India
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Aprilia’s working on a small capacity sportbike to compete with KTM’s 390 Duke and RC
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A small capacity, Indian-built sportbike could be coming soon from the Italian factory. Aprilia’s been getting serious about smaller bikes for a little while. Later this year we’re finally going to see the new RS660 rolling out across dealers – before it’s joined by the Tuono 660 in 2021. And of course, who can forget…
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The Best Exotic Marigold Expedition – Day Nine
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The long way home At the beginning of the trip it felt like seven days on a small bike in a hectic riding environment would be a long slog. But when the last day of our travels dawned it felt like the expedition had gone far too quickly, and I could have happily gone on…
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The Best Exotic Marigold Expedition – Day Eight
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Tibetan flavour The night in the tent had been surprisingly comfortable. And waking up to the sound of the river was lovely. That noise was soon drowned by the Bollywood soundtracks blasting out of the kitchen, which was next to my tent. Still, authentic sounds I guess. The riding today was not much different to…
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The Best Exotic Marigold Expedition – Day Seven
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Going local It may have taken a while, but by day five I felt like I had mastered the Indian approach to using the horn. It is basically your answer to any traffic situation. Want to overtake someone? Why mess around with indicators when you can just beep your horn. How about going round a…
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The Best Exotic Marigold Expedition – Day Six
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Finding the tourist trail So far, every day of riding has been different. The first day was a transition from the sprawling masses of Chandigarh to quiet back roads. It was also an introduction to lazy cows in the middle of the road, homicidal lorry drivers attacking from every angle, and the ever-present dust. The…
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The Best Exotic Marigold Expedition – Day Five
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Clear water and mucky kit Day three of riding in Himachel Pradesh was the best so far. We covered a similar distance to previous days, around 125km, but by the end of the ride I felt far less knackered than on previous days. This was thanks to today’s roads being (mostly) recently resurfaced, which made…
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The Best Exotic Marigold Expedition – Day Four
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Alpine apples Waking up in a palace puts you in a good mood right from the start, I find. So does watching wild monkeys play just outside your window. The second day of riding started with good omens and lots of chai. From Chail we headed towards Narkanda, which sits slightly higher in the mountain…
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The Best Exotic Marigold Expedition – Day Three
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Hey, ho, let’s go! The morning in Chandigarh was what we had all been waiting for – this was the start of the seven days of riding in Himachal Pradesh. The weather looked nice and sunny, but it was intensely hot and humid. The good news was that the monsoon rains hadn’t caught up with…
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The Best Exotic Marigold Expedition – Day Two
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Delhirium If I’m honest, the first few hours in Delhi were a bit of a shock. I felt overwhelmed by the enormity of the city (the estimates vary, but the population without including the urban surroundings is close to 20 million), the intense heat, the chaotic traffic, the hoards of beggars and the fact that…
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The Best Exotic Marigold Expedition – Day One
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What’s it like exploring the foothills of the Himalayas on a Royal Enfield Himalayan? We found out! Touring in India is like sipping a fine cocktail – it fills your mind with an intoxicating mix of colours, smells, sounds and flavours. Except that you can’t just delicately get your lips wet for a little taste…
