Some said.. 'you are stupid'.. Some called me crazy. Chennai to Bangalore and back.. and that too alone. Yep, everybody around me (except for my fellow Club riders - Madras Bulls) told me the same.. But I over heard them and all their considerate advices. I forwarded this idea to my club.. MadBulls, and the veterans out there shared with me their experiences and told me all Do's and Dont's of riding alone.
I got hold of a road map, prepared a check list, got my bike checked, got some necessary spare parts - clutch wire, spark plug, etc.. and with all preparations done I was finally set to leave for Bangalore. I started at 0500 hrs. Initially I maintained a decent 60-70 kmph, but once the day broke and the visibility improved I couldn't hold my temptation and then.. 70 - 80 - 90 and finally 100 kmph. One of my close friend gave me clear instruction before leaving that please keep in mind the speed limit of 80 kmph, and yes, I maintained the lower speed limit of 80kmph :D. I was elated to realize afterwards that on my way to Bangalore only two vehicles overtook me - one Santro and one Esteem (must have been real nerds otherwise who drives so fast ;) Well, after a long and lovely ride I safely reached Bangalore at 1130 hrs.. Voila!! I made it and was feeling great.. a sense of accomplishment.
I stayed back in Bangalore for 2 days. Had a great time on my Bull. Completed my work out there.. and was all set to come back. I planned to start early morning the following day, but, again I fell victim of my own craziness and decided to leave at night itself. And there I was.. I kick started my bike.. Gave some throttle.. and vroooom.. And somewhere in distant background I heard some clock banging 12 times. Yes, it was 12 at night. Driving at night is totally different kind of experience. I should admit, It is really hard to drive at night. You need your full concentration to keep yourself on the road. Specially, when there are no road lamps, no vehicles, no light and when it is complete dark. I was focussing completely on the divider line and was trying hard to maintain same line, and then, there were patches, where, there was no divider line. At such stretchs, your speed drops down and your eyes follow the low beam of your head light.. and nothing else is visible. I was back at home around 0800 in the morning.. Driving at night was a totally different kind of experience, though a bit tough. Well, I enjoyed every bit of it.
Riding is a different kind of experience, altogether. It is not just a test of endurance.. not even just a test of your craziness.. It is an ecstasy. It brings you to a different level. It gives you a sense of accomplishment, a sense of achievement. However small or insignificant this achievement might be for others.. or for that matter even for you, but, I believe that such small achivements add a lot to you.. and a lot more to your personality. It induces more confidence in you.. I chose to do this trip not just because I wanted to ride, but I also wanted to check my risk taking capability.. and yeah, that was the reason why I decided to come back at night, after trying the day riding. I wanted to test myself. Believe me such small events counts a lot.
Overall, this trip to Bangalore and back was Great. After this trip, I feel more confident, and now I trust my Beast (ThunderBird) even more. I am looking forward for more of such trips in future... and I promise that this rider will never stop...
