[wanderlustindia]

When I wrote my introduction on T-BHP back in Nov 2007, one of the things I mentioned was the dream of doing the Golden Quadrilateral. Well folks, it appears that the dream will soon become a reality!

I have started to put together a plan to ride through the Golden Quadrilateral on a motorcycle (its going to be a RE Citibike).

The ride begins on 25th Dec 2009 from Pune then to Chennai to Kolkatta to New Delhi and back to Pune on 15th Jan 2010.

As of now the plan is to ride solo. But as they say, two is company . So if anyone is interested to join, more than welcome, but I'd prefer to stick to just two riders, including myself.

Keep watching this space for more details.

[wanderlustindia]

[indian21r]

Nice idea dude. Have a great trip. I guess you would be averageing atleast 50 to 60 kms an hour on these streches. Which all cities are you planning on taking a break. A detailed itenrary is there or you will take each city as and when it comes.

By the way which bike is about to do 6000+ kms. You may have to service it somewhere in the middle as well

[wanderlustindia]

Originally Posted by indian21r

Nice idea dude. Have a great trip. I guess you would be averageing atleast 50 to 60 kms an hour on these streches. Which all cities are you planning on taking a break. A detailed itenrary is there or you will take each city as and when it comes.

By the way which bike is about to do 6000+ kms. You may have to service it somewhere in the middle as well

Yes, I think 50-60 kmph avg speed is reasonable on the GQ. Having driven on some stretches myself, I know it is easily attainable.

The detailed itinerary is still under planning stage. At first I thought maybe I should take breaks on the fly. But given the time constraints, a rough idea of the stops would be useful. I'll keep this space updated with the plan.

The Bullet 500 Citibike it is . Yes it would certainly need a service, in all probability that should be in Kolkata (mid-way of the journey).

[wanderlustindia]

Originally Posted by indian21r

Nice idea dude. Have a great trip. I guess you would be averageing atleast 50 to 60 kms an hour on these streches. Which all cities are you planning on taking a break. A detailed itenrary is there or you will take each city as and when it comes.

By the way which bike is about to do 6000+ kms. You may have to service it somewhere in the middle as well

Start from: Pune (25th Dec 2009)
End at: Pune (16th Jan 2010)
No. of days: 23 days
Via: Chennai – Kolkata – New Delhi
GQ distance: ~ 6230 kms
Detour distance (visit to native place in UP): ~ 120 kms
Total distance: ~ 6350 kms
Avg. distance per day = 6350/23 = ~ 275 kms
Approximate riding time per day = 275/50 = ~ 5.5 hours
Mode of transport: Motorcycle
Make of motorcycle: Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-I or Royal Enfield 500 LB

Designated Stopovers (Must-stop):

• Belgaum
• Bangalore (relative)
• Chennai (RE factory visit)
• Vishakapatnam
• Bhubaneshwar
• Kharagpur
• Kolkata (Motorcycle servicing)
• Sasaram
• Allahabad (relative)
• Agra
• New Delhi (Auto-Expo 2010)
• Jaipur
• Udaipur
• GandhiNagar
• Vadodara (relative)
• Manor
• Mumbai
• Pune

Other stopovers to be decided on-the-go during the ride.

Things to value during the ride (for write-ups):
People
Culture
Historical significance of places en-route
State of roads (National Highways and State Highways)
The climate at various places
The hotels/places of accommodation
Traffic situation in major cities en-route
Cuisine
Miscellaneous


Stay tuned for more updates in the forthcoming days/weeks.

[harishnayak]

All the best for your journey , do let me know if you want anything once you reach Delhi.

[milindajp]

Wish you a great and safe journey. I would like to put a few points:

1. Opt for Bullet 500 - you will enjoy the ride
2. In GQ, you can ride 500-600 kms per day easily

I will be crossing the NH2 during first week of Dec, so I will be able to update you regarding the road condition.

Please do post all details of your preparation and the travelogue.

[Abbas]

very detailed info from mapmyindia . Ride safe and keep us updated.

[harishnayak]

Originally Posted by harishnayak

All the best for your journey , do let me know if you want anything once you reach Delhi.

I've PM'ed you my number , feel free for any assistance when you reach Delhi.
Atleast i can feel myself to be a part of the feat than doing it myself.

[wanderlustindia]

Originally Posted by milindajp

Wish you a great and safe journey. I would like to put a few points:

1. Opt for Bullet 500 - you will enjoy the ride
2. In GQ, you can ride 500-600 kms per day easily

I will be crossing the NH2 during first week of Dec, so I will be able to update you regarding the road condition.

Please do post all details of your preparation and the travelogue.

Thanks Milind. I have 23 days at my disposal, so I am going to ride at peace. There is little need to rush things, although I'll see on the go how the ride progresses.
About the bike decision, its something under consideration at the moment. Both options (P220 DTS-i and RE 500 LB) are reasonably good, although I need some time before finalising this aspect (perhaps the most important aspect ).
I have been through a stretch of NH2 from Etawah to Allahabad in 2007 Sept, and the roads were superb back then. I look forward to your update on this.

Originally Posted by Abbas

very detailed info from mapmyindia . Ride safe and keep us updated.

Yes Abbas, mapmyindia is a brilliant source of information for tourers. Will keep you posted on the developments.

Originally Posted by harishnayak

I've PM'ed you my number , feel free for any assistance when you reach Delhi.
Atleast i can feel myself to be a part of the feat than doing it
myself.

Thanks Harry. Look forward to meet you in Delhi.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by wanderlustindia

About the bike decision, its something under consideration at the moment. Both options (P220 DTS-i and RE 500 LB) are reasonably good, although I need some time before finalising this aspect (perhaps the most important aspect ).
I.

WLI,

Go for the heavier bike. For such long distances you will be thankful for something to heavy to take up all the road shoks. At the moment Bullet is your best bet in India from both servicability (any decent mechanic in any town can assist you) and weight.

Probably the little ones like DTS-i etc would be relatively trouble free but if you have trouble then from servicability Bullet is your best bet.

Thanks and Best Regards

Ram

[wanderlustindia]

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

WLI,

Go for the heavier bike. For such long distances you will be thankful for something to heavy to take up all the road shoks. At the moment Bullet is your best bet in India from both servicability (any decent mechanic in any town can assist you) and weight.

Probably the little ones like DTS-i etc would be relatively trouble free but if you have trouble then from servicability Bullet is your best bet.

Thanks and Best Regards

Ram

Ram, thanks for your valuable suggestions. I'm evaluating both bikes on a variety of parameters. I hope to arrive at a decision in a week's time.