Q.Delhi-Garhmukteshwar-Delhi Ride With The Indian Mastiffs Motorcycle Club

Life in the recent past had been a bit monotonous and the craving for a ride was getting stronger day by day. I was just mindlessly scrolling through the endless crap on Facebook’s news feed and that’s when I stumbled upon the event hosted by a group called ‘The Indian Mastiffs Motorcycle Club’. Three things drew my attention to the event: a) reasonable distance and b) cost is based on actuals, so no unnecessary spending and c) only a selected few are riding and that means less bullshit dealing because there is no crowd-controlling in play. The ride was initiated by Mr. Prashant Singh, a fund raiser for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA). He wanted to raise awareness about animal cruelty and the usage of animal products in our riding gear as well as in everyday products. So, he tapped into the motorcycling community for this cause and thus the group ‘The Indian Mastiffs Motorcycle Club’ was born. I think this is a great initiative and if you’re an animal lover and a motorcycle rider, then this group will be perfect for you. Do check out their Facebook page [URL="https://www.facebook.com/TheIndianMastiffs/"]here[/URL]. This Canine approves the ride PC: Prashant [ATTACH=CONFIG]n18393[/ATTACH] The ride was scheduled on Sunday, the 11th of September and this was the first ride for the Mastiffs. I was pretty stoked about the ride and kept my riding gear all ready the previous night itself. I could barely sleep because of all the excitement. I woke up half an hour before my phone’s alarm could go off at 5:00 am, got ready and geared up. I still had plenty of time and I was just sitting home like an idiot, not knowing what to do. I finally decided to leave around 05:15 am. Riding in the city early morning is indeed a pleasant experience because you don’t have to deal with Delhi’s notorious traffic. The assembly point was Royal Enfield Saket Store in Delhi. I reached the venue in 45 minutes and I saw a couple of riders already waiting for others to arrive. I then had a chat with Mr. Prashant and came to know about the cause of the ride and the story of his last trip, a Leh-Ladakh ride with the group Soul Thumpers. Oh, and I got some cool stickers and a PeTA tee as well! Minutes went by and slowly all the other riders arrived, followed by meet and greet, banter and discussion about fellow rider’s customised ride. Yes, many bikes were fully modified for hardcore touring and it was quite interesting to see some of the mods. There were a bunch of Thunderbirds, a Himalayan (Prashant’s borrowed ride), a Classic and an Electra. At 06:30 am, we decided to kick off the ride. We took a group photo before commencing the ride and then thumped ahead. Route: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n18402[/ATTACH] Let's do this! PC: Prashant [ATTACH=CONFIG]n18394[/ATTACH] The best part of this group was that all the riders were experienced and were quite disciplined. We rode in a single file formation for most of the time. This formation is perfect for roads with traffic and the guys who volunteered to be marshals did a great job in keeping the group together and paving the way. We were out of the city in an hour. You could actually feel the air quality slowly becoming better as you cross the outskirts of the city. Such is the pollution situation in Delhi! As we rode on, the cacophony and the materialistic chaos of concrete jungles slowly morphed into lush greenery of trees and fields. It was an absolute delight to breathe in fresh air and indulge in the serenity as we were cruising at around 90 kph. The roads were not that wide but were nice to ride nonetheless. For the most part, the roads were fairly good. Through hand signals, the riders leading the group alerted us about the occasional potholes/ jaywalkers/cows/stupid people driving on the oncoming side on the fast lane (welcome to India!). The information was passed down the group to ensure the last rider got the message. In a group ride, the riders look out for each other and that’s the best part. After doing about 50 km, we pulled over at Pilkhuwa, just before Hapur bypass for some chai. We were all starving and the hot beverage went down our throats like an ambrosial elixir of life! After the tea, we rode on with renewed energy. The scenery became even better as we neared Garhmukteshwar. We came across a bunch of derailed bogies on the side of the road a few kilometres before reaching our destination. We didn’t even slow down but it is interesting how fast our minds can think at a moment’s notice. I was already imagining scenarios of how the derailing happened, all in a second. After a few minutes, we finally reached Garhmukteshwar at around 9:00 am. There were some temples and a narrow alley with gift-shops dotted on the either sides. Riding through it felt like going through Dilli Haat! The tarpaulin makeshift roof of the shops on either sides doubled up as a shade for the path and boy we attracted attention and how! It’s not possible to be subtle when you’re a part of a long line of mechanical steeds thumping and thundering through a narrow lane. Amidst the cramped cluster of shacks and stores, we somehow found a neat little parking space for our beloved steeds. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n18395[/ATTACH] Garhmukteshwar apparently has quite some history. I came to know that the town used to be a part of Hastinapur. There are four temples built to worship Goddess Ganga and the name of the town comes from the temple which goes by the name- Mukteshwar Mahadeva. In the 1940’s, the place became a major area of conflict for Hindu- Muslim violence and around 200 people were killed in anti-Muslim attacks. We parked our bikes and headed towards the riverbanks. Oh, what a feeling it was to see a water-body after so many months! I lived in Chennai and I was pretty used to the concept of beaches. I missed them big time after coming to Delhi and the banks of Ganges invoked a flood (pun not intended) of childhood memories. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n18392[/ATTACH] There were people of all ages taking a dip, immersing idols of Lord Ganesha and offering prayers. Honestly, it felt a little crowded. So, we decided to take a short boat ride further inside. The water level where the boat stopped was just half-knee length and soft clay surface was really cozy to step on after taking off our riding shoes. It was a delightful feeling to sense the cold water after so many months of being umm, strictly terrestrial (wading through Delhi’s rain-flooded streets doesn’t count)! Having lived most of my life in South India, it was indeed a pleasant feeling of elation and satisfaction when I realised that I had finally seen the Ganges river. As I was playing in the water, I had this feeling that I was missing only one more thing and if I had that, Lord Shiva would totally approve of my experience (no offence to anyone)! Miraculously enough, one of the riders offered me a toke and I was all like “Hallelujah!!” After gettin’ some green on the Ganges I finally checked that off of my bucket-list! #achievementunlocked! Boat Ride PC: Prashant [ATTACH=CONFIG]n18396[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n18397[/ATTACH] The soft clay is a delight to step on [ATTACH=CONFIG]n18398[/ATTACH] Chill times [ATTACH=CONFIG]n18399[/ATTACH] After having fun, we decided to head back to the shore for breakfast. We went to this nice little vegetarian restaurant where we were served some steaming hot aloo puris, jalebis and raitha. I was so famished after the huffin’ and puffin’ that I hogged like there was no tomorrow. Damn, that was one satisfying meal! After filling our tummies, we decided to head back to Delhi. We got all geared up and thumped our way home. Honestly, my return trip’s a little hazy but nothing really memorable happened anyway. We halted once at a Dhaba for some tea and we finally reached Delhi at around 2:00 pm. Pooorissss!!!!! PC: Prashant [ATTACH=CONFIG]n18391[/ATTACH] Jalebeeeesss!!!! PC: Prashant [ATTACH=CONFIG]n18400[/ATTACH] Tea Break during the return trip PC: Prashant [ATTACH=CONFIG]n18401[/ATTACH] My Thunderbird 350 performed remarkably well during the trip. Most of the other riders had 500 cc bikes and our speeds hovered between 90-95 kmph. Normally I don’t exceed 80 kph owing to vibrations but that time I was left with no choice. The bike surprised me with its ability to stay intact, even at 100 kph! :P The engine, despite feeling a little stressed at high rpm, chugged along without any complaints. The spoke wheels and the forks soak up bumps quite effectively. Once, I hit a pothole at a really high speed and thanks to the spoke wheels, the impact was absorbed efficiently. I checked my fork for any oil leaks and luckily they were fine. It was a really nice trip overall and I thank Mr. Prashant for organising such a pleasant ride. A big shout out to Mr. Sameer Pal, the lead and Mr. Rahul Tiwari, the marshal! I can’t wait for the next ‘Golden Triangle’ ride! Cheers!