Rohit Upadhyay has completed a 90 day journey from India to Isle of Man, the Mecca of Motorcycle racing. This was a self funded journey that cost Upadhyay INR 8.5 lakhs. Riding on his KTM Duke 390, Rohit rode through some of the most dangerous places in the world.
He shipped the bike to the Southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas so as to avoid some unsafe and not so friendly locations. It was from there on that he rode his bike towards the Turkish border and onward to some of the most dangerous places on earth.
From Turkey, he went to Greece, and ahead to Albania-Macedonia-Kosovo-Montenegro-Bosnia and Herzegovina – Croatia – Slovenia – Italy – Switzerland – France – Spain – Portugal – Netherland – Belgium – England – Scotland – Northern Ireland – Republic Of Ireland – Isle of Man, England and back to India.
Upadhyay was ecstatic at the completion of this journey which is not his first. Upadhyay, a software engineer by profession is an avid biker. Till now he has ridden motorcycle in 33 countries across the globe.
Even as he undertakes these road trips, Upadhyay understands the need for safe riding and appropriate gear and takes no risks while on the road.
Below is an excerpt from the interaction we had with Rohit –
RushLane – Where are you from?
Rohit Upadhyay – I am from Bhadutola, which is close to Kanha National Park in MP.
RL – How old are you?
RU – 34 years old.
RL – What do you do for living?
RU – I am a Software Engineer by profession. One of the most common and popular profession in India.
RL – Are you married? kids?
RU – Fortunately I am still Single.
RL – Since how many years are you riding?
RU – Its been more than 10 years. It all started when my uncle gave me his Bajaj Chetak when I was in the Final year of my college.
RL – How many bike/s do you own?
RU – Just one bike – KTM Duke 390
RL – How was the trip planned, as in what was the inspiration behind?
RU – Mostly the people who have already done such trips are inspiration behind such dreams. Also the fun factor of riding a motorcycle overland. Excitement of experiencing everything new and happiness induced by thoughts of reaching out to distant dream lands.
RL – How much time you took to execute your this ride?
RU – I have been meaning to do 6 months overland trip to New Zealand. I was supposed to leave my job and do it, but my boss gave me a 3 month leave without pay. So I had to take this trip instead of the original plan.
RL – Any special training you underwent?
RU – No special training.
RL – Why Duke 390? Did you think of any other bike before deciding on 390?
RU – Well, I didn’t put much thought into it. I had only one bike which i knew very well. So that has to be my partner without any second thought in this adventure.
RL – Total cost? did you have help / funding / sponsors?
RU – INR 8 lakh 50 thousand. No sponsors. This was a pleasure ride, spent money from the savings which I saved in 10 years of slavery in IT.
RL – How many kms total you rode for this journey?
RU – 25000 Kms
RL – Any problems with the motorcycles?
RU – Had problems with stator coil. It was half burnt and I couldn’t find any mechanic to fix it or work on it in Balkans. I had to cross 3 countries by charging battery manually and finally in Slovenia i found a KTM guy who replaced the coil for 300 Euros.
Second problem was with short circuit which occurred towards the end of the ride. Cigrette lighter which I had installed in my bike, was rubbing with the wires of main switch. During the ride, some of them got exposed and whenever the wires were touching cigrette lighter fuses on the back were blowing up.
RL – What was your cruising speed?
RU – Depended on speed limit, each country had different ones. Ireland has the best one, where we could ride on 100 KMPH on state roads as well.
RL – Any special moment/s you would like to mention from the ride / experience?
RU – Of so many memorable moments,riding around the big fjords in Norway was the most cherishable time of my life.
RL – Which is your dream bike?
RU – Honda Africa Twin – CRF1000L
RL – Any tips for budding long distance riders?
RU – Patience and Planning is the key for riding long and safe.
RL – Anything else you would want to share with readers?
RU – Always wear safety gears.Do not drink and drive.Spread and enforce the word 🙂
Below are some photos Rohit clicked during his journey, which he wishes to share with the world
In case you are interested in knowing his detailed route, head to the google maps link here.
