Biking Tours for the Travelling Delhiwaala

Based in New Delhi, Vintage Rides was started by Frenchman, Alexander Zurcher, in 2007. Alex and a whole host of guides of varied nationalities have been leading tours around India. They’ve also expanded to Bhutan, Nepal and Mongolia. Being lovers of all things vintage, their tours have always been on Royal Enfields, but they’ve started offering Harley-Davidson tours in Australia, France, South Africa and the US.

Besides the big, organised tours to places such as the Himalayas, Rajasthan and Kerala, they also offer day rides from Delhi. Vintage Rides has scouted a few interesting locations in and around NCR, like a ride to Mystery Lake. These are fun for riders who want to just get out of the city.

Tours are their mainstay, but at their new garage in Okhla they also offer motorcycle maintenance training, customisation of Enfields, and a place to just talk bikes.

Contact: 011 41007806

Find out more here. Follow them on Facebook here.

Started in 2012 by Arvind Prabhakar, IndusRider is based out of Goa, Bangalore and Dehradun, and offers tours in Goa and on the West Coast, the Himalayas, Rajasthan, and in Malaysia. It really does cater to all kinds of motorcyclists, as the tours range from a half-day excursion in Goa to month-long rides across India. Their newest additions are Goa-centric tours of traditional fishing, island hopping and conservation rides.

Arvind is also actively involved in the initiative Motorcycle Travellers Meet, which Santosh Kumar and I are leading. It’s a growing collective of motorcycle travellers who are nurturing a more sophisticated outlook to travelling on a bike, by encouraging riders to travel with a purpose, and do good on two wheels.

Contact: +91 9922463339

Find out more here. Follow them on Facebook here.

Based in Bangalore, indiMotard is the brainchild of Anand Dharmaraj and Prashanth Kumar. They offer tours in India {Himalayas and the south}, and they also run tours in Cambodia and Sri Lanka on 250 cc dirt bikes. The India tours are, of course, on Enfields. Even a tour to South Africa is in the works, so be sure to check back with them regularly.

Besides tours, indiMotard started India’s first motorcycle track day and riding school, called Throttle Wide Open. It takes place at the Kari Motor Speedway near Coimbatore. It’s not just for racers; any rider can vastly improve their on-road riding skills by practicing in a closed-course track environment. They have also launched a new concept called the indiMotard Greasehouse, in Bangalore, where bikes of all kinds are worked on, and knowledge about motorcycles and touring is shared.

Contact: +91 9448494080

Find out more here. Follow them on Facebook here.

I have launched a new motorcycle-touring outfit called Jammin Global Adventure Travel. It offers guided motorcycle tours through some of the most exciting locations that I have personally ridden through.

In 2014, tours were scheduled in Peru, Kenya, South Africa and of course, India. If you have dreamt of riding in the likes of the Andes or the African Savanna, all you need to do is get on a flight to the starting location, be it Lima, Nairobi, Johannesburg or Delhi, and from there, Jammin will help you pick up motorcycles suited for the terrain, and head off for an adventure.

I recently completed a three year and three month motorcycle journey from the US to India, through Latin America, Europe and Africa. This journey took me through 33 countries, and I covered a bit over 100,000 kilometers, as I slowly made my way home. The experience of living like a nomad, with nothing more than what I could carry on my motorcycle, has equipped me with the information I need to make your journey, whichever one you choose, both liberating and memorable.

Contact: +91 9971211799

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Based in Mumbai and Chandigarh, Helmet Stories was started by Vir Nakai and Harsh Man Rai. They have been offering tours into the high Himalayas, through Ladakh and Spiti Valley. But what the men behind it enjoy the most is offering rides down the path-less-ridden. They offer biking tours, photography tours and custom tours.

They did the first tour in 2013 to Pangi Valley in Himachal Pradesh, and now that’s on the radar of other tour operators. They also do a lovely ride down the Konkan Coast from Mumbai to Goa. I rode with them on this route as we made our way to India Bike Week 2014, and it was thrilling to ride on a deserted beach and just hug the coast all the way down.

Contact: +91 9867639753

Find out more here. Follow them on Facebook here.

Note: For all the tours mentioned above, you need to be a competent motorcycle rider, hold a valid driving license, and come with a sense of adventure. For your next holiday, I hope you’ll add on a half-day ride in Goa, or go for a full adventure in Africa.