The wait was finally over..... After more than 3 months I got back on my beloved Royal Enfield and went back to the good old days of laid back riding along the highways. The dates were fixed well in advance. It was an overnight ride over the weekend. The perfect way to spend one, considering the fact that I'm at home the whole day without a job. The excitement was more as I was going to ride with a whole new gang since it was organized by Royal Enfield Bandra showroom and not my usual Nerul gang.
9th June 14:45 was the reporting time at the showroom. My poor timing calculations coupled with confusing and narrow streets of Bandra meant that I made it to the showroom only at 15:45. A whole hour late since I sort of had a mini Bandra darshan finding my way to the showroom. I felt embarrassed as I had challenged the guys at the showroom that there is always a delay in the start up at Nerul but this time I was the cause of the delay. Luckily for me, there was another bike which came in after me in a very bad shape. So the entire frustration was removed on that fellow and we had to chuck him out of the ride. Two familiar faces in the form of Lloyd and Mandar were a relieving sight. They were more than happy to welcome me after a long long time. After a brief hearing given by the showroom manager Harshil Desai, we were finally ready to be flagged off with our tanks full.
We started thumping at 16:45. Weekend meant that we had to wade through traffic all the way up to Borivili. To make matters worse, there was a naka- bandi for no good reason. Anyway, as usual no cops stopped this Royal convoy and we finally started cruising after the check post. The weather was perfect with overcast skies and light winds blowing across. Once we reached the highway, we were on cruise control mode. A line of 9 Bullets riding along in a disciplined manner at more than 100 kmph was a lesson in controlled use of power with a sense of responsibility. NH 8 was a cruiser's paradise. Of course it was also a little sleep inducing specially when you ride constantly at the same speed. Having covered more than 100 kms, we finally decided to take a short break. All bikes were lined up and the photo session began. Curious onlookers gathered to watch us posing along our bikes. A blasting start from Lloyd got us going again till we reached our snacking point, about 15 minutes away from where we stopped. A young lad came in rushing to ask us who we were and where were we heading to. It was the only restaurant along the highway after miles and miles of concrete. The showroom manager had fixed a flag on his Standard 350 which was a perfect way to advertise the brand. A lot of tourists took note of us as we entered the restaurant fully clad in our biking gear.
A quick sip between lips and we were good to go again. We rode into the twilight and were going at a good pace till we faced our first set back. With no street lights along the highway, we realized rather late that our tail man was stuck somewhere. Our wing man Mandar realized this when he was not able to spot the headlight of our tail man Vijay. One phone call and we came to know that Vijay's battery cable had some issues. Luckily for us, he was our chief mechanic for this ride, so his expertise guided him and he soon joined us where we were waiting for him. We continued our journey in the dark, passing mammoth trailers on our way and finally reached our point of turn to the Union Territory of Daman. If the highway was dark, the interior roads were even more. Narrow lane with dense forest cover on both sides posed a significant challenge on us but at the same time it was a delightful sight. Headlight beams became the most important component for all of us. We finally entered the town when we passed through a huge wall which greeted us to this once upon a time Portuguese ruled colony. Hot shower and a full course meal was what we all were waiting for once we managed to reach our villas after a string of wrong turns. By the time we crashed for the night, it was 02:00 in the morning.
A lazy Sunday morning woke us up with sunlight literally hitting our faces. We decided to hit the nearby beach only to realize that it was a rocky one and low tide made it more disappointing. We packed our bags and were scheduled to ride back home at 13:30. Quick tune ups to all the bikes by Vijay and we were set to ride back home. A huge fan base for Royal Enfield had developed as weekenders waved a huge good bye to us as we left our villas. A smooth ride all along the highway with not a single dark cloud looming over our heads helped us reach bang on time for lunch at the same highway restaurant at about 16:00. Full king sized meal was ordered for all. As we waited with increasing hunger pangs we managed to avoid the first showers of the day. Before lethargy kicked in, we got ourselves ready and started riding again. Pace was slower as the roads were wet. Our wing men Lloyd and Mandar did a fantastic job of maintaining a decent pace and we were nearly touching Virar when suddenly a massive screech of the tyres and in a span of seconds, Lloyd was down. He barely managed to escape being run over by a mini van. A classic case of irresponsible driving by Indian motorists. While Lloyd was giving indications to the van to move aside to make way for our gang, typical impatience and ignorance on part of the driver meant that he moved on to our lane and shoved Lloyd out of the way. Thankfully riders behind were disciplined and were able to brake on time to avoid running over Lloyd. Traffic came to a standstill as the blame game began. The damage was done. The front brake lever fell apart, tank was dented in several areas, tail lights were no longer there as they were smashed. Thankfully, Lloyd was unhurt. Not even a scratch. It clearly indicated the importance of safety gear. Another testimony to the ruggedness of Royal Enfield was witnessed. Despite the major accident, one kick and the bike was roaring like ever before. The only problem was Lloyd had to make it home without a front brake in these wet and dangerous conditions. This is where his experience and skills came to help him. Vijay offered to ride back Lloyd's bike home but Lloyd bluntly denied that. I guess every man loves his machine more than anything else.
We stopped for a while under a bridge as our senior most member (56) was having difficulties riding in the wet. A full fledged rainbow showed its face as we waited. The vibrant colours lifted our spirits and we were back on the road again. The city traffic was crawling at snail's pace. We maneuvered our bikes along the edges to keep going. Suddenly, 'Uncle Colourful' slid along the muck and added a brown shade to his linen. We advised the showroom assistant to take home the old timer as conditions kept getting worse. As we rode on I had a terrible time since my visor was covered with spray of dirt. Riding with an open visor with flashing headlights from the opposite direction was too painful. We finally reached our last common point from where we began splitting up and went our separate ways. Lloyd, Mandar and me were together till I lost track of them at one of the signals. Luckily for me, I had been on that route previously so I had no issues coming back from Ghodbunder road.
As I rode back alone in partially wet conditions I finally realized that I had not taken a single photograph on this entire trip. But the whole trip was so eventful, it is bound to never leave my head. I came home fully covered in dirt. The bike sported a motocross appearance with only the saddle left to be covered by mud. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyed trip with a totally new gang. Can't wait to ride again with them!!!!!
9th June 14:45 was the reporting time at the showroom. My poor timing calculations coupled with confusing and narrow streets of Bandra meant that I made it to the showroom only at 15:45. A whole hour late since I sort of had a mini Bandra darshan finding my way to the showroom. I felt embarrassed as I had challenged the guys at the showroom that there is always a delay in the start up at Nerul but this time I was the cause of the delay. Luckily for me, there was another bike which came in after me in a very bad shape. So the entire frustration was removed on that fellow and we had to chuck him out of the ride. Two familiar faces in the form of Lloyd and Mandar were a relieving sight. They were more than happy to welcome me after a long long time. After a brief hearing given by the showroom manager Harshil Desai, we were finally ready to be flagged off with our tanks full.
We started thumping at 16:45. Weekend meant that we had to wade through traffic all the way up to Borivili. To make matters worse, there was a naka- bandi for no good reason. Anyway, as usual no cops stopped this Royal convoy and we finally started cruising after the check post. The weather was perfect with overcast skies and light winds blowing across. Once we reached the highway, we were on cruise control mode. A line of 9 Bullets riding along in a disciplined manner at more than 100 kmph was a lesson in controlled use of power with a sense of responsibility. NH 8 was a cruiser's paradise. Of course it was also a little sleep inducing specially when you ride constantly at the same speed. Having covered more than 100 kms, we finally decided to take a short break. All bikes were lined up and the photo session began. Curious onlookers gathered to watch us posing along our bikes. A blasting start from Lloyd got us going again till we reached our snacking point, about 15 minutes away from where we stopped. A young lad came in rushing to ask us who we were and where were we heading to. It was the only restaurant along the highway after miles and miles of concrete. The showroom manager had fixed a flag on his Standard 350 which was a perfect way to advertise the brand. A lot of tourists took note of us as we entered the restaurant fully clad in our biking gear.
A quick sip between lips and we were good to go again. We rode into the twilight and were going at a good pace till we faced our first set back. With no street lights along the highway, we realized rather late that our tail man was stuck somewhere. Our wing man Mandar realized this when he was not able to spot the headlight of our tail man Vijay. One phone call and we came to know that Vijay's battery cable had some issues. Luckily for us, he was our chief mechanic for this ride, so his expertise guided him and he soon joined us where we were waiting for him. We continued our journey in the dark, passing mammoth trailers on our way and finally reached our point of turn to the Union Territory of Daman. If the highway was dark, the interior roads were even more. Narrow lane with dense forest cover on both sides posed a significant challenge on us but at the same time it was a delightful sight. Headlight beams became the most important component for all of us. We finally entered the town when we passed through a huge wall which greeted us to this once upon a time Portuguese ruled colony. Hot shower and a full course meal was what we all were waiting for once we managed to reach our villas after a string of wrong turns. By the time we crashed for the night, it was 02:00 in the morning.
A lazy Sunday morning woke us up with sunlight literally hitting our faces. We decided to hit the nearby beach only to realize that it was a rocky one and low tide made it more disappointing. We packed our bags and were scheduled to ride back home at 13:30. Quick tune ups to all the bikes by Vijay and we were set to ride back home. A huge fan base for Royal Enfield had developed as weekenders waved a huge good bye to us as we left our villas. A smooth ride all along the highway with not a single dark cloud looming over our heads helped us reach bang on time for lunch at the same highway restaurant at about 16:00. Full king sized meal was ordered for all. As we waited with increasing hunger pangs we managed to avoid the first showers of the day. Before lethargy kicked in, we got ourselves ready and started riding again. Pace was slower as the roads were wet. Our wing men Lloyd and Mandar did a fantastic job of maintaining a decent pace and we were nearly touching Virar when suddenly a massive screech of the tyres and in a span of seconds, Lloyd was down. He barely managed to escape being run over by a mini van. A classic case of irresponsible driving by Indian motorists. While Lloyd was giving indications to the van to move aside to make way for our gang, typical impatience and ignorance on part of the driver meant that he moved on to our lane and shoved Lloyd out of the way. Thankfully riders behind were disciplined and were able to brake on time to avoid running over Lloyd. Traffic came to a standstill as the blame game began. The damage was done. The front brake lever fell apart, tank was dented in several areas, tail lights were no longer there as they were smashed. Thankfully, Lloyd was unhurt. Not even a scratch. It clearly indicated the importance of safety gear. Another testimony to the ruggedness of Royal Enfield was witnessed. Despite the major accident, one kick and the bike was roaring like ever before. The only problem was Lloyd had to make it home without a front brake in these wet and dangerous conditions. This is where his experience and skills came to help him. Vijay offered to ride back Lloyd's bike home but Lloyd bluntly denied that. I guess every man loves his machine more than anything else.
We stopped for a while under a bridge as our senior most member (56) was having difficulties riding in the wet. A full fledged rainbow showed its face as we waited. The vibrant colours lifted our spirits and we were back on the road again. The city traffic was crawling at snail's pace. We maneuvered our bikes along the edges to keep going. Suddenly, 'Uncle Colourful' slid along the muck and added a brown shade to his linen. We advised the showroom assistant to take home the old timer as conditions kept getting worse. As we rode on I had a terrible time since my visor was covered with spray of dirt. Riding with an open visor with flashing headlights from the opposite direction was too painful. We finally reached our last common point from where we began splitting up and went our separate ways. Lloyd, Mandar and me were together till I lost track of them at one of the signals. Luckily for me, I had been on that route previously so I had no issues coming back from Ghodbunder road.
As I rode back alone in partially wet conditions I finally realized that I had not taken a single photograph on this entire trip. But the whole trip was so eventful, it is bound to never leave my head. I came home fully covered in dirt. The bike sported a motocross appearance with only the saddle left to be covered by mud. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyed trip with a totally new gang. Can't wait to ride again with them!!!!!
