HOW TO PREPARE FOR LONG BIKE RIDE IN INDIA - POINTERS

With my Royal Enfield Classic 500 customized and me enjoying riding to the hilt, I decided to ride along with fellow riders to Rider Mania 2014 and represent our club Cruising Godz, Enfield Riders Club of Nashik.

But, before I could depart on the longest and most adventurous ride of my life, I needed to make sure that I was prepared.

Long distance bike riding is unique in many aspects and needs careful planning.

Top Tip: Some important aspects to consider are:

Safety – You need to be in full safety gear. Don’t, under any circumstances, compromise on your safety gear. Also make sure you have tyre with enough rubber and proper brakes. 

Space – Space is at a premium as you can maximum carry a saddlebag and another smaller bag strapped on the back seat. So plan what is essential and what can be skipped or arranged for during the ride.

Spares – You need all the important spares, which you may need during the ride. Remember, you will find plenty of mechanics in every village in India, but spares are hard to come by and no mechanic can help you without the correct spares.

My riding preparation began almost a month in advance. I had to plan for many things and take into account worst-case scenarios. 

   Top Tip: List of things you need to carry include:

Safety Gear –

• Helmet (With a spare visor)

My Helmet - HJC IS-17

• Safety jacket
• Gloves (2 pairs, in case you misplace or damage one set)

• Kneepads and
• Riding boots
• Personally I also prefer wearing a cotton quality baraclava under my helmet. It keeps the helmet clean and also reduces the wind noise. Woolen quality baraclava for winter riding are also commonly available. Remember to carry 2-3 nos. of these for long rides.

Spares – The list of spares is long. But the most important ones are:

• Tyre tube for both front and rear tyre as per tyre size.
• Fuses of all voltage. Check your fuse box for the different fuses needed.
• Spark plugs (2 nos. minimum)
• Spare bulbs for headlight, brake light and turn indicators
• Bike duplicate key
• Spare bungee cords
• Complete tool kit
• Chain cleaning and lubricant spray
• Cutting tool like blade or knife
• Spare electrical wire
• Flashlight

Food – Make sure to carry some chocolates in case you need a quick sugar intake. Also carry easy to eat things like biscuits, noodle packets, dry fruits etc. in case of non-availability of food, especially in remote areas.

Clothes – Keep the clothes to a minimum, as this is the easiest way to save on space. Be prepared to wash your clothes on non-riding days. Also, carry quick drying / disposable clothes wherever possible. Remember, rolled clothes take much lesser space than folded clothes.

Medicines – Cary all the necessary medicines, for every eventuality you can think of. Keep the common medicines like Band-Aid, sanitizer, stomach and cold medicines in your pouch for easy access. But make sure to keep medicines for stomach pains, muscle relaxers, headache medicines etc. in your luggage.

Sleeping Bag – I carry my sleeping bag for long rides. It helps in sleeping outdoors or even indoors, as many hotels on highways in India really don’t have clean enough beds to sleep in. The sleeping bag acts as a great bed sheet.

Cash – Carry limited amount of cash. ATMs are around everywhere and most fuel stations, hotels and restaurants accept credit cards.

Documents – Make sure all documents required by law such as Registration, Insurance, License, PUC etc. are present in the bike. I also keep a copy of all documents in my pouch for easy reach.

Somemiscellaneous pointers to be kept in mind- 

• It is recommended to keep expensive things to a minimum to avoid unnecessary attention and chances of theft. For example, your mobile phone can be used for calling, music and GPS. So there is no need to carry 3 gadgets. Also, wear an inexpensive watch and remove any jewelry such as rings, chains etc.
• Keep some additional space as clothes always expand after using and you may want to get some souvenirs during the ride.
• Always carry drinking water on you, as drinking water on Indian highways can be extremely unhygienic.
• Remember to cover your saddlebags by thick plastic in case you are riding in the rain or even in fog. The last thing you want is for all your contents to get damp.

MY ROYAL ENFIELD – CUSTOMIZATION AND MORE…

I was hooked onto riding. I was enjoying riding the Royal Enfield Classic 500 and already riding regularly for small day rides with Cruising Godz, Enfield Riders Club of Nashik.

With my interest in bike riding increasing and the safety gear providing the additional confidence, I decided that it was time to ride for my first out-station ride, an overnight ride to the beach town of Daman. The distance of 300 kms. between Nashik and Daman could be covered in under 4 hours and the coastal town offered a fun time.

Out-station riding turned out to be more enjoyable than I had expected. A mix of twisties in the ghat section after Jawhar and some open stretches of tarmac on the Mumbai – Ahmedabad highway ensured that I tasted all riding styles. I was hooked and never looked back from there.

My first long distance ride exposed two major drawbacks of the RE Classic model bikes. The first was the seats. The vibrations (especially at high speeds), could be felt through the seat and going a pothole felt like a kick up one’s spine. The second was the poor light visibility of the standard headlight.

On returning to Nashik, I realized that I had to get serious about customization of my bike, if I intended to continue my riding. In my opinion, there is no better bike to customize in India than the RE. It’s like a blank canvas waiting for riders to reflect their style and personality.

Top Tip: Some of my major customizations included:

v Seats – I installed “Perfect” brand seats on the recommendation of some riders, and they were awesome. They came without springs but the vibrations were minimized due to an air cushion design. I have completed more than 10000 kms. on these seats without any back trouble. The seats can be installed on the original RE seat mounts and no customization is required on the bike itself. 

v  Handlebar - Since the new seats came without springs, which resulted in a lower seating position, the standard handlebar didn’t quite feel right. Thus, I decided to change the handle to RD Extended type handlebar (available in most motorcycle accessory stores in India). This handlebar is available in MS and SS quality. I recommend using SS, as this avoids rusting over a longer period.

I also fitted a bar in the middle of the handlebar. This served the dual purpose of reducing the vibrations in the handlebar and also as an ideal position to mount my Gopro camera. SS handlebars with the rod pre-fixed are also available readymade.

v  Lights - The low visibility of headlight was resolved by installing 2 x 27W LED lights from A2Z Motorcycle Store, Mumbai. These lights are very bright. However, I must confess that on dark highways at night (Indian highways generally do not have street lights, like city roads do), the LED lights were not as effective as the focused beam from the standard headlight. A2Z has an excellent collection of focused and normal LED lights.

v  Engine Guard – I installed an engine guard below the engine, right behind the front bumper. This is a great tool for avoiding any damage to the engine from debris on the road and also during off-road riding. 

v Crash Guard – I found out the hard way that the stock crash guards fitted on the RE are very flimsy and cannot take the weight of the bike in case of a fall. Luckily my bike slipped off the side-stand and the front crash guard was completely bent. I decided to replace it with an SS quality heavy-duty guard. Again, this is available in any motorcycle store.

v  Strobe light – This is a must for riding on the highways. Good quality strobe lights have visibility of over 2 kms. and warn other drivers of our presence, especially during night time. Many cities have banned this light for use in the city. So ensure that you install the strobe light with a switch so that it can be switched off in city and switched on while riding on highways. 

I was satisfied with the final outcome of my customisation, and it took the joy of riding to another level. I was now ready for my first long distance ride. Read my next post on my preparation for long distance bike riding in India.

SAFETY GEAR FOR BIKE RIDING IN INDIA

The booking of my RE was done a month back. As the anticipation built-up, the call finally came. My Royal Enfield Classic 500 Desert Storm was ready for delivery.

Paper work complete, I took delivery of the bike and rode-out with butterflies in my stomach. My previous experience of riding this beast was for a short test-ride and my emotions during the first ride were anxiety about my decision to buy the RE and elation of owning my most powerful bike.

The sand colour Desert Storm was newly launched and turned quite a few heads on my way back from the dealership.

RE Desert Storm 500 in it's natural avatar

Since I was already in-touch with the local Royal Enfield riders group, I was quick to join in and started learning a lot about the bike and about riding. Never having ridden long distance before, I started with short rides within 20-50 kms range.

One of the first things I learnt by associating with experienced riders is to ride in full safety gear. My safety gear included helmet, safety jacket, riding gloves, kneepads and riding boots. The safety gear really inspires confidence while riding, as well as make the ride more involving and enjoyable.

Top Tip: There is a range of safety gears available in India. I recommend the following:

• Helmets – Choose ISI certified helmets only. Full-face helmets are always better than Open-Face or Hybrid helmets as they have more rigidity and strength. I personally use HJC for long rides (It is quality certified as per US and Europe norms) and Aaron for my local use. Other high-end helmets available in India are Airoh and LS2 (Medium price range). Many local brands including Vega, Studds, Steelbird etc. are also good.
• Safety Jackets – Always try safety jackets and choose the most comfortable. Good brands for these include DSG, Rynox or Cramster. You can get cloth, leather or mix material jackets. Choose depending on your price range and riding condition. Leather can get very warm in Indian conditions.
• Kneepads – Choose kneepads or riding pants, which have the kneepads in-built. I personally prefer riding pants from DSG or Royal Enfield itself as they are simpler and less troublesome to use.
• Gloves – You will need a couple of pairs of gloves, although there is no need to buy them all together. Safety gloves from Cramsteror DSG are very good. You can choose from various models, as per your personal preference. You may also need a pair of water-proof gloves for rain / foggy weather riding.
• Riding boots – There are plenty of boots available from Rs. 500 upwards. However, I recommend getting boots with a steel tip as these can protect feet better during an unfortunate incident. The riding boots from Royal Enfield are also of very good quality.
• Camel Bag – I always use a camel bag i.e. a water bag, which can be worn like a backpack, and has a tube through which you can drink easily, even with the helmet on. There are plenty of options from 1L onwards. Remember that the larger water bags are much heavier.

Note of Caution: I recently purchased a set of water-proof riding gloves. But they didn't really perform well as water easily entered the gloves. When I went back to the dealership, I was told that they carry only 1 month warranty. So be sure to check the warranty before purchasing any product.

I now feel amazed when I see people riding two-wheelers on the Indian highways without any safety gear. The joy of riding with the proper gear can only be known after trying it. Personally, I never hit the highways without full safety gear.

Keep reading my next post, which gives details of the customization of my Royal Enfield.