Paul on an Indian Enfield. That well travelled club member Paul Ollet has sent in a brief description of his recent trip to India to to take part in a ride using Royal Enfields.
It certainly sounds more interesting than our proposed weekend in Mablethorpe.
Motor Cycle Tour of India – 17 – 30 October 2015
It had been my ambition for several years since first seeing an account and presentation from another biker who had done something similar.
I was almost starting from scratch but with some guidance from fellow ENCMCC member Roy Palmer and good old Professor Google I sourced a company named Vintage Rides who have good credentials and who gained my confidence with an itinerary that appealed to me.
I had decided that the terrain of Rajasthan met my aspirations being in a temperate area of India between New Delhi and West to the Pakistan border following an anti-clockwise circular route travelling 2300kms in 12 days of riding.
My mount for this expedition was to be a 500cc Royal Enfield Bullet Machissimo model about 3 years old along with 10 other identical machines. We were to ‘meet’ the bikes at Shekhawati and were taken there in the company mini bus/support vehicle which took about 3 hrs from Delhi.
The driving standards of the Indian drivers at least in this part of India are appalling with no regard for traffic discipline or regulations. There is an eclectic mix of vehicles on the road and the added hazard of cows, pigs, goats, sheep, camels and occasionally monkeys to add interest to the journey. We all know that cows have horns but they never sound them and they don’t have lights so night travel is definitely dangerous. Fortunately when we went out at night it was never on the bikes.
Perhaps the biggest surprise for me apart from the lack of road sense of the average Indian driver was with my colleagues who turned out all to be French speakers. I have a few words of their language and the tour leader spoke English as well as French and his native Hindi. There were no communication problems and like any group of bikers there was great bonhomie so we got on like a house on fire.
You can imagine that a tour that lasts for 12 days and covers a lot of ground is very difficult to condense into a few paragraphs and a full account would probably send the reader quickly to sleep so I will attempt to pick out a few high lights.
Mostly the overnight accommodation was in Havelis or Heritage Hotels on a half board basis which included B&B and lunch. We had to pay for dinner ourselves but the cost was modest at about 500 Indian Rupees (£5.00) per night and drinks of course were extra. Kingfisher bottled beer was nearly always available and this comes in two strengths 8% or 5% abv in 650ml bottles. Ice cold and very refreshing.
The food was mostly vegetarian, lots of rice and lentils, aubergines, spicy potatoes and where meat was on the menu it would be either mutton or chicken and always highly spiced or curried. Breakfasts varied sometimes with cornflakes but the milk was likely to be unpasteurised, boiled eggs or omelettes. Most chose black coffee which was served very weak, or as coffee powder and hot water to make up your own. The French folks liked sweet pancakes with bananas and the humble banana was generally the only fruit available although I did see apples on the street stalls.
The roads varied greatly in quality from decent tarmac on the highways to potholed and broken surfaces and in places in the mountains no surface at all, just loose and rutted hard-core. As we rode in the desert we encountered a lot of sand and I learned a new riding skill after having been unceremoniously dumped off a couple of times. At one point we rode over some mud flats for about 7 kms with no defined route at all but still clapping along at 60+ kmph.
The Enfields appeared to be able to take most of the abuse we handed out to them and when they didn’t we had a mechanic on hand, always with a smile, in our support vehicle to repair them. The first casualty was the Tour Leader’s bike which suffered a broken frame where the weld had failed and the down tube had pulled out of the spigot beneath the steering head. We stopped at a roadside engineer’s shop and they dropped everything and got on with the task, assisted and supervised by our mechanic. We were all back on the road with the job done within an hour, no problem.
Other damage was a failed speedo drive which was quickly replaced, broken rear wheel bearing, failed electric starter (only one Rod)! Megaphone silencer fell off (2No), carburettor change and replace rubber carb/manifold tube and would you believe only one punctured tyre!
Probably the most unusual aspect was the night spent in the Thar Desert some 50 kms from the border with Pakistan. India is not on good terms with its neighbour and we rode past a column of heavy artillery moving West. In the desert our bed for the night was just a wooden cot out in the open with a camp fire and no cover. There were extra blankets if required but it was still hot at night and remained so until about 5.30am when just before sunrise the temperature plunged. I lay awake awaiting the dawn marvelling at the Orion constellation of stars and Venus the ‘morning star’ twinkling brightly above. No showers or toilet facilities and it doesn’t get more basic than that.
As we waited at the roadside for the mechanic to repair a rear wheel bearing a well-dressed man arrived on a little bike and asked if we would like to visit the village school where he is the Principal so we leapt at the chance and followed him 500 metres down the road to the school where we were treated to watching the children at their morning assembly with such zeal that it was good to see. We were shown the computer room and one of the classrooms and introduced to all of the teaching staff. The children aged between 6 and 11 years were in blue uniforms but barefoot and yet so happy to be there. We were given tea and biscuits and make to feel very welcome.
Gratuities and tips are rife throughout India and it is nearly always expected. For the whole of the time I was out there I only had one coin for 5 rupees pass through my hands and all the other currency I had was in bank notes in rupee denominations of 10 (10p) 20 (20p) 50 (50p) 100 (£1) 500 (£5) and generally 50 rupees tip was enough for whatever service.
This part of India was once part of the Mongolian empire and there are many imposing hilltop forts still standing testimony to what must have been at times a very troubled past. The last of these in our visit was called the ‘Amber Fort’ at a few kilometres North of Jaipur. As we stopped at the road side on first glimpse of this amazing hill top fortification a snake charmer suddenly appeared and squatting down he played his pipe while the cobra swayed gently to and fro in front of him.
Well that is my impression of India and I am sure that my brief description has failed to do it justice. It has many problems but is a mysterious and fascinating place. Filthy dirty at times and full of contradictions. Extreme wealth and abject poverty all rolled up together, but I was struck by the general aura of happiness that seemed to abound and whatever you had you made the most of. Busy little shops where you can buy anything or endless persistent hawkers selling ‘tat’ to make a few rupees, the determination of the people is unquestionable, but don’t take my work for it as it is a place you must visit and experience for yourself.
Paul Ollett
See some of Pauls interesting holiday snaps on gallery 2 of the website.
It certainly sounds more interesting than our proposed weekend in Mablethorpe.
Motor Cycle Tour of India – 17 – 30 October 2015
It had been my ambition for several years since first seeing an account and presentation from another biker who had done something similar.
I was almost starting from scratch but with some guidance from fellow ENCMCC member Roy Palmer and good old Professor Google I sourced a company named Vintage Rides who have good credentials and who gained my confidence with an itinerary that appealed to me.
I had decided that the terrain of Rajasthan met my aspirations being in a temperate area of India between New Delhi and West to the Pakistan border following an anti-clockwise circular route travelling 2300kms in 12 days of riding.
My mount for this expedition was to be a 500cc Royal Enfield Bullet Machissimo model about 3 years old along with 10 other identical machines. We were to ‘meet’ the bikes at Shekhawati and were taken there in the company mini bus/support vehicle which took about 3 hrs from Delhi.
The driving standards of the Indian drivers at least in this part of India are appalling with no regard for traffic discipline or regulations. There is an eclectic mix of vehicles on the road and the added hazard of cows, pigs, goats, sheep, camels and occasionally monkeys to add interest to the journey. We all know that cows have horns but they never sound them and they don’t have lights so night travel is definitely dangerous. Fortunately when we went out at night it was never on the bikes.
Perhaps the biggest surprise for me apart from the lack of road sense of the average Indian driver was with my colleagues who turned out all to be French speakers. I have a few words of their language and the tour leader spoke English as well as French and his native Hindi. There were no communication problems and like any group of bikers there was great bonhomie so we got on like a house on fire.
You can imagine that a tour that lasts for 12 days and covers a lot of ground is very difficult to condense into a few paragraphs and a full account would probably send the reader quickly to sleep so I will attempt to pick out a few high lights.
Mostly the overnight accommodation was in Havelis or Heritage Hotels on a half board basis which included B&B and lunch. We had to pay for dinner ourselves but the cost was modest at about 500 Indian Rupees (£5.00) per night and drinks of course were extra. Kingfisher bottled beer was nearly always available and this comes in two strengths 8% or 5% abv in 650ml bottles. Ice cold and very refreshing.
The food was mostly vegetarian, lots of rice and lentils, aubergines, spicy potatoes and where meat was on the menu it would be either mutton or chicken and always highly spiced or curried. Breakfasts varied sometimes with cornflakes but the milk was likely to be unpasteurised, boiled eggs or omelettes. Most chose black coffee which was served very weak, or as coffee powder and hot water to make up your own. The French folks liked sweet pancakes with bananas and the humble banana was generally the only fruit available although I did see apples on the street stalls.
The roads varied greatly in quality from decent tarmac on the highways to potholed and broken surfaces and in places in the mountains no surface at all, just loose and rutted hard-core. As we rode in the desert we encountered a lot of sand and I learned a new riding skill after having been unceremoniously dumped off a couple of times. At one point we rode over some mud flats for about 7 kms with no defined route at all but still clapping along at 60+ kmph.
The Enfields appeared to be able to take most of the abuse we handed out to them and when they didn’t we had a mechanic on hand, always with a smile, in our support vehicle to repair them. The first casualty was the Tour Leader’s bike which suffered a broken frame where the weld had failed and the down tube had pulled out of the spigot beneath the steering head. We stopped at a roadside engineer’s shop and they dropped everything and got on with the task, assisted and supervised by our mechanic. We were all back on the road with the job done within an hour, no problem.
Other damage was a failed speedo drive which was quickly replaced, broken rear wheel bearing, failed electric starter (only one Rod)! Megaphone silencer fell off (2No), carburettor change and replace rubber carb/manifold tube and would you believe only one punctured tyre!
Probably the most unusual aspect was the night spent in the Thar Desert some 50 kms from the border with Pakistan. India is not on good terms with its neighbour and we rode past a column of heavy artillery moving West. In the desert our bed for the night was just a wooden cot out in the open with a camp fire and no cover. There were extra blankets if required but it was still hot at night and remained so until about 5.30am when just before sunrise the temperature plunged. I lay awake awaiting the dawn marvelling at the Orion constellation of stars and Venus the ‘morning star’ twinkling brightly above. No showers or toilet facilities and it doesn’t get more basic than that.
As we waited at the roadside for the mechanic to repair a rear wheel bearing a well-dressed man arrived on a little bike and asked if we would like to visit the village school where he is the Principal so we leapt at the chance and followed him 500 metres down the road to the school where we were treated to watching the children at their morning assembly with such zeal that it was good to see. We were shown the computer room and one of the classrooms and introduced to all of the teaching staff. The children aged between 6 and 11 years were in blue uniforms but barefoot and yet so happy to be there. We were given tea and biscuits and make to feel very welcome.
Gratuities and tips are rife throughout India and it is nearly always expected. For the whole of the time I was out there I only had one coin for 5 rupees pass through my hands and all the other currency I had was in bank notes in rupee denominations of 10 (10p) 20 (20p) 50 (50p) 100 (£1) 500 (£5) and generally 50 rupees tip was enough for whatever service.
This part of India was once part of the Mongolian empire and there are many imposing hilltop forts still standing testimony to what must have been at times a very troubled past. The last of these in our visit was called the ‘Amber Fort’ at a few kilometres North of Jaipur. As we stopped at the road side on first glimpse of this amazing hill top fortification a snake charmer suddenly appeared and squatting down he played his pipe while the cobra swayed gently to and fro in front of him.
Well that is my impression of India and I am sure that my brief description has failed to do it justice. It has many problems but is a mysterious and fascinating place. Filthy dirty at times and full of contradictions. Extreme wealth and abject poverty all rolled up together, but I was struck by the general aura of happiness that seemed to abound and whatever you had you made the most of. Busy little shops where you can buy anything or endless persistent hawkers selling ‘tat’ to make a few rupees, the determination of the people is unquestionable, but don’t take my work for it as it is a place you must visit and experience for yourself.
Paul Ollett
See some of Pauls interesting holiday snaps on gallery 2 of the website.
