DAY-1: Bhubaneswar to
Vijayawada (Approx. 800 KMS)
It was a cold winter morning when the alarm went off at 0330
HRS. Not that it mattered; I was hardly asleep that night. I had come TO
Bhubaneswar secretly, but going back FROM Bhubaneswar was not unknown to
anyone. My parents were a bundle of nerves as they watched me get ready. My
father was seeing me in my full gear for the very first time and curious to
know about each one of them (I guess it was to mask his nervousness). This time
around, even my enthusiasm was a little low as compared to the journey to
Bhubaneswar as I was heading to my second home in Bangalore.
Geared up and kitted up, I started from Bhubaneswar around
0500 HRS. Being the eastern part of India, the sun rises early in this part.
Around 0545 HRS, I got to see a beautiful sunrise over the Bay of Bengal and Lake
Chillika. The roads had only a few heavy vehicles, so I could munch up the
miles really fast. I was able to maintain a continuous speed of 120 KMPH till
Srikakulam. Also there were very few trucks at the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border
and fortunately I faced no congestion on the border.
Although the traffic steadily increased as I moved from
Srikakulam to Visakhapatnam, I was still able to maintain a speed of 80 KMPH
because of the excellent road conditions in Andhra Pradesh. These roads are
even better than the roads in Tamil Nadu and roads in Karnataka hardly match up
to these standards. 15th January, being Makar Sankranti, I could
hardly find any road side restaurants open, so that I could stop for breakfast.
I stopped just before Visakhapatnam to refuel and without any other option in
hand, I had to have a RedBull which literally gave me wings (Although you
should never have any Caffeine based energy drinks on empty stomach). As I
started to feel a little better after the RedBull, I thought I could survive up
to Vizag.
Even upon reaching Vizag at around 1030 HRS, I could not
find any open eateries along the highway. I kept on riding for another 20-25
kilometers after Vizag, I found a small eatery open with a large number of
vehicles already parked next to it. I stopped immediately to have whatever was
available there. I got steaming hot idlis with spicy sambar and red tomato
chutney. To my rumbling stomach, it felt like a delicacy. At the end of my
breakfast, I was presented with a bill of…… Rs. 32 including a 20 rupees
Bisleri!! I though they have made a mistake in the calculation and double
checked with the cashier. To my surprise, the plate of idli cost Rs. 10 and an
extra chutney costs Rs. 2…. Seriously??? This is one of the cheapest meals I
have ever had.
After the breakfast, one interesting thing happened to me. A
Toyota Innova with a family and at least 5 children inside it, became my
companion on this part of the road. This car set on a pattern of following me,
overtaking me with little waving hands out of the window and then slowing down.
This happened quite a lot of times and I could see the curiosity on the
children’s faces. Amused, I too waved back at them for as many times as
possible. This continued for another 30-40 kilometers. After that there came a
toll plaza, where I took a small break to stretch and have a tender coconut. By
this time that car crossed me. To my surprise, they were waiting for me near a
flyover where they were supposed to turn for their native. So as a courtesy, I
stopped there for a while and had a small chat with the family followed by a
lot of photos with me and my Dark Knight. Bidding a quick farewell I set on my
journey.
The rest of the journey throughout the day remained mostly
uneventful. I had a lunch break somewhere on the highway and a few refueling
stops. I crossed Rajahmundry around 1630 HRS. I munched miles quickly after
Rajahmundry as the roads were in the best shape and reached my hotel in
Vijayawada around 1900 HRS. After that I went for the check-in and came back
again downstairs to park my Dark Knight in a safer place. When I started my Dark
Knight, I could notice that the Engine Warning Light was glowing in Yellow for some time and got
switched off automatically after 30-40 seconds of engine start (This should
have been switched off immediately). Apart from this everything else with my
Dark Knight was normal.
Once I reached my room, I unpacked my things and quickly
ordered for dinner: a plate of Chicken Fried Rice and Chilly Chicken. Then I
took a lengthy hot water bath and had a relaxed chat with my parents and my
wife waiting for the food. I had to wait for another one hour, two hours in
total to get the food in my room. I gulped everything quickly and went to sleep
in 20 minutes.
DAY-1: Vijayawada to Bangalore (Approx. 700 KMS)
It was 16th January. As usual the day started
very early around 0430 HRS when the alarms whined me out of my slumber. I got
ready quickly, geared up, and saddled up to leave the hotel by 0600 HRS. I was
planning to reach Bangalore by 1730 HRS, keeping in mind the narrow roads after
Naidupeta till Mulbagal and evening peak traffic. Here on the day remained very
eventful!!
Once I started my Dark Knight, I could immediately notice
the same Engine Warning Light glowing for some time and switching off
automatically after a while. I crossed Vijayawada in no time and hit the highway
immediately. There were some rough patches on the road which was very normal
and expected. But whenever my Dark Knight hit the rough patch of the road, the
Engine Warning Light started glowing again, the engines revs went down
drastically with a sudden jerk, and the throttle became unresponsive. This
happened to the Dark Knight 3-4 times within a small distance from Vijayawada.
There was no problem on the fine patches of the road, but this issue kept on
popping up whenever I touched the rough patch of the road. I guessed there was
some lose wiring somewhere causing this issue. So I started to ride a little
slow.
After a good 70-80 KMS from Vijayawada, around 0730 HRS, I
stopped by the highway for a consultation with the Harley Roadside Assistance.
I stopped near a Highway Patrol vehicle, so that I could get some assistance if
required. At first, Harley Roadside Assistance inquired about the problem and
told me that I can ride, if the light is glowing in Yellow and if I am
comfortable to ride. I was not satisfied with the response, so I sought some
kind of technical help. As it was early in the morning and the dealerships were
closed, they could not help me with this request. They also told me, if I am
not comfortable, then they can arrange a tow vehicle to take my Dark Knight to
the nearest dealership in Hyderabad, which is around 400 KMS from that place.
Since my free roadside assistance had expired a couple of days back, so I
thought it would cost me a lot to tow the Dark Knight to Hyderabad. So I
decided to take my Dark Knight as close to Bangalore as possible. So I started
back my journey and kept on riding cautiously.
With the issue on top of my mind, I rode on taking very less
breaks. Fortunately I faced a very good patch of the road from Ongole onwards.
During this stretch, the frequency of the problem went down and I was able to
cover a good distance very fast. All this while, I took only one break for
breakfast and refueling. With the issue popping up every now and then, I was
able to reach Naidupeta by 1030 HRS and halted there for a small break as my
back was aching due to lack of pit-stops. I had a RedBull and for a moment I
thought of going to Chennai, which is barely 110 KMS away (Closer than
Bangalore which is still more than 300 KMS away) and has a Harley-Davidson
dealership. Since I had a long duration training starting from 18th
January, I hardly had time in hand. Even if I went to Chennai and gave the Dark
Knight for repair, it would have been very difficult for me to take time out later
and pick the Dark Knight from Chennai. So forcefully, even if I did not want
to, I gave up this thought and headed for Bangalore. But one thing was worrying
me much that the road condition here onward deteriorates and the single lane
makes riding even more difficult.
I started from Naidupeta, which is where NH-5 gives way to
state highway if you are heading towards Bangalore. Now I came across the
narrow roads and increased traffic, which slowed me down. The slow speed and
more bad patches on the road increased the frequency of the problem. Still the
Dark Knight did not give up and continued to take me forward. I decided to
continue till Tirupati the same way and arrange a tow for my Dark Knight there
on. After some time I took a break for refueling. There I again met another
couple of families, some more chit-chats and a lot of photos with me and my
Dark Knight. Here on another problem popped up, the battery draining out. I
could see a Low Battery Indicator glowing in RED.
This started happening a few kilometers away from Tirupati.
Now the engine seemed to cut off completely whenever I slowed down a bit or
shifted gears. Luckily I got a double lane highway and some good patches of the
road again till Tirupati. Exactly at the junction where the highway meets the
first inner road of the town, my Dark Knight stopped completely. At this point,
I did not even try to start it again. It was around 1230 HRS.
I took my Dark Knight to the interior road side and stopped
by a tender coconut vendor. Before I took any further step, I decided to cool
down and had a couple of tender coconuts. Just beside the coconut vendor there
was a small shed where I parked my Dark Knight safely and called the Harley
Davidson Road-Side assistance. Hoping to experience the acclaimed roadside
assistance, I was quite relaxed. Since my Free Roadside Assistance was expired
couple of days back, I was hopeful of getting a tow at a cost. I had around 3-4
lengthy calls with the RSA team and they assured me of help. They asked for 30
minutes time to arrange a flat-bed tow vehicle. It was already 1330 HRS and a
little hot outside.
At around 1400 HRS, I got a call from the RSA. They said,
there were no flat-bed tow vehicles available nearby and the vehicle would come
from Bangalore. Since Bangalore is around 250 KMS away, so we calculated the
expected time of arrival of the tow vehicle to be around 2000 HRS in case the
vehicle starts immediately from Bangalore. Looking at the time of arrival, I
readily agreed to the proposal. The RSA team told me that this tow would cost
me a whopping Rs. 13500. Without any other options in sight, I agreed to that
as well. Then the RSA asked me to wait for another 20 minutes before they give
a confirmation on the tow vehicle starting from Bangalore. It was already 1430
HRS.
Around 1500 HRS, the RSA team called me again. They informed
me that there was no tow vehicle available in Bangalore as well. They could
only be able to arrange one the next day. By this what I understood was, I need
to lie on the road side for one whole day. I was completely shocked to receive
such a response from the Harley-Davidson RSA, which they claim to be one of the
best in the world and they do advertise this along with each purchase. Because
of this careless attitude, for a moment I felt, I have not bought a premium
bike, but just another bike from the herd. There after I sought some technical
help from the dealership as well, which went in vain. They were not sure about
the exact cause of the problem. They helped me with couple of contacts to tow
the vehicle, but again the vehicles would be coming from Bangalore and would
have cost me upwards of Rs. 15000.
Then I decided to take the matter in my own hands. Since the
spot where I got stuck, was a traffic post where I could see at least 5-6 traffic
police personnel deployed for some VIP movement in the area, I approached one
of them for help. On the first instance, they were not able to understand what
I wanted to convey. This was due to the language gap. I don’t know Telugu and
they didn’t know Hindi or English. I went back to sit in the shed, surfing the
net to find any transport agency number in Tirupati. In the meantime the VIP
convoy passed through and the traffic police became free. They came to the shed
where I was sitting and started a conversation with me. They inquired about my
destination, where I was coming from, why had I stopped here for a long time,
and some more questions about my Dark Knight. I explained them everything patiently
in a mix of both Hindi & English, and luckily they were able to comprehend
at least a part of my problem.
I went on to the highway and stopped a few light transport
vehicles to check if they could help me out. Seeing this, one of the traffic
police personnel came to assist me on this search voluntarily. They even dialed
a couple of people they knew, who deal with transport. Finally one of them
responded positively, saying a Tata Ace was available. Then the vehicle came
within 10 minutes and they were ready to transport me and my Dark Knight to
Bangalore for Rs. 6500. Looking at the amount, the traffic police personnel did
not agree and started negotiating with the driver and finalized it to Rs. 4500
including the entry tax to Karnataka. I could not refuse this deal!! In a
while, it became a large gathering of people as the driver and the helper were
trying to load the Dark Knight on to the Tata Ace (Chota Haathi). Initially
they thought this bike to be a Royal Enfield Bullet which weighs roughly 150 Kilos,
but this is a Harley-Davidson Iron 883 which has a dry weight of 280 Kilos and
mine with a fully loaded saddle would not have weighed less than 330 Kilos.
Finally it took 30 minutes and not less than 16 hands (8 people!!) to put the
Dark Knight in place. It was tightly tied with ropes with proper harness and
protection (to avoid scratches). I offered some money to the traffic police
personnel, as a courtesy as well, but he refused it politely. I offered
ice-creams to everyone who helped me at this difficult time. With a few
handshakes and thank you, I bade farewell and started from Tirupati around 1630
HRS.
Once I boarded the chota haathi, I got to know that my
companions for next 6-7 hours to Bangalore are Vinayaka, the driver and Venky,
his childhood friend. As soon as I boarded the vehicle we went inside the city
to pay a transit tax at the AP tax collection office. They were kind enough to
bring me a bottle of mineral water without even me asking for it and did not
even take money for that. Then we gave a visit to Venky/Vinayaka’s home to
collect some warm clothes since it was winter and finally we headed out of
Tirupati around 1700 HRS. Around half an hour later we stopped for refueling.
Seeing the Café-Coffee-Day outlet beside the petrol bunk, I suddenly recalled
that I had forgotten to have my lunch!! I quickly jumped out of the chota
haathi and ran towards the CCD to grab a sandwich and some drinks. After
gulping it, both mind and body calmed down.
All this while, I had to keep my family informed, not about
the Dark Knight breaking down midway, but with my location and well-being.
Somehow I had to involve them with some kind of story, so that they wouldn’t
get tensed and make me even more nervous. I immediately called up the
Harley-Davidson dealership to keep it open till 2200 HRS, so that I could drop
the vehicle directly at the dealership. They agreed readily to keep the service
open till that time and informed the on-duty security as well. Then I thought,
getting the Dark Knight down from the chota haathi would again be a daunting
task and I would be requiring some helping hands in Bangalore as well and that
too late at night. So I informed couple of my friends Sharmistha and her
husband, Viren, to be available at the dealership when I reach there.
The roads after Tirupati, till Mulbagal are single laned.
Additionally, peak evening hour traffic made the roads even congested, thus
slowing us down. We took a small tea break somewhere before Mulbagal and had
some chilly bajji as well. Then the journey remained uneventful till the
Karnataka state border in Mulbagal where we reached around 2000 HRS.
Here we had to pay the entry tax for Karnataka. It usually
costs Rs. 500. Vinayaka went inside the RTO to pay the tax. But after a few
minutes he came back without paying the tax and a RTO official accompanied him
and asked him to return to AP from there. They were not able to allow the
vehicle to enter Karnataka. It came in as a surprise for all of us in the chota
haathi. When I inquired with the RTO official about the concern, he notified me
that the Fitness Certificate of chota haathi has expired a week before and
Vinayaka was also unaware of it. Thereafter I engaged the RTO guy with a little
chat and without any other option in sight, I had to offer him the same Rs. 500
and Rs. 100 to each of the guards as bribe to let the vehicle into Karnataka.
Seeing the Rs. 700, he eagerly accepted the deal on the condition that the
vehicle would return to AP overnight. One more hurdle crossed!!
We left the RTO check post around 2045 HRS. From here on the
roads became 4 lane and less traffic made our life a little easier. We quickly
gained speed and crossed the remaining kilometers in another one and a half
hours’ time. This was the very first visit of Venky/Vinayaka to Bangalore. They
looked very awed to see the tall buildings beside the highway. They were also surprised
to see so much of traffic on the road even at this late hour. They kept on
watching each of these high rises till we reached the dealership in Indiranagar
at 2300 HRS. A big sigh of relief!! As the dealership is located inside a
residential area, it was very quiet outside. Taking advantage of this
quietness, I quickly called up my parents and (mis) informed them that I had
reached home safely. By this time my friends arrived at the dealership. To our
surprise, there was a big iron ramp available at the dealership. This ramp is
actually used to move bikes into and out of the showroom area. It was very
heavy, but it saved us at least 10 more hands. We quickly put it on the chota
haathi, then untied the Dark Knight and I unloaded it myself. I parked the Dark
Knight safely in the service area and handed over the keys to the security on
duty. I paid Venky/Vinayaka their dues, gave them a heartfelt gratitude and
bade farewell (since they had to cross over to AP overnight as part of the deal
at the RTO check post). I requested them not to drink alcohol on their way back
since they were discussing about it all throughout the journey.
It was already 2330 HRS and By this time I was extremely
tired and ravenously hungry. Looking at my condition, my friend Viren took me
to his home instead of mine. Once I reached his home, I had a lengthy hot water
bath and a sumptuous dinner. Then we kept on chatting till late in the night
before we went on to sleep around 0300 HRS. Before I hit the pillow, I thanked
the Lord for bringing me home safely, and the Dark Knight (It never gave up
even though it was ailing for at least 400 KMS to take me to a place from where I can get a tow easily) for the trip and the unforgettable memories.
P.S. DO NOT rely fully on any manufacturer's RSA especially in India and make your own arrangements. The
problem with Dark Knight was diagnosed to be a loose earth wire that had come
off. This had resulted in the battery not getting charged by the alternator on
the run and ultimately getting drained out completely. It also damaged a couple
of engine sensors as well for throttle response and fuel injection. It took a
week’s time before I could bring my Dark Knight back home. I could have fixed
the issue myself on the way if I had known how to open the battery housing
compartment. Later I realized that I had missed out to check the user manual!! :(
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