The Day 120 Bikes Crawled to Sakleshpur, VBR Turned 10, and I Met Jesus

Versys Bangalore Riders 10th Anniversary — Water View Resort, Hassan–Sakleshpur

Nine years with my Versys. About 75,000 kilometres together. The 1,00,000 km milestone is within sight this year, and my dream of revisiting Ladakh on this bike — and doing the full B2K (Bangalore–Kashmir–Bangalore) — is still alive and waiting its turn.

But before all of that, the Versys Bangalore Riders turned 10. And that deserved a proper celebration.

60 of us were fastest-fingers-first to book the anniversary overnight at Water View Resort between Hassan and Sakleshpur. Closer to the date, the excitement hit a crescendo — 120+ bikes decided to meet for a Kawasaki Bangalore-sponsored breakfast at Harsha Grand on the Hassan highway before heading to the resort together.

The Plan That Should Have Worked

Sakleshpur is a 2.5-hour ride from Bangalore on some of the best roads Karnataka has to offer. It’s my regular run to Mangalore — blissful tarmac, great bends, the kind of highway that practically rides itself. What used to be a 7–8 hour Mangalore trip is now a comfortable 5 hours on the Versys.

The mods called a 5:30 AM muster at the first Hassan toll. By that math, resort by 9:30. Easy.

How was I to know this would be the slowest ride to Sakleshpur ever?

5:45 AM — Barely Slept, Definitely Overpacked

I rolled in at 5:45 — running on almost zero sleep as is tradition before any ride. Packed at midnight, overpacked for an overnighter, and spent the entire ride to the toll mentally auditing my bag. Old faces and some new ones at the toll fixed the mood immediately.

Mrinal stepped up and gave us the brief. Confident. Very official.

1 regroup stop for photos
1 line riding segment for video
1 petrol stop

All this before breakfast.

Gah!!!!

Shiva Darshini: A Café Owner’s Shattered Dreams

We had barely begun riding when the first waypoint appeared — Shiva Darshini, chosen for its large parking area. The café owner’s initial look of “yay, so many customers!” turned very quickly to “#%^#}” when he realised we were posing for cameras and collectively ordering barely one measly coffee per 4–5 people.

A dozen more photos, the agonising wait for the cigarette-smoking brethren to gear back up, and we were finally moving again.

Harsha Grand: Drones, Formations, and a Hungry Crowd

125 bikes lined up outside Harsha Grand created quite the spectacle on the Hassan highway.

Mithun then attempted a drone shot with all the bikers — sans bikes — forming the letters VBR at the front of the hotel. Looking at the result, his handwriting is quite questionable. More critically, he kept a bunch of hungry riders in full gear away from a hot breakfast buffet for 20+ minutes.

Arvind — the Amitabh Bachchan angry young man, Admin Sir of VBR — finally got everyone moving. A few pictures and drone videos later, we were shooed inside to attack breakfast with the urgency it deserved.

Cake, Legends, and a Bucket List Addition

Post breakfast came the real moment of the morning. Cake cutting, back thumping, t-shirt distribution — and the great admins of Versys India Riders, Jayshree Kadam and the famous Kunal from Hyderabad, were both there. Our own celebrity Ms Veena Shetty was also present for this iconic moment. Getting to actually know these people is now firmly on my bucket list.

60 of us then peeled off toward Sakleshpur. The rest headed back to Bangalore.

The Group Solo Rider Does It Again

The resort was less than 2 hours away. I started as early as I could in the group, determined to shake off the Group Solo Rider tag and arrive not-last for once.

I thought I was in the zone. Then more than a few bikes flew past like I was standing still.

Soon I was on a call in my mobile office — my helmet — and completely missed the resort turnoff. Maps cheerfully informed me of this 7–8 km later. I had lost every bit of precious time I had made up trying to be in front of the crowd.

Back on track, a quick petrol stop, and I reached the resort as I would have — one of the last. Late enough that some of those flying pilots had found time to detour to the Shetihalli church, pose for photos, and still arrived before me.

But there was no sadness about it. It dawned on me — Group Solo Rider is not a tag of shame. It is a badge of honour, proudly earned.

Rooms, Roshan, and Old Monk

Rooms weren’t ready when we arrived, so we milled about in groups, catching up and getting the weekend’s leg-pulling off to a flying start.

I was lucky to be rooming with Roshan — the man who specialises in firing UPSC/NEET-level philosophical questions at unsuspecting people the precise moment the whisky hits the right spot.

We checked in, changed, and met downstairs for some much-needed alcohol recovery. Old Monk appeared. I was in familiar territory.

Volleyball, a Rare Sighting, and the Quiet Lake

Post a homely lunch, I had a siesta in mind. That plan was shattered by shouting and an unfamiliar thump thump from outside. It was not what you think — just bikers in various shapes and sizes going to war at volleyball.

I headed to the lawn with my camera, hoping the soft cloudy light would give me some candid moments. And then I saw something extraordinary — Arvind, the angry young admin of VBR, smiling and laughing. Evidence duly captured.

Mithun showcased his serving technique — a special move involving a deliberate scratch of his behind before every single serve, which had the immediate effect of making the opposition deeply reluctant to touch the ball. Point-winning serves, galore.

anniversary, party, roadtrip, sakleshpur, vbr, versys

Tea and snacks were served, but I slipped away to the lakeside to find some quiet and work on my landscape photography. Mostly just to sit back and enjoy the stillness.

Sunset was 30 minutes away, so I headed back for coffee, bajjis, and some quality bakwas. Soon, most riders descended on the lake to catch the golden hour — the calm I had found earlier was well and truly gone. But the sunset was gorgeous, so all was forgiven.

Sundowners, DJ Wars, and a Man Called Jesus

Post sunset — starters, a good speaker system, open sky. The evening was ready.

My arch-nemesis Praveen leapt to the speaker first. The man is not a fan of old school rock or anything involving an electric guitar. His last experience of me as group DJ had been apparently traumatising.

Five minutes of “thisthingthatthingthisthingthatthing” — EDM, I believe — and Arvind requested me to step in, and i happily obliged!

Rum, whisky, vodka, beer, bikers, and bike stories simply do not mix with lift music.

Classic rock, 80s, 90s. Old Monk premix in hand, I spent the evening moving between tables, always staying within range of the speaker. Some requested Hindi music but the network was painfully slow — and my collection of Nusrat, Prateek Kuhad, or Coke Studio would have simply killed the vibe.

I found myself at a table with Shreyas — genetic engineer turned entrepreneur, who went from Bangalore to programming his baby’s gender, due date, and delivery time, to running a gift centre in Mandya. Putting two and two together, I wondered aloud whether his corporate gifting catalogue included programmable contraceptives.

I called him Jesus. The table said Amen.

Kishen from Hosur was called up to sing — beautiful melodies on the mic, with the group’s besura voices enthusiastically joining in. Others sang with great soul. The alcohol convinced all of us we were listening to professionals.

Dinner at 10. Antakshari under the stars after, with Rutwij playing host, DJ, song-chooser, and lead vocalist all at once. An hour later, we called it a night with the usual promises of an early start.

Vivek Gangadhar, the yogic biker, had offered a morning meditation session on the lawns. Most of us declined. Riding back to Bangalore is meditation enough.

Morning, Drizzle, and an Orange Ginger Tea Worth Remembering

Up by 7:00 AM. Half the group had already quietly left. A light drizzle and word of slippery lake banks killed the lakeside group photo plan. Quick lawn shot, light breakfast, geared up, and we dispersed.

I made a small detour to scout a homestay near Sakleshpur for a work team outing — an hour away through proper rain, winding village roads, and beautiful coffee estate country. On the Mudigere road, a small café was doing an orange ginger tea that I am still thinking about. The homestay itself was a disappointment. The ride to it absolutely was not.

Rain stopped near Sakleshpur. Traffic started immediately after. The cage drivers of Karnataka were out in full force and the ride home was long, grinding, and very normal — which felt strange after a weekend that wasn’t.

Still Getting to Know Them. Already Know It’s Good.

The Versys Group — I’m still getting to know them, slowly, one ride at a time. But there are genuinely great people here, with real stories and the kind of warmth that makes you look forward to the next one.

Looking forward to the Dandeli meet in October.

Group Solo Rider will be there. Badge firmly on.

The Youtube link – made by Mithun – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLAAto5i82w Captures the emotion of this epic ride!

A few pictures of the ride!