What I need to know about riding a few thousand km in india?

Merry xmas comrades!

Im heading out to India in a few days and planning to ride down from Mumbai for 3 weeks. The plan is to buy a rideable second hand (or twenty second) moto in Mumbai and just head south through small villages and dirt roads.

Anyone has inside experience riding in India and could share the knowledge of do's and donts?

Thanks!

Tummy medicine and toilet paper will be your best friends.

when tking a shower.. do not open your mouth....

Insightful! Any riding related thoughts? Any experiences?

Thanks!

I have ridden in India, sometimes it's crazier than China, the people are more aware, but less predictable, and the animals on the road add another dimension, cows, monkeys, elephants, yep seen it all. It's been over ten years since I was last there, and I'm itching to go back fairly soon, but like China buying 2nd hand do your research. Luckily in India English is a very dominant language and you can find 2nd hand prices on the internet listed in Lakhs rupees, maybe like wans (10,000) or something on the many Indian versions of Taobao/ebay etc. People said buying from Sikhs was best as they give fairer prices than Hindus, sounds a bit racist, but actually from personal experience it's quite likely.

As far as I understand motorcycles are far more popular than China and some pretty decent, big bikes are made there these days. Or you can get something small and reliable like a Hero Honda 125-250 or something old and characterful like an Enfield 500 bullet. Get out of Mumbai asap and get down to Karnataka, freaking beautiful, or Goa if you need western type fun and dance parties booze and food.

Buy a handheld water filter to help avoid tummy bugs.

You'll have a blast, I'm jealous, don't hit a cow though! :lol8:

if you buy bottled water, make sure they are originally sealed! When I was there they loved to refill and sell it beside the road. For all other food -> well done ... grill it, boil it .... or forget it. I also took water disinfection pills with me in case I have no other possibility.

Take your own syringe, needles and other medical stuff with you.

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Originally Posted by ShuBen

iWhen I was there they loved to refill and sell it beside the road.

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Correct. If you buy bottle water mostly you're just paying for local well water re-bottled. They even buy in counterfeit 'sealed' bottle tops. Your own water filter is the only way to have a chance at keeping healthy. Cooking your own food might be an idea.

Check out RyanPyle's India Ride. Keep heading south into Kerala, then around the horn and up into Tamil Nadu. Rural, rural, rural. Decent roads in many places, brilliant mountains. Read God of All Things by Arundhati Roy. I have to say, culturally, India is much more of a feast than much of China. The stuff you see and experience will often be more interesting than the riding. But there is great riding to be had once you are out of the Maximum City (Bombay). Maximum City by Suketa Mehta is an other great book to read...

I know a brilliant temple at Thirukkurungudi in the mountains south of Tirunelveli near the southern tip of India that is managed by a motorcycle engineer from TVS Motors. The chairman of TVS finances the upkeep of 100+ temples in this manner. Thirukkurungudi would be great place to visit on a bike!

cheers
euphonius

So theres been 3 days of riding in India and so far is clear, that 100cc Bajaj Discover bike I bought for 3000rmb is just slightly too weak for a mountainous roads. On the other hand I can ride 100km with 1.5 liters of fuel. How they do it is beyond me. Some pictures from me phone.Attachment 14774Attachment 14775Attachment 14776Attachment 14777Attachment 14778

Awesome adventure! Extreme envy! India is such a sensory treat. Just look at the colors in these few images alone! I've traveled there a lot by bus, train and plane, but being on a small motorbike gives you a freedom that is hard to imagine by any other means of travel.

Are you really riding in short pants and sneakers? I think I'd still want All The Gear, but selected and worn in such a fashion that it's easy to take off for breaks.

Dare I ask about such niceties as legal title, registration and license?

I can see from your shadow that you've got a camera on your helmet. Are you shooting only helmet video and phone pictures?

Keep it coming!

euphonius