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**evanparker** · 10-30-2009, 09:33 AM

i live about 10 miles from irvine! that's funny. i was down there today by the airport.

**TnT** · 10-30-2009, 10:24 AM

Hello there sir, welcome to xBhp. You've come to the right place if you want to know more about this country the BEST way possible, on two wheels. We really would love to know more about your bikes. You could post your ownership experience with a few pictures (pretty please!

) here : Motorcycle Ownership Experiences - xBhp.com : The Global Indian Biking Community

Riding a smaller capacity bike in India would actually be better for you because, as you've said you want to see the 'real' India, and riding anything close to a litre class bike on the backroads of the country would be a pain IMO. Regarding touring on Indian bikes, there are good options available for you. We're here to help you with all you want to know, and what you can do when you're here.

**Shivanshu** · 10-30-2009, 10:38 AM

Hello Brother!!!

Hey Evan good to see you here...welcome aboard

its an honour to see you looking upto our xBhp for your plans....and I am gonna gurantee you this that whatsoever help we all can provide we will... as you know our xBhp is spread all over country so you can get tips, information, guidance from our seniors, friends, and experience riders...

If I am not wrong you want to see the raw India leaving the metro city life apart and you bet you have to come to the right spot to choose where to go...You just need to plan accordingly and you will be welcomed whole heartedly

now just waiting for your final trip plan

Cheers
Shivanshu

**biker boy** · 10-30-2009, 10:52 AM

Originally posted by evanparker View Post

mod thanks for approving the thread!

I don't have any concrete plans yet at all. I don't even know what rides or destinations would be good to undertake. I don't even know what airport to fly into :-D

Any suggestions would be more than welcome. Dirt roads, cold weather, heat, are all welcome on any of my motorcycle trips.

From what I can tell, the majority of the domestic motorcycles in india really don't go over 200cc or so, this will be quite a change from what I am used to. Though i have owned many smaller bikes, scooters, and mopeds, i've never really toured on something that small. My commuter and main touring bike is 1000cc, and it';s definitley spoiled me. 800 mile (1,250 km!) days are no problem if i need to do it.

With typical Indian road conditions, about how many KM can you comfortably do in a day?

What are typical accommodations like, how much do they cost? I'm not a fancy guy, i'd even settle for a tent half the time.

The thing I like about traveling isn't so much seeing the tourist destinations, but it's seeing how real regular people live. The tourist spots are so often just a facade put on a city or a location. To me the real inhabitants of the area, and how they live day to day is the real face of any place I try to visit. I'm sure any tourist spots are nice, but i try to avoid them, typically.

And, a thing i've been wondering for a while, it seems like you all speak english incredibly well on this forum, is that the norm in most areas of india? are there other languages that are common that i should know coming over there?

here is a picture of the mountains north of Los Angeles in california, i think it's a bit big to post on your forum.

http://evanparker.werd.net/images/motor/angelscrest/S6300329.JPG

http://evanparker.werd.net/images/motor/angelscrest/S6300335.JPG

if any of you are interested in reading more about USA motorcycles i have a blog.
Evan Parker's Blog

Welcome to the Indian biking world mate!

I suggest you plan your trip in Feb, according to me thats the best time to tour and go around the places. But again many place maybe not be accessible at that time, so I believe you first need to figure out the places of your intrest. Perhaps going through the trip logs will help you in deciding your destination.

- Amit

**adarsh1398** · 10-30-2009, 01:32 PM

Welcome to India...

Originally posted by evanparker View Post

Hello fellow motorcyclists! My name is Evan and I live in the USA, in Southern California. I currently work as a Mechanical Engineer, I am single and I am 26 years old.

I wanted to join your website for a few different reasons.

The first reason being all of the beautiful photographs you guys have taken of your beautiful country and your beautiful motorcycles. You guys have taken some truly breathtaking pictures, and really all have awesome motorcycles. It is exciting to see after seeing the same old thing over here for so many years.

The next reason is that I have long been curious about taking a month trip to India to explore your country, and i was hoping that seeing your trips and photographs would give me some good ideas. I've toyed around with the idea but it hasn't come together due a little bit to lack of funds, but really mostly to lack of knowledge. I don't know the first thing about traveling there, I wouldn't even know where to start. I am hoping that this will get me headed in the right direction, and that maybe you guys can answer some questions for me down the line. I airplane ticket is about $1400 US dollars, which seems to be about the price of a brand new motorcycle in India :-D. Not a cheap trip at all.

Lastly, since I found your website I have been incredibly excited to see how much you all appreciate motorcycling. In the USA motorcycling is a bit of a niche activity. I would say while probably 95% of American adults have drivers licenses, probably less than 2% have motorcycle licenses, and even less actually own a motorcycle. It is a strong interest, but for most it is just a hobby.

I own a car, but it really just sits quietly most of the time. I ride my motorcycles all year round, but most people think I am crazy to do so. The thing that people here are the most suprised at is that I don't mind riding in the rain. In southern california it really doesn't rain more than 15 times every year, and I have a rain coat, so it's not that bad. People just can't seem to figure it out, but then, they have never ridden a motorcycle. I'm sure if they rode one they would start to understand the feeling.

I look forward to reading your website, and seeing more of those awesome pictures! IF you guys have any questions about the USA i would love to answer them. I will probably, as time goes by, have plenty of questions for you about India.

Here are some pictures of me, in parts of California with my main bikes.

me in san francisco (which is a 8 hours drive from southern california)

and me with my old suzuki (one of my favorite bikes ever)

WOW...Evan..great to see your interest in biking and India...do come here and give us a visit

....we'll be glad to help you out...may be some of us accompany you too....

anyways....welcome to India and xBhp team...

**Jonak** · 10-31-2009, 04:17 AM

Originally posted by evanparker View Post

i live about 10 miles from irvine! that's funny. i was down there today by the airport.

O that's really coincidental. You made me nostalgic. The memory of highway 101 is still fresh.

**spiderweb** · 10-31-2009, 11:16 AM

Welcome Evan, to xbhp - the Indian Biking Nirvana (Now going global I see

)

You got an awesome ride there man.
Hope to see you in India soon. One awesome journey awaits you here...

**bluevolt** · 10-31-2009, 12:47 PM

Welcome! We would be more than happy to give you some pointers on travel to India - for starters, I think the best thing to do is to land up in Delhi(winters are better), rent a Royal Enfield and then start riding! I recommend the Royal Enfield because it is a light bike (compared to what you ride), has simple mechanicals, and the speed is just right for India.

You have a nice blog going on there - enjoyed reading the DIY stuff on it. DIY is practically non-existent in India as a culture, because labor is so cheap here. It makes more sense for us to head to our neighborhood Mr. Fix-it and get things done for a couple of dollars than doing it ourselves!

**46wannabe** · 10-31-2009, 01:29 PM

Welcome to xBhp Evan!
Will be glad to help you whichever way I can.

**evanparker** · 11-09-2009, 05:30 AM

i got a new bike yesterday, i'm proud of it. it should be a lot of fun.

purely a recreational bike for me.

i paid $750 USA which is a bit of a bargain. The engine idle hangs around 5,000 rpm but after some investigation i think it just needs a jet kit.

this bike will be used mainly for riding near my house in california

Cleveland National Forest - Dirtopia, the Off-Road Encyclopedia

here, and other places near by. since it's plated and registered, i have the benefit of being able to drive to where the pavement ends and go off-roading quite easily.

**ajslave** · 11-09-2009, 08:31 AM

nice set of rides there, Evan. loved the ^DR250..and that was a hard bargain you did there

.
you're always welcome to india, you can even expect some die-hard xBhpians to accompany you when you go saddle sore here. that way, at least language won;t be a problem, and the other things like the right food, shelter etc will be taken care of.
India is a vast country- don't ever expect any two locations to be the same- in terms of terrain, cultures, what could go wrong, etc. North India(himalayas) is where there's more adventure- get a Royal Enfield, hit Khardung La[]Error en route to Leh as you traverse some of the the highest motorable passses in the world, its an achievement for any Indian, probably an accomplishment for a world tourer.
south india is more sedate- chilly hill stations, coastal areas, and large forest coverd areas. but every region in south india speaks a different language, and the roads in this part are generally worse compared to NI.
so its up to you really, you could even do an all india trip

.
needless to say you can be sure you'll be flattered by the hospitality of any region you choose to hit, and the experience will surely stir up your soul.
happy riding and good luck, hope to see ya soon.

**thetjatt** · 11-09-2009, 10:48 AM

Nice rides.Welcome to xbhp buddy.

**xinfii** · 11-09-2009, 11:20 AM

Hello Evan,

Most members here have already given you the information you need. Some things that I can think of:

India is a never ending place to tour. You can do a short trip starting from 15 days to a few months together.
I'd suggest that you get a Royal Enfield motorcycle arranged (or purchased) here. Its costs about Rs.1,00,000, which is about $2,150. They are available on rent as well. The rates are around Rs.600 per day, I believe. Though these may not have exorbitant power, these are one of the best bikes to tour. In the rare case of a breakdown, you will get help in most parts of India.
A good distance you can cover in a day, provided you are completely on Natiional Highways, would be 800 kms. When there are mixed roads 600 kms would be a good figure.
Stay should cost you about Rs.1,000 a day. If you are in the metros, I think we have people from xBhp who might be interested in hosting you, depending on the way things work out. Based on your food habits, cost of that can vary, but it can't get too expensive at any point.
Some of the most interesting areas in India lie up North and down South. Giving preference to the great Himalayas would be a good thing to do.

Things won't get anywhere until you have a rough estimate in mind. So here is my attempt to work out one.

Ticket to India and back: $1,000
Stay (30 days): $700
Food (30 days): $700
Rent for motorcycle: $500
Fuel (10,000 kms): $400
Miscellaneous: $500
Bike Shipping (if needed): $200

Total: $4,000

I hope these figures help you churn out a much better plan. If you think this isn't something that you can afford, then let us know what you have in mind. Or if you can spend a little more, do share. Based on this, we'll drill down to the miles you can munch within the time you have, and then we'll help you plan your trip with the best places that will fall in that range.

Happy touring!

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