[kadri007]

Be it any bike, driving above 60 is always a risk especially on a highway in India.

You can find people crossing without seeing what's coming in front, children come running, Cows in middle of the road, a broken down truck standing with indicators off.

I have toughed 95KM in my Hunk. But you wont feel comfortable since you don't where where the next pothole will be or have authorities have put a overnight hump or a speed breaker.

[phamilyman]

he he - the ridiculous hits just keep on coming.

I've done over 1L km on multiple bikes - predominantly highway touring, a very high % of it night riding and I'm here to tell the tale.

I though agree that a headlight upgrade is sorely needed on Indian bikes! That is critical.

While normally I may choose my lane - on the gurgaon expressway, I stay in the absolute leftmost next to the crash barriers. We bikers need to ride within the limits of our mortality! Riding in any other lane on this expressway/similar others on a puny 180 cc is asking for trouble esp around NCR!!

[vinaydas]

In my highway driving experience i have noticed that bike guys get 0 respect while driving on the highway. Right of way concept doesn't apply for bikers on the highway. Most of them deserve that 0% of respect with the way they drive in the city cutting across lanes driving in between two cars . The city bikers can get away with a small nudge or two on themselves or most of the time the car guys suffer because of them.
But on a highway if they drive around in such manner its not a nudge you need to be worried about rather be worried if you are going to end up as roadkill.

In india bikes are used as a method of daily transport and people unlike third world bikers do not care a bit about safety ,we don't see them driving with proper shoes, or protective wear and most of the times neither do they wear helmets. You can see people driving bikes in they Pajamas or Wearing Dhotis etc .

[alter.e.go]

Yup - I am appalled by the fact that there is no formal bike training school. Motorcycling is a skill which needs more training than a car and there is no one to teach it here.

BTW few days ago this link popped up, which is a step in the right direction. But still no substitute for formal training, needles to say the Pajama and Dhoti wearing folks will never find there way to this link.

The Art of Safe Riding

[iron]

1)Riding in a group on highways is much better than riding solo.
2)Stick to the left most lane of the Highway, leave the right to other 4 wheelers, HMV's
3)Highway Riding is different than City Riding.
4)Irrespective of the brakes, model of the bike, Manufacturer the contact points sitting between the Handle and the seat matters.
5) Its always Survival of the biggest on the Roads whether u r riding/driving in the city or the highway.
6) U may or my not be able to correct your mistakes so learn from others mistakes and share your mistakes with others so that they may learn too.
7)Keep ur cool in the event of being bullied by bigger vehicle mentaly note its number you will probably end up running in to it at the next dhaba.
8) Enough of preaching start practising
as always fellow members are welcome to add more points to this.

[IQBAL VEERJI]

I had gone to Daman yesterday from Andheri. All along Ahemedabad highway I was seeing cars travelling at speeds exceeding 120 + but safely being under control .
But then suddenly you find a stupid Bikers riding stheir run down pulsar, hero honda etcs right in the centre lane, all because of ignorance and zero traffic sense. All mostly from nearby villages with some political flags on their number plates.
When you are driving at high speeds and come across such a idiot all you can do is give dirty looks to them.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by IQBAL VEERJI

I was seeing cars travelling at speeds exceeding 120 + but safely being under control .
But then suddenly you find a stupid Bikers riding their run down pulsar, hero honda etcs right in the centre lane, all because of ignorance and zero traffic sense.

I do hope this thread does not become a "bikers vs. car users" thing. I'm sure we've all seen irresponsible and reckless people on the highways, both in cars as well as on bikes. Not to mention buses, trucks, autos, etc.

Originally Posted by GTO

Whether at speed or not, Indian highways are simply NOT safe enough for two-wheelers.

That is probably true. But I can't imagine not going on long rides on my bike. Life would be just too boring. Whenever I'm forced to use the car; when traveling with family; I always miss how much better the whole road experience would be on my bike. It's just a completely different feeling. Just, in my opinion, a much better way to experience a road trip.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by am1m

I do hope this thread does not become a "bikers vs. car users" thing. I'm sure we've all seen irresponsible and reckless people on the highways, both in cars as well as on bikes. Not to mention buses, trucks, autos, etc.

Totally Agree!!! I can count as many irresponsible car drivers as the bikers on a highway when on a road trip. But the fact that the biker has to bear the brunt of an irresponsible car driver cannot be taken away. While the car driver can get away with damage to the car, the biker will pay for it with broken bones and ligaments and sometimes his life!!

Originally Posted by am1m

But I can't imagine not going on long rides on my bike. Life would be just too boring. Just, in my opinion, a much better way to experience a road trip.

+100!! If you follow the rules and know your limits and your bike, you can easily survive the journey on the highways without fear!

[bigron]

One thing about indian roads in general and highways in particular is that there are way to many " brainless" fools behind wheels to make your drive a scary proposition. No matter what you get done on the bike , headlight upgrade , better brakes or even the best protective gear , for a 4 wheeler you are a lesser mortal. You maybe following the rules to the T but there will definitely be someone breaking them to T also .I undertake extensive highway riding on my bike with occasional short bursts of high speed runs ( 220/230kmph ,very early morning / late nights) and I can assure you i ve encountered soo many fools on these rides that sometimes it wants to make me give up biking completely.So as far as bikes are concerned i say that are highways are just not made for them.

[Parthasarathig]

I had noticed a few superbikes riding in a group on a Saturday or Sunday morning into Bangalore via NH4. Those guys were so disciplined. They are well aware of their safety and never once did they take any unnecessary risks of lane cutting etc etc.

Group riding just makes the biking experience better and is probably the safest way to ride rather than be solo on Indian highways.

Any BHPians in that biker gang?? Those guys rocked.

Btw any biking groups in Bangalore??

[ApacheWolf]

Ah, I've been looking for a thread like this and I finally found it! I wanted to dicuss highway riding with people who know what they're talking about.
I love riding but I don't have that much experience when it comes to long rides. I do occasionally go out on NH-4 on impulse, ride for some 80 kilometers or so in all.

I wanted to ask specs about riding gear(I only have an LS2 helmet so far and I really want to buy proper gear before venturing out on long trips). I want to know how much I can spend on gear as I don't want to over or under spend. I ride an Apache 160 so my top speed can be clocked around 135-140 at the most(I wont push my luck, don't worry, just saying). So please suggest some sturdy, yet economic brands.

Also, please tell me what supplies I should carry with me if I were to, say ride from Chennai to Bangalore(after I get some practice, that is). I went on an impulsive ride today in the scorching sun and learnt the need for constant hydration. It's making my throat go dry just thinking about it now.

Of course, learning by doing is probably the best way to learn but I wanna be prepared and not be stupid on the highways. Also, should I get more powerful lights for night riding? The stock lights just plain suck even in the city.

Riding in a pack is preferable but I also want to go solo more. Please give me some pointers. Oh, and if I should better be posting this in another thread, please link me, thanks.

[ApacheWolf]

Thank you very much for that link! It's just what I'd been looking for!
It's got everything covered!