In about 24 hours, I would be leaving for a long distance motorcycle trip, the biggest one of my life. My Ladakh ride was about 3000 odd kms, the Mumbai-Himachal-Mumbai one about 4000, this would easily be around 8000, and I’m happy I have some experience to rely on for this ride of a lifetime! 6 riders, 2 countries, 1 aim – to squeeze every little moment and enjoy it like there’s no tomorrow, because there might as well not be.
Riding a motorcycle is dangerous. Riding a motorcycle over long distances is very dangerous. Riding a motorcycle over long distances in India is dry-butt-fucking-extreme-ly dangerous. Even though this would be a rather “safe” trip as compared to my previous solo rides, since there would be people around for help and support, you can never be sure what’s gonna happen. I could die, but that’s part of the charm. As Alistair Farland said:
Death is temporary, regret is forever.
OK, enough talk about death! Any long ride is a challenge in itself, and requires at least some basic planning and preparation. But long trips with other riders require special attention to certain items, which I thought I’ll discuss here today. It’s quite possible I might add/subtract things here once I come back from this ride, but then who gives a shit, we’ll see what happens. Here are my 10 long distance motorcycle group riding tips for a fun yet safe trip.
1. Start early, end early
One of the major issues in handling a big group is getting everyone up and ready in the morning. Someone takes a decade for a shit, someone takes a century to put their clothes on, and someone’s early morning starts at 11 AM. Someone needs to take the lead here, set a deadline and then make sure everyone sticks to it. Best time to start is an hour before sunrise, since there is little or no traffic and enough sunlight.
If you don’t start early, you’ll probably find yourself stuck in traffic somewhere at night, still a few hundred kilometers away from your intended destination. The time before sunrise and the time after sundown is more or less the same as far as ambient light goes, the only difference is the other stupid people on the road, which can be a giant pain in the ass. I always prefer to start just before sunrise, and stop just after sundown, for a relaxed, safe and disciplined ride.
2. Slow and steady
Long distance riding is a marathon, not a sprint. I’ve done this mistake in the past, of pushing myself to my absolute limit the first few hours of the ride, thinking I’ll cover a big chunk of the distance and then ride leisurely the rest of the way. Part of the reason people do it is because they think it’ll give them buffer in case something goes wrong, and they are right.
The problem is that pushing too hard in the beginning makes the entire ride much much harder and unsafe. What happens is that you go over your limit the first few hours, which is not a good idea at all. After those few hours, your body and mind is tired, but you are still riding, which is not a good idea either. In the final few hours, you end up taking a lot of stops, barely clinging on to the handlebars, and completely frustrated with yourself, all a recipe for disaster.
I find that maintaining a steady pace throughout the ride makes a much more enjoyable, safe, and easy trip. My bike does about 270 kms on full tank (if ridden nicely), so I try to take 1 snacks/piss stop (10 minutes) every 135 odd kms, and then the fuel stop (15 minutes) comes at the 270 kms mark. At every stop I get off my bike, and remove my helmet and gloves. This maintains the blood flow all through the body, and I feel fresh as a horse in heat even during the last few hours! Don’t rush, take it slow.
3. Ride with people you trust
I’m new to group riding, been doing it only for the last year or so. Always rode solo because I didn’t find the right people. Biking is fun, biking with good people is more fun, but biking with assholes is a nightmare. Even 1 bad apple in a big group can spoil the experience for each and everyone of the poor bastards. NEVER ride with people that you don’t trust and have not ridden with, don’t just go by reputation, you can never be sure what kind of a guy he could be.
Long distance motorcycle trips don’t just involve riding, there are hotels and food and emergencies and deadlines and shit, life and death situations happen. Monetary transactions are also a big part of the equation, and they aren’t always straightforward. The point here being that if you go out on such an important trip with people you now nothing about, chances are something will go terribly wrong somewhere and you’ll want to strangle them with your greasy clutch cable.
4. Ride with similar performance bikes
It is very important that all the bikes in the group are more or less similar as far as top speed goes, too much gap and someone will push over the limit and crash. A 100 cc bike can never keep up with a 500 cc bike on a highway (unless it is a Bullet), and any attempt to keep them together will spell doom for both. Some people might think this is discriminatory, or this is bad attitude or something similar, they are welcome to kiss my ass from 7-9 pm Monday to Friday.
Any bike which can go over 150 kmph easily can keep up with any bike with even much higher top-speeds, simply because you can rarely go above 170-190 kmph in India. My Duke 390 kept up with a CB1000 during our Mumbai-Bangalore ride, although my tire did go totally bald and then just completely fell off the traction cliff. So engine capacity is not really important, nor is acceleration, but top speed is!
5. Stay in formation
Staying in formation is not just for looking cool, although a group of bikers going around in a tight formation does totally give me a boner. Stay in a staggered single or double file formation with a 2 second gap to the guy in front, no complicated stuff. You could learn those weird hand signals and other voodoo magic, or your could just use your brain and invent signals on the go. Staying in formation requires discipline, and respect for each other, something that is hard to come by nowadays.
It is generally a good idea to designate someone as the leader, and someone else as the sweeper. The leader goes out front, warns about any dangers and takes care of the route. The sweeper picks up the fallen parts and luggage from the riders in front of him, and also makes sure that no one is left behind. It is also a good idea to always follow the same guy, since you’ll get used to their braking and acceleration styles. Small thing, but may make a big difference.
Bluetooth communication systems like Scala or Senna are extremely useful here, but don’t fret if you can’t own one. Riding in formation is all about using your head, it’s all very simple and logical. Understand the situation and act accordingly. I don’t like too much technology, and this would be the first time I would use a Scala, although I’ve grown fond of it in city riding the past week. Let’s see how it holds up on such a long trip.
6. Stay together
I once went on a ride from Mumbai to Saputara and back. We were 4 riders on 4 bikes. 3 of us would always stay together, while 1 guy would just start and stop randomly. At one point he suddenly accelerated, totally went away from our sights, and was nowhere to be found even after 15 minutes of spirited riding. Turns out he had stopped at some random paan shop on the way, and was enjoying some cheap tobacco as we were getting worried.
Staying together is not just fast, it is also safe. You now for sure that if someone has stopped, something is wrong somewhere. A group must go as one entity, on the road or off it. Going too far forward or staying too far back is just stupid and useless. Stay in line of sight of each other, keep an eye on the guy in front of you, and learn from his mistakes. If he goes into a pothole, you can avoid it and warn others behind you too, but only if they are there to begin with!
7. Stay calm
I’ve seen this happen many a times, and I’ve done this too. Let’s say you are following someone in a group, and someone else if following you. The guy in front of you overtakes some vehicle, and you are not able to. A gap now opens between you and the guy in front. You feel the pressure of the people behind you, like you are trampling their hopes with your riding boots, as you see the guy in front moving farther and farther away.
You then take risks. You try to push through, move out of your comfort zone, do some stupid overtake, or go over your personal speed limit. Don’t, just don’t. Like I said before, long distance motorcycle trips are marathons, it doesn’t matter at all if you lost the group for a few minutes. Just stay calm, keep riding, and you’ll be reunited soon. Always stay under your limits, no matter what the situation may be.
8. Keep yourself and your bike ready
This is something obvious, but ignored by a large number of people. When you are riding with other people, it is your moral responsibility to ensure that your bike is in good shape. I’m not talking about things like a puncture or a broken cable or a crash, I’m talking about things that are in your total control. Make sure your tires have enough treads/pressure, make sure you show up with a full tank (so irritating when you have to stop 2 kms after the start of a ride), make sure all your fluid levels are where they should be, make sure you have all your bike documents and so on. General stuff, no rocket science.
Also important is your own health. Riding in a bad state of mind or body is only going to jeopardize the trip for the entire group. I understand you don’t want to miss the ride just because you have 104 degree fever, and I’m not saying you have to. If the people riding with you are nice, they’ll understand. Keep them informed, keep yourself medicated, and monitor yourself. I’ll say again, never cross your personal limits, no matter what the situation may be.
9. Be prepared for emergencies
Have you ever wondered just HOW unsafe it is to ride a motorcycle? An accident that would probably lead to a small scratch on a car could mean death on a motorcycle. You can’t be prepared for everything, but you can do some basic things to be ready for what will inevitably come. Carry first aid kits, general medicines for fever, loose motions etc. basic bike and puncture repair kits, and anything else you feel will be useful in case of an emergency.
I’ve written a detailed post about things you can do BEFORE a crash to make sure you are totally prepared for it, and I would highly recommend you take at least some, if not all the steps mentioned in that post. Always ride like nothing will go wrong, don’t be paranoid, there is no fun riding with fear, but be prepared for the worst. Keep your eyes open, use your brain, and you’ll always come out winning, no matter how dire the situation gets.
10. Keep buffer days
Long distance trips involve meticulous planning, unless you are Ed March. You’ll have planned to reach a certain place on a certain date and then move on to another place and so on, but not everything happens according to plan. There are things you can’t control, and when they happen, even the best plans go to shit. It is always a good idea to keep at least a 1 day buffer in your plan, although 2-3 days extra would be awesome.
If you don’t have a buffer, and let’s say you lose 2 hours on a puncture, what happens is that you push too hard in trying to make up that lost time. This pushing too hard again leads to crossing of one’s limits, and entry into the danger zone. Major problems are rather good in this sense, since you are sure your day is gone and you don’t really have the option of doing anything else! Whatever may happen, just go slow and steady, buffer days will absorb any plan changes with total ease.
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So yeah, these are some 10 points that I think should be followed during any long distance motorcycle trip. I think you would see the following repetitive points throughout this article:
- Use your brain
- Never cross your personal limits
- Be disciplined
This is all there is! You just have to stay in control, be calm, tackle the situation, without pushing yourself too hard. Long distance motorcycle group riding can be a fond memory that you someday tell to your grandchildren, or it can be a frightening nightmare that you someday tell to your psychiatrist, while in a session of shock therapy at some mental institution somewhere.
These tips are meant for group riding scenarios,for individual riding tips in different conditions, check these out:
Finaly I am going to Leh Ladhakh, I just wnat to know can I ride bike delhi – jammu – karnal – leh – manali – delhi alone as I will ride bike First time. I am riding scooter(enterno or activa) last 10 years. my friend told me you can’t ride bike direct
Any suggestions for a south Indian trip? A ghat road would be excellent.My starting point would be Nellore or Chennai.
I Just completed my semester and I really want to make this thing possible in Dasharan holidays. So what would be the best place for me and my friends to go?
We have a 7 days gap ( frm 24th Sep to 1st october. )
I’m planning to ride PUNE – AMRITSAR on my RE classic 350.
Can anyone suggest me how much days required for traveling because I’m making it small (10-12 days).
Pls suggest.
Hi Akhil I am planning to ride to Devprayag from Delhi ( 310km) on Bullet Electra 350. What should I carry for the Bike. I am riding alone with pillion. And any safety tips for the bullet.
Thanks for your the article. Very useful info.
If your bullet comes with tube tires, then you’ll need all the tools required for removing the rear tire in case of a puncture. As long as your bike is otherwise fit and healthy, there shouldn’t be much else that you need to carry, that you won’t be able to find in some shop nearby.
Hopefully you have proper luggage system for the stuff you are carrying.
There’s nothing specific I can think of for a safe ride on a bullet, just chill, take plenty of photos, and don’t push.
One of the best video I’ve come across. Must see…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7XBzIljRXQ
Can someone please assist me my bike is pulsar 150 ug4 new model and the bike has been rebored and done almost 1300kms. so now i am planning for a tour which is not more than 250 or max 300 km.
Plz advise me will my bike can be utilized for this tour ride and what speed can i maintain for such.
Yes you can. Go 70-80 kmph, you’ll be alright.
Thanks dear for suggestions. Now i have some confidents
Could you give me list of some long distance trips with the distance mentioned, that would be great, btw great article, thanks. Minimum distance >= 1750kms
What is the starting point?
Lucknow
Go to Bhutan, go to Nepal, both are relatively close to you. Beautiful places.
Thanks. Could you also tell me that if i take a trip to Leh, Ladakh then should i go through all the famous passes and is it worth it or should i only visit some of them. Also what would be the minimum number of days to complete that trip.
A Ladakh trip should be a minimum of 15 days spent entirely in that region, I meant excluding the days it’ll take you to reach Ladakh and come back. It is a beautiful place, but has become a bit crowded lately. The famous passes are all good, no reason to miss them. You can try the more off-beat destinations too like Zanskar if you like.
What would be best time to take the above trip according to you when the area is not so crowded? Also are there many more places like Zanskar, if so could you mention those as well?
September is a good time.
Pangi valley, the whole spiti circuit, sach pass, they are all very remote and rather dangerous.
Also since it will be a bike trip, is camping a better option during stops or staying in local inns, circuit houses, rest houses, hotels etc. a better choice or combination of both. How should i decide and what are the possible pros and cons.
I haven’t camped yet, so I can’t really tell you if that’s good or not. It sounds real fun, but I don’t think I’m up for it 🙂
Could you advise me what all to carry in my luggage for 9 day motor touring. Also please can anyone say how are the roads from dehradun to auli laga. Joshimath. Thanks & great article
Hello akhil I am presently doing my degrees, final year and its always been a dream of exploring to shimla, leh and obviously rohtang pass.. I am eagerly waiting for my brand new Royal Enfield std 350 which i book a month ago.. When i complete my studies and stuff wanna go riding on my bullet leh and by reading your article over the important things to be kept on mind and ur experience over many rides I personally feel enthusiastic and safe. Thank you for sharing your views and God be with you always..
Keep riding..continue inspiring bro.. 🙂
🙂
Point no 1 is must “start early and reach early” the more you ride and follow, one gets habitual, morning is the beauty one should not miss.
i would like to add few more
1: look for your chain tension and sprockets as they die if you hard and ride for too long(specially bullets), one of my fellow rider lost 90% teeth of sprockets after 2000 KM from delhi.
2: research the area from where you will be passing or read some local news available online, had some experience near karauli district where a 60+ old lady warned us of robbers at river bridge and we had enough time to avoid this as we started early
3: Don’t race with locals and don’t do panga with locals as help will be far away ,these incidents will spoil your ride.
keep riding brothers
“see you on highway”
See you!
nice article….following ur writings since a year nw….n personally from my experience…point 3 is critical…I mean leave everything else and imagine someone with you who claims to be rider jst coz he can release the clutch and has a license….
I’ve heard so many horror stories!
a little reqst …..cud u pls do a brief write up about things to take care about while riding overnight………coz mostly I ride at nights(in summer n winter both)…….even the long ones…like dusk to dawn
I have always maintained that riding at night in India is a death wish and a suicide mission! I would strongly recommend against it.
Excellent tips….most important is point no 3 and most will follow; as one bad AH can ruin your ride …….leading to unplesent situations
True man, seen it firsthand 🙂
great info Akhil… 🙂
Thanks Yash!
Very good write-up as always Akhil, glad to see you have covered most of the points essential for a group ride. Pt. 5 & 6 are very critical and I always advice the same for our group rides.
However, I disagree to Pt.4 (then again maybe cause we have been doing it for years now), we have 100-1000cc bikes doing group rides along with us and to your surprise the 100cc could keep up with the 1000cc. 😀 The simple rule we apply is we keep it to the legal speed limit. 😉
Also, another point I would like to add is (not a new one), “The group should be as fast as the slowest bike in the group.”
P.S, Ofcourse, the R1 and Ninjas do quick blasts when the fans get started up.
Hehe, yeah that can be done man, but I can’t imagine that being fun!
well said but still…the gap of the engn size u just said…well hard to implement by most…….I mean a long ride over the highways and a 100cc with its rider n gears with 600+ ccs……..hard to imagine…..from the pov of both..the 100cc and the 1000cc
Nice read Akhil… Keep us updated. On your next post maybe I’m hoping you make a list of what not inventories to be carried on long rides.
Will try to write something about that Daniel.