MTM Journal vol 1

JAMMIN GLOBAL

RIDING THE WORLD

STRAIGHT AND LEFT

RIDING THEN, RIDING NOW

WOMAN RIDER

GETTING READY TO LIVE ON A BIKE

Jay Kannaiyan

Bharadwaj Dayala

Avinash Thadani

Navroze Contractor

Sangeetha Jairam

ASCENDING HEAVEN ON A YEZDI Wg. Cdr. RSR Murty

Jay Kannaiyan

Letters

MTM Vision

Partners & Allies

Straight and Left - Avinash Thadani

Riding the World - Bharadwaj Dayala

Cambodia Tomb Rider - Indimotard

Ascending Heaven on a Yezdi - Wing Comm. R S R Murthy

Jammin Global - Jay Kannaiyan

Riding now, Riding then - Navroze Contractor

Two Days can change a life - Rohan Ganachari

Travelling With a Purpose – Asim and Ashish

Filling the Essential Gap – Malvikaa Solanki

From Airplanes to Bikes – Prajwal Shivaprakash

The Invincible Visa Man - Bharadwaj Dayala

How a Chicken Curry Shrinks the World – Jay Kannaiyan

Trailing Che with Avinash Thadani

Woman Rider - Sangeetha Jairam

Riding with the Veteran – Navroze Contractor

Why Bike? – Kedarnath

India Bike Week

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2013 SPONSORS

To the Team at MTM,

Congratulations on your recent motorcycle travellers meeting, and thanks very much for your kind words - it's great to hear that your event was inspired by the HUBB and that you'd like to collaborate with us.

When we first started travelling around the world on our motorcycle in 1987, we had a sticker on the bike which simply said “Horizontes sin Limite”, or “Horizons without limits”. It was in Spanish because we were heading south from Canada towards Central and South America, and we wanted to express our philosophy of travel and life in a simple way.

Over the years that we travelled and connected with people from all over, we've met a great many people, motorcyclists and non, all of whom have renewed and strengthened our faith in mankind. We have found that people are much the same everywhere you go, we all have much the same hopes and dreams, we all enjoy meeting others, and our curiosity about the world is only matched by our interest in the people we meet along the way.

Mark Twain said it well: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness... Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

Since its beginnings as a site in 1997, we are i m m e n s e l y p l e a s e d a t h o w HorizonsUnlimited.com has grown and expanded to become a central HUBB for travellers to connect and share their experiences of the people and places of the world. People regularly tell us the site has changed their lives, inspiring them to travel, helping them to plan their trips and once they're on the road, by connecting them with like-minded people throughout the world via the 759 Horizons Unlimited Communities in 114 countries (including 10 HU Communities in India!).

The inspirational talks, workshops and demonstrations that are a part of a Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meeting are an exciting introduction, guide and first step on the road less travelled. Just as important is the opportunity to sit together with strangers, whether from around the corner or the other side of the world and share your ideas and experiences without judgement. This year we will be organizing 18 such events - in Asia, South America, Australia, Europe and North America.

Next year, we'd love to include India in that list! We're not a big multinational though, there's just Susan and I. We can't do it without help from folks like yourselves, who appreciate our efforts and want to help us continue to build a global community of travellers by connecting their national groups with international travellers.

We look forward to working with you, the Team at MTM to make it happen!

Grant & Susan Johnson

www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Inspiring, Informing and Connecting Travellers since 1997

HORIZONS UNLIMITEDLetter to Motorcycle Traveller’s Meet

LETTERS

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02 | motorcycle travellers meet | vol 1

Dear MTM India Team,

On behalf of The Ted Simon Foundation, I'd like to offer our hearty congratulations

to everyone involved with the first Motorcycle Travellers' Meet in India.

I've no doubt the event will be a great success and a source of inspiration for all

those harboring dreams of adventure motorcycle travel.

The Foundation has enjoyed collaborating with you as event partners. Thank you for

your support and for helping to spread the word about our work and how people

can get involved as Jupiter's Travellers or Jupiter's Companions.

Thanks most of all for inviting Jupiter's Traveller, Jay Kannaiyan, to be a speaker at

MTM India. Jay has a wonderful story and exhibits an attitude and approach to

adventure travel that everyone would do well to learn from.

I wish you every success for future events and very much hope to be able to attend

in person next time.

Best wishes from Ted and the Foundation team.

Yours sincerely

Iain Harper

Executive Director

LETTERS

JUPITER’S TRAVELSLetter to Motorcycle Traveller’s Meet

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25750E ast Lane, Covelo,C alifornia9 5428,U .S.A.jupiterstravellers.org


2013

Connect. Share. Learn and Inspire.Stories and journeys of travellers who have crossed the boundaries of comfort and the known have always inspired us. Being among such travellers and achievers is valuable to realise our dormant dreams of the road. With utmost joy we revel in the company of such travellers and give ourselves hope to the dreams of getting out there into the unknown. In ways, search for our own freedom.

MTM India is an effort to bring together all such stories, journeys and inspiration. To connect with travellers who have had the courage to “start”, to take that first step towards exploration and get out there following their compass.

The vision is to connect travellers, global communities and organizations who believe in this common goal.

MTM 2013 was a much anticipated and hugely successful event. It was the coming together of a curious bunch of motorcycle travellers. The speakers' list boasted of the likes of Jay Kannaiyan, Bharadwaj Dayala, Avinash Thadani, and Navroze Contractor. Their enthusiasm and participation made the event a success of a level that was never before.

MTM 2013 was a small-scale event that attracted

a serious bunch of motorcycle travellers that

made space for personal interactions and an

intimate experience. The success of the event is

attributed to our partners, allies, speakers,

volunteers and the participants. We hope to carry

the tempo forward by bringing together more

such travellers, communities and organisations to

achieve the vision.

We gratefully thank our event partners Ted

Simon Foundation and Horizons Unlimited and

our allies who supported the event. We look

forward to creating a platform to connect more

stories, journeys and inspiration in the coming

years.

This journal is a collection of the stories that was

shared at MTM 2013. Hope you enjoy reading it

and hope it inspires you as much as it has inspired

us.

See you on the road some place..

Santosh

MTM Team

VISION


PARTNERS & ALLIES

We thank our partners and allies for the support and for believing in MTM. We look forward to more such partners and allies being a part of MTM in the future. Please write to [email protected] to become partners and allies.

We look forward to a positive association.

myntra.com horizonsunlimited.com | jupiterstravellers.org

getoffurass.com | muc-off.combmcairfilters.com | motorchronicles.in | classic-bike-india.com

viaterra.in | indimotard.com | indusrider.com travellersmeet.in | ridetillidie.com

“You don't have to be a Salman Khan to ride the world. It may help you attract nice girls but there is the menace of men getting attracted too. “

I am going to ride my motorcycle through all of South America. I anticipate a great adventure. I do not know the language or the destination. I'll do it Old School, and figure things out on the road. If the Spanish could do it in the 18th century, so can an Indian in the 21st.

Anybody who has achieved what he set out to can understand what I felt when I finally got my bike, a beautiful KTM 640 Adventure, from the bonded warehouse in Bogota Colombia.

The plan was simple: head south to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and experience everything I could in South America.

Day 2, as I was crossing the Andes, I took the worst fall of my trip. Just day 2, the bike on top of me for 30 minutes, blood oozing through my pants, and confidence oozing out of me. Not the best start. The next day I made a deal with my bike, I promised I would take her home with me, as long as she got me to the airport – she did.

The police warned me against going deep into the Colombian forests. I didn't listen. Two days through dirt tracks, and I finally saw them. The FARC (Revolutionary Army of Colombia – bad people) they had their AK 47s and did not look happy.

I prayed and rode away as fast as I could. The rest of Colombia was amazing: a lonely desert, dancing cities and beautiful churches built along solid rock canyons. Next up, Ecuador. I had a college buddy in Quito, and spent a week with him. His mother was like mine, she fed me till I dropped, and his dad got enough booze in me to manage the high 2,500-meter altitude.

I rode along the Pacific Ocean, on a lonely, twisty road called 'Routa Del Sol'. It literally means 'The Route of the Sun' but for me, I thought of it as the route of my soul. Think about it, the blue Pacific Ocean, the wind in your face; scented with the freshness of salt and adventure, and you on a motorcycle, no idea where you're going to stop for the night, but probably some place exciting. This is how I felt for almost four months.

Peru was nothing short of pure magic. I ended up spending a month there, riding through 5,000meter high snow-capped peaks, and even spending five days on a boat through the Amazon jungle, with nothing but a hammock to lie on. I was rained upon, hailed upon and snowed upon. To my right was a glacier and around me the Andes.

Next up Lama, small villages where they had never seen

a tourist and two days of no human contact at all. I kept telling myself, this was not a holiday for me to check out the sights, but an adventure for the sights to check me out, and to see if I was worthy to cross.

At the Amazon I decided to take the most local barge down the Amazon for five days. All I had was a hammock, and chickens on the boat to eat. Cuzco, then Machu Picchu. This is a must-see for all, there is magic there, and you have to sit and feel it to understand it. I found a rock, sat down for three hours, admiring this beautiful place.

I have been a fan of Che Guevara for about 10 years now, and I had to see where he was killed in Bolivia. In SantCruze Bolivia, all my possessions were stolen, including my passport. These things happen, and you just have to keep moving. With a great network of family and friends, I was back on my feet in three weeks. Seeing the place where Che was killed somehow completed a journey in me.

STRAIGHTAND LEFT

12 | motorcycle traveler meet 2013

avinash thadani

Through South America on a bike


> STRAIGHT AND LEFTavinash thadani

My fiancé Pritha met me in Bolivia and we hit the Salt Flats of Bolivia. The ride there was the toughest on the trip. We woke the next morning and saw a white expanse in front of us. No roads, no signs, nothing, just salt as far as the eye could see. We spent two days on the salt flats, camping under some rocks. It took us five hours to get to Argentina. Once in, we headed for the Dakar rally. Seeing those bikes and cars flying through the desert gave me confidence, and inspiration to take part some day.

“In the city of Tango, it's just spectacular, am going to dance with her, drink with her, and eat with her. Buenos Aires, I got to you after 11,500 kms on my motorcycle, but we arrived just as I wanted to: free, open and the wind in our faces.”

Pritha left for India, and I moved on. I was sad and tired at this point, and did not feel like battling Patagonia, which has a lot of wind, penguins, elephant seals and sea lions.

“For 10 years I have sat through lectures, tutorials, interviews, meetings, seminars, conferences and much more, all the time wondering in the back of my mind what it would feel like to do this trip and reach the end of the world.”

I had ridden 15,000 km, consumed 650 litres of petrol and been through six countries. I got to the end, saw a bench, sat down and lit a cigar a friend had given me. All I could think about was about when I would go around the world on my motorcycle. I planted the Indian flag at the end of the road and took a picture.

Avinash rode 15,000kms in 4 months while covering 6 countries starting from Miami, USA to Ushuaia, Argentina

Worth mentioning - Got to see and experience the birth place and death place of Che.



What does it take to ride around the world on a motorcycle? Bharadwaj Dayala gives us a few tips from his around-the-world trip

bharadwaj dayala

Think beyond borders

A billion people in India cannot even think of riding around the world on a motorcycle. If you have the audacity to think beyond limits and to go beyond borders, they will take every opportunity to discourage you.

The first thing you will encounter is antipathy to the idea itself, even from your friends and family. Everyone says no, you can't do that, for various reasons. So you will be alone on this ride and must have indomitable inner strength to counter this.

Proud to be Indian?

Yes, I am proud to be Indian. Sometimes. But if you are thinking of riding to several countries on a motorcycle, you wish you were born in Greenland or Iceland because they command better respect than we do at visa interviews. After immunizing yourself from the naysayer, being Indian is going to be your next big hurdle. Most developed countries still think Indians are beggars. Visit any American embassy in India. I have seen many highly educated professionals standing in visa queues praying to their gods and nearly falling to their knees pleading their cases with the visa officer, as if their life depended on it. Some even fainted when they got rejected.

This makes your case extremely difficult. They will laugh when they see that you want to ride around the world. They laughed at my application and I laughed with them and explained why I cannot complete my world tour without their permission. My legs were shivering and pulse was racing, as one rejection could mean the end of my tour. But I was not on my knees. Maybe that's why I got all my visas. Visa agents said I wouldn't get a single visa as I had a blank passport. Of course I got all of them by myself. You should become selectively deaf to words like NO, NEVER, etc. as you are going to hear them a lot, almost everywhere. Your undaunted determination

must visibly be etched on your face so that when people see you, they know you mean business. One more catch is you need to take all the visas before you leave. We are not so fortunate to get visas on arrival at the borders. And that means a lot of planning. Those with experience will have no problems getting other documents like Carnet, international driver's permit, health and motorcycle insurance, etc.

Funding/sponsors:

This is where all your illusions will be shattered and nothing but the truth surfaces. Everybody wants a piece of the cake but no one wants to pay for it. Indian companies, even those related to motorcycles, are simply not interested in your great tour. Period. If they really wanted, they could get great mileage from the tour, but they only want to pay the hero for sitting awkwardly on their bikes and smiling. You can't make them grow. You will get many offers - you will get a helmet or shoes free if you carry their stickers all over and they will advertise as sponsors. I hope the bad days are gone and you find a tour

sponsor. Good luck.

How much do you need? For an adventurous on-road living you will need $50 a day. If you want a bed and some security at the end of a hard day's ride, you should be looking at $100 a day. This should include bed, food, and beverages for you and your bike. If you want to eat in restaurants, add another $50. This is on an average, so you will compensate for the expensiveness of Europe and America with the more reasonable parts of the world. And then there are shipments. If you airlift your bike, expect a bill between INR 1 and 2 lakhs.

Enfield (Bullet)?

Most people think that this is the only option for

12 | motorcycle traveler meet 2013 08 | motorcycle travellers meet | vol 1

> RIDING THE WORLDbharadwaj dayala

tough rides and tough guys. But do we have a choice? Bullet 500cc is the most powerful bike we have; the rest are far behind. For a world tour you don't need those monstrous BMW GS1200s. I would prefer a BMW F800GS or Suzuki Vstrom 650 and if I want to offer rides to beautiful girls, I would go for the irresistible Goldwing. But that's wishful thinking. I love the Enfield. I owned two Bullets and I went around India on one. Enfield didn't care to upgrade its manufacturing quality for decades. The result was an excellent bike which was not as reliable as the new Japanese bikes. Simply put, I believed Karizma would give me less trouble than a Bullet. If you take a brand new Bullet and Karizma and ride until you break down, you will know what I mean.

So you need a reliable bike unless you intend to open a

mechanic shop when you return. You should be able to

fix things but that's it. You can do a world tour on a

bicycle so chose the bike that suits your riding style

and comfort, know how to fix general problems and

carry the spares. Nothing else!

'You don't have to be a Salman Khan to ride the world. It may help you attract nice girls but there is the menace of men getting attracted too. 'Fitness

You don't have to be a Salman Khan to ride the world.

It may help you attract nice girls but there is the

menace of men getting attracted too. Your spine is

going to take the maximum stress so better be slim

and flexible.

You must be very fit in any case, both mentally and

physically. If you are travelling alone, it is stressful.

If you are travelling with a partner it is doubly stressful.

You may ask: “I love riding all day man, so why is it so

difficult?”

Riding is a small part of the world tour. You have to

take care of the planning, logistics, funds,

communications, paper work, permits, insurances,

transfers, shipments, repairs and other such

arrangements. Once you leave the country, there is

little your friends or family can do. So it is solely YOU

who have to do everything. And everything means a

LOT.

The day begins with finding breakfast. In North

American motels, however large they are, you won't

find anything to eat and no one to tell where you can

find something to eat. When you do find something to

eat, it will be digested by the time you are done

packing, on the bike (my bike was a mini Walmart),

check the bike for fitness, get dressed, look into the

maps, and note down major points and places of

interest.

If you take a motorway, your antenna is always up and

scanning for dangers because you look like a tiny rat

running to escape between six lanes of huge

cats (cars) and roaring lions (mega trucks)

zipping at high speeds ready to toss you all

around. Don't expect to stick to the road

shoulder like a good boy riding slow all the time.

You need to keep changing lanes constantly,

reading the road signs and exit points. The mere

push you experience from a speeding truck is

unnerving. Imagine riding such a heavily loaded,

unbalanced street bike and changing lanes at

120kmph between those monsters.

Even the thought of a puncture at this stage is

chilling. This acute alertness is very stressful.

Imagine 10-12 hours of this every day.

Now you think that's enough and want to get

into the comfort of some cheap hostel. Unless

you have planned in advance and know the

exact location of a hostel, it's difficult to find it. If

you miss one exit, you may have to ride 50km to

return to the same exit. And if you are looking

for a place without reservation, then give or take

50km before your find one with vacancy.

Usually these places are in small streets and on

the 5th or 6th floor. It's tough to decide if you

want to leave the bike with all the stuff on the

pavement while you go and enquire. And what

you will find is not going to be cheap anyway.

Even if you plan every stop, you will miss them

almost half the time due to various reasons. You

unpack and carry all your baggage to your

room on the 5th floor (nobody will ever lift even

a small pouch for you). You need to cover and

lock the bike properly so that it will not be taken

09 | motorcycle traveller meets | vol 1

> RIDING THE WORLD bharadwaj dayala

Bharadwaj is the first Indian to travel solo around the world on an Indian-made motorcylce, 18 months, 5 continents and 16 countries spanning 47,000kms.

away while you are asleep. Sometimes you don't get parking space and you may have to leave the bike on the road side which will give you jitters all night. By now all the muscles in your body will be stiff. After a refreshing shower you feel damn hungry because you had only light meals during the day (eat

heartily during the day and you might sleep while

riding). And you might have to walk miles to find food

- not what you like, but just any kind of food.

Sometimes if you are lucky you will find it nearby or

you may not find any at all. If you enter a cozy

restaurant, your next day's allowance will be spent on a

meal. You go to sleep like a log and soon it's another

day. Trust me, you will not even remember to

check your mails or update your blog.

BUT IT IS FUN. To ride in a new country, go to a new

place, meet new people, eat new food - everything is

fun and you will be happy. I enjoyed my ride

immensely and in all probability I will do it again!

Psychological fitness:

Though you are always surrounded by people, you will

feel lonely. Everybody you see will try to talk to you

but you don't know what they are saying and you can't

talk back. You will become an expert at sign language.

You will not be talking to anyone about half of your

journey. Loneliness cannot be explained, only

experienced. You will experience real loneliness

when you are camping in a desert with no one

around for a hundred miles. You cannot avoid it;

you have to cope with it. Nevertheless it will

have an effect on your mind all the time.

Some day the inevitable travel sickness will put

you down and you won't feel like doing

anything at all. Even on a journey like this where

you are seeing something new every day,

sometimes you lose interest in the best of the

places or things and you don't want to go out of

your room. That's okay; you just need to sit

indoors for a few days and it will be alright.

Take care that you don't indulge in too much

alcohol or grass or dope or whatever. This is a

potential danger as every day you are in a

beautiful touristy area where entertainment is all

around. Watch yourself because no one is going

to tell you to stop.

Finally when you come back you will take a long

time to settle into the routine of your regular life.

You will probably be depressed for a while. Just

be cool and soon you will be normal. Have a

great ride.


Fried Tarantulas!A rollercoaster ride through Cambodia on indiMotard's Tomb Rider tour

As we strolled into the parking lot of our tour hotel, bug-eyed Honda Baja250s stared us in the face as our fellow Tomb Riders milled about. The air reeked with excitement and un-burnt fuel as everybody was firing up their machines and figuring out the controls. Our first stop was Kep, an isolated and un-exploited French coastal town in the southern part of the country. We rode deep into the hinterland where we shared dirt roads with cyclists, pedestrians and kids at play while cows played chicken with us as we rode by. It's a place of stilt bamboo houses and torn fishing nets hammocks for furniture where a square meal consists of rice and a broth of any kind of animal or insect that. This is it, I thought. This is Cambodia. With Kep checked off the map, we went around the great Tonle Sap lake to Siem Reap. The stop at the eerie gates of Choeung Ek, an orchard that the Khmer Rouge used to systematically execute 17000 victims was a bit to stomach. The stop at Stoung, a small town known for its deep-friend delicacies - tarantulas and crickets left us wondering about food and culture. The visit to the Angkor ruins was the perfect photo stop with an outing on National Road 66 which was the highlight.

Route 66 turns off deep into the forest where tarmac fades to sand and the bustling tourists give way to a creepy jungle silence. The path was treacherous and we were warned about riding off it—mine fields dotted both sides. Encountering the Beng Mealea temple after dusk was magical as the sight of the temple wrapped in a beam of moon-light merged with the silence. And all it really takes to get you there is a motorcycle. Two wheels can really move the soul.

indiMotard Adventures runs a professional motorcycle touring outfit here in India with a fleet of brand new Royal Enfield Classic 500s & KTM 200 Dukes With your food, stay, back up service and medical aid taken care of, all you have to do is show up with your helmet and you're ready to rumble. While tours to Cambodia and Sri Lanka happen once a year, tours around India happen on a more regular basis along with organizing a custom tour for your and your friends.We start off the year with another edition of Tomb Rider in March 2014 and follow that up with summer in the Himalayas in August 2014.

To find out more visit www.indimotard.com or call +91-9980829440JOSHUA CRASTO runs JCMOTO (www.jcmoto.in) : Custom Motorcycle Builds to perfection!

CAMBODIA TOMB RIDER TOUR 2010

joshua crasto/anand dharmaraj

12 | motorcycle travellers meet | vol 1Advertorial


ASCENDING HEAVEN ON A YEZDI

Wg. Cdr.RSR Murty

Like all Air Force Stations, Saharanpur too has historical significance. This was the base that was part of IPKF operations and had at the time conducted some daring rescue operations. The one that comes to mind is an operation involving the rescue of victims stranded in cable cars in Dehradun. Saharanpur AFS had a principal purpose to provide cover to the entire range of what is now Uttarakhand. From rescuing stranded avalanche study teams to route reconnaissance and carting people deeper into strategic locations, Saharanpur AFS had its work cut out.

The call from the hills began as soon as I was posted to 30 Wing. The Air Force Adventure Foundation was preparing its agenda for adventure activities for the year. Seizing the opportunity, I quickly put in a proposal for the first ever (mixed) motorcycle expedition to Badrinath. This proposal was endorsed by the equally enthusiastic Station Commander Gp. Capt. RPS Dhillon. A pilot himself, he wanted his station officers to master the hills from the ground as much as they could from the air. At this juncture, it's important to highlight the other reasons for this expedition. Every year these hills contribute a mighty chunk of manpower for selection into the IAF rank and file; our parallel intent was to tap into the youth of these hills and disseminate information about the IAF. The Indian Army meanwhile had another task for us: mark out neatly on a map the bad patches along this route and help reconstruct them with the help of Border Roads Organisation. And thus was set the multipurpose goal for this motorcycle expedition.

With consent from Delhi Headquarters, I wasted no time in forming a team that would take on the hills with their 'two-wheeled darlings', as they were called at the time. The formidable team consisted of Flt. Lt. RSR Murty (expedition leader), Plt. Offr Moses, Flt. Lt. Mukul Ekka, Flt. Lt. BS Yadav, Fg. Offr Pankan and the dashing (Late) Fg. Offr Chander Singh. Preparations began at a frenetic pace. I accompanied an air maintenance sortie (routine trip) to the valley for a road recce; a route was penned down back in the office and the finalized route had us brimming with excitement. We flagged off from NH7 to NH 58; NH 58 covering Rurkee, Haridwar, PipalKothi, Tehri, Chamoli, GovindGhat, Gaucher and Badrinath. A total of about 350km one way.

Our 'two wheeled darlings' comprised of three Yezdis, two Royal Enfields and one Hero Honda. All our vehicles were given to a company called Check C for servicing, and their magnanimity was much appreciated because they responded on time! For other supplies like food and shelter we were, at most stops, taken care of by some army unit or other. But of course no fauji expedition, trek, sortie or journey is complete without kick-starting it with parathas and aloo-sabzi from the mess!

The roads were narrow, slippery, and, at times, we were driving on icy bridges of 10 to 12 feet in length as the roads would be washed out by the streams flowing down the hillside. But that was hardly our biggest challenge. Road erosion gives way to water puddles, which turns into ice overnight owing to the low temperatures making manoeuvring harder as the altitude increased. As we proceeded beyond Govind Ghat, we were literally gliding over the icy layers of glassy roads, using both legs as rudders to avoid fatal skids from those heights. There were no motorcycle repair shops after we crossed the plains. Most of our fears were laid to rest as we moved along. The team could traverse the entire stretch on the hills without any major breakdown.

Explorers, travellers, bikers, adventurers, crazy officers possessed with Air Force's motto 'Touch the Skies with Glory'. I'm not quite sure which category we belonged to. To sum up the journey, I can only quote Thoreau: “What lies behind us and what lies ahead of are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.”

In the early summer of April 1986, I was posted to Air Force Station (AFS) 30 Wing from Air Force Station Madh Island, Bombay. Located in the interiors of Uttar Pradesh, the AFS is surrounded by mango orchards in a small village called Sorana which is sandwiched between two major towns, Saharanpur and Jagadhri.


JAMMINGLOBAL

jay kannaiyan

You've seen that photo of a guy and his motorcycle set against some magnificent backdrop, like the Himalayas or the Andes. And now you want to do that. So what exactly does it take? There are two ways to approach this - either you just pick up your bike keys, turn on the engine and ride without bothering to plan, or you spend time planning your travel so that you'll be a bit more comfortable and assured of tackling any hurdles that come your way by carrying the appropriate gear. I've tried both ways and each has its own charms and problems.

The first method is for free-birds: those that don't even plan tonight's dinner, let alone what gear they should carry or where exactly they want to go. There's definitely a beauty in being spontaneous and leaving it up to fate to direct your front wheel's direction. However, I would advise that the second method is the wiser option since there are dangers that can be mitigated with a bit of planning.

Planning is for travellers who want to delve a bit deeper into their experiences by choosing the best places to slow down on their journey and ensure that they actually get to where they'd like to go. The first thing to consider is what kind of roads you expect to encounter in and around your destination. If the roads are going to be paved and flowing black ribbons of asphalt, any kind of motorcycle from a Scooty to a Harley will do. However, if you anticipate rough roads and have a desire to go off the beaten path, a more off-road oriented motorcycle will be the right choice. The features to look for in this kind of bike are long suspensions to absorb the bumps, a durable frame to withstand vibration and a large front wheel to easily climb over rocks and out of

potholes. To ride safely in off-road conditions, the rider must be able to stand comfortably on the foot-pegs and have control of the levers on the handlebar. This means that the bike should have a slim fuel tank instead of a fat, round one that would obstruct the knees when standing and a straighter handlebar than what would feature on a cruiser bike.

In India, the most affordable off-road bike is the Hero Impulse, though unfortunately it is out of production. Its off-road frame is perfect for travelling although its 150cc engine leaves most bikers yearning for more grunt especially when climbing up steep slopes. Many a traveller have done successful trips through the Himalayas on the Impulse, showing that a more suitable chassis can outweigh deficiency in power. The other obvious choice for a touring motorcycle in India is the Royal Enfield Bullet. The Bullet can definitely tackle all the rough terrain thrown at it but unfortunately this comes at a price in terms of weakened suspension and an outdated heavy frame. In the hands of a custom builder however, a very worthy off-roader can be built based on the Bullet.

Once the vehicle for the journey is sorted, the next task is to accessorise the pilot. Feeling the wind and leaning in and out of corners, the rider is in store for a liberating experience, but it would be foolish not to respect the dangers that come from riding a motorcycle. Even a simple accident at 10 kph can cause great damage. To mitigate the dangers of the crash that all riders face, get some high quality safety gear. The helmet should fit comfortably and not move around at high speed. The gloves and boots should protect your wrists and ankles while not restricting your dexterity. The jacket and pants should have the armour to protect the major joints.

12 | motorcycle traveler meet 2013 14 | motorcycle travellers meet | vol 1

> JAMMIN GLOBALjay kannaiyan

The next major consideration is what to pack. You and your motorcycle are going on this journey. You are going to be living on this bike for the duration of your trip so you should see it as your home. Depending on how far away from civilization you want to go will determine what kind of things you will need to carry. If you'll be in populated areas and have towns to sleep in every night, your gear might consist of a few pairs of clothes and perhaps some photography gear. However, if you want to head far away from anything resembling a town, you must carry your own shelter and food. A lightweight tent with a thin sleeping bag and sleeping mat can make for a comfortable night's rest. I like to travel with a thin, inflatable 3/4 length mattress that lifts me just a centimetre or two off the ground to provide a flat surface to sleep on. I get great joy from cooking my own meals while travelling to remote places, and a camping stove like the MSR Dragonfly is sufficient to cook some tasty meals.

Every seasoned rider learns to be careful about carrying tools and spares for the bike. Equip yourself with basic skills, like fixing a flat tyre, removing and inspecting a spark plug, changing the engine oil, adjusting drive chain tension, etc. While it's good to take tips from seasoned travellers on various aspects of a long journey, it all boils down to what you want out of your journey. The greatest teacher is your own experience, so learn from each journey and soon you will be an expert in planning for long distance motorcycle travelling.

Happy Riding!

Jay spent 3 years and 3 months on the road covering 33 countrieswhile riding 103,200 kms.

He started from Chicago and ended his journey in New Delhi. By then, he had cooked 56 chicken curries along the way!



RIDING THEN,RIDING NOW


navroze contractor

Riding Then

I did my first 500-kilometer ride in 1963, but as a pillion on my brother's brand new BSA Gold Star 350. Since then I have ridden thousands of kilometres on my own bikes, starting from a Vespa scooter to 1000-cc bikes. Then, a 38BHP bike was nearing a super bike status. Bikes were different then. They were small, simple and came only in black and chrome, with a dash of silver as paint options. Rear suspension had spring adjusters - front had none. All gears were on the 'other' side, and one up three down, except the European bikes. Even the BMWs came in just black with white lining. There were no luggage designed for bikes and no bungee chords to tie down stuff. Jackets were leather, black or brown. If you had visited England, you could be wearing a cotton waxed Belfast jacket. There were hardly any riding gloves. Boots were either military/camping wear or thin riding boots. Helmets were half, know as pudding bowls. Goggles were a must and Mark-9 was the craze. You bought a bike and improvised on it depending on your use. No company offered anything but road bikes, the exception being the BSA Gold Star and Norton International, which came with rear set footrests and clip on bars, that's all.

Roads were narrow, but not bad. Traffic was minimal and roadside assistance almost zero. Punctures were the biggest nemesis; you were supposed to fix everything else yourself. Lighting was extremely unreliable. Tire choice was skinny ribs for front, blocks for rear, all in one size. Doing a speed of 100kmph was a big deal. 160kmph, you were a hero. At roadside stops there were no crowds, the bikes were too simple and riders looked like any one else. Routes were selected according to eating-places on the way. Starting after dinner and riding through the night was common. Hot sun, chilly winters or pouring rain didn't matter, it was the only vehicle a real rider had. Getting groceries, going to work or touring, and occasional racing, all was done with the same bike. And most important, there were NO speed breakers anywhere in India! Oh, and one more thing. No one took photographs! Maybe in a three-day ride one picture would be clicked. On my ride to UK I didn't take a single picture of me and my Gold Star 500! I did take pictures, but not of myself. Cameras were too big and heavy to carry, plus one didn't go to pose, one went to ride. Motorcycles were cheap and motorcycling was cheaper. There was never any mass group touring. There was never a need of a GPS, just ask someone on the roadside and you'd know exactly where you were.


Riding Now

In 50 years everything has turned upside down. Manufacturers caught on and now make a model for every use one can ever imagine. Accessories companies have kept ahead and manufacture everything that you need. I say they are merely toys for men. Motorcycles are not cheap now and motorcycling is even more expensive. Roadside assistance remains as before, zero. Today's riders want to take a picture even before they start a journey, stop for tea, take a leak, eat and spend endless hours posing with their machines. Amongst millions who ride, and a few thousand who ride big expensive bikes; only a handful really use them as they are meant to be. In my horizon, it may be small, but it should be fearless. I don't know 15 people who ride beyond their comfort zone. The brotherhood syndrome has taken over solo touring. We see even a hundred bikers at a time on highways. What is the fun, I have no idea. Touring was to see different places, meet different people, eat different food and smell fresh air. Today we see each other's backsides, we smell petrol fumes and go on posing with our 'brotherhood'. Brotherhood is a part belonging, part fear of a breakdown, part mistrust of our machine and part fear of taking on 'the uncertain world that lay ahead' of a ride.

Two things have remained the same. Though we have better roads, faster and more comfortable bikes, better protective gear, but the time taken from point A to point B remains the same! Tolls, speed breakers and long stops posing for the camera are partly responsible. Partly it is the lack of stamina, fear of the weather, extreme lack of concentration time, fiddling with gear are the human factors affecting our riding time today.

The second aspect that has remained the same in India, are the common dreaded questions. “How much does it cost? What is the average it gives?”

I am not running down any time period. I enjoy new bikes myself. I have new gear. But like before, I ride long, use and trust the technology as it is meant to be. And I really admire and respect those few who have shown the courage and determination to venture out into the world solo or just with very few.

> RIDING THEN, RIDING NOWnavroze contractor


TWO DAYS CAN CHANGE A LIFE!

Notes from the Motorcyle Travellers Meet India 2013rohan ganachari

I often trawl on Facebook, blogs and motorcycling forums on a daily basis – call it my dose of adventure if you will. The online world is filled with stories on the road, riding details, tips and heaps of information. But on 18th July 2013, I noticed something different. The “Motorcycle Travellers Meet”, a first of its kind happening in India was to take place on 27th& 28th of July, near Bangalore. Without sparing another second, I enrolled myself.

Much to my surprise, I had to answer a series of questions, wait an entire day for the confirmation mail and finally, the payment details. This ensured that only those who were truly passionate could attend the meet.

The route to the campsite was splendid! The NH

04 let Godwin Monis and I red-line our machines

to 3-digit speeds upto 50kms from Bangalore

city. Then from Dabbaspete, there was a detour

into the undulating countryside. The sights &

sounds of a village are quite a respite for us city

dwellers and we thoroughly enjoyed the off-road

adventure experience before we reached Camp

Shristi. Nestled between a rocky hill-scape, the

camp was brilliantly green and set the tone for the

adventure, which was yet to unfold.

Soon after breakfast we moved to the

presentation area where the events of the day

were to take place. Mr.Anand & Mr.Prashanth from

Indimotard convened the bike maintenance

workshop that took care of small doubts, cleared

misconceptions and further reinforced our

knowledge on the basics. They also stressed on

being geared at all times, even if it meant to

sacrifice comfort occasionally; something that is

often ignored by riders.

Bharadwaj Dayala (The 1st Indian to ride round the

world) flagged off the talks. His story was awe-

inspiring, from the very beginning! The

determination, optimism and the perseverance he

showed on his 18-month journey around the world

avinash thadani> TWO DAYS CAN CHANGE A LIFE

rohan ganachari


is truly commendable. After quick refreshments, it was Avinash Thadani, who related his adventure of South America. His remarkable willpower to quit his decade old job in New York and cover the entire Che Guevara trail on his KTM 640 has certainly given me a new goal to look forward to. The post lunch session was what I had been waiting for - Jay Kannaiyan's ride to India through South America and Africa. The man who lived on the road with his motorcycle for 3 long years, covering 33 countries on his 103,200kms voyage is a true inspiration! Listening to his experience and the hurdles he faced along the way made me realize, the human spirit is unbeatable!

A 2-hour film from 'Horizons Unlimited'

detailed the necessary preparation,

precautions, documents, formalities and

procedures required for a ride round the

world. Just comes to show that it's no easy

task but with the right body, mind, skill and

motorcycle, it's surely an achievable dream!

Finally, the much awaited dinner, chilled

beverages and hot chicken BBQ along with

the rain set a picture perfect moment.

The next day MTM had organized a small trek

over a hill, something rare for us riders who are more

used to munching miles than meters! Even before

touchdown hot South-Indian delicacies were ready.

Filling ourselves to the brim, we were all set for more

inspiring stories. The camp was brilliantly green and

set the tone for the adventure, which was yet to

unfold.

Wing Commander RSR Murthy shares his experience

of being part of the 1st Indian Air Force team to ride

into the interiors of Uttarakhand. Kishore described

the near impossible transition that took him from

being a commuter to a tourer on a 6 month Sub-

Continental trip. Ashish and Asim, covered India riding

for a cause, to spread the message of conservation of

our majestic yet endangered national animal, the

Tiger! Emphasizing to be humble in front of Mother

Nature.

Prajwal talked about how he had the burning desire to

travel despite being on a shoestring budget while

studying in USA. He discovered a small but trusty

organization where native riders would lend their

motorcycles to passionate backpackers. Taking full

advantage, he travelled across the country on a

borrowed motorcycle! Kedar told us of his struggle to

> TWO DAYS CAN CHANGE A LIFErohan ganachari



convince his family and employer about his passion to ride and finally after a go-ahead from them he is setting off on a 40000kms ride in August 2013. Navroze, a true veteran, had made history by being the 1st Indian to travel across continents, to England in the 70s. A man with innumerable tales, he amused us all with just a couple of his magnificent travels. I was surprised to see him still rocket through, on the BMW GS 650F! Ultimately, Malvikaa pushing all limits who learnt to ride at the age of 38! She was the only woman speaker at MTM.

It's an awesome feeling to know that we were all

being treated with the same respect, regardless of

the fact that some people had travelled far greater

than others. All the stories were so absorbing and

inspiring that it was over before we knew it. Post

MTM, I'm a new person: motivated to dream big,

patient in planning and determined to do my own

world tour someday.

ROHAN V GANACHARI, 19 Years

IV SEM BBA (Aviation Management)

Aptech Aviation Academy

Bangalore

> TWO DAYS CAN CHANGE A LIFErohan ganachari


Ashish and Asim

TRAVELLINGWITH A

PURPOSE

topic of conservation and realised the importance of anti-poaching activities and the financial significance of promoting these areas as tourism spots. As luck would have it, the wonderful beast also bestowed them with many sightings. On asking which was the most memorable Tiger Reserve through the journey, pat came the reply – Ranthambore.

Twenty seven punctures and a few more breakdowns later, their bikes still lay testimony to their love for the tigers and motorcycle touring. Plastered with 'Save the Tiger' stickers, the tiger paw mark and other paraphernalia, the bike garners great interest with the passerbys. This gives them an audience of willing listeners - A great ploy to spread the message! It also gives other riders to make their miles count. Associate with an integral issue of your choice and raise awareness. Because when you are sitting on that bike, taking the challenges of the road head on, there will be listeners.

What lay ahead was a daunting journey, not only where the kilometres and riding & fixing expertise was concerned, but the buy in of family, friends, funding and making the trip worth it. Asim and Ashish started out their journey of 14000kms, covering almost 3/4th of the vast country, riding to the national parks and tiger reserves of the country. Fifteen states, thirty-four cities and seven tiger reserves later, the duo had to take a small break back in Bangalore, after which Asim covered three more reserves on his own, notching the number upto ten!

Having interacted with wildlife experts on the issue, before riding out, they were able to spread a precise message on saving the tiger. Locals were intrigued by the bright bikes (BAJAJ PULSAR 150 (2003)&YAMAHA RX-100(1987)) and listened with rapt attention. Not only was this journey a one-way conversation. In turn they learnt how the communities living close to the jungle were equally engaged in the

Sprightly and purposeful, the youngest speaker at MTM jumped up to take his spot to tell us about his journey within India. What was unique? The fact that the then 19 year old and his senior accomplice of 29 years had traversed through India, but with a purpose! A young Ashish shared his story with MTM to bring home a strong message.

While adrenalin pumping trips to Leh and around have been part of itineraries, how about adding touch of conscious travels to the rides? It was planning for one such trip with Asim of Bangalore Motoring Club, that the duo decided to take up a widespread issue, close to their hearts. Tigers!

MTM Article 22 | motorcycle travellers meet | vol 1

This November, she rides to Rajasthan in search of more solutions. Her story steers towards an obvious discussion of gender influence and safety for women on the road, as she pulls in the other women riders of MTM into the discussion. Like Malvikaa, many feel that the gender limitation (or the lack of it) is self-imposed. Women are actually in a very good position to bike where help on the road is required. There are people always willing to help a lady in distress. There are a few things that you need to keep in mind for your own safety, like riding in the day, booking a hotel room ahead so you are not roaming in an unknown town in the dark and such. But these are tips that would apply to any other travellers and men too. The world is becoming more accommodating and the gender gap is slowly but surely being bridged. Malvikaa leaves us with this positive thought to end the Motorcycle Traveller's Meet.

The absence of women riders is a strong presence in the biking landscape of the country and it's the few people like Malvikaa that fill this gap; without wanting to prove a point, without any aggression or need to peg this passion to shatter a gender stereotype. She just loves to ride. This wasn't a long harboured dream or whimsical moment that she was inclined to the wheels, she just wanted to do something new. At the age of 38! It's been four years since, and Malvikaa has been riding - solo!

Surprising herself right from learning how to ride and then taking off to beautiful destinations, with no expectations! Her story is an inspiring one! Malvikaa has been riding to places like Pondicherry, Maharashtra, Coorg and more, learning about watershed management. She is on the look out for eco conscious efforts that encourage low impact living, in order to simplify life and live in harmony with nature. A not for profit establishment, Swayyam, has been created to meet this goal. And the bike enables her to travel to remote places in the country to study this inclusive approach. Malvikaa has been travelling to learn from traditional practices of building homes with mud and utilizing water to redesign living itself. She truly believes that human beings are a small fragment of the entire matrix and sensitizing people to this point is very important.

FILLING THE Malvikaa Solanki

ESSENTIAL GAP

MTM Article23 | motorcycle travellers meet | vol 1

Riding on a borrowed bike

For many, this sounds blasphemous. Sharing bikes is almost never heard of for serious riders. But Prajwal was determined and chanced upon bikeswap.org, a pan world organization that connects riders from different countries, so they can borrow bikes if they are travelling to a particular country in lieu of giving their own to visitors to their country. Based on a massive amount of trust, Bikeswap does fairly well. It has 33 members across the world and is slowly growing to be the couch surfing like community of the biking world.

Partner in Crime

His partner in crime is the small stuffed Panda that goes everywhere with him. Slowly we see pics of the Panda in different landscapes – he is Prajwal's travelling mascot, a companion if you will. His model against the beautiful landscapes, wherever Prajwal goes. We see him first in front of the Utah mountain and then all along the presentation to various places.

On the road with a minimal budget

Prajwal took us through the basic questions one grapples with before setting out. Travelling alone or with a group is the first one. A propagator of solo travels, he believes that we put ourselves in more vulnerable situations when travelling by ourselves. We are open to new cultures, make the effort of understanding a language and are thrown outside our comfort zone. Couch surfing was a great method for him to see new places on a budget and also get to know some fantastic locals. Of course, good cooking

A small stuffed Panda leans against the projector as Prajwal adjusts the mic and fumbles with the presentation on the laptop. Coming from an airplane-designer, it already promises to be an interesting talk. Prajwal breaks his ride down for us in simple terms and methods. He explains how he rode through different parts of the US and Europe in easy ways that enabled him to see some of the most exclusive parts of these regions! For him, the driving force was nature, the lure of seeing exquisite sights and visiting those unreal looking places that Google threw up in searches. His chalked out what his enablers were and got right to visiting these destinations.

On a bike! On a borrowed bike!

Prajwal Shivaprakashfrom AIRPLANESTO BIKES

skills always help! All he did was dream big and money was suddenly not an issue. Affordable insurance, a borrowed bike, no customs, no international license, a vegan pillion rider for part of the journey who took care of the food and a desire to travel to unknown places is what he gathered up and set out. Prajwal's story was an inspiration to those who want to ride to see exotic locations of the world and harboured doubts that they will ever be able to do it. After seeing this, all doubts were hopefully dispelled.


This could well be the introduction for a super hero! With a sufficient measure of audacity and indomitable spirit, this is the story of Bharadwaj Dayala or BJ as he prefers to be called. He is nothing short of a hero for the riders in India and his story of riding around the world promises the thrill of an action packed time. An account of his eighteen-month long ride around the world amassed ample fascination for the unassuming, highly engaging speaker at the Motorcycle Travellers Meet. More than that, he left bikers with just one comforting message – anyone can do it!

With roadblocks starting from funding to sustain for over a year, the bike and its customization, severe opposition from friends & family, custom officials and the most daunting of all, the task of getting timely visas, the problems were plenty.

But the solution was simple – being patient, being persistent. From having an absolutely blank passport to one that was plastered with visas from all over the world, Bharadwaj's anecdotal stories of how to muscle out a visa from the immigration officers were truly rivetting and funny. Our favourite was when he took the liberty of actually calling an ambassador on his private number and ensuring that action was taken that very moment! Apart from the grit and determination, there are parts of his story that makes for great advice to those aspiring to do a world tour on their bike; visas are a challenge for Indian passport holders and one needs to have extremely sharp planning.

Before he set off in April 2006, it took him not months but several years of planning and getting himself ready for the trip. Learning about the bike, how to document everything on video and camera, visas and countless things that would come with a road trip for a year and a half. Being an Indian, there was no precedence on the rules and regulations or even subtle nuances of what would come up on a road trip. So in came a mountain of things to unearth and then the journey began on his 260 kgs of bike and equipment. It launched with a sense of calmness that BJ finds hard to articulate. 50-60 bikers followed him along the smooth beachfront road along the Bay of Bengal in Vishakhapatnam and he heard nothing! Despite people cheering him on along the route, his head was filled with silence. Until reality struck and there was no turning back!

He started the journey on international soil, from Tehran. From Iran, he rode into Turkey, then Syria, Jordon, across the Red Sea into Egypt, retraced his way back into these countries to enter Greece.

Once having entered UK, he made his way through Canada and explored a large part of the country and entered the US from Winnipeg. He then cut across the country from East to West, and decided to ship his bike to Australia from LA. While the bike sailed to Australia, he found time to touch the Arctic circle. Once he landed in Australia, it was time to explore the land of the Roos and then ride into Indonesia and into Bangladesh. From here, he entered back into India from the eastern border of the country. The mammoth journey took 18 months and 47000 kms.

With plenty of stories from camping in the wilderness, breaking down due to loneliness, exploring new foods and encountering some of the most fascinating topographies and their inhabitants on the road, BJ had a treasure trove of advice to share. The most important one being – trust! He explained how this intrinsic human characteristic is fast fading in the modern world, but is the biggest asset when one is travelling alone. For him a trip like this, made him shed the inhibition of being inducted in different cultures, breaking down the walls of differences and giving yourself up to your circumstances without guard. And the result was an indescribable feeling of freedom.

The message that the Invincible Visa Man left us with is “Inspire yourself” - you don't need divine intervention to make things happen! Just sheer willpower and the resolve to do something. Sounds crazy? So be it!’

To know more about Bharadwaj's trip, please visit www.bikingtheworld.blogspot.in/

bharadwaj dayala the

INVINCIBLEVISA MAN


The one thing that sticks in one's mind from Jay's talk is the video of the Bolivian salt flats in Salar de Uyuni, whizzing past the bike; kilometers of it, not changing in topography even once. While sitting and watching this on film is intriguing, Jay tells that it is a haunting experience. You can close your eyes and ride for minutes and when you open them, nothing changes. There is still an eery whiteness around you. This and hundreds of more bizarre but beautiful moments come rushing back to him as he tells us about shrinking the world into one 'ridable' place.

It was March 5, 2010, when sanDRina, Jay's Suzuki

DR650 purred out of Chicago and into San

Francisco, entering the first border into Mexico.

That is when it really hit him. He had gotten rid of all

his belongings at Chicago, a cushy job, a possible

Green Card and was riding back to India from the

US, covering as many nations as he could. Of

course, this wasn't just a flippant whim that he was

catering to. This was a well thought out dream; the

one backed with plenty of research on living on the

road, whetting cooking skills (especially the

quintessential Indian chicken curry) and the tricks of

how to stretch the dollar in a day. The idea was to

ignore the treaded routes and go through the

places that were relatively untraversed. For a richer

cultural exchange, the best way would be to stay

with local families through couch surfing in

exchange for the 'home-made' chicken curry dished

out with a tinge of Indian spices and his mum's

recipe.

Jay planned the trip largely in Southern Hemisphere

(South America and Africa), touching Colombia,

Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina and the massive

Patagonia that all of us have read about. He recalls

the time in Egypt, when he was the only tourist in

the Pyramids, a rare experience. This was just

months after the revolution and he had reached the

country after riding through Hamburg and being

denied entry into Morocco. After Egypt, it was

the White Saharan Desert that lured Jay- he

reminisces on how camping by himself in the

middle of nowhere was one of the most

outrageous yet sublime experiences. The

landscape is ludicrously beautiful, the kind that

makes you feel humble and one with nature.

Jay's staid and calm demeanor lights up when

he talks about the 900 km off-road route from

Southern Ethiopia into Kenya along Lake

Turkana. This was after staying in Sudan in a

fishermen's colony for five days, feeling the

safest that he had in many other seemingly

invulnerable countries. After Kenya, Jay swerved

around East Africa into Mozambique and then

Zambia, where he grew up. After a nostalgic

stop, it was the desert of Namibia and then the

final flight into India, while sanDRina was

shipped in. On a personal front, this grand

homecoming and the months that preceded it,

was also a time to reflect on what it would mean

to be back in India after he had stayed out since

he was two years old.

He stresses that big rides are mostly not the

result of one earth shattering epiphany: these

are dreams nursed for long, reasons and life

circumstances that come together to make it

happen. Jay has mustered more than 100000

kms in his journey across the borders over three

years and is now planning to get on an Enfield, a

favourite in India, and possibly shrink the

peninsula. Amongst many, the most important

lesson he left us with is – Know how to make

your chicken curry well and you will be able to

exchange it for a comfy bed, possibly extra fuel

and resilient friendships for years to come.

To know more about Jay's trip, please visit

www.jamminglobal.com

jaykannaiyan

“For a richer cultural exchange, the best way would be to stay with local families through couch surfing in exchange for the 'home-made' chicken curry dished out with a tinge of Indian spices and his mum's recipe.”

how a

CHICKEN CURRY SHRINKS THE WORLD


TRAILING CHE with Avinash Thadani

The news that he is riding all the way from Mumbai on his KTM 640 has already made an impression in the minds of the MTM participants.

The eagerness to hear his story is palpable. And then heaves in the massive bright orange KTM 640; muddy from the ride, with more than a foot of clearance and a legacy of a great trip. On it, is Avinash Thadani – lean, bearded, restless, constantly bobbing and swaying and always ready with a humorous retort. His disarming and friendly demeanor is almost infectious. It's the post lunch session of Day 1 at MTM and we are ready to get transported back to 1967! The year when Argentine revolutionary, Che Guevara, was executed.

When one harbours a dream for ten years, its

realization is stronger, more satisfying and sinks in

with more impact. That's what happened with

Avinash. Inspired by the movie, Motorcycle Diaries,

which is based on the1952 expedition done by Che

Guevara and Alberto Granado on a Norton 500,

Avinash had decided to do the same trail one day

and reaffirmed the intent with a map of the same in

his room, for a decade. It swathed many walls of

rooms through his graduation years and then when

he was working in the US; bits of plaster sticking to its

back testify this till date. The map served as a

constant reminder of the dream.

Of course, Che's ride through South America took

him through the most desolate places of the region

and transformed his views on justice, political

anarchy and socialism. For Avinash, it chalked out the

way to have a deeper understanding of himself and

explore the alluring world of Che. He was headed for

the end of the World, the tip of South America in

Tierra Del Fuego – Ushuaia Patagonia Argentina;

15,000 kms through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru,

Bolivia, Argentina, Chile and Brazil over four months.

Equipped with a smattering of Spanish and plenty of

fortitude (which admittedly weakened sometimes),

Avinash started in Bogota with expected excitement.

An early crash on Day 2 which ended being trapped

under the heavy bike for what seemed like hours,

ducking from bullets fired by the AK 47s of the

FARC, riding through the thick wild jungles of

Colombia and the thrill of not knowing where he

might be sleeping that night set the tone of the trip.

He rode on the daunting terrain of the Andes, slept in

local homes, camped under the stars and stocked up

on a lifetime of moments to remember on this trip.

The most memorable of them was the ride on The

Routa Del Sol – or Route of the Sun. This is the road

that skirts the blue waters of the Pacific winding

southwards along the edge of the country. Also, the

wooden raft ride across the Amazon, done by Che

and Granada, was one that Avinash wanted to

replicate. Trying to have the closest possible

experience, he hopped onto the most local boat

available to cross the mighty Amazon. It was called

'Henry V'. Of course, the boat was far from the royal

grandeur of its namesake.

Though nauseatingly cramped with rows of cloth hammocks, chickens, muddy coloured water, which he survived for five days, it gave him a story that he can talk about for ages. The only consolation; Che would have possibly suffered the same hardships on his 'Mambo Tango' raft or possibly much more. On


the same trail, the air thinning altitude of Machu Picchu peak in Peru is not what made him lightheaded and dreamy – it's the sheer wonder of encountering one of the greatest architectural finds of the 20th century, that left Avinash mesmerized.

Of all the countries, it was Bolivia that had Avinash

hooked. The poorest of all South American nations -

intriguing, mysterious and reeking of absolute raw

beauty. It was here that the trip actually felt like a

pilgrimage. After a debilitating time of dealing with

his lost passport, money and all other belongings, it

was just one thing that made the whole trip worth it –

the village of La Higuers. Packed in a cab with two

large Bolivian men on a constant dose of coca leaves,

he rumbled past dark Bolivian jungles into the

unassuming village, with hardly any inhabitants. A

small museum has been built on the same place

where Che Guevara was executed. A silent emotional

admiration swept over Avinash and he was finally

able to soak the whole journey in –a mix of relief and

> TRAILING CHEavinash thadani

awe flowed down his cheeks in the form of tears.

He also made his way to Che's grave in Villa

Grande and then finally to the town of Alta

Garcia, where Che was born as Ernesto. It's

unique encounters like this one that make

traveling worth it: Avinash was lucky to meet an

old man who knew Che Guevara as a kid.

Naturally, coming from a contemporary of the

man himself, the stories that he related about

Che in his childhood were goose bumps worthy.

The final leg of trailing Che ended at the tip of

South America, in Tierra Del Fuego – Ushuaia

Patagonia Argentina. After four months of an

exhaustive and exhausting trip, Avinash's love

for riding was only fueled by the success of these

15000 kms in a land of wonder and history. He is

back in India and is working on his next dream:

after this, nothing seems too hard.

To know more about Avinash's trip, please visit

www.facebook.com/straightandleft


Sangeetha Jairam

WOMAN RIDER Riding through India is not without its challenges. People are overcome by curiosity to discover a woman riding alone. On rides home to Coorg alone, I have been asked strange questions like “This bike runs on diesel?” when I am on the BMW f650!). While riding in Ladakh, I have been asked by foreigners “You are an Indian? Really?” But in spite of being a woman rider, I have not had any negative experience on the highway. People by and large are always helpful, more often too shocked to react when they see a woman on a motorcycle. People’s reactions are based on our attitude. Help and kindness sometimes comes from the strangest quarters. And the charm of a motorcycle never fails to enamor.

My first big adventure was my ride to Bhutan with Sherry, Monisha and Abhijit. Our adventure began in Siliguri, West Bengal. We rode into Bhutan through Phuntshoeling and exited into Assam at Samdrup Jhonkar. I was on a Bajaj Pulsar 180. Since it was my first big ride, the experience was simply unforgettable. Bhutan was unique, and there were many firsts for us all – there were no ATMs in Bhutan and no credit cards accepted in those days. So all the money we had to carry in cash, and that too, only in smaller denominations, as that was what was accepted. We learnt the hard way about the importance of having puncture kits handy. Towns are huge distances apart and getting help was tricky! But, as I always say, “bikers are blessed” – at every step there was help at hand.

For instance, on our last day, before our permits expired, we were faced with a massive rock fall. The GREF, after hours of work to clear the rock, all but managed to get a crack across. Once it got dark, and the workers decided to call it a

Growing up on a coffee plantation was indeed a blessing and something I look back at with gratitude. My dad was a farmer by profession, but a biker, wanderer and traveller at heart. He was my hero. My inspiration. Not only because he was my dad but also because of the way he lived his life. After completing his studies in the US and returning home, he was backpacking through Europe, when he decided to buy a bike and ride back to India. This was 1965. He bought a BMW R/25 (single cylinder, shaft driven) and set out for his journey. Listening to his stories as a little girl and being around a motorcycle was “normal” family time.

When I finished high school and was home for the holidays, dad taught me how to ride. It was on his treasured BMW that I learnt the nitty-gritties. Both my brother and I enjoyed riding motorcycles, and being the youngest in the long line of cousins, we always had motorcycles to steal from older cousins and ride around Coorg. Being a woman on a motorcycle has its fair share of stares and glares. There were people who encouraged me and there were those who told me “you are a lady, motorcycles are for boys”. It can be a little daunting as there is no dearth of mindless intimidation as compared to the occasional encouragement. One learns to adapt, be cautious and have fun!



through the mountain passes! But if one has ridden in Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, it is really no surprise. While on the road abroad, one gets to meet travellers from all over the world, doing what lots of us wish we could do – ride a motorcycle to see the world.

So to all women riders, grab your helmets and ride out. There is the world out there that is getting smaller every day. With every ride we learn how to travel lighter, teaching us ‘less is more’. And of course it does help to have some basic knowledge of motorcycles and its maintenance.

As Mark Twain said - "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

day, we realized we were stuck! But, the lorry drivers and cleaners, seeing us (the only people on bikes), decided visitors must not be inconvenienced and extended their hospitality by carrying our motorcycles over the rock! And we were on our way home.

Riding abroad does feel different, as people there are probably more accustomed to women riding motorcycles. I have done some rides in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Central Asia. Though being an Indian woman does bring on surprise on their faces.

Another memorable ride I did was riding 4000+ kilometers through the Pamir Highway. This was part of the old Silk Route in Central Asia. The ride began in Almaty, Kazakhstan. We went through Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan all the way down to the Afghanistan border. It was fascinating to be in parts of the world that was so deeply connected with India historically and yet so distant. The experience was totally exhilarating. I was riding a Suzuki 650. It helped being on a bigger motorcycle as distances covered were large and there were places so remote that sometimes I felt I was the only person on earth! Like all mountainous terrains, there were no roads

> WOMAN RIDER sangeetha jairam


RIDING WITH THE VETERAN

Navroze Contractor

From cleaning his brother's BSA Goldstar in 1956, Navroze straight away graduated to riding pillion with him for 1000 kms from Ahmedabad to the Ajanta Ellora caves. Little did his brother know that the young Navroze would take off for a spin with the bike one morning. And little did Navroze know that he would come back to a very surprised (but proud) older brother, with the fact that he actually managed to ride. Years of sneaking up and riding out the bike had proved to be worth the trouble!

Of all his intriguing stories, the one that he did

from Ahmedabad to London has to be the most

fascinating. It was 1977 and the journey was made

to restore his BSA Goldstar by the only expert in

the world, Eddie Dow, who happened to be in

England. Borders were more porous in those days

and getting a visa to cross Pakistan, which was the

biggest problem and had to be crossed in 24

hours, was fairly easy. Getting past the rest of the

countries was a breeze. Afghanistan was far from

ominous, except for the roads. Finally in Tehran,

when the roads turned smooth is when the

journey picked speed. But something else was

lurking as one of the most memorable encounters

on the journey. The one in which Navroze had to

negotiate with an Irani overlord for his wife, in lieu

for a white stallion that was offered to him.

Through freezing cold lands, being accomplices to

hunting parties and through unimaginable

He took us to an era when pudding bowl helmets were in rage and petrol for Rs 1.25 per liter!

The oldest rider in the coterie-the one with maximum stories, funniest anecdotes and the best advice for the youngsters! The MTM quorum would have been incomplete without traversing into the sixties with Navroze Contractor! He had us at “....riding for the last 57 years” and there was silence in the entire room - only ruptured by uproarious laughter on the punch lines.

topographies, the adventure lasted for 23 days

and $1000. Despite the bizarre challenges, the

ride was absolutely worth it. In England, Navroze

was also given the 'Ride It, Don't Hide It' award for

riding a classic vintage bike, which are usually

kept under the wraps by owners.

Another big ride that Navroze did, was the Bharat

Parikrama; a ride to circumnavigate the periphery

of India. It was 18000 plus kilometers with two

others, never more than 50km away from any

border along the edge of India. Between the three

riders, there were only nine falls in the entire

stretch. Not having fallen once in the entire ride,

Navroze crashed just 50km before Bangalore but

still made a bloody appearance at the press

conference. For someone with such enthusiasm

and fortitude, it was hard to stay away.

A keen solo traveller, Navroze still takes off with

riding clubs of various countries, when he is out

shooting documentaries. Comparing riding in

those days and now he touched upon expense,

the need for latest gear, viability of travelling

across borders and the fact how riding in groups

of hundreds can be dangerous and weighty on

the landscape. Pitching tents by the road is almost

impossible in the country! Leaving us inspired

with a bit from his Bharat Parikrama video, we

were sure that he was the biggest 'iron butt' of the

meet.


Kedar realize one doesn't need 27 years to

follow a dream! It's not the formal education

and the rigmarole of school, college, jobs is

what makes one achieve great things. If you

want to ride –all you need is to know a little

about your bike and Hindi to travel in India.

An Ujjain based Baba, a cyclist touring the

world and many more he met on the road put

things in perspective for Kedar. To follow

your passion, you just need to take the first

step.

Why Bike? For Kedar, it gives him the

flexibility, the thrill of traveling to untraversed

places and meeting new people. When this

journal comes out, he will already be on a

Europe tour on his Thunderbird! This too

didn't come easily – it almost cost him his job

but he was ready to take the risk. He went to

the topmost person of his company to

explain why he needed a long leave of 4

months and the mania behind riding across

to Europe. Kedar already had his resignation

letter ready in anticipation of the leave not

being granted. It was a short interaction with

his Dy. Managing Director, not enough to

explain the gravity and importance of this

trip. He was dismissed from the office

without assurance.

As you read this, Kedar will be riding around

Europe, with a 4 month paid leave and

financial aid of Rs 2 Lakhs from his office.

Kedar is currently on his Europe tour ridingacross Tehran - Turkey - Bulgaria - Romania - Hungary - Austria - Czech Republic - Germany - Hannover - France - Spain -Italy - Greece - Turkey - Tehran.

He is travelling on his Indian-made Royal Enfield 350cc Thunderbird. The tour started in September 2013 and is slated to finish by February 2014.

Kedar will share his journey at MTM 2014.

More details of MTM 2014 on page 38.

When Kedar was 14, his father bought a Bajaj Kawasaki 4S.

As a kid, he was allowed to clean it, start it, run it for 2

mins, but not take it out – ever! He was relegated to an

old cycle, which was his trusted mode of transportation

until engineering. Finally, during engineering is when he

slowly graduated from his cycle to a motorcycle, that

too not his own. Sometimes on friends' bikes, but never

really rode out anywhere out of the city. He became an

avid trekker after he got his first job and spent all

holidays traveling – still not on a bike.

Finally, the day came when his father approved of him

buying a bike and then there was no looking back. A

big trip was planned and he was ready to take in what

the roads had to offer. He started from Hampi, moving

along to Hubli, Pune, Indore, Gwalior, Mathura, Delhi,

Ambala, Amritsar, Pathankot, Jammu, Mansar,

Udhampur, Srinagar, Sonmarg, Kargil, Lamayuru, Leh,

Pang, Upshi, Keylong, Manali, back into Delhi, Jhansi,

Nagpur, lost his way into Panchmarhi, went ahead to

Hyderabad and then finally landed back in Hampi. A

total of 8300 km on the road!

But the thrill of the kilometers clocked isn't what Kedar

got back with him. It was something else. It was the

memory of people who he met and who touched his

heart. Their stories that contributed to changing him, is

what he values most from this mammoth ride. The

most unforgettable of the incidents is when he met

Mukesh, the boat boy. All of 14, he takes tourists across

the river but dreams of being a very good swimmer. At

the age of 12 he saw a boat collapse into the Narmada

and people dying, while everyone waited for the rescue

team. Since that day he decided to be a part of the

rescue team at the river -and that was his only dream. It

was profound encounters such as these that made

Kedarnath

WHY BIKE


MTM Speakers @ IBW:

Eliza Massey: The coolest grandma! In October of 2012, she started her solo round-the-world trip on a BMW F650 GS. After riding and photographing her way through South America and Africa, she is currently riding around India.

Dan Popescu: First SOLO motorcycle traveller in the world to ride the famous ROAD of BONES in Siberia (Winter) - the COLDEST REGION on Earth! The name of the Expedition was Wolf Ticket 2012.

Pankaj Trivedi: Filmmaker and traveller. He has been living life on the road exploring stories of personal freedom and off late in search of half stories; of obstacles, sacrifices and challenges in the unheard of places. In the process showcasing these stories to the world to bring about change.

Lorraine Chittock: is a photojournalist who’s been on the move since an early age, currently living in Chile with her dogs. She’s the author of photo books: Cats of Cairo, Shadows in the Sand and Los Mutts – Latin American Dogs.

Along with the new speakers – Jay Kannaiyan and Bharadwaj Dayala will be presenting their stories at the Big Trip Cinema Stage

T o k n o w m o r e a b o u t t h e s p e a k e r s –

www.motorcycle.travellersmeet.in

MTM@IBW – Schedule

India Bike Week is one of the largest congregations of bikes, bikers and music in India. The second edition (2014) of the bike week is hosting MTM talks and workshops. We are setting up a large tent that will showcase some of the 2013 talks/interviews, speakers, travellers and an easygoing atmosphere for visitors to connect with world travellers.

Our theme at the tent is “Dreams to Realisations” – Travel Inspiration! Engaging the Motorcycle traveller to achieve their dreams of long distance journeys.

Schedule :

Day 1 – Big Trip Cinema: 2 - 3 PM - IndiMotard Bike Breakdown 101 by Anand Dharamraj

MTM Tent: 3:30pm to 4:30pm - “Bike cleaning and protection on Tours “ - in association with Muc-Off (Our “Care” Partner).

MTM Tent: Open for one on one; How to document your journey - a session of using GoPro cameras and basic editing guidelines. Lead by Arvind Prabhakar

MTM Tent: 5:00 – 6:30pm; Panel discussion – Challenges to “Start”- get on a long distance trip. Panel; Ted Simon, Jay Kannaiyan, Lorraine Chittock, Eliza Massey and Bharadwaj Dayala

6:30pm - Panel discussion followed by MTM Journal launch

Day 2 – MTM Tent 11:30 – 12:30 – Pankaj Trivedi – Filmmaker and traveller.

MTM Tent 12:30 -1:30 pm - Dan Popescu – first SOLO motor biker in the world to ride the famous ROAD of BONES in freezing Siberia

Big Trip Cinema - 2.30 - 3.30 PM - MTM Session with Eliza Massey

4.30 - 6 PM - MTM Session with Bharadwaj Dayala

7 - 8 PM - Jammin' thru the Global South with Jay Kannaiyan

Filler on both days :

1. Videos of interviews – Bharadwaj Dayala, jay Kannaiyan and Avinash Thadani

2. Talk videos from MTM 2013 – Kedar, Navroze Contractor, Prajwal, Wg CDr RSR Murthy, Ashish and Asim

3. Dream Planner – one on one interaction

4. One on one interaction with speakers

5. Meet up with allies


Connect. Share. Learn and Inspire.MTM Version 2 : April 11 - 14 / 2014

Camp Shristi (60kms from Bangalore)

Image Courtesy : Jay Kannaiyan( Jammin Thru the Global South )

MTM India is not possible without the support of its partners and allies. The meet is a melting point of stories, journeys, ideas and experiments; of dreams and inspirations from the road and far away places.

We are grateful to the support we have received from individuals who have volunteered to make this a reality. We hope to grow MTM into an interactive platform for motorcycling travel in India, with support from motorcycling communities around the world.

MTM 2014 edition is planned for April 11/12/13/14. The three-night three-day event is an indulging experience with camping in a forested landscape, evening bonfires and barbecues and other engaging programs. You will get to meet like-minded travellers to interact with and make new friends who love motorcycle travel as much as you. (Each participant application is carefully evaluated to bring together a right mix of people)

Location – 60kms off Bangalore – CampsiteCapacity – 100 participants + speakersDuration – Three nights and Three days

Speaker confirmations till Jan1 ,2014:1. Petra and Anders Stridfeldt – Two bikes One World – They are currently on a world tour.2.Dan Popescu – First solo motorcycle traveller in the world to ride the famous ROAD of BONES in Siberia.3. Navroze Contractor – Five decades of motorcycle in India and abroad.4. Kavita Pooviah and Abhijit Rao – Motorcycle travelling couple.5. Sangeeta Jairam – Motorcycle traveller / Yoga instructor.6. Kedarnath – Currently on Europe tour on his Royal Enfield (thunder bird).7. Pankaj Trivedi – Half Stories – Film Maker / Traveller.

Workshops/discussions lead by experienced travellers:1. Maintenance workshops for breakdowns.2. Tire changing workshop.3. Bike cleaning and maintenance on tour.4. Preparation of the motorcycle and self.5. Ride skills for the trails.6. Photography skills.7. Video documentation using GoPro.8. Blogging your journey – a quick guide.9. Better understanding to deal with Visas / Carnet / Shipping.10. Panel discussion – How to achieve your dream.

Petra and Anders Stridfeldt - "The Swedish couple Anders and Petra started a around the world tour from Manchester, England, in May 2013. They left their jobs as Project Manager and Photographer, sold their house and most of their belongings to be able to ride around the world on two BMW F800GS. So far they have done 26 000 km through Europe, Russia, Mongolia, China, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. Next on the tour is Nepal and after that they will come to India and join the MTM meeting for a presentation in April. After India the plan is to ride through South America up to Alaska and then from South Africa up to Europe. The trip will take about two years, but it can be longer depending what turns up."

Registrations for the meet will open on January 31st Register here –www.motorcycle.travellersmeet.in /registration

If you would like to present your journey or suggest speakers or lead a workshop at MTM 2014 – please send a note with your background and brief to [email protected]

S p o n s o r / A d v e r t i s e : C o n t a c t [email protected] - we are looking for long-term associations that would benefit the community

For volunteering and contributing to the idea – We need help in video documentation, graphic / web designers, social media experts and similar skilled volunteers to enhance the quality of the event. Please mail [email protected]

MTM journal will have a Traveller's section in the 2nd edition and a quarterly e-newsletter – if you would like to contribute your motorcycle travel / information articles, route guides, pictures, your event info, and any other relevant contributions – pls mail [email protected]

We would like to thank “Roadster” a Myntra original brand for supporting the 2013 meet.

Our website – www.motorcycle.travellersmeet.inYoutube channel - http://tiny.cc/MTMutubeFacebook - www.facebook.com/motorcycletm Twitter – www.twitter.com/MTMIndia

Photographer - Vaibhav Mehta.Documentation - Supriya Sehgal and Dev Sukumar.Journal Design - Ranjan (www.storythis.in)


Documents

MTM Journal vol 1