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Published: November 29th 2010
I was supposed to go on an official “Bullet Ride” with about 30 other guys on Sunday. Organised locally by the Royal Enfield shop as an official ‘company event’. The plan was Konark Temple via Puri – a round trip of about 180 klms.
Maybe it was the late notice that I needed to pay Rs 400 for the experience (to cover 3 litres of fuel @ say Rs 150; and the rest for lunch, tiffen and drinks); or perhaps it was just the thought of 30 bikes trying to ride in some kind of chaotic formation to Puri – a very treacherous road in terms of attracting some of the most idiotic Indian drivers I have ever come across!
In any case – I had decided by Friday to go instead by myself for a ride to Chilika sea lake via Puri – a round trip of about 200 klms. I hadn’t been to Chilika before and wanted to check it out.
Then, at the monthly Film Society screening on Friday night (yes, I belong to the Bhubaneswar Film Society – they show 2 good foreign ‘art-house’ films each month), a guy I had met around the
place invited me to a ‘meeting’ at a café where a new ‘Bullet Club’ was to be formed. So I went along on Saturday night. All the hallmarks of any meeting in India: I arrived before the scheduled time of 7pm, waited 20 minutes for my friend to turn up; we waited 30 minutes for another friend to turn up; and then by about 8.15 pm there were (not the expected dozen) 4 of us there with our Bullets. OK.
It was a wild night (for me anyway – they were all under 30). We had coffee, discussed nothing much about any Bullet Club per se, but the ‘feel’ was about going on trips sometimes. So we did discuss roads in Orissa and places we had been and could go etc. I got cred because of my recent ride to Leh and Spiti!
Then we all hop on our bikes (it being around 9pm) and go for an inaugural ride around Bhubaneswar. It felt good, if not a bit of a lark and showing off. One guy had the new Enfield Classic 500 cc – the first in Bhubaneswar. Now (is Gladys listening?) that is one very nice
Jagjit
The man and his Bullet - a 1999 model with modificationsbike!
So I mentioned my intentions for the next morning – and one of these guys, 27 year old Jagjit, immediately declares “I am in, I’ll come”.
Great because it’s always nice to ride with at least one other. We arranged to meet the next morning at 7 am outside the Ram Mandir in town.
Next morning I am there at 6.50 am. I wait. No Jagjit. I text him at 7.10 to ask if he is still coming and that I am leaving at 7.15. No Jagjit. I ring him at 7.15. No answer. He rings back soon after: he has slept in, and will be there in 10 minutes. He arrives at 7.45 and we head off (me a tad grumpy by now).
But soon it’s feeling great and I have forgiven all. Jagjit is the perfect ride partner – we soon get into a respectful rhythm of lead and follow. He is also a good rider. We cruise between 60 and 80 kph which is plenty on Indian roads – and more than plenty on this particular road full of idiots in cars who overtake on corners, overtake when you are right there, overtake overtaking cars and bikes and so on.
The morning is fresh and the country is looking beautiful. Gladys is purring. I love this bike! We stop in Puri at my favourite café – the Honeybee. I get to say hi to a few old acquaintances there (the Indian owner, a Japanese surfer spending some months doing the beach, and a German who has been there for 5 years). I shout Jagjit breakfast. We push on to Satapada on the northern entrance of the lake. Now this is a quiet road and a very nice ride. As we approach the lake, there are beautiful small islands strewn across the waterway.
At Satapada, we decide to turn down an offer of a boat wallah to take us out for Rs 700 – even though he later offered Rs 400 and we could have gotten him down to Rs 200. It was just nice riding out to the jetty and looking around, having a cold juice, and planning our lunch stop.
On the way back, Jagjit takes me to his favourite place – a roadside dharba between Puri and Bhubaneswar. We have to race a little to make it before they close up for the afternoon. This is OK but gets a little hairy with those bloody overtaking morons. One comes out all of a sudden and I have to move aside and end up clipping a guy on the bike next to me with my mirror and crash bar. A close thing, but no harm done.
The lunch is superb – really (really!) good food. Jagjit shouts me this time.
I learn more about Jagjit – his family, his passions, his work. He is a nice guy and speaks very good English, so it’s a conversation with nuance and subtlety that often eludes me talking to locals. And, he has some suggestions for Gladys (he has a metal and machinery shop and can do a nice oil guard to stop my trousers always getting spotted from the drive chain up near the crankcase).
A good day all in all.
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Tot: 0.281s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 13; qc: 89; dbt: 0.1627s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
Sally
non-member comment
Get your motor running
It sounds like such a lovely day! AND you'll be a founding member of a motorcycle club! xx