A Time To Ride: 2012

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Hijacked

On the way back from the mountains my parents hijacked the bike and rode all the way home to Chandigarh.

I, The Biker

I the biker coming now to India Bike Week. Are you ?

See you at India Bike Week

All the bikes heading back to Chandigarh after a super morning ride up to Dharampur. 3 guys rode down from as far as Dehradun.

Giyani Ka Dhabha

After a hearty parantha breakfast all the bikers soaking in the sun chatting about India Bike Week.

First cuppa

And the first cuppa as we climb into the Himalayas on the chandigarh breakfast run.

Morning from chandigarh

It's a cold foggy morning and the bikes have started coming in. 17 so far but more coming in every minute.

Monday, December 17, 2012

As I sit in Suvarnabhumi Airport waiting for my flight back to New Delhi I look back at the one week the Helmet Stories crew spend riding around Thailand. From riding out of the madness of Bangkok to marvelling at the temples of Ayutthaya to Khao Yai where we rode on some of the best stretches of Tarmac ever. It's been a great week and we shall soon be back.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Finally Bangkok

After 7 great days on the road in Thailand we ride into Bangkok and bid an emotional adieu to our Kawasaki's.

Sanctuary of Truth

Our first stop before we ride out of Pattaya is the Sanctuary of Truth.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Highway to Pattaya

As we leave the country roads we hit the highways to Pattaya the beach is calling.

Kun Pra Kron Charn dam

We started the day by riding up to Kun Pra Kron Charn dam. Now onwards to Pattaya.

A time to ATV

We went tearing around the Thai country side on a couple of ATV's maybe it's time we got a couple our selfs and do a trip in the mountains.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Paradise Road

Can't wipe the smiles of our faces 27kms of the most awesome roads we have ever ridden on.

Roads get better

Awesome roads thought Khao Yai National Park. Nice sweeping turns with great tarmac and a grippy Ninja 650 make for a great ride.

Crotch rocket fun

Harsh seems to be enjoying the Kawasaki's and getting into the groove.

Khao Yai

We just rode into Khao Yai national park let the fun begin.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Time to eat

Helmet Stories awesome rum raisin ice cream coming up. Order your scoop quickly and obviously we have used more rum and less cream.

Fuelling up

Harsh and I are not used to these kind of bikes but we are having a ball Harsh is on a Ninja and I am on an ER-6n.
Today we are off to Khao Yai where we leave the highways and hit some country roads can't wait.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Trading in

Trading in our bikes for the local form of transportation maybe a bit more fuel efficient i should think.

Directions

Stopped at a 7eleven for directions but the language is making it hard to communicate. Someone drew me a map but apparently I am 80km from Ayutthaya .

Where am I

I have not seen any bike from the crew for a long time now. I am lost let the adventure begin

Morning Bangkok

It's a time to ride.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Ready to ride

I am flying out to meet up with Harsh in Bangkok from Delhi since I was in Chandigarh holidaying. His flight should have left by now but I just got through security and Immigration. Now I am sitting and waiting for my flight to be called with my coffee reading an article on my ride to Uttrakhand published in Xbhp magazine this month.
I think they just called my flight. So keep watching this space for more on our Thai adventure.

Where are you going now? Where will you be tomorrow?

The nice chaps at Tourism Authority of Thailand want Vir and me to promote their wonderful country as a motorcycling destination so we promptly said yes to this concluding ride of 2012.
We've been to Thailand before, shopped like crazy in Bangkok, lazed on many of sun drenched beaches on their many 'Kohs', gorged on street food fit for kings, partied till the wee hours at Khao San Street... But never before have we ridden motorcycles with any kind of purpose there.
What better then to go for a 1000-km ride over a week to catch a glimpse of the 'other' Thailand? For our first time we'll keep to Central Thailand looping around Bangkok in a wide circle. Once we get our motorcycling 'legs' in Thailand, perhaps we will do a tour in the North near Chiang Rai, something that has been on our to-do list for a while.
So come back, check the blog for our most excellent adventure in Thailand for tomorrow, it's a time to ride...

Friday, December 7, 2012

Coastal Route to Goa for India Bike Week

Photographs by HARSH MAN RAI

One of my favourite rides is the one from Mumbai to Goa hugging the coastline all the way down on little known backroads that unveil stunning vistas after vistas at each bend of the road. It's not a run-and-gun kind of ride, but one that is enjoyed best taken at leisure stopping often to marvel at gem-like beaches, stopping for a chai in the chiaroscuro of a causarina grove or waiting patiently for one the five ferries that we have board on this route. The roads get better as we ride south, sometimes along the shore with crashing waves a scant few feet away, or on flat plateaus above with flashing glimpses of the sea and sand that are never too distant. This is a deeply satisfying ride that makes you sigh with contentment at the end of the day nursing a bottle of cold lager while waiting for some sumptuous local cuisine.
Helmet Stories will be travelling on this road on the way to India Bike Week next year. Interested in experiencing the Helmet Stories ridestyle? Write to us at info@helmetstories.com for details
- HARSH MAN RAI

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Riding The High

Another incredible film from KTM. Cogito Ergo Zoom!

Monday, December 3, 2012

Rocking down the highway

The Helmet Stories powered Chai and Pakora Run for India Bike Week gets on the road

Perfect weather, perfect roads

We were blessed with perfect weather and sometimes perfect roads for the Chai and Pakora Run aka Mumbai Breakfast Run. Since the Yamaha RD350 rebuild, I had only managed 350-odd km on the clock. What better opportunity, then, to rip up and down the rev scale trailing the glorious wail of a well-tuned two-stroke motorcycle...