Finally, the wait was over. Silverback had completed 500 Kms and also had the first round of health checkup so officially it was now ready to meet the highway. I saw a post on the “Independence day ride” by Royal Knights from Bangalore to Yelagiri. It was the right day and fitted my schedule perfectly. 
As per the post, we were supposed to start at 6:30 AM from Raheja Archade, Koramangala. However, we started only @ 7:30 after a short debrief session on hand signals to ensure you pass information to the riders behind. Safety was, of course, top of the list. Most of the riders were well geared: wearing Camster jackets, knee caps, etc. The flock was led by a couple of senior members in the group. We were a group of 55, which set a record for the largest participation in the history of Royal Knights, Bangalore.We went past Madiwala and hit the 10-lane elevated tollway . We received quite a few Wow!! looks from the bystanders on the road . The sheer size of the group and the thundering sound had that effect. We were all cruising @ an average of 60kms on the NH7 with the wind on our face. One and a half hour into the ride we had to branch out from NH7 and hit NH49.
The first pitstop was at Tamilnadu Hotel, where we had hot idlis, pongal and vada.We stayed here for a while and then hit the highway again. The landscape was lush green after the monsoon showers and the stretch reminded me of the Mumbai – Lonavala trip. We spotted a couple of super bikes (Hyabusa, CRB1000) and the tide turned - we were the bystanders now ;) We hit the 14 hair pin bends @ 12:10 Pm and the thundering sound of 55 bullets echoing across the mountainous terrain was awesome. It also ensured that the oncoming vehicles gave way to the bulls :) Even though there are no vantage points around the hair pin bends, if you are the adventurous type you can always step over the ledge and steal a few snaps.
The next pit stop was at Zeenath Taj Gardens, where lunch was organized. I must admit tht the Mutton Biryani was amazing. While the rest of the pack rested and chitchatted, myself and few of the members went on a short trek, which led to the edge of the rocky surface and the view was really breath taking.We started the drive back and halted @ Tamilnadu Hotel for an evening snack. It was around 6:45PM. Myself and a couple of riders decided to leave imm after the snack. Now, I had a chance to push my Silverback to hit a top speed of 110 Kms. What an amazing adrenaline rush! I reached home ~ 9:30PM.
Ride Summary
Odometer reading : 325 Kms Up and down
Route : Koramangala – Hosur – Krishnagiri – Vaniyambadi - Ponneri Junction - Yelagiri HillsTerrain : Highway & Ghat sessionTravel time : 3 – 4 (Group driving)
My Number Plate : http://www.royalenfield.com/kalai.selvan
