Namaste, planning UK to India motorbike trip

[solo-bike-tripper]

Hi all

I am Ashish, currently staying in UK & recently bought a Honda Deauville. I intend to tour around UK & Europe this (& coming month) before heading to India. I do not have fixed route/plan in mind. I have a Schengen Visa valid till Feb 2023, so I know that the route to Turkey should be sorted. I also intend to visit the Soviet Russia countries south of Russia apart from Iran. My guess is, I can apply for transit visa for most of these countries online & closer to the date. I am also in process of applying for Carnet (Iran mandates it) & facing a bit of trouble because I have India on my route & I was being told that being Indian citizen, I can not have Carnet for India.

I had also toured India from South to North in my 2008 Royal Enfield 350cc. I actually planned to do a roadtrip from India to London to but then land borders were closed in 2021 due to Covid & I ended up doing a tour within India. I also wrote a one post a day detailing my experience of doing an impromptu solo roadtrip in India but I would not post the link here as I guess the forum as no-self-marketing policy .

Look forward to meet fellow travellers. I have one question about motorbike tripping through Central Asia though. My Deauville last 200 miles (300 kms) with tank full of fuel. Will that amount of fuel be enough or is it usually a good idea to keep Jerry Can ? I used to keep one on my Royal Enfield as it is known that the road connecting Manali to Leh does not have any petrol pump for around 300 kms of stretch. But outside that, I never had to face any issue in India.

 

[adityashandilya20]

Hey Ashish,

Now your trip sounds amazing, thanks to the Deauville! A trip through the UK, Europe, then making its way towards Central Asia and India seems like a grand one indeed. For your fuel range question—well, yes, definitely take a jerry can if you expect to ride through Central Asia. Once you are already back country in many areas in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, in particular the Pamir Highway and Iran, you are quite a good distance away by road and find only a few fuel stations. While 300 km per tank is not a bad range, some routes through these remote lands easily stretch beyond that without any reliable fuel stops.

Also, sometimes fuel quality is questionable, hence having a little bit of reserve can mean avoiding either getting stranded or settling for substandard quality fuel. I think a 5-10L jerry can is enough, and it will not weigh you down very much.

Your prior India road trip and solo riding experience will greatly benefit you, especially with all the unpredictable road and border situations there. About the carnet issue for India: Yes, India doesn't require one for their citizens, but going through India can complicate matters. Hopefully, the application for an ATA Carnet will go fairly smoothly.

I hope I get to read your earlier blog someday—that sounds like quite an epic ride! Anyway, safe travels and bankrupt the roads. Keep the tale going.