Bike India

Hero Xtreme 160R Travelogue - I

We are road-tripping again. This time we explore Odisha with Kalyani Potekar and the hero Xtreme 160R

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We head East riding the impressive new Xtreme 160R

This is our first big outinG after almost five long months and it has to be something truly spectacula­r. after being restricted to Wfh during the lockdown, we got a chance to stretch our legs and hit the road, thanks to the odisha tourism department and hero motocorp. armed with sanitizers, masks, and norms for the “new normal”, we set out to explore odisha astride the spirited new hero xtreme 160r.

While Odisha kept improving in terms of scenery and experience­s, the Xtreme also just kept going from strength to strength

Our expedition began from the southern part of the state and the first stop on our list was chandragir­i. as i rode into the town, it became hard to believe that i was still in odisha or even india for that matter. shortly afterwards, i found out that chandragir­i is actually a tiny tibet within odisha. the first tibetans had arrived there in 1963 and now have a colony, called the buddha Vihar, which is also home to the Padmasambh­ava mahavihara monastery. the five-storeyed monastery stands a little over 70 feet tall and was inaugurate­d by his holiness dalai lama in 2010. today, it houses over 200 lamas and is the largest monastery in eastern india. as much as i was enamoured by the tranquilli­ty of the buddhist settlement, its residents were just as curious about the hero xtreme 160r. its bright colour and modern styling stood out against the serene backdrop of the colony and turned almost every head as i rode past.

the following day, i intended to watch the sunrise from the Gopalpur beach but cloudy skies robbed me of that chance, so, shelving that plan for later, i hit the road to behrampur to meet some extremely skilled people. these men and women were weavers who create beautiful pieces of clothing with tussar silk. their work is testimony to their talent and it was evident why weaving was once one of india’s greatest crafts. even with today’s advancemen­ts in the fashion industry, these weavers’ products continue to retain a certain emotion that is beyond imitation.

With that done, all my attention was devoted to the xtreme 160r because i had more than 300 kilometres to ride to reach Koraput. odisha’s roads twisted through the countrysid­e, sometimes with surfaces so smooth that michael Jackson could have moonwalked across it. sometimes there was barely any road to ride on, but the motorcycle took all of this in its stride without complaint.

the next day, some research revealed that the handicraft industry of Kotpad was worth visiting because there were artisans who used paddy husk to make intricate figurines and others who used leather to make regional percussion instrument­s. it was also particular­ly nice to see how whole families were involved in the weaving and dyeing industry. the cloth was spun, dyed, and stitched into a lovely sari (or other garments) by different members of the family. i asked some of the artisans how they liked the xtreme’s design and the response was positive. coming from them, that is high praise, isn’t it?

from there, it was straight to daringbadi. Known for its ecological diversity and overall good weather, my stay there was nothing short of a vacation. for the leisure traveller who revels in admiring nature’s resplenden­ce, daringbadi has a lot to offer. if you are up for some off-road riding and a little walk afterwards, the carefully hidden midubanda waterfall is also a great place to sit back and relax.

at the end of the first leg, i must say that while odisha kept improving in terms of scenery and experience­s, the xtreme also just kept going from strength to strength. While i thoroughly enjoyed the trip from a traveller’s perspectiv­e, what i liked most about it as a motorcycli­st was a ribbon of tarmac that snaked down a mountain, connecting Kotpad to daringbadi. With freshly painted lines, no speed-breakers, and no traffic to speak of, it was every motorcycli­st’s dream and astride the xtreme 160r, it was so much fun that if i had the time, i may just have doubled back up the mountain for a few more runs. maybe i will. Watch out as we explore more of this diverse state.

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