Earlier this year, before the start of the summer, I got a welcome opportunity to take a few days off and plan an escape to the hills. What started cooking as an all out, five day adventure touring idea, covering four major destinations along the Western Ghats, simmered down to just three days of riding, chilling and general bonhomie at an idyllic plantation stay on the northernmost fringes of Chikamaglur.
This was also, the first time I took the Moto Morini XCape 650 on a tour of any sort- an opportunity to test its mettle and mine, in the process. When on a tour, you rely on the machine solely to get you in and get you out, in good health and in one piece. The first tour is a chance to get really familiar with the motorcycle, to grow into its ownership and get conversant enough to deal with both its quirky traits and serious breakdowns on your own, with no friendly neighbourhood mechanic around.
How did I fare?, you may ask. If I had to choose one word, I’d say ‘Comfortably’. The motorcycle is on its way to achieve the same status as those lovable old pair of shoes that I slip into without slightest hesitation, and it’s certainly not giving me shoe bites!
The route we took provided a very good mix of open highways and lovely forested, winding hill roads. On day one, which we ended up calling ‘Slab Day’, the Morini was in its element- helping me munch miles with an unstressed engine and an unstressed back on an otherwise scorching day.
While we got a glimmer of what lay ahead as we entered the small ghat section bordering the Bhadra Wildlife Reserve, day one ended up feeling like a warm-up act. Day two, however, proved to be a motorcyclist’s dream.
Interestingly, this is when the XCape had a nice surprise waiting for me. On two-lane blacktops with excellent tarmac, snaking through coffee plantations and towering silver oaks, the Moto Morini transformed into a comfy, lazy couch for sightseeing. It rolled through the scenery in third gear at 40kph after having devoured the highway at 120kph a day earlier. The same motorcycle that had highway manners of a greyhound in full stride now moved through back country roads like a well-fed house cat stretching and purring around the living room, unhurried and entirely at ease.
A big bike need not be a big bore on a small road. Stroke of truth, pun intended. 😊
Nestled within a 200 acre coffee estate, Halli Berri (https://halliberri.com/) had the easy charm of a family-run homestay where nothing felt staged. The warm hospitality, authentic setting and excellent home-style food made it the perfect base for exploring Chikamaglur and beyond. The large estate has fantastic walking trails and a beautiful stream running through where one can bide time at leisure.
Day 2 started on a high note. Halli Berri Estate sits North of Chikamaglur town, almost at the point where coffee estates give way to mountains and the jungles of the Bhadra Reserve. We had planned a slow ride South, towards Sakleshpur. This meant riding on mountain roads with very less traffic, passing through small towns with plentiful cafes serving excellent plantation coffee along the way.
Straight off, a small detour led to a quiet trail, passing through a little village towards the end. On dirt trails, I’ve learnt to let the bike’s momentum guide its trajectory. I’m still a novice at off roading when it comes to big advs, and there are times when I sorely miss the ease of the Himalayan. In able hands, the XCape will make short work of trails like these, at a decent clip. But for more timid riders like me, the weight of the bike does feel intimidating. I’ve learnt to control throttle input and take it slow. The motorcycle has good low end torque and both 1st and 2nd gears are great for crawling speeds. My confidence on dirt has grown after having removed lots of weighty accessories from the bike (Read here).
The second day was all about riding at a leisurely pace with its own perks. We were no longer in touring mode- the bikes were light and free, without luggage. Many of the cafes in and around Chikamaglur offer their own speciality coffee sourced from local plantations- and our plan was to explore some of those along the way. Towards Mudigere and onwards to Sakleshpur, there are many parallel routes that are used by locals and free of bus and lorry traffic. We took one of these and soon found ourselves on a ribbon of immaculate tarmac weaving through coffee estates, silver oaks, Areca nut palm groves and the occasional banana plantation. There was barely another vehicle in sight, just the soft thrum of our engines and the scent of coffee blossoms lingering in the morning air. If there is such a thing as motorcycle nirvana, this came remarkably close. It was the sort of road that makes you stop checking the odometer and start measuring the day in smiles instead of kilometres.
After a very satisfying late lunch at another cafe beyond Mudigere, we decided to head back by another route. This, I kept telling myself, is what a motorcycle holiday should be all about. Ride through the day- without the need to rush- we didn’t have nowhere particularly to get to. Pause, kill the engine. Admire nature’s bounty all round you. Soak in the local culture. Stop at wayside cafes and consume good coffee. And enjoy the freedom this incredible machine gives you.
We had another lazy gander through more incredible roads. As we got used to the general emptiness of the road, I decided to take the curves on at a higher pace. Throttling down as I take on the corner, I’m grinning inside my helmet, the parallel twin’s on song and vista upon beautiful vista reveals itself as the road twists and turns!
At one point we pulled over and I stretched out on a roadside culvert. It was awesome to see clouds rolling by beyond the silvery grey swaying leaves of the Silveroak trees. In places like these, what strikes you most is how when you switch off the engine, the thrum is immediately replaced by birdsong.
Day 3 started with some anxiety about the big slab day ahead, back to Bangalore, 300 odd kms away. The weather update promised some rain so we were hoping for a cooler ride back. Google mausi had a nice surprise in the waiting for us however, and Day 3 soon became quite memorable.
Our way out of the district turned out to be a fifty km route through farmlands and gently undulating hills on a single lane road, perfect for motorcycling. This route brought about a contrasting change in scenery with bountiful vegetable farms and lush pastures on either side of the road.
Back home, chilled beer in hand, I reminisced how good the experience was. The motorcycle had performed flawlessly and I had an amazing ride in great company.
Almost two years of living with the XCape made me restrospect. Back in the city, the bike still asks for a little commitment in traffic, feels substantial while parking, and isn’t the motorcycle I’d choose for a quick grocery run. But out on roads like these, those compromises fade into the background remarkably quickly. This is its home ground, where come rain or shine, I will always have a good time.
Perhaps the best motorcycles aren’t those that excel at one thing, but those that quietly adapt to whatever the day asks of them.
yonder blue mountain... 