How I made it possible from Kochi to Chennai(700 km) in 13 hours(including breaks) in Royal Enfield Standard(350) in a day?

A little background about this ride, I bought a Royal Enfield Standard 350 a year ago in Kochi(Kerala) and moved to Chennai(TN) soon after that.No one was using my ride once I left and whenever I go for vacation I used it for some intermediate rides not more than 200 km.

Almost all the free services are made just crossing the days rather than the kms did for the same. Thought of bringing the bullet a long time ago and was checking for options. Transferring via train, some parcel services etc. But I was not familiar with any one of this and heard that chances of damage are high if transferred via train. Finally decided to ride it myself to Chennai.

On checking the Gmaps it showed me 697 kms of distance from my home and I was wondering how I am gonna finish this in a day. Instead of my fitness I first checked for the ability of the bullet to do 700 km in a day. I read few quora, a couple of blogs, listen to a few vloggers experience and never got an exact answer to my questions. Still, I was very much into my decision.

I did a homework on the places I am going to cover on the way and split it with an average distance of 100-150(was not able to keep that other than the first longest stretch of 200 km). Note down a few things to buy/check before starting.

1. Bought the riding gears including Aspida armoured jacket, one pair of decent gloves from Aspida and one lightweight but comfortable MT helmet. I already own a decent pair of boots, saved some money on that. Altogether spend 13 k on that. I don't feel like it's an expense, it's a must if you are going for long drives and for sure you feel the difference.
2. Regarding the bullet, I did my last free service which included oil changes, chain lubing, proper checking of electrical along with clutch, accelerator cables etc. Specifically asked service centre to verify everything and changed a few mechanical parts which are not in good condition since I don't want to take a chance. My both wheels are good and hence saved some on that as well. Altogether that service cost me around 2.1k.
3. Expecting the mileage of 30km/litre I calculated the fuel required to be around 25 litres for the total journey and decided to go for a full tank when starting. As soon as it hit the reserve capacity I planned for another full tank so that I don't need to take a chance on that side.
4. Preparing myself was the next thing, I usually go to bed late in the midnight and for the day before the journey I slept early and had a good sleep.
5. I already have a mobile phone holder and usb charger in bullet, to make use of the phone as a GPS to avoid stopping in between and I would say it helped me a lot in traffic and routes.
6. I don't want to start early and not too late, so I planned for around 6.30 am in the morning.
7. Packed enough spare dress and trousers in case of getting a wet or other emergencies.I am very much into digital India, but I am not sure about the emergency I am going to face so I kept some liquid cash in hand which is around 6k.

With a slight deviation as planned, I started around 6.45-7.00 am after having breakfast. I was very much excited about the ride and have a very good start as well. The climate was good and there were no traces of rain all the way when I checked(I kept my raincoat in the bag anyway).

A couple of my friends are interested in coming with me as a pillion rider and for no reason, I decided to do it alone. My first halt was at Coimbatore(200 km far). I was pushing myself for the longest stretch since I am not sure about how much I can do later. Then I took a break have a tea and a few snacks around 11.00 am.

My primary purpose was not sightseeing since I am not going to mention any tourist places on the way. Seriously I didn't check for any places as well on the way. We have automated speed check cameras in Kerala expressways and I am not sure about the number of tickets I am going to get for that. Once I crossed the border, literally there wasn't any.

I was pushing myself around 80 km/hour all the way in 4 and 6 lanes roads. Sometimes I cruised on 90 km/hr. Beyond that my ride was vibrating a lot and mirrors were not even giving any insights. So I stopped myself around 80 for most of the times.

Switching between 2 lanes and 4 lanes were initially a bit confusing and I need to reduce the speed by myself in 2 lanes. Avoid overtaking if possible in heavy traffic and 2 lanes road, lesson learned.

Surprisingly my ride was not generating any heat which I was expecting in the long ride. I doubt the core of Royal Enfield and it proves me I was wrong. Never ever my bike has a problem on the way which makes me stop, but myself decided to stop whenever I felt inconvenienced. Pee, drink water, get some chocolates or snacks was the key. I kept myself avoiding heavy intake of food or water, which I think may bring some sleep. So I split everything in between every 80-100 km and I was doing great all the time.

Stopping and starting always gives me more enthusiasm for riding. Avoid dehydration must be the key I think, I had around 4 litres of water on the way.

Key things about the traffic rules we need to follow,

• Keep both side rear view mirrors in the bike during long rides.
• Signal properly when changing the lanes.
• Always keep the left lane for a two-wheeler, you can see vehicles going in 120-140km/hr on your right.
• If possible try to keep a sound for turning signals, so that you can turn it off properly after use. This helps in avoiding distraction for other riders.
• Don't hesitate to reduce the speed if there is huge traffic or any discomfort. It's not about the distance covered, it's about your comfort.

I was expecting some fellow riders on the way. But there was only few I found. Most of them stopped intermediately or was not directly to Chennai. Some stopped at Coimbatore, Salem etc.

I reached Salem around 2.00 pm and took a 30 min break. Had food and started again. I would say the National Highways were really good and I wasn't able to find pit holes or any sort of discomfort from the road unless I reached nearby Chennai. Trailers and trucks always a nightmare during the journey. After Salem, I think there was a lot hell number of those on the roads. Overtaking those require patience as well, especially in 2 lanes. I kept myself cool and try to avoid overtaking through left side. Many was doing that far beyond the left lane. There were name boards saying keep the left lane for heavy vehicles all the way, none was listening.

After some 50 km from Salem, those things(trailer/trucks) disappeared and the ride was smooth. I am a kind of one who speaks a lot, restricting myself from speaking to anyone for last 8 hours somehow affected me and I started singing loudly inside helmet and couple of times I spoke to myself. It's kind of lost feeling without any pressure. Only thought was about reaching the destination, no other worries.

It was showing 160 km to reach the destination and Gmaps was saying 3.45 hours to complete the ride. I was wondering at my current speed, I can finish the same in 2 hours easily. I even thought about the wrong calculation of Gmaps, after reaching the last 55 km of my journey I realized that Gmaps was right. It took me around 2 hours for that 55 km. Heavy traffic, dark roads without street lights all matter at that time. I managed to reduce the speed to around 40-60 km/hr at that time, which I felt safer if we don't have enough visibility of roads or heavy traffic. I tried to avoid overtaking as much as possible.

Reached around 8.00 pm in Perungudi(Chennai) and I was thinking about the time I killed during that journey. Seriously I was not tired and I think it must be the comfort Royal Enfield offering in long rides and the riding gears used. Staying hydrated and doesn't plan for halt points is another important thing I followed. Stop whenever we felt discomfort. Stay away from morons who provoke us during rides especially the local commuters.

It was one of a lifetime for me and the happiness I felt reaching the destination is far beyond I can express. Never underestimate the core of Royal Enfield. This must be my inspiration and motivation do more rides and I realize India is far bigger than I realized.

Let me know your questions or thoughts, I will be happy to answer. Any suggestions for my future rides are welcome.