Q.The Golden Triangle Ride With The Indian Mastiffs Motorcycle Club

[QUOTE_NODE]"[B]Originally posted by Roshun"[/B] Praveen Seven hundred and ten kilometres in a day on a Mojo is a commendable feat. That is one hell of a ride for a single day, covering three major cities like Agra, Jaipur and Delhi on some of the busiest roads. It sure must have been fun. What was the total riding time like for these 700 plus KM? [/QUOTE_NODE] Yes, it was epic fun. I finally experienced a reasonably long distance ride. The riding time was roughly 12 hours. The Mojo is quite capable and I am sure the Tourer Edition of the Mojo will be even better when it comes to touring!

[URL="https://www.zigwheels.com/forum/profile/40"]Praveen[/URL] Seven hundred and ten kilometres in a day on a Mojo is a commendable feat. That is one hell of a ride for a single day, covering three major cities like Agra, Jaipur and Delhi on some of the busiest roads. It sure must have been fun. What was the total riding time like for these 700 plus KM?

[B]Delhi- Agra- Jaipur- Delhi Ride[/B] I have been living here in Delhi for a little more than a year but due to various commitments I never really explored the neighbouring cities on a motorcycle. Things are slowly settling down and now I’m able to indulge in some travelling. I have already done [URL="https://www.zigwheels.com/forum/posts/3438-thump-kasauli"]Kasauli group ride[/URL], [URL="https://www.zigwheels.com/forum/posts/1369-delhi-chandigarh-shimla-delhi-royal-enfield-thunderbird-350"]Chandigarh/ Shimla ride[/URL] and a few others. Recently, I joined a group called the Indian Mastiffs Motorcycling Club and I participated in their first ride- the details of which can be found [URL="https://www.zigwheels.com/forum/posts/18390-delhi-garhmukteshwar-delhi-ride-with-the-indian-mastiffs-motorcycle-club"]here[/URL]. After that, I was invited by Mr. Prashant, the founder of the group for the ‘Golden Triangle’ ride, covering Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. I really liked the idea of this ride because I’ve never visited Jaipur nor Agra and I’ve been aching to do a proper inter-city group ride since forever! The ride was scheduled on the first of this month. The plan was to take my motorcycle but then the unexpected happened. Frankly, it was a pleasant surprise when I finally got my hands on the much awaited Mahindra Mojo. The next obvious idea was to take her out for a nice long ride and the timing of the Golden Triangle ride was absolutely perfect! But I had one little problem. This was a Royal Enfield group and I had a Mojo. So, I had a talk with Mr. Prashant and asked him if I can take my new ride to the umm, ride. He was cool with it and I was elated! The Royal Enfield Saket store was the assembly point, as usual. I did a tank-full the previous night, after meeting a long-lost friend and I reached home a bit late. I woke up early morning at 04:30 am, got all ready and only then I realised I didn’t have dinner the previous night! I didn’t want to take the risk of going for the ride hungry, as I just learnt the hard way in the previous ride. So, I marked the nearest 24x7 store in the GPS and left my home to head there. The traffic was absolutely mad at Chattarpur, thanks to Navratri. There were so many volunteers guiding the traffic and I’ve never seen Chattarpur this busy, that too at five in the morning! The Chattarpur temple was a sight to behold. The entire temple structure was lit up with strings of colourful lights and the crowd seethed with festive fervour. The hustle and bustle of the people dressed in their favourite attires made me reminisce Diwali back home. Calling it grand would be an understatement but I am yet to see the Durga Puja celebrations in CR Park! I badly wanted to stop and admire the joy of festivity but the security was tight and the traffic was heavy. Unfortunately, the cops didn’t let me pull over. So, I reached the departmental store and bought two protein bars and a can of Redbull- the perfect breakfast for the biker! As I entered the Saket mall, the streets reverberated with the sound of Mojo’s exhaust note. It was properly loud and wild! I reached the venue with my gleaming white Mojo and the fellow riders were like ‘Who’s this guy?’ I parked my bike, took off my helmet we all introduced ourselves. I knew most of the riders in the group as we had already met each other in my previous rides. We had Mr. Kamal Pandey from Royal Enfield, Rinku bhaiyya, the famous Enfield service expert, Mr. Anish Kumar, Mr. Vinod Kumar, Mr. Shivam Aggarwal and Mr. Sanjeev Rajput. There were two Himalayans, two Thunderbird 500’s, a Classic 500 and a Bullet 500. There were no bikes with 350cc engines and the Mojo was the only sub-400 cc bike in the group. But that never mattered because the Mojo’s massive street presence made it feel like home in the company of Royal Enfields. So, we were waiting one more rider to join us, Mr. Ankush Taku. Meanwhile, we fuelled up at the petrol station nearby and at around 07:30, Mr. Taku arrived in his modified Thunderbird 500. At the Royal Enfield Saket Store [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19223[/ATTACH] Waiting for Mr. Taku [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19224[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19225[/ATTACH] We saddled up and kicked off our ride. The ride formation was single all the time and we were able to snake through the morning traffic efficiently. In about 40 minutes, we reached the outskirts of the city. As we passed through Okhla Industrial estate, the environment turned all tainted with dust I immediately had to shut my visor down and all the ventilation ports as the air was defiled badly! Authorities put the blame on new diesel vehicles whereas in reality, it’s these big industries and construction zones that are a serious matter of concern. We entered Yamuna expressway in no time and it was so satisfying, sprinting through the flawless butter-smooth road. The Mojo was easily able to keep up with its bigger hearted brethren, thanks to the liquid cooled, fuel injected 295 cc power plant and the six speed transmission worked really well on the long stretch of highway. We were consistently doing around 120 kmph and what awed me was the 2010 Classic 500 in the group that was able to keep up at those kind of speeds! Later I came to know that it was modified by Rinku bhaiyya and had its fuel injector replaced by a Bullet 500 carburettor. The roads were super wide and we had no issues overtaking the slower vehicles. The sparse traffic, disciplined riders and the pleasantly cool weather made me grin ear to ear while munching miles. The crosswinds were kept under control without much of a problem, thanks to the weight and the long wheelbase of the Mojo. We reached the tollbooth and pulled over at the nearby dhaba for some morning snacks. The bikes were all parked and we attracted quite some attention by tourists. One guy even took a group picture of us. We were served some steaming hot paneer pakoras. It was the first time I had tried this delicacy. Going by the looks of it, I first thought it was chicken nuggets! So much for being a South Indian haha! Tea was served in nice little earthen cups, something which I haven’t seen back in the south either. After the refreshment, we hit the road. En route, we came across a crashed vehicle on the median. We pulled over and enquired how it happened. Apparently, the driver lost control of the vehicle when one of his tyres burst. Fortunately, all the occupants inside were safe. We were back on our way to Agra. At the dhaba: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19226[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19227[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19228[/ATTACH] The accident at the expressway: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19229[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19230[/ATTACH] One thing I liked about this trip is the simplistic serenity of riding. It’s just you and your mates munching miles of tarmac endlessly, without any fancy distractions like bluetooth communication and whatnot. The wind blast and the sound of the engine just give you a sense of peace that can be matched only by meditation. Your mind becomes blank and free from fleeting thoughts. Your thirst for freedom is quenched by the controlled combustion of gasoline and you just concentrate on riding. Sometimes your brain automatically tries to hum a tune to fit the activity and I was happily humming the song ‘Fuel’ by Metallica. It was quite apt for the occasion, I’d say! The wind blast while riding triple digit speeds drains your fluids much faster than expected and I really regretted not having a hydration pack. We halted at a roadside food mall for some heavenly tender coconut water. Trust me, there are no fancy drinks can quench your thirst better than the humble tender coconut water! We took a group picture at the parking lot and then proceeded. By around 12:00 pm, we entered Agra. We didn’t go inside the city, though. The weather was hot and traffic in Agra was really chaotic. The searing heat ensured we got roasted inside our gear. After overtaking/ being overtaken left right and centre, we finally crossed the bad roads. A couple of riders got left behind in the chaos, so we pulled over near a juice vendor. What happened next really flabbergasted me: The shopkeeper asked if this was the 300cc bike from BMW. I still have no idea how a random person in some village in the outskirts of Agra knew about BMW’s upcoming quarter litre bike! Only then I realised the true power of the Internet! It’s amazing how technology has improved our awareness. We refuelled our body with some fresh salted lime juice. We were feeling so hot that I could actually feel the cold juice going down my stomach. The other riders caught up and then we proceeded towards Jaipur. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19231[/ATTACH] Bottoms up like a boss! :p [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19232[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19233[/ATTACH] Center of attention: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19209[/ATTACH] ​ The roads were not that wide, but the scenery was very pleasing to the eyes. One could see little sheds with tractors and other farm equipment interspersed between acres of paddy fields. This was the first time I experienced riding across a proper rural North Indian landscape. We were able to maintain a brisk pace and our mechanical steeds soldiered on without any complaints. While riding, I noticed a gradual increase in the number of Boleros on the roads. They were used like share autos to ferry people. Many were overloaded to such an extent that the rear tailgate was left open, flailing around! No wonder India has one of the highest fatalities on the roads. Another interesting thing I noticed was, the median, dotted with small iron structures shaped like a milestone. They were perforated a bit and I think it is designed to reduce the oncoming glare by vehicles in the opposite lane. Quite a brilliant invention, I say! We entered Fatehpur Sikhri and halted at Lake View Resort for lunch. We took off our gear, piled them on a separate table and began ordering food. We didn’t want the ride to last late night, so we planned to finish lunch 40-45 mins and head to Jaipur. The waiters were kind enough to serve us food as soon as possible. We gorged on some mouth-watering combination of rotis, hot yellow dal, delectable aloo gobi and steaming soft jeera aloo. We were so hungry that the rotis kept coming one basket after another and we even managed to finish everything in time! Lunch at Lake View Resort: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19210[/ATTACH] Heavenly Food! [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19211[/ATTACH] We saddled back up and were back on the highway with renewed energy. The epic lunch charged us up quite a bit and we were averaging more than 110 kmph. I also managed to do a couple of top speed runs and I hit 154 kmph on this bad boy! The Mojo is quite capable on the highway, I say. It pulls enthusiastically, even beyond 100 kmph and the vigour lasts till 140 kmph. Only post that I saw signs of stress in the engine. The road-focussed suspension and Pirelli tyres were a godsend in these kinds of situation and the bike felt very planted. We were going so fast that we had to stop some 70 km from Jaipur and wait for others to catch up. We managed to cover some 130 odd km in 75 minutes. It was a good run. Waiting for others to catch up: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19212[/ATTACH] Vinod's modded Classic 500, running on a Bullet 500 Carb: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19213[/ATTACH] We passed through the Jaipur tunnel and this was the first time I’m experiencing a ride through a tunnel. I had just the right bike for the occasion. I down-shifted a couple of gears and let‘er rip. The exhaust note echoed through the tunnel and boy what a feeling it was! The aural symphony made me grin like a little kid who just learnt to balance his bicycle. Upon exiting the tunnel, a bunch of cops pulled us over and said two wheelers aren’t allowed to use the tunnel. There were no boards indicating that and after a few minutes of arguing, we were let go. Riders, be advised: don’t use the Jaipur tunnel as there are cops on the other end waiting to pull you over. Apparently, two wheelers aren’t allowed. We reached Jaipur in the evening. The sun was slowly coming down and the weather was a lot more bearable. The roads were damp from the rain before and the refreshing petrichor permeated into our weary helmets, instantly delighting us. We made a short stop at a dhaba at around 5:00 pm for some refreshing drinks and beverage (read: water and tea). [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19214[/ATTACH] Anish's Ride: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19215[/ATTACH] The majestic Himalayan: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19216[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19217[/ATTACH] After that, we were on our way to Delhi. The visibility was slowly going down. Riding with a tinted visor proved to be a really bad idea as the night came down. The road towards the capital city were swarming with heavy vehicles and we had to reach Delhi before late night. So, we maintained a brisk pace and since I had a tinted visor, I kept a constant distance from the bikes ahead. I tried to focus on their headlight beam to scan for potholes and other road undulations. It proved to be extremely taxing as I overexerting myself to avoid potholes. The weak headlamp and the hard suspension are the culprits here. Mahindra, please sort out these two issues! The ride felt like forever and finally we made a pit stop for dinner at Hotel Highway king, Behror. The first thing I did was to thoroughly rinse my eyes as they were burning like hell because of all that dust and soot from the heavy vehicles. We were really famished and we decided to delve into the epicurean pleasures of South Indian cuisine! I gulped down some hot mix veg uttappam and some crispy rava masala dosa, roasted to perfection. At hotel Highway King: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19218[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19219[/ATTACH] After food, we headed towards Delhi with only 140 km to go. It was a continuous exercise of turn signal- move to the right lane- overtake- turn signal back to the middle lane, as we overtook countless heavy vehicles. I gotta give credit to the truck drivers as they were all cool enough to let us pass. We reached the outskirts of Gurgaon, sorry, Gurugram at around 09:30 pm. The Golden Triangle Ride was almost done. And that warranted a nice group picture. We caught hold of a passer-by and requested him to take the picture. The lighting was bad and the traffic lights didn’t help much either. We decided to switch on the headlight of one of our bikes and then we got the picture taken. Honestly, the guy was patient enough to take a good picture of us. So, we decided to pay back his goodwill by offering him to drop off on the way. We entered Delhi and I split from the group at Chattarpur, waved them goodbye and headed home. That’s 710 km done in a day. It was a good weekend. The Mojo was really comfortable and my bum wasn’t sore at all, contrary to what I was expecting! I slept like a baby that night. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n19220[/ATTACH] A big shout-out to The Indian Mastiffs Motorcycling Club and Soul Thumpers for making this ride happen. I thank Mr. Prashant, Kamal and all the others who participated in this ride. Until next time, cheers!