The 2021 Royal Enfield Classic 350 is one super sweet motorcycle. Period! And it has taken me a total of 4 roadtrips and a few thousand kilometers on this bike to come to that conclusion. Ohh and before we start, let me tell you I was born and brought up in Rajasthan only and hence, for obvious reasons, the familiarities with this state are immense. So, when Royal Enfield sent an invitation for their first-ever Classic-specific marquee ride to explore Rajasthan, I scratched my head and asked myself as to why I should do it! But then again, knowing folks at Royal Enfield and the crazy passion they have for community development and organizing rides like no other, I hardly took any time to confirm my participation.
Now, if you have been a part of the Tour of Rajasthan or heard about it, don’t get confused here. Unlike it, as already mentioned, the Sands of Time 2021 was curated especially for Classic owners and loyalists and that’s the reason you are going to see only these in the pictures as you will scroll down. So, without any further adieu, let me take you on a roadtrip in and around some beautiful cities in Rajasthan and tell you why the Classic 350 and Rajasthan are worth falling in love with.
Gearing Up!
The Day 0 of the Royal Enfield Sands of Time 2021 was all about getting prepped up for the ride. The riders assembled at Hotel Hilton in Jaipur from where the ride was supposed to be flagged off the very next day. After the bike & gear scrutiny and cross-checking of Covid-19 vaccination & medical fitness certificates, the RE crew gave a quick brief about the ride along with the DOs and DONT’s and the participants passed on a quick introduction of themselves to get a bit familiar with the fellow riders.
Following this was the distribution of the collaterals including rider-specific stickers that needed to be pasted on the bikes in order to identify everyone of us with our unique numbers that we only had chosen. After a quick chit-chat, it was time to have dinner and get all charged up for the SOT 2021.
Flag Off with a Pledge to #LeaveEveryPlaceBetter!
Some of the things that I have always loved about Royal Enfield rides are punctuality, discipline, and smooth management that stays intact throughout the ride. One small example to further elaborate this is the luggage van that carries the belongings of the riders. Now, since it takes considerably more time to reach the destination at the end of the day, we were advised to get the luggage loaded in it typically an hour before the ride flag off. This was done so that no one has to wait for their luggage after reaching the destination at the end of the day.
So, after this and having breakfast, the riders reported to the parking area for the ‘stickering ceremony’ after which everyone’s bike instantly got its own identity. My bike number was 7 and the inspiration came from MS Dhoni. Now was the time to take a pledge and a much-needed one. Among many Souvenirs, a reusable water bottle was given to us by Royal Enfield and its aim was to minimize the use of plastic bottles during the ride. Given the irresponsible nature that we have shown enough towards Mother Earth, this was an applaudable step towards environmental sustainability. And then, after a quick briefing that was set to happen everyday before we start, the ride began!
Rajasthan Highways, You Beauty!
Let me tell you Rajasthan has the best highways in India and this was one of the key reasons why I was looking forward to this ride. The destination for the first day of the ride was Nahargarh – a place in the Parsoli village in Chittorgarh, 319 km from Jaipur. Soon after flag off, we reached the flat state highway, and the buttery smooth engine of the Classic 350 tempted us to twist the throttle. Being avid bikers, we cared least about the winter chills.
After a few minutes, the riders stopped for a quick chai break. The traffic density on this route is quite low, allowing us to maintain a steady and decent pace. After getting back on the saddle, the ride started again and the next proper break was for lunch near Bundi. A few minutes before the sunset, we finally reached our destination – Justa Lake Nahargarh Palace – a Heritage property that is built in the heart of an artificial lake and you take a ferry to reach there.
Words might fail to express the beauty and experience of this place so, take a look at the picture below and get an idea yourself!
The riders headed to Udaipur the next day. The story of smooth tarmac continued on the second day as well and the 160 km ride was completed before lunch itself. We took the well-paved Nahargarh-Chittorgarh-Bhadsora-Dabok-Udaipur route that gave us enough liberty to push our bikes to the limits and Classics didn’t hesitate. By now, the riders realized that the new Classic 350 is nothing short of an accomplished 100 kmph cruiser and this only made the experience even more tempting. Absolutely no vibrations at this speed just shows how much blood, sweat, and tears RE has put in over the last few years to better its best-selling motorcycle.
As we reached Udaipur in the afternoon, we had an entire evening to relax and explore the City of Lakes. The stay was arranged at another heritage property called Justa Rajputana Resort and Convention Centre which is located in Savina. The riders dispersed to explore the city while I decided to complete my pending sleep.
The Jodhpur Magic!
This was certainly one of the best parts of the ride. The Udaipur – Pindwara – Sirohi – Pali route is super scenic and apart from lush green landscapes and mountain carved roads, you will find a few tunnels on this stretch. After stopping midway to get our tummies filled, the group started again to stop at Om Banna temple that is located on the NH-62 Jodhpur-Pali highway. If you aren’t familiar with this place, a motorcycle is worshipped here that is believed to have divine superpowers.
Want to know in detail about this place and the spine-chilling story of a 350cc Royal Enfield Bullet? We have made a feature video of it that you can watch below.
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After taking blessings from ‘Bullet Baba’ and his esteemed motorcycle, we headed towards Jodhpur to explore the 15th century Mehrangarh Fort that stands high and overlooks the walled city in which many buildings are painted in blue (and hence, the name Blue City for Jodhpur). And after witnessing this architectural marvel and the tales depicting courage shown by the brave Rajputs in their time, now was the time to call it a day!
Proceeding with Caution
As we started towards Jaisalmer the next day, it was time to take it a bit cautiously as Bishnois of Western Rajasthan are known to go at lengths for wildlife conservation especially blackbucks and Chinkaras. The community is so close to these animals that they not only protect them from hunters and poachers but women often breastfeed and nurture fawns that get separated from their herd. That’s the reason you might see blackbucks roaming freely in and around Dhanis (the smallest conglomeration of houses) of the Bishnois in the Western Rajasthan. Have you seen a better example of Human-Animal Bonding?
And that’s the reason we were instructed to go carefully as one might see a deer jumping across the road and given the seriousness of the community towards animals, one can land in trouble in case of a crash involving wildlife especially deer. Don’t believe us? Remember the famous Jodhpur Blackbuck case from which the actor is still struggling to get free?
The road towards Jaisalmer has low traffic but is straight and smooth enough to make you fall asleep while riding. The destination for the day was Sam near Jaisalmer – a place that is well known for sand dunes, cultural activities, and camel rides.
They say a visit to Rajasthan is incomplete without visiting this place and hence, we called it a day after watching the sunset here and staying in Oasis camps, which was a different experience.
Next up was our Rest Day so a few riders decided to visit the Tanot Mata Temple and the Longewala War Museum. As I had already visited the two places during my visit to Jaisalmer last year in August, I skipped this part and instead headed to Jaisalmer in time with the remaining riders to have a perfect lunch.
Below you can watch the feature video in which I have covered the two aforementioned places:
Which reminds me, if you are a foodie, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur will never ever disappoint you with lip-smacking cuisines, and if you are a non-vegetarian, even better because Laal Maas!
The evening was spent well with a visit to the Jaisalmer Fort which is quite unique because you will see people living inside and hence, it’s a different world altogether existing inside the walls of the fort that have been standing high in pride for centuries now. Also, do not miss the sunset from any of the sunset cafes inside the Jaisalmer Fort. You will thank us later!
The Shekhawati Essence
After an amazing two days in the Golden City, we started towards Bikaner the next day. The roads as usual were smooth and our Classics found themselves gliding over the tarmac. We headed towards Bikaner via Nachna and Bajju and the scenic stretch that has almost zero traffic is well maintained by BRO (Border Roads Organization). The 330 km distance took a significant amount of time and the usual small breaks for clicking pictures further extended the time of the ride a bit.
Royal Enfield surprised us with some amazing lunch and we were provided food packets that had come straight from Bikaner. In the late afternoon, we reached Bikaner and called it a day to look forward to the last two days of the ride. The stay for the night was arranged at Maharaja Ganga Mahal Heritage Hotel.
The second last ride day was about reaching Mandawa – a small town in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan that is famous for its beautiful Havelis. The route towards Mandawa is also well-maintained, however, there are a few bottlenecks in between as you approach this place. Being a small 190 km ride, we decided to start a bit late but maintained our pace throughout the ride. At around 3 in the afternoon, we reached Mandawa and all the tiredness almost faded away looking at the property in which our stay was arranged.
Matsya Vilas had our rooms themed like houses that one can find in typical Rajasthan villages with ‘Khatiyas’ placed in the small verandahs. And after spending Christmas night full of fun and laughter here, the group was all set to ride for the last day.
The Return and Conclusion
We headed towards our final destination – Jaipur via Nawalgarh on the last ride day. The highways offered a brilliant surface again and there were mixed feelings among the participants as SOT 2021 was finally coming to an end. Our 100 kmph affair with the Rajasthan highways continued and we reached our destination well in time. The feeling of accomplishment and emotions started to blossom as the riders parked their bikes for the final time at Hilton Jaipur. We clicked pictures with each other and congratulated each other and the Royal Enfield crew for conducting yet another super successful ride.
After freshening up, we gathered for the closing ceremony where we expressed our experience of the ride and were given Certificates of Completion by Royal Enfield that will remain with us forever as an unforgettable memory of this ride.
Conclusion
The cost of participation for Royal Enfield Sands of Time 2021 is Rs 30,000 (Twin sharing basis). This includes stay, breakfast for all days, and dinner for a few along with facilities like first aid, doctor, photography, and bike check up / repair. Fuel and other additional costs need to be taken care of by the participant only.
Royal Enfield’s backup van – that is very well known as the GunWagon carries spare parts and is stationed at the last in every ride. Apart from the ride lead and sweep, this vehicle also plays an important role as it makes sure that no rider is left behind during the ride. And hence, even if you stop to click pictures and all riders zoom past ahead of you in the meanwhile, GunWagon will always come and stop for you till the time you are done. So getting left out or lost is indeed quite difficult and the Gunwagon’s track record that it has never taken a U-turn to get someone missing from the ride very well proves this.
The SOT 2021 has turned out to be a great experience as it has painted an even better picture of Rajasthan in my mind and not to forget, the amazing friendships I made here will last a lifetime for sure. Apart from exploring the diverse Rajasthan, this ride is also about staying at some of the most beautiful heritage properties that certainly enriches the experience. Speaking of which, Hotel Rang Mahal in Jaisalmer turned out to be our personal favourite. So, if you are planning to explore Rajasthan on two-wheels and are fond of its culture and traditions, the Sands of Time is a good opportunity to look forward to. The next edition will take place towards the end of this year so keep checking Royal Enfield’s official website where details of all upcoming RE rides are updated.
Cheers and Happy Riding!
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