17:30 pm Sunday, Dec 28, 2014.
As I lay on bed with an Aching shoulder and absolutely tortured wrists, I ask myself... "When am i gonna go for another trip??"
04:50 am Sunday, Dec 28, 2014.
The view just after paying the entry fee.
The road through the Hill Forest
Proper Forest this.. Roads littered with leeches and millipedes the size of a lizard.
On the way, Down hill.
Ghat section. Stunning views indeed.
The roads pass through a vivid selection of terrain. from misty cliffs to rocky mountains to dense hill forests, to town settlements to bamboo forests.
As I lay on bed with an Aching shoulder and absolutely tortured wrists, I ask myself... "When am i gonna go for another trip??"
04:50 am Sunday, Dec 28, 2014.
Goin' back a few hours to Saturday evening, and I had no idea whatsoever, to go for a long trip. Yes 300+ kilometers one way is a long trip as I have never done one. Anyway, no idea what happened to my brain which suddenly in the middle of the night planned to take the trip to Yercaud in the Shevaroy hills. The route I decided was Tambaram - Ulundurpet - Attur - salem - Yercaud. But all this can wait...
So the idea kept me awake and eventually I dragged myself out of my bed by 4 am. Packed my backpack with my GoPro, and an empty bottle for fuel and started exactly at 4:50 am. Early December mornings are the best. The roads were misty, cold and empty which meant i could open the throttle and let the horses free.. all 43 of 'em.
Things that i had to take note :
Things that i had to take note :
Riding in cold weather is a painful thing. Self note : remember to take a balaclava or something to cover the face.
Topped up on fuel in the tank and the bottle somewhere near Tindivanam and reached Villupuram by 6:15am and proceeded nonstop till Ulundurpet - Salem bypass intersection. The roads till Chenglepet were sparsely dotted with cars however the scene changed after Tindivanam. Open roads all the way. At the ulundurpet - Salem junction stopped to take some pictures of the rocky terrain that lined the road and give my shoulders a rest. With that done it was nonstop to Yercaud.
The road from ulundurpet to Salem is a peach of a road. Six lanes of pure Indian magnificence. NHAI respect!! it passes through villages and thus there is no traffic although u might encounter cattle traffic. Average speed was around 125 kmph. (to quote Jeremy Clarkson -"Dont worry officer, i've got ABS..")
Topped up on fuel in the tank and the bottle somewhere near Tindivanam and reached Villupuram by 6:15am and proceeded nonstop till Ulundurpet - Salem bypass intersection. The roads till Chenglepet were sparsely dotted with cars however the scene changed after Tindivanam. Open roads all the way. At the ulundurpet - Salem junction stopped to take some pictures of the rocky terrain that lined the road and give my shoulders a rest. With that done it was nonstop to Yercaud.
The road from ulundurpet to Salem is a peach of a road. Six lanes of pure Indian magnificence. NHAI respect!! it passes through villages and thus there is no traffic although u might encounter cattle traffic. Average speed was around 125 kmph. (to quote Jeremy Clarkson -"Dont worry officer, i've got ABS..")
With the 'Katoom' munching up the miles, the shevaroys soon gleamed out of the horizon in all of its majesty. And this is where a mistake changed to the best decision of the trip. Having reached salem - Attur - Kuppanur junction I relied on my phone's GPS to go to Yercaud. Little did I know I was in for a surprise. The route I took was through the state highway to yercaud via Kuppanur town. Best.Decision.Ever!. .Thank you Google Maps. Still .. managed to get lost near kuppanur as the way to Yercaud has a tiny entrance and a microscopic sign board. Meandered for about ten mins around Kuppanur town, and having found the way, had a last fuel top up, paid an entry fee of 10Rs (yes they have a entry fee in this way too) and I was on my way.
Ghat Road section begins..
Till the point I reached Kuppanur there were doubts, second thoughts on whether this was a good idea to travel alone. 328kms from home to yercaud in a sports bike that is nowhere near to being fit for touring, a very track focused seating and a seat as stiff as nail sticking out of a telephone pole.But everything changed when the view in front of the visor changed. The roads began to narrow and twist, trees and greenery lined every inch of the land, and Lady Mist showered her immaculate love all the way through. Then i realized, this is what touring is all about. This very moment is what i've been searching for. Pain, Misfortune, Money, Time, everything is just a word in front of the sheer natural aura that Mother Gaia present us. What was aching pain turned to absolute joy in the ghat roads. Every corner, Every straight bit of tarmac was pure beauty. The curves, the forest, the cliffs, and the endless sky all work in unison to create something that words simply cant describe.The Katoom RC390 is nowhere near fit for touring. But on this ghat section, God! What a machine. glides through every corner. and ABS brakes were simply stunning and thank god i had em' :D . This is when i remembered when James May took the Lambo to the transfugarasan highway. All hail Captain Slow!!.
Yercaud is such a gorgeous place. Hill Forest. Less crowded than the other hillstations.
The ghat roads are meant for bikes. And the best route to take is from Kuppanur to Yercaud.
Best driving road in Tamil Nadu. !!
Now the Bike.
KTM Rc390 "Race Competition" . Jaw dropping. The words Ray Hudson uses to describe Leo Messi's goals can be put up for this bike. Magisterial.!! What a machine. 43bhp engine pulls like a maniac and the response from the throttle is sublime. Indeed a crotch rocket. It wants to be ridden hard. It pushes u to an extent where you think to yourself "ride hard or go home" .
when riding at around 110 to 125 kmph, the fuel efficeiency was 32kmpl on the odo. However when ridden around 90 to 110 in 5th gear the efficiency reduces to 25-29 kmpl. Go Beyond 130kmph and the fuel simply vanishes. Guess it evaporates :D .. but who cares... you'll be busy grinning like a man who had just consumed six bottles of Bovril.
And then theres ABS :D . Truly a life saver. With Indians roads, cruising at 60kmph is as dangerous as zipping at 120kmph. The State busses swerve like a man running from his crazy ex in a mall. Crazy and Violent.
The Metzelers are truly a class apart from the rest of the shoes the market offers. You get so much grip from it and that is needed with so much power under the seat.
The KTM RC390 is a spectacular bike with the right combinations of power, grip, and safety. As a city cruiser or a Track Day tool it is the best India has to offer as an entry level sports bike till date. However as a tourer, as much as i enjoyed it... the track focused seating and the really hard seat, makes it in no way fit for touring.
KTM India have done a excellent job with this machine. Power + Safety + Soul. Class!!
Kuppanur to yercaud is about 22Kms from the foothills and the entire road is a Ghat section. Would'nt recommend goin by car on this route as it is too narrow and only one four wheeler can pass by at time on the ghat section.
Yes, state transport corporation busses do operate on this route which makes it impossible for a car to pass from the other side.
No fuel stations en route till Yercaud Town.
The entire trip was 731 kms from Tambaram - Yercaud - Tambaram.
riding time : 4:50 am to 5:15 pm. Yes 731 kms in a single day on an RC :D
