[kvamshi04]

Hello, members, I am Vamshi from Hyderabad and this was my first post, and now it's the second one. Thank you mods for posting the first one, it gave me some confidence to go back to the assembly line and finish this one.

Prologue

2nd March 2022: My faculty and now a colleague sent me a Whatsapp regarding the event North East on Wheels (NEW) organised by Amazing Namaste Foundation as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. Sponsors for the event were the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, DRDO, and the Tourism depts. of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, BSE,TVS, JAWA & Yezdi, Indian Oil, NRL, Novotel Guwahati, Countryrides, FAMOUS Innovation and Oddpartikle.

Calling riders to explore the magnificent Northeast.

Went home and applied for the ride, the results were to be declared on 10th March and on 14th I got my confirmation and the Meghalaya circuit was allotted to me. The organisers received around 700 entries and they had to shortlist only 75 of them (a huge challenge for the organisers), who were to be divided into 6 groups, each group touring one state in the Northeast.

After the confirmation from the organizer's end, took the printout and barged into my boss's office for his permission and a little bit of coaxing worked and got the permission granted. The same was posted to the official WhatsApp group and everyone knew, that I will be out of the office for a road trip very soon.

Next step: Transferred the tour cost, booked my tickets and waited for 8th April. In the meanwhile, I activated my social media handles and followed NEW(Northeast on Wheels), their social media handles were buzzing with activities and I couldn’t wait to be a part of this ride.

2nd April 2022: A much-awaited weekend, it was Ugadi (Telugu New Year) woke up early, went shopping, packed my bags and the sails were set to Guwahati. I had to pack everything as the upcoming week at work was about to get very busy, as we were attempting to enter the Limca Book of Records with 2 activities back to back.

The first one was, making 75 different types of Biryanis.

Budding chefs after preparing 75 types of Biryanis.

The second one was by making the largest flower arrangement with more than 53000 flowers, standing 33ft.tall.

The 33ft tall flower arrangement.

These events were open to the general public, and they went well phew!!
With one day to go, I uploaded everything on the official social media handles, locked the laptop and left for Guwahati the next day.

[kvamshi04]

Day-0,the trip begins !!

8th April 2022: Took the morning flight out of Hyderabad. At the airport, met a co-rider, who had landed from Mumbai and was waiting for the flight to Guwahati. We reached Guwahati by noon, we were received by the organisers and met another co-rider, a Founder and Principal of a well-known school at Raipur.

Three of us were put in a cab and taxied to Novotel Guwahati, which was the stay for the night. Reached the hotel, checked in and had a look at the motorcycle lineup. Gradually all the participants started arriving and the bikes were allotted throughout the evening.

The lineup

Later in the evening, all the participants assembled in the banquet hall, where the organisers briefed us about the event and introduced us to our other team members and the support team which would be with us for the entire trip the ended with a dinner and with all the excitement went to sleep.

Day-1,lets ride
9th April,6:30am:
And it began, all of the participants assembled at the lobby and started loading our luggage into our luggage vans, I embarked on this 1600kms ride on a brand new Yezdi Roadster. With the pleasant weather and light drizzle, we head towards Meghalaya.

The Flag off

The expedition was formally flagged off from,the Assam Administrative Staff College, by Shri Ashok Singhal, Housing & Urban Affairs and Irrigation, Government of Assam and Shri Bimal Bora, Minister of Sports & Youth Welfare, Cultural Affairs, Tourism & Power, Government of Assam.

The flag-off!!

Destination: North-Eastern Hill University, Tura
After the inauguration, we embarked on our 1600 Kms journey and the halt for the night was North-Eastern Hill University, Tura situated in the Garo Hills. The distance was around 200kms. Crossing Guwahati was one of our first challenges and with a convey consisting of 11 bikes, one media car and three support vehicles it did take us some time, we took the scenic NH-17 and NH-217 to Tura, the road is a two-lane highway mostly well laid and a hoot to ride on.

A small break on the highway.

Our initial estimate was to reach Tura by 5:00 pm but due to a delayed start and a minor accident with one rider, we were slightly delayed and reached the university at around 8:00 PM.
We were welcomed with great fanfare, and a traditional welcome ceremony was organised for us. The university had planned some cultural events for us to witness, which helped us understand the different tribal dances mainly the Wangala dance.

Wangla dance troupe with the bikers.

After the cultural extravaganza we were treated to some authentic Garo dishes for dinner and a team of PhD students and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the university took very good care of us during the two nights, we spent at the campus.

The group leader and the bikers felicitated the Pro-Vice-Chancellor.

As we went to sleep, the ever-supportive team from Jawa/Yezdi took our feedback and checked the bikes for the next day.

[kvamshi04]

Day-2, Ride to Williamnagar and back to Tura
10th April, 7:00 am:

At daybreak, the Commanding officer, BSF, Tura visited us with his men, and 2 men rode along with us to Williamnagar and back. Williamnagar is around 70kms from NEHU, Tura campus.


Bikers and the PVC felicitated the C.O. BSF, Tura.

We started around 9 am from NEHU, filled up our tanks and rode for around 2hrs to reach Williamnagar, where we were welcomed by bikers from Tribal Nation Rider's, a small meet and greet session and then reached Pa Togan Nengminja Sangma memorial park, Chisobibra and paid our homage.

Pa Togan Nengminja Sangma memorial park, Chisobibra

Our plans of reaching a waterfall were marred by rains hence we stopped at chisobibra, had our lunch near the memorial and chilled out for some time.

The restaurant is on the banks of the river, on an elevated cliff.


The view, with some food and juice.

After lunch, we started towards NEHU and took the old road, which indeed was more scenic and had negligible traffic. On the way back we stopped at Suspension Foot Bridge, a small trek that took us on the banks of Simsang River. The same team of PhD students and the PVC accompanied us to these amazing places.

The wooden bridge, a good place for some photographs.

A small trek across the river, takes you to the banks of the river.

On the banks of the river, it is muddy due to floods in april.
if you plan to visit this scenic place, follow https://goo.gl/maps/uXP5HY4F2vmLscp68


By evening we reached back to NEHU campus, the mess keeper served us some lal chaa and biscuits and then we bid adieu to the two BSF men. Later we had dinner, followed by a quick team briefing settled in our beds as a long ride 300 kms to Shillong awaited us the next day.

I was so amused by Garo hills, so much so I actually wanted to stay back and did ask the PVC, if they have vacancies for me :P, he said: “it's good to be a tourist here and city dwellers like you,will get bored by the weekend ”.

[kvamshi04]

Day-3,Destination: Shillong
11th April,6:30am:
With around 300kms to be covered, we took the SH-1, a two-lane road with minimal traffic and very few packets of civilization. These 300kms were the best part of our ride, the weather was very pleasant at some places we went through the clouds, drizzle and it was sunny at some places. We were given a heads-up to maintain a convoy and not to stop unnecessarily, as we passed through some coal mines.

My ride through the clouds.


A refreshment break!!

The beauty along the route was mesmerizing and breathtaking. Few quick stops for brunch, tea and photographs we were able to reach Shillong, East Khasi Hills at around 5:00 PM, few of us reached early and witnessed the cultural galore at the Seng Khasi College, Shillong and some of us were stuck in peak hour traffic (felt like Hyderabad).

Brunch stop on a bridge, not bad !!


The twisties, nearing Shillong!!

All of us assembled outside Seng Khasi College and moved towards the IIM-Shillong guest house. After a quick wash and change at the guest house, we were invited for a session with the Director, faculty and the PGP EX students.

We were welcomed with great enthusiasm, a small meet and greet session where each of the riders was invited to speak about their biking journey. This was the first time in my life, I went to a classroom in full riding gear and shared my riding experience, such things don’t happen very often in life, and this was followed by a felicitation ceremony and an elaborate dinner.

Bikers!! Not so properly dressed for a B-school.

The day ended with a group briefing and a slight change in the itinerary, we had to skip Dawaki, due to an earlier landslide. I was personally disheartened but was excited to visit Cherrapunji (courtesy geography textbook) the next day.

[kvamshi04]

Day-4, Destination Cherrapunji
12th April, 9:00 am
We started from our guest house and we were stuck in peak hour traffic (welcome back to Hyderabad) it took us almost 90 mins to cross Shillong a quick fuel stop and we headed towards Cherrapunji (locally known as Sohra), the ride was amazing, did exchange my Yezdi with a Jawa Perak, was too small for me to sit and ride after a 30mins ride, got back my comfortable Yezdi.

Fueled up !!

The ride was through the clouds and really the experience of mist hitting your face was just surreal. Stopped for a quick thali lunch, the food was great and 90% of the staff were females at the restaurant, which was indeed an interesting thing to note. As the hospitality industry is trying to bring in more women into the workforce across brands and cities, this restaurant was a very good example of gender inclusion, of course, Meghalaya has a matrilineal society but this was really intriguing.

Into the clouds!!

After the restaurant we head towards the Arwah cave, known for limestone walls with fossils of fish & crustaceans, this was amidst the clouds and a small trek away. Inside the cave saw some fossils and a small spring inside.

Entrance to Arwah cave.

Next place, the Seven Sisters falls, due to cloud cover, we were able to see it on and off. After a quick photo session at the viewpoint, we head towards Lyngksiar Falls.

View of the Seven sisters falls.


Lyngksiar Falls

Lyngksiar Falls a hidden gem near Cherrapunji, a small waterfall with crystal clear water is a place you must visit. This isn’t a very touristy place and we didn’t find anyone except our group, clicked some photos and started towards Shillong.

The mean machines!!

It was almost sunset on the way stopped for a cup of tea and brought some souvenirs to be distributed to near and dear ones. Soon we head towards Annesville Estate for our dinner, where we were hosted by Mrs Shabeena & Mr Atiar Singh, a lovely couple and wonderful hosts. This was the end of the day and we reached the IIM-Shillong hostel and crashed for the night after a group briefing.

[kvamshi04]

Day-5, Itinerary: DG Assam Rifles-------->Laitlum Canyons-------->Kiang Nongbah Monument,Jowai
13th April, 7:30 am:
The most awaited day, as we were to be hosted by the DG Assam Rifles at Laitkor for breakfast. Considering the punctuality of our men in uniform and the horrible traffic at Shillong, we decided to start early and reach on time.

it is not often, that the regimental police escorts bikers!! Thank you Assam Rifles for this.

As soon as we reached the main gate, regimental police on a RE escorted us to the helipad on the campus, we disembarked from our rides and met the officers, and had a yummy breakfast with them. After breakfast, we visited the war memorial and the Assam Rifles Museum.

What a lineup !!

The Regimental Flag.

The Assam Rifles War Memorial is a salute to the men who laid down their lives serving this motherland.

The next stop is the Assam Rifles Museum, the museum not only displays the rich heritage of the Assam Rifles but also has the cultural heritage of the entire northeast on display.

The Museum entrance.

The evolution of the Assam Rifles uniform from the British Cachar Levy to the modern form, observe closely, you could even see a lady mannequin wearing the same uniform.
Fun fact: Assam Rifles is the first paramilitary force to employ women in combat roles, these women are posted in the northeast, J&K and also in Congo for peacekeeping operations.


The Nagaland Pavillion, The museum has a dedicated pavilion for each of the states in the northeast, there is one pavilion for Myanmar as well.

After spending a good half a day with the Officers, JCOs and men of Assam Rifles we bid them adieu and head towards Laitlum Canyons. the view at Laitlum Canyons was just enchanting, with clouds all around and the typical lal cha to consume, we also had an authentic lunch at a nearby shack and started towards our stay for the night at Jowai.


The deep gorge at Laitlum.

Some lal cha, anyone ??

Next destination: Jowai


Welcome to Jowai.

Jowai is located on the West Jaintia hills. Around 70ks from Laitlum Canyons,
we took the NH-6, which offers some mesmerizing views and amazing hairpin bends we reached Jowai by around 5:00 PM, and visited the Kiang Nongbah Monument and paid our homage. The monument is located on the banks of the Myntdu river, it was almost sunset and with such an enthralling view of the valley, we moved towards our stay at CTC Orchid Inn, facing the Thadlaskein Lake.


The Kiang Nongbah Monument


Sunset on the banks of the Myntdu river

After a quick dinner and team briefing, we hit our beds and got mentally prepared for a long and adventurous ride to Haflong, Assam.

[kvamshi04]

Day-6,Mulieh------Umrangso------Haflong
14th April,7:00am
As the sun rises over Thadlaskein Lake, we were joined by Shri Bijay Chetri, MPS, Addl. Superintendent of Police, West Jaintia Hills, Jowai, for breakfast. It was a small meet and greet session with him and he flagged us off for Haflong from Jowai. Haflong was 180kms away and we took the SH7 and the NH627. The road was amazing, the weather did play up on the way to Haflong.

Shri Bijay Chetri MPS with the bikers.


Somewhere on the route, two legends met.

Next stop, Mulieh Village.
We took a detour to Mulieh, to meet Padmashree Trinity Saioo, known for her work in developing rural women-owned sustainable organic farming, she has successfully trained around 800 women in her village of Mulieh, Meghalaya, to grow the purest and most potent form of turmeric through organic farming methods.

Padmashree Trinity Saioo, giving us some insights about turmeric farming.

She took us to her processing unit and showed us the entire process of turmeric processing, a very scientific setup. It was a very humbling experience for me, as she was changing the lives of people while living in one of the remotest corners of this country. After the processing plant visit, all of us brought some packets of turmeric to be taken home. How often do you see bikers buying turmeric??

An hour's ride from Mulieh village we reached the Meghalaya state border on the banks of river Kopili river, the river divides the state of Meghalaya and Assam. The roads in Meghalaya were very smooth and good.

The Kopilli Barrage.

The trip across Meghalaya reminded me of my geography book, which spoke about the three hills and the three major tribes. Back then I never imagined, I would do it on a motorcycle. but it did happen. Cheers to the motorcycling way of life !!!

We entered back into Assam via Umrangdisa, this 18km stretch between the Meghalaya border and Umrangso was the worst patch of the road during the entire trip. Took us almost 90 mins to cross it and with some falls and breakdowns, this road took a toll on us, our highway cruisers weren’t made for these roads and didn’t do well.

That's me after some offroading.

As soon as we reached Umrangso, we stopped for lunch, we were served an authentic Assamese thali, while we had our lunch the support teams worked and fixed our broken and some damaged bikes, hails to the support team. While the bikes were being fixed our team started dancing to Bihu tunes and the entire team joined in.

Sunset at Umrangso

At around 5:00 pm we started from Umrangso towards Haflong, a 4 hours journey across the dense jungle with very limited lights, the key was to stay together and keep moving. Along the route, we came across mini trucks carrying bamboo, bad roads and even lightning. The weather changed dramatically, luckily didn’t rain. This ride was adventurous, and our destination was a bit far away.

At around 7:30 PM, we stopped at a marketplace, which was pitch dark, shops had very dim lights had a cup of tea met the local police officer, who told us to be careful with the road ahead as heavy rainfall is expected. We had no choice but to carry on, after a slight drizzle, we stopped to wear our rain gear and that’s when a car stopped and asked us “If we were all right, and whether we needed any help ”, helpful locals.

At around 9:00 PM we reached Haflong, we were welcomed by Haflong thunders, a biking group of Haflong. As soon as we reached Haflong, it started raining, we were invited by the EAM of Haflong for dinner that night, an array of traditional dishes were served to us and this was when the situation went bad.

As soon as we moved towards our homestay it started pouring cats and dogs. We just parked our bikes and ran towards the homestay in pitch darkness, reached the homestay and just crashed with the riding gear.

If it rains in Haflong, it rains for days together, electricity takes a hit and for days together. It poured throughout the night at Haflong and it did scare us, wondering what will happen the next day. Our trip was in jeopardy as the rains were to lash Haflong the next day as well.

[kvamshi04]

Day-7 Haflong to Hojai
15th April, 7:00 am
We woke up and freshened up with the limited resources available, and had a cup of lal cha and bread at the homestay, and the rains continued to lash Haflong. Our group leader spoke to the coordinating team back in Guwahati, they weren’t very positive about the weather either.

They did tell us to stay at Haflong, till the weather improves. Our original plan was to visit the 11 Assam Rifles Camp at Haflong.
After a two hours wait, the rain subsided. The Haflong thunders team joined us and hurried us to embark on our bikes and move towards the 11 AR Camp. The main road was blocked as a huge tree has fallen on the road. Thanks to Haflong Thunders, they escorted us via alternative routes and took us to the camp.

The insignia.

First stop: 11AR
At 11AR, we were welcomed by the Commanding Officer and his team of Officers, JCOs and Ors. The Commanding Officer briefed us about 11AR, their role in Haflong and the terrain at Haflong. After a quick briefing, we had our breakfast with the officers and moved towards an old banyan tree on our bikes for a group picture.

Group picture with the officers.

After the picture, we were escorted towards the JCOs mess, where we were again served snacks and lal cha. We interacted with the JCOs and the Riflemen and Riflewomen of 11AR, it was indeed an experience to be cherished for the rest of our lives. It was indeed an honour to meet the men and women who serve our eastern frontiers, often referred to as the “Sentinels of the East”.

Some more snacks and lal chaa.

The best part about this leg of the journey was, that the second in command at 11AR is a biker, who has been eagerly waiting for us. When we entered the 11AR, he was in his camos and as we finished our meeting with the JCOs, he walks to us in his riding gear and lead the convoy to Jatinga.

A souvenir for the team, known as Dhai Moorti, a statue, depicting an Assam Rifles jawan assisting a refugee fleeing from Myanmar ahead of the advancing Japanese forces during World War II.

After spending some time at 11AR, we embarked on our journey towards Hojai, on the way we stopped at the Abraham viewpoint, Haflong, Statue of Padma Bhushan Rani Gaidinliu,Haflong and at the bird-watching tower at Jatinga.


View from Abraham viewpoint


Statue of Padma Bhushan Rani Gaidinliu. Rani Gaidinliu was a Naga spiritual and political leader who led a revolt against British rule in India.


View from the bird-watching tower at Jatinga.Jatinga, a small tribal village and Assam's only hill station, is known for the mysterious suicide of birds during certain weeks of the year.
I was very curious about this phenomenon, reached home and read about it through various sources and yet to find a satisfying answer for the same.

Now after Jatinga and the adventurous trip to Haflong, we took the NH-27, and this was the route which would take us to Guwahati via Hojai. A four-lane highway with almost zero traffic and rising temperatures, we had a sigh of relief and were positive about reaching Hojai on time.

En route we met some amazing people at Maibang, who welcomed us to their home and offered us some cookies and lal chaa.
We accepted the offer, thanked them and moved on towards our destination. At around 3:00 PM, we stopped for lunch at a Dhaba and the sun helped us dry our shoes and riding gear.


Sunset on NH27, as we head towards Hojai.

We fueled ourselves and took the highway along the way we crossed the elephant corridor and did encounter an unruly elephant, which charged on towards a biker, while he took out his phone for a picture. We were lucky and safely made it to Hojai. Hojai, was humid and after the last night’s adventure we wanted to have a good and comfortable stay for the night, this was the last night for us on the road.

While I was compiling this travelogue, in May 2022, news flashed across channels about devastating floods in Assam and Haflong being the worst hit. My heart just sank, watching those devastating clips, and prayed for the residents of Haflong.

[kvamshi04]

Day-8 Hojai to Guwahati
16th April,10:00am
The last day on the road and by tomorrow morning we all will head back to our homes with a lot of memories.

We started from our hotel towards Sankadevi Arachelogical site, where we were facilitated by the local MLA and other members.

facilitation@Sankadevi Arachelogical site

After the Sankadevi Arachelogical site, we headed towards Nagaon an unofficial stop, we visited our fellow biker's house, where we were welcomed with the authentic Bihu food, The Jalpan we spent some time with his family and this was the best part of our ride, and this was the only thing which was missing in the itinerary.

Jalpaan@ fellow rider's house.

Thank you Manas Bhai, for this lovely gesture, you completed the entire North East on Wheels experience for us, and indeed you meet the nicest people on a motorcycle.

The last leg of our journey was from Nagaon to Guwahati, as the sun started to set, the sinking feeling of the trip coming to an end started in me, wasn’t the greatest feeling but had to deal with it and look forward for another one very soon.

The sunset and the sinking feeling.....

At around 6:30 PM we reached Novotel Guwahati, we were given a heroic welcome and the festive spirit was in the air. The 1600KMs ride comes to an end; I parked the bike hand over the keys to the organisers as they check for any damage to the bike.

The heroic welcome, with some turmeric used as color.

With a heavy heart, I walked towards the hotel reception,checked in, freshened up and attended the closing ceremony at the hotel. For one last met all the riders thanked the organisers and asked them about the next trip !!

All the riders were felicitated by the organisers and the sponsors; the night was filled with fun, as the organisers arranged for live music and a DJ. People danced till midnight and for one last time bid adieu to their respective teams and packed their bags.

The medal!!

For our team, it was a memorable night as the GM of Novotel Guwahati happened to ride with us all along. Thank you sir for being an amazing host for us!!! As the day event ended, I packed my bags and got ready to go back to Hyderabad.

[kvamshi04]

Day-9, Its homecoming
17th April
Woke up early, had a quick cup of tea and visited a friend at Guwahati for breakfast. Spent some time with her family and came back to the hotel, waited for my cab to arrive and then one last group picture and a goodbye to the entire team.

On my way back to the airport, I was joined by the Doctor in our group, such a fantastic and fun-loving person, halfway through we wanted to drink some juice and we stopped along the highway and met some Bihu dancers, requested a group picture, they were welcoming and agreed for one. A quick picture and after a small drive we reached the airport and checked in.

Bihu celebrations at Guwahati airport.

Of course, a few packets of turmeric in the bag did add weight and was borderline excess luggage, but the airline obliged and took the bag happily. The only pain point was the riding pant, which I was wearing with the armours on.

At Guwahati, the CISF person did give me some suspicious glances but allowed me without any fuss. After going around the airport terminal finally boarded the flight to Delhi. Landed in Delhi and moved towards the connecting flight and the CISF person wasn’t convinced with my knee armours and told me to remove all the armours and get them scanned. He was doing his duty, and I didn’t mind and did have a good chat with him, he was happy and congratulated me.

At the T2 terminal, the airport lounge was full and almost took me an hour to get into it, I had some time to kill, did it by standing in line. Had some quick snacks, freshened up and boarded the flight. Reached Hyderabad at 11:00 PM.

This was the end of the trip and Monday awaited me and welcomed me with pending emails and work, it took me 2 weeks to mentally return back to Hyderabad.

The ride wouldn’t have been this fun and memorable without the endless support from the organisers, team lead, support team from Jawa/Yezdi, Re Mechanic, medical team, the media team and Rupakji, who knows the entire northeast on the back of his mind.

All the 10 riders, you were an amazing bunch to ride with, the lead, the IT guy, the Axis Banker, the Saraswat Banker, the IKEA Customs Handler, the Doctor, the GM, the Principal, The Businessman and the Tail. Hope to ride with you all again. If given a chance, I would love to do it again.

At the end of the event, the organisers published a media report of the entire journey undertaken by 75 bikers across the northeast. Please click on the pdf, if you wish to read the report.
North-East-On-Wheels-Post-Event-Report.pdf compress.pdf

Since you have reached here, would like to thank you for having tremendous patience. Would try to take better pictures next time and make the write-up more interesting.
Thank you, members.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[SidharthaN]

Amazing!!!! Was in Meghalaya couple of months back with family. Stupendous place, the roads always kept calling the biker in me. Made a mental note to do a trip of the NE on two wheels. Now whether my TB UCE can do it at 1,15,000 kms on the odo is another question. But casting aside the fear of punctures on spoke wheels, i am confident she will sail through. But can my cervical and lumbar spondylitis take it is another question. The Roadster must have been a hoot to ride the twisties with the perak engine constantly asking to wring the throttle. It is the best cruiser, except a few flaws, to ride the highways today. Sad to see classic legends not getting the required traction.

[ABHI_1512]

Lovely account of a trip well made Vamshi, it’s always refreshing to see people going around the North East. You rode into the not so famous part of Meghalaya and exited through Haflong. Kudos to you and the team for traversing that route, which is nothing short of a nightmare, at least for now !! May be some time in future, that route will be just another road. Jowai side is largely unexplored and it’s wonderful to see someone getting the feel of the unknown. It helped that you guys were guided by a known organiser. Keep riding, hope you explore the other NE states as well. North East is beautiful.

Here is one from many of my travels to the region:

[kvamshi04]

Originally Posted by SidharthaN

Amazing!!!! Was in Meghalaya couple of months back with family. Stupendous place, the roads always kept calling the biker in me. Made a mental note to do a trip of the NE on two wheels. Now whether my TB UCE can do it at 1,15,000 kms on the odo is another question. But casting aside the fear of punctures on spoke wheels, i am confident she will sail through. But can my cervical and lumbar spondylitis take it is another question. The Roadster must have been a hoot to ride the twisties with the perak engine constantly asking to wring the throttle. It is the best cruiser, except a few flaws, to ride the highways today. Sad to see classic legends not getting the required traction.

Thank you sir, NE on two wheels is worth it. Would suggest you do it in a group, with the present infra, doing it solo is kind of risky. And yes Roadster is a hoot to ride, it keeps you engaged but vibrations on 6th gear kill the entire experience. The space in which this legend is positioned is too crowded at the moment and yes they have fit and finish issues.

[kvamshi04]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

Lovely account of a trip well made Vamshi, it’s always refreshing to see people going around the North East. You rode into the not-so-famous part of Meghalaya and exited through Haflong. Kudos to you and the team for traversing that route, which is nothing short of a nightmare, at least for now !! May be some time in future, that route will be just another road. Jowai side is largely unexplored and it’s wonderful to see someone getting the feel of the unknown. It helped that you guys were guided by a known organiser. Keep riding, hope you explore the other NE states as well. North East is beautiful.

Here is one from many of my travels to the region:
Attachment 2333836

Thank you sir, I am just hooked to the northeast now, have covered Sikkim in an earlier trip and Meghalaya with this one. Will look forward to covering the entire northeast on wheels.