Guess the headline says it all. When you have been riding one of these classic Jawa's or Yezdi's for so many years, you sometimes wonder how far can you actually push these machines. Remember, the youngest of the lot, the Yezdi Roadking was last manufactured in 1996. So that make it at least 19 years old.
So, a few of us from BJYMC lead by Sreedhar Kacchu got together and decided to test the limits of our bikes and our butts :) And so, the Goa plan was formed with the ride titled 'Kings Raid Goa'. The plan was simple, start early morning and ride as far as possible before breaking for breakfast. Enter the western ghats before stopping for lunch and reach Baga (Goa) before night fall.
12 handpicked riders came together with their well oiled machines and began the ride at 5.30am on 12th Nov'15. The team consistently rode till Sira (120kms) which was the designated stop for breakfast and meeting point for the Mysore riders. However, the Mysore boys were delayed due to rains and rerouted towards Shimoga and Karwar to save time. Hence, we decided to ride beyond Sira and stopped for breakfast at a quiet restaurant (Hotel Amar) to gorge on hot idlis and vadas. One of the very few restaurants right beside the highway.
By 8.30am, we were ready to get back on the saddle and rode past Hiriyur, Chitradurga, Davangere, Haveri and stopped at Cafe Coffee Day by the highway at Shiggaon by 11.45am. The total distance covered till then was 360 kms. After a 30 min break, the group was back on the road to cross Hubli bypass toward Dharwad and finally got off the expressway to enter the Alnavar - Ponda road.
Lunch was at Hill View Hotel after Naaglaavi about 12 kms off the highway. All 12 bikes were running like a charm.
From here on, the ride got interesting on the single lane highway cutting across the majestic western ghats but also hampering our pace. The road beyond Ramnagar deteriorated for about 20 kms till we crossed into Goa at Mollem at around 4.30pm. The first batch of riders cross into Panjim by 7 and reached our homestay in Baga Arpora (Christos) by 7.30 pm with the last batch coming in by 7.45pm. A new milestone was achieved that night as all 12 bikes had covered a total distance of 640 kms from Bangalore in 14 hours without any breakdown whatsoever.
Full of energy, we were greeted by the Mangalore riders (Mangalore Jawa Yezdi Motorcycle Club) who had covered about 400kms. After settling down, we kept our ears peeled to hear the thump of two more bikes belonging to our Mysore team of PC and Vow. The last two riders rolled in at 8pm successfully covering a distance of 660 kms from Mysore to Baga via Arsikere, Shimago, Honnavar, Karwar, Mudgaon and Panjim.
Day 2 was reserved for some team games (Lemon and Spoon race on bikes and Slow bike race) at the homestay followed by vocal entertainment by our talented rider Shawn from Mangalore. Our evening was spent at the popular and crowded Baga beach followed by dinner at Anjuna.
After a good night's sleep, the entire contingent was keen to explore the beach destination and headed out to the northern most part of the state. Our destination was Terekhol Fort, next to Keri Beach which is now a private hotel. Access to the fort is via a river crossing after Keri Beach on a large ferry and a short ride up the hill. On our return, we stopped at the beautiful Ashwem beach before heading to Anand Restaurant for lunch and Cafe Lilliput in Anjuna to catch the sunset.
Before we knew it, our holiday had come to an end and it was time for us to head back. Sunday morning started with simple breakfast and trophy presentation to the most deserving riders and winners of contests. After a brief presentation and group picture, we loaded our bikes and began our journey back to Bangalore by 9.30 am. After regrouping in Dharwad bypass road, we stopped for lunch at Kamat on the outskirts of Hubli by 2.15pm.
As the sun began to set, our pace remained consistent with all bikes running in their prime and munching miles by the minute. The backup crew did a splendid job in sweeping behind the last two bikes till we stopped for dinner at yet another Kamat hotel near Tumkur. After waving our goodbye's, we all split to head home with the first lot arriving at their destination by 10pm and the last batch by midnite. Overall, one hell of an experience.
Quick facts:
Total distance covered: 1370 kms
Average fuel consumed: 40 - 45 liters + oil
Average speed: 80 kmph
Time taken Blr - Goa: 14 hours
Time take Goa - Blr: 12.5 - 14 hours
Breakdowns: Couple of minor issues, but all bikes were road worthy
So, a few of us from BJYMC lead by Sreedhar Kacchu got together and decided to test the limits of our bikes and our butts :) And so, the Goa plan was formed with the ride titled 'Kings Raid Goa'. The plan was simple, start early morning and ride as far as possible before breaking for breakfast. Enter the western ghats before stopping for lunch and reach Baga (Goa) before night fall.
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| Route from Bangalore to Baga, Goa |
12 handpicked riders came together with their well oiled machines and began the ride at 5.30am on 12th Nov'15. The team consistently rode till Sira (120kms) which was the designated stop for breakfast and meeting point for the Mysore riders. However, the Mysore boys were delayed due to rains and rerouted towards Shimoga and Karwar to save time. Hence, we decided to ride beyond Sira and stopped for breakfast at a quiet restaurant (Hotel Amar) to gorge on hot idlis and vadas. One of the very few restaurants right beside the highway.
 |
| Coffee Day regrouping at Shiggaon, NH4 |
Lunch was at Hill View Hotel after Naaglaavi about 12 kms off the highway. All 12 bikes were running like a charm.
From here on, the ride got interesting on the single lane highway cutting across the majestic western ghats but also hampering our pace. The road beyond Ramnagar deteriorated for about 20 kms till we crossed into Goa at Mollem at around 4.30pm. The first batch of riders cross into Panjim by 7 and reached our homestay in Baga Arpora (Christos) by 7.30 pm with the last batch coming in by 7.45pm. A new milestone was achieved that night as all 12 bikes had covered a total distance of 640 kms from Bangalore in 14 hours without any breakdown whatsoever.
Full of energy, we were greeted by the Mangalore riders (Mangalore Jawa Yezdi Motorcycle Club) who had covered about 400kms. After settling down, we kept our ears peeled to hear the thump of two more bikes belonging to our Mysore team of PC and Vow. The last two riders rolled in at 8pm successfully covering a distance of 660 kms from Mysore to Baga via Arsikere, Shimago, Honnavar, Karwar, Mudgaon and Panjim.
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| Christos' pet boxer Matrix |
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| Sunset view from Anjuna Beach |
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| Enroute to Keri Beach |
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| View of Keri Beach from Terekhol Fort |
Quick facts:
Total distance covered: 1370 kms
Average fuel consumed: 40 - 45 liters + oil
Average speed: 80 kmph
Time taken Blr - Goa: 14 hours
Time take Goa - Blr: 12.5 - 14 hours
Breakdowns: Couple of minor issues, but all bikes were road worthy
Awesomeness overloaded....
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