Category: Uncategorized

I bought my new (to me) 2021 Yamaha Tenere 700 on 7th of July 2023. I had looked at the bike a few days ago, negotiated the price with the dealer (California Speed-Sports Inc, Dublin CA), and decided to buy it. So a couple of days later, I paid for the bike using a check, but the dealer needed the check to clear before the bike could be taken home. After those few agonizing days, I finally rode it home on Friday July 7th, and was excited to ride it on some dirt.

So the next day, Mahesh (on his Kawasaki KLX230) and I (T7) decided to explore the Crandall & Deer Creek Area in the lower Sierras. I had looked at a few SBR threads and got a feel for the area. There is a lot of single track riding here and also some Forest Service Roads, so our plan was to mix and match some of these roads and ride across from Hwy 108 to Hwy 4.

We made it to the staging area without much trouble. Which is to say a lot for the little KLX230. Mahesh could handle the bike for ~100 miles of highway needed to get here from his house.

We rode down a 2-track trail that slowly became single track. I couldn’t quite make out the trail number, but Google maps placed it at 38°09’07.2″N 120°08’36.6″W. It was fun, but the trail became challenging pretty quickly and we decided to turn back and head to the main Forest Roads instead.

So we headed west on the main Forest Rt 4N01 which was a nice wide and flowly dirt road. The Tenere was very easy to ride here and I was having a lot of fun. From 4N01 we turned off on 4N04 and the road got a little more challenging. There was a lot of rain and erosion last winter so the road was in relatively poor condition. The ruts were deep and the riding was getting more tricky.

From 4N04 we took 3N03, which was similarly challenging to ride (“gnarly” as they say). And somewhere along 3N03 it happened – I dropped the bike. I came in too hot in one downhill section, grabbed too much of the front brake and lost control of the front. I tried to save it to the very end, but lost my balance and the bike tipped over. Thankfully I could just step away from the bike under me, and I did not hurt myself one bit. I had turned off the ABS and I feel that was a mistake. If the front ABS was on, it would have prevented a complete loss of traction. The bike fell on it’s right side. Unfortunately I did not take any picture, I was such a state of surprise that I immediately picked up the bike. I did not find the bike heavy to pick up at all, maybe it was the adrenaline going at that moment.

Unfortunately, I did not realize that I had bent my exhaust hanger by dropping the bike on the right, a common T7 problem. I just rode on, mainly thinking my handlebars are tweaked, which they were. I did not realize till later on that the bent exhaust was going to rub my swingarm. Thankfully the damage was minimal and I bent back the muffler away from the swingarm during our lunch stop.

We made it down to the bridge across the New Malones Lake. It was very hot by now (90+) and we were extremely tired riding heavy adv bikes in the heat.

We rode the rest of the tarmac to Hwy 4 and then to a later lunch at Cascabel Restaurant in Angels Camp. I was definitely bummed that I had dropped the bike and dinged up the swingarm – on the second day of my ownership!

We made it back to the Bay Area in good time, tired but glad that we could conquer this challenging adv ride.

There was some minor damage to the handguards and crash guards.

But the crash guards did their job!

The swingarm was also not too bad, I just put on some electrical tape.

On Feb 12th 2023, Akshay (KTM 1290 Adventure S), Mahesh (Ducati Scrambler 1100) and me (Kawasaki Versys-X 300) rode to the Panoche Hills BLM area. We met up at the usual corner of Bailey and McKean and took Uvas road southbound towards Gilroy. We got gas at the Tres Pinos gas station and headed towards the first dirt section of the day: Browns Valley Road.

The winter of 2022-2023 was the wettest winter on record since the 1800s. The grass was green everywhere and the soil was damp. The traction in the dirt was awesome.

Browns Valley Road was fun. We enjoyed the greenery, with the warmth of the bright sun on us. Yellow mustards had started to bloom early. There was also a short water crossing right before we hit Panoche Road.

We took Panoche Road down to the Panoche Inn and then headed up to the Panoche Hills recreation area.

This was an easy dirt ride into the park. The roads were in great condition and the dampness gave us great traction. We rode on the main dirt road P1 till the end and then took a longish off-shoot P20 towards the end of the park.

Both these roads tend to follow the mountain ridges and there are many steep but short changes in elevation, almost like a roller coaster. It was a lot of fun for all of us and the three bikes could handle the dirt with ease.

At the end of P20 we came to a locked gate. So there two options at this point – make a u-turn and go back all the way to the park entrance (20 miles of dirt) or drag the bikes across the gate and try to make it to I5, which we could see was only a few miles away. There was a pretty sharp drop off on both sides of the gate. I was able to take the Versys across the side without too much issue. Mahesh and I then took his Ducati also, and it was fine, but when we had to move the big KTM, we struggled. With some heavy lifting and pushing, we were able to get the KTM across and then continued on our ride.

As we made it across the gate, we were out of the BLM land and into private property. The trail was narrower and showed lesser signs of use. About a mile in, we came across a huge herd of sheep being guarded by two Maremmano Sheepdogs. The sheep were on the trail and as we rode though, they all panicked and ran up the hills. The dogs were not happy, one of them even chased us.

Anyway, we rode across the private land towards the general direction of I-5. But soon we came to the end of the property and were blocked by a fence.

There was no way to get across this locked gate and fence, so we decided to ride parallel along the fence to see if we could find an opening. There were none, at least for a mile in each direction, and it was getting late into the short winter day. The only option was to roll down the barbed wire fence and push the bikes across. Akshay pulled out a pair of pliers from his toolkit and we unhooked the fence in a couple of places, held down the wires and rode the bikes across.

It was a bit sketchy to do this on private land, but we had no other way out. The interstate was less than a mile from there, so we gassed up quickly and made it home in good time. It was quite an adventure – dragging heavy bikes across a steep hill side, riding through a flock of hundreds of sheep and breaking through a private fence. Luckily we didn’t get into any trouble, not that we had any in mind.

During this ride I couldn’t help but think about my uncle, Vinayak Bhand, who passed away a couple of months ago in December 2022. Vinu Mama was a childhood hero of mine, introduced me to scooters and motorcycles at a young age and was a constant source of fun and laughter, while being an inspiration throughout my life. He passed away due to cardiovascular complications, with suspicious links to covid-19. His life was cut short too soon, he was only in his late 60s and I wish he were still around. We all miss him dearly 😦

Ducati Sport Classic 1000S:

Miles on 12/31/2022: 31,461
Total miles in 2022: 305

Kawasaki W650, now sold:

Total miles in 2022: 1,234

Kawasaki Versys-X 300:

Miles on 12/31/2022: 7,369
Total miles in 2022: 7,014

Yamaha MT-09:

Miles on 12/31/2022: 5,016
Bought 7/17/2022: 2,355
Total miles in 2022: 2,661

Total miles in 2022: 11,214

KTM 990 Adventure S, now sold:

• Total miles in 2021: 2,169
• Sold 12/10/2021, after 9,643 miles since purchase

Ducati Sport Classic 1000S:

• Miles 12/31/2021: 31,156
• Bought 1/8/2021 @ 29,586 miles
• Total miles in 2021: 1,570

Kawasaki W650:

• Miles 12/31/2021: 9,759
• Bought 7/24/2021 @ 7,720 miles
• Total miles in 2021: 2,039

Kawasaki Versys-X 300:

• Miles 12/31/2021: 355
• Bought 12/24/2021 @ 261 miles
• Total miles in 2021: 94

Total miles in 2021: 5,872

On the heels of the failed Death Valley trip, I was itching for some dirt adv action on my KTM 990. Adv riding offers a chance of exploring roads and areas that are, literally, off the beaten path. I’ve ridden pretty much all the “motorcycling roads” in California, but I’ve not explored the off-pavement part much. Vijay noticed this thread on AdvRider – Forest Frolicking in Northern California and and that was the impetus for this trip. I know the word “frolic”, but I’m not sure if the present participle froliciking contains a “k”. I won’t Google it though, lol.

Shobhit’s VStrom was broken with a failed clutch from Death Valley. Akshay and I worked on the bike and successfully replaced the clutch. I rode the bike on a 450 mile ride across the Sierras, and everything was good. So with a working bike now, Shobhit decided to join the ride. Akshay could not make it unfortunately, for good reason, his wife was turning xx and he wanted to throw her a surprise birthday bash. Mahesh could not join, his daughter was having surgery, and a few others dropped out, so eventually it was 6 of us – Anil (Kawasaki Versys 650), Ayon (Honda CRF250L Rally), Gokul (KTM 690 Enduro), Shobhit (Suzuki V-Strom 650), Sujit (KTM 990 Adventure) and Vijay (BMW R1200GS)

Friday July 9th 2021

In the second week of July, there was a heat wave in California. Temperatures in Fremont were in the high 90s, while Sacramento and the central valley were up to about 110F. We had a quick video call the night before and discussed whether it makes sense to cancel the ride. With everyone’s tight schedules and limited time, it would be hard to reschedule the ride – so we decided to just go. Shobhit flew in on Friday, went over to his sisters house for some time and came to my house in the late afternoon. He brought with him a pelican case that we bolted to the back of his VStrom. Here was the final outcome, the box came in handy for the trip.

We left the Bay Area with Ayon and Anil at about 4PM. It was incredibly hot along the way and we all wore mesh gear. We stayed away from the freeways for the most part, as Ayon was on his 250. He did fairly well though, keeping up with all of us in the twisty parts.

We stopped briefly at a small town called Buena Vista, CA. Here we bought cold water bottles and poured some of that water down our mesh gear to keep us cool. It was incredibly hot at that point, but we all made it ok that day.

We reached our hotel in Grass Valley (Best Western Gold Country Inn) at about 8PM and met with Vijay for dinner and drinks.  The beers at 1849 Brewing Company were good, and so was the pizza. Gokul trailered his KTM and joined us later at the hotel that night.

Saturday July 10th 2021

This was the planned route for the day, and we did about 75% of it.

We left early that day, gassed up near the hotel and hit Hwy 20 towards Tahoe. We filled up Shobhit’s top box with beer and ice, the smile says it all.

Our first turn off from the highway was on to Washington Road, which took us down to the quaint little town of Washington, CA. Gokul was last in the line of riders and we had to wait a good 10 minutes there for him to catch up. It turns out that he was riding slow because he thought “chunks” could fly off his knobby tires on the pavement 🙂 We picked up some sandwiches from the General Store there and were on our way.

The first dirt section of the day was Gaston Road which goes through the very small town of Gaston. I don’t think we even noticed that place on our way. The road was a mix of hard packed dirt, some loose gravel and some patches of deep sand. It was a good challenge for us all, and we made it down the first 10 miles or so without incident.

As we continued on to Meadow Lake Road, the road became more rocky and soon we got views of Bowman Lake

As we descended to Bowman Lake the road became very rough and rocky and we were riding this challenging terrain very slowly. Luckily we made it to the Lake without incident, where we took a break and dipped in the lake. It wasn’t very hot here because of the elevation. It was warm but comfortable and the dip in the lake felt really good.

I enjoyed sipping a Sierra Nevada hazy IPA in those waters. Pure bliss. The amazing forest and the beautiful lake were great stress busters.

As we started on our way out, the terrain remained pretty challenging till Jackson Meadows Reservoir. We were now about 40 miles into the dirt, and post lunch we were all getting tired quickly. We took several breaks along the way, hydrating with water, making sure the bikes were ok, and just taking a break in the shade.

On Meadow Lake Road, Ayon and Shobhit were leading, and they decided to make a right turn towards Meadow Lake. Next I saw Anil and Vijay ahead of me ride straight towards French Meadows. For a minute I panicked there, thinking that if the group splits up and someone gets lost, it could get dangerous quickly. Most of these forest roads are unmarked and look pretty similar, it’s easy to get lost. Luckily, Ayon and Shobhit retraced their steps and joined us back a short distance down the road.

Vijay had the heaviest bike of the group and he was definitely struggling. Thankfully he was able to manage it over the rough stuff and we made it to the French Meadows Reservoir. When we hit the tarmac there, we all let out a huge sigh of relief.

As we left French Meadows Vijay noticed a tire pressure warning on his BMW dash. He had a flat rear tire. He was able to ride the bike on the pavement to Hwy 89, where we took a break and fixed the flat. The heat was on at this point and we were all tired, with ~60 odd miles of off road work.

At this point, we were debating whether we should ride more dirt, or simply head back to the hotel. It was only about 3PM, so we had time, and we decided to explore a bit more.

We headed down Dog Valley Road, which turned out to be the best road of the day. Gentle flowing curves in easy hard packed dirt. A few whoops along the way, but easy stuff to handle. We all go comfortable riding this patch at higher speeds and enjoyed the views tremendously. We took another stop here to look at Vijay’s tire. It was slowing losing a bit of air, so we pumped it up again.

From Dog Valley Road we took Smithneck Road back to Hwy 49. Again this was easy stuff, scenic and very relaxing.

We hit pavement a bit before Hwy 49 and took a break.

From here we decide to gas up in Loyalton and make our way to our hotel for the night (Gold Pan Lodge in Quincy). Gokul left the group here. He rode back to the hotel in Grass Valley, where he loaded his bike on to his SUV and headed home.

The huge plume of smoke from the Beckwourth Complex fires was visible. And the road to Frenchman lake was closed. We saw lots of firefighting equipment on the way, including helicopters, airplanes and firetrucks.

We made it to our hotel in good time, like 6PM, so that gave us enough time to wind down from the hot and tiring day. We had a few beers at Quintopia Brewing – they were pretty good.

The garlic fries were 10/10

Sunday July 11th 2021

The last day of our trip we decided to skip any dirt section and take the twisty road home. Vijay’s tire was looking weak and none of us really had the energy to tackle another day in the dirt.

Anil had broken his Versys-650 front fender the day before and his rim was also bent. So it was probably a good idea to skip the tough dirt sections.

Ayon picked up coffee at Morning Thunder Cafe and we were on our way.

I had heard of Quincy La Porte Road for many years, but never ridden it. We came close to riding it in 2020, but the fires blocked us out. So this time when we did get a chance, I was blown away. Superbly laid tarmac, excellent curves, great views and no traffic. We stopped along the way a few times to take some pictures.

Remnants of the Bear Fire of 2020

Along the way, we took a short detour to the Little Grass Valley Reservoir. It was short dirt section of 5 miles, but it took us to this dramatically beautiful lake.

The rest of Quincy La Porte was also excellent and we all had a great time riding down the mountains on that road. Note to self – it’s well worth a trip up there just to ride QLP again!

We had lunch at Punjab Tandoori Grill in Yuba City. The Indian food there was simply amazing (it was highly rated on Yelp) and the owner of the restaurant turned on the TV to the Euro Cup final between England and Italy.

It was 100F+ outside, so after the delicious Indian food and beer we took the freeway back to the Bay Area. We made it, again, in good time, with enough daylight to spare.

Shobhit flew back to Seattle the same night. All our bikes were ok, no major mechanical failures. None of us crashed or hurt ourselves, so it all turned out great. I really liked riding in the Tahoe National Forest and the Plumas National Forest. I would like to go up there again!

 

On May 31st 2021, Gokul (MV Agusta Turismo Veloce Lusso), Akshay (Aprilia Tuono), Ayon (KTM 1290 Super Duke R) and me (on Shobhit’s Suzuki VStrom 650) rode the usual route through the Sierra Passes. Exactly the same route as 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015 and 2011

On May 23rd (which happened to be my parents 47th wedding anniversary) I took part in the San Jose Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. It was hosted by Spirit Motorcycles the biggest Triumph dealer in the South Bay.

Per Wikipedia, “The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is a global motorcycle event raising funds and awareness for prostate cancer research and men’s mental health programs”. There was a good showing at Spirit, approximately 250 motorcycles or so. A lot of Triumphs, but a few Harleys, Ducati’s, Royal Enfields and Moto Guzzis.

The ride [route] per say was slow and a little boring, putting along at 25mph through Downtown San Jose, Willow Glen, Campbell and Santana Row. Lots of people were waving or honking, cheering along as we rode. Riding an air-cooled Ducati slowly on a hot day was an interesting experience. The temperature gauge on my bike rose to 290F, the highest I had seen previously was about 235F.

Yours truly, on the ride.

Gathering at SJ City Hall for a group photo.

This Sport Classic won the award for the “Most Dapper Bike” – I spoke to him and it turns out the owner is from Fremont also.

It was a fun experience overall and I look forward to doing it again next year.

On September 23rd 2018, I road the typical Santa Cruz mountain route and while we were coming up Hwy 9, this photographer on Instagram (@BayRoadsAP) captured a few nice pictures of me on the Busa. So here goes,

I came back from our vacation in India in late July while Shruti and the kids were still in Hyderabad. I was alone in Fremont for two weeks and so I decided to ride a longish ride into the Sierras. Akshay rode along with me and we met up with Tom from BARF along the way.

The route was actually the same as RR14 … an epic 400+ miler through the alpine high country. Hwy 108 – Sonora Pass, Hwy 89 – Monitor Pass and Hwy 4 – Ebbetts Pass never get old.

We had awesome burgers at Walker Burger – highly recommended. On our way back, Akshay’s FZ1 shifter linkage broke. We could scavenge a bolt from his fender and rig it up with some duct tape. We made it home without any troubles.

Overall a fun ride with great twisties. A long day, but the comfort of the ZZR really helped.