Get the right gear for riding. Safety first and ride next.
- All weather jacket (Zeus)
- Knee guards
- All weather shoe (Quechua Forclaz 500). This shoe is one of the best as it is waterproof and has ankle protection.
- Pro biker gloves: I took a normal one but better to go for all weather one as it gets really cold in the north.
- Bungee cords to tie the luggage. The best way to tie a backpack to the bike is using bungee ropes. It is always useful to carry extra ones.
- Helmet lock
- Hydration bag: You don’t need to take off your helmet to drink water. Definitely saves some time when you are riding long distance.
- Waterproof cover to protect your luggage and bike.
- Backpack for hiking (Quechua Forclaz 60)
Pack clothes for all climates:
The climate changes drastically across India. Carry woollens, waterproof cloths and light weight cloths. No point in carrying too many cloths. You can always wash your cloths after a couple of weeks. I am also carrying one pair of party wear, just in case I get to attend a party :D.
Couchsurfing intimation:
Send a message to the hosts at least 1 week in advance. At some of the touristy places, I get rejected because the couch is pre occupied.
Time constraint:
If you have a time constraint but need to travel long distance, then book the train tickets and take your bike along. It is quite an easy process if you do it for the second time. For first timers it is chaos and you end up paying more to the agent outside the parcel office. Quick links to ease the process. Indiamike advice and 60kph advice.
A medical kit:
Carry tablets for cold, cough, fever and loose motions.
A day pack bag (American Tourister Backpack):
Always carry a day pack bag which is quite handy when you hike around the city.
Amazon Kindle:
Kindle is a must for book readers. The advantage of carrying many books in a small gadget. It definitely saves a lot of space.
A light weight camera Go Pro Hero 4:
I sold my SLR and bought a Go Pro. It is definitely handy to record the journey (light weight and small). Space is a big concern when you are travelling on a bike. I am not comparing SLR with Go Pro. SLR is SLR you can’t beat it.
Power Bank:
One of the best tool for travelling. It saved my life when I was lost in the middle of the desert and my phone was out of charge.
Multi pin convertor:
In most of the places you will get only 1 plug point. If you are carrying gadgets you definitely require multiple ports.
Mobile phone (MotoG v2):
A must to keep in touch with your family. As far as I have seen Airtel has really good network even in the small villages in India. BSNL comes next as far as network is concerned. Vodafone and Reliance have really bad network coverage in remote places.
A light weight laptop (MacBook Air): (Optional)
I got a Macbook air which is perfect for travelling. This is the first time I am using an Apple product and I am in love with it. Awesome battery life and performance. Some people don’t like to carry gadgets, but being a software developer I can’t stay without my laptop.
Internet: (Optional)
If you are in India dongles are quite cheap these days. I got a Reliance Pro 3 for 1000 Rs with an unlimited data pack and fps of 40 gb. Only thing is try and test it for 1 month before your travel starts. If you face any problem during your travel it is quite difficult to fix it. The reliance customer service is bad but they really have good network in majority of the places. I would suggest people to take Airtel connection in India even though it is a bit expensive. You will at least get a network in remote places.