Yet another breakfast ride to Charoti

Dear Riders,

Hope you guys are still in your trance that results after an awesome riding day. The "unofficial" breakfast ride to Charoti was no different. Personally, i got back to riding with this group after a gap of more than a year. This added a new dimension to my experience.

The Assembly
After enormous co-ordination and late night conversations we finally met at our decided spot i.e. the one and only Fountain Hotel, Ghodbunder at 6.30 am. The initial greetings started taking shape with glances followed by warm smiles. Who could tell then, that the next 130 odd kms would change these warm smiles into friendly conversations & eventually lead us to share some awesome moments over the most awaited Kheema Pav.

The wait...

Getting started
We started with 12 bikes initially & were joined later by a couple more on the way. The ignition roared at 7.15 am and we were on a roll! As expected, the roads were awesome (NH8 never seems to disappoint), however it was quite chaotic. Many riders from other groups would zoom past us making it challenging for us to maintain a single line formation. things got better once we cleared the Vasai Toll naka.

As we picked up speed and momentum, so did the roads dwindled and gave us a scenic welcome. The glides and the curves left us wanting for more.

The ride continued smoothly right up to Hotel Ahura past Charoti Naka. The riders maintained amazing discipline and character throughout the difficult patches of the ride. Once we reached Ahura, all that mattered was indulging in our second love... yes, Food! We got our own private dining hall (I guess we were the lucky ones ;)

The famous Kheema Pav @ Hotel Ahura, Charoti

Chicken Cutlets, a must try at this place...

As expected, we sinked ourselves in the delicious palates of spicy Kheema Pav & other Parsi specialties. As we started our meals, it was music, fun and conversations all along...

 
this went on for a long time until finally, it dawned upon us that it was time for us to leave, so we finally collected ourselves and headed out. We did a quick formal "get-to-know" session for all the members who would finally merge themselves as part of the group.

Then we posed with our bikes & showed off our gears :) for some awesome clicks & dispersed for the day. Some riders still had not got enough of riding, so they decided to explore more destinations around Charoti, while others chose to head home and spend their holiday with other friends & family.

Keep coming back to this space to catch more pictures from the ride & read interesting stories of the riders.

Hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as i enjoyed writing it. I assure you there are more posts to come as we keep ourselves geared up for newer rides.

Hope to see you all soon,

Ride hard, ride safe!

Mitul

Mahabaleshwer Ride- A view from Rajeev's Room

Hey Bikers & Bikernis,

Wanna know how the ride panned out? How we gushed ourselves out of beds & roared our bikes out on the roads just to ride together? What kicked us the most? the roaring sounds of 40 bikes together or the serene views of the curvy roads and the whistling sounds of breeze passing through our helmets? Keep reading :)

Pre-ride preps

Route planning - checked
Ride Stops & Accommodation - checked
Briefing schedule - checked
Safety gear - checked

With every passing moment, the excitement to meet was gathering momentum & the gut getting gushier to reach our starting point. And that moment FINALLY arrives.

We meet

It was decided previously that the ride will strictly start by 5.40 am from McDonalds, Kalamboli and whoever comes late has to catch us at the breakfast halt near Kolad so accordingly riders started gathering from 5.00 am. By 5.30 am almost everybody were present at the meeting point. After a short briefing we started the ride at 5.50 am, the route was decided via Panvel bypass-Khopoli- Pali- Nagothane- Mangaon- Poladpur- Mahableshwar...

We decided to ride in groups on 10-12 people since managing 40 riders at a go was difficult on the road, so 3 groups were made and lead and tail were appointed for each group.

We Ride
It was a typical summer morning, with a little chill in the air and the surrounding hills and fields covered in mist. I thought of stopping to take a picture of the beautiful surrounding and sunrise, but i was enjoying the ride so much that i didn’t feel like stopping and also since I was leading the group. It was warm at the places where there was sunlight, and it was bit cold at the spots where there was shade.

We were cruising through beautiful curvy roads between Khopoli and Pali and since few of us had bluethooth devices in helmets, we were coordinating between the lead and the tail to make sure everyone is with the group.

But the funny part was yet to come, the last group headed by AMD went through the Pen- Vadkhal route, thanks to the helmet bluetooth device that we were in touch for the entire stretch and finally met them after the Pali turn. Out first halt was already decided to be at Hotel Raveez near Kolad (Navazbhai coordinated with the hotel owner a week before the ride to make sure everything goes smooth) at around 8.30 am, we reached there at 8.15 am..husshh what a streach was that, beautiful misty morning, snaky curves and 40 avengers in a row, nobody even realised that they covered a distance of around 100 KMS ;),

After the breakfast and quick photo session by BAC official Photographer Kalpak, we started our journey at 9.15 am, the BAC pune people were supposed to meet us near Mangaon Bus depot at around 10.30 am but we reached Mangaon by 9.45 am, I called Amit (BAC Pune) and learned they might take another hour to reach Mangaon so we decided to move ahead till Poladpur and told them to catch up.

We crossed Lonere and I got a call from Chetan that one bike had a problem and they had to stop near Mangaon, it was Sheldon's bike but the problem was not big just bit petrol overflow which got rectified in 5 minutes and they jointed us in sometime. We reached Poladpur at around 11.00 am and decided to wait for BAC Pune riders, till then the sun started to heat up the climate, everyone ran towards the Nimbu Sharbat stall to cool themselves, all local people there were looking with amazed reactions and some were enquiring about our group and rides, I was in touch with Amit and he told they might  reach  Poladpur in 10-15 minutes. we decided to wait there and start one all reach.

Poladpur to Mahableshwar is a good 35-40 km road passing through Ambinadi ghats , the road is good and turns are awesome with good biking scope that we were able to go ahead at nearly 50 kmph.... felt like we were playing MotoGP, taking every turn tilting our bike to the maximum, to get the full pleasure.....Kalpak, Neil, Chetan and some others were talking pics and videos on the go,  If you truly wanna enjoy cruising, Ambinadi ghats is the best place for you... I really like riding through the ghats rather than just ripping on straight roads, since on the ghats u really need to be 1 with the bike to take those curves with good speed , and I like to be with the mountains.

Finally we reached Mahableshwar at 1.45 pm, 15 minutes ahead of time, thanks to all the riders who took extra care for getting their bikes serviced and tuned before the ride. Mahableshwar welcomed us with a nice cool breeze and lot of greenery, felt like someone hugging us after a long tiring journey, all the tiredness vanished in seconds and we all headed towards our abode which was a huge 10 BHK bunglow called Gurukripa Nivas between Mahableshwar and Panchgani. the owner was waiting for us on the road to welcome us and help in parking.

Everyone settled in their respective rooms and got refreshed since it was almost the lunch time and the food was ready, so after getting fresh everyone headed towards the dining area, the food was excellent and everybody enjoyed since all were hungry :). We had the rest of the afternoon to ourselves & were instructed to be back to the hotel by 7.00 pm, some people decided to explore the area, some decided to go shopping in market and I and few other decided to take a nap since i hardly had any sleep in the night.

I got up at 6.30 pm and saw there was no one except Chetan in the room, so we decided to head toward the market to get some stuff for the night (you know what I mean), went to market and returned by 8.00 pm, by that time most people returned and we decided to have some entertainment session so the Bonfire was arranged and we decided to play Dumb Charades and dance. When you are lost in the wild with the friends on the floor, it’s difficult to tell what happened! So, let the pictures tell the tale, not me… but, what I generally experience on dance floor and on the tables flooded with high spirits ;) is that it’s wonderful to lose oneself and know others in calm dim-light, it’s astonishing to break the barriers and get closer. It continued till 1.30 to 2.00 am. Forgot to mention, in between a "Know the new" session happened and every new member introduced themselves and shared their experience. The Bonfire deemed and all went to sleep to get up next day for even more enchanting return journey.

Next morning i woke up with Pranish's bark, half woke up, more than half slept, It was already a bright day, though the breeze was cool enough to get us some welcome shivering! some early wakers were already ready and want to visit some points. Rest all got ready and had breakfast, a bit disappointing one though.

The return journey to Mumbai was scheduled to start at 1.00 am via Panchgani- Vai- Pune- Lonavala- Panvel, after refueling we started in small groups on 15 each and regrouped en route Vai. After reaching Vai on NH4 the wide roads felt inviting and we decided to skip the Shivapur lunch break and halt directly at Dehu Road junction for food since the weather was cool as rains just made a visit to Pune and surrounding areas making the breeze cool enough to fell pleasant to ride.

We reached Dehu Road junction at around 3.15 pm and everyone as everyone refreshed. We started again by 3.50 towards Lonavala in groups and decided to take a small halt near Khandala bridge before the expressway for a group and bike photo session. Had a good time there and all the people and passerby there were staring at the group and bikes and were taking pics with us, many small kids from families there also had a photo session with us.

We reached Panvel at 5.45 pm, again 15 minutes ahead of time and that made the ride most memorable, everyone shared their feedback and departed to their respective homes.

As a ride, 400 and a few kilometers may not be much, but the score of friends we got is some kind of big achievement!  We may not be able to be in touch with each and everybody all the time, but a few with whom we will meet again on this ride and would be riding again with........

Hope my version of this ride motivates you to get more in the future rides.

Hope to see you soon then.

Dont forget to share your feedback on this post & feel free to get in touch with us.

Ride hard & ride safe.

Rajeev Telang

The Avengers are gearing to cruise - Mahabaleshwer

BAC Mumbai is back again with yet another fun filled riding experience. This time, the planned destination is the Land of Strawberries and the Origin of River Krishna in India, Mahabaleshwar. This was also one of the key staging areas for Shivaji’s army in the 17^th Century for construction of the Pratapgad fort, a key Maratha Fort from historical perspective. 

The Ground work

Having a 2 day plan had been a suggestion from many of our members. Finally it was taken into purview along with one of the most scenic destinations to have been chosen for the ride. But to back it all up, a strong plan was required to be put in place. That is where the core committee came in with the initiative and started setting the wheels in motion for planning the ride.

After having an internal discussion and taking opinions in view, a plan was finalized. Club meeting for the announcement of this plan took place on 24^th May at 5 Gardens, Matunga. In this meeting the long awaited plan was finally revealed and put up for approval by other members.

The Plan

We start by assembling at the McDonalds in Kalamboli, which is famous as a breakfast point as well as assembly point for many biker’s clubs. From here we leave by 5.40 am for Pali via Khopoli using the Panvel bypass road on the Mumbai Pune highway(old). This will be the first continuous ride before coming to our first halt after Pali.

Second major part of the ride will begin here, leaving from Pali at about 8.45 am and reaching near Poladpur by 11 am, where again we take a halt for refreshments and head-count.

From Poladpur, it is a nice 35 km route to Mahabaleshwar through the Ambenali ghat which is a mountain road. It is one of the best ghats for bikers to ride in since it has many turns and twists without having a lot of change in elevation. In fact, the main characteristic of the Ambenali ghat is that it takes many turns without gaining or losing much height. So this is one of the top attractions of the ride ahead!

We reach Mahabaleshwar by 2 pm and there is where the second Phase of the Fun begins. There are a lot of activities planned for rejuvenation of the members till late in the evening. Members will also have the option to go and explore Mahabaleshwar.

The Wait

Now with just 2 days to go, the bikers are pepped up to hit the roads. 

We can just hope to have a good time. At least before the ride actually begins. But it is worth the wait. So stay tuned… lot of fun filled curves and twists ahead. 6 June, here we come!

The Jampore Ride - BAC Mumbai

BAC rides are always special, 30 + friends with full gear and their beloved Avengers, some old and some new were ready for the journey to Jampore beach near Daman.

The Jiffy
Whatsapp messages shared at speed of light right from 4.30 am. “Has everyone got up?”, “where are you?”, “what spot do I wait?”,”should I come directly to Fountain hotel?” and many more frantic ones later we gather.

When all meet

Finally all reached the assembly point and after a short briefing, the journey started in the wee hours at about 6.30 am, the weather was cool and refreshing and every Avy opened their eyes and roared on Mumbai- Ahmedabad Highway!
All energized riders were riding on a single line formation and looked like a long shiny snake cruising on the highway turning every onlooker eyes towards them, all the bypassing vehicles, trucks, tempos, buses, cars, bikes were looking and admiring the discipline.
Pranish (paaro) was leading and Parth and gurpreet (paaji) were at their best on patrolling and Ketan (selfie king) was the tail, around 8.30 we took halt for breakfast at the Kamat Hotel near Manor, this was the time everyone really saw each other, glanced Hi’s & Hellos & check out each other’s gears with a cup of piping hot tea in their hands. Some familiar and many new and got introduced to each other. Ravish uncle distributed pamphlets and told about the noble cause he is supporting for the cancer patients. Everyone had their breakfast, tea, smoke etc and Mitul joined us at Kamath’s and were ready for the onward journey.

That Breathless moment

After a smooth ride till Charoti, we were forced to halt as an incident struck us all & took our breaths away for a moment. Patrolling is never an easy job, and it sure struck us hard when Parth suddenly crashed on to a cow who appeared from nowhere. His bike flew a few feet away while a major accident was avoided.  The pillion on Parth’s bike was safe, thanks to our safety gear policy of wearing helmets, jackets & protective shoes. When things normalized after some time, we regained our momentum & rode ahead like a perfect team. One for all, All for One.

Reaching Jampore

Finally cruising through some broad and some narrow roads we reached the Jampore Beach. Everyone parked their bikes and were about to march towards the beach, some local idiots objected that the bikes being parked will block way to their shacks, although it was a parking lot, fine after a short brawl everything was ok and we entered into a shack, I could still remember the woohoo! reaction of the hotel owner on getting around 40 customers at a time and getting the whole day business done in 2-3 hours.
Everyone was now in a mood to chill, some went on the beach, some selfie enthusiasts started doing what they like the most, some just sat on the lazy chair and relaxed, some were busy in discussion about the way we came and so on....well it was around 12.45 when we reached and no one seemed to be hungry so some ordered cold drinks, some snacks, some Breezers and some went bird watching.. :D

After enjoying lunch and relaxing for a while, we had an introduction session for new members where everyone introduced themselves and shared their experience and suggestions.

Local Spare part hunting
Now Parth had to change the headlight of his bike so he went to some local shops but didn’t find it, so he along with Paaji, Sai, Tushar and Mitul decided to go to Vapi to get it done and other started their return journey, while getting ready to move, many people were inquiring about the group and were appreciating our unity and ofcourse BIKES..
On the way back

Returning Home

Return journey started after a photo session. and Pranish led the way again with same enthusiasm. Rajeev (myself) and Chetan were patrolling and Ketan was tailing. While returning the ride was smooth and we took a short halt at Charoti for tea and snacks and after short fun session everyone was again headed to the finish point and finally we reached Fountain Hotel at about 7.30 pm where the amazing ride was concluded, with smiling fresh faces & nostalgic heart. Every rider went home with loads of memories to cherish with their new found family called BAC-Mumbai

Does this post ring a bell in your mind? If yes, keep following this blog to read about amazing experiences that BAC Mumbai offers. Please leave your comments & suggestions below this post.

Hope to see you all in the next BAC Ride.

Cheers,

Rajeev Telang

Bajaj Avenger Club - Mumbai Anniversary Ride to Dapoli

"Intehaan hogai, Intezaar ki" (I cannot wait any longer). That's right, just 10 more day for our extended anniversary celebration ride to Dapoli and we can wait no longer.

Howdy Fellas! 

Hope you'll are doing well.

A year back on October 10, 2013 when we started Bajaj Avenger Club - Mumbai (BAC - M) with just 11 bikers never imagined that we will be an standing army of 80+ bikers as a part of this club within an year since inception. Year slipped like a sand from fist as our members continued to multiple.

Then -

Our first official ride as BAC - M was to lonavala, a small hill station between Mumbai and Pune, therefore we chose the same location for our first anniversary ride which was on October 12, 2014. The reason behind choosing the same location was simple, we felt nostalgic and that urge to ride back to Lonavala was killing us.

Now - 

But this is not the end, one year of togetherness, brotherhood and biker spirit is an achievement and it indeed calls for a grand celebration. After couple of meetings and series of discussion amongst BAC - M members we finalised Dapoli as the location for our celebration.

Dapoli is a town located in Ratnagiri district in the state of Maharashtra in India. It is 215 km away from the state capital of Mumbai. This place is notably known for it's rich history, fishes, places of interest and white sand beaches of which most of beaches are hidden, still untouched.

Dapoli beaches - 

We will be staying over night in dapoli at one of our member Nilesh Telkar's (a.k.a Papa) farm house.

This will be our hideout to spend the night - 

We already have a confirmed count of over 40 members excluding their pillions who will be riding to dapoli and there are many more yet to confirm. I'll leave it to your own imagination of how would it look and feel when you see 40+ bikers riding in a single lane formation.

We will be exploring places in and around dapoli, arrange jam sessions in the evening along with bonfire and there is much more.

Now let's kill the suspense, here is our plan for dapoli ride - 

Date - November 01, 2014.

1. We assemble at Kalamboli McDonalds, Navi Mumbai at sharp 05:30 AM for briefing and basic explanation of traffic regulations and hand signals. (There are no exceptions for coming late this time as we need to reach dapoli as early as possible so that we get adequate time to explore place). We will leave at 06:00 AM.

2. After 5.4 Kms ride we will stop and wait at Panchmukhi Maruti Temple for 10 minutes for those who turn up late.

3. After Panchmukhi Maruti Mandir, our next stop will be at Vadkhal for a 20 minute tea break. Distance covered - 47.7 Kms.

4. Stop # 3 at Mangaon for air and fuel check. (Last petrol pump until dapoli). Time - As per requirement. Distance covered - 111.1 Kms

5. Stop # 4 at Toll phata for rider count. Time - 2 minutes. Distance covered - 130.5 Kms

6. Stop # 5 at Deshmukh Baug for a 25 minute tea break. Distance covered - 174.6 Kms

7. Final destination stop - Dapoli. Distance covered - 212.6 Kms

Click here for route direction on Google maps


Return journey on November 02, 2014 - We may not run on a specific timetable as time would differ depending on the stops taken at places of interest and for photography.

P.S - 
1. Full pants, Shoes and Helmet is mandatory for rider as well as pillion.
2. Please carry two copies of all the mandate documents required to ride a motorbike as per Indian law.
3. Carry a spare key, just in event of key loss.
4. As the count is more than expected, bedding arrangement will not be possible for everyone so please carry an extra blanket as climate is cool in dapoli for most of the seasons.
5. Extra clothing for those who love beaches.
6. Some cash for lunch, dinner or unlikely bike breakdowns.
6. Anything and Everything else you may need to spend a night away from your home.


For more details, you can search Bajaj Avenger Club - Mumbai on Facebook or leave a comment along with your contact details and we will get back to you or you can check event details on Facebook

Damn, you have so many options. :P

Cheers until we ride again. Ride hard, Ride safe.
Dasvidaniya!

Back from Lonavala & Esha Gupta ride - A round up!

Dear Reader,

Our best wishes to each one you. Hope you enjoy our experience on Lonavala  Anniversy ride.
Every BAC Mumbai member was looking forward to this ride for two primary reasons… one, the first year Anniversary of the club and second… Esha Gupta.

Assembly at Kalamboli near MC Donald’s

It’s not easy to be rider especially when you have to wake up early and reach the assembly point at 6.30 AM. When we reached the spot the place transformed from a quiet and boring to full of positivity and enthusiasm. All you could hear is about rides, riders and Esha Gupta. We took a small Tea session while waiting for all riders to arrive. Each member was welcomed with a warm greeting from each member. It all commenced when Parth briefed riders & gave instruction on hand signals and keeping the head lights on. Iswar led and Dinesh took up the responsibility of the tail.  Parth & Preetham patrolled. We could say all four were awesome and key factors for this successful ride.

Entry of Esha Gupta

Esha Gupta is the lone girl traveler on a challenging mission to ride Golden Quadrilateral Highway route of around 6000 Km for a cause. Esha Gupta’s arrival filled the air with excitement and passion towards riding. We could easily feel respect from each BAC member towards the lone Girl traveler. Esha Gupta proved to be the most open minded person we had ever met.  She connected with members as if we knew each other for ages. We wanted her to ride with us to Lonavala but she couldn’t as this was against her mission of riding solo. So we let her ride alone ahead & decided to meet once at just after the Lonavala ghats and then directly at Lonavala for breakfast.
Igniting the bike and Gods came in power:
Once the briefing was completed and ride was flagged off, all riders geared up with helmets and jackets on the bike. Bikes were turned on and Gods came into power. Only thought in everyone’s mind was to ride hard and ride safe. Best thing about BAC Mumbai is we never compromise on safety and riding rules. So every member had carried all bike documents and each member including the pillions had helmets.
Fortunately the weather was awesome so riding was very pleasant. Cool breeze sifting through our faces and headlights of fellow Avengerians in the mirror added to the fun.

Small Photo session and break at Express Highway
Photography with Esha happened not only when we commenced the ride but also when she met us on the expressway right after we rode through the Ghats. The beautiful mountains & breathtaking views of the Lonavala & Khandala valleys with Esha’s company made these moments long lasting & a cherishable memory.

Back on bike towards Lonavala
This time BAC Mumbai started first and Esha left later to ride alone and meet directly at Lonalava near Kumar Resorts. From this point to Lonalva the ride was very beautiful as we caught the valley view on one side and experienced the ride on finest Lonavala highway.

Eye Opener and Take back lesson
We all thought that we knew Esha’s cause to Ride. We thought that the cause is “India’s global image of not being a friendly place for lone female travelers”. But when Esha explained her cause we all fell flat on our faces. After knowing the depth of her cause all we could do is agree with her and respect for her cause increased. So what was her cause?

1. She is not fighting for the women’s rights and current situation of women. She isn’t riding for any specific gender. Crimes are not gender bias. It happened to both men and women and many times it is not highlighted.
2. Crime happens all over world. Life is same around the world. But we are boosting too much about our country on the Social Media that we are creating a negative Image of our country.
3. We should not crib about the situation but fight for it not only by preaching but also by Acting.
4. We should not trust media and form opinions. By not allowing girls to step out of the house after 6.00 PM out of fear will only push our society a decade back. Girls should be encouraged to live their desired life and should be allowed to do whatever they want to do without fear.
5. We are bikers, our acts while riding reflects image of entire Biker communities. So we should behave in public and follow all rules. We need to create awareness that bikers are not only who perform stunts and race. All the people who ride a bike are bikers.

No discussion is good without debates and questions. So some members of club were in debate mode with Esha and we all finally agreed with her.

Bye Bye Esha … Esha on her way to Pune alone
Finally it was time say good bye to Esha. Everybody gave their best wishes to Esha for her ride and she was on her way to Pune.

Here we come Tiger Point
After the long discussion with Esha and her farewell, we all headed towards Tiger hills. As soon as we entered it did not take much time for the buzz to spread & we got loads of attention from everybody around. All were just staring at numbers of Avengers and our straight one line formation. Bikes were put to rest and we all assembled for delicious Corn, cheese and Kanda pokada. This was the perfect time to get the introduction of each other especially the new members. The best introducing was given by our new member Atul he was able to make sure everybody remembers him.

Tiger Point to Amby Valley
If you want to enjoy Ghats in Lonavala, Amby valley route is your ticket for fun and joy. Curves and turns of the road is what made the ride beautiful and memorable. Once we were at Amby valley gate we experienced a sense of achievement of successfully completing the ride. The plae was peaceful & quiet. Everybody just wanted to enjoy the peace as much as possible as you cannot find that in city. In a short while we moved to small Dhaba for another tea session.

Good Bye Lonavala. We are coming back Mumbai!
After our tea break it was time to say good bye to Lonavala and ride toward s Amchi Mumbai and Thane. On the way back all we did is ride, followed our hand signals and followed a straight line formation. We all feel one when we started getting messages from fellow riders once everybody reached home safe.

Hope you enjoyed reading about this ride. Well, we had fun riding through it though. Please feel free to leave your comments & feedback on this write up & the club with us on this blog. And keep following us for latest updates on our upcoming rides.

What’s next? Dapoli on Nov 1st and Nov 2nd

Hope to see you soon.

Cheers,

Stephan Swami

Ride with Esha Gupta - Change in date & plans

Hello Readers,

This is a notification of change in plans for the Esha Gupta Ride. Due to a change in Esha's schedule we have delayed the ride by a day, this means we now ride with her on 12th October. The tentative plan for the ride is as below.

Meeting day - 12th October 2014 ( Sunday)
Meeting Venue - Mc Donalds Kalamboli, Panvel

The route

We start the ride from Kalamboli & then reach the old Mumbai-Pune road via JNPT. We will escort Esha till the Lonavala diversion towards Pune & bid her farewell for her journey ahead.

We will then ride on till Tiger Valley & Amby Valley. Our way back will be through the same route while we conclude the ride at Palaspa Phata after Khopoli on return.

Please feel free to get in touch with us in case you have any queries regarding this ride.

Thanks & Regards,

Team BAC

BAC Ride with Esha Gupta - 11th October 2014

Hello BAC Followers,

Its been a while we have been in touch but this happens only for the better as we come up with yet another ride. This time with a lone traveler called Esha Gupta who has set out on her Avy the prove to the world that our country is a safe place to ride for all the girls. How can BAC stay away from this awesome cause! To read more about Esha's mission, click here

BAC-Mumbai will join Esha on her humble ride to Lonavala & show support. What happens there?

1. We connect with new Avenger enthusiasts.
2. Meet our regular passionate riders
3. Discuss our next ride to Dapoli
4. Decide on our cool new BAC Jackets
5. Photo sessions all over the Tiger point
6. Relish on some local eating places around Lonavala & Khandala

Hope you are geared up and ready to escape this mid month chaos & get to know more about Esha Gupta & her riding plans

The schedule...

• Ride Date - 11th October 2014 (Saturday)
• Meeting Place - Kalamboli Mc Donalds
• Reporting time - Between 6 am - 6.30 am
• Briefing - 6.30-6.45 (with our chais & ciggis :) 
• Ride starts @ 7

The Route...

Kalamboli --> Khandala exit (Via Khopoli)--> Lonavala Tiger point --> Amby Valley (If time persists) --> Lonavala market --> Khopoli --> Palaspa Phata (Ride Concludes)

BAC Mumbai invites new Avenger riders to this ride. This not only gives you an opportunity to connect with new riders but also to connect with your inner self.

Hope to see you all soon.

Feel free to get in touch with us through the contact form if you are a new rider. Keep watching this space for more dope on our rides.

Keep riding,

Cheers!

Team BAC

Back from Kelve Beach - Ride of Glory

Dear Readers,

BAC is growing in numbers, and our rides & riders are witnessing it. Ride after ride, the excitement grows exponentially. The members are not only willing to optimize their schedule to be a part of rides, but are now also getting new exciting members to complete the BAC Family. :)

BAC team at Kelve...

It was the first time BAC had done a two ride schedule in 3 days.But high from the inter-city independence day ride, everybody was cracking for more...Safety of our riders is paramount and well in advance all riders were told to bring along

1. All bike documents which should be clear.
2. Carry 2 litres of water bottle (mandatory)
3. Helmet, shoes and BAC T-Shirt mandatory (exception for those who did not receive T-shirts) applies for pillions also.

We felt safety of our riders was paramount so this ride it was felt that all riders and pillions would wear helmets. Through internal coordination all our riders were in helmets, All pillions except one were in helmets & mandated safety gear. Next time we hope the figure will be zero.

Assembling for the ride...
The ride was to commence at fountain hotel, Ghorbunder Road Junction, where our riders coming from Western and Central sides would meet up. The assembly time was 7am. The excitement of the ride ensured we had members who hadn't slept!
Members coordinated groups and made it to the meeting in batches. The members started accumulating as early as 6.45 am. Unfortunately, a couple of our riders got a little delayed in reaching. However,team consensus decided that we would wait for them. The time was well utilized by introducing between old and new members and do what we do best - talk about our bikes! Riders shared their experience and insights with each other. They shared experiences with their bikes, gear, riding styles, etc.

All in all, we had 29 bikes and 6 Pillions bringing the total count to 35

The Briefing & the start!
As always, we started the ride with the introductory prep talk about the basic rules for riding. Founder Parth gave a brief summary of the trip. He explained the rules of riding, headlights on at all times, the hand signals we use to communicate and what was expected of the riders. With that we had the riders fall into single line formation and with a head count, the first part of the ride commenced.

The first stop was some 30 kilometers ahead. With open highway roads in front of us, we did what we do best. We ride!
All the riders stayed in formation and we had riders Pranish and Preetham who were on constant patrol to keep riders in formation and help riders get around vehicles and obstacles. Nawaz stayed as the tail rider ensuring no rider fell back behind him. We had our first stop at the side of the highway, to stretch our legs and enjoy the view.
With a 10 minute break, we were off to our next stop which was directly for breakfast at Manor.

Riding patrol Shahnawaz went and spoke to the local police personnel and he in turn suggested a place which was frequented by police personnel for sustenance. He helped us to find a small; no actually a large corner to park all 29 of our bikes and even came to check on us after we settled in!

Breakfast consisted of misal pav and sweet n crunchy jalebi with sev on top; which were both hot and tasty. Our riders devoured it and topped it off with tea. With a solid breakfast in our tummies, we took off with next halt at Kelwa Beach in mind.

Or so we thought.....

Shortly after starting from the breakfast halt, rider Anabik had a rear puncture which was quickly spotted by a fellow rider. The line halted immediately and our Ride Patrols Preetham and Nawaz went in opposite directions in search of a repair shop. Preetham won! And with his luggage unloaded we started towards the shop, which was only a short distance away. We suggested that a couple of us would stay back and the rest should proceed but the bonhomie is such that everyone unanimously agreed to wait for the repair.

 

With nothing else to do, some engaged in photography; while the remaining broke into song. We had a guest in our ride. Rider Harshini had brought along her guitarist friend Prabal who had come down from Ahmedabad, Gujarat just to feel the BAC experience along with his guitar.

Luckily the cause of puncture was a single nail. A quick patch and the tyre was fine for the rest of the ride. Here is happy Anabik with the nail! To ensure we had no other problems, a quick check of all the tyres and we were back on road again with a single line formation. The road was winding but we kept at it with discipline and determination.

                                                   

Oh yes, people love us :)

We had a motorist pull us over and he enquired about the group and its destination. The smile on his face said it all. He left us and proceeded, only to halt ahead and enjoy the sight of 29 beauties going down the road!!!!
Hand signal chains for potholes and turnings ensured that the chain carried on unhindered. It also ensured we had eyeballs on us wherever we went. From smiles to waves, to the locals moving to the side to allow us to pass, to people turning on their cameras and taking photos of us; the fun just never stopped! Each and every one of us felt like Gods on their Chariots.

Kelwa FINALLY!

By 2 pm BAC Mumbai was at Kelwa Beach. A sight indeed to see an army of avengers parked in a row. The sight was such that tourists launched into impromptu photo sessions atop our beasts. So off we went to the beach. One group headed to the waters under the watchful eyes of the others. Second group sang songs with Guitar bhaiyya; while the third just walked around.

Everywhere we went, the same t-shirts ensured we had everyone's attention. The group huddled around guitarist Prabal and they sang songs one after the other in chorus. On a lighter note, Even Pranish tried his hand at the guitar and his collection for the day was impressive. But Guitar bhaiyya wanted his baby back before Pranish damaged it further!Prabal announced that he was shortly to get married; and the group wished him the best for his happy future!

The dip ended with Dinesh 'Machy' doing a baywatch run out of the water.... A rare sight indeed. Golden words are not to be repeated; and Golden actions like this, even more so! After a quick show of hands, it was decided that Machy would not be allowed to attempt the same again!

Harmeet, who makes sketches in his pastime; decided to make a larger-than-life sketch of an Avenger Bike on the sand. The sketch seemed incomplete without the BAC logo, so on popular demand, he made that too. Everybody was incredibly pleased with the outcome.

Here is our artist with his masterpiece. Some even tried to pose for a pic on top of the sand sketch! It was then time for lunch. Nilesh 'Papa' Telkar suggested a local restaurant where thaali was made available for all. The food was tasty and the riders were hungry. Once lunch was over, a consensus was drawn for the next meeting and potential plans for the 1st Anniversary Celebrations of BAC Mumbai. BAC Mumbai was formed on 10th October 2013.

Bye Bye Kelwa

With the meeting over, we decided to start on our way back. Given that we were a little behind schedule, it was felt that there was need for better coordination to maintain a decent pace and clear the highway before nightfall.It was thus decided to have Parth as the lead rider, 3 patrols (Pranish, Preetham and Gitesh), and one tail rider (Nawaz) to ensure that there are gaps in coordination. If all 3 patrols were not in sight of each other, the lead would slow down till the entire length was together again.

Thus off we went.

One rider's chain cover fell down and a couple of the riders slowed down to help. Given there were a lot of turns, the tail end got stuck at a cross road not knowing which way to go. A couple of old aunties came to their rescue!  They pointed in the right direction and said they went that way without the riders having to ask a single question! The next part of the journey consisted of winding downhill ghat roads. But  with great riding excellent coordination, tight patrolling, and passing down of signals by all riders and even pillions to each other ensured we made it to the highway well before we lost daylight.

                                   

                                   
The riders liked it so much that they wanted to go up the ghats and come down once again!

Once on the highway, we were able to pick up speed. The entire pack moved in single line formation like a train on 2 wheels. While some vehicles slowed down to watch us roll by, at other times the patrols helped by allowing riders to negotiate obstacles on the road with ease. The simply magical and synchronous coordination between all the riders meant we never needed to slow down and absolutely nobody wanted to stop! At 6pm sharp, before we realized it, the ''Road Train" was within city limits and come to a halt on the highway just before the Vasai exit for tea and refreshments. We didn't stop accumulating crowds even at the small dhaba where we stopped.

Concluding the ride...

With piping hot tea in our hands, we huddled into a circle where feedback was taken from all pillions and riders. The first timers were absolutely thrilled. The pillions also thoroughly enjoyed the experience and vowed to be back for more rides. The best compliment for everyone was that the formation was maintained excellently by all riders, including the first timers. Even our more experienced riders were thoroughly overjoyed to see the formation rolling down the highway like water in a stream. The riders appreciated the help provided by the patrols and the lead and the tail riders. All the members agreed to think of ways to increase ridership on the trips and boost the club numbers. The attention we have started to garner is definitely going to help towards this cause. Parth then once again congratulated the riders on another ride successfully completed. The tentative dates for the next meeting and ride in September and October were once again announced and thereafter it was decided to disband from Vasai Naka itself to their respective homes.With all the goodbyes said and with the promise to most definitely accumulate again, the riders got on their silver steeds once again to proverbially ride into the sunset…

But the riders still wanted more!

Even after disbursing the mini groups that split off continued the use of single line formation and hand signals all the way up to Dombivali where our furthest riders stay.

In short, the riders wanted more!

Even though the name has the word CLUB in it, it would be wrong on my part to not say we behave like a FAMILY

We hope you enjoyed reading about our ride just as much as we enjoyed riding through it. Keep coming back to this space to get a glimpse of what we are up to next. Make sure you do not miss the next opportunity to ride with us. Also do not miss to share this post & leave your valuable comments.

See you around soon.

Care,

Gitesh Gangadharan
BAC,