[raptor_diwan]

A couple of years ago, we really wanted to go on an exciting bike trip to Munnar. The idea had been floating around in our minds for a while, fueled by stories of winding roads, misty landscapes, and the allure of the Western Ghats. It was time to turn that dream into reality.

One bike, two friends, and three days – our adventure was about to begin. Our destination: Munnar, starting from Chennai.

Route taken:

Chennai - Ulundurpet - Dindigul - Batlagundu - Theni - Munnar - Batlagundu - Manaparai - Ulundurpet - Chennai.

Day 1:

Chennai - Munnar via Ulundurpet, Dindigul, Batlagundu and Theni

Total distance - 650 KM
Total riding time - approx 10 hours

Just like everyone else, I had trouble sleeping the night before our big journey. I was eager to leave Chennai early, so I woke up at 3:30 AM. Because I couldn't sleep well, I felt a bit dizzy, but I managed to prepare for the trip with a cup of tea to wake me up.

I had already packed my gear and luggage the night before, so everything was ready to go.



My friend was on the way to pick me up, and by 4 AM, I bid farewell to my mom and received her blessings. I put on my helmet, and we set off on our journey towards the highway. We maintained a steady speed of 100 kmph and soon reached our first destination.





Had some tea and took a couple of snaps and started again.

2nd pitstop — Had some water to keep myself hydrated and a pudding cake. I noticed that fuel tank was quite empty, so decided to refill in BP Trichy petrol bunk. This is the only place where one can get speed fuel. I started my bike and was persistent in maintaining the speed at about 120 Kmph.







There was a 30 minute travel time between Madurai and to someplace where I was at,but the universe had other plans. The turn of event was that I took a wrong cut and went astray from the destined path. It wasn't the first time I missed the path. It happened before at the exact same location and still didn't get the hang of it.











It took 2 hours to reach Batlagundu and then halted near Theni.



















The roads were well maintained throughout Tamilnadu. Once I entered Kerala, Roads were so damn wrecked with full of stones and mud all over.

















Reached the checkout point of Kerala-Theni border and policemen did a routine check in my bag and enquired about where I was from and about the bike.

[raptor_diwan]

As I was riding, I felt cold breeze that traced all over my body. As I started to ascend higher and higher and the weather began to have an effect on me and it felt amazing to be a part of all these wonderful things - then I wore my sunglasses and chill drove along the hills.

































Finally reached Munnar.

I was excited as I reached my destination Munnar. Enquired about rooms in a couple of places and to my liking I found a great cottage near Devikulam which was 5Kms out of town.

After taking a nap, I headed back to town to grab some food. Then, I hopped back on my Dominor, and I spent a relaxing day cruising around and chilling out.

[raptor_diwan]

Day 2

I woke up feeling really good and excited for the day ahead. It felt like I was living in the 80s because there was no phone signal in my room, so I didn't use my mobile phone much. It was nice not to use it for a change.

I had a great night's sleep, which was unusual for me because when I'm at home, I usually stay up late working or browsing the internet. The cool air, the smell of the forest, and the sound of birds made me feel calm and relaxed.

I took a shower and left for the day that life had in store for me.

I couldn't find any restaurants near my location, so I had to head into town for breakfast around 11 AM.

Later, when I reached Attukad Waterfall Road, I realized that there was heavy traffic everywhere due to a large number of tourists.

Therefore, I decided to change my route and avoid any crowded tourist spots, as I'm not a fan of crowds. The new path I chose was fantastic, and the views were breathtaking.

I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story about my second day in Munnar.

[raptor_diwan]

Munnar is incredibly beautiful. I didn't visit any of the tourist spots there. Instead, we just drove around randomly, stopping wherever we found a beautiful spot, and we had some wonderful moments.

[raptor_diwan]

My time in Munnar was well-spent, and coming here was definitely worth it. I enjoyed fantastic views and had a wonderful day, topped off by watching the sunset from a perfect vantage point.

[raptor_diwan]

Day 3

Day 3 was straightforward. We began our journey as early as possible and headed towards Chennai.

We crossed the Kerala border and reached Kodaikanal at 7 AM, where we met some friends. We resumed our journey towards Chennai at 8:00 AM.

Since there were no stops on the third day, I didn't take many photos. I was focused on getting home as early as possible and being able to have lunch with my parents by noon (around 3:30 PM).











The tire pressure was getting low, so we filled air at a nearby shop and then continued our journey towards Chennai.









I had an amazing experience in Munnar; the place was truly fantastic

The Dominar performed admirably; we cruised at higher speeds for an extended period without any issues. As always, the Dominar delivered excellent performance.

Thanks for reading!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[pugram]

That's a nice trip.

Just curious why you went till Madurai for Munnar.

You could have taken a diversion after Trichy via Manapparai> Vada Madurai> Dindigul> Batlagundu and from there to Munnar.

On the Dominar > I am a confused guy in early 50's looking for a 300 to 500cc bike. As I had a P180 earlier Dominar was the first choice. Test drive was not satisfactory. Lot of vibes and felt Pulsar like. Didn't have a smooth feel and felt gears were too short. My primary usage would be in the city. Am not able to zero in on any of the recent bikes in that cc range. What's your usage like and if predominantly city how do you like the bike? Any pointers would be appreciated.

[raptor_diwan]

Originally Posted by pugram

That's a nice trip.

Just curious why you went till Madurai for Munnar.

You could have taken a diversion after Trichy via Manapparai> Vada Madurai> Dindigul> Batlagundu and from there to Munnar.

There was a 30 minute travel time between Madurai and to someplace where I was at,but the universe had other plans. The turn of event was that I took a wrong cut and went astray from the destined path. It wasn't the first time I missed the path. It happened before at the exact same location and still didn't get the hang of it.

As I mentioned, we took a wrong turn and ended up somewhere near Madurai.

On the Dominar > I am a confused guy in early 50's looking for a 300 to 500cc bike. As I had a P180 earlier Dominar was the first choice. Test drive was not satisfactory. Lot of vibes and felt Pulsar like. Didn't have a smooth feel and felt gears were too short. My primary usage would be in the city. Am not able to zero in on any of the recent bikes in that cc range. What's your usage like and if predominantly city how do you like the bike? Any pointers would be appreciated.

Have you taken a test drive of the older version or the 2019 green version? The old version had a few issues, but the latest one was perfect. However, it's still not a cruiser like a Royal Enfield. It performs best at higher speeds and is not suitable for city rides.

I used my bike in the city for two years, but I must say the Dominar is primarily meant for highways. For city commuting, I'm now using an Activa. I have the 2019 version; you can read more about my experiences with that bike in another travelogue. - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...t-dominar.html (An 800-KM journey for the best breakfast on a Dominar)

I'd recommend the Dominar if you're seeking a bike for long highway runs, but if your primary use is within the city, this vehicle may not be the most suitable choice.

[pugram]

Originally Posted by raptor_diwan

As I mentioned, we took a wrong turn and ended up somewhere near Madurai.

I'd recommend the Dominar if you're seeking a bike for long highway runs, but if your primary use is within the city, this vehicle may not be the most suitable choice.

Just a pointer on the exit to Dindigul from Trichy which I know. Apologies if you knew this already.

After crossing the Thanjavur exit on Trichy bye pass we get the Pudukkottai/Rameswaram exit after which we get an exit to Trichy central bus stand. We need to exit from the bridge and take a right turn under the same bridge (TVS Tollgate junction as a reference if you know the area. There is also Jamal Mohd college) towards Central bus stand and take the left at the roundtana before the central bus stand towards Dindigul.

Or did you try going via Thuvarankurichi > Manapparai> Dindigul?

If we miss the above exit the next entry is a few kms ahead where you will get a junction with traffic exiting Trichy onto the byepass from your right with high mast lamps. A new bus stand is also being commissioned around this junction. You need to take this right turn from byepass and trace back to the roundtana before Central bus stand.

On the Dominar 400, I have the same thoughts and feel a 200 to 300 cc bike should do for my City rides. Maybe I will checkout the F/N 250 / P220 or Gixxer 250. Thanks for your response

[FueledbyFury]

Once I entered Kerala, Roads were so damn wrecked with full of stones and mud all over.

We Keralites are used to this. Every single day!

[s25]

Hey @raptor_diwan! Looks like you had a very good adventure! And when did you undertake this trip? Because last week we visited Munnar from Madurai via Theni-Bodi-Bodimettu route and as soon as we crossed the TN border, the roads were much better and wide. It was a pleasure to drive on these roads even during rains and fog. Heard that the road widening from Munnar-Bodimettu stretch (40 odd kms) was completed and inaugurated in mid-August.

[raptor_diwan]

Originally Posted by pugram

After crossing the Thanjavur exit on Trichy bye pass we get the Pudukkottai/Rameswaram exit after which we get an exit to Trichy central bus stand. We need to exit from the bridge and take a right turn under the same bridge (TVS Tollgate junction as a reference if you know the area. There is also Jamal Mohd college) towards Central bus stand and take the left at the roundtana before the central bus stand towards Dindigul.

On the Dominar 400, I have the same thoughts and feel a 200 to 300 cc bike should do for my City rides. Maybe I will checkout the F/N 250 / P220 or Gixxer 250. Thanks for your response

Thank you very much! I'll definitely keep this in mind for my next trip. Thanks a lot!

Regarding the bikes, yes, the Dominar isn't ideal for city rides. Why not consider checking out the new Royal Enfield Hunter? It's equipped with a long-stroke engine, which makes it perfect for a relaxed city ride. Give it a look!

Originally Posted by FueledbyFury

We Keralites are used to this. Every single day!

Haha, when I wrote that, I thought some might get offended, but I was just so frustrated with the road that I wrote it anyway. To be honest, when comparing our roads to those in Tamil Nadu, they aren't that great, but when comparing to Kerala, we lack the natural beauty you have. Your state is full of trees and does a great job preserving nature; we have a lot to learn from there.

[pugram]

Originally Posted by raptor_diwan

Why not consider checking out the new Royal Enfield Hunter?

when comparing to Kerala, we lack the natural beauty you have. Your state is full of trees and does a great job preserving nature.

The only RE I like is SM650, but overkill for my usage.

Kerala is truly beautiful. From here (Chennai in particular) for greenery, we need to travel few 100kms

[100Kmphormore]

Nice one raptor! I had been to Munnar too in August and that Gap road is to die for! I was cornering like anything on my Himalayan for the few kms that i rode to visit the Lockhart viewpoint. I see your Domi is red - did you sell the green one?

We Keralites are used to this. Every single day!

Entering from the Coimbatore - Udumalaipettai side the roads were fantastic near Marayoor and to Munnar! What you say is true for Munnar - Vagamon - Varkala circuit, especially near that Ripple waterfalls area. Buses come onto you without giving a care that we might not be able to get back up after going off the road.