Over the past 4 months I have been riding a Royal Enfield, 2006, Bullet Electra around India and Nepal. I bought the bike in Goa, India from an Australian couple who had ridden it down from Nepal.
Funnily enough, the paperwork for the bike also showed that the bike was sold 3 years prior to that in Pokhara, Nepal which is the exact place and same company that I have asked to sell it for me this time.
The Journey
There were many good times and a few bad times while out on the road. I had one small crash which cost £6 to fix and I just had a couple of very small scratches on me so nothing major which was lucky – coincidentally, I was riding away from a place called Lucknow.
In total I covered around 10,000km, which took me about 350 riding hours. I know, it’s slow but the roads in India and some in Nepal were not built for fast riding. Not to mention the fact that there are a bunch of obstacles on the roads, like goats, cattle, people, chickens and just about everything else you can imagine.
8 Comments
Hi Rob,
Thank you for the very useful and interesting blog.
If possible and not to waste your time I have a couple of questions.
I previously did Manali to Leh on a Honda with a broken leg and loved it,.
I am now heading back with my girlfriend, but want to buy an Enfield.
What bike would you recommend for two up?
If we are travelling for 6 weeks does buying make sense?
I have friends in Mombay where I could buy the bike and possibly store the bike at the end of the trip.
Starting in june is it advisable to buy in Mombay and head North ?
Apologies for all the questions.
Marius
Hi Marius,
Glad you found something useful on here. Your trip sounds great, apart from the broken leg…That’s on my list to do. How was it?
I would consider getting a 500 and not a 350 because of the extra power but it depends where you are going on it. If just cruising around where you don’t need the power from the 500 then get a 350 because they are, apparently, easier to fix, more common, easier to buy for cheaper prices and the parts are everywhere. Whereas for the 500 it’s all a bit harder and more expensive. A 350 should be fine though, just check the rear shocks to make sure they are stiff enough or adjust them and ensure the chain is not too tight when you are fully loaded and both on the bike.
It might take you a while to find a bike you want to buy? That would be my only thought. Bombay should be a good place to find a bike though, so you should be able to get to see a load. I can’t remember exactly when the monsoon season starts but I think it starts further south and works its way north so worth checking that out to make sure you aren’t going to get caught in too much rain.
Where is it that you are wanting to head to? And are you going to return to Mumbai or finish up somewhere else?
Cheers,
Rob
Hi Rob,
Thanks for the reply.
The trip from Manali to Leh is highly recommended. Tough, but very worthwhile.
The Himalayas are beautiful. Leh is a good base to explore from. Previously I did not have enough time so we are going back there to explore more.
In terms of our route for June we are thinking of heading north away from the monsoon starting in Delhi and then to Manali and then up in to the Himalayas to Leh. Explore the northern areas, spiti valley and then cross in to Nepal at Bhimdatta. We would then make our way back to Delhi and sell the bike.
Your point about taking time to find a bike made me think it might be worth it to ask my friend in Mumbay to buy me a bike so when I arrive I can do the prep and then leave sooner. The problem is Mombay is much farther south than I actually want to go, especially with the Monsoon and then having to ride much longer to get north.
Monsoon starts in June so I was hoping to start further north in Delhi.
Do you think its worth to buy or rent ?
regards,
Marius.
Hi,
I rode across from Delhi through to Rishikesh, Munsyari and then through to Nepal via Bhimdatta. Amazing ride through the mountains over that way. Munsyari is quite out of the way, 70km away from the nearest petrol station or ATM and right up there in the mountains. Definitely recommend going there. The roads down to the border from there are amazing and smooth when you get out of the mountains, excellent riding.
If you can get one lined up before you arrive i’d say that’s a lot better. In my opinion, if I had someone to get me one before I arrived and keep it afterwards I would buy. You don’t have to worry about damaging it then or taking it back to the same place. Selling might be a problem if you are time constrained though. It’s a difficult one…
Rob
Thanks for taking the time to write about your trip, it is very inspiring. I grew up in India and left when I was 18 and now am 44 I recently travelled to India and rode a KTM Duke 390 from Chennai to kanyakumari to Ooty to Bangalore then mysore and back to Chennai. To me it was a thirst quenching trip the food the colors the people and the dignity and seemed like they were always cheerful.
I am hoping to plan another trip soon to the northwest.
Happy riding.
Mahesh
Hi Mahesh,
Thank you for your comment :). Pleased to hear that you had a great trip riding around to all those places. I guess you didn’t know those places too well either if you left at the age of 18. Maybe a lot changed since you were there last.
Another trip to the North West sounds like a good idea for sure.
Happy riding,
Rob
Hello ROB!!
Thanks for the many posts you have writtne done regarding your travel with the Enfield.
I bought an Enfield 350 cc year 2014 in very good conditions in Pondichery (plate and papers are from there) and I am trying to sell it in Goa but it is almost moonsoon season and there are not many tourists.
I am thinking to continue north with the bike and going to Nepal with it. It is possible to sell a bike in Nepal to a tourist heading down to India? Do you think I can find people interested?
Tha bike that you bought had papers from which state?
Hi Miguel,
No worries, glad to hear someone is reading them! Your bike sounds nice, 2014 model is nice and new. Yes, it is possible for sure. You just need to find someone who is there and coming back to India but as you say it’s monsoon season soon so maybe not so many people will be coming back.
I ended up leaving mine in Pokhara with an Australian guy called Matt at Hearts and Tears. Very nice guy and I’m sure he would try to help you out. They sorted it all out for me, so if you find that you can’t sell it then that might be an option for you too.
Pokhara is a great place to see lots of tourists, too, so more chance of selling it there. It’s less likely that someone who is in Nepal would want to buy it and stay there as Indian registered bikes need to pay road tax for 1 month at a time for it to be legal. This may have changed since I was there but I doubt it.
Hmm, I think the papers were from Kerala. I can’t actually remember to be honest with you…Seems like a lifetime ago now!
Let me know how you get on, would love to know.
Cheers,
Rob