

Post Auto expo i spent some real quality time with fellow Biker dudes there in Delhi, namely Akshay, Arunesh and Chetan who have been part of the Yezdi Gang and Sumeet Popli, Kam and our good ol Tao - Hitanshu who have been a Bike Nomad with me.

Spent some time at the Indian Air Force museum and then caught a flight back to Mumbai as the one to Pune was at odd times plus was WAY too expensive. After all Money for this trip was being routed from a lot of resources. So had to cut corners.



Went completely shutter crazy even during the flight experimenting with the camera settings of my Sony phone.

Finally landed back in Mumbai. Caught up with a local taxi to Dadar, and then a Bus back to Pune. Many Thanks to fellow biker Praveen Shirali to pick me up from the Bus stop and take me home...

Watch pics here..

Meeting the Shutterbugs - Bumping into the Adventurers

As i lazily woke up and stretched my arms in a wiiiddde yawn...and glanced at the clock. SHITT..nearly 9:00 A.M. I had a Photographers @ Pune photo shoot and that too early in the morninig and as usual i was late. This would have been the 4th photo shoot i would have backed out from and i wudnt have risked this for anything in the world. So i called up Harshad only to know that the troop was still on their way to Kudje and i could catch them anytime..WHATTA relief..

I finally moved out of my bed and got ready quickly and zoomed off towards the nearest fuel pump..being oh so forgetful i was practically running on Petrol Vapour. Tanking up at Shell Pirangut, i zoomed across the Mutha Ghats and came to the Mutha village. A villager offered to give me directions to Kudje and all i had to do was drop him near an intermediate village called Bahuli. So off i went, this dhoti clad 70 something gent sitting pillion wielding a lathi in one hand and a potli in the other. Enroute he gave me the recent agricultural updates in this region of the state. How the sugarcane rate fell from 1200 bucks (a quintal?)..to 500 bucks and hence everyone in the village is now dependent on their sons in Pune who are working and sending money home. He mentioned how he waits 5 hours to catch a abus to swargate every weekend to visit his relatives and practically spends the whole damn day in this travel. Somehow the BIkeNomad inside me failed to relate to his idea of travelling just about 60 - 70 odd kms over an entire day !!! Man i do Pune - Panvel in an Hour and a Half. (Not to mention.. Laxmi Road - Deccan in an Hour and a half too !!!). After dropping him off i zoomed crazily towards Kudje and finally found the group spread all over the contryside taking pictures. I turned off the road and started ridindg my bike straight towards the lake. After i reached a spot from where there was no other way but dwon i stopped got off and started walking down.

Met Srijith, Vipin, Sridhar etc at the Lake and then after some shots followed the group to the river bridge on Neelkantheshwar road. It was here that i also got introduced to some more shutterbugs..and came to know everyone had a unique name and id which kinda depicted their individuality..Hmm Time to get mine too...

We stopped there for some pics and then left in some time. It was here that i met the FAIRER GANG..(Sorry gals!!) of the Shutterbugs. Architect Pooja..Legendary Gangu..DR..etc etc..Pleasure meeting u all. Also the legendary OW. Nothing Ordinalry bout his world though.



Took directions from Captn about next stop and waited for some more snaps.



As i was moving towards Mutha i happened to give a lift to yet another Village elder. He was carrying a sugarcane and after dropping him he simply offered me the cane. I refused, citing space constraint as my reason so he gave me half of it, breaking it into 2 parts. WOW. He insisted i take it as he said - "We only get one life to repay all our favours and i would want to repay you right now, so please take it." Man !! What philospphy!!. Was it his years of toil and hardwork, was it his simplicity, those wrinkles on his forehead .....or just because he wasnt exposed to urban intelligent lifestyle... did he sound so clear about what he had to do in life.

Wish i had half his sensibility. I could have been a much better man today !!

After i dropped him at his village i again zoomed off towards Captain's suggested point and after reaching there realised..There are always TWO ends of a ghat section. So i didnt know "which" end of Mutha ghat were the P @ P guys were waiting. So i did a aquick recce of the entire Mutha ghats and didnt find them so decided to move further into Lavassa side. Luckily a few kms down the road i saw them and managed to reach the group JUST IN TIME to be there for the group photograph. HA HA HA....

As we were dispersing after the group photo, i noticed two streaking shapes in saffron zooming across the road with one lumbering black silhoutted figiurine in between. I paused for a while. Right turn - Follow the Shutterbug group..to Pune..Left Turn..follow those shapes towards Lavassa. I wasnt sure if i wud be able to catch up with them or if they would entertain my presence but then i had to take a split second decisison. I took a gamble. Left Turn it was !! I zoomed off towards Lavassa. As i neared them i noticed it was a group of 3 riders. Led by a lady on an Orange KTM 640 Adventure Dual Purpose Bike, A Dude on a Black Bullet Electra in between and trailed by another gentleman on a similar Orange KTM. I followed them closely as we took turns after turns and i noticed the awesome grace with which The KTM riders were taking curves, without any fear or concern of the high ground clearence. The bikes maintained a good pace even over the numerous speedbreakers along the route as the shock had nearly 4 - 5 inches of smooth travel without disturbing the saddle. So they weren't slowing down on the bumps, simply raising themselves on the foot pegs and moving on. As we started going up Lavassa i couldnt resist the temtation to open the throttle and zoomed up. Waited for some time for them and saw them slowly lumber to the top. It was here that i came to know they wanted to get inside Lavassa city for a alook around and the Bullet Rider, Gundeep did try to convince the Security to allow the group inside. FInally as a astroke of luck, the European gentleman managed to call someone on the inside and got us through. We rode down taking twisties in our stride and reached EKAANT the restaurent set deep inside over a cliff.

Once we parked the bikes a small introduction round followed and i came to know that the two KTM Riders were Dietmar and Regena from germany and on the Bullet was Ex Army Captn Gundeep Sandhu. after the introductions and some BIKE Talk we decided to walk up to the restaurent where we were cordially escorted to a table reserved for us, courtesy Dietmar's call.

The Full Glass walled restaurent was awsome and the height it commanded owing to its position on the mountain made the view even more exotic. I came to know here that Dietmer was working with Daimler Benz in Pune and dealt with the Commercial Vehicles, mainly the Large actros trucks. Regena and Gundeep were Investment Banking specialists form Bangalore and were there for a holiday.WHOA. And they had come there to just spend a weekend ridindg. Over the conversation we discussed how living in Pune had ade Dietmer an expert in traffic cutting and he did that with the ease of a RX 100 ider, alebeit on a KTM 640..Now Thats what i call riding...!! After a fresh lime water drink..and a toast to the Elegent fraulin, the rider gent from the land of oktoBEERfest and the now corporate commando Gundeep i decided to move back to Pune.

Bidding goodbye i walked out and took some more shots in and around the region. Finally it was time for me to get back to civilization and i started my bike and zoomed back towards Pune.

A quick hot shower refreshed me and then i just relaxed the rest of the day reflecting over the absolutely amazing time i had spent in the day...I wish i get another oppourtunity to ride with the KTM's again !!!

Until then..Keep Riding.

More Pics Here:

Attempted Saddle Sore - Got Heartburn - Still ENJOYED...

Started off from Home at 6:30 AM, Trip meter set at 0.00 Kms. This was my first ride with Cramster saddlebags and I was rather sceptical about the stability of the same. OTOT, my bags were just about 60% filled up to their capacity, hence I expected some amount of wallowing. First stop at the Pune RTO Petrol Pump for tanking up. Rode non stop out of Pune city, and couldn’t make good speed mainly because of getting caught in morning city traffic. Once outside the city limits the dual carriageway all the way till the outskirts of Ahmednagar was a good start for the day.

Saw the sunrise ahead of me as I rode eastwards and stopped at "Smile-stone" a nice and warm food joint just before Ahmednagar. I noticed that I had dropped my pen Enroute and the first loss of the ride had happened. Paused a while to think could this be jinxed, but then decided to carry on. Distance covered 105 Kms. Riding time 1 Hour 19 Minutes. After having a light breakfast I moved off into Ahmednagar city, as there was no by-pass available for the highway traffic to get diverted away. Managed to get out of Ahmednagar through absolutely rash and hap hazard traffic, obviously had a few “PASSION-ate” guys give chase seeing the bike loaded with Cramsters and me fully kitted.

Next stop was outside Jalna where I stopped to get on to the Jalna bypass and then on the highway towards Nagpur. Here I fuelled up at Essar petrol Pump, with their branded premium petrol called PUNCH. After that I was off towards a village called Vaghrul on the older Nagpur highway.

Here I dropped my cell phone somewhere. Completely my carelessness but then what had to happen had to happen. Villagers at Vaghrul tried helping me out by suggesting where to look for the same and all but it didn’t quite help. One kind hearted guy even gave me his pen so that I may now write down all the numbers. A few quick calls and I had the card blocked. I was in a dilemma whether to continue the ride or proceed home, but a “You had prepared for this and ...you should do it” statement from home made me continue. I had lost a lot of precious time here and hence was sure this ride could not qualify at all as a Saddle Sore 1000 but still decided to make it happen. Left Vaghrul at 2ish and moved towards Mehkar. Route was suggested by Harshad and it was an awesome road.

Stopped at Parivar Hotel for a quick bite. This hotel is between Mehkar and Malegaon and serves decent vegetarian food. Ambience of the hotel is also pretty cool. I had covered 438 kms by now and time was nearing 3:45 PM. The sun was pretty low on the horizon and fatigue had slowly started creeping in. After fuelling up for the 3rd time at Malegaon I moved towards Amravati on the newly constructed toll road. Rode like crazy and made it to Karanja around 5:30ish covering a total distance of approximately 540 Kms.








Had a steaming cup of tea at the friendly Chaiwala at Karanja and then took the road less travelled towards Nagpur, via Pulgaon and Wardha. This was definitely longer but then as advised by the Chai guy; it was way too smoother ride. I got lost a couple of times before reaching Wardha around 8ish. The temperature was now dropping and it was getting more and more difficult to ride fast. Finally I made it home safe and sound around 9:10 in the night after having travelled 751 Kms.

The icing on the cake was the surprised, shocked but extremely happy look on my Mom’s face as she saw me inside the house. Guess the ride was worth it.





The next day saw me getting up early morning and moving out around 7:30ish. I had a refreshing cup of tea; courtesy Mom, and then zoomed off towards Amravati. 1st stop was at a Reliance petrol bunk for filling up and checking the tyre pressure etc. Post which I kept zigzagging on the national highway at each diversion as the massive road is currently under construction and was paved in certain sections and had moon surfaces at certain sections. Finally after negotiating a lot of varied surfaces I managed to reach Amravati and by god’s grace or should I say some minister’s grace there was a by-pass road circumnavigating the city and leading towards Karanja. I took the bypass and rode like crazy. It was here that I managed to maintain a constant 100 kmph for well over 10 odd minutes.

In no time I was already out of the city limits on the other side and managed to identify a much less travelled rural road running straight out of Amravati and towards Karanja. I took that one and negotiated village after village experiencing rustic Indian life at its best and seeing the core of the country before hitting the highway once again. I saw vegetable gardens huge and vast, after a along time. India still thrives on agronomy and its but here where perhaps maximum productivity is. Industrialization is all but HOT AIR i believe. I havent seen much creativity andtangible visible changes in development of machines, material and even software code.







This Rural route was definitely faster, one being shorter and secondly as it did not have any traffic at all except the occasional bullock cart, tractor or cyclist. Of course I had to keep my eyes peeled for the huge herds of cattle and livestock who did not realise the difference between road and fields and walked on both in a similar manner. I was around 210 Kms down by now and the sun had already started climbing up.







I took a break at the same Chai guy and after refreshing myself set off towards Malegaon and Mehkar to make good time. The newly laid road was again a dream to ride on as I was still fresh after the morning ride. I was again at the same old Lunch point – Hotel Parivar – at Mehkar around 12:40 in the afternoon after travelling close to 311 kms. This stretch has fabulous tarred surfaces and I managed to make a good average speed of well over 80 KMPH. This was great as I had left late from home and I had to make good time towards Pune.

From Mehkar it was again a nice combination of rural twists and turns towards Jalna, passing Lonar Enroute, the place where we have India’s monumental lake caused by the impact of a huge meteorite. I crossed Sindked Raja village and reached Jalna around 3ish in the afternoon. Parts of the road in between were undergoing massive renovation and that was reason enough for the infrastructure machinery to create more diversions and obstacles in the otherwise seemingly perfect surface.







I had covered over 400 kms by now and fatigue was starting to get to me. I managed to reach Aurangabad just before sun down but passing through the damn city was a big pain not only to the butt but also to the wrist and fingers as negotiating traffic after a leisurely cruise on the highway wasn’t my idea of fun. I managed to squeeze through the hap hazard city traffic and stopped at Waluj for a snack break. Stuffing myself with some egg pakora and another good cup of tea I managed to coax my butt into the remaining 200 plus kms that remained of my epic journey.

Finally I managed to reach Smilestone, the eating joint between Ahmednagar and Pune by about 7:05 in the evening. Darkness had already enveloped the roads and the skies and I took a lavish 50 minute break here, relishing on the cool environment and doing some small experiments with my shutter happy heart. Finally it was time to do the last mile run and I zoomed off towards home.

I entered Pune around 9ish and immediately encountered hap hazard traffic and youngsters zipping in and out of traffic on their commuter bikes. At occasions I felt like telling them the tale of my journey and ask them to first check their endurance before demonstrating their enthusiasm. But, fatigue had already got the better of me and I decided to play safe and reach home, where the warm bed and home food was just inviting me. I managed to reach around 9:30sish and after freshening up just crashed off. A Well executed ride followed by a well deserved slumber episode. What a way to re-discover life. On the road the bike nomad way!!

I noted down my odometer reading and found out that the way back was shorter and came up to just around 711 kms, taking the total distance up to 1471 kms; which was definitely short by a huge distance for any saddle sore record. Anyways, looks like a little more planning and a different direction needs to be chosen.




Until then keep riding!!

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