“In our daily lives, we ride our motorcycle to run errands, chase targets and get things done. We reduce motorcycling to a mere means of transport. But when we go on long rides, it’s only then we’re able to cherish our love for two wheels”

        – Vaishali Bhagat

A 48-year-old biker by passion and an architect by profession, Vaishali has ridden extensively throughout India.

She is an India book record holder for covering 5900 kilometers from West to East India. And she has clocked more than one lakh kilometers on her motorcycle in six years. 

In her garage, she keeps a Yezdi classic 250, a Himalayan and a Jawa forty-two. 

To benefit from her experience, we interviewed Vaishali and asked her a few questions. 

 

» » How was the motorcycling scene in our country when you started riding?

Photo Credit: Deepak Gupta/ Xtreme Moto Adventure. 

When I started off in the year 2010-11, the glamour of riding was not even at the inception point. I was always attracted towards bikes and my husband really pushed me to get on the bike.

I remember it vividly, it was 2010 and I was going for some work on my bike(Honda Unicorn Dazzler). Anil Gautam, a famous biker back then who was the first one to ride East to West, spotted me at a traffic signal. He was quite amazed to see a lady riding a bike because it was a big thing in Jaipur.

Anil then introduced me to his group and finally in 2011, I went on for my first long ride(2600 km) from Jaipur to Surat for my school reunion. When my teachers and principal came to know that I rode the distance, they felicitated and took pictures with me.

 

» » Tell us about the Desert ride of 2900 km. How was it?

Desert ride was one of the best rides of my life. Pruthu Mehta, Deepak Gupta, Neeta Chaudhary and I went together. Pruthu Mehta is a well-known biker from Hyderabad.

vaihali bhagat

Photo Credit: Deepak Gupta/ Xtreme Moto Adventure. 

He approached me for the trip. Deepak Gupta, Xtreme Moto Adventures, and Neeta Chaudhary, a biker from Mumbai, joined us. We travelled in the interiors of Rajasthan. We went till Munabao which is railway transit point on the India-Pakistan border.

The roads were entirely covered with sand which made biking tougher. Sometimes sand blocked the entire road and four of us had to make way from the sand dune in that extreme hot weather. The trip was challenging but taught us a lot.

 

» » Any tips for people who ride long distances in a short period of time?

You should get your bike serviced 2-3 days prior to the trip and use it in the city. This will help you identify the fault in yours if any. Important information such as emergency contact number of your closed ones, your name and blood group should be there on your helmet and bike.

Vaishali Bhagat

Photo Credit: Deepak Gupta/ Xtreme Moto Adventure. 

Avoid travelling at night if you ride alone. Do proper homework of the place on Google Maps and stick to your plan.

One last pro advice, travel as much as possible on local roads. This will help you explore the city. If you are leading the group then make sure your plan is foolproof. 

Here are some easy motorcycle maintenance tips for your help.

 

» » Which is your favourite destination and why?

kerala roads on a cloudy day

Photo Credit: Deepak Gupta/ Xtreme Moto Adventure. 

I have travelled a lot in the last 8-9 years of my riding career and has been fortunate enough to explore the countryside, desert and borough but one place I look forward to is Kerala. Reason for it is I have heard a lot about the place from my friends who have explored Kerala on two wheels and their stories, pictures have created a lot of fuss in me about the place.

So I really want to set some time aside for riding to Kerala. 

 

» » Can you share one good and one bad experience from your extensive years of riding?

female bikers of India

Photo Credit: Deepak Gupta/ Xtreme Moto Adventure. 

Let’s start with the bad one first. It was 2017 and I was riding to Rajkot from Jaipur all alone for some work. The ride went well and I covered 810 km without breaking a sweat. Around 6.15 pm I reached the periphery of Rajkot and only 30 km were left for the ride to complete.

So I rested to have a cup of tea and it started raining. In minutes it turned from normal to severe and it took me 4 hours to complete those 30 km. To add more trouble, no hotel was ready to give me room as I was alone.

Craving some me time? Here are ten reasons why you should go on a solo ride. 

And the best one?

I rode with my son to Delhi and Kutch, riding with him was the best riding experience of my life.

 

» » Before going on a ride, what are the things you check?

vaishali bhagat rider

Photo Credit: Deepak Gupta/ Xtreme Moto Adventure. 

The tips I have mentioned earlier, I personally follow all of them. I give my bike for servicing three days prior to the trip and ride it in the city so that if there are any glitches, I can get it sorted. Even after proper service of your bike, any fault can arise during the ride so I make sure I carry extra spare parts and most importantly tire tubes.

It is extremely difficult to find tubes in the countryside especially if you own a Bullet or any bike of that range.

I also carry first aid kit and before leaving I share my location with my husband and have told him to call me if there is any unusual halt. So that he can check with me.

 

» » Riding regularly in the city and touring on a motorcycle, how different are they?

Vaishali Bhagat Interview

Photo Credit: Deepak Gupta/ Xtreme Moto Adventure. 

I love to ride my bike irrespective of the circumstances but there are certain things that make a difference. First is the motive.

While going to the office, tension and load of work is my pillion, but going to a destination for a ride gives me a sense of freedom.

In our daily lives, we ride our motorcycle to run errands, chase targets and get things done. It’s like reducing motorcycling to a mere means of transport. But when we go on long rides, it’s only then we’re able to cherish our love for two wheels. 


Interview by Yash Dwivedi.

We interviewed some more women who love their wheels. You can read it here.