[ShoMan]

Hi BHPians,

I want to share an amazing experience with you all. Before starting with how the roads were or how much petrol the bike guzzled, let me give a small backstory. We are a group of motorcyclists who meet on weekends to feel like kids again. One of our members suggested taking a long trip, and of course, Goa was everyone's top priority. All of us being the corporate slaves that we are didn't have the luxury to spend 5 days galavanting around. Honestly, if I am going for a ride, all I want to do is RIDE—no sightseeing, partying, or whatever it is that normal people do. So I wasn't up for this excursion and let it slide, but there were around 10 people who were riding to Goa.

Two days before the planned date of departure, one group member (who, like me, is a corporate slave as well) remembered that I said it's only about the ride for me, not the place or the destination. He reached out and said, "We ride with them on Saturday to Goa and back to Mumbai on Sunday!" No sane man would agree to this, but I don't think I fall into that category, so I said, "Perfect!"

Now, coming to the journey: it was me, my gym bag wrapped in a garbage bag and tied to the bike with two bungee cords (because "lightweight"). We started the journey by meeting at Kalamboli McDonald's (which you might be aware of if you ride in Bombay). To my surprise, I was the first to arrive, but on my way, the bike started to malfunction, and I thought, "What a perfect start!" So, the Ninja 1K SX has an issue: if you ride this top-of-the-line luxury bike on a bit of a muddy road, she acts like a princess and says, "I'm not meant for this." Your quickshifter won't work, nor will your traction control or even ABS, because a small amount of mud on the highway will make the sensor go haywire. Your only bet is to clean it with water and lots of prayers that it works! Anyway, once everyone reached the spot, we started around 6 am, and boy, was I excited. I was doing a good speed on the JNPT (for those who don't live in Bombay, it's the only stretch of a few kilometers that we look forward to), and on my radio, I heard "BIRD HIT!" For a second, my dream of being a fighter pilot came alive, but I still couldn't process what was happening. When I slowed down, I realized it was my comrade who got hit by a crow that decided to cross the road after seeing the bike incoming. Yup, let that sink in! The visor of his helmet was cracked, and the impact shattered the locks of the helmet, so he had to ride the entire distance without one. Anyway, we kept cruising, and after some cruising, there was some more cruising, but the best was yet to come.

We reached Anushkura Ghats (oh, dayumm!), and honestly, if you're a petrolhead in any way possible, YOU NEED TO GO THERE! The winding roads, the quality of the tarmac, the scenery, the clouds, the mountains, and what not. The bike was loving it, and more than her, I was (at this point, the bike wasn't malfunctioning). The quickshifter was being such a sweetheart, the bike was leaning at 40–42 degrees (as per the reading shown by the bike, not my own). I remember saying, "I wouldn't miss this for the world," and I'm glad I didn't. The joy went on and on, and then the ghats got over. All of us stopped and were hugging and congratulating each other because the road made us feel so... I don't have the words, but you know what I mean.

After this, we met with HEAVY rainfall. It was pouring left, right, and center. There was so much water that we were hydroplaning (this word was taught to me by a fellow rider when I told him I felt like I was riding a jet ski). The bike was just galloping, and the temperature because of the rain was down to 58 degrees Celsius (the bike while riding normally is around 90 degrees). The radio went dark; nobody was uttering a single word because all of us were focused on the road, and we were cruising at 100–120 kph because the bikes felt much more stable at that speed. I think we are idiots. Somehow, we reached the destination, but we didn't like the place that was booked because what was shown to them in pictures didn't resemble what was provided, so we had to ride again. Boy, I have never loved a bed so much.

The next day, me and the other guy woke up early and left. To my surprise, I had a puncture, and this was at 5:30 am. We were looking for a tyre shop, saw one, called the number written, and the guy showed up after some time and fixed it. The show went on. We zapped through the roads, and to our luck, NO RAINS. We kept pushing and pushing (comfortably), took good stops, but we weren't tired. We reached back to the city at around 6 pm and met with loads of traffic, and that was it. We completed around 1,400 kms in 48 hours.

P.S. I worked at a standing desk for the next 3 days, but it was worth it.