Lessons from motorcycling
Over 20 years ago, an ad for the newly launched Bajaj Avenger 180cc instantly gave me motorcycling goals. Thanks to that ad, I was sold on the feeling of the wind across your face as you cruise down highways. That’s how I bought my first motorcycle.
That’s also how I fell in love with cruising — though it took me another decade to do cross-country trips.
So when Royal Enfield invited me on a two-week ride — Unseen North East — along the border states to experience the slow life, I said yes. As a solo rider who’s never been part of a pack, I was determined to make it work, even if it meant riding with a group of 25 bikers for just a week.
The team of bikers
| Photo Credit:
Royal Enfield
I probably underestimated the adventure hidden behind the words: 80% tarmac and 20% off-roading. Twenty percent of 2,200 kilometres meant over 400 kilometres off-road. But this is what I learnt from the adrenaline-packed, arduous ride that is not for the faint hearted.
Lesson 1: Stories are where there are no roads
The riders wore heavy boots and full-face helmets. I showed up with basic grip shoes and a half-face helmet (I still love feeling the wind on my face) to join the ride on Day 8 from Namsai (Arunachal Pradesh) to Mon (Nagaland) — about 200 kilometres.
Royal Enfield had provided all riders with a Scram 440 — an adventure bike built for challenging terrain.
The day began with a route briefing. The team was led by Kegan D’Souza — expert biker, two-time State champion boxer and chef — who fell in love with the Northeast during his stint with the company and knows the roads and mountain paths like the back of his hand. Sarin PR was the designated sweeper, ensuring no rider was left behind. While most averaged 90–100 kmph, I stuck to 60–80. As expected, I mostly kept the sweeper company, taking breaks every hour to capture the sights and sounds.
That night, the group stayed in tents around a campfire at a scenic viewpoint in Mon, while a couple of us from the media and a sick rider from the group were taken to a cosier PG with real bathrooms.
With members of the Konyak tribe at Longwa
| Photo Credit:
Royal Enfield
The next morning (Day 9), we rode from Mon to Longwa (40 kilometres) across narrow winding mountain roads — to the Konyak chief/Angh’s house on the Indo-Myanmar border — and I got my first real taste of off-roading in the hills. The Angh’s house, simple yet majestic, felt like a museum of Konyak history — the tribe once associated with headhunting, referenced in Paatal Lok 2. In one corner, the chief’s second wife posed with tourists between chores as our guide took us to the armoury factory. We were told the line marking India and Myanmar inside the house had recently been removed. Right here in Longwa, there are no borders.
Lesson 2: Ride at your own pace
During lunch, one of the younger bikers from The Royal Pandias group from Madurai — assuming I didn’t understand Tamil — began complaining about my speed and joked about bumping me off the road. I waited, then calmly told him in Tamil that I do speak the language, and maybe we should focus on getting home safe instead of racing, especially on a ride themed around slow living and cultural exploration.
After a long stretch of silent tension, he dared me to step outside.
“Nobody will wait for you,” he yelled, voice shaking.
The road less travelled
| Photo Credit:
Royal Enfield
“You don’t need to. Enjoy your ride; let me enjoy mine,” I said, extending a hand of friendship to settle it before the group gathered for a Konyak folk dance performance.
After that, I asked the Rides team for a 10-minute head start each morning so I wouldn’t delay anyone.
Lesson 3: Even machines need love
Every 200 kilometres, mechanic Rahim — a veteran of 75 marquee rides — checked the bikes The logistics team followed in a car. The baggage van delivered tagged bags to each hotel nightly. And riders volunteered as point markers at every fork.
From Longwa, we rode back to Sivasagar post-lunch via Mon (140 kilometres) over the course of an afternoon, but not quite making it before sunset that happens around 4.30pm.
Lesson 4: A lone wolf can get lost
On Day 10, before heading to Kohima (250 kilometres away), we visited Rang Ghar — the Ahom dynasty headquarters in Sivasagar.
Rang Ghar — the Ahom dynasty headquarters in Sivasagar
| Photo Credit:
Royal Enfield
Our guide, Munroe Phukan — a descendant of the Ahom royal family and a shaman (who also rides an Enfield) — laughed off questions about superpowers and gave us a brief tour, inviting us back for a longer session.
We then rode to Kohima through forests and winding roads. With my head start, I rode solo at my pace. The downside? Google Maps misled me into Dimapur city traffic instead of the bypass. Once again, I was among the last to reach Kohima — though city traffic proved a great leveller and I caught up with the group before they reached the hotel.
Lesson 5: No brakes, no clutch
Day 11 was rest day, but we had the option to visit Khonoma — Asia’s first fully green eco-village — 20 kilometres away.
Simple living
| Photo Credit:
Royal Enfield
Soon after leaving Kohima traffic, Google Maps suggested an uphill off-road stretch of gravel and loose stones. The others, fresh from Mechuka, didn’t hesitate. I wasn’t so sure. It felt miraculous I hadn’t fallen yet. Maybe this short ride would be the one.
Scenes from Mechuka
| Photo Credit:
Royal Enfield
Devansh Poddar, a rider from Hyderabad, who had been vlogging the ride, convinced me otherwise. “You can do this. Maintain constant speed. No brake, no clutch. Let the engine power you through.”
As the motorcycle wobbled uphill, I repeated his mantra: “No brake, no clutch.” A kilometre later, the path eased. The panoramic views and clean air of Khonoma made it worth it.
At the village entrance, we found a shop operating on trust — take what you want, pay for it. A pack of wild apple cider cost ₹10 and tasted incredible. Bees buzzed around — the village makes its own honey — and a farmer cleared our path with a bucket of water. At the top, the world felt big; the fear of the fall seemed small.
Lesson 6: People are a window to culture
I spent the afternoon getting a haircut, chatting with the young stylist Addy Lanah, about his dream of opening his own salon, his playlist and travel destinations.
In the evening, dancers performed the local bamboo dance as riders took turns trying it over dinner.
Bamboo dance in Nagaland
| Photo Credit:
Royal Enfield
Familiar with the Northeast circuit, Kegan wanted riders to explore the unseen side — Mechuka being the highlight. “A few years ago, there was nothing there. Now more riders are discovering it. It’s not as commercial as Ladakh yet, but it might be. That’s the cost of progress.” Next year, he hopes to take riders to Choona — currently more goat paths than roads.
Lesson 7: There’s no adventure without fear
Day 12: 350 kilometres from Kohima to Guwahati. Mostly highways — my comfort zone as a cruiser.
There were tricky construction stretches, especially one where the road ended in loose sand. But thanks to the off-roading lesson the previous day, I managed without falling.
I did miss a left turn at Nagaon, though, and by the time I corrected course, the logistics car had disappeared. Officially last.
With fuel running low, I refuelled and grabbed a quick lunch — 40 kilometres behind the group. Within half an hour, I crossed the lunch spot, waving at Sarin to signal I was fine. Cruising at a steady 80kmph, I was among the first 10 to reach the hotel before 4pm.
That evening, the Rides team surprised us with a Brahmaputra cruise dinner, a bonfire on an island, cultural performances and certificate distribution.
Lesson 8: Every person teaches you something
Veteran biker Ravi Kumar Katikala had left his phone in Longwa; I’d left my charger in Sivasagar. “Maybe I can take yours?” I joked.
His phone wasn’t an iPhone, but he smiled, pulling out a multi-pin adapter case. “One of these will work. When you’re on the road, you never know what you might need.”
Pagoda at Dambuk
| Photo Credit:
Royal Enfield
The next morning on my way to the Guwahati airport, I smiled to myself — I hadn’t fallen once.
And remembered the wise words of Sukumar Panda’s pro tip — an experienced biker who had just retired from aviation and was called back to work on setting up another airport: “Don’t be afraid to fall. That’s what the gear is for.”
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