Ambegaon, a sleepy village on the outskirts of Pune, has been the host to the yearly gathering of an ever-increasing species that thrives on mud, the smell of adventure and, of course, two-stroke engines. For over a decade, the Pune Off road Expedition has welcomed a bunch of tribes of this species, and this time, Keshav and I were part of the annual gathering, too. But, as it turned out, we belonged to two different tribes… or so we thought.
First, and what seemed to be the biggest tribe was the Impulse-ive Joes — a tribe that took pride in their decade-old Hero Impulses, and who, over the years, have learned to make their weapons as resilient as their decision to not upgrade to newer, tech-heavy weaponry. Right besides them were the few who seemed to have moved with the times — the Extreme XPulses. Fully adjustable suspension, multi-mode ABS, fuel-injection and a 4-valve engine made them feel like the superior tribe. Keshav blended right in there with his Hero XPulse 200 4V Pro… well, almost.
Then there was another tribe that swore by the brute force, tech-savvy features and the pedigree of the weapons they used. Some of the people of Adventure Freaks tribe didn’t bother with getting better rubber for the job, for they entrusted the control of their right hand. Some went too far to make their weapons stand apart, and succeeded at it, too.
it belonged here
While I was looking for the tribe I could fit in, the Two-Smokers tribe landed up, with their artillery announcing their arrival. Green, blue or red, it didn’t matter. They were one. A few wheelies, a few clouds of smoke and some slides were enough to establish that this was THEIR turf and game, everyone else were mere spectators. My Kawasaki KLX 230R S looked like it belonged here. But it was not a two-stroke or as intimidating as them. But just like them, I came in on a fancy Toyota Hilux with the KLX loaded on the bed. Tailing them and hoping that no one would notice was the best possible solution.
Because, if it weren’t for the Two Smokers, the only tribe I could get in was the Oddballers. A Bajaj Chetak, a Honda Navi, a Shine 125, a Hero Karizma ZMR and a couple of KTM 200 Dukes modified for the job were the only members of this tribe. Sure, they were respected for their courage, but come on, this annual mud-flinging convention was more than just that.
The Impulse-ive Joes, Extreme XPulses and Adventure Freaks began first, while the Oddballers just tagged along with whichever tribe they could keep up with. Meanwhile, the Two Smokers gang was chilling, for they knew that once they started, they’d smoke the rest. I was lurking in the shadows, hoping to go unnoticed, but failed at it; a few of them saw me, and readily made space for me amongst them. And we were off.
Within a few minutes, I was left behind, wafting through the smoke, and listening to the glorious exhaust sounds fade away. My 20-bhp machine wasn’t in their league, I suppose. Soon after, I caught up with all the tribes that had started before me, but the Two-Smokers were not to be seen. A deep rut had left everyone else troubled, except for the blue-smoke gang. With everyone trying to figure out the best way to pass through, I spotted Keshav. And while we discussed our motorcycles, an Oddballer with his Karizma silently turned back.
Eventually, people from all the tribes went through… the Chetak chose a completely different and safer way around. I felt like an outcast, but Keshav decided to accompany me. A few minutes later, we left the fully-loaded Adventure Freaks behind who were struggling for traction. Some Impulse-ive Joes were stranded, but we didn’t bother with them. We had to prove that we, and specifically, the KLX 230R S belonged with the big boys.
Deep inside, I knew my Kawasaki wasn’t like the bigger ones. It was friendly, patient and very inviting, much like the XPulse Pro. That said, Keshav didn’t appreciate the tall seat of his bike, and on some tricky sections, getting his feet down became a problem. But nothing bothered me, though. The 900-mm seat was tall, but narrow enough to comfortably anchor myself to the ground. And the 115-kg kerb weight meant I could just pump the front end, and lift and pivot it on the rear wheel to change directions.
The two of us were separated from the rest of the mud-venturers on a tarmac section, and that’s when the lack of street-legal bits bothered me. But thanks to Keshav, we had some sort of light to get back in case it got dark on our way back. A couple of more Oddballers had given up by then, and we were in company of some Impulse-ive Joes and Adventure Freaks. The KLX’s and Xpulse’s performance made them better than Joes’ arsenal, and being a lot lighter than the Adventure Freaks, we weren’t even sinking in deep slush.
But we were on tarmac, and it clearly showed the shortcomings of our weapons — long, smooth roads felt out of their league. I understood Kawasaki’s perspective, but the XPulse? It’s also supposed to be a road bike, isn’t it? Anyway, we were back on the trail, a fast and slippery one, and both the bikes didn’t disappoint.
The Kawasaki’s initial grunt and the knobbies dug through the soil to give me enough traction. Hero had equipped this XPulse with Maxxis knobbies; however, the tall and wide seat, along with the 161-kg kerb weight were making things difficult for Keshav. After a couple of close calls and falls later, we arrived back at the start line.
The Adventure Freaks looked a bit exhausted from managing their heavy arsenal. A few of the Impulse-ive Joes were cleaning their clogged carburetors, while the Xtreme XPulses and Two Smokers were chilling as if they hadn’t noticed the day-long ride at all. Keshav and I weren’t too tired ourselves, either. The annual convention had ended, and it was time to load the bikes onto the Hilux and head back home. And the thing about this Kawasaki not fitting in with the Two-Smokers? Well, maybe that’s a good thing. With the KLX 230 S incoming, next year we might see a whole new tribe at the Pune Off-road Expedition.
