A solo ride to the Taj

 I remember sitting in office on a normal weekday, working, when I checked upon my calender, only to realize that an extended weekend was coming up on account of Good Friday. For long, I've been itching for a trip. And deep inside, I knew I wouldn't miss this opportunity at any cost. But this being my first ride, I knew I didn't wan't to push the limits too past. Added to that, was the fact that I wanted to go solo.
The epic thing was however, that in the midst of all this planning and programming, I hadn't even decided my destination yet. My friend recently did his solo to Taj. I remember visiting the Taj when I was very small. Infact, it was so long back, that even the faintest of it's memories seemed to have faded away.
So I decided, why the hell not.
Thursday night I got my tank fully filled ready to leave the next day. Friday Morning however, the weather looked anything but clear. Waited for 2 hours when the rain stopped. And off I was.
Here, I'd like to mention, that I didn't take the Yamuna Expressway. Yes, I know it's fast, I know it's without traffic. But trust me, nothing can beat the romance of the highways and the occasional fragrance of Eucalyptus filling your nose.
One thing I'd like to mention here is, I didn't take any pic of the journey so far. I took a break on one of the dhabas.
Another thing that I'd like to point out was the vice of crosswinds. There were at times when I was literally fighting to keep the motorcycle straight against the crosswinds, with the added woes from the miserable patch work done on the roads. Riding at north of 100 kmph, it was difficult to keep the motorcycle stable in those winds. But it was fun nonetheless.

 There I did click few pics. here they go.

I was really grateful for the overcast sky. It was really comfortable riding in this condition. However, at times, faced heavy rains too. But that was acceptable given the cool conditions.
The next break I took just at the outskirts of Mathura.

Just another 58 kms.

My beauty, my heartbeat.

Yes, it was still raining.

Once I reached Agra, The scene altogether changed. I mean people have no sense rules whatsoever. Navigating in that traffic was really a pain.
In the mean time, while managing through this traffic, I came across Sikandra. I heard about it from my friend, so I thought, why not.
And the best part was, it was a World Heritage day that day. Ha ha ha...

Here are few pics from there.

It was from here, that I came to know that the Taj remains closed on Fridays. So, my plan now was to just get a hotel, and visit the Agra fort. Now, the painful part began. From there I started my search for hotels.

It was the most painful part of the whole journey. Plus, the people there were funny. It was an well learn't lesson.
Guys, never ask a local about directions. Because either they have a really screwed up sense of direction or they just enjoy confusing people to wander here & there.

With nothing much to do at hand, it was time to hit the bed. I kept the target of getting up by 5:30 in the morning to get the early morning view.
Next morning, it was the same story all over again. It was drizzling again. But I knew I had to go, so went out any ways.
One important thing here. Please note that the entry ticket for Taj Mahal is not sold at the gate but a km or 2 away from there.
So, after having purchased a ticket to self ( INR 20 for Indian Citizens, INR 750 for Non-Residential Indians).

So, without further ado, here follows the pics.

This pic is a bit special. Not for any other reason but just that this was the first ray of 'Sunshine' that day. Just like that person. :)

Your truly.

Trust me when I say, the slight drizzle only added to the romanticism that morning.

A final look back.

Well, jest of the story, RIDE SAFE.

Thanks you Folks.

To you...

Neither is it a deja-vu
Nor an insomnia,
But I do feel strange.

I can smell through rain drops
And I can feel through winds,
A presence not so strange.

But I don't remember anything
Neither do I believe in after-life,
Who knows what's so strange!

I don't read stories
Yet when I hear ballads,
I recall some feeling; strange.

I do meet strangers
And I receive their warmth,
Still I miss something strange.

I think I've lost something
Too many pieces to gather maybe,
But even this place seems so strange!

But what is the most strange of all
Is this unease and helplessness,
When I'm at strange places 
And it does not feel strange.

~ Unknown

Royal Enfield ThunderBird 350 First Ride

It had been 3 months since I booked my ThunderBird. Finally on 9th of this month (October, 2013) I got her. Yes, indeed it was love at first sight. I couldn't peel my eyes off her and at the same time, just couldn't stop grinning as well. This was specifically because I aspired for this particular Royal Enfield ever since the first time I saw it.
Anyways, so on the the date of the delivery I took half day off, rushed to the dealer (South Delhi Automobiles). The paper work took just few more minutes. And then I got her home. My friend @hackernewbie had already mentioned few details to take care of. Initially I make it clear not to cross the 50kmph mark under any circumstances. Although I was having some trouble (still having) with the Neutral, but I believe that can be addressed on the first service. Here are few snaps from the day.

The sheer excitement of having standing downstairs was a bit too much, so I had to go out on a ride. Although, given my experience ( next to zero) I didn't venture out much but only thought it better to stay within the locality itself only.

Next day, at office was having a tough time to wait for the evening to come so I could again go back to ride. 

With the initial few kms done, I did realize that this variant of Royal Enfield motorcycles were way way smooth than the previous versions. Although my description of "Previous Version" is that of a 1990 Bullet Standard.
Nonetheless, the ride was smooth, especially at higher gears the response of the engine is simply beautiful. 
Secondly, the brakes. I mean front Disc brakes are ok, but rear Disc brakes..? Well, to put simply the confidence those pair discs generate is monumental. I could easily feel the braking power the rear wheel. Although the motorcycle did fishtail at one level, but that is another point. 

Thirdly, the all new digital trip meter and and the mind boggling & eye soothing Blue backlight. It simply takes you off your feet.

 Fourthly, the stability. be it proprietary to RE, but the ThunderBird does bite down the road while it's moving. Given it's structure, the stability is added bonus. Applied the rear brakes hard once, and the motorcycle did skidded for a moment ( And I did loose few heart beats) but it again regained it's stability.

All in all, there isn't anything here that you folks don't know already . But the joy of riding her could only be expressed in sharing with you all. 

Oh, and it slipped my mind. But I did get a name for her. I call her Night Fury.