In the mountains the distance travelled each day is governed largely by the altitude of the passes we have to cross. On the plains, the distance travelled each day is governed largely by the distance between main centres.

Expedition planning by its very nature has to be dynamic.

As Riders on our Tours you should be aware that the conditions in which we ride can at times be tough. Of course there are endless smooth, rolling miles of road, which never cease to delight.

Stretches of highway are broken, badly pot-holed, muddy, rocky and possibly icy. Long sections are often little more than loose un-rolled stone. The seasons are damaging to roads all over the sub-continent and we may be riding before maintenance and repair work for the coming season has begun.

Traffic in India follows a different set of rules to those you will have experienced. Overloaded trucks will not give way when overtaking other overloaded trucks and may well force you off the road. If you are not constantly evaluating possible ‘escape routes’, you are not concentrating.

Riding wide round obscured corners is a definite No No! Landslides, huge rocks, smashed trucks - or no road at all, are just a few of the possible encroachers of the road you hoped to ride.

Cows - the most Holy of animals, auto-rickshaws, trucks and buses all can appear – at speed, out of side turnings and without having ‘looked right’. Turning signals are not to be trusted and riding too close to the vehicle in front is an accident waiting to happen. Hazard Awareness takes on a whole new meaning when riding in India. We ask in our Terms and conditions that Riders have at least 2 years regular riding experience, with some experience of off-road riding.

Standing-On-The-Pegs is a riding style to adopt at times, sometimes for a few kilometers, it’s tiring and has to be practised.

At times we'll have to ride through streams across the road; some stretches may be 50 metres wide. Monsoon rains and ice-melt often cover stretches of hill and mountain roads, shallow water on round boulders, can very be very slippery. We all face these obstacles and with a few 'wet runs' you can master the technique. Riding slowly and accurately with plenty of revs keeps the engine alive and gets most Riders through, at worst with wet boots!

In the north of India we can ride through hot sunshine, rain and freezing snow in the space of a few hours, suitable clothes should always be carried in your Day Bag or Tank Bag. In south India the sun can be very hot. It’s important to cover yourself well – head and neck cover is very important to help prevent heat-stroke.

Some riding days are short perhaps only 50 or 100km, other days can be long at 250kms. We build in Rest Days to give Riders a rest and mechanics a chance to adjust and repair your motorcycles.

Wherever and whenever possible, we want you to be comfortable. We've built comfort in to the itinerary, but there are places where due to climate, location or altitude the accommodation is basic; beds in tents being the most basic.

Whilst travelling in the sub-continent there will sometimes be uncomfortable stays, it's in the nature of travel in Asia. But whenever possible we do our best to provide comfortable and clean accommodation.

We always try to reach suitable night stops, it’s not wise to sleep ‘rough’ in India and certainly not in thick remote forests, contrary to popular belief there are wild animals out there that may find you and eat you!

Whilst we don’t want to spoil the experience of being ‘the first person there’, we do not encourage racing or riding ahead alone. It inevitably leads to Riders speeding and has lead in the past to broken bikes and bruised Riders. Ask an Indian and he’ll tell you ‘...it’s the other road users that kill you! It's got nothing to do with your riding skills! Always be very careful!’

At group briefings we ask the Group to ride between the Road Captain and the support jeep. We do encourage the after-dark use of the motorcycles in the evening or around town after a day's ride.