An Immortal Legend!!

By the title you may have a question as to who or what am I talking about. There may be several questions in your mind. Well, this time, it’s not about the place. It’s about something that is close to my heart and to many more like minded people like me. To many of you it may feel that the topic is too silly or not worth to discuss or write about. But in my view, it totally deserves the love and respect. Yes!! I am talking about an immortal legend. The “YAMAHA RX 100/135”. Seriously? Is this what we will be reading about now? Are you crazy? Don’t you have anything better to write? I am very sure that these are few of the questions or thoughts that are running in your minds. But that's what we will be talking about. As I mentioned above, to many of the like minded people, it’s more than just a two-wheeler which we use to commute in our day to day life.

This story is about my 1987 model Yamaha RX100 and how the lost glory was restored back to life. I bought this bike around 7 years ago and was in a decent condition. But, as days passed, it started losing the charm as it was not maintained properly. Wouldn’t blame myself or my younger brother. I was working in Bangalore and the bike was at my native (Sirsi – Uttara Kannada). My brother wanted it to be funky and naked like the dirt bikes while I wanted to see it in decent stock condition. As the bike was in the hands of my teenage brother, it was like the way he wanted it to be. Most of the makeover parts like Mudguards, crash guards, headlight, indicators, speedometer, front brake were taken off from the bike. Most surprising was that it did not even have an ignition key or a handle lock. Which means, any Tom, Dick or Harry can just start the bike and take it away. The only good and powerful thing it had was the 1987 model Japanese Engine. No matter what the condition of the bike was, the engine sound and the power used to make everyone go crrrazy.

Coming back to my routine life in Bangalore, I have been working here for 10 years and for 8 years I traveled by the company cabs which is provided in most of the organizations. Never felt the necessity to a two-wheeler. 2 years ago, when I joined my current company, I was told that we will get one way company cab which is after 7 PM. So, I was left with no other option than getting a motorbike for myself. I was in a dilemma as to which one do I go for.  My first option was Royal Enfield as it was the first motorbike that I owned. But, I was keen on getting the old model which had its gear shift lever on the right side and the rear brake on the left. By that time, Royal Enfield had made its mark in the market and the new models were all around the market. I would see even the leanest guy on this planet riding a Royal Enfield as the company had decided to match its gear and brake system with other common bikes. One of my good friend who had an old model Royal Enfield insisted me not to go for the older model if I would be using it for daily commute as finding a good mechanic is the real challenge these days. Even the good mechanics in city were running out of time and had no patience to check what is the actual problem and would be more focused on replacing the parts even if it had a minor issue which could be fixed.

That is when I turned around and looked at the needy. At that moment, I realized that the time had arrived to consider rebuilding my RX100 who was pleading for the makeover. Without any second thought, I decided that I want it to look like how it was when it came out of the factory. With limited budget in hand, I first called up my Dad and told him that I want to restore the RX100. Good decision!! That was the instant reply from my Dad. I started checking for the good mechanics in town. But, I preferred the old ones as they were much experienced. Within no time I got a contact in my hometown. That mechanic turned out to be a known person as my Dad is also into automobile business. Only issue was the mechanic was too lethargic and would take his own sweet time to work. I knew his background. He was one among those oldies who were specialists in repairing BSA Bond, Royal Enfield, Yezdi and Java. Told my brother to leave the bike with him and prepare a quotation for a complete makeover. He took 3 days just to give the quotation. Got him all the spares and parts that he wanted and in a very simple layman term, told him that I want the bike ASAP to which he agreed. But, not to forget about the issue that I mentioned earlier. Although he was very excited to rebuild the whole bike, he is the most lethargic mechanic I have ever met :).

He took 3 goddamn months to restore my bike. Those 3 months were so frustrating that one day my Dad went to him in a Jeep and said he is taking back all the parts and the frame and hand it over to some other mechanic. Since, he knew my Dad from a very long time, he did not have the guts to defend himself. My Dad called me from the mechanic’s garage and said that he is getting everything back from him and taking the bike to a different mechanic. I asked my dad to hand over the phone to him and in a very soft voice he said “Vikram, I want to build this bike. I admit my fault that I have delayed. But, give me one chance”. I wanted only him to restore it for me as I knew about his history with motorbikes. I convinced my Dad to unload everything from the Jeep and give him a deadline. After regular follow up calls with the mechanic, he finally finished the bike like it is just out of production unit.

I was surprised to see my RX100 in that makeover. She was a feast to the eyes. Took it for a ride and everyone around the town who had seen it in a shabby and naked condition, were stopping by to check if it was the same RX100 which my brother used to ride. It is very difficult to express the satisfaction and happiness when you see a vintage which is brought back to life when it is almost in the verge of losing its glory. I was very excited to get it to Bangalore which I did 1.5yrs ago.

Well the story did not end there. On Facebook, I happened to know about a club which has enthusiastic and passionate riders. What excited me more is that all the club members Male/ Female, are 2-Stroke enthusiasts and everyone has the same motive which is to restore the lost glory and keep the legend alive. I immediately sent a message to the group admin for the information to join the club. Within no time I got a reply from Mr. Pradveen Shanoo (Club President) asking me to share my contact number so that he can add me to the watsapp group. I shared the details and instantly I was added to the watsapp group. I was asked to introduce myself and share the pics of my RX100 which I did. Well, you always be on your toes when you are asked to share about something which is very close to your heart ;). There was a warm welcome from all the club members and I felt that I know these people from ages. Since then, I proudly say that I am proud owner of 1987 Yamaha RX100 and also a proud member of the club named “ROC – RX Owners Club Bangalore” [Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/roc.bengaluru/?ref=br_rs]. I try my best to be part of this wonderful club meet which happens every month. Every time I get to meet new like minded people. More importantly, I need help or advice regarding my motorbike, my club brothers shower it on me. The club has the best members who are so knowledgeable about this machine. More than that, everyone has the same kind of love, respect and the motive to restore the lost glory and keep it alive.

From my personal experience, there may be several bikes in the market today with all the High BHPs, High speed motors and advanced technology. But, when you say that you own a YAMAHA RX100, RX135 or RXZ, the expression you get to see on the listeners face is unexplainable. It’s like “What else do you want? You already have a legend”. With that being said, I end this discussion on these legendary machines because just one blog is not enough to describe these beauties. I would let you readers go through the pictures below and enjoy the beauty of these Immortal Legends. Ciao until the next blog! 

"Here the ping, Feel the SMOKE. You are just being passed by a 2-STROKE" ;)

She is mine :)

The Club Sticker

President's Pride

Senior Most Member & Rider Daniel Sir who is in an inspiration to all

Short Trip To Sirsi

An office colleague and a very good friend of mine always complained that they visit Sigandooru (Near Sagar) at least twice a year. But, never had a chance to visit another beautiful place "SIRSI" although he was eagerly wanting to. After knowing the fact that Sirsi is my hometown, he started pestering me to take him along. So this quick getaway was dedicated to my buddy. 

Sirsi is a tourist location in Uttara Kannada of Karnataka. Sirsi was also known as Kalyanapattana during the Sonda Dynasty. It is the largest city and main commercial center and business hub in Uttara Kannada district. The city is surrounded by forest and the region is popular for a large number of waterfalls. River "Aghanashini" begins at a place near Sirsi called "Donihalla" and flows towards the Arabian Sea in the West. The river also creates many waterfalls along its path. The climate is strongly influenced by the monsoons, and the climate is tropical, moderated by proximity to the sea. During the monsoons, the region receives one of the heaviest rainfall in the world. As a result, the region also has a large variety of wildlife. The vegetation in the region is mainly moist deciduous, and valuable timber wood is commonly found in the forests of the region.

Getting back to the travel experience, we decided to leave from Bangalore after work and decided to drive at night. We left office at 9:30 PM and reached my place in Bangalore to pick up my bag and have dinner. Started our journey at 11:30 PM and we hit Bangalore Poona highway in 10 minutes. Listening to melodious old Kannada songs, we were driving at a normal pace till Tumkur because of the traffic as it was a weekend. We had our first stop at Chitradurga for bio break and a cup of tea. I took over the wheel from Chitradurga and we decided not to make any more pit stops untill we make a detour from the highway at Haveri. Soon as we passed Ranibennuru, we were welcomed by the wet roads and cool breeze as it was drizzling. Soon after we took a detour off the highway, we had our second pit stop just to enjoy the cool breeze, enjoy the drizzle, enjoy the fragrance of wet soil, and to give some happiness to our lungs by inhaling pure and fresh air ;). 

Started driving again after deciding that our next stop will be Sirsi. It was a wonderful drive through the forest and wet road. We rolled down the windows so that we can enjoy the fresh air throughout the drive. Finally reached home at 5:20 AM and my dad was wide awake to welcome us. We had already decided that we won't spend much time at home as we wanted to cover as many places as we can within 2 days because we had to drive back to Bangalore on Sunday night. 

Day 1:

Manjugini
Yana
Vibhooti Falls
Cousin's Farm

After a delicious mom made breakfast (Buns & Chatni) and with a happy tummy we left our home and headed towards "Manjuguni" [A small village near Yana with a beautiful ancient temple]. My younger brother accompanied us as he was enjoying his college vacation. We reached Manjuguni in no time as it is approximately 35-40 kms from Sirsi and the beautiful roads helped us rev through the lush green forest as I am familiar with those roads and curves. We reached Manjuguni and offered our prayers to "Lord Venkatesh". Sat inside the temple for a while as it was very pleasant and calm. Then we moved towards a huge lake which is opposite to the temple. As we were enjoying the water and waiting for the fishes to show up (People feed puffed rice to the fishes in this lake as a part of offering), we suddenly heard a gushing sound. When we turned around, we could see heavy rain covering the whole region. We ran towards the car but could not escape from getting drenched. Well, that's the fun of Western Ghats ;).

We then headed to Yana [A small village located in the Sahyadri forest between Sirsi and Kumta] through a short cut road which connects us to Devanahalli (Small village on the way to Yana) via Hegdekatta. Yana is famous for two massive rock outcrops known as the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara and the Mohini Shikhara ("Shikhara" means "hill"). The huge rocks are composed of solid black, crystalline karst limestone. Bhairaveshwara Shikhara is 120 metres (390 ft) in height, while the Mohini Shikhara, which is smaller, is 90 metres (300 ft) in height. Yana is also well known as a pilgrimage centre because of the cave temple below the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara where a Swayambhu ("self manifested", or "that which is created by its own accord") linga has been formed. Water drips from the roof over the linga, adding to the sanctity of the place. The roads are good till certain distance. But then the tricky drive starts as you start nearing Yana. The roads get narrower with pot holes making the drive slower and it starts appearing to be dark outside as the thick forest stops the light from reaching the road. Nobody to be blamed for the bad roads. The roads cannot withstand the rainfall in that region.  My buddy was surprised by looking at the Algae formed on the tar road. Well, that explains the intensity of rainfall in the region ;). We then reached Yana and parked our car to start a 0.5 KM walk on the gravel. Accompanied by the heavy rain and all sort of weird noise by the insects in the forest, was like a welcome song for us till we reached the cave temple. After offering our prayers and wandering through the cave, we spent some time enjoying the beauty of the forest covered in the mist. We were literally drenched but we didn't care about it as we just wanted to be close mother nature. We headed back to the car and sat there for a while checking for any leeches that would have been feasting on our blood ;P. 

We then headed towards another wonderful place "Vibhooti Falls". We drove back from Yana and took a deviation which leads to Vibhooti Falls. After driving through the lush green forest and curvy narrow roads we reached at a Police Check Post where we had to register our vehicle details and contact information along with emergency contact. We then drove for about 1.5 Kms and parked our car. From there, we had to start an uphill trek to reach the falls. There are few steps at the beginning of the trek which makes it little easier. After that is when the gravel road starts through the forest which was making it little difficult as it was raining and the land was wet and slippery. We were fully exhausted and drenched. But the sound of the waterfall kept motivating us to continue or trek. Finally we reached the point and we could see the waterfall welcoming us with open arms. That moment made us forget all the tiredness and we felt the trek was worth it. We spent some time enjoying the waterfall. With an unwillingness to leave that place, we started walking down. Reached at the place where we had parked our car. Had chilled water which was flowing from the mountain. Enjoyed the scenic beauty for a while and started driving back home. It was 4 PM when we reached home and we were starving. Took a hot shower and had our lunch. Once again with a happy tummy, we were charged up to visit my cousin's farm which is around 10 kms from Sirsi. Reached my cousins farm and had a peaceful walk around the betelnut (main crop of Sirsi) plantation watching the birds and man made lake. We generally do fishing in that lake. But at that moment, we were so exhausted from the previous night journey and the tiresome day we spent, our body was pleading for some rest. We returned home from the farm, spent some time sitting at home talking to my mom and dad as my friend had visited our place for the first time. It was dinner time, so we finished our dinner and crashed. [End Of Day 1].

Day 2:

Sahasralinga
Sonda Mutt
Swarnawalli Mutt
Pandavara Hole
Bangalore 

After a good sleep, we were charged up for exploring places on Day 2. After a delicious mom made breakfast (Neeru Dose & Coconut Chutney) with a happy tummy we First Visited few temples in Sirsi. The one that cannot be missed ant any cost "Gramadevate Shri Marikamba Temple" (Main Temple of Sirsi). Then we visited Subrahmanya Temple and  Raghavendra Mutt before we headed towards Sahasralinga which is a pilgrimage place, located around 14 km from Sirsi. It is in the river Shalmala and is famous for being the location where around a thousand lingas are carved on rocks in the river and on its banks. History says all these Shiva Lingas were built under the patronage of Sadashivarayavarma, king of the Sirsi kingdom (1678-1718). We can also see many Basava/bulls which are carved in front of the Shiva Lingas. It continued to drizzle continuously as usual. But we reached there in no time as the roads are beautiful with forests and betelnut plantations covered on both sides. We played for a while in the flowing water and then headed to Sonda Mutt. 

There are 2 ways to reach Sonda Mutt. As we were already at Sahasralinga, we decided to take a short route from there rather driving back to Sirsi and taking a different route. Sonda or Swadi flourished during the Vijayanagara Empire and is a considered to be a sacred place by both Hindus and Jains. Sonda is famous for Shri Vadiraja Matha, Shri Swarnavalli Matha and is about 15 km from Sirsi. After offering our prayers we visited Swarnawalli Mutt which is nearby Sonda. 

We headed back to Sirsi via Hulekal road as we wanted to visit Pandavara Hole. “Pandavara Hole”  is a beautiful picnic spot located nearly 11 km from Sirsi town. In Kannada "Hole" (ಹೊಳೆ) means small stream or small river. There is a beautiful river and a place to swim. My younger brother had a swim while my buddy and myself were sitting on the bank with our legs dangling in water enjoying the scenic beauty. After spending some time at Pandavara Hole we headed back to Sirsi and reached home for lunch. By the time we reached home, mom had prepared steaming hot Chicken Curry and Akki Rotti (Malenadu Cuisine). We had lunch and decided to rest for a while as we had to drive back to Bangalore that night to resume office next day. We took a nap and spent some time at home. My buddy wanted to taste Kashaya (Hot Ayurvedic drink) which tastes sweet. Kashaya is a common drink which is offered as an option in Malenadu region instead of coffee. If you visit any houses, you are asked if you would prefer to have Tea or Kashaya. My buddy liked it a lot and asked my mom for some Kashaya powder so that he can take it home. My mom prepared the powder within no time and parceled it for me and my buddy. While all this was happening, the time had arrived for us to start our drive back to Bangalore. My younger brother decided to accompany us to Bangalore as it was his college vacation. After dinner, with a heavy heart and unwillingness to leave such an amazing place, we started from Sirsi at 8:45 PM. 

I took the wheels and drove till Haveri bypass and took a pit stop before we joined the Poona Bangalore Highway. Continued to drive after our pit stop. There was absolutely no talks in the car and songs played in the music system from my brother's playlist as he was the only happy face in the car. Both me and my buddy we having a frown face thinking about the routine life which was starting from next day. We did not feel taking any more pit stops so I drove in one stretch till we were nearing Nelamangala. As usual, traffic had piled up and the vehicles were honking non stop which made us realize that we have entered Bangalore. Reached my place around 2:30 AM. Me and my brother got down and my buddy drove back to his home. But before he left, I could see the happiness on his face for a wonderful time he spent during these 2 days. He said, "WE SHALL PLAN AGAIN" :).

Although it was a very short trip and due to time constraints, there were many places which we could not visit. But, my buddy definitely took away some beautiful memories along with him that would cherish forever. The beauty of Malenadu (Western Ghats) is such that anyone who once visits will definitely love to visit again and again again...

While I wrote about our journey, I once again visited all these places in my imagination and it brought a smile on my face. With that being said, I end my first ever blog. Hope to catch you all soon with another one. Please excuse if there were any spelling errors in this blog and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Ciao...

Please do watch the pictures below.