Ever since I did Leh on my Z900, I had become a little lazy about long rides. It did not have anything to do with motorcycling but the kind of motorcycles I was getting to ride. Naked bikes, cruisers, adventure motorcycles and so on; it started to feel like I was riding more and more similar kinds of motorcycles. In short, I needed a shot in the arm with a different category of motorcycles. Supersport anyone!?

For the motorcycle, I went back to my first love, and that of many youngsters in India- the Yamaha R15. Not a lot of people know that an R15 V2 was the motorcycle I started vlogging on. But I procured an R15 V3 for this ride. Unfortunately, the tyres on the motorcycle I got were more or less done for. So, we needed an upgrade.

I found my upgrade at JK Tyre Steel Wheels; JK Blaze RYDR Smart Tyres. In addition to being a superb match for the R15 V3, these tyres also gave me the option to keep an eye on the vitals of the tyres on my smartphone! More on that later. Now, about the destination, that is where I ran into somewhat of an issue.

I planned to go to Uttarakhand but fate had some other plans. Uttarakhand would have been the right place to put the prowess of the motorcycle and the tyres to the test. But the weather in the region was difficult. Heavy rainfall had lashed most parts of Uttarakhand and there was more rain in store according to the forecasts. Although being a motorcyclist, I am used to these kinds of setbacks, I decided to explore another place this time.

With that, I set out to one of my favourite parts of India- Rajasthan. And now, let us get started!

Day 1: Delhi to Jaipur

Finally, after a fair bit of deliberation, the day of the ride was here. I left Delhi early so that I could reach Jaipur with a fair bit of time left to explore the city. But due to some twist of fate, I had a few black clouds keeping tabs on me. Though I reached Neemrana without encountering any rain. But as soon as I finished my breakfast and was on my way, heavy rain started falling.

Up to Neemrana, I had covered more than 100 odd kilometres so I was reasonably familiar with how the tyres worked. I knew that the straight-line grip I had was bang-on. That continued to be the case even in the rain. Due to the innovative tread design, these tyres get rid of the water between the contact patch and the surface quite efficiently. Because of this, I was not only able to ride confidently but enjoy the ride too despite the heavy rain.

Sadly, though, I realized within 10 km that I was enjoying the ride too much without covering all my bases. Everything was fine with the motorcycle and the tyres but since I had my vlogging setup ready, my GoPro was not waterproof. So I decided to take a brief tea break and wait for the rain to mellow down a bit. Thankfully, the heavy rain subsided and I was able to resume my ride.

Even though the rain had let up a bit, the roads were still wet. So with caution as the word of the day, I continued at a decent pace and reached Jaipur with a good amount of time left. This was a solo ride for me so I decided to stay at Zostel to alleviate the feeling of being alone. After checking in, I went to get a nice filling of Jaipur’s famous delicacy- Pyaz Kachori. After that, I went to explore the Fort of Jaipur. Post that, I decided to call up the RVGang in Jaipur and spent some quality time with them before retiring to my stay.

Day 2: Jaipur to Jodhpur

I was doing this route for the second time this year but with a motorcycle this different, it was like a whole new experience. The highway is nice and smooth, though a little warm. I took my first break after riding 200 km non-stop which is a big deal. During this time, the motorcycle performed quite well and so did the tyres. More than that, I could keep an eye on the tyre pressure and it was quite an eye-opener to see it go up ever-so-slightly as the temperature and the distance went up.

By evening, I was in the Blue City. The journey was fairly straightforward and I again decided to stay at Zostel as I was riding solo and this allowed me to make new friends. More than that though, the view from the roof of the Rooftop Cafe of the hostel was simply amazing; the sight of the majestic fort will stay with me for a long time.

After that, I just chilled at the cafe, had some nice conversations with my new friends, and ended the day with some Rajasthani folk music and pizza.

Day 3: Exploring Jodhpur

Jodhpur is a city known for its heritage and tradition. From the food to the music and the lively local markets; you can see a glimpse of history everywhere. My day started with a visit to the local Kachori Shop where I enjoyed another round of this Rajasthani delicacy with my new friends. Then, I made my way to the Jodhpur Fort for some photos. Thankfully, the weather was amazing which made the view from the fort even more enjoyable. I could see the whole city and with a view like that, I ended up spending a fair amount of time there.

After visiting the fort, I came back to Zostel as it was the day for another cricketing clash between India and Pakistan and I am a huge fan of cricket. The day ended with enjoying the match with my friends and even some strangers.

Day 4: Jodhpur to Osian to Delhi

Before leaving Jodhpur the next day, I ran into a slight issue. As soon as I loaded the Smart Tyre App, I noticed that the front tyre had lost a fair bit of pressure. So I took the time to refill the tyre and also get it checked for any possible punctures or leakages. This is why I love these tyres as on a day when you are supposed to ride a fairly long distance, you cannot have issues like this.

For the day, I had planned to go to Osian, a hidden gem of Rajasthan which also features a desert safari. Jaisalmer is a place known for desert safaris and Osian is another place with a small desert. Unfortunately, as I reached there, I found out that because of no tourists visiting, the road was closed. I would have gone by myself but a fair few locals advised me not to. So I decided to head back to Delhi.

Now, the problem was that I was far out from home. I had around 480 km to cover. I have no trouble riding at night but with this motorcycle, the lights were a little inadequate. But I started irrespective, intending to cover as much distance as possible. At one point, I realized that I had ridden 250 km non-stop! That is a fair bit of distance but because of this, I was able to reach Jaipur by 3 PM. Overall, it was a tiring journey, more so because of the riding position of the R15 V3.

But then again, I am someone who does not shy away from challenges so I decided to keep going after a very short break. I was able to reach Delhi safely by around 8 PM which was a heck of a task. 480 km in 13 hours on a 150cc motorcycle is a decent day of hard riding, is it not? Would surely not have been possible without the tough set of Tyre I had to give me company. So, this was another one of my travelogues from my short getaways. As always, a big thanks to xBhp and JK Tyre for giving me this opportunity.

Tyre Review

This was one heck of a ride. From smooth highways to broken patches and long jaunts to short getaways; the Blaze RYDR tyres from JK Tyre held their end of the bargain. On the highways, I had all the stability I needed even under braking. That is saying something because the R15 V3 has a sharp-ish rake. Despite the sharp geometry that generally takes something away from straight-line stability, I had it in spades thanks to the Smart Tyres from JK Tyre. Even more, confidence-inspiring was the fact that I could keep an eye on the vitals of my bike’s tyres. Tyre temperature, tyre pressure, tyre health; I had it all on my smartphone. Coming back to the grip of the tyres, in twisties, be it short-radius corners or long sweeping ones, the Blaze RYDR tyres helped me make the most of the R15 V3’s wonderful handling characteristics. The edge grip was fantastic and the bike never felt nervous even when leaned over to a considerable degree. Onwards to perhaps the most impressive aspect of these tyres- the wet grip. On the very first day of my ride, I encountered heavy rain and had to ride in those conditions for a good 100 km. Because of the tread pattern, these tyres are very good at dispelling the water from under the tyres and provide dependable grip on even seriously wet roads. All in all, these tyres are one of the best if you are out looking for sports-touring tyres with a tinge of sportiness and phenomenal wet grip.

This article was published in the Oct-Nov’22 Issue of the xBhp Print Magazine.

Order your copy here, or read it online here.