Rider Reviews

I went with two friends on the South India Spice Route Tour in October 2018. It was absolutely amazing. I was quite worried about the trip because our destination of Kerala had been severely flooded the previous month. In the end there was nothing to worry about. Narendra, Vinktesh, Dolat and Ram made sure we were always safe having checked the routes out and preparing diversions in case they were needed.
The itinerary of the trip can be found on their website but essentially goes down the Eastern coast of India from Chennai to Pondicherry and then across the southern plains of Tamil Nadu, up into the mountains and tea plantations of Kerala then down to the coast and lakes.
The sights i saw will stay with me forever and there is nothing like riding a motorbike through traffic in Indian cities. All the routes we rode had views of the real countryside and places of interest to visit.
Every night Narendra had picked a fantastic hotel for us to stay in. This was either for its luxury or historical interest. The food was delicious throughout the trip but you need to like curry if you are visiting India.
I can't recommend this trip enough.
We plan to go back and use the same company for one of their other trips next year.

I am a retired office worker who had once owned a 250cc Honda 30 years ago & ridden a few mopeds on holiday since then. I'd always wanted to visit India so when an old college friend suggested this tour I was easily persuaded. The trip more than lived up to my expectations. Travelling throughout rural India gave us all a fascinating insight into the culture & lifestyle of this developing country. I could write an essay on our experiences, however, for the purposes of this review I'll just mention salient points for anyone considering this holiday. Indian Rides are a fully independent Indian Company operating with financial support from government tourism grants. In the years they have been operating it is apparent they have developed a network of support people able to provide schedule flexibility & local knowledge. (One example - due to a strike The Taj Mahal visit looked doubtful, but IR organised an alternative route for us to by-pass the trouble). The standard of accommodation was excellent, often staying in atmospheric ancient forts in poor villages in the middle of sparse desert. The bikes were in excellent nick & were always cleaned & well maintained by the engineer. The support vehicle amazingly kept up with our brisk pace. The roads were generally good & we all enjoyed some off-road riding too. Although there were plenty of hazards on the roads (animals & flagrant flouting of normal road use by other vehicles) we never saw any accidents & if an inexperienced biker like me could cope with the conditions I'm sure most bikers would manage (with perhaps a heightened awareness of the potential dangers). Finally, I'd like to pay tribute to Narendra, the owner & our leader for the trip. He was approachable, informative, flexible & above all lead us with a noble responsibility for our safety & comfort. Andy Cameron

Visiting India for the first time, this was an attack on my senses, and riding a bike through it made it ten times better. I went with four close mates, and we all agreed that riding a Royal Enfield is the perfect vehicle to tackle the varied roads we encountered. Most of the road is tarmac, but be prepared for tracks through villages, and a bit of soft sand. An average rider can deal with any of these roads which take you into the heart of Rajastan. From the moment we set foot in Delhi, we were made to feel so welcome. The hotels were an ideal balance between originality and comfort, and the food was excellent at every location. Narendra and his team have put so much thought and preparation into the Forts and Palaces tour that all I can do is recommend you go and see it yourself. Until you do, you won't appreciate the sunning place India is. I'm already planning my next trip.

Another great adventure with Indian Rides. We did the Rhajastan trip in 2016 with Naren and this year have just done the south of India with his brother Shakti. A small group of 7 people in total whom we got on with well. The adventure was over about twelve days and we rode about 1400 kms in all. Total security with a driver in front and another behind along with the mechanic 'doctor Ram'.
l would certainly recommend this trip which is fine for intermediate riders .....the hotels were great and most had a swimming pool so as to relax after a hard days riding.
We look forward to doing another trip with you before too long..........Thanks again for such a great time
Dave King

We had a great time riding a classic Royal Enfield motorcycle in Rajasthan and taking part in the Holi Festival! Doing the trip with an Indian company meant that we saw more 'real' India than would have been likely otherwise.

Accommodation was in hotels that used to be forts, palaces or the houses of rich merchants. The bikes were the 500cc classic model and were well maintained. The group was followed by a car with mechanic and driver carrying luggage, spares and water for the stops during the day. Narendra, our guide, was in radio contact with the car so if anyone stopped or was too far behind he could change pace as needed.

Riding a bike in India takes a lot of concentration! You quickly learn to deal with animals and people, bikes, cars and trucks in places and doing things that you wouldn't expect at home. It's very involving and great fun.

At the end of the riding tour it was lovely to meet Narendra's family before heading off for the final couple of days sightseeing.

Many thanks to the Indian Rides team!

What an amazing trip, really well organised and all the staff and family of the owners were so helpful and looked after us throughout the whole time in India. You will see the real India if you travel with Indian Rides, can't thank you enough.