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!