A CHANGE OF PLAN

When you venture out on an adventure onboard a Royal Enfield Himalayan, 'unknown' is just a part of the experience

- WORDS SAYANTAN DE PHOTOGRAPHY ROYAL ENFIELD

Being a motorcyclist in the Indian monsoons is a painful experience.

Most riders tend not to enjoy commuting as much as the open road, and traffic tends to take on a more hostile quality in the downpour. So when the invite came in for a trip with Royal Enfield Rides through the Western Ghats, with lush green valleys, craggy black peaks and roads covered in clouds, I was ecstatic to break free of the monotony of the commute. On the highways, rain takes on a more soothing personality, so I was looking forward to watching the water droplets drift over the visor of my helmet before being blown away in the slipstream...

I reached Kolhapur quite late in the evening, and after a quick briefing by our ride coordinator, Asif Khan, it was time to tuck in with the ever-present rain lashing against the hotel windows. Asif had picked a route for us that was going to be 'more challenging than average,' and considering he heads a group called Wild Riders, we were filled with nervous excitement. We started bright and early the next morning, and that was the first time I laid eyes on '1099' - the Royal Enfield Himalayan that was to be my steed throughout this sojourn.

Shortly after a rendezvous with the remainder of the contingent, we left the highway for the Broads that led us deep into the heart of the Western Ghats. We were told that there was a surprise on the way—after riding through roads that took us through dense vegetation all the way to hilltops shrouded in mists, and back down to the forests again, we veered off onto a dirt road that led to a small dam.