The backstory -
Colleague of mine, [USER="978"]Hyperwheelz[/USER], who owns a CBR600RR, had plans to go to the Buddh International Circuit for a track day - especially reserved for motorcyclists. He was wondering aloud about how him, and a friend - Utkarsh - riding a Ducati Panigalle 899, would be too tired if they rode all the way from Gurgaon to the track on the said day - or spend too much money staying at a hotel nearby for two nights (reach the night before, ride on track that day and then stay another night because they did not want to ride back in the night). I had the brilliant idea that they could probably load their bikes onto a trailer, take them to the track while enjoying the comforts of an SUV/Crossover/Car, finish the ride, and drive back in comfort too.
Well, he could source a trailer, my colleague said, but he (or his friends) did not have a vehicle to pull it with. I had another brainwave and asked [USER="6"]Roshun[/USER] if we could borrow Red Fox for a day. Roshun was very enthusiastic about it - in a decade (almost) that he has had the Scorpio CRDe Dx 4x4, he has never hitched up a trailer to it. First we had to confirm if the trailer could be attached to Red Fox, thankfully everything was sorted. (You will read about types of trailers and hitches etc. in a detailed post by Roshun)
A special BIG THANK YOU is also reserved for [USER="63"]Sairee[/USER], who agreed to take a cab to her office and let us take her daily driver, Red Fox, that day.
D-Day -
The plan was to meet up at Redline Racing Store in Mansarover Garden, Delhi where the trailer was available, Sid and Utkarsh would ride till there on their bikes from Gurgaon (Gurugram?) and Roshun would drive Red Fox there with me.
We met Mr. Gurvinder - who owns the shop. He is a gentleman who knows a lot about motorcycles and is an avid racing enthusiast. Him and his son, Simran, are well known among the motorcycle racing circuit - especially in North India. Mr. Gurvinder helped us hitch the trailer to the Scorpio - it was a fairly easy process. Loading up the bikes and securing them - it looked easy though we (Sid, Utkarsh and me) realised later in the evening that it was not.
Okay, Photo Time!
This how the Scorpio-Trailer combo looks without the bikes on them. Photo courtesy Roshun [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11189[/ATTACH]
This is what the trailer latches onto - this is fitted as standard on all 4x4 Scorpios, you can get it retro-fitted too [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11190[/ATTACH]
The simple latch mechanism on the trailer, also note the receptor to connect the tail-lights. Photo courtesy Roshun [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11191[/ATTACH]
Here is where you place the front tyre of the bike, then you push forward and.... [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11192[/ATTACH]
... the front tyre locks into place in a receptacle. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11193[/ATTACH]
Utkarsh and Sid were understandably concerned about their motorcycles - they are high performance, high maintenance, costly machines after all. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11194[/ATTACH]
We may have used too many restraints by the end of it. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11195[/ATTACH]
I was like an excited kid, running around taking photos or videos, and lending my help in whatever little way I could.
[video=youtube;quVvImx2xfg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quVvImx2xfg[/video]
Finally we were ready to roll, Roshun drove from Mansarovar Garden till Jor Bagh, he then handed over the reigns to me - he had to go to the inauguration of the [URL="http://www.zigwheels.com/forum/topics/general-discussion/indian-auto-trends/10945-exploring-big-boy-toyz-india-s-largest-exotic-cars-showroom#post10945"]new Big Boys Toys showroom in Gurgaon[/URL].
My senses were on edge, I was constantly watching the mirrors to make sure the trailer was not in danger of snagging anywhere, every action had to be planned out way in advance. The weight of the trailer and the bikes was not an issue for the Scorpio, but the trailer did change the dynamics of the SUV. You could feel the tug from the trailer over every bump, your turning circle had to be significantly larger, you also had to keep eyes out to look for those pesky motorists who tend to swoop behind you without looking. Photo courtesy Sid. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11196[/ATTACH]
You had to be careful about the speed, the trailer was supported by two wheels who were independent of each other. They were susceptible to bouncing around over rough patches - which could damage the precious cargo on board. The trailer did not have brakes, panic braking was a no-no. The trailer has the tendency to continue rolling for a while after you brake, it takes some time for the momentum to be overcome - panic braking could make the trailer step out (shudder!).
Sometimes my brain would panic seeing these two bikes floating behind the Scorpio. Ha!...Photo courtesy Sid [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11198[/ATTACH]
On the open road, I decided to stick to the right most lane. Handling traffic from one side was easier than handling traffic from both sides. People were curious, of course, seeing an SUV pulling two sports bikes - but they way they behaved was appalling. Most would drift too close to the trailer and stay there (hopefully not all of them were trying to take a photo as they were driving) - sometimes blocking traffic behind them. Utkarsh and Sid were engaged in a staring contest with drivers like these - though it may not have had much effect. We reached the track without any incidents, Yay! [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11197[/ATTACH]
It was easier getting the bikes off the trailer - of course we had help there too. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11199[/ATTACH]
There were other interesting trailers, the one below had a base that could be lowered or raised up hydraulically - no hassle getting the bikes on/off the trailer [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11209[/ATTACH]
A single-cab pickup truck also looks like a good investment, doesn't it? [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11210[/ATTACH]
Then it was time for Sid and Utkarsh to suit up and enjoy riding their bikes on one of the best race-tracks in the world! [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11200[/ATTACH]
Heading out to track [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11201[/ATTACH]
This was Utkarsh's first time on track [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11202[/ATTACH]
Sid was fast! [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11203[/ATTACH]
Spent some time taking photos [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11204[/ATTACH]
Some guys did not have the best of luck, this Suzuki suffered from a fueling problem [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11205[/ATTACH]
Others were well...
[video=youtube;lO_ha_CGw9w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO_ha_CGw9w[/video]
Mr. Gurvinder gave some advice in between the two sessions to those who were willing to learn. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11206[/ATTACH]
I think most did improve on their time [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11207[/ATTACH]
The final lap-time chart [ATTACH=CONFIG]n11208[/ATTACH]
Night time driving was not going to be easy - it was complicated by the fact that the mirror glass of the right side ORVM of the Scorpio fell off as I was manually adjusting it. It has previously been damaged, and temporarily held in place with M-Seal, a fact I didn't know. Sorry Roshun! I stuck to the same routine - stick to the centre divider wherever I could and use a lot of caution in general.
Fun time I had. Exhausting, but fun!
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