India – Between Fascination and Frustration
India divides opinions: you either love it or leave it. But once you truly open yourself to this fascinating country and don't let its foreignness intimidate you, chances are you’ll return. That’s what happened to me. To this day, I have a deep connection with India – full of contradictions, but always enriching.
From IT Manager to Tour Operator
My first trip to India was as a student – backpacking and using public transport. Later, as the IT director of a German internet company, I spent a year working in Gujarat. After that, I fulfilled a long-held dream: I bought a Royal Enfield Bullet at Premji’s in Mumbai and rode south for three weeks – through Goa all the way to Kerala.
During that journey, a simple idea became a plan – and finally, a profession: Wheel of India was born. I swapped my keyboard for a fuel tank, the office for the open road, and founded my own motorcycle tour company. Since then, I’ve guided countless guests across southern India – through Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka – climbed the mountains of Ladakh and Garhwal, and ridden through the desert tales of Rajasthan.
Motorcycling in India – An Adventure for the Senses
India isn’t a backdrop for all-inclusive tourists – it’s a full sensory experience, sometimes even a challenge for heart and mind. Poverty and splendor, spiritual depth and chaotic traffic, enchanting aromas and harsh pollution – everything hits you at once, unfiltered. If you approach India with a Central European mindset, you’ll struggle. But if you stay curious, don’t judge too quickly, and let it all in – the rewards are immense: impressions, encounters, new perspectives.
I Honk, Therefore I Am
This phrase probably describes India’s traffic philosophy better than any law book. The traffic is loud, chaotic, and unpredictable – at least at first glance. Here, you don’t need blinkers, you need a good horn and steady nerves. Traffic rules? It’s an unspoken law of might: trucks and buses go first – always. Then come cars, rickshaws, scooters, and motorcycles. At the very bottom: pedestrians and cyclists, more air than road users.
And Yet – or Because of It – India Is Made for Motorcycling
Yes, really! Once you understand the system, let yourself go with the flow, and see the logic behind the chaos, the real joy begins. Exploring India by motorcycle is intense, direct, and full of freedom. There are few countries as diverse, scenic, and culturally rich to discover on two wheels.
Whether it’s across the Deccan Plateau, along palm-lined beaches in Kerala, through dense rainforests and quiet villages, over the peaks of the Western Ghats, or on daring Himalayan routes – the motorcycle takes you straight to the heart. To the real India. And maybe even a little closer to yourself.
