Mahabaleshwar ride

TripLog As narrated by Anup:

Date: March 1, 2008
Day: Saturday
Xbhpian: Darthlucifer(Amit Patil) & Darthvader_cometh(Anup Abraham)
Rides: Darthlucifer – P 200, Darthvader – HH Ambition
Plan: Lunch at Mahabaleshwar
Route: Panvel – Pen – NH 17 – Mahad – Poladpur –Mahabaleshwar
Mahabaleshwar – Panchgani – Bhor –NH 4 Pune – Lonavala – Panvel

Lucifer my fd…..u made it in a hurry…..well err…the post had to be breakfast at Panvel…..lunch at mahabaleshwar…tea at lonavala…..dinner back home….

What a day….it all started off a week back after the Mumbai G2G Kashid episode….we decided that mahabaleshwar be our next step in the month of March….so we decided to scout the route to mahabaleshwar on some Saturday when both the darths are doing nothing at home…so came March 1.

It was 5:30am in my watch when my phone rang…damn irritated as I still wanted to sleep but plans were already made…..so had to get up...lucifer called to confirm if I am awake and game for the ride….We decided to meet up at “DATTASNACKS” (for the last time meisrossi/bobbykick its not SADANAND) for breakfast and tea at 6:45 am.


I got ready but it was already 6 by that time. I know that I cant reach Panvel in 1 hrs time in the dark with my stock lamps….but hell I rode…I reached Panvel bypass by around about 6:50. I was sure that Lucifer would get pissed off cause I am late…I called Lucifer just to tell him I will reach in a min but he wasn’t picking up his phone...understood that even he must be riding and hasn’t reached…I zipped past JNPT and reached Dattasnacks to see nobody there. Even the shop wasn’t open... I had some cigg and waited patiently for lucifer...The shop opened…snacks were ready… Vada Pavs looked very tempting. I had 2 vada pavs and waited….waited…waited……smoked…..had cutting chai ..smoked…..finally after waiting for 15 -20 min and 3 cigg Lucifer turns up…all geared up…looked like Cramster sponsored him..
Armoured jackets. Gloves…kneecaps…tank bag…even the waist pouch was from Cramster…..as soon as he came he started apologizing and I told him don’t worry abt it and just pay for our breakfast bill & he agreed
That’s when we had 2 Missal Pav and 2 plated of Sheera…..that was the breakfast at Datta Snacks that’s after I had the VadaPav’s...Ha-ha...



We took the old Goa highway…crossed the Karnala bird sanctuary…this road is always in the best of condition…I have never seen a bad patch here….we were riding comfortably at 70 -80 kmph…










crossed Pen reached the junction (don’t remember the name) where we saw some 3 big Mercedes trucks…with msgs printed on… they were tourists and were on a Euro-Asia tour…(that’s what we assume looking at those stickers)..
So, the ride was on an on…we took a break at reliance petrol pump…Lucifer’s P-200 was thirsty but the petrol pump wala showed that the petrol prices of reliance has shot up to 57 Rs and he himself told us to get the bikes filled up at the next BP station…we thanked him and started ridin again…we crossed Mahad and reached Poladpur..
i was keeping a track of time..it was almost 10:15 am and we were just 35 odd kms from Mahabaleshwar…that’s when Lucifer said lets go to Kashedi ghats on NH 17…he was tempting me with the twisty and the curves on the road etc..etc…I oked it and here we were on Kashedi….(check pic 1 and 3 opening of the thread)…it was too good .the roads are good. The curves are awesome. And there are very few vehicles that ply that road..hence reasonably safe….spend almost 1hr riding on the ghats…that’s when we did some photography…..






By around bout 11:30 we were off the ghats and back to poladpur and the route to mahabaleshwar…it was the most boring ride of the entire day….the roads were small and there were kids and people all over the road….school children coming in the middle off the road to signal that our headlights were on…..damn after riding for almost an hour n half we reached mahabaleshwar..well offcource the route included some scenic mountains etc ..so photosessions were on…but I bet the amount of time that we took to reach mahabaleshwar was too borin..so much so that I felt like sleeping whenever we took some break…lucifer was treating me to electrol water and forcing me to drink… (Thanks dude I am felling ok today)….he was insisting on drinking ample amount of water to keep the brain cells active and for more oxygen in body…and to have a better next day…..(Well all that actually helped)..






Mahabaleshwar: Time 1:00pm….sharp..we were in Mahabaleshwar….at the very entrance there are these cops of babu’s waiting to catch hold for toll..toll to enter mahabaleshwar…we asked for the route to pune and didn’t pay…they let us go as we were passing through to pune and not staying back at mahabaleshwar.
Time for lunch….got our bikes parked at one good restaurant…name I don’t remember but it was the biggest I could see around with BAR & Restaurant written….we were tired..and exausted and HUNGRY…so without wasting any time..i though I will have beer…as soon as the thought came..lucifer said no alcohol…hmmmm..so after a lot of discussion on how alcohol shoudnt be consumed on rides and the cause n effects of alcohol I decided to stick to electrol water…haha..
The lunch at Mahabaleshwar was good: Munchow soup, Veg Crispy, Masala Papad, Veg Birayani, Bisleri…it was so filling that I was telling Lucifer to go back alone and I will stay back in mahabaleshwar and return on Sunday.


We left Mahabaleshwar at 2:10pm (precisely) Lucifer leading and we hit the roads. There was cool breeze blowing but it was sunny as hell ..we were riding continuously for an hour on the other side of the ghats thinking that would lead us to pune…we stopped and check the map..we were on the roads that lead to Satara………….SATARA…I screamed that ahead of bloody PUNE..and PUNE is 184kms from MUMBAI and BLAH BLAH…BHEnC*& MADA&^%( I was going nuts..i took some time off cause I already started feeling sore in my butt..and I wanted to lie straight for some time..i sleep for 10 min under a good ol’ banyan tree. I was up and all the while after calculation we decided that we go through Satara as going back would also be the same distance.

We rode and rode through atleast 5 to 7 villages and then we came across this amazing engineering work of a dam. I asked Lucifer if he wants to check it out..he agreed and then there was some off roading…It was a beautiful place..we didn’t reach the dam but the water was clean and it looked good too.



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After say 15 min there we headed back till we reached the Highway 4 Lane NH 4…u cant imagine how happy I was to see the highway..before reaching it we had decided that maintain a constant speed of 85kmph and just see to it if I am there behind…some instructions to each other and then there was this open road…I could see sign board sayin Mumbai 256kms it was 4pm…we road nonstop for 60 odd kms to see Mumbai 200kms..Stopped for a cigg and water….called home and told folks that we would reach home by 10pm max. I was tired..sore butt…..headache..all comin in together..lucifer was tired too but he was very confident that he can easily finish this…he gave me a pep talk and we decided that we cruise on the road but we make sure we reach lonavala before sunset and check out the women ther….this was a temptation that I couldn’t resist…so we were riding as fast as we could….checkin on the watch in between..the sun …..We lost out on the race..it was already 7 when we reached the sunset point at lonavala….we decided to get some chikki and fudge for family and beloved back home..(atleast let me keep her impressed)…

It was dark and we had to cross over from lonavala kandala bypass…and reach the road that would take us to Panvel…and I know nobody would here like their stock headlamps. so do we…we were cursing it and so decided now its time to be even more cautious.. the truckers and the car drivers….they don’t seem to know the switch to their dippers…it was a slow journey back home..
As soon as we reached the expressway..i wanted to leak and that too it was getting damn serious..i was telling Lucifer to stop..but he shows me the signboard reading “ Don’t stop on the expressway”..aha…I started to speed up..he come right ahead and waves a hand at me signaling slow down…damn my bladder was filled with the water, electrol…..soon after in the grim we both saw 2 people on the expressway in the middle of the road…I yelled oil spil and Lucifer breaked…he skidded and the bike fell..i saw sparks on the road
And the 2 people on the road had also met up with the same accident…oil spill..i rushed to both of them to see if they were alright.. ( I knew Lucifer was armored) they were fne…lucifer n I picked up the P200 and bought it to the side of the road…he checked for damages…. After such a crash I was sure that the bike wont start, but then Bajaj you have made a good machine here…2 tries and the electricals were on the engines started..i enquired if he had any injuries anywhere…it was just a minor bruise near just above the abdomen… so all was well…we rode safe 40kmph this time over cautious..it was almost 8pm by then when we reched the JNPT back again…to realize that the P200 had a slight bend in the forks…(I am sure she will recover from it, its under warranty)

We parted ways from Panvel he headed back to andheri and I was on my way back to Thane.

The trip was a success and we didn’t have any injuries or any major incidents. The sole purpose of the trip was to ride and reach a destination and come back home.

Oh!! For people who have actually read the entire boring narration this is the final trip that we did

Route: Panvel – Pen – NH 17 – Mahad – Poladpur –Mahabaleshwar
Mahabaleshwar – Satara – NH4 Pune – Lonavala – Panvel

Total Km done : 542kms according to my tripmeter