Gear

Navigator

I mainly used Navigon – India. It got me to the right place (almost) every time. Its one flaw: it only knows the best routes, so it doesn't work well off the beaten path. For that I used Sygic MapMyIndia, which, if you like, will take you down some pretty dramatic roads too. Both are available for iPhone 4 and 5 (62.99 and 26.99 euros respectively). At the time of my trip (December 2012) TomTom didn't have maps of India. To mount the phone on the handlebar I bought a waterproof holder on eBay (25–30 euros). Watch your battery life — I travelled with a small extra solar-charging battery pack (10 hours of extra runtime).

Travel bags and more

A whole Russian-doll setup. One large suitcase holding the riding suit, helmet, boots and tools; a small case, to carry on the plane, holding my “normal” luggage, which could then be stowed inside the big one once it was empty. And waterproof dry bags, easy to pack flat, meant to move the luggage into containers suited to the bike's rack. All held together with a handful of elastic straps. Not the most elegant setup, but the colourful, chaotic contraption that resulted held up admirably for 3,000 km. And that's all that matters.

Both Delhi airport and many hotels have left-luggage storage (at the airport, ask confidently — you have to go out and up to the first floor).

Friends at Omnimoto lent me a magnetic GIVI tank bag, extremely handy (mine is too big for an Enfield — the tank is quite small). I carried a small first-aid kit, Bimixin and other broad-spectrum antibiotics, three cans of insect repellent (:-)), water-purifying drops, a thin ten-metre rope, six or seven luggage straps, a Swiss Army knife, a multitool, small screwdrivers and a laptop. Locally I bought an electric kettle to make tea. A portable mosquito net (almost useless in December), various fleece jumpers (extremely useful), mosquito spray (useful at times), an international driving licence and visa (the process is now very simple).

A bottle of Champagne (optional).

Expecting a solitary New Year's Eve somewhere remote in India, I'd added a bottle of Veuve Clicquot to the pile, smuggled in and dragged along for eleven days and nearly two thousand kilometres, stowed inside an electric kettle — only to open and drink it in Jodhpur, the blue city, one of the most beautiful places I saw on the trip. Served with cashews, pistachios, almonds, spiced biscuits and a pineapple. And a Montecristo cigar.

My New Year's Eve dinner in Jodhpur.
Alone.
No.
With a bottle of Veuve Clicquot.
And that makes all the difference.

Clothing

A three-layer Rev'it Sand cordura jacket, padded Rev'it cordura trousers, a Rev'it thermal shirt, low leather-and-Gore-Tex Crispi boots. A Dainese back protector (another kind loan from Omnimoto). A Nolan X-lite helmet, padded chin strap, a 6-euro Philips headset with the speakers removed and fitted into the Nolan's built-in slots. Light leather gloves (a big mistake — it was cold!). I wore all of it, all the time, and was never once too warm…