If you’re a traveller, you know what happens when you don’t travel for a long time. I had the urge of doing something new for the first time. I had never done a solo bike ride before. I had never been on a long, long ride before. I was lucky enough to get the chance to ride Kawasaki z650 for this trip.

Leaving from Mumbai

I planned to leave in the morning by 3-4 am. But finally managed to leave by 4:45 am. One of the reasons for my delay is that I am constantly shooting and editing my vlogs before I leave for my journey and the other is excitement. Like any other trip, I was already drowsy in this solo bike ride when I left from home.

Leaving early is good because you can jump the city traffic and touch the main highway without any tension.

Solo Bike Ride Packing List

Most of my packing list includes vlogging gears like my camera, mic, tripod. Another major part is my riding gears such as riding jacket, helmet, riding gloves, bungee cords and shoes. Other essentials are portable chargers, identity proofs, documents and a napkin or tissues. All these are non-negotiable. Clothes for the trip and toiletries are unsaid.

I was carrying the Leopard tank bag – 32 L in this solo bike ride. It is very spacious and convenient for any rider to use it on the motorcycle. I was carrying one more luggage bag tied at the rear seat.

Other things to keep in mind:

• Do a complete bike servicing before the ride
• Carry a tool kit
• Carry a puncture kit
• Take your chain lubricant
• Keep extra spark plugs
• Keep extra led lights (if possible)
• Download map on your phone
• A riding jacket is not a hoodie or denim jacket
• Knee and shin protective pads are important
• Bottle of water is a must
• Avoid having heavy meals before or in between the ride

Mumbai to Bangalore Road Conditions

Mumbai to Bangalore route is very beautiful with wide, scenic highways. The endless road in front of you sometimes looked like you’re going nowhere. You start the journey an hour before dawn, so you can touch the highway when the sun rises.

For Beginners

Usually, when I’m riding alone, I like to explore on the way and pause to click pictures. Even though I had been on many rides before this one, it got the best of me. My eyes could hardly stay open even at 12 PM, I took halts to splash water on my face to not doze off. I even tried to take a nap on the side of the road, but the risk of losing my bike or belongings didn’t let me sleep. But I had to reach Bangalore by hook or by crook.

My Experience on Solo Bike Ride

I started day-dreaming to stay awake. I gave myself small sessions of motivation such as my subscribers were waiting for me, how there’s a hot water shower, and a cozy bed at the end of the road. I started dreaming about food and cozy beds. I was in so much pain that I thought I would need a spa or massage in Bangalore to relieve all the stress and pain of the ride.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by MSK (@msk_s1991) on Feb 23, 2018 at 8:27am PST
 

Now I made a strategy to shorten this tough journey by making small goals in my head, to keep myself occupied. My first goal was to complete one hundred kilometers in one hour and then I will stop and take some rest.

I started the stopwatch and decided to halt somewhere after 100 kilometers. You won’t believe, after one hour I actually completed 100 kilometers and realized that this thing really worked. So, I completed one small goal of covering 100 kilometers in one hour and took a break of around 15 to 20 minutes, hydrated myself, took some rest and again decided to stop after the next 100 kilometers after another hour, until I reached Bangalore.

This trick helped me get through 400 KMS. I have seen several other riders do the same thing. But it was the first time for me and that too 1000 kilometers at a stretch and also solo.

Mumbai to Bangalore Route

The fastest and best route to get to Bangalore is: Mumbai – Pune – Satara – Kolhapur – Belgaum – Hubli – Bangalore

To cover this distance of around 1000 KMS is very tough but not impossible. I would suggest only experienced riders to try this, or go with a group of riders. Take multiple halts in between. Do not compromise on safety gears.

The highway is gorgeous and beautifully made. Smooth long roads, with vehicles almost about to take off like an airplane. Always remember to hydrate yourself. Take breaks during the day as riding for too long under the sun can affect your health.

After reaching Bangalore, the fatigue almost killed me. The back pain, because of the seating posture of the motorcycle, was unbearable. This is not a cruiser bike, so it was a bit aggressive which was not at all relaxing in terms of touring. But the bike was very smooth and did not give me any issues.

Life Lessons

Sometimes our goal seems to be very far away from us. But the thing is that if we keep that big goal or dream at the back of our mind and start working or focusing on small achievements, it will definitely lead us to complete our big dream. Also, give yourself the credit and be proud. This is the only way we can achieve bigger success in life.

I’m saying this because 1000 kilometers was a big thing for me. I was very stressed before the ride, and was feeling negative. At one point I even thought I couldn’t complete it. However, once I started thinking about the 100 kilometers in one hour, I forgot about what I couldn’t do, and started thinking about what I can do.

Never demotivate yourself. Thinking about your biggest dream will leave you in fears. Instead keep it at the back of your mind and make smaller goals that lead you there.

Learn from my mistakes

This was my first time riding such a big distance and on a new bike.

After around 500 kilometers from Mumbai, the situation got worse. I felt that I won’t be able to complete the ride as there were long stretches of road. I pulled over to the side of the road, and tried to motivate myself to stay awake until the end of the road, which unfortunately was 500 kilometers away.

After a lot of self-motivation like ‘there is nothing in this world that you can achieve being negative’, I carried on the rest of the ride. If you’re travelling along with your friends, time flies faster and you can complete the ride easily. But when you ride alone and sleep-deprived, you also have to be alert. A ride is incomplete without the fun element. But another very important aspect also lies in being cautious.

If you haven’t watched the video, follow the link below. If you have watched it, comment down below and tell us how you liked it. Share with me your first long ride experience, maybe I’ll even upload it.

Live your life, Live Your Dream.