Tour of Nagaland 2022 | Day 6 | Guwahati to Guwahati | 0 kms

It was a planned rest day of my tour. I had initially planned to do sightseeing around the city but the bike had some different plans for me. After yesterday night’s drama, I knew I had to get the bike checked at the nearest center ASAP. Time was of the essence as I still had many to ride and the trip had just begun. Since it had something to do with the bike’s electricals, it got me a little more worried.

I got ready and went downstairs to check on the bike. The bike was not starting through the electric start. The starter motor was making click click-click noise, indicating that it wasn’t receiving any power. After the kickstart, the bike sprang to life. With my local friends, I could locate the nearest Royal Enfield Service Centre and they also helped me with the contact details of the service manager there. Dodging the city’s morning traffic, I made my way toward the service center which was like 4 km from the hotel.

I met the service manager and explained the problem to him. I gave my friend’s reference. He was quick to act on it and pulled my bike inside to load it on one of the bays. I was with them as they started to check one by one. Using an Ammeter, we found out that the battery was not charging and the charge on one of the batteries was lower than the other. Yes, you read that correctly. I was running a double battery setup on my Classic 500cc. Initially, we suspected the Regulator and Rectifier unit to be the cause but after replacing it with a brand new one, the problem was still there. Finally, it was decided to run the bike on the battery which was comparatively better than the other, and the bike responded well. So the outcome which came was that one of the batteries was faulty and causing the issue.

I tried to get the batteries replaced under warranty but the Guwahati Exide dealer was not agreeing on it. He could not help as the batteries were purchased in a different state and even if he would help me in getting a new battery, he needed the old one for inspection which would have taken considerable time. Also, to get my bike running in that time, I would have to buy a new one. This didn’t make sense and I didn’t have the time as well as money to spend on a new battery till I waited for the results of the defective one. I was going to resume my ride tomorrow.

Finally, it was decided that the RE service people would help me connect the bike with single battery power and to be a little on the safer side, I let them keep the brand-new installed Regulator and Rectifier unit on the bike.

During all these events unfolding at the service center, I had a visit my close friend’s motorcycle customization shop which happened to be in front of the Shahila Royal Enfield Service centre. I had messaged him about the meeting but didn’t know that I would find him so easily. Apparently, he was out of the country but still, I decided to pay a visit to his shop. Danny was his name. His shop was the ideal of how a typical motorcycle accessory shop would look like. The glass door and the adjacent glass wall were all covered in club stickers received at various motorcycle gatherings. I met his co-partner Farooq and we chatted for quite some time till the bike was getting ready.

It was 3:00 PM when I finally got the bike. After that with another of mine, we went to a local place called Gandhi Mantap. Gandhi Mantap is a hill situated in Guwahati City. Overlooking this hill, you get a complete view of Guwahati. It was nice to have a view of the city with the view of the Brahmaputra River at a distance. It was my first time seeing the mighty Brahmaputra river because yesterday night when I came into the city I could not see the river because it was dark. The hilltop had a museum that was closed but it had this huge flag pole with India’s flag fluttering above. It was a beautiful sight to see. It was soo that that capturing the entire thing in one frame proved to be difficult.

After spending some time at the Gandhi Mantap, we left the place and came down to the city center. I wanted to get a photo of the bike clicked with the ‘I Love’ signboard so, after some struggle, we were finally able to locate it at the entrance of a park. Taking the photo took some time because there were a lot of crowds who were already taking a shot of the signboard. We had to wait for like 15 minutes before we got our chance and once the photo was done we left the place. On the way, we stopped for some Tea and then headed back towards the hotel because it was getting dark.

I had to get used to the early dusk here. Around 5 pm, it was kind of dark. I retreated to the hotel to freshen up. We were to go to the Assam-Meghalaya border which was not far away from the hotel. Guwahati, the capital sits very close to the Assam-Meghalaya border. Myself, Raja, and 2 of my newly made friends were to hop in a car and drive there. We were meeting the Chief of the Arunachal Bullet Club along with a few other persons who were to arrive today in Guwahati, having started their ride from home.

The border was like a 20-22 km drive and we waited at a hotel to receive them. We thought we would have problems at the border area since that time the tension between Assam and Meghalaya was very high due to some firing done by Assam police people. The border area seemed peaceful.

Soon, the friends arrived and we sat at the same hotel to discuss general things and travel. We were having a good time over a beer and some were drinking hard liquor. After that, we had dinner at the same place before we bid goodbye to them and carried ourselves back the the hotel.

The rest day had been utilized properly and the main thing was that the bike was up and running again which gave me a sense of satisfaction. Tomorrow, I will be pushing toward Dimapur, Nagaland where were all will be staying at a Transit Camp, hosted by one of the clubs in Nagaland. It was from tomorrow that I would be seeing many motorcycle riders converging from all the states towards the focal point of Dimapur.