Malnad trail

Day 1. Bangalore –Hassan-Mudigere-Kottigehara- Jaavali- Kalasa- Horanadu –Kalasa- Kudremukh- Kalasa – Balehole- Balehonnur- Magundi ( Avanthi Estate). 415 kms.
Day 2. Magundi –Basarikatte( Jhain khan Estate) – Sringeri – Agumbe – Kundadari Hills – Sringeri – Balehonnur- Magundi. 185 kms
Day 3. Magundi – Kottigehara – Mudigere – Hassan – Bangalore. 285kms.
Total - 885kms.
Roads are superb all through and unbelievably pot-hole free!! It’s humid but not hot-up the hills. There was 6 kms of  'off-roading" on the way to Jhain Khan Estate and back (it was my first time of using this Off-road mode of my bike's technology).
Riding on those unending -winding roads in the woody areas -some are in the evergreen forest corridor- was so “unwinding “- a Zen thing on two wheels really! smile emoticon.

Random snapshots here:   https://picasaweb.google.com/111630430480748316311/MalnadTrailsMay252015

Tiger entered my dreams.

Popular track-Bellur cross and return-200 km of riding, on 24^th of April.

That was my first long ride on this bike. It was, in spite of strict adherence to "break-in”speed restriction and of course, if you will excuse the exaggeration, simply blissful. Holding back on revving was test of character. Cruise control is a revelation (so soothing was it on my aging wrists). Delightful engine performance, fluidic  suspension, bicycle like manoeuvrability, secure bike ergonomics and that feel of confidence while riding left me wondering (as of now, I am too non-mechanical to appreciate  anything else of the bike! ) if there was anything better that runs on two wheels?!

 When Triumph announced its entry, it was 800 XC that held my attention. A lot of this bike’s features appeared to answer many shortcomings of my Ninja650, especially in relation to our country’s road conditions. Later I realized that its seat height was bit too high for the 5’7”of me. This, at least for a while, killed my dreams of owning and riding one. When next variant XRX was launched, and when I looked at its specs, it was God smiling upon me again! Triumph had lowered the seat height by 20mm for this bike!!  It reignited my desire. While drooling over prospect of owning this bike and while fixated on lowered seat height, I completely ignored all the other dimensions. I imagined that XRX’s dimensions were comparable to my Ninja650’s: after all XRX is only 6 kgs heavier!  At the first sight (in real life) XRX looked so formidable that it again raised doubts about my choice. Someone even mentioned that the bike (while on centre stand) was as tall as I am! Till then, I had never seen a bike of that height and was hard to reconcile to the idea of riding one! Ninja looked stunted in comparison! Test ride eased that doubt a bit. Yet,  romantic and fanciful  idea of touring “real” India, raving reviews from fellow KNOGS, teen-like infatuation and many more factors blinded me and like a child fantasizing  a forthcoming toy I ran to write the cheque. I was still not sure if I was for this bike till after the morning of this ride. Finally, as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating: this morning’s ride put a lot of misgivings to rest. Hope the bike continues to thrill and surprise me, if not to that extent as that morning’s, always. Fingers crossed!!