Greetings to all.
This is my first long post, I am sharing the first long ride on my 2024 updated classic 350 Medallion Bronze:
It was 2nd October, 2024 and being a holiday, I suggested a destination a ride to a new temple 90 Km from Vizag. Sri Anantha Venkateswara Swamy Vari Devalayam Vaikunta Giri, Vizianagaram.
Came to know that the temple is at a higher altitude than Tirumala and recently consecrated in April 2024.
I have recently purchased this 2024 updated Classic 350 Medallion Bronze for myself, so the excitement for a road trip was but natural. Because of it's commanding presence, I decided to call it "Lord Commander". (Pardon me if it sounds silly :-)
It was all rewarding to say the least.
As divine is the darshan of Lord Venkateswara, the views once you reach the ghat section are so stunning especially at day break. The temple I am told is built at one of the highest in AP, the wind, the mist, the drop in temperature and cool weather at the temple is worth*the*journey.
We started at 4:45am in the morning with my ODO somwhere upwards of 200km.
We were 5 people on 3 REs. One 2022 Classic Reborn Gun Metal Grey, One recently purchased Meteor and me on my Lord Commander.
I along with others wore Jeans and T-shirts and shoes, I was wearing my trekking shoes which I felt are sturdy for the occasion. I did not wear a jacket as the weather here is on the warmer side but later realised a jacket should have been more comfortable against the strong head wind and jacket sleeves could saved me from a mild sun tan.
I was wearing the standard helmet that RE gives complimentary with the motorcylce. The head wind was strong and gushing in between my face and ears. However it was not un-bearable. We had planned to reach the ghat section at sunrise, but realised we did not even reach the ghat section and it crossed 530am and the sun was up.
It was a highway till most of the journey till the ghat section so no traffic and we had a steady speed of 60-70.
I was a bit sceptical of crossing 60 during break in period, but it was getting late and my buddies were zooming ahead in anticipation of witnessing the sunrise. So I also increased my speed to 70 and occasional 70-80.
When we entered the ghat section, it was a sight to behold with huge green mountains in the mist of clouds and we could not contain our excitement looking at them.
We started climbing the ghat road. I was riding with a pillion and felt the ride so stable and planted due to weight of the pillion. (Must mention here that I am of a small stature 5'4 height and around 60kgs wieght).
The ghat road is beautiful and has lot of steep winding curves. As it was early in the morning, there was only the occasional village auto or vehicles coming down and I was very careful to maneuver the classic.
I recall my recent experience (May end 2024) of riding a red rented hunter in the hills of Kasol-Malana and I did not face any difficulty in maneuvering the bike on high turns on rough roads etc.
But I have to say here, as a short person who has braved the decision to purchase the bigger classic, the handling of the 195kg machine was excellent and extraordinary I felt. But I was cautious during the climbing on the turns and occasionally put my foot down for balance. That's when my pillion friend told me never to put my feet down while climbing on winding roads as I could loose balance.
My biggest fear is to have a fall on the classic.
Even though Shumi of motorinc in one of his FAQs has called it a well behaved Labrador, I still respect it as much as a Rottweiler :-)
To sum up the climb, I would say it was challenging for me on turns. At the first view point, my pillion suggested he get down and I rode the rest of the ghat section single rider. I felt lighter and was more comfortable.
Once we reached the top, we parked our motorcycles at the entrance of the temple and immersed ourselves in the great views and the strong winds passing in the temple verandas and offering our namaskarms to the deity.
The darshan of the Lord Venkteswara was very satisfying and once it was over, the weather started changing and it became cloudier and windy and that's when I regretted not getting a jacket or raincoat.
However it did not rain and we started our descent. It was a pleasure to the soul to view the greenery and the hills amidst which we were cruising down.
The turns on the descent also made me careful not to twist the throttle too much as the motorcycle veered more than intended on turns and was mindful of the risk of skidding or loosing control of the motorcycle beyond the boundary of the road.
Also I learnt not to use the front brake while turning as the motorcycle could fall and I do not have that much strength to hold it while falling.
On the way down, we stopped at a small stream of water and took pictures.
Once we reached the bottom of the hill, all the cool weather had vanished and it was humid like an oven at 10:15 am when we stopped for breakfast.
From there on the ride back to the city was hot and humid and the usual day time traffic had begun.
We again stopped for a cold drink and reached back to our homes at around 12pm.
Attaching a few pics from the ride.
Looking forward to more such enjoyable rides in the future with my "Lord Commander"
I hope you enjoyed reading a post from a newbie.
Thank you.