KAAS Ride with BRC

Katraj – Satara – Kaas – Tapola – Mahabaleshwar – Wai – Pune

340 kms

My 4^th ride with BRC was a landmark. We started out by meeting in front of Katraj Snake Park at 5:30-6:00 am. Off course by the time most arrived it was a little late and we departed at 6:30am against the planned 6am. 11 bikes roared onto the highway in wee hours between dawn and daylight. Our 12^th rider joined us a little way out and now we were 12 bikes and 13 in all.

Ganesh (GG) was the lead, Parvaiz (Parry) the running pilot and I (Shohrat) brought up the rear as the sweep.

Soon after we wound our way through the Katraj ghat and joined NH-4 where we stopped for fuel for those who hadn’t tanked up, it was going to be a long ride so we were not taking any risks. In the typical disciplined BRC fashion we ‘thumped’ down the Highway to Satara. An RE group certainly gets heads to turn as the roar is enough warning for most. Our heads turned a couple of times when we had a few Triumph guys roar past us. That’s when one felt the difference between an RE & a Triumph. The difference is that a triumph group barely crosses 2-3 bikers and RE is a brotherhood, a family. I felt proud to be riding my TB500 with the group.

In most of my previous rides with BRC or otherwise, I have always been in quite a hurry and have never brought up the rear. This time I thought it is time I taught myself a little patience, I chose to be the sweep. On straight highways it was sometimes a challenge not to open the throttle and power ahead of the rest and on the ghats this challenge became that much tougher. Being on a TB 500 and riding at the back of the pack is a test in patience and teamwork. One needs to realise that when you ride in a brotherhood you ride, not only for yourself, but also for the team.

Our next stop was at Hotel Abhiruchi that is at the exit to Mahabaleshwar. We took a little time to eat, chat and get to know each other better. Soon we were back to ‘Thumping’ towards Kaas. We pelted on at a decent click; however, soon there was a gap with a leading group and the marginally slower group at the rear. This is where our ‘Running pilot’ did a great job to keep shuttling between the groups and ensuring the slower group picked up a little pace, while getting the faster group to stay within range.
In no time, we were threading our way through the streets of Satara trying to find our way to the small road that leads to Kaas. Our 'Lead' doing a great job without having to stop for directions. The road to Kaas starts climbing as soon as one is out of Satara city and immediately it started getting cool, green, foggy and we all had a feeling of excitement, because now is when the “Real Ride” began.
The ride up is a narrow road with green rolling land on either side at the onset, moving into green hills and sparse forests. The fog kept rolling in and out with a little drizzle from time to time.

On reaching the Kaas plateau we were suddenly hit by a whole lot of traffic, we stopped at the entry and paid Rs 10/- per bike. Finding parking for 12 bikes in a line was a little tough; however, there was a very nice watchman there who helped us find a good spot. We all got off, collected our gear and went into the Kaas enclosure. Spent a good amount of time seeing the flowers, taking pics and enjoying the weather. Many of our riders were well prepared with their selfie sticks and put them to good use. After a whole lot of poses and pics by our budding photographers and models we decided to move on and find more places to do the same.

 When we were back at our bikes many people come up to us for pics and to chat. That is when it struck me, everyone is fascinated and dreams of riding a bike, feeling that sense of adventure, getting the wind on their face and most importantly feeling FREE. However, very few of us actually take the plunge and follow our hearts. That’s what makes us Bikers.

 As I had done this stretch before I was now the Lead, Ganesh (GG) the Sweep and Parry remained the Running Pilot.

Having had a long halt and our fill of pics we decided to ride hard to Mahabaleshwar. Off course not without stopping in route to take a few pics and videos of the group riding.

The road was narrow, winding and gravel ridden and to top that we had intermittent rain that kept the road slick. This stretch needed complete focus and skill. The gravel in the middle of the road tested our skills, as we needed to keep to our line and anytime one crossed the gravel line the tyres would suddenly have a mind of their own. Here we rode at our own pace and soon we had 3 groups: a few others and I at the front, one lot in the middle a few minutes behind, and Ganesh sweeping up the rest a few minutes behind them. We would stop and ensure nobody took a wrong turn every time there was a fork in the road, other than that we rode hard and fast. The route was scenic with forests to one side and the huge Shivsagar Lake to the other.

Some stretches were pitted and those tested our bikes. Then we decided to test our bikes even further, we found a track down to the lake. Surendra (Sierra Mike) took the initiative to go down and scout the track, when he gave the go ahead we took the off-road track down to the lake. After another round of Selfies, modelling and photography we got back on track to Mahabaleshwar. Once we hit Tapola the road opened up, became wider and all of us opened the throttle and enjoyed ourselves winding through the greenery.

So far we had experienced highways, winding hill roads, a Plateau of flowers, Off-roading to the lake side. All that remained was a good waterfall, which we got just short of Mahabaleshwar. All got off and many decided to enjoy the cold mountain water. With Hitesh in the lead we suddenly had a group of waterfall climbers scaling the rocks till they were no longer under the waterfall, but part of it.

Thanks to the stop we were saved an incident; one of our riders Ameesh (a first timer) felt the power of the group when he complained of his TB handle shaking. Immediately he got suggestions to check the fork nut which we found was loose, thanks to Parvaiz and Kalpesh carrying a complete tool-set we were able to tighten the fork and continue, having avoided any untoward event.

We roared through Mahabaleshwar and really tested our riding skills as we tore down the mountain towards Wai. Despite many voices saying that we should stop between Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani, I took the call to ride the ghat in one go and eat at a place as you finish the ghat at Wai. We stopped for a late lunch at 3pm @ Ganesh Hotel where we all ate to our stomachs content. Mutton, Chicken and Veg Thalis being what put everyone back in a good mood. Most appreciated the decision to stretch till Wai as the food was worth it. :)

Now that our tanks were full, it was time for some riders to fill their bike tanks with fuel. Then began the ride back. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry to get home so the average speed was upped and by 5:15-30 pm we had stopped just short of the Katraj ghat to say bye and disperse. Some of us took the old Katraj ghat and tunnel route while a few others took the new tunnel towards Kothrud, Pashan, etc

Thus ended our eventful and action packed ride to Kaas and back.

A complete ride.

Mulshi to Pavana with BRC

Pune – Mulshi – Amby Valley – Lonavala (Lion Point) – Shillim – Pavana – Pune

28^th June 15

My first ride with BRC was the first time I rode with a group.

We all collected near at 6:45am near CCD @ Chandni Chowk. As it was my first time I went about introducing myself to people and realised there were 2 other newbies with me. When it was time to leave we were given a talk on the dos and don’ts during the ride. We newbies were told about the safety gear we need to wear and how we should ride at our own pace and not worry about riding as fast as some of the others.

At this time I was a little worried and apprehensive about how I would be able to keep up with experienced RE riders, considering I had had my bike for less than 2 months. Somewhere I felt that my 8 year sabbatical from riding would be too much of a handicap. What I did not give myself credit for was the fact that I had ridden almost 80,000 kms over 12 years before that.

Riding my RE, gave me a feeling of taming the beast. My TB 500 is beautiful to handle and once roaring down the road is like a racehorse. I felt like a jockey riding a horse that knew what it was doing and where it was going.

Getting back to the ride. We started down the road to Mulshi and our group of 14 riders passed many cyclists and biker groups. A group of 14 RE riders certainly makes the heads turn, in fact many a villager and cow got startled and nearly jumped out of their skins when an RE throttled while passing them.

Well the road to Mulshi was quite uneventful, I realised I had given my past experience too little credit. I found that I was easily able to keep pace with the lead rider. Just short of Mulshi we stopped to take a right up a small road towards Malhar Machhi. This was a kick ass route with the lake to our left and mountains to the right. Small winding roads took us deep into the wilderness where we had barely any vehicles pass us.

The roads could be called tracks as many patches were more like off road tracks. Steep winding rough roads is where my TB500 was able to show what its made of. Roaring up the steep inclines and powering through the curves was a piece of cake. Here we had many group members who fell far behind the leading group. We stopped a few times and waited while the other group caught up.

What I really liked about the BRC riders is that they always have an experienced rider who trails the group and ensures no one gets left behind. Though it can be frustrating for the rider, it is a good sign of developing leadership and sense of caring and belonging.

We stopped on a bridge over a nice stream and had the usual round of Pics and selfies. The bikes lined on the bridge were a sight to see. Suddenly we heard a roar of a bike and here we were joined by the 15^th rider.

Now the 15 of us headed towards Lion Point Lonavala. After crossing Amby Valley the road became beautiful and the traffic picked up. We knew we were nearing Lion’s point when the fog rolled in and we could hear a lot of vehicles around the place; however, could not see most of them. 

We all reached and saw a whole lot of heads turn when our 15 REs thundered into a parking and lined up. It was a fabulous feeling to see my TB lined up with 14 other bikes up in the clouds. I could see many people gaping at our bikes and looking in awe at the entire cavalcade.

After grabbing some bhajjis and tea our bikes roared back into action and headed back towards Amby valley. We took a left towards Pavana and here the road became an off road track once again for the next few KMs.

Soon we hit the smooth roads again and I began roaring down the mountain once again. It was a great feeling to test my riding skills as I was pelting down passing one rider after another. My aim was not to overtake people and go ahead; it was to experience the freedom of riding my RE and having nothing and no one coming in my way. The feeling of leaning hard into the turns, dropping gear and roaring out of them has a feeling of freedom and control that I love.

As I had to reach home early, I parted ways with the group shorty before we reached Pavana. I turned towards Paud and had a superb ride on my own.

After my first ride with BRC I decided I would join them and explore the adventures of riding with a group.

My reasons for choosing BRC over the other groups:

·         A biker group that does things other than just riding- Social Service, National day events, Etc

·         The focus on safety, helmets and following rules

·         The madness for riding and adventure shown by some of the riders

·         The Friday meetings that show a sense of belonging