Re: My First Motorcycle Tour

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What is the longest you have ridden previously? Riding 600km a day for two consecutive days when you aren't habituated to sitting in the saddle, might be a little too strenous. Add to that the inclement weather and you might be cutting things too fine.

About road conditions, 4-lane work was in progress when i rode from Pune to Hyderabad some time back, but that hopefully has been completed. But then who knows, with govt. jobs!

From Hyderabad to Vijaywada the road is awesome, Vijaywada to Vizag, the road is still good, but traffic is nuts!

Others who have done these roads recently will be able to give you better advice!

Re: My First Motorcycle Tour

For the Pune to Hyd section: The first 230-240 odd kms till Solapur is 4-laned bliss, no issues whatsoever apart from the usual highway stuff, you could cover this in max 3-3.5hours if not sooner. Post Solapur though I would budget at least 5 hours the the next 300 odd kms, Maharashtra section remains bad with Solapur-Omerga being the worst of the lot. KA section roads have seen a lot of 4-laning work recently, however, frequent diversions will never let you get into a riding flow. Telangana section is again okayish but it crosses a lot of towns (Zaheerabad, Sadashivpeth) as there are no bypasses for them, therefore traffic is an issue. Overall it's a tiring ride due to road conditions rather than distance. This info is based on my latest ride on this route in June first week which was pre-rains, no idea what rains may have done.

So on Pune-Hyd I think optimistic time would be about 9 hours but I would budget 10-11 hours considering rains will make matters worse.

I did Vizag-Hyd in April last year, and concur with TheMonk's opinion. If memory serves me correctly, roads are great and mostly 4-laned throughout, but traffic in Vijayawada and esp "competitive" car drivers along the route will definitely be an issue. Traffic in Vijaywada can be avoided if you leave from Hyderabad early. Considering you can average 70kmph overall with stops on this section, budget 9 hours again. As you move towards the east coast, rains may get heavier keep that in mind as well.

And goes without saying, please do get protection/gear for yourself, while all roads in come with risk, this route has a bit of a bad rep in terms of incidents.

Re: My First Motorcycle Tour

The longest I have done previously in Pune-Mumbai-Pune : 7.5Hrs with just an hour break. I did feel uncomfortable while returning back from Mumbai to Pune.

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Thank you so much for the details. I'll plan accordingly. Regarding protective gear, I am in search of some budget gear. I have shortlisted ASPIDA Atlas Sports Jacket and I have seen a CE Rated Knee Protectors for Rs.1900. Don't remember the brand though. Regarding gloves and helmet, I have DSG gloves and STUDDS helmet. Any other suggestions on this would be appreciated. My budget for the gear is 8k to 9k max. Around 6k for jacket and 2k or 3k for knee protectors.

Re: My First Motorcycle Tour


Hi

Nice to strike out things off a bucket list.

I'm unaware of the route you are taking so all i can suggest is regarding the long saddle time ahead.
keep yourself hydrated.
The hardest thing is to avoid excess fatigue. Try to have a good nap before starting the journey and also rather than having one stop in the journey and having a big lunch its better to keep having small nutritious refreshments every couple of hours.
There are less chances of dozing off on the saddle this way + it avoids boredome.

Good idea to wear protective gears during rains.
keep something handy to wipe off the visor + fogging might be there if it rains.

Don't overspeed or make close calls/overtakes if its wet, keep the throttle in check. Your stopping distance doubles on such conditions.

That is all at the top of my mind right now.


Cheers.
ride safe.

Re: My First Motorcycle Tour

Hi friends, I did my first long ride along with a friend Manoz in 2010. In fact that ride was inspired from the an article by Old Fox.. From my city Kurnool to Kanyakumari, which is 1100 k.m. That ride was planned a 'two days to go - two days to come'. On the first day from Kurnool to Salem in Tamil Nadu , we rode 590, and second day we covered another 400 odd k.m.s .i.e. from Salem to Kanyakumari.. I must admit one important thing that the entire stretch is four line route one can enjoy the ride..

For any trip planning is a necessary and must more particularly if one travels long distance. If the trip is with in 300 k.m its O.k but any thing more than that you must plan a plan....