Kashmir to Kanyakumari (K2K) on a bike is a cross-country route that has been done to death. But you got to be crazy to ride the lengths of the country on a moped, TVS 50CC. Forty-eight-year-old Girish Panambur Venkatraman is doing just that. For him, CC (cubic capacity) is just a marketing gimmick. He set off on a K2K ride last week and was in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
Girish started his journey from Kanyakumari on Friday and has covered 1,400 km in four days. CE met him when he sought night refuge at Country Club in Begumpet. “So far, so good,” Girish, who drove from Kurnool to Hyderabad on his moped, said. “I am riding around 300 km a day. My journey is not about traveling from point A to point B. It is all about enjoying the ride and the halts.”
Girish had done his first K2K ride on a Classic 500 in 2014 and later on a Yezdi 250 in 2017. For his next ride in 2018, he chose a scooter. “I bought a vintage Lambretta Li 150 in 2018, took it to Srinagar on a train, and from there, I rode it to Kanyakumari,” he said.
“I wanted to try something else, something slower. Just so that I can enjoy the journey more and extend the time. So, I bought a Bajaj M80 - 74 cc which, is a moped that looks like a mini scooter. It was one hell of a ride,” laughed Girish.
But Girish wanted to challenge himself further, and that’s how he decided to ride a 50 CC. “I wanted to go down further with both CC and speed. All my biker friends thought it was a crazy idea. I was indeed a little crazy enough to buy a TVS 50. It was too slow for me, so I made certain changes in the carburettor, and now it can run up to 75 kmph,” he said.
Leh is the dream destination for bikers and going there every time on the same vehicle is no joy. “People ask me why chose such a small vehicle. Honestly, it doesn’t matter. This ride is to prove that anyone can ride, even with a motor that has the power of no more than 50 CC,” he said.
Girish also owns a Honda CBR Fireblade, which has a powerful 900 CC engine. “It doesn’t let me stop. I can lower the speed, but it is no fun.” Currently, Girish is riding solo. He carried only a limited number of clothes, all the essential parts and a few gadgets, like a GoPro.
Before reaching Hyderabad, he had stopped in Bengaluru on September 26 and Adilabad on Wednesday. He plans to cover 300 km every day on NH 44 till he touches Srinagar. He will conclude his ride at Khardung La.