My Royal Enfield returned me a fuel efficiency of 40 km/l on the highways which I think is decent enough for a motorcycle of this weight.
BHPian Meteormariner recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
The need for a solo long trip in order to relax, rewind and rejuvenate myself had been creeping into my mind while I had been on board one of the foreign going tanker vessels, ferrying tonnes of refined petroleum from Russia to the Far East.
It had been a hectic 5+ months as chief mate on board and as soon I signed off I started planning the ride. The plan was simple, the ride would have to be long but not tiring, hence I planned to halt and call it a day every 350-400 kms. I hit the gym every day as a part of the preparation and carried out a few strengthening workouts for my back, abs, glutes etc.
I had a bucket list of places to visit plus reels on insta made it easy to choose destinations. I had chosen Gokarna for its serene beaches, the trip had to cover a place of Shiv Worship (Me being an ardent fan of lord Shiva) hence Murdeshwar, a visit to Coorg had long been overdue hence Coorg (Madikeri) was put on the list. As I was not willing to ride more than 400 kms a day I was looking for a stay in a place some 400 kms from my home city Madurai, which could be Calicut or Mysore, I had been to Calicut in the past but had never been to Mysore, so Mysore was finalised as my first stop.
The trip was planned as below
- Madurai —-> Mysore —–> Murdeshwar —–> Gokarna —–> Coorg —–> Hasanur —–> Madurai
- Approximate distance- About 2000 Kms.
- Vehicle to be used: Royal Enfield Meteor 350
I got my motorcycle serviced at Madras Motors, Madurai. Generally, I avoid carrying out any major repairs prior to any long trip, be it in a car or a bike. This being a new motorcycle just 10 months old with just 4500 kms on the odometer, there was nothing major as such, just got the oil changed and the routine air filter, spark plug, brakes etc. cleaned. I wanted to try the fully synthetic Motul V 300 on my motorcycle but the service centre refused to use anything other than their own Liquid gun semi-synthetic. I am not a big fan of the liquid gun but had to settle with it as I did not want any issues with the warranty claims if anything arises, plus lab test results of liquid gun from a trusted youtuber were assuring.
Packing for the ride was carried out with all the safety gears, as a measure of contingency I had packed a puncture kit, a hand pump, a clutch cable and chain lube.
The initial plan was to begin the ride at 4am in the morning in order to reach Mysore before the mid-day sun could cook me inside out, but sleep being so intoxicating, I could start only at 6am. I had planned fuelling only at trusted petrol pumps or if in doubt then Shell, as I had once suffered with water-mixed petrol on one of my rides.
Speaking of Shell, I have carried Unleaded gasoline (Petrol) and Gasoil (Diesel) on my ship for Shell plenty of times. The way they vet the ship, the cargo tanks, the competency of the ship’s officers, is of a totally different level, only a few such as British Petroleum / Chevron comes close to Shell in terms of such practises. So I could trust Shell with no second thoughts.
Shell petrol on my motorcycle, hmm I would say did not work wonders but I do agree the engine felt a lot smoother at speeds greater than 80kmph in comparison to fuel filled from other outlets, but the fuel average did not change significantly with Shell fuel.
Got the baggage strapped on the pillion seat with a few bungee cords and began the ride. First hour of the ride went fine when a slow but nagging pain started developing on my forehead (slightly above my forehead). I could make out; the pain was due to my newly purchased AXOR helmet. I had gotten used to my lightweight Vega and this new purchase was a 1650 plus 50 grams and the foam on the insides being new put a lot of pressure on my face and head.
I called up the accessory shop and told him about the pain I was facing, he assured me that it was a common occurrence and the helmet would free up with use. The helmet did free up a bit, but that took some 3 days. Lesson learnt the hard way- do not use brand new helmets on a long ride until it has been used adequately and freed for a comfortable fit. Anyways with the pain from the helmet continuing, I reached Mysore by 3pm, Mysore was a lot cooler and more pleasant than my home city Madurai.
Stay at Mysore
I had booked my stay at Hotel Roopa, after confirming if they had a safe place to park my motorcycle. Hotel Roopa was located near to the Palace, the stay was decent. If you are someone accustomed to staying in Marriot, Sterling or other such places then you would call it average. The restaurant on the terrace was a pure delight; the food and the ambience were top-class. After a few hours of rest at the hotel, I took a stroll around the city lanes, had good food at the terrace restaurant and called it a day. Something about Mysore keeps putting a smile on my face, I liked Mysore for its pleasant weather, good food, and wide roads.
Next day started at 7am from the hotel and reached Sri Chamundeshwari Temple on the Chamundi hills. The crowd was moderate, took the 100 rs ticket lane and got a good dharshan of the goddess. Mysore Palace was next on the list, an absolute delight, a piece of architectural marvel, as the day was a working day, the crowd was not much and I could leisurely click photographs and enjoy the spellbound marvel. After a happy visit to the Mysore palace, it was time to fuel myself, so returned to the hotel and had lunch followed by a quick nap.
The place to visit next was either the zoo or the Somanathapura temple, considering the distance and the shortage of time, the Somanathapura temple was dropped instead I visited the zoo. A trip around the zoo took me around 2 Hrs, I was able to view and photograph the animals without any issues as the zoo was less crowded. The evening was spent at the Brindavan Gardens, I wanted to view the light show but then came to know that light shows at the Brindavan had been called off until further notice.
After breakfast, the next day, started my ride towards Murdeshwar at about 9 Am.
This travelogue will never be complete without the mention of the vehicle that has carried and put up with me all along.
The RE Meteor 350 was an absolute delight on the highways, a mile muncher that can easily cruise all day long without straining itself, I was cruising at around 80 -90 kmph on the 5th gear and the bike had enough juice left to manoeuvre a overtake without downshifting gears. The throttle response was quick, and the heat management was very good, I never felt the engine heat on my legs(on the highways), nor did the engine stall after continuous long rides. The brakes had enough bite to bring the speed under control whenever needed; the working of the ABS was flawless. The long wheelbase coupled with the weight of the motorcycle kept the motorcycle well-planted on the roads. I had opted for touring seats and those did help in preventing a sore back during long rides.
The Cons to mention are the shortage of space on the seats, with luggage on the pillion seat or with a pillion there is hardly any room left for comfort, the positioning of front foot pegs though in a cruiser fashion does put some stress on the knees which was felt after a couple of hours of the continuous ride. The factory-fitted rear view mirror is absolute rubbish, it gives an inadequate view of the rear and it shifts if ridden on bad roads and more than once it fell loose and I had to stop and use a size 14 spanner to tighten it. I will have to invest in touring mirrors prior to my next ride, as this is a huge hazard on the highways.
The power produced by the motorcycle is just enough and it would have been better if the torque numbers had been a little higher as overtaking on steep terrains as in the never-ending twisty roads that fall between Mysore and Mangalore along the hills of Coorg demand some additional power to overtake those long sleeper buses before they approach the next turn. Other than that the motorcycle was all fine with nothing much to complain about.
The RE Meteor 350 returned me a fuel average of 40kmpl on the highways which I think is decent enough for a motorcycle of this weight. At the end of the ride (2015kms) I had to top up some 150 ml of engine oil, I believe the loss of oil was purely due to evaporation and not due to oil passing the piston rings. Respected members correct me if I am wrong.
Ride to Murdeshwar
This ride from Mysore to Murdeshwar is worth mentioning owing to the complexity of the roads. The road from Mysore until the start of ghat roads at Coorg is a single-lane road passing through a number of small villages so there will be slow-moving traffic and the ghat section along the Coorg though is filled with green vegetation on either side of the roads giving a serene feel, has lots of twists and turns, giving it a never-ending feel, if you happen to get stuck behind a heavy vehicle it would be long before you get a clear patch to overtake that vehicle. Once you clear the ghat section and start proceeding towards Mangalore, you will find road construction work in progress, limiting your speed and heavy vehicles ahead would be spewing dust on you. Only after you clear all this, would the NH66 clear up facilitating you to cover some significant ground.
I was on a motorcycle and hence the twists and turns along the route did not bother me much, but if I had been driving a car, the route would have tired me, hence the mention of this route on the write up as anyone planning a drive along this route can prepare adequately for the topography.
Stay at Murdeshwar
I reached Murdeshwar by 4.30pm, I had booked my stay at RNS Residency, which was right next to Shiv ji’s statue. These bookings for the hotels that I stayed all along the trip were done just the day before as the trip by itself was meant to be non-compelling and flexible. The rooms were priced a bit on the higher side, but that made sense and I felt were worth the penny once I parked my motorcycle and checked into the hotel. I would say that this place is one of the few quality stays that one can find in Murdeshwar, it is located on the seashore just a few meters from the temple.
As it was just a short walk I visited the statue and the temple once in the evening, and twice the other day, each time I visited I spent a significant amount of time in the temple atmosphere for the calming effect the atmosphere was providing and below the statue for the feel of sitting at the foot of the majestic lord Shiva. Dining needs were taken care of by the sea view restaurant located inside RNS Residency, they serve only vegetarian food but the taste and the ambience were good. Evenings were spent in the lobby viewing the sea and listening to soothing music. I did take a leisurely stroll around the coastal hamlet, it is just a small hamlet with nothing much to describe.
Ride and stay at Gokarna
The ride from Murdeshwar to Gokarna is a short 85 kms ride along the NH66, the NH has little to no traffic with fantastic roads, and I reached my hotel in no time. I had booked my stay at Blue Ocean Resort. The caretaker was a young lad about my age, he gave me an itinerary, that was when I realised I should have booked a stay at a place closer to the attractions. I had to ride at least an hour in order to get to one of the tourist attractions be it the beach or fort.
I rode to the yana caves, a trekking spot, packed a few snacks and began the trek. It was a short trek and not a very difficult one. Reached the absolutely stunning caves, a slight drizzle painted the atmosphere with loveliness. Clicked a few photographs and returned back. Mrijan Fort was next- a historical fort with great views all around. The Gokarna temple doesn’t allow men without dhothi (which was not known to me), so I was denied entry inside the temple, took a walk along the main beach which I did not like as the beach itself was dirty.
Om Beach was next, and I rode there. It is one of the best beaches of Gokarna, one can visit Kudle Beach on the way or trek to Kudle Beach from Om Beach. It was beautiful, the entire evening was spent there cherishing the lovely view while listening to some timeless music on the air pods. There is a café situated right on Om Beach, a café from where you can view the ocean while enjoying your favourite meal. Finished my dinner at the café and headed back to my resort.
I had checked google maps and the maps had suggested a time of about 25 minutes to head back from Om Beach to the resort, as it was just a 25-minute ride I leisurely started from Om Beach at 9.30 Pm and took the route suggested by google maps. The route was totally deserted with no human in sight, and the route was dark with thick with vegetation on either side of the road, to add to my woes my motorcycle was running low on fuel (I had planned to fuel on my way back to the resort) all this combined was at times sending shivers down my spine.
The deserted road took me to a place where the road was closed (literally I should say “the road was open”) meaning the road in the night opened for the ferries to pass and the path was closed for vehicular traffic. Google Maps was showing me no other alternate route, I had to take the same deserted road again and with no human in sight I just kept riding, all the time praying to find a fuel station somewhere. I then found an Indian oil petrol pump, filled my tank got directions and headed to my resort, it was a 45 km detour and reached my resort at around 11.30 pm, called it a day.
The resort I was staying at was on Nirvana Beach, in order to spend some quality time on the beach, woke up at 6.30 am and headed to the beach which was right behind my resort. As I set foot on its sandy shores, I was greeted by a breathtaking panorama that captivated my senses. Spend 2hrs on the deck chair on the beach doing nothing but just enjoying nature. Once the resort in charge informed me of the breakfast, I headed back to the resort, had my breakfast and commenced my return journey towards Coorg.
Ride and stay at Coorg (Madikeri)
The ride to Coorg was uneventful, I stopped just once for lunch at Mangalore, NH 66 till Mangalore was quite open and I could easily cruise at 90Kmph, after Mangalore the road construction and the ghat roads slowed me down limiting my speed to 50-60 kmph. Finally reached Madikeri at 4.30pm, checked into Hotel Regalia Grand. The hotel offered safe parking and ok-ish rooms, the best part of the hotel was that it was located at the centre of the town and was close to most of the tourist attractions. That evening after checking in was spent in the town doing small shopping.
The next day got my motorcycle water washed at a local garage and headed to Abbey falls, took some photographs and went to Raja’s tomb, Madikeri fort museum and Raja’s seat. I liked all the places but absolutely fell in love with Raja’s seat, a huge garden sparsely crowded with pictorial surroundings let me immerse in the soothing embrace of nature. I liked the place so much that I paid a second visit in the evening (after all I am a solo traveller with no commitments). I also visited the Omkareshwara temple. At Madikeri, my dining needs were taken care of by hotel Paakashala, offering decent vegetarian food and Hotel Paris offering mouth-watering non-vegetarian food, I should really appreciate their lemon chicken the taste of which lingers in my mouth to this date.
Breakfast was done and commenced my ride towards Hasanur (Talamalai forest) which lies on the Tamil Nadu side of the border.
Riding techniques adopted
- Throughout the ride, I perceived myself (anyone on two wheels irrespective of the size of the motorcycle) as the most vulnerable on the road.
- Kept my situational awareness at all time high by constantly scanning the road, road conditions, surrounding road conditions etc.
- At all times maintained an adequate buffer one with other vehicles, in order to leave enough space to manoeuvre, react to sudden situations and have an escape route if necessary.
- Avoided getting into the blind spot of large vehicles especially when moving in and out of traffic jams, where one would have to pass inches from large vehicles.
- Made my intentions clear to other road users, such as when changing lanes, taking a turn etc.
- Constant risk assessment: Identifying risks and mitigating risks as much as possible. The possibility of cattle/dog crossing the road is always there on Indian roads, though not foolproof, I try to avoid riding on the road shoulder and instead place myself in the middle of the lane which I believe would offer me time to react in case an animal crosses or tries to cross. Especially when there are shrubs or other similar vegetation on the side of the road that could hide an animal.
- Kept myself hydrated at all times and similarly kept a check on the health of the motorcycle, especially the drive chain, fluid levels, and heat dissipated from the engine.
- Avoiding straining any particular muscle and carrying out constant self-evaluation to relax any such muscle, especially the shoulder muscles get strained when one tightly holds on to the handlebars.
Ride and stay at Hasanur (Talamalai forest)
There is nothing much to mention about the ride to Talamalai forest, except for the sighting of a few deer and a wild boar on the road, the resort that I had booked was Peace valley view located inside Sathyamangalam tiger reserve right at the forest check post beyond which entry for private vehicles is not allowed. The resort that I had booked in the middle of the forest had no other guests, which meant I had the entire resort including the swimming pool for myself.
The locality itself was untouched by the hands of modernity; I was more than content with my stay at such a spot. I had instructed the kitchen in charge to cook up some chicken and chapattis for the dinner for which I was served abundant quantities of the same which was freshly purchased and cooked for their only guest.
On the other day, I happily had my breakfast consisting of dosas and eggs to order and began the last leg of my journey towards my home city Madurai.
Reached home by 5 pm after a 7-hour long ride with a head full of memories, a mobile full of photographs and a mouth full of words to describe the trip.
This ride across Royal Palaces and hidden havens has certainly given me memories of a lifetime and I am looking forward to my next ride, which would be only after I come back from my next sail for a vacation.
Thank you all for this long read.
Here are a few photographs from the trip
Keyword: Merchant navy officer goes on a 2000 km solo road trip on a Meteor 350