Grand Tour 2009, Stage five - Into Kerala
I left Mysore early in the morning on December 29, planning to spend the night somewhere in Kerala, and make it to Cherai Beach on the 30th, when my Canadian friends would be arriving. The road was great until just past the entrance to Rajiv Gandhi National Park, where there was a detour for about 20km through broken and dusty side roads until rejoining the highway. On the next bit I saw an elephant casually crossing the highway ahead of me, so I slowed down until it was safely into the forest again.
Crossed the border into Kerala, and found that everything was closed. It was like driving through a series of ghost towns -- all the shops had shutters closed, and there was no traffic. Yet another instance of an old Kerala tradition -- the state-wide bandh/ hartal. I flagged down two guys on a Bullet (the Royal Enfield riders' fraternity, you know) who helped me find an ATM and then took me to a small restaurant which was closed at the front, but open at the back for those in the know. By the time I finished lunch word had spread, and there was a crowd waiting beside my bike, eager to offer advice and see me on my way.
I had decided to make a slight detour northward in order to go through Mahe, an outpost of Pondicherry on the Kerala coast, to stock up on some good cheer to celebrate New Year's Eve, and by the time I reached there it was late afternoon, so I made it my overnight stop.
Next day I was ready for an early start, since I wanted to get to Cherai Beach by early afternoon, and Kerala roads are not made for fast riding. But now, the first major problem I've had with my bike.
The bike was warming up, and I was making the final adjustments to my gear, when suddenly the engine stopped. This had never happened to me before. I checked that the petrol cock was turned on, and tried to start the bike, but no luck. There was no horn or neutral light, so I surmised an electrical problem. Checked the fuse box, found a burned-out fuse, replaced it with the spare, and tried again. Still no electrical. Checked the fuses again, and the replacement fuse was also burned out (I know it was good when I put it in), so I clearly had a short circuit somewhere. My guest house called a nearby bike mechanic who came over in an hour or so to have a look. He started examining the wiring, and showed me that the entire electrical system had shorted out, with melted insulation and bare wires everywhere. This was beyond what he could repair. We called the nearest Royal Enfield dealers, in Kannur and Kozhikode. The Kannur shop said they were short-handed and fully booked, and couldn't touch it until next week. The Kozhikode shop said bring it in, but said that there was an authorized freelance mechanic in Tellicherry, only a few kilometers away. We contacted him, and within half an hour he was there on his own bike. He started replacing the wires and testing the circuits, and within about an hour was able to start the bike up. And for this work and his commute time too, he charged only Rs 50!
My early start in tatters, but at least with a driveable bike, I was on my way by early afternoon. Reflecting on the incident, and looking to see the positive side, I realized that if it was going to happen, it did so at the best possible time and place, where I was at least able to get competent assistance. If RedWing had given up the (electrical) ghost on that dusty detour in Karnataka, or even in strike-bound Kerala, I would have been a lot worse off.
Since the bike was now running fine, I decided not to stop at the Royal Enfield service shop in Kozhikode, but rather to push on to Cherai Beach. I passed through Guruvayur about sunset, so had to ride the last couple of hours after dark, which I really don't like to do, but it seemed a pity to stop so close to my destination, which I finally reached by 8pm. Met my friends who had arrived earlier that day, and had a nice dinner and a cold beer.
The next day, New Year's Eve, we walked from our guesthouse to see the elephants gathered at Cherai Beach for the celebrations, but didn't stay long. We had arranged for our hosts to prepare a special dinner for the occasion, and with a couple of bottles of wine that I had picked up in Mahe, and a few beers and a bottle of whiskey, we had a fine celebration together, watching the fireworks down the beach at midnight.
And so ends the 2009 portion of my Grand Tour. I took another month to get back to Chennai; stay tuned.
Crossed the border into Kerala, and found that everything was closed. It was like driving through a series of ghost towns -- all the shops had shutters closed, and there was no traffic. Yet another instance of an old Kerala tradition -- the state-wide bandh/ hartal. I flagged down two guys on a Bullet (the Royal Enfield riders' fraternity, you know) who helped me find an ATM and then took me to a small restaurant which was closed at the front, but open at the back for those in the know. By the time I finished lunch word had spread, and there was a crowd waiting beside my bike, eager to offer advice and see me on my way.
I had decided to make a slight detour northward in order to go through Mahe, an outpost of Pondicherry on the Kerala coast, to stock up on some good cheer to celebrate New Year's Eve, and by the time I reached there it was late afternoon, so I made it my overnight stop.
Next day I was ready for an early start, since I wanted to get to Cherai Beach by early afternoon, and Kerala roads are not made for fast riding. But now, the first major problem I've had with my bike.
The bike was warming up, and I was making the final adjustments to my gear, when suddenly the engine stopped. This had never happened to me before. I checked that the petrol cock was turned on, and tried to start the bike, but no luck. There was no horn or neutral light, so I surmised an electrical problem. Checked the fuse box, found a burned-out fuse, replaced it with the spare, and tried again. Still no electrical. Checked the fuses again, and the replacement fuse was also burned out (I know it was good when I put it in), so I clearly had a short circuit somewhere. My guest house called a nearby bike mechanic who came over in an hour or so to have a look. He started examining the wiring, and showed me that the entire electrical system had shorted out, with melted insulation and bare wires everywhere. This was beyond what he could repair. We called the nearest Royal Enfield dealers, in Kannur and Kozhikode. The Kannur shop said they were short-handed and fully booked, and couldn't touch it until next week. The Kozhikode shop said bring it in, but said that there was an authorized freelance mechanic in Tellicherry, only a few kilometers away. We contacted him, and within half an hour he was there on his own bike. He started replacing the wires and testing the circuits, and within about an hour was able to start the bike up. And for this work and his commute time too, he charged only Rs 50!
My early start in tatters, but at least with a driveable bike, I was on my way by early afternoon. Reflecting on the incident, and looking to see the positive side, I realized that if it was going to happen, it did so at the best possible time and place, where I was at least able to get competent assistance. If RedWing had given up the (electrical) ghost on that dusty detour in Karnataka, or even in strike-bound Kerala, I would have been a lot worse off.
Since the bike was now running fine, I decided not to stop at the Royal Enfield service shop in Kozhikode, but rather to push on to Cherai Beach. I passed through Guruvayur about sunset, so had to ride the last couple of hours after dark, which I really don't like to do, but it seemed a pity to stop so close to my destination, which I finally reached by 8pm. Met my friends who had arrived earlier that day, and had a nice dinner and a cold beer.
The next day, New Year's Eve, we walked from our guesthouse to see the elephants gathered at Cherai Beach for the celebrations, but didn't stay long. We had arranged for our hosts to prepare a special dinner for the occasion, and with a couple of bottles of wine that I had picked up in Mahe, and a few beers and a bottle of whiskey, we had a fine celebration together, watching the fireworks down the beach at midnight.
And so ends the 2009 portion of my Grand Tour. I took another month to get back to Chennai; stay tuned.
posted by IndiaJP at 6:24 PM
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