Trip Biking Forever
A big hello to all those people out there who enjoy tour biking. Here I will tell you about the bike trip me and my friends had just a few months ago.
First of all a little bit of background information relating to us. We are wannabe doctors at the
The idea started as a mere thought, ultimately culminating in a plan, and finally the trip,, and by God it was worth it.
The trip was planned from
As I share the experience with you I shall highlight the few salient points that you need to look out for when you are going bike tripping.
THE PLANNING:
The first point that I would like to highlight is that bike riding in
1) Choose your destination carefully. There are many types of trippers. Some are those who enjoy riding and that is the main highlight of their trip. Some are those who just want to sample a bit of each destination they go to and don’t give a hoot about riding. And then there are those who want a bit of both. I guess I come into the third category. So this step requires a bit of introspection.
2) Choose the road to take. This is the step that you need to look out for while bike riding in
3) Choose the bike or modify: The choice of bike is not something you have much control upon unless you rent one out, you would have to make out with the one you have. But what you can do is to modify the bike for a bit of comfortable biking. (A) The most important factor for the driver would be the riding posture. While racing postures look well in the city, the same on highway would leave you with a broken back after a day’s riding. The bikes with the best riding postures in India would be the Honda Unicorn, most of the Hero Honda bikes, and of course the Royal Enfield. (B) Also you would need to have a higher capacity bike, a minimum of 150cc I would recommend. This class has the most usable power range in Indian roads. (C) The other important factor for comfort would be the shock absorbers, the softer they are, the better for your spine and bums. (D) also decide whether you would be having a pillion or not. Pillion riding has the advantage of an extra person to drive the bike when you get exhausted. I had a pillion who wasn’t much use. He couldn’t drive very well and the only time he was given the bike, a crash resulted. (D) Another important suggestion would be to get your bike serviced just before the trip. Also take a few essential spare parts along with you on the trip- a spark plug, a throttle cable, a clutch cable and a chain lock. (E) Also I would recommend you get puncture proof tubes or tube less tires installed. That way you won’t be stranded in the middle of the highway with a nail in your tire. (F) You may also want to add a bit of foam in your seat for additional comfort, but be careful not to compromise your riding posture due to the extra foam.
4) First Aid Pack: Safety wise this is the most important part of the package you carry. It should contain at minimum- a big roll of cotton, minimum 5 rolls of gauze bandage, an antiseptic solution (dettol or savlon), a tube of antibiotic cream (soframycin or betadine), analgesics (diclofenac my choice), and a bottle of water 2 litres.
5) Your luggage: Try to have as minimum baggage as possible. If riding 1 person per bike, luggage is not a problem. A variety of bags are available in the market to strap onto the tank or the rear of the bike. But with a pillion you need to carry the bag on yourself. The bigger bag worn by the pillion and the smaller one (if you have too much luggage) by the rider.
6) Your companions: Try to have at least one another bike with you while tripping. Too many bikes decrease the fun, as you need to account for the speed of riding and the tiring times of the other riders as well. Single bike out on tour in
