BHPian tejus.s recently shared this with other enthusiasts: The new Alpinestars Belize boots I bought for my previous ride worked great in rain and humid weather, but I had not got used to the outer sole completely. Turns out I rode the rear brake for a large part of the ride to Kochi, resulting in a bent rear disc. Upon reaching Bangalore, both rear disc and brake pads were replaced at Honda Bigwing – shoutout to them for sourcing parts and completing the job in a couple of days. I managed a couple of short rides after that – Koppa (in Karnataka) and Sakaleshpura. It seemed like a quiet riding year until the Spiti itch started some time in Feb ’25. As I started planning the ride for September, my riding partner suffered a very bad fall from his motorcycle near Nagpur and was bedridden for a few weeks. After 6 months of persistent efforts to recover, his doctor advised him to stay away from riding motorcycles for at least a year or two – that was the first blow to my plans. News of floods in Himachal followed, with travellers reporting landslides, washed out roads and next to unusable temporary roads. While I had plenty of travel opportunities at work and with family till then, the void of motorcycle ride is not something other travels can fulfil – the early morning starts, packing light, eating in unexpected places, staying in budget accommodations, the excitement of exploring new roads – I get goosebumps just typing out these emotions! I was optimistic about the weather at Spiti getting better by mid-September, so I went back to Honda to get new tires installed and did a few hundred kilometres to run them in. However, the weather gods simply did not show any mercy. The news kept getting worse and my travel plans seemed far-fetched. Luckily, my go-to people for all things motorcycling kept recommending alternate plans. Since my partner and kid were traveling to Delhi for the Dusshera holidays, they suggested I ride all the way to Delhi and travel back with them. Alright, let’s do it! After a lot of deliberation (and recommendations from ChatGPT), I finalised the route – Hyderabad -> Nanded -> Surat -> Ahmedabad -> Udaipur -> Jaipur -> Delhi. It’s not the shortest or direct way to get to Delhi, but I wanted to avoid NH4 since I ride so often in Karnataka. Also, riding across GJ and RJ had been on my list for a while. Since I would be traveling solo, I tried to stick to a few goals -Every day’s ride was planned with an ETA of 5pm1-2 long riding days would be followed by a short day to rest and recoverTo keep my plan flexible, I did not book places of stay in advance. The school holiday season didn’t occur to me much during planning, but as you will see, this gave me a lot of flexibility.Stick to highways where possible, since I am traveling soloTouristy activities were completely optionalThe ambitious solo ride started early in the morning and without much drama, I reached Hyderabad by 4pm. There is no dearth of hotels in Hyderabad, but since I was traveling alone, I stayed at the Hosteller in Hi-Tec City. I did not like their ‘Glu’ web app to generate OTPs for each door unlock, but the location helped me exit the city easily the next morning. The next day’s ride to Nanded was much faster than expected – smooth roads till TS border (NH161), some broken patches near the MH border, but good roads from there. Nanded is a small city and I was not really very tired. With that in mind, I decided to push further ahead to Aurangabad. Maharashtra has such fantastic roads – NH752I was a great find with plenty of scenic beauty, decent enough places to grab a quick bite. By now, I had covered ~1100 km in 2 days, so I decided to take a rest day and visit the Ellora caves. It turned out to be a great decision – the caves reminded me of how far ahead Indian art, science and technology really was. Tip: Engage a govt. approved guide for ~INR 2000/- to make the most of your visit. Shoutout to Hyatt Place in Aurangabad for making my stay super comfortable and Seven Hills Honda for a quick checkup of the bike. Beautiful roads in Maharashtra The Buddhist prayer hall at Ellora As I started evaluating my route from Aurangabad, the prospect of visiting the Statue of Unity in Gujarat seemed exciting. Instead of going to Surat, I booked my hotel near the Statue of Unity and started another long day of riding (>400km). I am not sure when is a busy time to visit this, but it was definitely not during my duration of stay! After spending a couple of hours admiring the engineering feat of the statue and the Narmada river’s beauty, there wasn’t much to do, so I decided to ride till Ahmedabad the next day. Although most roads I took were highways, my experience of highways in GJ lived upto the hype. Highways in and around Vadodra were in bad shape during my ride. Gujarat was also much hotter than I expected, so it only added to the frustration. Being Navaratri festivities, I was keen on trying out some authentic Gujarati thali, so I headed to Gopi Dining Hall that night – great decision! After a very average breakfast, I headed towards my most sought-after destination, Udaipur. NH48 via Himatnagar was fine till I crossed Gujarat (plenty of potholes), but got much better once I hit the Rajasthan border. I quickly made up time and reached my hotel with plenty of time left to explore the Udaipur City Palace. What a gorgeous setting, with plenty of art, weaponry and silverware on display – helps me understand the larger-than-life approach of kings. The next morning, I headed a little further from my hotel and rode around Rayta hills. The roads aren’t great, but it’s very scenic and since the hills are small, they offer a fantastic riding experience – highly recommended. The famous Fateh Sagar Lake Palace now a part of Taj Hotels in Udaipur Scenic Rayta Hills – highly recommended After a very relaxed stay in Udaipur, I started a little later than I expected towards Jaipur. Enroute, stopped for a break at Pitstop caf, run by the royal family. It’s an interesting idea, with lots of automotive-themed decor and a throwback to a time when cars were fun – not just a tool to get from point A to point B. The sheer heat and chaotic traffic in Jaipur meant I was pretty exhausted by the time I reached my hotel around 4pm. I must say, Jaipur is more crowded and chaotic than I expected – at least near the City Palace and Hawa Mahal. After Udaipur, this felt like a tourist trap, but thankfully, I talked my way out of many such conversations quickly. Tourist traps aside, I couldn’t stop admiring the beautiful architecture in Udaipur and Jaipur The final leg from Jaipur to Delhi was the most difficult since two-wheelers are not allowed on the newly opened expressway. This meant I had to take the long route via Mathura, which was ~100km longer. The upside was that the road was pretty good and not being an expressway meant plenty of places along the way to stop for breaks. After a full day’s ride from 10am – 4:30pm, I reached Delhi. One item in the bucket list checked! Some learnings I wanted to share from the ride -MotorcycleLearn how to tighten the chain and carry the tools needed for it. This holds true even on rides where I’m traveling mostly through major cities.Carry an Allen key set for windshield adjustment, front suspension and quad lockNew tires was a great idea. Lot of fun in corners now.GearBase layers and neck buffs are must-haves. Buy merino wool-based ones since they don’t smell, dry up overnight and regulate temperature very well on long riding daysHydration bag reduces the need to stop frequently for water breaksBreathable, compression socks made from technical fabrics are a blessing. Loved the Klim ones I bought before this ride.A comfortable touring jacket can make a lot of difference on long days. I realised my Rynox GT Air 3 needs an upgrade now that there are better materials at affordable prices.Dry bag to carry luggage is best since the weather can be unpredictablePacking cubes are a win. Also, pack lighter and was where possible. This is where technical fabrics make a lot of sense.Print out an emergency stat card, laminate – multiple copies in different places like jacket, luggage and in the bike somewhereEarplugs are a must for any long day ride. They reduce fatigue and support long-term ear protection.TechGaN charger for travel was a great unlock – it’s compact and has multiple ports to charge phones, battery pack in one goA GoPro or Insta 360 will be a great way to capture candid moments during a ride. I definitely missed one during this ride.Overall, I covered ~2900 kms over 8 days. For anyone curious about the route, here is how everything turned out. The motorcycle is now on its way back to Bangalore via VRL’s cage shipment. Would I do such a ride again? Heck yes! I might end up planning better and taking roads less traveled, but the amount of confidence I got about the bike, my abilities to cope with change and having faith in strange places where I don’t know how to speak the local language will keep me going. The motorcycle that didn’t put a foot wrong over long, continuous hi-speed runs Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
