Any Connections in India?? Starting in Bangalore.

Hello friends.

I have 2 buddies that are going to ride through India. They are going to be buying bikes when they get there so they can make the journey. I was wondering if ADV riders out there might be able to give them a hand or point them in the right direction. Maybe even sell a bike to them??

Anyhow I told Ryan (WorldRider1) that I would make him a post to get him started on ADV. He and 1 other rider have the gear and now need the bikes, any suggestions and comments will be appreciated on what to do and see in this amazing place. These guys are living a dream that I someday hope to muster up the gumption for!

Thanks and good luck guys.

Dustin

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ may have some information ...

in particular about enfield builets... and carnets. Not a good ibea if your are going to ride out of the country.

Hey Frank, I assume you mean because of this little line??

"The Indian model motorcycles cannot be registered in any other country other than India as it does meet the statutory norms prevailing there."

I did it...actually did it for quite a long while...

My advice

1. buy a bike there...and enfield is the way to go...they do break down, but everyone seems to know how to fix them, and they are cheap to fix...an entire gear box, new tyres and service cost me less than $75 aus...tho' it was a while ago, and I was good at haggling.
2. get out of the major cities fast...they are death traps...Bangalore, madras, are kinda laid back compared to Delhi (and I mean new, not old here).
3. head for the hill staions when you feel pissed with it all...ooti, shimla, darjeeling, etc.
4. take your own meds...I fucked out my foot, and altho' I bought a bandage from the apothacary, it infected like a motherf--- VERY quickly...I blame the dressing.
5. If you start at Bangalore, you have to spend a few days at Mahaballipurum (can't remember if I am speeling it correctly...been a while since I was riding in India/Nth Africa etc), its a cool place to hang.
6. Do learn a few basic words/sentences in Hindi...it will get you from Goa to the Hindu Kush.
7. Get jabbed up for everything you can think of!

You'll love it...its so insane, I remember I flew into New Delhi at night, was promptly fleeced over the cost of a taxi...was told my hotel was 'not good' - a common ploy to get you into an expensive flea pit...next day took an autorickshaw to the Red Fort...got to the first major road and simply exclaimed "oh my fucking god'!...seriously, Nothing will ever prepare you for India, or riding thru India, you'll love it, or hate it...

a note on how to haggle...I found that my wife and I would get the price, beat the trader down a bit and quietly talk about the price between ourselves..."what do you reckon, should we go, should we do this?...the indecision ploy seemed to work great - the vendor would again start dropping his price. If you are westerners, they think your loaded - which you are by their standards, but remember; they expect to haggle...to give in and pay full demanded price is almost an insult.
Good luck.

Thanks for the info. I believe they are planning to leave the country after a month or two. What other bikes might be an option since they are planning to leave??

Hey Ryan,

Here is a cool link from the above Horizons unlimited page on HOW TO DO INDIA

More to it than that - you will not get a carnet for the bike..
You might get it for the hondas etc .. ask when you get there .. go straight to teh auto club and ask if you can get a carnet for an indian bike .. any indian bike not an enfiield. If you cannot then get your self to Nepal and do it there?

This only can in a few years ago .. spoiling the fun ..

Thank you Dustin for setting me up, the novice that I am... I just found a few minutes to get online at my buddies house in NewJersey. Taking the train into the city today and will meet up with my traveling partner 'Chris' in Brooklyn this afternoon. I have read quite a few things regarding taking bikes out of India and into other countries, I know you cannot get a carnet for a bike newly registered in india however you can get bikes already registed and get to nepal where carnet's are accessible. I feel that worst case we'll sell our bikes prior to nepal and buy replacements there. the only downfall would be that the prices are steeper in nepal for a bike than in india... Thanks for all the advice, keep it coming and we'll keep you posted as we go.

Hey buddy,

Nice to see you making posts. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures. Don't forget to post some pics eh.

Dustin

Today is the day! The day... We have done our due diligence over a short period of time to best prepare ouselves for events of which we can only imagine or speculate what our needs may be at any given moment. I choose to trust myself and feel that with the best intentions put forth in return I will receive what is best for me learn. Without judgement of good or bad just an understanding that whatever it is, it is what I need to experience at that moment.

I am sitting in a little studio in Brooklyn, the clouds span the sky dropping their payload of that ever important life giving water wondering through two rectangular windows overlooking Troy street below. I'm Contemplating the 16 hours of flying coach that lye in front of me. I have feelings of excitement; then nervousness... Breathe, calm... The wonder of experience and growth are as attractive to me as the freedom that accompanies those in tandem. Only with anticipation do you set expectation, I am doing my best to stay present and experience each moment as the unique creation that it is. i hope everyone strives to step outside the box and experience life as it is, not as you are told or what someones opinion of it is. Experience life in the first person!

I will share more after we arrive and i can find a PC to create a new post!

Much Love - Ryan

Whats the itinerary?

I'm in India may be able to help if I know where they are planning to go/ what they are planning to do.

For instance - which city are they planning to start from? Concentrate on a specific region, or some kind of a tourist circuit all over? What is of interest -cold/forests/monuments/beaches/utter chaos and lawlessness?

Not sure if you can buy a bike there as a foreigner, OTOH, there will be plenty to buy and"lend" to you . So thats not a problem. There are a lot of reliable bikes that are not so maintainance intensive as the enfields

The traffic will literally have you wondering as to how you will survive. No problem, if they can do it, so can you. Just go with the flow.

I'm a bangalorean, .. now in Pune..
Like Arn mentioned, please post some more details on your duration of travel and the type of places you wish to visit ..

Could help you with itinerary and routes ..

There should be bikes available for 2nds sale in blr.. but probably not on rent.. so, buying a bike should be a good option only if the duration of tour is long ..

Places to see... oh .. plenty ..here's a li'l glimpse ..

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114729
(sorry for cheap self thread promotion)

Plz post more details as you have it..
will watch this space regularly ..

Hey HydroXidE,

Awesome pics. Wow that looks like an amazing ride. Had no idea the terrain was like that. Glad they bought there raingear.

D

Hey Ryan, did I mention you should get a smugmug account?? It's an unlimited picture holding online thingy. Shameless plug for the link in my signature below. It's smugmug that powers ADVrider so get an account already and get some pics up. New York has to have some shots, NO?

Arn can help

I'm not sure of their exact plans but I know the area they are planning to cover includes: <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:country-region><st1lace>India</st1lace></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region><st1lace>Nepal</st1lace></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region><st1lace>China</st1lace></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region><st1lace>Vietnam</st1lace></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region><st1lace>Laos</st1lace></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region><st1lace>Cambodia</st1lace></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region><st1lace>Thailand</st1lace></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region><st1lace>Malaysia</st1lace></st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region><st1lace>Indonesia</st1lace></st1:country-region>. The duration of their journey goes thru March. Hope that helps... Thank you to everyone for your help!


Kindest Regards,


Tara ~

Hi Tara,

Do you ride motorcycles?

Yes I do ride... street and dirt :) I Love em both! Although, I still feel like a rookie on my CR 85...

FYI: I'll be out of town for a week if I'm slow to respond. Thanks!

Kindest Regards,

Tara ~

Hey! Just checking in to see if anyone has heard from the guys? Thanks!

Tara~

at the risk of inciting another riot....paging our indian friends.... your advice is needed here.

No doubt, what's up with those dudes. No internet cafes yet? Hope all is well from them. Probably taking a bunch of pictures out somewhere! Hope to hear from them soon.

Hey Ryan, when you read this I wonder if it will be helpful to know I just got a number for a guy who imports bikes to Denver from Bangalore I believe it is???

(according to a well-infomed local Mouse around here, the harsh conditions of the Queensland outback might have finally won...)