Motorcycling is a heart-and-soul affair. Here’s a list of the best bikes for road trips, especially on Indian roads, and the milieu each is built to traverse. By Meiji S
City Slicker- Harley Davidson Street 750
If it’s about looking cool and prowling down the boulevard on a hip set of wheels, then the Street 750 is a no- brainer. It’s also the cheapest, lightest, and as fast (if not faster) than most of the bigger Harleys; the liquid-cooled engine—which means the engine heat is negligible—is the icing on the cake. That agility makes it ideal for rips around town and, with no prejudice, for women riders who may not be able to, or want to, handle the bigger leviathans in Harley’s stable.
Cruise Missile- Kawasaki ZX-14R
Take Kawasaki’s word for the bike’s top-end whack of 297 kmph— ZX-14 R maintains an admirable poise throughout the trip, aided by a three-mode traction control system, and an improved ABS system, which combine to keep the wheelies down, and prevent the rear wheel from slipping during enthusiastic throttling, and emergency braking. This bike is certainly built for speed. At the end of the day it is a fantastic sports tourer, hungry for miles.
All-Terrain Champion- Ducati Multistrada 1200 S
This is, by far, the most comfortable motorcycle Ducati has ever built, perfectly capable of taking on all sort of harsh terrain without you needing a back massage. On the Multistrada—Ducati’s jack-of-all- trades—cross high-altitude passes or traverse hundreds of kilometres on unpaved paths masquerading as roads. The motorcycle never complains, handling knee-deep slush at the passes, loose stones the size of footballs, and even desert sand, with consummate ease. The suite of electronics keeps the bike from sliding or doing anything unexpected irrespective of how unskilled a rider is at the wheel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ0B25PRKPI
Twisting and Turning- Triumph Speed Triple
Those looking for the utility of brutish-looking fast naked machines will find their answers after a couple of days on Triumph’s iconic Speed Triple. With a gut-wrenching 125 bhp pouring out from the sonorous triple-cylinder heart, this is an, no other word for it, orgasmic motorcycle to ride, and ride fast. No trouble on long stretches of downhill riding—even on narrow country roads.
Classic Tourer- Indian Chief Vintage
Its striking silhouette and 365 kgs of metal, chrome and leather draws the kind of attention that even a sports car would be envious of. When you’re burbling along at 2500 rpm at 140 kmph, the Indian Chief Vintage presents a picture of grace and stunning retro looks. But under all that retro chic, it’s powered by the wonderfully torquey Thunderstroke III v-twin, and is in fact, a built-from-ground-up modern motorcycle. ABS is standard, as is keyless start and Cruise Control. The bike is a testament to thoughtful, painstaking re-invention of heritage.
