Every explorer out there is out looking for something. Some seek diversity in people, climate, and landscapes. Some seek heritage and history in hopes of peeking through the window of time. Some seek varying experiences. And so on. India is a country that offers it all. But when it comes specifically to history and heritage, Rajasthan is right there on the sharp end of the list.
So in my pursuit of experiencing how it feels to peek through time, I decided that Rajasthan was beckoning and it needed to be explored. Being a motorcyclist, my preferred means of transport was a motorcycle, of course. In that, I needed something that I didn’t have to fight too much. I needed something capable, smooth, and tireless. Not American English ‘tire’.
When you think reliable, you think of Japan and among the current crop of motorcycles in the Indian market, I felt like the Yamaha FZ-X was the perfect companion for this trip. It is fairly potent, amazingly smooth, ridiculously comfortable, and practically bulletproof. 1,500 km on a 150cc machine may sound a bit much but trust me, the FZ-X was more than up for the task. Shod with a pair of shoes that go well with the FZ-X in CEAT Zoom Rad X3 tyres, I had everything I needed to explore regal Rajasthan.
CEAT Zoom Rad X3 tyres have an efficient groove design that grips the loose surface and also dispels water from under the tyres for fantastic wet grip.
The journey started on a beautiful sunny morning in Delhi. The day’s destination was Jaipur, so about 300 km. The route was charted and most of it was tarmac. I say most because I did encounter some broken patches. But then, I had faith that the FZ-X and the CEAT Zoom Rad X3 tyres would be up for whatever this stretch could throw at me. As the day progressed though, the temperature was on a continuous rise which made things difficult for the man. The machine though remained unfazed. The FZ-X ran cool as a cucumber and without a hiccup.
The ergonomics of the Yamaha FZ-X make it one of the most comfortable motorcycles in its class, perfect for long hours in the saddle… and we had a fair few of them on this trip!
Highway cruising is a breeze for the FZ-X. The CEAT Zoom Rad X3 Tyres, aimed at sports touring, also held their end of the bargain offering a commendable amount of grip. I found the ergonomics of the FZ-X to be well-suited for touring as well. It was great to witness the highway prowess of this supposed city-dweller. Almost all of the 300 km went by smoothly and I had almost made it to Jaipur. But about 50 km before reaching my destination, something happened.
I encountered a detour and Google showed me Amer Fort. With some time on hand, I decided to go for it. And it turned out to be a ride of a lifetime. But the route went through a village and the roads were almost non-existent. At some point, I even encountered a rocky trail as well. But my mind was set and fortunately, both the FZ-X and the CEAT Zoom Rad X3 tyres obliged. You’d imagine that an adventure bike is what you need for something like this but trust me, the duo I had brought me the same amount of joy.
CEAT Zoom Rad X3 tyres provided our rider with optimum grip on the tarmac and more than enough even when the roads were less than kind, to say the least.
After around 10 km of this trail, I reached Nahargarh Biological Park and while there was some relief over finding some tarmac, I would not have had any problem with some more trails either! After enjoying the view here, I decided to push on to Jaipur as I had planned to explore the Pink City as much as possible before sunset. The first place I went to was the Amber Palace, a sight to behold in every sense of the word.
Next up, there was Jaigarh Fort. Man… sunset on one side and the aerial view of Jaipur on the other; it doesn’t get much better than this. It was majestic, to say the least. Adding to the beauty of the timeless fort was the FZ-X. Its retro lines, the classic yet modern headlight, and the saddlebags; it looked mesmerizing. And this is how Day 1 ended for me, with a soothing sunset and a beautiful motorcycle to admire.
With modern amenities and retro looks, the Yamaha FZ-X is the perfect harmony between the technical allure of today and the charm of years gone by.
The destination for the next day was Ajmer. But on the way, I had put Sambhar Lake on the map. Though I was visiting the lake, I knew that at this time of the year, it was not going to be full of water and therefore, as beautiful. But I was wrong. Even in this state, it painted a uniquely beautiful picture, of itself and Rajasthan. Harsh and beautiful at the same time. Anyway, I also had a little salt-flat fun here. While I was a little sceptical of how the motorcycle and the tyres would perform here, I was blown away by not just the prowess of the FZ-X but also the predictable grip offered by CEAT Zoom Rad X3 tyres.
In all the fun I was having, I overestimated myself. The harsh temperature was starting to get to me so I decided to hit the roads again and make my way to Ajmer. And that’s what I did but not before hydrating and letting myself cool down a bit. On the way, I also visited the Shakambari Devi Temple but instead of heading straight to Ajmer, I let myself get sidetracked again. The allure of visiting the Kishangarh Dumping Yard was too hard to resist.
While it is called a dumping yard, it does not look like one. White land, blue water and the expanse, it presents is worth it, the stench reminds you that it is a dumping yard after all. Anyway, after exploring a bit more, I decided to tear through the 30 km I had left to reach Ajmer.
Be it quick acceleration or hard braking, CEAT Zoom Rad X3 tyres never step out of the line and never spring a surprise, keeping things nice and predictable in terms of grip.
To be precise, my destination was Ana Sagar Lake. Spread over 13 km, it is the largest lake in Ajmer and I had heard that it looks stunning at sunset. But hearing about it and witnessing it were two completely different things. It is a view that you never forget and I hope the pictures I took can do justice to it. After this, I decided to push a bit more to ride to Pushkar which was around 10 km away.
Armed to combat the elements, riding gear from Rynox is as good in the warm desert as in the chilly mountains.
25 minutes of riding and a fair bit of corner-carving later, I reached Pushkar. Again, the FZ-X impressed me with how it goes around corners. The engine is a peach, yes, but Yamaha has ensured that the dynamics of the motorcycle are just as good. The experience was accentuated further by the immense grip offered by the CEAT Zoom Rad X3 tyres. Known for the Pushkar Lake, the temple of Lord Brahma, and the famed Pushkar Mela, it was a delight exploring this quaint little city.
The next destination for me was Blue City, Jodhpur. From Pushkar, it was supposed to be 180 km of tarmac but thanks to Lord Google, I had a bit more than that in store. A few under-construction roads, some unknown villages with not-so-good roads, and so on. Though it should have slowed me down, thanks to the unbeatable combo I had, I was able to dispatch kilometres rather quickly. After a decent time spent navigating these kinds of roads, I finally found decent tarmac and made my way to Jodhpur in a jiffy.
Jodhpur has been on my bucket list for a while because it is a photographer’s delight. Funny as it may sound, this was my personal ‘Call of the Blue’. And the experience I had here lived up to all my expectations. I spent a lot of time taking photos and videos in Jodhpur along with a fair few featuring the beautiful FZ-X. I also visited Toorji Ka Jhalra, a 250-year-old step well that is 200 ft deep and full of fresh water. It almost made me want to take a plunge considering the temperature.
There was one more place that I wanted to visit in Jodhpur- the Mehrangarh Fort. But unfortunately, it closes at 5 PM and I had spent too much time exploring the intricacies of the Blue City. But I promised myself that I was going to come back here soon and check out the view of the city from the fort on the next trip. Before the end of this trip, there was one more place I had to visit- Osian.
An oasis in the Thar Desert, Osian is an ancient town known for the ruins of temples that date back to the 8th Century. It is also an automobile enthusiast’s delight as it is surrounded by dunes and someone with an ATV might have a ton of fun here. Though I did not go to the dunes, there was enough sand on the roads to make things difficult for any motorcycle in this class. But not the FZ-X. While the CEAT Zoom Rad X3 tyres provided a decent amount of grip, the FZ-X’s traction control system ensured that I stayed upright even in the most treacherous of conditions. Though I wanted to spend some more time here, the heat had me drained and I had to get ready for my ride back to Delhi.
Delhi was 650 km away and I did not want to push my luck in the prevailing weather conditions. So I decided to break this journey down. When I left Osian, it was around midday and I decided to halt near Nagaur, which is around 150 km. In a bid to cover this distance quickly, I had to keep my pace up which comes with some inherent risks. One of the biggest problems of riding in Rajasthan is animals crossing the road. But then, I had a lot of faith in the FZ-X and the CEAT Zoom Rad X3 tyres. As I neared Nagour, daylight was still around so I decided to push a bit more.
In the process, I also witnessed the last sunset of this trip in the middle of a highway. Those sorts of things have a charm of their own. As the light went out, I reached Landun and decided to stay there. This meant the next day was going to be around 350 km long but with what I had seen of this motorcycle and the tyres, I knew that it was going to be a smooth journey. That turned out to be true as I safely made it back to Delhi before the expected arrival time.
Overall, I had a lot of fun but I also feel that there is a lot more to explore in Rajasthan. If I decide to head back there sometime soon, I know the motorcycle I’ll go with and I know the tyres that I’ll go with- Yamaha FZ-X with CEAT Zoom Rad X3 tyres, one of the best ways to explore Rajasthan!
CEAT Zoom Rad X3 Review
‘What a fantastic pair of tyres!’ That is the first thought that comes to mind when someone asks me about my experience with the CEAT Zoom Rad X3 tyres. I covered a great deal of distance during this trip and tested these tyres in various conditions. And they came out on top every time. On the highways, the stability is remarkable. Even when things got a little twisty on my way to Pushkar, I could carry a decent corner speed relying on the amazing edge grip on offer with these tyres. While these are sports touring tyres, the tread pattern ensures that the tyres grip even on less ideal roads. I found a fair few broken patches and dusty tarmac throughout this roadtrip but nothing that could faze these CEAT Zoom Rad X3 tyres. With the grip on offer, I was also becoming increasingly bolder in my escapades. Be it riding on the dusty terrain of Kishangarh Dumping Yard or the gritty terrain around Sambhar Lake, I never had a nervous moment, thanks to the CEAT Zoom Rad X3 Tyres. And though I did not get to test the wet grip thoroughly, I can confidently say that these tyres will be more than capable in those conditions as well. All in all, if you are someone who likes sports touring with a knack for veering away from the beaten path, these are some of the best tyres you can get for your motorcycle.
Yamaha FZ-X Review
What a machine the Yamaha FZ-X is! Throughout this trip, I kept thinking to myself that I could not have asked for a better motorcycle than this. Despite that, if I have to share my two cents on it, it becomes really difficult. It is so because no aspect of the Yamaha FZ-X is a highlight, to put it simply. Everything is a highlight and that says a lot about how balanced this motorcycle is. The engine, for example, is bulletproof. It is butter-smooth, very potent, and very tractable. And it can keep going all day long without a hiccup. In terms of ergonomics, it is supremely comfortable. The seat is well-padded and the reach to the handlebars is comfy. Footpegs are placed just right too and it makes a riding triangle a joy over long distances. Dynamically too the FZ-X impresses. It is plush and comfy to the extent that fatigue is miles away even when you have been in the saddle for hours. But it is not squishy either so you have a great amount of confidence on winding roads. Finally, the looks. A beautiful blend of modern touches to a retro rendition of FZ’s winning formula… What’s not to like?!