Bangalore - Pune Bike Ride
When: 19th November, 2015
Destination: Pune
Bike: Royal Enfield Thunderbird
Total Distance: 875 Kms
Route: Bangalore - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Davangere - Hubli - Belgaum - Kolhapur - Satara - Pune
We knew we had made a bold decision to ride such a long distance and that it was going to be a critical test both mentally and physically. Since this was a trip we were planning for more than an year, we were finally determined to make it happen.
Day 1
Bangalore - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Davangere
After calling it a day at work on a Friday evening, we headed home to finally pack and leave for our destination. We rigged up the luggage, tanked up the bike and everything was set for our longest bike ride so far. The saddle bags were packed with all essential things for our 3 day trip. we tried to pack as light as possible without compromising on our and the bike's safety. We were all geared up with an armoured riding jacket, riding gloves, shoes, knee guards and helmets.
It was exactly 7 PM when we left Bangalore. As expected, we were hit by the evening city traffic before hitting NICE road and could reach Tumkur junction only by 8.30 PM. The weather was very mildly cold and perfect for riding [well, at least so far :)]. It was not long after that we started encountering night traffic on the highway. We could see cars passing by at the speeds of their limits. We were in our highest spirits until we hit NH4 and saw a signboard stating 'Pune - 832 Km'. We looked at each other, brushed the fear aside and continued to ride.
The highway has four lanes with overall decent roads barring a few patchy stretches. The road 50 kms before Chitradurga until crossing the town was an exception. This part of the ride was dangerous as it had construction work going on and there were people and dogs hurriedly crossing the roads. To add to it further, the rain Gods had started to shower their love upon us. :). we stopped and put on our rain gear and hit the roads again. The incessant rains coupled with cars driving with blinding headlights led us to almost zero visibility of the road. We finally reached Davangere, our destination for the day at 12.30 AM and got a few hours of well deserved rest.
Day 2
We still had 590 Kms to cover for our destination. We started from Davangere at 6.30 AM, tanked up and hit the roads for the most scenic morning ride. Here is a picture of us before the ride.
Everything from people passing by, farm lands, windmills and villages stayed with us for mere seconds before we rode by. We covered another 150 kms and stopped for breakfast. In the next few hours we passed by Hubli and Belgaum. The road conditions in Belgaum are top notch. We rode further for 1.5 hours and as we entered Maharashtra, we could see the roads getting narrower and traffic getting heavier. Our plan was to cover as much distance as possible before the sun sets. We reached Kolhapur at roughly 5 PM and quickly stopped for tea and more so because our bodies were giving up. :)
we crossed Satara soon after. As we rode further down, all of a sudden our surroundings became pitch dark. No, it wasn't sunset. We then remembered that they were the famous tunnels that fall shortly before Pune. The sound of Enfield inside the tunnels was roaring. It instantly lifted our spirits and eliminated every trace of tiredness from our minds.
It was 7:30 PM that we entered Pune city. We were wishfully hoping that we would make it home in another 45 minutes but we had to spend 2 hours in Pune traffic to finally see our family. :)
I headed home and knew it was the most deserved nap in a long time. I soon fell asleep unknowingly recollecting the memories from our longest ride so far.
Destination: Pune
Bike: Royal Enfield Thunderbird
Total Distance: 875 Kms
Route: Bangalore - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Davangere - Hubli - Belgaum - Kolhapur - Satara - Pune
We knew we had made a bold decision to ride such a long distance and that it was going to be a critical test both mentally and physically. Since this was a trip we were planning for more than an year, we were finally determined to make it happen.
Day 1
Bangalore - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Davangere
After calling it a day at work on a Friday evening, we headed home to finally pack and leave for our destination. We rigged up the luggage, tanked up the bike and everything was set for our longest bike ride so far. The saddle bags were packed with all essential things for our 3 day trip. we tried to pack as light as possible without compromising on our and the bike's safety. We were all geared up with an armoured riding jacket, riding gloves, shoes, knee guards and helmets.
It was exactly 7 PM when we left Bangalore. As expected, we were hit by the evening city traffic before hitting NICE road and could reach Tumkur junction only by 8.30 PM. The weather was very mildly cold and perfect for riding [well, at least so far :)]. It was not long after that we started encountering night traffic on the highway. We could see cars passing by at the speeds of their limits. We were in our highest spirits until we hit NH4 and saw a signboard stating 'Pune - 832 Km'. We looked at each other, brushed the fear aside and continued to ride.
The highway has four lanes with overall decent roads barring a few patchy stretches. The road 50 kms before Chitradurga until crossing the town was an exception. This part of the ride was dangerous as it had construction work going on and there were people and dogs hurriedly crossing the roads. To add to it further, the rain Gods had started to shower their love upon us. :). we stopped and put on our rain gear and hit the roads again. The incessant rains coupled with cars driving with blinding headlights led us to almost zero visibility of the road. We finally reached Davangere, our destination for the day at 12.30 AM and got a few hours of well deserved rest.
Day 2
We still had 590 Kms to cover for our destination. We started from Davangere at 6.30 AM, tanked up and hit the roads for the most scenic morning ride. Here is a picture of us before the ride.
Everything from people passing by, farm lands, windmills and villages stayed with us for mere seconds before we rode by. We covered another 150 kms and stopped for breakfast. In the next few hours we passed by Hubli and Belgaum. The road conditions in Belgaum are top notch. We rode further for 1.5 hours and as we entered Maharashtra, we could see the roads getting narrower and traffic getting heavier. Our plan was to cover as much distance as possible before the sun sets. We reached Kolhapur at roughly 5 PM and quickly stopped for tea and more so because our bodies were giving up. :)
we crossed Satara soon after. As we rode further down, all of a sudden our surroundings became pitch dark. No, it wasn't sunset. We then remembered that they were the famous tunnels that fall shortly before Pune. The sound of Enfield inside the tunnels was roaring. It instantly lifted our spirits and eliminated every trace of tiredness from our minds.
It was 7:30 PM that we entered Pune city. We were wishfully hoping that we would make it home in another 45 minutes but we had to spend 2 hours in Pune traffic to finally see our family. :)
I headed home and knew it was the most deserved nap in a long time. I soon fell asleep unknowingly recollecting the memories from our longest ride so far.
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