My Classic 350 Motorcycle Diaries

incarnation · Mar 1, 2016

Raviji can you share the cost of the mobile phone holder, and where did you purchase it from. i would like to have a similar set up on Atom ( classic 350).

J.Ravi · Mar 1, 2016

incarnation said:
Raviji can you share the cost of the mobile phone holder, and where did you purchase it from. i would like to have a similar set up on Atom ( classic 350).

I bought it from ebay.in for ₹ 314.50. The details are here: http://www.bcmtouring.com/forums/threads/my-re-tb-500-motorcycle-diaries.51978/page-38#post-1132417

J.Ravi · Mar 2, 2016

While buying foods in Chennai before my departure, I bought some packets of Marie biscuits and made a blunder of buying two large slabs of Cadbury's Silk fruit and nut chocolate, without realising I would be riding on my Thunderbird 500, fully exposed to the natural elements, unlike driving in my XUV 500 with the comfort of automatic climate control set at 24 deg C.

Somewhere near Rajahmundry, AP on the first day evening, when I tried to open a packet of chocolate, I realised it had become a paste, tending towards liquid state. Not wanting to discard it, I carefully opened it and 'drank' the contents! Next morning, I noticed that the other chocolate pack had solidified like a potholed irregular road surface, losing its original shape of slab with grids, thanks to the air-conditioned hotel room at Vizag, which I ate in the morning itself.

The hot climate in AP and OD made my VIAIR digital tyre pressure gauge's rubber handle sticky, which attracted all the dust, resulting in a dirty rubber handle, which requires a thorough bath.

I really had a bad time in Agra: my smartphone ran out of charge, all the maps downloaded earlier were lost, the toll receipt for ₹ 175 paid, while entering Yamuna Expressway was also lost somewhere, when I was trying to fix my smartphone, and then, MapMyIndia Lx130, I managed to break an arm of my sunglasses, while removing them with my helmet on, forced to pay ₹ 50 at Jewar toll plaza of Yamuna Expressway again due to my losing the toll receipt - my pleading to check their system for the registration number of my Thunderbird 500 did not help. All these things happened, when my hotel was just a coupla hours away! Due to these multiple confusions, I did not click any pics on Yamuna Expressway, which I had planned earlier.

When I was clicking photos at India Gate, a vendor selling sunglasses approached me and I bought a fake Ray-Ban sunglass with rubber arms for just ₹ 100 as I had to ride for another 2,700 km. I have a pair of genuine Ray-Ban sunglasses at Chennai!

Ride details concluded. Thanks for going through.

IJS · Mar 2, 2016

@J.Ravi super great sir

the great · Mar 2, 2016

Dear Ravi sir,

Kindly share with us as to how did you prepare for this ride. Were there any physical exercises or any such preparations.

I can see the seat was not changed. Did you use any gel pad or extra cushioning ?

You do look tall like me and hence I want to know about any adjustments that you did or any other physical pain or stress reported ?

Also were there any special clothes that need a mention for long tours ?

You are a true veteran and I would really be delighted to know these answers from you sir.

Regards and Cheers !!

Gaurav Chopra · Mar 2, 2016

Fabulous!
Congrats Ravi sir!

incarnation · Mar 2, 2016

Ravi Sir Nice pics there and as i said earlier you are an inspiration to the younger generation, though i strongly believe passion is what is required to do such a ride. but you have showed age has nothing to do with passion. Kudos to you on completing the journey safe and sucessfully. wish you many more such rides.

Ride Hard, Ride Safe.

J.Ravi · Mar 2, 2016

IJS said:
super great sir

Thanks, IJS.

the great said:
Kindly share with us as to how did you prepare for this ride.

I have ridden many one-day rides of 1,000+ km in the last 2.5 years in preparation for this big, mega ride of 6,353 km! I started with Chennai>Bangalore>Chennai and slowly increased the distance by riding Chennai>Kanniyakumari>Chennai, Chennai>Ooty>Chennai, Chennai>Kodaikanal>Chennai, etc. This thread has all the details.

Were there any physical exercises or any such preparations.

Nothing specially for this ride; but, I walk/jog for 5 km daily, 5 times a week generally.

I can see the seat was not changed. Did you use any gel pad or extra cushioning ?

No. My Thunderbird's seats are stock without any modification.

You do look tall like me and hence I want to know about any adjustments that you did or any other physical pain or stress reported ?

I am 6' [183 cm] tall. Thunderbird 500's OE stock seat suits me. I have not done any modifications to my bird except adding LED lamps exclusively for this ride. I take a break of 15 minutes for every 2 hours of ride. During the break, I clean my bird or check engine oil level or lubricate the chain or simply walk around, drink water and continue riding. So, I don't suffer from any back pain nor cramps.