We are in conversation with a father-son duo from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh who rode down together from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. Mehamood and his son Khiyar are the enterprising two who decide to live out their dream of riding from the southern to the northern tip of India. They did this ride in 2015 completing 10000 kilometres on a Hero Karizma and Royal Enfield Classic 350. Khiyar tells us about this extremely long journey on two wheels and how different an experience it was to travel along with his father!
xBhp: Whose idea was it to ride from Kanyakumari to Kashmir?
Khiyar Pasha: The idea was my father’s. It was his dream to ride since 25 years.
xBhp: Who inspired whom to ride motorcycles, was it father who inspired the son or the other way around?
Khiyar Pasha: It was my dad who inspired me to ride, he always encouraged and supported me for long distance rides.
xBhp: What was the motive behind your ride?
Khiyar Pasha: Road safety awareness. Basic safety measures like- Helmet, seat belt, giving way to ambulance. We distributed more than 5000 pamphlets and did small workshops at village areas to educate the younger generation.
xBhp: Your family’s reaction when you first told them about this trip?
Khiyar Pasha: My family couldn’t take it for one week, slowly dad and myself had to convince my mother and other family members. Later they understood the motive behind the ride and felt special about this Father & Son Duo ride. Their prayers also worked for completing the ride.
xBhp: What was your most memorable experience of the trip?
Khiyar Pasha: There are actually two-
1- When we reached highest motorable road in the world Khardung La at our second attempt in heavy snowfall and fever.
2- Riding 10,000kms with father. It’s the best of all in the world.
xBhp: What was the worst experience on your trip?
Khiyar Pasha: Camping at an isolated place in Kargil outskirts with no food while surviving on cashews and glucose powder and riding in the freezing cold and heavy rains for two days through the Himalayan range.
xBhp: Was this your first ride together or have you ridden together before?
Khiyar Pasha: We both have done some short rides, but this is the first long ride for us.
xBhp: What do you do professionally? Was it difficult to get leave and coordinate for this trip?
Khiyar Pasha: I am an advocate by profession. I was working at Mumbai for an MNC, It was indeed tough to get leave for a month and explain to them about the ride. Finally with no option left, I had to resign and quit my job for this ride.
xBhp: What all went into the planning for this ride?
Khiyar Pasha: Planning took us a month and a half. We had to do it from basics to professional level. I worked with a mechanic for 15 days to learn my machine, fixing punctures and tyre replacements.
Daily exercises, yoga, breathing practices. Medical kit, learning survival techniques for worst situations. Route Maps, bike preparations were all involved.
xBhp: Briefly tell us the route you undertook for this ride?
Khiyar Pasha: Starting from Guntur- Chennai- Kanyakumari- Bangalore- Pune- Mumbai- Gandhinagar- Jodhpur- Pali- Bikaner- Ganganagar- Amritsar- Wagah- Jammu- Srinagar- Kargil- Leh- Khardung La- Pang- Sarchu- Kullu- Delhi- Agra- Gwalior-Seoni- Nagpur- Hyderabad- Guntur.
xBhp: How has this changed/ affected the relationship between father and son?
Khiyar Pasha: This ride has helped a lot to understand my dad, our relationship was not that great before. But we have got to know each other very well during this ride for 27 days staying, riding together. We helped each other at difficult times, joined hand to hand and stayed strong. Now our relationship is great after the ride. Want to ride more with my dad. It was the best platform for me to express myself more to him, and even dad had expressed himself and showed how much he cares and loves me.
xBhp: Give a reason each, why one should and shouldn’t ride with their father!
Khiyar Pasha: It’s a great moment to ride with your dad, you get more time to stay and express yourself to him. We will get a chance to know more about our dad’s from inside, the real person I mean to say. Riding brings all that out.
I have nothing to say why we should not ride with fathers. Every father and son should ride. But if your dad is an early waker in the morning, then you have to wake up with him early. You know that feeling of any Army or NCC camps. You want to sleep for some more time but you can’t. The ride is actually more disciplined.
xBhp: Which were the steeds of choice for this long journey and why? Also did the machines hold up or you encountered any problems?
Khiyar Pasha: I chose Hero Karizma R 223cc sports tourer. Dad was riding a Royal Enfield Classic 350.
Karizma R is the best machine when it comes to long distance touring and it can actually handle itself very well in all terrains. I have personally experienced this machine performance during the journey. And regarding speed, I had done solo 6000kms GQ ride of India in 217 hours. I can take this machine anywhere in this world.
Royal Enfield is everyone’s favourite when it comes to Ladakh or long distance touring. Very comfortable, powerful engine and stability. Dad had managed his machine very well while riding on snow. I am impressed with the machine totally.
We did not face any issue expect the Enfield chain broke while riding up the Ghats. Got it fixed and after that we didn’t have any issues with machines.
Our method-
Complete check of motorcycles in the morning before ride.
Giving rest to engine after every one hour ride at high altitudes and for every two hours on plains.
Use of Nitrogen air in tyres, proper lubrication for chains, cleaning/ replacing Air filters, battery water refilling, change of engine oil at proper intervals. And most importantly riding at 80-85 kmph for good average and best performance in long rides.
With these basic methods we kept our bikes perfect with no trouble.
xBhp: Any advice for someone else planning to do a similar ride.
Khiyar Pasha: High Endurance, stamina, confidence, knowledge about their machine.
Many people dream, some plan and only few ride. I advise that this is the best country to ride with different geographical features. K2K has best roads, beautiful oceans to magical mountains and people. Do this ride once in your lifetime, you will learn about our nation, people and culture.
If any rider needs help with respect to K2K planning, route and where to stay. I am ready to help.
Go for it, when you come back from your ride you are a skilled rider with great control on your machine. I have experienced this, you will also…
All Photos Courtesy: Khiyar Pasha
