[sasta_rider]

Hello BHPians!

This is not the first time I am doing a long ride on my R15, and that too on this beautiful route: Kasaragod-Bengaluru-Kasaragod. Since the delivery of the R15 back in Apr-2022, I have done multiple long rides involving 300+ km:
- 7 times Kasaragod-Bengaluru-Kasaragod.
- 1 time Bengaluru-Chennai-Bengaluru.
- 1 time Kasaragod-Goa-Kasaragod.

However, I could not document any of my long rides except the ride to Goa for the India Bike Week 2023 (Kasaragod to Goa ride for the India Bike Week '23 | Yamaha R15 v4). This thread will be solely used to document my long ride experiences, including this 8th Kasaragod-Bengaluru-Kasaragod run.

Ride Date: 07-Jan-2024

Why this ride? My employer had granted WFH till the end of Jan-2024 starting from Oct-2023. So, I had some work at Bengaluru and will require me to stay here for a week. Whenever I have to travel plans anywhere below 500 km, with minimal luggage and more than 3 days, I avoid visiting IRCTC, MakeMyTrip or RedBus sites to book tickets. At times, getting last moment tickets on this route has become a nightmare. And, with the one way flight fare between IXE-BLR, I can easily cover R15's fuel expense!

Ride start was on a Sunday morning and the previous night it was raining at Kasaragod. I had plan B: if it rained heavily on the day of journey, I would ditch this ride and postpone for next week maybe. At the same time, checked for 12 hours forecast (which seemed fine for the ride) and with a positive attitude, made my mind ready for the ride. Thankfully, it was not too sunny and not too about-to-rain weather on the day of ride. But, I had packed my raincoats, just in case it rains midway!

Towards Bengaluru:

I left home exactly at 09:15 am and planned to take the normal route I prefer: Kasaragod -> Sullia -> Madikeri (Coorg) -> Kushalnagara -> Hunsur -> Mysuru (via Ilavala) -> Kengeri -> Indiranagar -> Whitefield.
Unlike my previous rides on this route, the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway was closed for two-wheelers and three-wheelers. So, I was a little sceptical whether to take the service road parallel to the Expressway or take a diversion from Kushalnagara: choose Holenarasipura -> Channarayapatna - Kunigal -> Nelamangala -> Hebbal -> Whitefield route!?

My first stop was just before Madikeri ghat roads began at around 10:45 am, near to Sampaje for a quick hydration and stretch break. Thought to try some new perspective with the GoPro and managed to get this beautiful view:

I mistakenly deleted the original image, hence the screenshot from Instagram highlights!

Then the ghat road began, which means, ultimate fun of riding will start here. And with the Michelin Road 5 rubbers, it gave me the feeling of riding on tracks (even though I have never been to tracks)! Let the pictures speak the rest:

Somewhere before Coorg ghats began!


Unfortunately, for one of the Swift owners, that day was not a great day! Do not know the exact cause and time of accident but had happened few minutes before I reached there!


It was fun to take the curves with ease!


Rejoicing another curve!

My next stop was before Hunsur: for hydration, some pictures and mandatory stretching. Hell yeah, for my height and past medical conditions, I cannot compromise on stretching and taking frequent breaks during long rides. When I reached Kushalnagar, I ditched the alternate route and stick onto my actual plan. These are few pictures I captured:

Hopefully, I realised to capture the mandatory tire marks (rear tire) after 'sleeping' all over the curves. Pure satisfaction!

Rear tire nicely utilized!


Front tire as well, with the area of contact clearly visible!


Before Hunsur: In spite of the day being Sunday, highway was not busy. I crossed the road and clicked this view, with the Carbonado Modpacs doing what they are supposed to!


And hey, the ODO hit 15400 km here, clicked the milestone for some good memories!

People of my age are busy with their girlfriend in the pillion seat, meanwhile here I am, in love with the Carbonados!

After spending some time on ground, left the place to crunch the remaining miles. This time, just before Mysuru, I took a left turn (at Ilavala), which was the older route to Bengaluru before the Expressway was even laid. It was quite evident that four wheelers and heavy vehicles would definitely cruise happily on the Expressway. Two wheelers like me have no other option that this route. So, the traffic on this route was comparatively less than how it was few years back. Except for the locals: there was hardly any outsider traffic movement.

From here, the route mainly involved highway and city junctions (Mandya, Channapatna, Ramnagar, and Bidadi). At Kengeri, I was welcomed by mild traffic. I was surprised to see mild traffic on a Sunday evening. Usually, Kengeri is where the bottleneck starts to form as commuters come back to the city after weekend. It took me an hour from here to reach Whitefield, where my brother stays! I reached brother's place at 04:40 pm, which means it took 7 hours 25 mins in spite of taking multiple breaks in between.

Fuel Economy:
When I left Kasaragod, there was ~10 litres of fuel in the tank and the trip reading was 49 km. At Mandya, I topped the tank with their XP95 petrol. Why XP95? I do fill higher octane rated petrol once in a while, especially during long rides. I assume that this higher octane rated petrol will aide in complete combustion of the left out deposits near to spark plugs. And, during most of the time I keep my throttle revved during highway cruise, there are chances that the combustion with normal rating petrol will not be complete due to fuel rich behaviour at higher RPMs. If any more knowledgeable BHPian can throw some light on this, it will make my understanding even more clear!

Every fuel stop I take, I note down the ODO reading and ask for the printed bill from the outlet. Once I am home/destination, I feed the data into Fuelio app, which is a gem for nerds like me. After this ride, the same evening, I fed the data and the app showed me an average mileage (based on the trip) to be 40.07 kmpl. I am totally happy with this figure, in spite of me revving the engine most of the time at higher speeds. More power to Yamaha's VVA technology!

The app has been a total boon to track expense, fuel and other logs!

Will keep you all posted with the return journey details back to Kasaragod soon! Planned to take the Nelamangala -> Kunigal -> Channarayapattana -> Holenarasipur -> Kushalagara -> Madikeri -> Sullia -> Kasaragod. Will see on day of return journey, as this will be a new route for me and will require Google Map's assistance till Kushalnagara. Until then...

Ride safe!
Sud.

[R15M_Rider]

Nice writeup, Must have been a blast to ride this beast in the corners of especially ghat sections ! Handling is afterall the strongest point of this bike. Wish I get a chance to ride such long distances one day on mine, planning to do ride to Puducherry shortly (262 km to and fro). The urge is always there for ghats though !

Originally Posted by sasta_rider

Fuel Economy:
When I left Kasaragod, there was ~10 litres of fuel in the tank and the trip reading was 49 km. At Mandya, I topped the tank with their XP95 petrol. Why XP95? I do fill higher octane rated petrol once in a while, especially during long rides. I assume that this higher octane rated petrol will aide in complete combustion of the left out deposits near to spark plugs. And, during most of the time I keep my throttle revved during highway cruise, there are chances that the combustion with normal rating petrol will not be complete due to fuel rich behaviour at higher RPMs.
Sud.

Since I purchased mine, apart from the first time that is after delivery, I have always filled up mine with Shell Petrol as there is a Shell petrol station on my commute route. Though, on the expensive side, the engine runs real smooth, you can feel it, performance is great too, but the fact is, I haven't tried other petrol stations of late. So wanted to ask, have you tried using Shell Petrol on your R15 and noticed any significant difference from others ?

Once again a nice write-up, looking forward for more !

Ride Safe!

[sasta_rider]

Originally Posted by R15M_Rider

Nice writeup, Must have been a blast to ride this beast in the corners of especially ghat sections ! Handling is afterall the strongest point of this bike. Wish I get a chance to ride such long distances one day on mine, planning to do ride to Puducherry shortly (262 km to and fro). The urge is always there for ghats though !

Thank you @R15M_Rider for the appreciation, means a lot! Yes, R15's handling with the stock tires (MRF Zappers) is exceptional, but only to a certain extent. During some occasions, I had heart-in-mouth moment when I realised that I must not lean too much with the 140/70 MRF rear tires. For highway, it is perfect, but not made to take the curves. Professionals (as seen in promo videos) lean with confidence on a conditioned surface in track. But I doubt whether the same lean can be achieved on roads where everything is uncertain. And, if the road you are traveling is not familiar, you never know where loose gravel lies ahead or what can go wrong.

With the Michelin Road 5, the fear of skidding/sliding is totally controlled. Like I said it had rained in Kasaragod day before the ride, few curves in the Kerala-Karnataka border had patches of mud, leaves and loose gravel. I could feel the mild skid whenever I downshifted over those patches. Took it as a warning to be careful. In my family, elders always say 'never ride fast on roads when the first shower hits' and it is true. Scientifically, how it is related I do not know, but I have experienced that the first rains make bestest of the bestest road slippery.

Originally Posted by R15M_Rider

So wanted to ask, have you tried using Shell Petrol on your R15 and noticed any significant difference from others ?

Personally speaking with the experience so far with multiple fuel vendors (IOCL, HP, BP, MRPL, Shell, Jio/Reliance and Nayara), be it higher octane rated or normal ones, it does not matter much for the fuel efficiency. What really matters are following:

• What pressures (in psi) you maintain in both the tires?

  For MRFs, I used to keep 29 (F) and 33 (R). For Michelin Road 5, initially I kept the same inflation, but during Goa ride I felt the ride a little bumpy. Now, I kept 28 (F) and 32 (R). In both the cases, I used nitrogen. Why nitrogen and not air? Nitrogen molecules are comparatively large and they cannot leak out of the tires having small openings/punctures. Air can have moisture, and tire's inner wall life reduces on exposure to moisture at high pressures. At the same time, nitrogen is not available everywhere. But, mixing air and nitrogen at times is OK when nitrogen is not available. But later you can deflate and completely inflate with nitrogen.

• Your weight:

  I was 72 kg when I had purchased the bike, but now I am 74 kg.

• Whether you tie rear luggage like me or you have a pillion during your rides?

  Rides involving a pillion or even luggage, can reduce FE.

• Chain Slack:

  The looser the chain is, the lesser the fuel efficiency. There will be loss in power delivery and hence FE can get compromised. Hence, I get the chain slack adjusted from nearby Yamaha service center before any long ride or every 1000 km. I need to learn to do this myself, but need a little more confidence in my skills!

• What average speed you maintain?

  Keeping the throttle at higher RPM for longer time means your FE will reduce (keep a track of the average FE on the instrument cluster).

You can get incredible and happy mileage figure if you keep a constant 80-90 kmph speed limit, no hard breaking, no sudden acceleration with all the above points in mind (chain, luggage and tire pressure). But, Yamaha makes you rev the engine, in turn revving your heart.

Ride safe!
Sud.

[R15M_Rider]

Originally Posted by sasta_rider

Thank you @R15M_Rider for the appreciation, means a lot! Yes, R15's handling with the stock tires (MRF Zappers) is exceptional, but only to a certain extent. During some occasions, I had heart-in-mouth moment when I realised that I must not lean too much with the 140/70 MRF rear tires. For highway, it is perfect, but not made to take the curves. Professionals (as seen in promo videos) lean with confidence on a conditioned surface in track. But I doubt whether the same lean can be achieved on roads where everything is uncertain. And, if the road you are traveling is not familiar, you never know where loose gravel lies ahead or what can go wrong.

Agreed, I actually do remember one moment where in a street after rain, on loose gravel, I slightly went faster over a loose and broken surface with bumps, for a few milliseconds lost grip, noticed the TCS blink, and a small vibration, probably TCS doing something. At least now I know it works . But yes, one day I might upgrade to Michelin like yours.

Originally Posted by sasta_rider

Personally speaking with the experience so far with multiple fuel vendors (IOCL, HP, BP, MRPL, Shell, Jio/Reliance and Nayara), be it higher octane rated or normal ones, it does not matter much for the fuel efficiency. What really matters are following:
What pressures (in psi) you maintain in both the tires?
For MRFs, I used to keep 29 (F) and 33 (R). For Michelin Road 5, initially I kept the same inflation, but during Goa ride I felt the ride a little bumpy. Now, I kept 28 (F) and 32 (R). In both the cases, I used nitrogen. Why nitrogen and not air? Nitrogen molecules are comparatively large and they cannot leak out of the tires having small openings/punctures. Air can have moisture, and tire's inner wall life reduces on exposure to moisture at high pressures. At the same time, nitrogen is not available everywhere. But, mixing air and nitrogen at times is OK when nitrogen is not available. But later you can deflate and completely inflate with nitrogen.
Your weight:
I was 72 kg when I had purchased the bike, but now I am 74 kg.
Whether you tie rear luggage like me or you have a pillion during your rides?
Rides involving a pillion or even luggage, can reduce FE.
Chain Slack:
The looser the chain is, the lesser the fuel efficiency. There will be loss in power delivery and hence FE can get compromised. Hence, I get the chain slack adjusted from nearby Yamaha service center before any long ride or every 1000 km. I need to learn to do this myself, but need a little more confidence in my skills!
What average speed you maintain?
Keeping the throttle at higher RPM for longer time means your FE will reduce (keep a track of the average FE on the instrument cluster).

You can get incredible and happy mileage figure if you keep a constant 80-90 kmph speed limit, no hard breaking, no sudden acceleration with all the above points in mind (chain, luggage and tire pressure). But, Yamaha makes you rev the engine, in turn revving your heart.

Frankly, I was inclined to ask about the performance after filling up. Not the fuel efficient, At Shell, I could feel the engine running very smooth and that surge in power when you fill up and accelerate, is felt immediately. So, I was curious on that part. Of Course, while mileage is important, the satisfaction of hearing a healthy engine sing as you give it the beans is unmatched ! Nevertheless, I do really appreciate your insights though. Learnt quite a lot! Thanks

[SaurAswale]

Nice One!! Glad to know you are using full grip by the Michelins. I might change my MRF to more sticky rubber later this year. And yes, the Zappers are good for Highway and daily ride, but I found them not so good for leaning- also on the track they didn't inspire that much confidence in me.

Originally Posted by sasta_rider

Hello BHPians!

I avoid visiting IRCTC, MakeMyTrip or RedBus sites to book tickets. At times, getting last moment tickets on this route has become a nightmare. And, with the one way flight fare between IXE-BLR, I can easily cover R15's fuel expense!
Sud.

This is one way to justify!!, Sadly when I try this on my parents, it never works!!!
I always end up taking overnight bus instead of a 600km smooth highway ride.

[URWELCOME]

Nice Write up. I love this stretch of road. Did complete a drive recently to Charmady Ghats.

Wanted to know if you faced any discomfort, numbing during or after the ride.
Few years back I did ride R15 gen 1 from Mysore to Ooty, came back on next day and had little discomfort in upper back and wrists due to sporty stance. I am 6ft 1in tall and thought may be because of that.

In this gen of R15 is that an issue still, please share your inputs.

[sasta_rider]

Originally Posted by URWELCOME

Nice Write up. I love this stretch of road. Did complete a drive recently to Charmady Ghats.

Wanted to know if you faced any discomfort, numbing during or after the ride.
Few years back I did ride R15 gen 1 from Mysore to Ooty, came back on next day and had little discomfort in upper back and wrists due to sporty stance. I am 6ft 1in tall and thought may be because of that.

In this gen of R15 is that an issue still, please share your inputs.

Thank you @URWELCOME for the appreciation!

Yes, during the initial few weeks of the ownership, I did have wrist, neck and lower back pain. I felt this will be permanent, but after few weeks of riding, my body got adjusted to the posture. Slowly, I started to ride long.

My advise:

• Initially, ride within city limits for few days (few weeks if you doubt your own body behaviour can go worse!).
• Try and test the best possible posture for riding. Adapt to the one which makes you feel 'less' fatigue on short/long rides.
• Once you transition towards long rides, take frequent breaks. The more break you take which involves hydration, stretching and walking, is good to help you cover longer distance. Bonus tip: utilize these breaks to capture your bike's and the nature's beauty! Also, you can test your mobile's camera capability!
• Whenever you have a long ride planned ahead, start performing 'surya namaskara' yoga early morning. This is the best precaution you can take for good riding health! In fact, this yoga can give you a longer health benefits if you are consistent.

I am 173 cm in height (5'8 inches). I can lay my foot flat when on the rider's seat. So, considering your height, it can lead to wrist or back pains. if in doubt and you feel insecure about the health, please contact your family doctor. Better to consult and take necessary advise than keeping mum and assuming. I have done this mistake when I ignored the pilonidal sinus which occurs due to long term sitting (work, riding, driving).

I had taken a small ride on my friend's R15 v3 back in Feb-2019 (years before taking delivery of my v4). I felt v3's riding stance to be a little aggressive compared to the current version (v4).

Ride safe!
Sud.

[sasta_rider]

Hello BHPians!

Part 2:
'Return to Kasaragod'
Ride Date: 13-Jan-2024

This post is about the return journey (Bengaluru to Kasaragod) on a sunny day.

I left my brother's place exactly at 11:35 am and planned to take the route: Hoodi -> Tin Factory -> Hebbal -> Nelamangala -> Kunigal -> Channarayapatna -> Holenarasipura -> Kushalnagara -> Madikeri -> Sullia -> Kasaragod. This was my worst decision ever taken throughout my long rides so far in terms of the route!

All packed up, ready for the 375 km marathon!

I had checked the air pressure (nitrogen) before my Kasaragod -> Bengaluru ride and I did not feel the need to re-check again. Nitrogen does not ooze out as early as air, and since it was not even more than a week, I skipped this ritual.

It took me a whopping 01:35 hrs to exit Bengaluru (also read as: to reach Nelamangala): Rynox Jacket coupled with Rynox Airtex Pant with Raida base layers cooked me inside out! Upon that, the road was filled with lazy drivers: whenever there is an empty stretch of road ahead, hit the pedal and just disappera. Or, give way to those who are behind you. Few were busy on their phones, pickup drivers busy watching their YouTube playlist and the local youths who just get exaggerated whenever they see riders fully geared up!

From Nelamangala, it was all bed of roses: no much traffic, the roads were admirable, cruising in 6th gear with the RPM between 10500-11000 and maintaining an average speed between 90-105 kmph. I could not risk myself (even with the gears on) to cross this speed as the highway is not closed. There are juntions in between where the locals just crawl in like a reptile without bothering the incoming traffic from either sides.

Me, admiring those yellow flower plants on the divider.

Entire stretch of highway before Channarayapatna were amazing. Less traffic made the experience even more satisfying for me!

Before Channarayapatna, I took a fuel stop and also thought to take a long break on a sunny afternoon. I did some stretching, drank water and walked near the petrol bunk exit watching SUVs like the XUV700, Fortuners and Innovas clocking kilometers as usual!

I assume this outlet was recently inaugurated as their cafe was not yet functional. Washrooms were clean and tidy!

This was my first time taking this route, I had to rely on the Google Maps. The worst decision taken during my entire riding history! I had to take a left turn which was a 2 way road. In th starting, it was of decent quality: no potholes or wavy bumps. After few kilometer, I could not risk accelerating: the roads were having beautiful potholes, sudden ups/downs, mud/loose gravel spilled on road and totally bad riding comfort. After riding through all the bad patches, I finally reached Kushalnagara. From here, I knew the route very well. After crossing Kushalnagara, I took another break at around 04:30 pm for lunch, stretching and scrolling Instagram on mobile. Changed the battery of my GoPro as well, as the roads ahead were curves of Madikeri which is the exciting part of my ride between Kasaragod-Bengaluru. Some images to relish:

From Madikeri, I did not take any break until I entered Kasaragod via Jalsoor. It was dark already. Another lesson I learned during this ride (I was aware about this before, but did not know how serious it could be!): not to use smoke visor when travelling during the night. If I open the visor, I cannot cross 50 kmph speed: all thanks to the insects who love to feel my face. If I close the visor, I go blind.

I got a decent mileage of 42.23 kmpl this time compared to ~40 kmpl as posted in the first post of this thread. At exactly 08:40 pm, I reached home. Voila, parents were surprised to see me as I had not informed them about my arrival.

Thats all about this ride. I am planning to go again to Bengaluru in the first week of Feb-2024. Will try to document few other aspects which has not been addressed till date from my end.

Until then, ride safe!
Sud.

[R15M_Rider]

Originally Posted by sasta_rider

the local youths who just get exaggerated whenever they see riders fully geared up!

I get the same impression just by wearing gloves which I wear everyday on office commute. At times I wonder, are they staring at me because of my bike or of my gloves.

Originally Posted by sasta_rider

This was my first time taking this route, I had to rely on the Google Maps. The worst decision taken during my entire riding history!

Reminds me of the memes that used to flood for Apple Maps once upon a time. At least it didn’t put you straight into a ditch !

Originally Posted by sasta_rider

It was dark already. Another lesson I learned during this ride (I was aware about this before, but did not know how serious it could be!):

Did you feel the R15’s projector to be less than adequate in the dark with little to no external street lights? On a recent short trip on mine, I felt this.

Overall it was a fun read. Nice write up once again. The good stretches involving corners in the route must have been amazing with the exhaust note for company! Makes you forget that you’re on a low cc bike at times. Speaking of exhaust note, if you’re interested, I did capture around 40 mins of my R15M’s exhaust note recently of varying RPMs. I have attached the link on my R15M review thread

[sasta_rider]

Originally Posted by R15M_Rider

Did you feel the R15’s projector to be less than adequate in the dark with little to no external street lights? On a recent short trip on mine, I felt this.

Yes @R15M_Rider, the projector headlights does not do the justice when there are no street lights. And, expecting a street light on ghat roads is foolishness.

As you clarly pointed, the lateral visibility is where the R15 v4 loses a point. It gets very difficult for the rider in such conditions. And, I do not wish to fit an auxiliary lamp because it starts to rattle after some point of time and my OCD will get triggered. Hence, I usually prefer to ride during the daytime most of the time.

For city use, the stock headlights does the job done. I do not have any concern as such. But in village areas of ghat sections, the rider should be slower than usual.

[hothatchaway]

Nice write up and lovely pictures! Brought back memories of my 2015 R15S, my first motorcycle. Got it when I was already well into my 30's and took a couple of weeks to get used to. The pain started from the wrists and travelled up and then down my body before I finally kicked it! After that was out of the way, what followed in the next 5 years and almost 30k worth was sheer bliss.

The bike is truly a gem and makes a mockery of the spec sheet. I was a newbie rider when I got her and I would have surely licked tarmac if not for the forgiving nature of the bike. I rode to a bunch of places around Bangalore (including the ones in your pictures) to the track in Coimbatore (TWO track school) and all the way solo to Spiti. Never even got a puncture during the entire time I had her. Just routine services with oil changes. The bike wakes up after 6000 RPMs all the way up to the redline. Still regret parting with her.

Hope you don't mind if I share a picture of her!



ride safe

[sasta_rider]

Long Ride to Bengaluru for Work

Date: 04-Apr-2024 (Thursday)
Journey Start: 10:00 AM
Journey End: 05:35 PM
Travel Duration: 07:35 hrs
Trip Length: 395 km
Luggage: 2 Carbonado Modpacs + Hydration Bag

Unlike the previous rides to and fro Bengaluru, this ride was quite special for me. Why? I recently switched my company and will be joining on 08-Apr-2024. I needed some buffer time at Bengaluru to look for an accomodation etc. The start and end location of the trip was my home, Kasaragod and my brother's flat at Bommasandra, Bengaluru respectively with a total distance of 385 km.

This time, I have 2 new GoPro views to present to you all. Before I pen down about this ride, below are some treat to the eyes!

The Carbonado Modpacs doing its job as usual while the R15 is waiting to clock miles. This pic was taken at Sampaje, just before the Coorg ghat roads begin.


Windshield mounted GoPro, capturing the Coorg ghat section along with me in the frame.


Akki Rotti at Athithi Comforts, Kushalnagara to fulfil my hunger. I plan to reach this hotel for lunch during most of my rides only to relish the Akki Rotti!


Sadly, two wheelers are not allowed on the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway. Hence, service road to the rescue, with hell lot of speedbreakers and locals who drive recklessly at times.


Since my destination is Bommasandra, I need not even enter the city. Took the left at Kengeri towards Electronic City via NICE Road.


This is how I look while cruising at triple digit speed with the RPM between 8500-9500 RPM & tucked down.

Long rides withing 400 km has become a routine for me since last 2 years. I did get some taunts and advises from few of my friends saying "Why do you even tour on a sports/faired bike? Why not buy a tourer?". I prove them wrong all the time, when I do rides like this & post it on my Instagram highlights. R15 being a capable and reliable machine with cutting edge technology (Variable Valve Actuator (VVA), Slipper Clutch & Quick Shifter) is a best entry level tourer (subjective) in the segment.

You want good fuel economy? Then maintain an average speed between 75-85 kmph with minimal sudden acceleration/braking.
You want to achieve triple digit speeds? Don't worry. Use delayed gear shifts with full throttle in between, tuck down and rev the engine.
You (read as 'your bike') want some stares from public (with stock exhaust)? Ride slow in traffic, intersections and near schools.

During this ride, I took 4 breaks involving lunch, hydration, photo sessions and 1 fuel stop at Srirangapattana. Did some stretching and I was good to go without much fuss. However, rides during summer under scorching sunlight can drain you more than the riding posture! So, if you are planning to long ride during summer, make sure to keep yourself hydrated as much as possible.

I got a decent mileage of 41.10 kmpl from the previous full tank to refueling at HP, Srirangapattana. I use normal fuel most of the time, while sometimes I do use power petrol (IOCL XP95 or Shell V-Power) with higher octane rating. No specific reason as such, but I believe higher octane fuel does remove carbon deposits and clean the fuel flow till the combustion. For a 155 cc machine, does this hold true? Advises or feedbacks appreciated from the experts.

My next long ride in pipeline is towards Penukonda Fort. Need to figure out a date and time soon to make this ride happen. Will keep you all posted.

Ride safe!
Sud.

[sasta_rider]

Bengaluru to Kasaragod (as usual):

Ride Date: 14-Apr-2024 (Sunday)
Route: Bommasandra > Electronic City (NICE Road Exit) > Kengeri > Srirangapatna > Hunsur > Madikeri > Sullia > Kasaragod
Companion: My brother (cousin) on his 2016 Ford Figo (Diesel Manual)
Payload: me alone with a shoulder bag (GoPro Kit). Modpac was all dumped in the luggage compartment of the Figo.

The Ride:
As planned, brother and myself left his apartment at 08:45 AM. We started the journey on empty stomach, why? Coming soon...

The morning heat was picking up slowly as we were exiting the city towards Kengeri. Myself, all geared up, could feel the heat. But the meshed Rynox jacket made sure the air keeps me cool during the 380 km run towards Kasaragod! Since brother had the advantage of taking the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, I had left the place 5 minutes while he followed behind me. Till NICE road entry at Electronic City, it was mild traffic, especially those early morning bus coming in from Tamil Nadu.

Once entered NICE road, it was all smooth as butter. Cruised in triple digit speeds across the NICE road stretch till exit towards Kengeri. From there, I had to ride parallel to expressway at times while also deviate away from it. This was the route which I initially had taken before the expressway route construction was completed. Except for the locals, you can hardly see other vehicles. There was one exception, a lot of them who either wishes to run away from the toll fee were plying on this road or someone who wished to take exit to any nearby places.

Now, breakfast was the interesting part of this ride (first time experience for me). Brother had suggested 'Kamat Lokaruchi' at Ramanagara as the first pitstop for breakfast, much needed one during this summer! I reached the spot, followed by my brother after 15 minutes of me reaching there. I could sense the moderate crowd by looking at the parking area: from breakfast riders to family: all were present there to relish the dishes.

This is how the entrance to the premises looks like from the other side of the road.

Once brother reached, we both entered towards the 'buffet' section. This is what the interesting aspect was: unlimited breakfast till 10 AM. I was already craving for food and could not wait anymore. Washed our hands, grabbed a plate and started to see the menu:

• Akki Rotti
• Masala Dose
• Kottige (kind of Idli)
• Upma
• Jilebi
• Vada
• Watermelon
• Pongal
• Chutney and Sambhar

Let the pic do the honors now:

Looks delicious, isn't it?


Got to capture this beaufitul setup just near to the kitchen area!

Since the 'jilebi' was very good, brother enquired with the manager if we could get some packed? The manager was supportive and asked us for any specific demands. Brother requested to make the jilebi a little crisp so that it will last till our destination amidst this scorching heat. We packed 500 grams of jalebi and left the spot to continue the journey. Enjoyed the food, the ambience was very good and even the facilities never disappointed us. I could not bother to ask for the total price breakup since my brother did the payment. You can find this in their menu, if available!

From here, I had to enter and exit these junctions (small cities) which I find a little irritating considering the way the locals drive/ride: never follow any safety/lane discipline and not even give side for vehicles who are on long drives. When on road, always give way to someone who is honking/flashing from behind instead of bringing unnecessary ego on road!

After the Srirangapatna exit, I stopped for a hydration break as well as fuel stop. Thankfully, both were nearby. This particular stretch after Srirangapatna roundabout is what I adore all the time: this stretch never makes me feel bored of the view. I planned to click few pictures of my R15!

Noticed anything strange? I did. The skid plate (accessory) partially trying to kiss the ground. I was scared and shocked looking at this view. Till here, from Bengaluru, I did not get any signs of this part hanging lose and nothing unforeseen happened. I went closer, inspected and found that the rear bolt nut holding the skid plate in place had fallen off somewhere. How did it fall? All these years, I never came across this problem. The culprit was MotoWorld Yamaha, Bommasandra (read more about this incident here (Yamaha R15 v4 Review | Booking, Delivery & Ownership Report)).

From here, I could not even find any mechanic store. Nor I had any cable ties so that I can temporarily tie it to avoid any incident. But, I was a little cautious from here. Meanwhile, my brother had already reached Hunsur for a tea break and he was waiting for me.

I reached Hunsur after few minutes of his arrival there. Had a good lime tea from Hot Cup Cafe (Open 24x7).

Since we had another ~183 km to cover from here till Kasaragod, we decided to have a light lunch somewhere at Kushalnagara. Athithi Comforts came to my mind. I reached the spot, followed by brother at around 01:30 PM. Called brother to give here a pitshot for lunch.

As usual, I suggested him to have Akki Rotti. They serve with a spicy tomato curry and a vegetable curry.

From here, we decided to not stop anywhere till we crossed Madikeri. During the descent towards Sullia, we stopped near to Abbi Kolli falls for a tea break (yes, we both love drinking tea anytime). When approaching this spot from either side, be cautious about the vehicles coming ahead/behind you. A lot of vehicles have turned turtle here due to lack of experience or awareness.

I clicked a selfie during the descent!

After a good tea, we left the place to finish the last segment of the journey. We both decided not to take anymore breaks. As we descended the Madikeri ghat, I could sense the heatwaves that was waiting to welcome us. This is the only thing I hate the most about my hometown: humidity and the consequent sweating during summer. God save us!

Now, from here, I could feel the skid plate scraping the ground when I was taking leaned right turn. From the first scrape sound I heard, I ensured not to lean till I reach home. Better safe than sorry!

I reached home at 05:10 PM and brother made it by 05:45 PM. After reaching home, I inspected the skid plate for any damage caused due to scraping. Except for scratches, no much damage was evident. The immediate next day, using a 'T' spanner, I removed the accessory and kept it aside. I also realised that how much mud and rust that area of silencer had started accumulating. So, planning to perform a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) to cover up the rust and different shade.

That's all folks. Until next time, ride safe!
Sud.