Kasargod to Goa road trip: Rode my Yamaha R15 to India Bike week 2023

Unlike my usual solo ride route, ride to Goa was different. I would never get major ghat section anywhere in between

BHPian sasta_rider recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello BHPians!

When I had taken delivery of R15 v4 back in Apr-2022, I had always had this craving to ride for any of the automobile events (MotoVerse, IBW, Motosoul, Auto Expos) for the love of 'sounding' machines. Sadly, due to personal reasons and my financial condition till last year, I could not be a part of any such event. However, this year, I had been waiting for the IBW2023 registration and finally booked the same on Nov-2023. In this travelogue, I will be throwing light about the trip plan, long solo ride, the event and how my baby R15 has been a part of me!

TRIP PLAN:

So, here was my plan in general, keeping one day before and ahead as buffer for travelling to and fro:

• Day 1: 07-Dec-2023: Kasaragod to Goa (via Mangaluru, Udupi, Kumta, Karwar). Distance from my home to my hotel at Calangute is 423 km.
• Day 2: 08-Dec-2023: IBW Day 1 (2 PM - 10 PM)
• Day 3: 09-Dec-2023: IBW Day 2 (1 PM - 10 PM)
• Day 4: 10-Dec-2023: Goa to Kasaragod (via Karwar, Kumta, Udupi, Mangaluru).

Previous night to the departure, I had the challenging task: packing. When I used to do KSD-BLR-KSD solo rides, I would not bother to carry much of my dress because I either travel to my home from BLR or to BLR from my home. But, this was a new trip altogether: I had to carry clothes, my GoPro kit, personal laptop and few general medicines.

The gear included following items (few already mentioned in my Ownership Thread:

• Rynox Helium GT Jacket
• Rynox Airtex Riding Pant
• Rynox Air GT Gloves
• Rynox Raincoat Pant (complementary with Rynox Riding Pant)
• MT Targo Pro Helmet with Smoke Visor
• GoPro Hero 10 + Enduro Battery Combo
• Decathlon Raincoat (Upper)
• Raida Base Layers
• Carbonado 20L + 10L Modpac (10L Modpac not in image since I planned to pack in it early morning on day of ride)

Trip Day 1 | 07-Dec-2023 | Ride to Goa:

I left Kasaragod early morning exactly at 05:30. I am not an early bird, and usually prefer to start any ride during the day time when I get complete visibility. But, for this ride, the route was via Mangaluru. And, till Talapady (Kerala-Karnataka border), the national highway widening work is in progress, which means a lot of diversions, road blocks due to heavy vehicle movement and total chaos! So, 05:30 AM departure was much needed to escape the city before all these chaos begin. This departure time was another advantage for me because, at Mangaluru, the mild traffic starts to seep in by 08:30 AM. Before exiting Mangaluru, I decided to feed R15 with MRPL's fine quality petrol at Kadri Hills and this was my first stop for only a few minutes.

By the time it was 07:00 AM, I had crossed Mangaluru and was just 30 km before the Maravanthe Beach Road. This was the second stop I took after my departure for a quick tea break and GoPro's battery change. Why not? From here, I knew that the road ahead was Maravanthe and most of the TeamBHPians will be well aware that the 'Maravanthe Beach Road' has some beautiful view altogether and to get my R15 clicked with the beautiful background was in one of my bucket list. I spent some good time here: clicking pictures of my R15 with scenic backgrounds, tried to hear the waves but due to moving vehicles could not enjoy much but never mind. Got the pictures clicked. Next stop I planned was somewhere after Kumta for breakfast. Had a good Onion Dose (Dosa) from a nearby restaurant and replenished my body with some water. I wish I had a hydration bag: why should I carry water bottle(s) that occupy space in my luggage?

Unlike my usual solo ride route, ride to Goa was different. I will never get major ghat section anywhere in between, which means I will cruise mostly on National Highway 66. Yes, the 2 lane road after Karwar till somewhere in middle of Goa, I had some beautiful curves where I could test my Road 5 tires that were installed recently. My boy! My confidence in cornering has increased 10x now. When on stock MRFs, I had this fear of getting skid even when there were no gravel. I had experienced such small skids when descending the Coorg Ghat road towards Sullia. This fear of skidding when cornering has died within me, thanks Michelin for those beautiful tires!

En-route, I also got to witness a lot of 300+ cc bikes: Ninja ZX-10R, Benellis and BMWs from Kerala, Mangaluru, Udupi tearing me eardrums with their sweet aftermarket exhausts! Apart from this, I could also see how a city and its people wake up: school going kids waiting for their bus, grocery vehicles carrying vegetables and people who are on their way to work to earn a living. If you want to see different types of people, I would suggest you to get out of home early morning for a ride/drive and travel to nearby city. In between, you can see variety of people! It feels so happy to look around myself.

From Maravanthe Beach, good highway stretch almost everywhere to the landscape of Karwar: I enjoyed each moment to my fullest. Also, before exiting Karwar, I got a few doses of patriotism after looking at the Naval Officers with Uniforms and their vehicles, young students who had appeared for some Defense exam (or admission maybe, if I am not wrong) and the well maintained areas nearby.

After crossing Karwar, the Goa check post welcomed me with few officers checking goods vehicle entering Goa. They let me in without stopping. Immediately, I stopped few meters ahead to change my GoPro's battery. Good that I had brought the Enduro Battery Pack for the sake of this trip, else I would have cried my lungs out! This is where the fun began: well-maintained 2 lane roads, Road 5 tires and moderate traffic. After few kilometers of tackling the curves, I went for a fuel stop. Wait, why does my R15 v4 need two fuel stops when on a ~430 km one way trip? This is where the fuel economy comes into picture. The fuel efficiency of R15 v4 completely depends on how you ride (based on experience):

Reality 1 (Rich Fuel Economy): I had a breakfast ride organized by Vinayak Motors, Bengaluru on Nov-2022 and on previous day of this ride, I had bike's tank fully filled. We were a group of 15 two-wheelers comprising of R15 (all versions), Fascino and one R3 who was the captain for this ride. We were advised to not overtake the captain, not cross the 80 kmph speed and ride safely until Nandi Upachar where the breakfast was planned. Route was Koramangala, Hebbal, and Nandi. Since no one crossed 85 kmph, I checked my instrument cluster and to my surprise it showed 61 kmpl! I assumed it cannot be accurate and chucked. The next week, my friend with his RE Thunderbird had come from Coimbatore and we planned a ride to Nandi Hills on a weekday. Again, we had maintained the speed below 85 kmph throughout. After these rides, I had done multiple city commutes: to office, to night outs and for night rides. After few days, when I re-filled the tank completely, and checked the fuel economy, I was shocked to see full-tank-to-full-tank fuel economy turned out 61 kmpl.

Reality 2 (Poor Fuel Economy): During this Goa journey (also during previous KSD-BLR-KSD trips), where I highly revved my engine for longer time on empty stretch of highway. This is where the fuel economy drops. Again, this is evident if the rider keeps monitoring the instrument cluster where the average fuel economy is showed. Let's say the current value being displayed is 40 kmph. Now, if the user maintains higher RPMs in sixth gear for linger duration, after few distance/time, the same display will show 39.1 kmph. Sadly, I could not track how much is the rate of decrease in the fuel economy. Will try to figure out on this someday!

Hence, two fuel stops.

Few kilometers before I reached Goa City, the roads were again wide open: not able to recall the exact place(s) but the transition from two lane to six lane happened. Again, when on highway, my throttle was wide open. It took me two hours to reach Calangute from Karnataka-Goa border which was 77 km apart including small ghat, highways and city.

Trip Day 2 | 08-Dec-2023 | IBW Day 1:

I reached the location exactly at 02:00 PM, got my coupons for the two day event along with a band for identity. It was scorching sunny that afternoon, I wish I had taken a cap, but hey, wait!

From the entry point, I was greeted by the Jimny display, but currently, let me stick on to two wheelers only. Then there was 'Orxa' Stall showcasing the 'Mantis', but I am a person who loves machines that make sound: internal combustion engine and exhaust. However, no hate to any EV owners reading this! Again, next to Orxa was the 'Ultraviolette Automotive' F77. Design wise I liked it: futuristic, does not look like an EV (atleast for me) and eye-grasping bike.

I was just walking around a little ahead, and heard a person saying 'Excuse Me, Sir?'. I turned back and it was a Kawasaki executive from the stall. He asked if I can lend few of my time to them for some QnA to which I agreed. He asked me my name, current motorcycle, profession and the motorcycle I expect from Kawasaki for the Indian market. I replied 'ZX-6R' with a grinning face, acting like I am unaware about the launch that has been planned for next day! After all this QnA, I was given a Kawasaki cap: I guess Kawasaki heard me complaining about the heat?

Next to Kawasaki was Suzuki, Triumph and opposite to them were LS2, Givi, Aprilia stalls. I looked for the Aprilia RS457 as well and the price reveal (₹4.10 lakhs ex-showroom) made sense to me atleast. But, fingers crossed, how Aprilia will deal with customer reach and RS457's service with their poor network is the point that bothered me!

For shopping there were 2 areas: indoor and outdoor. In indoor shopping, there was Rynox, Bandidos Pitstop, Grand Pitstop, BMC Filters and AGV/Alpinestars to name a few. In the outdoor shopping, there was Rynox, LRL Motors, Torque Block, IBW Merchandise to name a few. Due to my tempting nature, I brought a hydration bag and a set of 'Vesrah' brake pads for my R15. Will get the stock ones changed once they are out of life. Price wise, both OEM and the Vesrah are almost the same. So, why not try aftermarket product, that too of a Japanese origin? Will update about this some day later in my Ownership thread.

There were hell lot of superbikes, and I was mainly focussing on faired (super) bikes due to my current ownership being a faired bike. Some countless ZX-10Rs, Suzuki Hayabusa, Suzuki GSX-R, Z900, Triumph Daytona and two R1s. Among ADVs, there were BMW R1250 GS, Triumph Tigers and KTM Adventure 390. There were a lot of vintage scooters displayed, which are older than me! Among crusier category, Harley Davidson were ruling the show.

I did not focus much on the stage events apart from visiting the main stage when I was tired of roaming around like a crazy rat. I retrospect watching the showcase of Custom-Made Harley Davidson X440 by various individual creators who showcased their custom X440 to Mr. Ravi Avalur (HD Business Head).

Apart from all this, INR 500 worth complementary coupons was given to me, which I finished in the eatery. The sunny weather had drained me totally for that day!

Finally, after covering the entire area, especially where there were bikes: from vintage scooters to liter class superbikes, I called it a day by 09:15 PM. Though the event was till 10:00, I could no longer stay due to a little weakness. But, planning to completely attend the IBW2024.

Let pictures do the speaking (in sequence):

R15 resting mid-journey with the mighty Arabian Sea in the background

Finally, at the hotel, after a wonderful solo-ride to a vibrant city!

Yes, event coordinates for the nerds.

Kawasaki and their green variants are my weakness!

Good ol' Triumph Daytona at the Race Dynamics Stall

Recently launched Aprilia RS457, looks great, right?

Trip Day 3 | 09-Dec-2023 | IBW Day 2:

Second day of the event is what I was waiting for: the launch of Kawasaki's baby ZX-10R: the All New ZX-6R. Unlike the first day, I reached Vagator Hills (venue of IBW2023) by 04:00 PM to avoid scorching heat. By that time, Kawasaki had made the arrangements at their stall ready, with the ZX-6R covered before the launch. Exactly at 05:00 PM, the introduction was given about its purpose in the Indian market: power, performance and innovation which is what the ZX-6R is capable of! However, the price has not been revealed yet, but is assumed to be around ₹11 lakhs ex-showroom. Let us wait and see when the price is revealed!

Apart from this, I got to meet few YouTubers but did not click any pictures as they were looking tired the whole day clicking selfies with subscribers, so did not wish to bother them. Late evening, the venue was completely filled with the sounds of Akrapovic, Arrow, Brocks and Red Rooster exhausts: ahh, what an experience it was!

Like the previous day, I left at around 09:30 as there was nothing else to do. So, visited Calangute Beach and took some fresh air with the sound of waves taking all the negativity away from me.

Once back from the beach, it was time for me to head to my accommodation. The hotel room was an entire mess with all the dress out of the Modpac, my laptop lying on the table and charges thrown here and there. It took me around an hour or so to neatly pack the stuffs that I am done with, all thanks to my OCD. The 20L Modpac accommodated all the unused clothes (I realised that I had over-packed) while the 10L Modpac accommodated my laptop, used clothes and GoPro box.

Trip Day 4 | 10-Dec-2023 | Ride Back to Kasaragod:

I had planned to leave my accommodation by 06:30 AM and had made series of alarms ready the previous day. But, wait: chilled room, cosy bed, comparatively pleasant outside weather and lethargic attitude of mine made the exit from Calangute by 09:00 AM. But, since it was a Sunday, there were not much vehicles on road. Maybe, others too were enjoying the cosy weather!

To reach Goa-Karnataka border from Calangute, it took me 01:45 hrs, unlike the 02:00 hrs while I was coming to Calangute on Day 1. The roads were, like I mentioned, fabulous. I enjoyed the curves of Goa for one last time during this trip. No checking as such at the Goa-Karnataka border, so a smooth exit it was. And yes, I had worn the newly brought hydration bag over my Rynox jacket with 2L of water to fuel me. Took a quick stop near to the tunnel in Karwar (yes, I did feel difficult to sip water while riding, hence stopped aside).

From Karwar, I felt energetic and throttled up all the way towards Kasaragod. Once I reached Kumta, decided for a fuel stop (I only had 1 pointer fuel left. Previous fill up was on Trip Day 1 which was more than sufficient for the Calangute-Vagator run for the event). To not make me feel alone on the road, there were participants from IBW2023 who were returning to their home (Kozhikode, Mangalore, Kannur, Alleppey, etc.) on their own machines, which included a Ducati Panigale V4 S, BMW R 1250 GS, Dominar 400 and Ninja 1000SX. These big machines zipped across me and I could feel the music of exhausts reverbing my eardrums!

After the fuel stop, I continued my road run with average speed of 100-115 kmph depending on the traffic. This was the sole reason I got lower fuel economy, but this drop in FE was totally worth it as I enjoyed the machine to its fullest potential. This reminds me of a line from the famous song, Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma, sung by Jagjit Singh Ji: 'kuch paakar khona hai, kuch khokar paana hai' (meaning 'we have to attain something and lose something').

Highway too was not too much crowded, even though it was a Sunday afternoon. Next break I took was at Hejamadi Toll Plaza, ensured the Carbonado Modpacs are intact and proceeded further with the journey. While returning, I again got my bike's tank refuelled. Reason being I had enough petrol in my bike to reach my home but fuel is costlier in Kerala than Karnataka by around 7-8 rupees. So, why not fill up at MRPL, Mangaluru?

By around 04:45 PM, I reached my home safely: with lots of memories, road lessons and bunch of items for my R15 from the IBW2023!

Before I share the images, here are some quick stats for nerds:

Odometer Readings:

• Trip Start: 13945 km.
• Trip End: 14899 km.
• Total Trip: 954 km.

Travel Duration:

• Kasaragod to Calangute (Hotel): 05:30 AM to 01:30 PM (08:00 hrs)
• Calangute (Hotel) to Kasaragod: 09:00 AM - 04:45 PM (07:45 hrs)

Note: The travel duration is based on start and end time.

Average Fuel Economy:

• Towards Goa: 40.62 kmpl.
• Towards Kasaragod: 39.39 kmpl.

Note: I use 'Fuelio' app for the calculations since Day 1 of R15 purchase. Manually, I have verified and it does the right calculation provided the right input is fed.

Tire Pressure (Nitrogen):

• Front Tire: 29 psi
• Rear Tire: 33 psi

Tip: Always make a habit of either inspecting and correcting the tire pressure before a long ride or get it checked from a nearby tire shop/fuel station. This minor check before a ride can give you a better peace of mind during the ride!

Fuel Used: Normal Petrol

Below are the pictures from the event/ride:

ZX-6R Ready for Unveiling to the Audience

ZX-6R Unveiled, makes you crave for one?

Goa'n Rural roads are just cherry on a cake!

Those rev-meters (white dots above the Instrument Console) are always a treat to the eyes. To add to this, Uni-directional Quickshifter (up) is a boon!

Front tire profile changed from 100 --> 110 and rear tire from 140 --> 150 which means the area of contact is more than before, causing more resistance, thus reducing the top-speed by 9 kmph now. But the luggage/pillion weight, rider weight and tire pressure can be the contributing factors.

Finally, after a good and memorable trip/event, its time for some good rest for her!

Before I end this travelogue posts, let me say this: this forum has given me a lot about cars/bikes, tips and guidance on how to be a responsible rider/driver on-road. And, I believe that no one is perfect and as humans we tend to do mistakes. It all stands out when we do not do the same mistake again. A lot more things to learn from this forum. Thank you all for being a part!

Ride safe!

Sud.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.