I'm planning on doing a four month motorcycle trip in India, however I'm not sure which place is best to visit in which month. Most importantly, Tamil nadu and the northeast. Should i start in Delhi or Mumbai? The trip will be from March till july
 |
 CRIME Shirt $21.68 |
|
Monsoon season in Tamil Nadu starts in June.
I'm not there for women or whatever. I mean more is rainy season in Assam really bad, and how is the heat in Tamil Nadu?
Are you planning on buying the motorcycle in India anon?
If so, naturally it would make sense to start wherever you buy it. What motorcycle are you thinking of getting?
Anon, I'm from the U.S. but am married to an Indian and lived in a different part of the country for some years. I also own a Royal Enfield Himalayan, which has so far exceeded my expectations. Took a handful of multi-week journeys, and it performed remarkably well without developing any unusual mechanical complications (which is far more than I can about other Enfield models I've owned).
Feel free to ask any questions you might have. I've visited most parts of the country, repeatedly, with the unfortunate and notable exceptions of Tamil Nadu, Assam, and several other Northeastern states. So I can't be of much use there.
Starting in Mumbai sounds like a decent plan. Make sure you have an IDP, and try to do some research on where and how to buy a motorbike before showing up. I was a legal resident and married to a citizen, so getting a bike was an hour-long process--but I'm not sure how it'd work for you, especially if you're planning to buy new. You need insurance and registration, and those aren't documents that can be issued without a residency permit and domestic identity documents. Buying used should be comparably straightforward, but you might want to consider purchasing in Delhi for the sole reason that several of the city's largest bike markets are very, very accustomed to working with foreign tourists. Could be the case in Mumbai, too, but I'm not as familiar with that city (have visited many times, ofc).
Again, haven't been to TN so can't comment on what weather will be like any time of year. So far as the rest of India goes, neither April nor June is a particularly great time to go. At least in the interior parts of the country, April-ish until June-ish are effectively "summer," meaning that it will be very hot with low humidity (this is mitigated somewhat on the coast, where it never gets quite as hot but can remain stiflingly humid year-round).
cont.
Monsoon isn't actually that bad. If you go during the so-called "rainy season," buy an armored riding jacket with an internal rain liner and over-the-top poncho. You can also get soft saddlebags with rain equipment for a reasonably low price, even off Amazon.
We moved back to the U.S. last year, but some of the last long-distance trips I took were during monsoon. It was loads of fun, NGL. You don't feel the heat and humidity quite so much when you're going at a reasonable speed, and there is absolutely nothing like being on the road when the weather starts to change: the temperature can drop by several degrees in a matter of seconds, the wind starts whipping, and buckets of rain start pouring down with little warning. It's pretty cool, but probably not something you should do if you're not already an experienced motorcyclist.
If you have the time, I'd genuinely recommend going inland, too (i.e., don't just stick to the coast). You'll miss out on some of the prettiest scenery outside the Himalayas. Interior Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh (esp. Araku Valley and other parts of Vizag/Alluri Sitharama Raju Districts), Odisha, etc, are all gorgeous. This is doubly true if you go during the monsoon, when everything is intensely green and you get all kinds of fog and mist hanging between the hills.
Picrel is my bike, got pretty dirty after three hours off-roading in rural Chhattisgarh, kek. Fun times. Being in India for years on end was frustrating, but I miss that fricking place every day. I have a bike here in the U.S., too, but the experience isn't even comparable.
I was thinking of buying a royal enfield Himalayan, as it's good for long distance touring and there are a lot of spare parts around. I'll probably start in Mumbai and circle the coast to northeastern India after which Nepal and delhi
I've also been wondering if anybody has been to South India during march April, is it beautiful at this time of the year?
I am local living in Tamil Nadu.
Starting February to July, it will have heat waves. It approaches wet bulb temperatures quite easily. You will die if you are not hydrated properly and stay in AC. Dont visit now.
It is most beautiful on December.
Green rice fields ready to harvested dancing around like morons, wind with some sprinkles of rain hitting your face as you drive through.
You need a car though. Too windy near Tirunelveli-Kanyakumari
If I'm not there in march April may I will be there in June, is that a better month?
OP said he wasn't interested in cooming. Why do you feel the chronic need to shit up every single India-related thread?
>makes fun of Indians online
>posts the same 3-4 screenshots on a fricking loop every single day
kek